A Mixed Range of Emotions

I first learned about the Voice Project when I was reviewing my syllabus the week before class started.  I read through the instructions for the assignment several times and discussed it with family and friends.  I had mixed emotions ranging from nervousness and anxiety to excitement and curiosity.  The more I thought about the project the more fear entered into the equation.  As I considered different voices, I thought about whether or not I had previous experience interacting with that voice.  We were encouraged to challenge ourselves to choose a voice with which we had little or no experience.  Was I up for that challenge?  I've never considered myself a huge risk taker.  It was interesting to hear others thoughts on whether or not I should pursue a particular voice.  Ideas were swirling.  Maybe I could acquire the voice of a gay, African American man, or a white male with  visual impairments or a physical disability who was in a wheelchair.  Or what about a transgender person or a lesbian?  As I was interpreting my own feelings about the level of risk I wanted to take, others shared their concerns about me taking on a voice very different from my own .  I was not the only one who was feeling uncomfortable about the assignment.  I thought about who I knew off the top of my head that I could talk to about a particular voice.  As I considered my family, friends and acquaintances I tried to think about gender, sexual orientation, race, nationality, class, age, disability, and religious belief.  I came to the realization that my social and professional network did not include a diverse range of people who were not like me.  Were others students encountering something similar?  I trust that this will change in the future.  Let me rephrase that.   I hope that this will change in the future.  I think of myself as someone who is open to diversity and who enjoys meeting new people.  I wonder if that is just easy to say when you don't come in contact with people that are not like you very often?  There is much to think about and I know the Voice Project is going to be a huge learning experience over the course of this semester.  With a mixed range of emotions I decided to acquire the voice of someone I've never met- a white male who is visually impaired.