By bbarfiel
In my original post, I tried to give you a sense of my community and the way that I define my self. Since then, I have experienced a lot of things that have confirmed and challenged my initial thought. Overall, I still identify myself in the same way in my first way. I am still a driven, man of color who is trying to break all of the stereotypes society has instilled. While this is completely true, I believe my identity is greater than this.
My time abroad has given me a new insight as to what it means to be a young adult in 2014. First, it is hard to argue that the world is getting smaller. Not literal, of course, but initial barriers of communication are no longer present. In Thomas Friedman’s The World is Flat, he talks about the post ‘Y2K’ era in which globalization, economic, and foreign policy are going through heavy reform. As an international student, I can see that people are becoming more international. Access to information is no longer expensive and difficult to find, but now is easily accessible with the click of a button. However, as a result, you are no longer competing with students from your home country, but you are competing with students from all parts of the world. It is surprising to see that many of us have the same goals and aspirations. I guess the biggest change that I have made is recognizing that I am not only a citizen of the United States but I am also a Global Citizen. Living abroad, I can clearly see how foreign economies, politics, and policies affect what goes on globally. Also, I see how the students abroad are much more aware of global issues compared to my friends back home. With this being said, I will do my best to stay informed on topics that affect the globe instead of just my home.
Moving forward, I am saddened to say that I have less than a month left in my exchange program. It has been an eye-opening experience, one that I will cherish for the rest of my life. While it hasn’t been the smoothest transition, it has introduced me to perspectives that I would never have been able to see. Additionally, I will truly miss the inexpensive travel. I don’t know if I should call Ryanair and EasyJet a ‘luxury’, but they have sure allowed me to see a lot of interesting places. Furthermore, I will miss interacting with students from all parts of the world. Sure there are international students at GW, but they seem to really distance themselves from the student-body. I have had the chance to develop friends with people from the Netherlands, Kenya, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, and Sweden. Learning about their culture, country, and experiences has truly opened my idea of what it means to be a young adult. I will do my best to stay in contact with my community abroad via FaceBook, Instagram, and Whatsapp. I am almost positive that I will eventually run into one of my friends in the near future!