Integrating at Exeter
Category: Global Identities
Gender 101
"In what ways has your community supported the thoughts you had on your identity before going abroad? In what ways has it challenged or altered how you identify yourself?"
I have to admit, I struggled a lot with this prompt. Without a doubt, I'm not the same person I was before I left for study abroad. I've become more adaptable, adventurous, self-sufficient, and comfortable exploring other cultures.
But of course, I knew this wasn't the prompt meant.
It's difficult to explain how my host community has supported and/or challenged my sexuality because in many ways, it's done neither. People seem to be generally accepting here; being gay just isn't that big of a big deal. On the other hand, there isn't a lot of gay visibility either. Exeter is extremely homogeneous; most people here are straight, cisgender, white, politically-moderate youths from Surrey. Beyond the university's LGBTQIA+ society (which doesn't do activism) and Exeter's one small gay club, there isn't much of a queer community or dating scene to speak of. And as lonely as that can be, it's given me a lot of time to focus on my own identity as a bisexual woman outside of the context of relationships and community.
The moment that kickstarted that reflection came in the form of Gender 101, a discussion hosted by Feminist and LGBTQIA+ Societies on the basics of gender identity and expression. At one point, a facilitator stated that there are as many genders as there are people, because each person interprets what it means to be, say, a cisgender woman, differently. This opens the door to multiple cisgender femininities, an idea that I had never considered before but found incredibly intriguing. ...continue reading "Gender 101"
What’s 52 in French?
By Shanil
When I first started to write this blog post that’s supposed to be focused on my identity, I wrote about how being a gay Pakistani-American Muslim affects how I perceive the world and how it’ll affect my time abroad. However, seeing as how I’m going to be in England at a fairly liberal school, it wouldn’t really be much different than being at GW. If I were in a Muslim country or another area that wasn’t as safe to be who I am, it would make for some great reading, but while my background and history is interesting, I think my identity as an English-speaking American is even more interesting (and funny). ...continue reading "What’s 52 in French?"
Identity Crisis
My identity has long been a place of confusion and resentment. I'm a Palestinian-Greek American. Three vivacious and similar yet so different cultures wrapped into one person. It doesn't stop there. I'm also a convert to Islam. I was raised with my mother who is Greek, Christian and attended Greek School and church from a young age. I didn't know anything about my Palestinian culture because I didn't even know I was Palestinian until I was around seven years old. I knew I was half Arab because of my different last name and foreign father, but that was irrelevant to my life because I didn’t live with him. As far as I was concerned, I was a Greek, American girl who for some reason didn't feel complete with my Greek friends and felt different from my American friends. Little did I know that identity crisis was soon to take a more dramatic turn. ...continue reading "Identity Crisis"
Lost in translation
By sturtle7
Hello! Welcome to my first blog! My name is Sherin Nassar, a junior majoring in International Affairs and Economics! This semester I am studying abroad in Istanbul, Turkey! I am so excited for this journey because I firmly believe it will lead me to a greater understand on myself.
This blog post revolves around identity-how we each view ourselves and how in return people see us. This past year, I've learned my identity changes with each challenge I take on. I see myself as ambitious, always wanting to take on more to see how I can further develop. These ambitions are firmly rooted in my parents' immigrant background. They come over twenty five years ago from Egypt in search of the American dream. Their pursuits and passions as well as their hard work are ingrained into who I am today: someone not only looking to make them proud but to make people believe that the future is truly yours for the taking. ...continue reading "Lost in translation"
Hello, World!
Welcome to my first foray into the GW Blog-From-Abroad-o-sphere! My name is Robyn, and I'm a twenty-year-old junior hailing from Brookfield, Wisconsin. I'm studying Political Science and English Literature with special interests in comparative politics, human rights, ethnic conflict, and women's issues. After I graduate, I hope to go to law school somewhere in the Midwest; I'm still working out what comes after that!
The Most Memorable Farewell
One of the best memories of this incredible study abroad actually occurred at the very end of the trip, during my flight to visit my grandparents in China. The brief interaction that I had summarized and symbolized all of the great things that I had done, seen, and learned.
The Most Memorable Experience
By mluevano17
As difficult as it is to pick the most memorable experience from abroad, one of the ones that I am not likely to forget was my recent trip to Stonehenge. Stonehenge is located about an hour outside of London, near the town of Salisbury. Part of the reason that this was so memorable was because of the incredible landscape and weather that we experienced while visiting the site. It was the most perfect example of the English countryside and I felt so lucky to be able to live in a city with such beautiful sites so close by. I am personally very interested in historical sites and learning about the history of a certain place. ...continue reading "The Most Memorable Experience"
On Leaving France and Finding My Peace of Mind
By Adaeze
I can't believe study abroad is coming to an end. In a few days, I'll be off to America. It honestly feels like such a dream! How does time fly so fast?? In honorable of the end of study abroad, I'll tell you a little story about my time here. ...continue reading "On Leaving France and Finding My Peace of Mind"
The Lost GoPro
By gopro camera
One day, I decided to wear the GoPro on my head to record my friend and my self surfing on a local beach. While paddling through waves crashed down of me, I held on to the GoPro tight. We soon passed the waves and swam a football field out in the open
water. And as we passed through a second break with waves topping eight-feet above my head, the most beautiful sunset I had seen that semester illuminated pink, purple, and orange over the Gold Coast’s Skyline, the waves, and our boards. Of course, I saved every moment with my GoPro.
Once back on shore, my friend said “Hey, Jesse give me the GoPro, we’ll record the waves crashing into us as we stand in front them.”
Hesitantly I responded, “Okay fine. Just make to wrap the head strap tightly around your wrist.”
“Yeah man, of course.”
Five minutes later, I saw him holding my “GoPro with just two fingers as waves crashed in. Two minutes later I saw his two fingers but no GoPro and then him running his hands frantically through the water. We ended up searching for my GoPro in the light-less waves for an hour without any luck. My eyes soon began to water.
He could replace the GoPro but not the memories that it contained. That GoPro not only contained footage of the sunset but also the only footage of a camping trip I went on the previous trip, which was one of my life’s favorite adventures. The next day, I went scuba diving with nine-foot manta rays, six-foot sharks, squid, spanish dancers, and a variety of fish. I was unable to capture the moment without the GoPro.
I was pissed. Not so much at him for carelessly holding another person’s GoPro over the ocean, but more at myself for letting him do something so foolish. I now had no tangible memory of my most prized memories of the semester.
My friend soon realized that his GoPro, which was broken, was still on warranty. We went in to exchange his GoPro for a new one, which he would then give to me. However since the store didn’t have the model I had purchased, it let us exchange the GoPro for the newest model.
I was then able to use this new GoPro to record my trip to New Zealand and filmed everything in top-notch quality. This was lucky, because my lost GoPro was starting to deteriorate after so much use, and its filming quality was beginning to get worse and worse. My New Zealand footage and all other future footage would not have been and will not be as nearly as good as the footage that was filmed with the new GoPro.
And my friend would never had thought to check the warranty on his GoPro if he hand’t lost mine, so he would not have had a working GoPro either way.
So despite my initial sadness, it all kinda worked out in the end.
My previous blog posts have discussed my identity and how my identity effects my future. I chose this story, because it reminds me if times get rough, good times will always be around the corner. And they end up coming around, I plan on recording it with a GoPro.