Global Identities – Page 14 – GW Blogs from Abroad

بلدين

AdminDecember 1, 2014

Two weeks ago, I was sitting on a train to Casablanca when a woman sat down next to me. And a very matter-o-fact way she began telling me about her life, sharing pictures of her daughter and questioned me without inhibition my life. Like every other encounter I had this past semester, I had to carefully explain my identity to her. I was American, my ethnic identity was Indian and so forth. Hearing my explanation her facial expressions turned quickly from the confusion I was so used to, and instead lit up:

“Ah, baledeen.” she remarked. ...continue reading "بلدين"

Every Step We Take

AdminNovember 26, 2014December 14, 2018

By kendallpaynenewmedia

I believe that everyone’s identities are constantly evolving with every step we take. Every time I grab coffee with a friend or listen to a professor give a lecture or even play a game of Ultimate Frisbee with my friends, I learn something new and in turn my own personal identity shifts and often grows. Most of the time the change is so subtle we hardly even take a second look and sometimes something dramatic occurs and our whole world and perspective is forever changed. In my opinion, both are important and both deserve reflection.

For me, living abroad was easily the most incredible experience of my life. Immersing yourself in a completely different culture forces you to reflect back on your own culture and your own upbringing. Throughout my time abroad I found similarities in Australian and American cultures, but I also found a lot of ´interesting cultural differences` as my orientation leader, Steve, liked to say. Recognizing these differences I found myself wondering what about our distinct communities and respective cultures made us different and what made us the same. Along with my Aussie friends, I made friends from all over the world including: The Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Austria, England, Russia, China, California, Washington, Wisconsin, Florida, Kansas, Oregon, and New York. I truly learned how much my own communities and cultures had shaped me after seeing just how much these friends’ cultures had affected them. ...continue reading "Every Step We Take"

Before and After

AdminNovember 26, 2014December 14, 2018

By claudiainpune

In a country where your family, religion, and economic level define everything you are, I think everyone on my program has faced challenges with their own identities during our time here. As Americans, I think we focus a lot on how we make a name for ourselves as individuals, regardless of where are parents come from, where we were born, etc. But, I think where you come from has a lot to say about who you are and what what path through life will look like. Your pivotal formative years and how you interpret the world all originate from the place, the people, and the things you grew up with. Every experience in your life has a purpose and will, in some form, serve you down the line whether you notice it or not. ...continue reading "Before and After"

BUILDING IDENTITY & COMMUNITY

AdminNovember 24, 2014December 14, 2018

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. ...continue reading "BUILDING IDENTITY & COMMUNITY"

hm interesting cultural difference…

AdminNovember 4, 2014December 14, 2018

By kendallpaynenewmedia

When I first arrived in Australia, my school took all the international students on a weekend orientation trip to the beach. Part of the orientation consisted of a few presentations discussing what our study abroad experience might entail. The presenter, Steve, talked to us about the W curve of culture shock that many abroad students experience. He told us that the people, rules, culture, and places here in Australia might clash with the culture we’ve have grown up. Steve urged us to never use the phrase “wrong” when discussing these clashes. He asked us not to say “they drive on the wrong side of the road” or “they say tomato wrong.” Instead he told us to simply say “hm interesting cultural difference.” We all laughed at this, thinking of how seemingly ridiculous we would sound saying “hm interesting cultural difference.” I’ll be honest with you I didn’t take Steve too seriously. I presumed that apart from the funny accents and strange love for Vegemite that the Australian culture would be very similar to the American culture I had grown up in. After spending 5 months there, I came to find a lot of interesting cultural differences. I found that Steve was right, they were not good, bad, or even wrong, but simply interesting and I had to learn to adapt and cope with things not being as I thought they should.

Having gone to GW, a very politically aware school, for two years, parts of the culture in Australia did shock me a bit. At times it can feel like they are at least 10 years behind the United States when it comes to social liberties and politically correct statements and phrasing. This put a strain on the identity that I had built up and created for myself back at school. The community at GW had made me feel like I could be and do whatever I wanted without fear for judgment from my peers, but when I got to Australia I began to feel those pressures to not be weird or different, a lot of the same pressures I had felt in the south. ...continue reading "hm interesting cultural difference…"

Amreekia?

AdminOctober 28, 2014December 14, 2018

By sreyavaidya

At home, we are often in our own bubbles that tend to shape our identity to a point where we are desensitized to it. At home, little did I realize the diversity of American identity. Whether it is Indian-American, Asian American, or Italian-American we come in a spectrum that often eventually blurs out in the chaos of daily life.

However, in Morocco I’ve been forced to step out of this comfort zone. Never have I been made more aware of my Indian identity than when I encounter a cab driver in Rabat. He looks at my friends and immediately acknowledges “Ah, Amreekia” and then turns to me, with a pending curiosity and asks “But…what are you really”. One gentleman did not even give me the liberty to respond; he immediately questioned “Indian or Pakistani?”

Initially when the frequency with my “true” identity was question, began to annoy me. Why is it that I had to explain myself as an American when my friends did not? Suddenly, there was a barrier between us, which I either nor they had put up. At one point, this bothered even my friends. I remember my roommate responding very loudly before I could even process his question,

“No, she is American”. ...continue reading "Amreekia?"

Shaking hands on the third date

AdminOctober 27, 2014December 14, 2018

By claudiainpune

Staying true to yourself and withholding your identity while in India is something that I think everyone on my program has struggled to deal with. It's tricky to find that right balance between not being culturally inappropriate and also being yourself. I think most of this experience has been comprised more of me trying to assimilate into their cultural and their lifestyle versus the other way around. I am more focused on understanding my surroundings and integrating myself into my host community than letting my identity shine. However, I don't necessarily think this is making me mute. Nor am I in any way saying that my host community is shutting me down and not accommodating my personal needs. ...continue reading "Shaking hands on the third date"

Evolving Identities

AdminOctober 23, 2014December 14, 2018

By bbarfiel

The most pressing question that I got when I first arrived in Milan was “Why study in Italy”? Honestly, I really don’t know. I mean it’s a combination of things, but there wasn’t one selling point that sealed it for me. First, the most important (for me at least) was the food. I mean, who doesn’t like Italian food? Secondly, there are endless amounts of places to visit from Milan, Venice, Florence, Pisa, Cinque Terra, Sicily and Rome. Lastly, the clothes! If you really know me, you know that I have always had a passion for dapper dress. Milan is definitely a place to allow my fashion sense take its course. Oh, I forgot to mention the beautiful Italian women!

However, not everything in Milan is as sweet as the gelato. I definitely have my share of rocky roads while studying here. When I first arrived in Milan, I requested to stay with a host Italian family for 10 days with the intention on renting for the duration of my study. They were really welcoming at first, but started to distance themselves from me by day 3. I wasn’t shocked when they explained how “I was lucky to stay with them because the Italian people can be really prejudice”. While this maybe true, they definitely didn't make me feel at home. On day 5, they asked me if I wanted to stay, because a family friend from Venezuela was coming to Milan and needed to know if he could rent my room. I told them that I was more than likely going to stay with them because it was too difficult to find a flat in Milan for less than one year. The next day, I went to discuss the details of my stay and what they expected from me. When I approached them, they spoke in Italian for a while. I could clearly tell something was wrong. The two sons got into a big argument, and one stormed out of the living room. The other son was irate but tried to assure me that nothing was wrong and that I would get the room. By the time the owner of the house (his mother) arrived home from work, I think things boiled over. She doesn’t speak English, but I knew that she was trying to calm her sons down and figure out what we would do. ...continue reading "Evolving Identities"

समुदाय (Community)

AdminOctober 7, 2014December 14, 2018

By claudiainpune

Here is my community abroad in 5 pictures:

I think it would be wrong to talk about my host community and not include my host family. So, above are my host mom, Priya, and my host dad, Raj, who we affectionately call “Uncle.” Priya is an absolute gem. She is extremely attentive, hospitable, and very caring. Raj is a quiet one, who doesn’t interact much with us, but he looks like a care bear, so it’s fine. Not pictured is my host sister, Aboli, who is sassy, full of life, and always ready to show my roommates and I around the city. ...continue reading "समुदाय (Community)"

The Communities I’ve Found Half Way Across the World

AdminOctober 3, 2014December 14, 2018

By kendallpaynenewmedia

Community can be defined in many different ways. Over the years the definition has changed and grown for me personally. I have come to find that the people and places that support me and help me to grow in different aspects of my life make up my communities. Here in Australia I have found communities in likely and unlikely places.

The first community, who I have grown to know and love, is my house and the people that I live with. I live on campus in what is known as the Burwood Student Village. I live with nine different people, but luckily we each have our own room! Of the nine people, five are Australian, one is from New Zealand, one is from Hong Kong, one is from Malaysia, and the last one is from New York. We have what we call ‘family dinners’ once a week (as shown in the photo above) and it is a great time to catch up and hang out. I have learned so much from these people about life and culture in their hometowns and I love them all very much. They can be crazy and sometimes even annoying (as anyone that you spend a lot of your time with can be), but this is the community that I can come home to after a long day and I know that at the end of the day (no pun intended) they will always be there for me. ...continue reading "The Communities I’ve Found Half Way Across the World"