I had just graduated high school, and in a week I would be going on an adventure. I was about to study abroad in Costa Rica. I had patiently waited my whole senior year for this trip. All I could think about was how fun it would be, all the new people I would meet and all the trips we would go on while there. Not once did the social dynamic enter my mind. In my mind studying abroad was this perfect paradise. In high school I had a few close friends. I was never someone to really go out of my way or to be the "popular one" I had three best friends and I was fine with that. I had often been quiet, reserved and never the center of attention. I enjoyed keeping to myself often avoiding loud crowds of people. Honestly my favorite thing to do was …show more content…
Studying abroad according to go overseas started trending in the 1870’s. Indiana University was the jumpstart for it all. Then, the University of Delaware followed in their footsteps during the early 1920’s. The University of Delaware created a junior Year in France, and according to go overseas once again they were all Caucasian. In fact, according to the “Institute of International Education” (IIE)'s Open Doors Report, released in November of 2014, this trend has continued up to the present -- 140 years later. They claim the student body isn't all white anymore, yet IIE reports that over 76% of American students that studied abroad last year were white compared to whites making up 61% of the entire college population in the US. This means that only 24 percent minorities study abroad, and we aren’t even just talking about African Americans! “Eight years ago, IIE reports that African American involvement in study abroad was at an all-time low: 3.5%.” (States Reagan Jackson from Go overseas). In 2010 five percent of African Americans studied abroad. Study Abroad: It’s not all black and white …. It’s white, states a Huffington post article.(Huffington Post) I know from personal experience that I feel the reason a number of African-Americans don’t study abroad is because you feel very out of place. In a way it’s like you’re hit both ways. First, you are in a foreign country of which you stick out for obvious reasons, secondly you are in a 100 percent Caucasian group. So, you really start to feel like you don’t belong. You’re automatically the one to be isolated, to not fit
Some college students might try to be more inclusive of others outside their own racial group by interacting across racial/ethnic lines. Humphrey’s states that although “students today do sometimes choose to live, socialize, or study together with similar backgrounds.” (575, Hoeffner and Hoeffner) however, she believes self-segregation does not appear to be widespread.
High school was, well, I guess you could say normal, but what is normal? I went to class, complained about the food, teachers, projects, you know, the “normal stuff”. In high school, looking back, I guess you could say that I was the one who had all the answers and always knew what was going on. As my one classmate put it one day “Holly’s like the New York Times; she always knows what’s going on.” I was the one that knew what the homework was, what the test would be on, if you needed notes you could copy mine because I had them all, and this was a big one; need help with your homework? Ask Holly. I’m not trying to say that I was an over-achiever, I too slacked off just as much as the next person, I guess my point is, is that I wouldn’t have been that girl if it hadn’t been for my friends.
I could have taken this change in my life as something terrible, tragic, and sad. Instead, I chose to make the most of it and accept it as a new challenge. I began to communicate with as many people as I could and I trained myself to become a more social person. I joined about every sport possible in middle school and made it a goal to become friends with everyone. By moving to Iowa, I evolved from a shy kid into a much more outgoing and adventurous adolescent.
A sojourner is often described as a short term visitor to a new place or culture, where permanent settlement is not the eventual purpose of the trip or sojourn. Bearing this in mind the term sojourner has been applied to many different groups throughout the years; military personnel, aid workers and students or scholars all fall under this broad umbrella term. In the literature concerning students there is some confusion, as various researchers have failed to make the distinction between ‘International Students’ and ‘Student Sojourners’. The term ‘International Student’ , particularly with respect to American, Australian and Asian research,is often used to describe students that have roots in a minority group (such as Asians or Latino Americans) but have actually been born in the ‘host country’. These students are usually resident in the host country for the duration on their academic program and longer. ‘Student Sojourner’ on the other hand is a term that describes students who may move to a new place or culture for the purpose of academic ad...
In addition, I would like to share some quote from one of MSU faculty that I heard on my orientation 3 years ago. “ Do you think how many time you will have an opportunity to be in a society that you can meet a person from around the world”. Indeed, what he said is true. My friends are Chinese, Japanese, American, African American, Taiwanese, and even African. It was an amazing right; I can make my friend around the world in one place. I don’t think many people have a chance like me to interact with people from around the world by not visiting their countries. In addition, interact with people that have a different background than you can lead you to a new perspective, these people make you look the world from a different
Learning and teaching African American studies is the foundation to dismantle inequalities in not only America but also the in international communities. Studying and teaching the history of African Americans is essential for contributing to a healthier future; motivating others to broaden their prospective to not only become knowledgeable on a particular people, but also enlightened on vital issues of inequalities when it comes to sexism, ageism, ableism, classism, and of course racism. Study abroad is one of the most effective ways I can acquire global skills and open up to fresh personal and professional opportunities. By studying abroad, I will have the opportunity to see a side of my field of Africana Studies from the lens of the most ethnically and culturally diverse country in Africa. I will develop needed skills as it pushes me as a researcher out of comfort zone to experience another culture, language, environment, and education
Coming to the United States for college can introduce cultural differences that even the most prepared students might not anticipate. From campus life to classroom etiquette, US school can be quite a different experience from learning in other countries around the world. It is rather natural for students from other countries to join communities that somehow remind them of home and give them the opportunity to remain connected with their roots and at the same time bring the world a little closer to fellow classmates. By raising collective cultural awareness, organized expressions of diversity which create a cultural spillover from which we all benefit.
For example in middle school I was in sixth grade, big old middle school. It was the first day and I was extremely nervous, because I didn’t know if I would be able to make new friends. My mom said, “Lara you don’t need to worry you know how to socialize, you will be just fine.” Within a week I already had a clique of friends that had began to plan activities to do out of school. In middle school my parents were the type of parents that would want to know the parents of the other child who I would be hanging out with. Each time I would have to get their phone numbers at school, because I didn’t have a phone so my mom or dad could call them to see what they were like. The clique of girls I was in was a tight group of girls that felt like we wanted to maintain our status of popularity. As it went on I felt as if my group of friends were trying to make us seem better than everyone else. The outside people of our clique weren’t aloud, because they just weren’t good enough. As a part of this clique I felt I was probably the lowest
...o could ask for anything more? Well it turns out the stresses of school and social standing are still enough to change the course of friendship even as a senior. One by one I began drifting away from the people I thought I would always need. But I believe that was my mistake. I had it in my mind that I needed other people in my life to make me happy. So when I lost everyone, it was one of the most devastating things that had happened to me. Now I'm not saying that you don't need people, being alone forever isn't anyone's idea of a good life. But you need to learn that happiness comes from within and not from being surrounded by people. This is the lesson I desperately needed to learn even if I didn't realize it until now. Even though I feel like I lost everyone, at this present moment in my life, I have never been more content with not only my life, but with myself.
Entering into Clark Atlanta University I was in a complete culture shock. After awhile I was able to get use to being around more people like more and myself happier with myself and culture. It was said to me all throughout my college career how important it is to be a Black male or female in the world that we live in today. I personally believe that race plays a major role in our daily lives. Attending a school where there are not many people who look like you around, can be hard at times. You have already been singled out because of the color of your
Skin color is one of the first things people notice when they meet a new human being and if their skin isn 't the same as the color of the skin that populates majority of the area there is an automatic sense of not belonging from the individual. Out of all the previous reasons feeling as if one does not belong this is the most realistic reason. Lahiri , an amazing author who has so much confidence and so much love from the world and her family, feels as if she doesn 't always belong in regards to where she is traveling .For example she went to Italy. She was nervous because she was a darker and possessed a different skin color and language from the humans who reside in Italy. She didn 't let her skin color and language stop her from traveling. She had to find her own belonging and get over the fact that she isn 't the same look as them and her Italian will never be as good but she found her belonging and pushed through the trip and came upon success at the end of the journey.
On a conscious level, we rarely spend much time actually thinking about and classifying our friends. However, since I was a small child, my mother taught me to recognize and appreciate various types of friends. I have discovered that there are three different types of friends. I group them according to how well I know them and how well they know me. We encounter each type of friend everyday, whether in school, home, or at the gym. First, there are the "pest friends"- general acquaintances. Next, there are "guest friends"- social partners. Lastly, we have "best friends"- our true friends.
Additionally Olsen says “The University of Indianapolis used to forfeit thousands of dollars in tuition from students studying abroad in the shadows of the Acropolis in ancient Greece. That is no longer an issue, however, because U of I assumed full ownership of its branch campus in Athens two years ago from separate management that previously received tuition from students spending a semester there” (1-2). Many students in the United States take part in the study abroad programs that are sent up on most major colleges and universities all around the country. As is clear in, Facts Behind Studying Abroad, written by Emily DeRuy, “283,000 - The record number of students the United States sent abroad last academic year, an increase of about 3 percent. 820,000 - The approximate number of foreign students who studied in the United States last year. China alone sends nearly as many students to the United States as we send abroad at all. And those who come to study here often stay for a full academic
It was the second semester of fourth grade year. My parents had recently bought a new house in a nice quite neighborhood. I was ecstatic I always wanted to move to a new house. I was tired of my old home since I had already explored every corner, nook, and cranny. The moment I realized I would have to leave my old friends behind was one of the most devastating moments of my life. I didn’t want to switch schools and make new friends. Yet at the same time was an interesting new experience.
Mastroianni, Adam J., and Deborah L. Kelly. "Undergraduate Study Abroad Experiences: Changing Attitudes Towards Cultural Diversity And Careers." Insights To A Changing World Journal 2013.4 (2013): 1-11. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.