While this study abroad was only two and a half weeks, it feels like I have been gone for much longer. We travelled to 4 countries and 5 cities spanning 3 different languages with entirely different roots. The thing that has shocked me most about coming home is just how much easier it is to exist in a space where I know not only the language, but also the customs, and what is appropriate to do, say, and wear everywhere I go. There is a certain level of friction that comes with being in a foreign country, and I am eternally thankful to have been able to experience that friction because that is what learning about foreign cultures and customs is about. The reason I enjoy travelling is because it is different from the familiar, and when I escape the familiar, I get to discover all that was unknown to me before. Having four different people in the grocery store help me with the self-checkout machine was certainly a humbling experience, but the constant immersion in the discomfort that comes with travelling abroad gave me the confidence that things will inevitably work out even when they do not go according to plan.
Abroad, I was met with such openness and curiosity that it implores me to think about how I treat foreigners in the United States. Coming to visit or to live permanently is no easy feat, and learning a whole new language and set of customs is not for the faint of heart no matter how many movies have been created on American life. Confronting that friction every day is not easy. It is very difficult to be a stranger in a strange land, but it is very easy to be a friendly face in my own home. Our ability to connect with one another beyond linguistic communication puts the strength of human connection on display. I feel lucky to have been able to experience such a feeling through UA.
