Reflecting on Experience

At the start of any study abroad experience comes educational privilege. it may not relate directly to racial privilege, but to gain knowledge in another location, to learn a new educational system, and to benefit from the wisdom of instructors of that institution is indicative of an educational privilege. Being an American at a foreign institution come with privileges of sympathy and patience when educational customs are brought forth. Instructors and students both have provided valuable and free help above and beyond any requirements. Being American means I won't be expected to immediately understand every nuance, and I will be given the opportunity to learn before being expected to blend in. This is specifically because of my nationality and race. My nationality and skin color give me an unprecedented ability to blend in, however when advantageous to me, I can use my nationality to my advantage, getting help from a multitude of people without fear of condemnation, whether it be at the university itself, or in the public sphere.

Public buildings like the town hall in Sheffield pictured above and public servants such as clerks and police officers, give me leeway because of my status as an American in England.

The next layer of privilege comes from the boost to my credentials. Employers look for broadening experiences that create well rounded individuals, and the study away experience is typically the crown jewel in these experiences. Spending time in a foreign country, adapting to a new situation, and then thriving in that location proves to anyone viewing my resume that I am capable of adapting to challenges. It gives me an advantage over my peers that may not be based on my ability to do the task I am applying for. An Employer who had a similar experience may give me preferential treatment due to a fondness for their experience. It is quite possible that employer may have lived in that nation, or been abroad before, and empathize with my experience and give me undue consideration. It's important to recognize that I am given many passes and advantages. Adding intercultural experiences and adding the travel experience to my resume gives me an ability to distinguish myself ahead of other people. These experiences are not given equally either. It’s a mark of economic privilege to travel abroad, and it’s a mark of economic and social privilege to be accepted to study abroad. These experiences do not seem to be of any significance to privilege, but after reading the article by Peggy McIntosh, I am forced to confront some of the hidden advantages I am gaining by being in a developed country not of my origin for an educational opportunity. These advantages are not earned, they are given, and confronting them requires that all people gain equal opportunity to the social, economic, and educational privilege that places me in an environment the study away program does. McIntosh lists and examines many of the unseen advantages skin color gives people, and in the same way, I am working to examine the advantages I am gaining through this experience. My study abroad adventure has placed me in a position I have overlooked, and forcing myself to examine the unearned benefits I receive will allow me to both further appreciate my experience and be more grateful for it, and to argue that these privileges be stripped, and instead become open to all.