Why am I here?

One of the goals I set out to achieve during my study abroad experience was to become more culturally aware and a “global citizen” (Zemach-Bersin 2008). I have tried to experience a lot of the culture of Australia through exploring, talking to Australian people, and learning about the Indigenous peoples in class. 

I have noticed that as an American at JCU, I am treated the same as any other student because most people on campus are used to encounters with the large volume of study abroad students that flood the campus every semester. However, I was in for a change when I began volunteering at the local hospital. One uncomfortable situation I have experienced in Australia that could be considered ‘productive discomfort’ would be my first few days volunteering at the hospital. 

My hospital volunteer shirt and tags.

Most of the volunteers and patients I met had such a high opinion of Americans and were very curious, much more than what I had encountered at uni. I was the object of attention, which made me quite uncomfortable as many people liked to point out I was American at random. I was asked so many questions ranging in topic from politics to education and the inevitable discussion on guns. Along with these topics, the people I was speaking with had this assumption that all Americans were wealthy and privileged, which also made me quite uncomfortable being from a working class family. I answered all their questions to the best of my ability, but I was not very good at explaining everything. Because I am not very knowledgeable on American politics or education (with the exception of what I learned while in K-12), I was very uncomfortable and learned that I should be more aware of my own country’s practices. I also explained that not everyone is an “advantaged American” (maybe when traveling to other countries or in certain areas of the States) because I grew up in a working class home where we all learned the value of hard work and I am paying for college myself (Zemach-Bersin 2008). I noted that people are in serious debt because they attend college and are unable to get high paying jobs with benefits/insurance. These discussions led to the Australians telling me all about their education, healthcare, insurance, and political systems-quite the learning experience for myself.

In the end, it has been and still is a learning experience for me, even though I have been asked many questions that are difficult to answer or make me uncomfortable. I can truthfully say that I have become more of a ‘local’ as my time here has increased but I still encounter situations, mainly with new people I meet in the hospital, that are learning experiences for both parties. I believe I have become an “internationally conscious and self-aware American” based on my experiences in Australia that have allowed me to become more knowledgeable about other cultures and about myself as a person (Zemach-Bersin 2008).

Zemach-Bersin, Talya. "American students abroad can’t be ‘global citizens." Chronicle of
     Higher Education 54, no. 26 (2008): A34.