Coming Home

The goal of higher education is to obtain further knowledge.  This knowledge comes from sources such as textbooks, professors, and experiences.  One of the fascinating advantages of a liberal arts college is the difference in variety of experiences that are offered to any particular student.  Having the ability to study away was just one of these experiences I was able to have.  During my exchange program, I was taught by unfamiliar teachers, who used alternative teaching approaches to present to an eager set of students in another learning environment.  These differences allowed me to learn to not only take in my surroundings in a different way, but more importantly it let me question what I previously knew and tie together old ideas while combining some of them with new ideas. 

The ability to connect and critique ideas is the model universities are built around.  Hence we see a global push by universities to develop study aboard programs where this level of higher learning occurs.  While there are so many things we can still learn in our own countries, studying abroad is especially valuable as in this instance the familiarities we know are removed and re

placed with new experiences.  Not all the time did I agree with the views of those around me and the culture that was expressed, but in these situations I was still able to see where these individuals were coming from and why they held their views.  Two poignant examples were an old man who did not believe in global warming and a surf shop owner who had the confederate war flag hanging in his shop window.  These people, though certainly kind at heart, had been raised differently and often in a narrow setting where they were exposed to limited viewpoints.  It is this understanding of others, cultures, and viewpoints that anyone who travels is bound to experience. 

            To gain a better understanding of ourselves and the world around us we must leave what we know so that when we return home we see former matters differently.  This is why higher education encourages students to leave home and roam.

Southold, NY