Coming Home

One of Lancaster’s main selling points is the amount of international students it attracts. In my flat of 8 people including myself, not one person was English. Students from Italy, Greece, Hong Kong and Cyprus shared the flat with me, and all of us had different ideas and experiences of what it meant to be a foreign student. Not only were there students from Allegheny, but a large group of other Americans were visiting this semester as well. Someone who turned out to be largely invaluable as a friend and study partner was a foreign student as well. The university prides itself on the ability to bring in and retain students from across the globe. From that viewpoint, and that understanding, my understanding of my place in a global education is infinitesimal. After these experiences it is easy to think that my contribution or my ideas are nearly irrelevant among the sea of voices who also have a similar perspective, or tackle the same question uniquely. It doesn’t matter what my thoughts are because the thoughts of others are “better” or “more interesting” or a myriad of value judgements that make my experiences lesser. I came to Lancaster thinking I would be educated and my modest opinions would be afterthoughts.

I could not have been more wrong. While it is true, my experiences is one in a large amount of other foreign students at the university, and while yes, I was humbled by my education I received, it was met with equal teaching. I was able to teach and to learn in tandem, and become more adept at both understanding differences and working with them more cohesively. My experiences with my peers and friends here were eye opening not just for me as I had expected but for them too. I was fortunate in my ability to be a resource as well as a recipient of information and understanding. I was humbled by the questions I was asked, and understand that it reflected very heavily on cross-cultural understanding how I answered those questions.

My understanding of global education agrees with the article. I think that I would add to it however. The experiences Lancaster provided me are both teaching and learning experiences. While learning was the primary goal, teaching became a side effect of interacting with people who did not know much about the United States, just as I knew little about England. There was a movement of give and take, a shared understanding that grew from my time with people I would not have otherwise encountered, and this is the reason global education is important. Not only does the person traveling learn in abundance, but they teach the people they encounter abroad. It is important for any study away student to know that their interactions are just as unique to the people they interact with as the encounters are to themselves. My role in global education expanded to include being a teacher as well as a student, and for that I am grateful. I was expecting to be bombarded with information, and I was right on the nose with that prediction. My surprise came from sending just as much information back to the people I was interacting with. The true mission of global education is not one sided, and I learned this first hand.

Lessons from Study Away

Will Buxton says

“The weekend after the deadline for a piece of coursework for the class I met Michael in, him & I went out for a few of drinks. After having a couple in the bar we’d agreed to meet in, Michael suggested going to another place in town where he’d really liked the music on his previous visit. To me, the bar in question had a less-than-favourable reputation I’d tried to avoid during my three years in Lancaster. A chain associated in my mind with ultra-cheap drinks rowdy clientele, it was good for large groups making use of the student-friendly prices but seemed an odd choice for two people. But Michael insisted that the music was good and I eventually agreed.

We arrived and, lo and behold, it was precisely as I had recalled – a “quality” establishment with generic pop playing (the prices can’t be complained about, mind you…). I expected disappointment from Michael, but instead he had that attitude he’s known for: “We’re here – it’s not what we came for but they’ve got music and there’s an atmosphere, let’s have a good time”. He seems to always want to make the best of a situation – even one you wouldn’t normally go for isn’t just salvageable, but can be made a good one.”

The social calls of my experience turned out to be as equally eye opening as classes

Jeriel Bacani says

“All exchange students from America I've encountered here at Lancaster are always super friendly and jolly, despite the gloomy and bipolar British weather that they are graced with upon their arrival. Michael especially, has been one of the most memorable exchange students I have met. Being one of the only three people in my External Intervention seminar who turned up at the end of term, I was really enlightened by his perception of the UK in comparison to the US, challenging the view on race and culture by our very flamboyant and fabulous lecturer. It intrigued me to experience someone who had a high degree of awareness with regards to the privileges enjoyed by Caucasians in the US and it certainly highlighted for me, the context of the recent events that one was only able to read about and hear about on the television. Michael's ability to share his own juxtaposition of British and American perceptions towards minorities gave us all a different viewpoint, which in my opinion was not only enlightening but embodied an encounter that I feel British students should be doing more of, which is engaging and learning more from the exchange students who pass through our university as often I feel that they are overlooked just because of their temporary stay here.

Getting to know Michael better was even more enlightening, during revision sessions I was able to not only get to know more about how the US has it much easier in terms of assessment breakdowns, but also at how much our perceived "crippling student debt" here, is nothing compared to our American counterparts. In terms of what defines Michael, from the aforementioned encounters would have to be his ability to cast his own outlook and enlighten those around him, sparking debate and thought that others may have otherwise have overlooked.”

Both of these stories are reflective of their authors. While Will and I really only socialized, and were more friends than just classmates by the end of our time together, Jeriel and I were academic peers. I learned a lot from the both of them. Both of these people I have written about in previous entries, which is why they are the two people I chose for this assessment. It was with Will that I made a faux pas of engaging too much in public, and Jeriel was present when I was speaking with my lecturer about race relations in England versus the US. Will’s story further highlights how I was different from the average British perception by smiling more, being more “positive” and generally not complaining as much as he deemed normal. An important caveat he didn’t mention is that the music playing at that establishment that night was not the same as the music playing there other times I had been there, and I was equally upset with the music choice of the evening. And while I may not be doing the very “British” thing of finding fault in the situation, I was glad for Will’s company on that occasion. Will has proven a valuable comrade, both in friendship and enlightening me on how to navigate the subtleties of British culture. Jeriel is another exchange student, and her insight is invaluable, and I was grateful to meet her. Her assessment of me as a thoughtful person came as a surprise, as I perceive myself as often quite absent minded and bumbling, and ill equipped for the complexities of British culture. Her support of my thoughts is high praise for me, and not taken for granted. Just as I learned from the professor we reference, I learn from her about how to listen more than speak, and to take new angles on situations. I do believe revising with her was a highlight of my academic experience in Lancaster, and Will’s social calls were just some of the off-hours highlights.

Why Am I Here?

Socially constructed values for race are not universal. My time in England has proven that to me. While I am aware of the situation in the United States in regards to race, my understanding of the situation in the UK did not measure up. I do know of racial bias existing in the UK climate, I knew that racism towards members of society existed, especially in regards to people who either were immigrants, or children or grandchildren (or even great-grandchildren) of immigrants from the Indian subcontinent, whether they hailed from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, or Sri Lanka. The extent of the discrimination and tension was not immediately clear to me. While hearing the racist comments from British peers, or seeing anonymous posts on Yik Yak were disturbing, they generally came across the same way these comments appeared in an American setting to me at first thought. Without knowing how to intervene or to call the racism, especially as a foreigner, I was unwilling to dive headfirst into the social constructs of my host country, with the American stereotype of uninformed, loud, and meddling firmly imbedded in my mind as something I truly wished to avoid. I didn’t understand (and I still don’t) the extent to which this racism impacts members of the marginalized groups in England until I was talking with a professor, a student from the Philippines, and a student from Pakistan.

The professor asserted that racism in the United States was less impactful than racism in England. I asked him how that could happen. We had been discussing the trend of police brutality towards unarmed black men such as Michael Brown, and their unjustified murders. This professor, despite his knowledge of these events, still felt that America was less racist than England was. I asked him how he came to that conclusion, or to what in his experiences pushed him to that understanding. He told me of how he, his brother, and his father visited the US in previous years, and had vacationed there In his travels, never once was anyone in his family accosted by police, TSA, officials or civilians, and their experiences in the United States, despite being from a foreign country (England) were much smoother than they were at home. All of them citizens of Great Britain faced more harassment and alienation from their own government and peers than the Americans. I wasn’t sure how to handle this new understanding, but from his explanations, the US had a better handle on race relations than England did, despite the blatant murders of black citizens, or the existence of groups like the KKK, facets of American society that would not exist in England. This was an eye-opening experience for me. It made me uncomfortable to think that by largely remaining unaware of the UK’s understanding of race I was unconsciously adding to the stigmatization of British people. That when I am treated better in England than Englishmen are, there is an insidious undertone of discrimination I am actively participating in, when I do not call it out or seek to do what little I can to help. On the same token, as an outsider, I am subject to the same microscope when I make myself known, and may inhibit the social progress necessary if I alienate further myself from the population. While this conversation was not easy for me, it did serve as a clear reminder and lesson in both how I operate in the United States and in Great Britain.

Reading Between the Lines

One of the stumbling blocks that Barna mentions in the article is “Nonverbal Misinterpretations” when communicating with people from different cultures, most notably the American habit of smiling all the time at every one. It took several weeks, but eventually I learned not to smile at every passerby, as that was regarded as weird or uncommon. In the United States, where even passing acquaintances are given the treatment of a hello or a conversation when passing each other in public, it is uncommon to do so in my experience here. There is one instance where this is most apparent for me, involving a person I had classes with.  

In the classroom setting we would chat or occasionally interact in group work, so much that I knew his name, he knew mine, and we would be considered casual acquaintances. To this end, I didn’t realize the etiquette or norms for interacting with people of this status was different in the UK than it was in America, and I committed a faux pas in one of my encounters with him in public. I was out with friends in town, chatting when I saw him. He waved at me and I waved back, and rather than ending the encounter there, as custom would dictate, I beckoned him to our table. We chatted for a while and he mentioned he was with a different person. Without realizing it, I had made the mistake of assuming it was proper to chat with different friends or people you knew in public, without having specifically made the arrangements to see that person.

Socially acceptable socialization creates problems in certain settings

In the US, where chance encounters such as these are seen as an opportunity to become closer to the person you meet, or a chance to introduce that person to other people, in England this is not greeted with the same enthusiasm. It is frowned upon to spend time with people outside your direct party, and it is also rude to intrude on a different person’s day, even if that person is a friend or acquaintance. Waving is seen as acceptable, or a casual hello, but an extended conversation is less than favorable, and the nature of forcing that person to engage to not be seen as rude is off putting and disorienting to the individual, while the offending party (me) is unaware of their offensive behavior. This situation really stands out to me as an example of what Barna is referring to. There was an active disconnect in cultural understanding that lead to one or more parties being hurt or offended unintentionally, but still damaging. This particular situation was resolved without much pain or issue, however other similar faux pas in other situations may not be as readily forgiven. Smiling at the wrong time, especially at strangers, is considered odd, for example. It could mean that unintentionally, offense was given to a passing person who may not understand the meaning behind the action, just as I don’t understand why it was a problem.

Resetting Our Goals?

One major "development" experience that sticks out to me involves the elections England had in May, and the subsequent political climate involving the Conservative government lead by David Cameron and the stance the party takes in regards to the EU. For the Conservative government, their stance on England's continued participation in the EU is tenuous, and they vowed, if elected, to put their membership to a referendum.

That referendum is set to take place next year, and Cameron and the Conservatives want to see the peoples' opinion on the EU. There is an agenda of course, and the Conservatives are Euro-skeptical, believing that soon may be the time for the United Kingdom to leave the EU. They feel that developing both Europe and the global community can be better achieved without the regulation or support of the EU's governing bodies, and that the EU hurts the UK more than it helps.

Part of these sentiments arise from the situation in Greece, as well as the austerity measures the EU placed on the whole of Europe, in either reforms in places like Greece, or increased monetary help to bail out the countries in danger, which the UK has done. The UK feels that "development" of Southern Europe and Ireland is no longer in its own interests. Development to England means less about giving money directly to countries in its immediate region, but more on recovering its own economy, even as the bedroom tax and other Conservative policy places undue burden on citizens.

England also continues to gear its development towards devolution, with new proposed measures to give English MPs more control over the laws passed in England that do not relate to Scotland. The "English votes for English laws" proposals arise in retaliation of Scotland having its own Parliament and elections offset from the state wide elections, and the fact that even though Scotland determines its own path in certain terms, those same MPs can vote on England's budgets, even if those budgets do not affect Scotland whatsoever, or they are legally exempt from certain restrictions. Scotland is given flexibility with both welfare benefits and taxation, for example, a 5 pence tax on plastic bags in stores, a tax that does not exist in England. The divide between the Scottish and English cultures have forced development to center around both leveling the playing field for the English, and also giving Scotland more freedom to appease growing dissatisfaction. Because of this, the changing nature of development may mean Great Britain takes a turn into itself, further losing the prestige from its former empire, and instead working to ensure the Isles do not fully splinter from Westminster government.

The task of keeping the United Kingdom together is proved more difficult, both by the election of the Conservative party, and the failure of the referendum of 2014 on Scottish independence. Despite the Unionists prevailing, the Scottish National Party began to see membership increase, as many Scots still feel that English leadership is not in their best interests. To the British, the social importance of development is now more than ever focused on the home islands, leaving the rest of Europe and world at large on the back burner, until such time Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are more securely tied to Westminster. A vote to leave the EU would further exacerbate the tensions, as Scotland at large is a pro-EU culture, despite the Cameron administration's Euro-skepticism.

Parliament Building, London, where much of the UK's talks of development take place

Coming Home

Even though I still haven't come home from Costa Rica I can still talk about what my education experience was like overall. Studying abroad is truly a life-changer because no matter how you do it, you are going to be thrown into situations out of your comfort zone. At first, it can be kind of stressful and make you anxious or scared, but the feeling you get once you've successfully dealt with all these new situations is of complete satisfaction that you have successfully traveled to foreign country and not only furthered your education, but also improved upon skills such as inter-personal skills, problem solving, language learning, and world history. World history is a very important one for me because growing up in the United States can really disconnect you from the rest of the world. It is easy to forget how privileged we are here in the U.S. and the international role our country is playing in global affairs.  It is also easy to be deluded into thinking the U.S. should be a role model for other "developing countries". If anything, I've learned that the U.S. is not as great and "developed" as I used to think and the American people would benefit greatly if they took a leaf from their Central American neighbor's book. The hard thing is trying to shift lifestyle while living in the U.S. because you don't know how to. Traveling to anther country really helps one step back, and take a look in the mirror and reconsider how we live in the U.S. The nice thing is that when you travel to a foreign country you can get a glimpse of other social systems that you may or may not associate yourself with more.

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