Having just gotten home from my semester in Ireland, I can’t help but be immediately reminded of how different life was there. So why not get super reflective? Looking back to my first, pre-departure blog post, I think that my mind has changed a bit, but I was pretty close to predicting some general trends. I think that my identity plays a larger role in how I experience the world than I had believed before. I had not thought a lot about how idealised my view of Europe had been as an American, but having experienced their political atmosphere I see that there are a lot of social issues and problems with every country. Furthermore, I had not anticipated being treated with less respect because of stereotypes placed on Americans. On a few occasions, individuals in social and service settings either began ignoring or being rude to me upon finding out that I am American. While frustrating, I kind of understand the discontent for American tourists and therefore I did not complain in the moment. In this way, I think my identity did not really afford me any advantages, if anything it was a hinderance at times. As visited a few countries, I encountered a few different identities but nothing too drastic as I stayed in Europe. I had a roommate from Ireland and another from Spain, and there was always an interesting conversation happening in our living room that would inevitably circle back to how different our lives and countries were. My Irish roommate and his girlfriend, in addition to most Irish people I met, were so lovely and I expect an invitation to their wedding in a few years. While I had been most excited about making foreign friends, I ended up being mostly surrounded by other Americans from a few universities around the US, but I do no regret meeting and spending time with them. I think having shared experiences and cultural understanding helped us to connect and empathise in our time. The people I met abroad experience the world differently form me in ways I had not anticipated as well. Of corse there was the occasional difference in etiquette or social norms, but it was fascinating speaking to others about their lives and comparing experiences with healthcare, police, traveling, and so much more. Like I had predicted, the cultural knowledge afforded to those in Europe was somewhat of an advantage to them, but they also the advantage of not being an American tourist in Europe. It was also way easier for them to travel around Europe as there was a separate passport que for non-EU residents.
All in all, it was an amazing experience full of so much fun, history, culture, food, and walking! I am so glad that I was able to go abroad and experience life outside of the bubble of Rollins and the United States. I will never forget this trip and will hopefully be able to return soon!