I think that my identity from when we did the initial activities has changed slightly to my pre-departure process. I feel like I had traveled abroad previously for an extended period of time but after this summer I feel like I had a wider global perspective.
I feel that my identity as an American is obvious but how I see my experience will be more adaptable and with a wider mind. I think that my experience will definitely be different from others on this trip who may not have left the United States before. I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing because through every experience we gain another set of preconceptions.
Some advantages I definitely see myself having will be an ability to become flexible in the workspace during my internship. I think that having experience working abroad will allow me to pick up on the nuances and take the differences I come across in stride. The general disadvantage I see myself having is commuting in a fast paced city when I’ve been used to using my own independent transportation. I feel that while I did have to navigate a bus system on previous abroad experiences it’s not the same as the hustle and bustle of riding on the subway everyday as a commuter.
I definitely think that I’m going to come across a vast majority of multicultural and intersectional identities, which I am definitely excited about because I feel like it will expand my experience as a global citizen. The people that I come across in London will have a better advantage over me of the independence of living in a busy city and the comfort in a bigger melting pot of people than I am used to in Florida. They also will have a greater global perspective than I do because living in London, they are in a much greater proximity to different countries with high levels of immigration. They most likely will have better assimilation skills and a greater breadth of international politics that I will hope to gain during my time abroad.