As I begin this international chapter of my educational journey, the thought of cultural privilege has been extremely prevalent in my mind. From attending a private college in my home state, I admittedly have surrounded myself with similarly minded and similarly advantaged students. In leaving for Ireland, a country that has historically been plagued by poverty and famine, I am excited to become exposed to people from varying backgrounds. My family in Ireland has told me endlessly about the historic plight of Irish citizens, but being able to witness the country firsthand and appreciate its unique culture will be an experience like no other. In addition to being an immersive lesson on Irish culture, I anticipate my study abroad experience to teach me about cultures from all over the world. I am immensely looking forward to meeting people from all different countries and backgrounds on my travels, and each will have something to teach me about the world. Especially considering the political and social turmoil in the United States, it cam be easy to develop a narrow minded and potentially elitist view of the world. Hopefully, my time in Ireland will allow me not only to further open my mind to other cultures and viewpoints, but to bring my new knowledge back to the United States in order to help open the minds of those who are not able to go abroad. This is another crucial aspect of my privilege, as I feel incredibly lucky to not only attend an institution that encourages international travel, but to be able to afford flights and tuition across the world. Of course, people coming to study abroad at Maynooth from outside of the United States come with their own unique privileges due to their culture. For example, I can imagine that students from the European Union would have more experience traveling and assimilating into other cultures due to the ease of travel within the EU. While this is vaguely intimidating, I hope all students with varying forms of privilege will help students out that may not be as familiar with differing cultures and accents.
