I have a long year ahead if me. During this summer I will be going to both Poland and India. This Tuesday I am off to Poland with a wonderful program called Learning Enterprises where I will be spending 5 weeks teaching English to kids in a little village in the southeast of Poland called Poraz. Then after spending 2.5 weeks at home I am back on a plane to Jodhpur Rajasthan India for a Stanford Program called Impact Abroad which is through FSD (Foundation for Sustainable Development.) There, with a group of about 11 other Stanford students, we will learn about NGOs and community development in India as well as putting together our own project in Setrawa.
After coming home for another couple of weeks, then I will be studying abroad for 2 quarters as part of the Stanford
Bing Overseas program. First I will be working on mon français in Paris, and then for winter quarter I will be enjoying the Southern Hemisphere summer in Cape Town South Africa. Yes, it's quite a bit of traveling, but will be fun!On this blog, I will be posting updates of various things I have been up to, and hopefully providing an interesting insight into the world. Or at least, I will be posting very nice pictures, like the one on the right, of me on a hike today in the Marin Headlands.
So, I am not sure exactly how I am going to structure these posts yet, but I think ending by posing a question is a good idea (and then I can try to answer it the next post after you all comment on it!) So, since I will be spending so much time abroad, I have been thinking about 'What does it mean to be an American'? This is especially relevant for Poland because I will be representing an American and America for many little kids, but what is it that makes people American? Have a go at that one people.
'Till next time,
-Andrew
You! hypocrite lecteur! -- mon semblable -- mon frere!
ReplyDeleteDo keep me updated on your life. I expect many billet-doux, Frenchie.
Being American is an ideal. For a lot of people in this world, an American is not viewed as not just a person, but an embodiment of certain collection of ideals and values. From my personal experience with people from outside the United States, Americans are viewed with a certain mystique and their reactions of us are generally very positive. A lot of people view Americans with a lot of hope even though they may not agree with a lot of policies. They see American as almost an ideal towards which their own people can rise, not exactly aspiring to be like Americans, but achieving their idea of Americans. A friend of mine from Slovakia named Martin told me after he finished law school that Americans represented a better life for many people in Eastern Europe. He said that his favorite things about Americans are our openness, our compassion, and our general acceptance of discussion. What was very interesting to me was what a girl from Canada told me. (Yea, yea, Canada isn't exactly the best example for a non-American opinion of what it means to be American) This Canadian girl told me that from her perspective and experiences, Americans are simply very positive. They could be loud, rude, cocky, and crass, but at the end of the day you can't help but love them and what they represent. She noted that at one point she hated America, but as she grew older she began to believe that the only reason she hated Americans was because she simply didn't understand what it really means to known an American.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds so exciting!!!
ReplyDeleteYarr. Good luck with all the languages. =P Be sure to post photos of the spots the tourists never bother to see. :) A lot of those places tend to be pretty cool.
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