Fall in the North American exchange world. It’s all about things getting real.
Nominees are finally getting organized for their winter exchanges and new applicants are just starting to figure out where they might actually like to go, and when.
It’s all about things becoming a little clearer.
While the fogginess of dreaming about exchange was starting to lift last month, the smoke was starting to clear on the tragedy in Nairobi, Kenya. I don’t think many would have linked that to the exchange experience, but I happened to hear this great essay that kicked off CBC’s Q with Jian Ghomeshi on September 25th, 2013. It’s worth the 4 minutes.
Jian Ghomeshi is a smart guy: He wonders how we can be so detached from events we don’t like or understand, applying the construct “over there” to give tragic events a distance and remove them from our field of vision. He calls on us to stop being selective in our sense of connection, choosing to embrace the benefits of our globalized economies, but distancing ourselves from other events and experiences.
That is what going on exchange is all about.
It is about providing students with the opportunity to become part of a bigger picture by leaving what is familiar and being there for long enough to gain new insights.
It is about beginning to notice that in our difference there is beauty and unity, that we can share experiences, confidences and that new understandings are waiting to be uncovered.
In the exchange world, we hope that the students will go beyond travel, tourism, volunteerism and superficial experience. We have succeeded if, in the minds of our students, an event that happens “over there” is happening right here, in our broadened sense of Neighbourhood.
Those hopes are what drive my excitement when students are contemplating exchanges that will challenge them. Exchanges to places where they know they will be a minority in many ways including linguistic, cultural, religious, or racial. Being open to challenge broadens their chances for growth and I am happy to facilitate that in ways that complement the intellectual growth they have begun to chart at university. This is just one of the benefits of student exchange.
So, as you begin to think about your international experience, I encourage you to challenge yourself, lift as many restrictions to your vision as you can, then go talk to your exchange advisor.
Chances are we know how to make it happen without delaying your degree completion time or stretching your budget too much. We have probably removed more barriers than you have considered and we want to make international experiences happen for as many students as we can.