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Published: March 10th 2005
Okay, I'll go ahead and be the first to admit that I am a slacker. You must understand that
I truly have plans to submit another blog entry very soon. In the meantime, I would like
to share with you an article I submitted for my school newspaper a few weeks ago.
Keep in mind that it was written for my colleagues, but regardless it should spare me a
few days, right? I hope someone reading takes a little something from it. Soon I will
have more for you. Thanks for reading and cheers to each one of you!!
************
Those moments in life when an experience allows you to pause, reflect, then grow are golden and should be sought and valued. Undeniably, our lives are packed with subsequent moments in time, but rarely do those periods contain the key ingredient that truly allows us to undergo transformation. While they can happen any time or any place, when we experience them, we immediately feel their significance, their life changing abilities.
Several Maryville College students have recently returned from spending J-Term abroad and understand first hand how certain experiences hold the power to change lives.
Other students who have previously returned from a summer, semester, or year in a foreign country at one of MC’s partner institutions can attest that they too were transformed by their experiences overseas. Being immersed in a foreign culture undeniably impacts us in astonishing ways. After returning home one is capable of seeing the world in a slightly different light or perhaps feels more at ease when stepping outside of comfort zones. Regardless, when observing other people and experiencing cultures foreign to ours, not only are we able to learn a little more about the world outside our territories, but in the light of our observations, we’re also able to learn about ourselves.
As Maryville College students we have an advantage that many of us may not even realize, and it’s been there the entire time. You don’t have to run with the bulls in Pamplona, hang glide from the peak of Mt. Fuji in Honshu, or snap an illegal photo of the Mona Lisa in Paris to be personally impacted by the world abroad. Our campus is home to international students from 21 spectacular countries around the world that are experiencing life in America, many for their first
times. We see these students daily, but for many of us they are simply another familiar face on campus. What a remarkable opportunity it is to share our community with students from cultures around the globe.
By no means are we obligated to reach out to the foreign exchange students at MC, but after befriending just one international student we’ll ask ourselves why we waited. Moreover, we can all think back to times when we were alone in an unfamiliar place and we can remember how we felt when someone opened their arms towards us.
We should remember that feeling today as we walk the sidewalks of campus, have lunch in the cafeteria, or sit through another class. We should look around for those familiar faces and transform them into relationships. It will be through these relationships that we will begin to understand more about the world around us, and in doing so, gain unprecedented introspection into our own lives. It doesn’t matter how many languages we speak, the number of stamps in our passports, or how many adventurous stories we have to tell. Taking our eyes off of the small world of Maryville College for a short
wishtree
Taken by Josh Orendorftime and exploring what foreign representative students have to share will transport us across the globe. Together we can learn and grow, and it’s possible without ever leaving the proximity of our campus.
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anonymous
non-member comment
wow
beautiful photos! yes, we are really anxious to hear more from you of course. great article too, you're a great writer.*b - Georgia