Strangers Between Worlds
In this transcribed interview, an international student still on campus reflects on the meaning of nationality she used to emphasize to distinguish herself from others. The support she has received from Carleton makes her realize that her nationality would not prevent her from feeling connected and supported in the United States. At the same time, however, she sees a growing nationalistic sentiment and policy of the U.S. government that remind her of the inherent limitations in her status as a foreigner. These contradictory messages make her question whether she can genuinely belong to the States in a deeper sense. While she spends hard time navigating the sense of belonging, she continuously compares herself with less privileged others and feels obligated not to fail her classes.
A sophomore international student staying with his family in Tokyo feels ambivalence toward his experiences in the United States. For the first two years at Carleton, he struggled with navigating westernized elite college system, learning cultural differences, and forging connections with domestic students. All these experiences were confusing and challenging, but he considers those as a valuable asset in his life. Carleton was not just a place where he could gain academic knowledge but also where he could personally grow. Although he appreciates his time with his family and friends in home, he likes to challenge himself further in the United States rather than “wasting time” in Japan.
An international student at St.Olaf currently staying in South Korea talks about his changing views of his Korean nationality. He used to value the US citizenship as he thought that would give him more rights and benefits in the country. However, as he witnesses the way US has dealt with the pandemic and George Floyd’s murder, he starts to feel proud of his nationality and citizenship. Although some international students feel guilty about coming back to their home nation for medical care only during this kind of time, he feels he deserves those benefits because he is going to perform mandatory military service for 2 years.
An international student at University of Arts London talks about her unique struggles as an art major student. Most of her assignments and projects require spaces to work, frequent feedbacks from professors, and sufficient art materials. As she has to work alone in her small room and show her artwork to professor through online platforms, her learning experiences are significantly degraded. Even though she is supported by her school, she is acutely aware that she would need to rely on Korean government when the situation gets worse. In addition, it was her first year in London, and she just began to adopt herself to the new environment. As she suddenly had to stop everything that started to unfold in London, her “mind is still in UK.”