By: Jordan Fierst
This past spring, I was enrolled in the Roosevelt University course JOUR/SOC329: “Whiteness in a Global Society.” The focus of this course was to “address the history, economics, politics, and the social construction of whiteness.” Over the course of the semester, eighteen other students and I concentrated on the development of whiteness in three deep-settler nations: the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. A deep-settler nation is a nation “that whites colonized, controlled, and stayed in for generations.” After extensively studying the history of whiteness in the United States throughout the semester, the nineteen of us (plus three wonderful Roosevelt faculty members) then boarded a plane to study the history of whiteness in Australia and New Zealand–with the end goal being to compare the modes of whiteness within these nations to those of the United States.
Ultimately, the goal of this course was for students to “develop a sophisticated understanding of the reproduction of white privilege, white power, and the continuation of white supremacy worldwide.” And, as I sit here, after being home for a little more than three weeks, I find myself reminiscing on this crazy, beautiful experience. And now I’m going to tell you why you should consider enrolling in a travel-based course or study abroad during your time at Roosevelt.*
One of the best parts of studying abroad is all of the fun that comes with traveling the world! Although a majority of my time in Australia and New Zealand was planned and included learning and cultural experiences, we were also given a great deal of free time to explore on our own. Whether it be petting and feeding kangaroos on one of our group excursions or playing a pick-up basketball game with some local Wellington, New Zealand university students in our free time, traveling abroad will undoubtedly bring with it an abundant amount of delightful experiences!
Spending time with people in another continent, let alone country, means the potential to form lifelong bonds. As someone who is shy and has trouble connecting with people, it can definitely be difficult forming meaningful connections with people in your classes during the semester. However, after spending time with these individuals outside of class (including a 16-hour flight and another 13-hour flight), these wholesome connections are so effortlessly made. After this trip, I now have a network of twenty other diverse and magnificent individuals who continue to support me and remain an integral part of my life–nearly a month after we have finished traveling together.
The experiences you will have and share with others over the course of the semester and throughout your travels abroad will be experiences you will remember and talk about for the rest of your life. Between trying oysters for the first time EVER and witnessing a live haka from native Maori people, the memories created on this trip are truly unforgettable. My grandkids will definitely get tired of hearing about the time I tried corn that was cooked in a hot spring in New Zealand or the time we hiked the Blue Mountains in Australia, but I’ll never get tired of telling them about it.
CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT THE VIEWS?
Spending time abroad will not only open your eyes to diverse cultures and beautiful ways of doing things you may have never even considered before, but studying abroad will also help you learn more about yourself. Between the hours of traveling on airplanes, buses, and public transportation, there is certainly ample time for self-reflection. And after spending an entire semester learning about a social justice issue within the world and then witnessing it firsthand abroad, the transformative conversations with your peers who are experiencing the same thing, will gift you with a new lens from which to look at the world. And it is the possession of this new worldview that will open your mind, help you to think more critically and creatively, and forever change your life.
Discounted prices, discounted prices, discounted prices! Traveling across the world on a Roosevelt-sponsored trip will undoubtedly save you some big bucks in the end–which means more spending money on new food (VERY important and worth it), extraordinary experiences, and plenty of souvenirs to take home! We love group discounts because that means more chocolate-covered fruit!
Traveling abroad entails great responsibility. By traveling abroad, you will really learn what it means to be an adult and how to be self-sufficient. Whether it be navigating a foreign country’s public transportation without any phone service and using an actual paper map (those still exist??) or budgeting your money to last the duration of the trip (which means saying no to that really great souvenir every once in awhile), a great deal of responsibility is required when traveling abroad. This also means remembering to take care of yourself and to practice self-care. Don’t forget about taking care of YOU at the end of the day.
I GOT TO HOLD A KOALA. THAT IS ALL.
Great, now I’m sitting here all emotional after reminiscing about this glorious experience of a lifetime. Seriously, though, if you ever have the chance to study abroad during your time at Roosevelt, no matter for how long, I highly encourage you to consider it and learn more here.
*wipes tears off keyboard thinking about how much I miss this trip
BY: Jordan Fierst Senior, majoring in Political Science & Sustainability Studies President of CASSAC (College of Arts & Sciences Student Advisory Council)
