Senior from Orleans, Massachusetts, USA
Majors: Political Science and Music Studies
What intrigues/excites you about the Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia & Herzegovina program?
- I’m super excited to travel and learn with this great group of people, especially since we’re going to places that I’m already starting to become attached to having only learned about them in a classroom. I haven’t been near this part of Europe, and I’m excited to be exposed to the cultures and customs of the countries we are visiting. I value opportunities to learn about other people’s lives, whether in another country or just another state, because I can see the effect it has of improving my abilities to relate, be open, and be compassionate.
What has been the most meaningful idea you’ve discovered or learned about the idea of shifting borders so far?
- As we’re learning about the breakup of Yugoslavia and the way borders shifted to where they sit now, we’re also watching the tumult in Ukraine in real time. Reading about people living in Slovenia and Bosnia, in the aftermath of or during war, has made the news I see about Ukraine even more real to me. It’s definitely incredibly sobering, but I’m also glad to have already been thinking about borders, ethnic tensions, and identity in an academic setting, so that I was somewhat prepared to begin thinking about what the people of Ukraine are facing.
What do you hope to either learn yourself or share with others about world literature (based on what you know so far)?
- At the moment, I’ve been viewing world literature as any literature that teaches me about a culture that’s not my own – especially when it’s written by someone from that culture or place. So, I’m looking forward to understanding more clearly what world literature is, but also to experience more of the openness I feel after I read literature by people who have different life experiences and backgrounds from my own.
For me, the SloCroBoH Abroad is an opportunity to….
- Learn about a part of the world I have little to no touchpoints to or concrete knowledge of, to spend time practicing writing and studying writers, to immerse myself in learning about a place while I’m actually there in person, and to think about the concepts of nationalism and borders and their relevance and permanence.