Final journal!

Two weeks home, I am so glad I was able to have this experience because it opened my eyes to the ways I can be so accepting of certain opinions, and so critical of others without actually taking my own time to analyze the situation myself and form my own opinions. I still have yet to decide what I think about the refugee crisis in Berlin and how the government manages the living situation of those who have traveled so far with nothing. I have also had so much time to reflect on how race plays a role in Germany and compare it to the United States. It has been fun to bring back these stories and tell my friends about the white dreads, but I have also had very interesting conversations with my friends about how I see the world differently because of my experiences learning about German history and temporary housing for refugees.

            I also had great conversations with people about my experiences at home about the differences between race in Berlin and race in Seattle. And I have been able to have very interesting conversations with my friends about different minority groups all over the world. I have noticed on this trip that I have to pay thousands of dollars to be able to learn about my history and culture. This makes it that much harder to learn about other marginalized communities without having a direct purpose to do so. I have had this experience in Berlin, and being able to share my knowledge with people has opened doors to more information about different communities around the world that also experience oppression.

            I hope to use my conversations to move forward in my education. I hope to be inclusive of every person and every culture, and I have used this experience to jumpstart my dialogs about race and culture. I also hope to use my knowledge to work with others in my future working in a civil rights field. Every marginalized human becomes this way due to the systematic oppression enforced by the white male, and it is my job to make sure groups of people get the recognition they deserve.

            Finally, not to get too cheesy, but I made a lot of friends who have such open minded opinions that I hope to stay in contact with as I finish my last two years of college. Everyone I met, being mostly from the honors program, had very different experiences growing up, and many different ideas about the world. I loved having conversations with these people, and plan to continue them as we become better friends.

            This study abroad was the best thing I have ever done in college because it allowed us to learn away from the books, and immerse ourselves in the cculture and the lifestyle. I enjoyed every minute of it. My next goal is to find döner and falafel for the same price and equal quality at home. I think the best way to make that happen is work on our governments immigration system. Trump and his followers might believe muslim refugees are terrorists, but when Trump went to Hamburg I doubt he had any döner. Besides at that point, the only space migrants and refugees take up space is not American jobs, but rather delicious cheap food in American’s tummys.