Reflecting on 2013

   It’s been more than a week since I left Paris and headed back home for the holidays. Despite being on the move and not being able to sleep at all in the span of 24 hours, I am glad that I made the journey to spend Christmas with my family. On top of that, I get to welcome the New Year with the first ever Idaho Potato Drop. Think Times Square but with an Idahoan Twist.

   Before the year ended, I wanted to reflect on a couple experiences from my studies and time abroad.

   I traveled to China and Laos this past summer with professors from Trinity and 11 other students. I can’t thank the Center for Urban and Global Studies (CUGS) enough for allowing me the opportunity to put into practice some of the concepts we had been studying. While at times people thought we were weird for water sampling and their eagerness to take photos with the Africans/American-Americans/Blacks in the groups got annoying, I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to places I never thought I would see in my lifetime.

   This past semester, I was in Paris on our global program but also taking classes at Sciences Po. While I first thought of going to France to study when I restarted with French sophomore year of high school, it was another thing for me to realize that it was happening. Through the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program which supports undergraduates studying or interning abroad, I was able to get assistance with some of the costs associated with studying abroad. While in Paris, I learned a lot about teaching English and non-profit work. While I've always considered myself independent, I had to prove this while living in a country that wasn't my own.

   A couple other important lessons from this year:

1. I think that people are secretly afraid of being on their own and it makes them uncomfortable to see an individual in settings they consider better suited for two people or a group of friends. Going to a restaurant and saying that you need a place of one, unless it’s a place known for grabbing something quick to eat, is the way to guarantee that people will be staring at you.

2. No matter how much economic growth countries experience or how many people are now living in urban areas; there are still issues of poverty, uneven distribution of wealth, violence and so forth that we need to tackle. Going from China to Laos was a big shock for me and the unpaved, bumpy roads were a reminder of the development that’s still taking place.

3. Immigration continues to be a subject of interest in politics today. Not only are there debates on who to allow into a country and what to do with those already there. There are issues of integration and how to create a meaningful relationship between the native population and the newcomers. Even in a city like Paris, there are those who depend on the informal sector to make their living because they may not have papers to work legally or have a hard time finding work through other means.

   Happy New Year! May 2014 be a blessed year for everyone!