Diversity - Study Abroad Exchange Program

In the fall semester of 2017, I studied abroad at Oxford Brookes University in Oxford, Oxfordshire, U.K. It was an exchange program provided by Old Dominion University. I had to apply for the one spot at that particular college and I was so grateful to be granted it. I decided to study abroad in England specifically because it is where I was born and my native citizenship. That may seem confusing, but my family left England when I was just 2 years old to live in Germany. At the age of 7, my parents immigrated us to the United States. We never returned to the U.K. but did often visit Germany. For a long time, I only possessed U.K. citizenship and legally belonged to the nation despite having very little emotional connection and no memory of it. Something that has always affected me both positively and negatively is my inability to pinpoint where I am from. My father is Israeli, my mother is English/Danish, I was born in England but also grew up in Germany, and I have spent years living as a true American citizen. Studying abroad in England allowed me develop a sense of belonging to my birth nation through education. 

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While at Oxford Brookes, or Brookes as we called it, I lived in a flat with 5 other exchange students, including one Swede, one Frenchman, two German girls, and another American. Furthermore, the area, or "block", I lived in was limited to foreign students. I studied in England but because of the people I was surrounded by I learned about different cultures from across the globe. During the semester, I celebrated the Swedish holiday of Lucia, joined the ESN (Erasmus and Exchange Student Network) Society, the Nordic Society, ate Australian snacks such as Vegemite and fairy beard, practiced my German and French language skills, and along with the other Americans, hosted a true Thanksgiving dinner. 

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In the gallery bellow, I included images from my adventure aboard. There are pictures of the people I traveled with who taught me diversity of culture. There are pictures from historical landmarks whose stories provide an understanding to how the current English society was formed. And of course, a picture of our Thanksgiving dinner, because I had to share just a little bit of the American culture with my foreign friends.