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Bored in non-international settings?
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I’m 21 and will finish college within a year. I was born in Latin America, but have lived in the US and Europe the past 11 years of my life. I suffer from all the typical TCK symptoms: lack of any national identity, inability to fit in 100%, thirst of travel and new experiences. My years at international school were probably the happiest of my life– I made wonderful friends relatively fast, and these friendships have lasted through my university despite the distance. However, university has been a different story. I stayed in Madrid for college, and all my classmates are born-and-raised Spaniards. Though I’ve made friends, I feel like the “connection” with them is not nearly as strong. I feel bad because these people value my friendship, and yet I find them “boring” at times (this sounds terrible, I know!). Can anyone relate or am I just an arrogant biatch?
Also, I’m wondering of anyone knows of any master’s programs (preferably in the Europe) that would be good for launching an international career and that’s popular among multi-cultural students. I’m majoring in Journalism, but I don’t think I want to settle in just one place in the near future…not to mention the fact that I’m craving a university setting that resembles my international school experiences 
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May 1st, 2008 at 6:32 pm
That’s true too.
You don’t learn about cultures from really international people. You learn about them from people who grew up one way and knew it all their lives.
International people help bring you to them, and so on, but to really get to know a culture or a place, the latter are naturally best.
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May 2nd, 2008 at 11:23 pm
Oh good lord, you’re NOT being an arrogant bitch. I do that too. In South Africa everyone was either black or white, with indian and maybe chinese minorities. It wasn’t the most international setting, and while I did enjoy their company, I just didn’t think we’d ever get to be too close because I was so bored!
Same with Australia, weirdly enough. Despite the extremely multi cultural diversity, the united Australian identity is really really strong, so in a sense, I am also pretty bored of Australia, even though I do realise that they consider me one of them. XD
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May 2nd, 2008 at 11:51 pm
I can totally relate. For the longest time I thought I was arrogant, I mean we kind of are, but we can’t help it. It’s just a question of being around people who can’t relate to us and us to them.
A really good university to try is the American University of Paris. Or Goldsmith’s in London.
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May 3rd, 2008 at 1:44 am
I’m sure mono-cultural people also think: Doesn’t she even know this????
(about their own culture)
So who’s arrogant?
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May 3rd, 2008 at 6:01 am
That’s true — it goes both ways. The difference is that we know better.
We know there are people who don’t know all the same things we know, who can’t be expected to know them because of their upbringing / cultural experience; and we know what it feels like to be judged for not knowing things we never had a chance to learn; and we know that a little patience goes a long way.
Of course that doesn’t mean we have to enjoy everyone we meet. There’s nothing wrong with being bored (besides that it’s boring). And I do still get frustrated and impatient with people. But I keep reminding myself, we don’t have to measure them by the same faulty measuring stick they use for us, because we know better.
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