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Citizen
of the World
Diamond
in the Rough
By Elizabeth Horner
We
are the result of all our life’s
experiences. From the moment we open our eyes to the world as babies,
we are
collecting, storing, and interpreting data--- discovering not just how
to look
at things, but different ways of seeing them. Every
book I encounter
changes my relationship with words. Every time I meet someone new, it
changes
the manner in which I will view the person after that. And every place
I travel
to, alters my understanding of all other ground under my feet, sky over
my
head, wind whipping passed my face.
For
me, college--- and especially college
abroad in London--- has been a life changing
experience. It’s not
just that I have a new appreciation for England, its rich
history and
attractions, though, of course, I sit in anticipation of each
fieldtrip. No,
everything from Greenwich to Stonehenge to Dr. Samuel
Johnson’s house
in the city has helped me look at my life in the United
States with a new
fondness and perspective.
There
had been so many things that I had taken
for granted. Like air in my lungs, or the functioning of my heart, the
day-to-day details of life in this country were internalized to the
point of
being ignored. There was never anything special about driving to the
grocery
store, for example, until I learned what it was like to carry my
purchases from
Waitrose all the way back to my apartment about a mile, on
foot. Suddenly, the feel of the seat in my mother’s
car was a
luxury. I used to accept snow as a symptom of winter, the grass tipped
with
white like silvering hair, but after walking to school through a park
every
day, plants still green with growth, and the sound of still flowing
water
gurgling happily from a fountain, it became hard not to stop and stare
when I
saw those first flakes reign down on me in Ohio.
I’m
not trying to place judgment on either of
these places, but to remark on one facet of the universe’s design, in
which
putting green next to red makes each color brighter, where a long time
inside
will make the air outside seem fresher, where changing clothes makes
you aware
of the sleeve hitting your arm, and the bend in your jeans even if it’s
just
for a moment, even if you were wearing something similar before. I know
that I
have been given a lot by my chance to travel, but the most important
lesson
that I’ve learned is not one I had to go abroad for.
Understanding
flows in multiple directions, not
just one. Like ripples in a pond, I should have known to let my
experiences give
me new insights into my past, as well as my future. I am in the habit
of
re-reading books, convinced that each time I venture over the same
terrain, I
am picking up something useful--- even more useful for being hidden
under
layers of the familiar, and yet, I never thought to take a moment, step
back,
and re-read the circumstances and the society into which I was born.
The truth
is every place is brimming with wonders; they might not be advertised.
People
might not flock to see them. But being a citizen of the world is not
about
hitting the most tourist spots or racking up the frequent flier miles;
it
requires us to appreciate the facets of the world’s many different
cultures
that allow them to shine so brightly off of one another.
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