Throughout my 21 years on this earth I have never really been the "other". Sure, I did a cross country move from New England to Colorado at the age of seven, but we still spoke the same language, I still looked like the majority of my classmates and the culture was similar enough not to warrant a prolonged feeling of "otherness". Not to mention I was seven at the time, and had my family along with me.
Even moving farther west for college, though it did provide some nice culture shock, I was still surrounded by people who had grown up in the same country as me. Who spoke the same, and had the same childhood experiences.
But now I'm half way around the world and I have never felt like more of an outsider. I can pass for British if I don't open my mouth, but as soon as words come out, I'm labeled as an American. And as soon as I ask "oh what major are you studying" (they do courses here), I realize how different our lives have been up to this point. Granted, most of that has been in different names for products (c'mon who calls a cookie a digestive?), but also school systems, family life, social life. It's a bit like going to a Catholic Church when you're an Episcopalian. Everything is mostly the same, but the differences will put you on edge and make you feel as if you stand out.
I'm hyperaware of my "otherness" now. And most of my conversations at the moment center on and proceed to highlight those differences even more. That's all fun and games until you want to have any type of more in-depth conversation and you're stuck with cultures that don't quite line up.
At the end of the day, we all crave a place to call home. A place we know we'll fit in; where people will understand what we're talking about and know all of references and places and background.
To be super politically correct (as according to the Australians and British all Americans are), I realize that my feeling of "otherness" is occurring in a place where I still could pass for a local, where we still all speak English, and on a higher than basic level we've had the same growing up.
And even with these limited differences I still feel like an "other". I'm beginning to understand better, and applaud and commend, those people who do cross state lines, cultural and language lines, and make a home in another country. It takes guts and courage. And a lot of patience, explanations, and homesickness.
I came to study abroad in order to explore new cultures. To see a bit more of the world and broaden my horizons and perspectives. And what comes along with that is a better understanding of my own culture (more on that later). And a better understanding of cultural boundaries and how to cross them. Even if that involves the occasional shipment from home of some real peanut butter (Jif), I'm ready to continue to immerse myself in this culture and come back a bit more of a global citizen.
