Relative Education

Studying abroad is the most eye-opening experience I have undertaken in my relatively long or short life, and it has changed me profoundly in every area of my life. Every day, I take in as much as I can with the persistent thought that time is constantly nipping at my heels, reminding me to observe, form solid memories, and to never take for granted the beauty and history of a kind I will not see in Los Angeles or any car-driven city wherein walking is not a luxury. Los Angeles is like “spilled milk” – it spans for miles and miles, which takes away from the community, the mass-transport system, and easy-access trains. I love walking up Headington Hill (as much as it pains me at times) to get to Oxford Brookes College. There is no question in my mind that my education here is more than the sum of my classes – it is a kind of global learning, not made of by books alone, by tests, or by papers, but through living.

There are times when I question the wisdom of allowing certain individuals into a program that demands flexibility and open-mindedness that doesn’t exist for a few. Most of the time, the case is that the authority figures are preaching to the proverbial choir, but some may have, under this metaphor, never been a part of something other than themselves and therefore have no sense or context to the “outside world out there.” It is, as many metaphors go – metaphors that are almost certainly known by all along the lines of, “One rotten apple spoils the barrel…” I don’t presume to know what goes through the minds of others because everyone has their own reason for being the way they are, but when the behaviors start encroaching on my education and learning process, I become upset, and I feel disrespected. At the same time, I refuse to let the actions of a few disrupt my process, despite my anger for inexcusably rude actions and words.

We are guests in a nation and privileged to be in a program that few are given the opportunity to live out. That we pay to be here is inconsequential – life is such that all things cost money and time. Further, respect has to be earned and learned, and until we act maturely, respect is a one-way street. Grown-ups get to be grown-ups because they’ve grown up. We’re treated like children when we behave like children. We teach people how to treat us. If we go out of our way to be foolish, we will treated likewise as fools, and talked to in like fashion. I have little to no sympathy for those who would take the whole lot down for their lack of sensitivity and maturity. However, I question the process that allows them into an intense program – those who are not ready to experience adulthood beyond hard-liquored nights and regular absences.

Studying abroad is not only about this wonderful cultural exchange that we receive into our life experiences, but it is, as the term suggests, “studying” abroad – an academic program. It requires actively participating in one’s education and attending school just like it is attended where we came from. Education is an often arduous process and our professors have been very patient with us because they understand that we are taking in many activities at once and are constantly adjusting to our brave new world. However, at the end of the day, we are students, and we are working towards new insights and ideas that our classes open out to us – all while being graded. It is true that we have paid good money to be here, but that money is not meant to bend the will of the people who we are guests to or under the tutelage of. There is a hierarchy that needs to be maintained and honored, and at least a modicum of order that demands to be sustained amidst moments of high drama and chaos.

There is an inevitability that certain dynamics will crop up in programs such as studying in a foreign country. I’m sure a lot of hard work goes into creating the program guidelines; the authors of these programs have no doubt worked tirelessly to be as thorough as possible. Quotas need to be filled, and care must be taken to not exclude those who might otherwise learn by studying abroad. Consideration must be made so that opportunity exists for everyone. My contention is that a good majority of students are present for their academic endeavors and are serious about studying; the disruptions created by those who are in these programs as an exercise of fun and folly are deeply felt by the majority, and are, at times, bitterly resented. Amongst ourselves, we talk about the selection process and question how seamlessly the “unready” become accepted into such a serious life-changing program. No one presumes to know, nor do they want to feel that they know “more than” anyone else. The frustration is a shared one, and we all try to incorporate our efforts in a way that is inclusive towards others, and we try to pull each other up. The majority study hard and do well, and it is not problem that a few do not care except that that very majority has to endure the effects of the messages not intended for them, but are instead for the ones who blatantly disregard and disrespect others. In solidarity and individually, we work for our grades and our progress, and we take our classes seriously. A test is a test, and a paper is a paper. A grade, likewise, is a grade. Relativity being almost everything in a classroom, unequal opportunities for those who would rather not care seems unfair. Nonetheless, life is not fair and here we have the classic “case and point.” However, education is relative to the person who is its recipient…