At Dickinson we often talk about being “global citizens”, however, it was not until arriving in France that I began to actually examine and define what that term means. With the help of a day-long program called “Magis”, we explored the responsibilities and implications of being global citizens. The two instructors had us complete various activities reflecting on our time in Toulouse which showed us how we are already becoming citizens of the world. From attending local French universities to living with French hosts, we have been realizing our goals of integration and engagement in the local culture over the past months.
One of the toughest parts of becoming a global citizen for me has been the capability to remain flexible. Many of the students arriving in the French university system were stressed out by the seemingly nonsensical way of registering for classes. However we had to adapt to the situation, which is only one of many examples of changing our habits to fit in with our host culture. Magis helped us to realize that we had already come very far in our journey towards becoming global citizens, and that as long as we keep on going we can move closer and closer to this goal.
-Emily