On February 24th, 2015 I received acceptance to the Semester at Sea program for Fall 2015 and Spring 2016. Over the course of 7 1/2 months I traveled to over twenty countries, and made stops in 5 continents. My experiences in country were varied, we had instructor led field labs, semester at sea planned excursions and free travel as we pleased. Through my voyages with semester at sea and my language acquisition here at home I have come to know the global citizenship competency from a series of perspectives. 

Before semester at sea, I'd never been out of the country. The lower levels of the global citizenship competency facilitated the reflection necessary to my growth. Early on, I began to rethink my position in these countries as an American. My most vivid memory of such an occurrence was during a futbol game in Barcelona. I began to juxtapose the customs of America & those of the countries I visited. The next opportunity I had to truly consider cultural rules and biases I employed was during the time I spent in Morocco. I initially found the contrasts stark, especially overwhelmed by the absence of women in public spaces. However, I soon befriend a kind Berber tour guide who led us through the Sahara Desert while inciting a spirit of inquisition among us. 

          The more chances I had to have human interactions with people in country the more comfortable I became delving beyond textbook knowledge. An encounter specifically marked by both utility and cultural immersion was my experience in a hair salon in Senegal. While the heat had left my densely-packed hair feeling suffocating, the decision to get my hair done in country was an effort to understand and interact with the people in a different way. This concept was built upon when I spent 4 days living in the home of a Ghanaian man. The proximity of our interactions gnawed away at many of the discomforts of questioning and being questioned. Between all involved there was truly a mutual thirst for knowledge of the other. 

          The Deaf community is largely misunderstood in American society at large. I first began analyzing the cultural differences between deaf and hear individuals my sophomore year in high school in ASL 1. Over the next two years I would complete ASL 2, attend upwards of 5 Deaf events and serve as a teaching assistant my senior year in high school. As I entered university I continued my language acquisition in ASL 3. I am currently enrolled in ASL 4 where I believe we will deepen our understanding concerning the complexities of what it means to be a user of ASL.

          Global citizenship has afforded me, by far, the richest experiences in my academic career. Rather than coming away with a feigned sense of all-knowingness about the world, I have learned more about myself and the things I regard familiar. This acknowledgment has enlightened the way I approach life.