Imagine being born in the United States, growing up in Nepal, England and Italy, and graduating from high school in Holland.
Sound convoluted? The idea of a constant shifting of contexts and cultures during the formative stages of life is foreign to people who have grown up in one specific locale that they consider home. Decentered by circumstance or a parent's military obligations, "global nomads" enter adulthood and the workplace with a perspective that is considerably broader and more varied than those of people who've spent their entire lives in one area or country.
Washington College has its own Global Nomads, recently brought together by Associate Dean of Students Edward Maxcy. He sent out an inquiring e-mail and drew fifteen responses.
"I taught in Belgium for six years at an international high school; a lot of the students that I taught there were, in a sense, 'global nomads,'" said Maxcy. "They were young people who, because of their of their parents' jobs are forced had to live in a country other than their own. I kept in touch with some of those students, and found out that for many of them, in that case, their high school was the place that they identified the most closely with as 'home' because they haven't grown up in their home country."
Sumita Saha, a freshman born in Calcutta who spent the first 17 years of her life in Nigeria, considers herself a better-rounded person for the diversity of her early life.
"Fun. I'm a much more interesting person because of it. I always stand out. I'm not just another face in the crowd. I always have something to talk about. Most people are interested to hear about experiences in lands that are far and away," said Saha.
"I'm so glad that my parents had the guts to move out of India. I feel now like I have a much broader sense of what the world is actually like than most other people...better point of view. I'm perfectly content to be wandering around. I can feel `at home' anywhere. I can adapt to change much better than most others."
Sophomore Sulolit Mukherjee has had a more difficult time adjusting to a lack of adjustment. Also born in Calcutta, Mukherjee has lived in Pune (which is in the western half of India, near Bombay), Reading, England and now the United States.
"At first, it used to be difficult, mainly because the cultural understandings differed and when one has little time to get used to new systems of belief and behavior, it is frustrating," said Mukherjee.
"However, one of the intimate beauties of traveling over the world and living in different cultures is that one is educated by experience, and I discovered that about myself. It has also given me a broader sense of understanding and I feel that I am able to approach a subject matter through various distinct angles. This has actually led to my understanding my peers better."
Though the Global Nomads have yet to meet en masse or organize any events, Maxcy is hopeful that the group will come together. He is not sure if there is enough campus-wide interest, however, in a group of decentralized students who meet to discuss their experiences. Fortunately, the stories that these students have to tell are fascinating and interesting. Even those who have never travelled might be inspired by the stories that the Global Nomads have to tell.
If you are a "global nomad" and would be interested in taking
part in this organization, contact Dean Edward Maxcy at x. 7752.
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