Belonging Without Borders

By Raymond Vickers

Data Collection in Germany: I haven’t been “collecting data” in the literal sense. For the time I have been in Germany, I have met new people and heard new stories, yet I have not once thought of it as a methodological procedure. The bulk of the people I have talked to about their experiences come from the language school where I am learning German. Every person I have met has come from all around the world for entirely different reasons. I have met 26 year olds who are aspiring to become doctors in a better work environment and medical industry as Germany’s, I have met 40 year old American PhD candidates, and I have even met 60 year old world travelers who are learning a new language to enrich their own lives as well as to further their global hobby of world travel and knowledge. I think the more time I spend here, meet people, get to know people, and get to know this different country… the more I realize what hidden community lies here and within all countries of the world: a community of different people in a new country. There are foreigners in every country on this planet learning and bringing their own cultures to new nations in every way imaginable. It doesn’t feel that I have been in Germany, but rather I’m in a place that isn’t my home – if that makes sense. It almost feels like if Florida spoke German. This experience has made me feel that yes people have homes and backgrounds, but even though you can go to a difference place you can never be alone or “different.” Joining a community is not an active decision, but rather a passive one. Just like how we don’t choose where we are born, we can’t choose an option of “not-fitting in” because a concept like that doesn’t exist. Back to what I was saying originally about the “data collection” not being methodical, approaching the people I have met has been very casual. What I take the most from it is the friendliness- everyone understands that everyone is in the same boat. I think this whole experience has been based upon co-construction. While I am learning about other stories, and becoming influenced and inspired by others, I feel like I am doing returning the favor. Although other people in my program are giving back more (since I am not the greatest at the language), every interaction I have with a German or someone new (even people I meet from America!) has been somewhat back and forth in knowledge trade. Although I have missed Florida a lot during my time over here, I still am inspired to become a more global person after this experience. I want to meet even more people, hear more stories, and learn more languages. The message that has stood out to me the most during my time here is that you can go somewhere without any plan or any understanding or any biases, and you will still get shot with an academic sense of observation that you will take home, and (hopefully) give to others in your home “community.”