Arcadia Italy

Here in the Eternal City of Rome, the sun shines bright against a deep blue sky and Roman red and ochre facades. Our Fall term students begin to rustle with feelings of longing for family and, in contrast, sorrow that this semester of adventure and learning is soon to close. In addition to these mixed emotions global citizens feel at every departure and ever​y​ exciting arrival, they'll discover ​newfound ​resilience and awareness. They'll find they are leaving not only with​ acquired​ historical, artistic, economic and political notions but also with lasting loves, friendships and​ a​ stronger sense of self. Any ​thoughtfully crafted ​program abroad can assume such meaningful​ ​transformation will take place semester after semester.

And, yet, this Fall's student will also leave with another piece of history in their grip: they will forever say, "I was living in Europe on that November 13th", and go on to tell their story.

Their story may speak of receiving ​email and text ​requests to account for their Whereabouts and Well-being. It may speak of being largely unaware of any event until receiving a call from home or from the program​ director​. It may discuss how friends, professors, peers and staff came together to discuss events, causes, affects and statistics surrounding each new warning​ and alert​. It may speak of how they felt like global citizens in a European capital going about their daily lives just as their neighbours did beside them.

Now more than ever is the mission to open education's borders and internationalise the learning field of utmost importance. As I write right now, Professors Vicky Kynourgiopoulou and Ben Scribner share their experience and expertise in Middle Eastern cultures of conflict: Ben from a sociological point of view and Vicky with regards to cultural heritage and identity (a phrase we must dust​-​off and polish​-​up to restore its original potency, such is its overuse in past years). In all of their line of reasoning and, indeed, beneath the​ ubiquitous​ sensationalist journalism, ​one finds marginalization and misunderstanding of one "other" vs the supreme importance granted to another "other". ​In fact, disenfranchisement leads to extreme marginalization and desperation; see Molenbeek in Brussels, les banlieues in Paris,​ Chicago's South Side​ (highlighted in​​ Spike Lee's Chi-Raq, a name he lifted from local rap artists​)​.

The empathetic intelligence one gathers while striving to adapt to ​a different way of life abroad, far from everything familiar​,​ is crucial in making those marginalised populations part of the larger fold of life. To live and learn abroad in a meaningful and intentional way provides resilience and insight ​that every future leader (whether they lead in a school, a company, their community or as a parent and mentor) needs in order to make our world 'safer' and more hospitable for all.

Tomorrow, December 8th​, ​while the Rome​'s Jewish Community​ lights ​the third candle on the ​monumental ​outdoor Menorah​s​ along the Tiber​ and in Piazza Barberini​​ and in other parts of the city​, ​in St Peter's Square the Pope will declare open an extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. Rome will ring in this Holy Year with song and prayer, lights and reflection. The Pope's courage and faith in humanity has proven unwavering ​despite​ all the difficulty the world faces, rapidly making him a reference point for many​ -​ religious and non.

And so, as we all adapt to a world where borders shrink yet difference continues to create ​societal angst, our​ ​​mission is renewed: we adapt programming to focus even more on conflict​, peaceful protest​ and resolution​; on​ dialogue, cultural awareness and respect. ​I​t is with this sentiment that we wish our current students ​well on their ​upcoming ​departure before welcoming the next ​eager ​cohort into our midst.