Why Study Abroad | Marina Meijer | TEDxDelftSalon

Summary

The speaker shares their journey from a Dutch upbringing to studying in the US, experiencing diverse cultures, and finding love in Tunisia. They emphasize the importance of studying abroad for experiential learning, challenging oneself, making diverse friends, and following one's heart, ultimately shaping one's identity and character.

Takeaways

• 🌍 The speaker emphasizes the transformative power of studying abroad, attributing their personal growth and current status to their international experiences.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The speaker comes from an international family background, with parents who met in Hong Kong and later settled in the Netherlands, highlighting the influence of diverse cultural experiences on their identity.
• 🎓 The importance of education abroad is underscored, as the speaker pursued graduate studies in the United States, specifically Texas, which broadened their worldview and understanding of their own Dutch identity.
• 🤝 The value of making friends from diverse backgrounds is highlighted, as it fosters a deeper understanding of different perspectives and enriches personal growth.
• 🏫 The speaker's experience at the University of Texas illustrates the international environment's role in shaping their identity and challenging them to articulate their opinions clearly.
• 🧳 The decision to study or work abroad is portrayed as a significant life choice that can lead to personal and professional growth, as well as the discovery of one's true passion.
• 🇰🇷 The speaker's time in Korea as an intern provided a fresh perspective on their Asian heritage and the importance of adapting to different societal norms and expectations.
• 🏛️ The script touches on the hierarchical nature of workplaces in some cultures, as experienced by the speaker in Korea, and the need to navigate these systems to gain respect and recognition.
• 💑 The personal narrative includes following love to Tunisia and Yemen, which added to the speaker's rich tapestry of international experiences and life lessons.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Raising a family with diverse cultural influences and languages at home is presented as a continuation of the speaker's commitment to internationalism and experiential learning.
• 🌟 The speaker encourages others to seek out international experiences, to challenge themselves, make new friends, and follow their hearts, as these are the keys to personal development and finding one's destiny.

Q & A

What was the speaker's motivation for studying abroad?

The speaker was motivated to study abroad because they wanted more than a regular Dutch life and were seeking experiences that would shape their identity and personal growth.

How did the speaker's parents influence their decision to study abroad?

The speaker's parents, who had worked and studied abroad themselves and met in Hong Kong, influenced the speaker's decision by setting an example of an international lifestyle.

What was the speaker's experience like in Texas?

In Texas, the speaker attended the University of Texas, met many international students, and discovered their Dutch identity in the eyes of others. They also faced questions about Dutch societal norms and had to formulate their opinions clearly.

Why did the speaker choose to move to Asia after their time in the United States?

The speaker moved to Asia to gain another foreign experience and intern in Korea, which was a chance to reinvent themselves and confront their Asian background in a new context.

How did the speaker's perception of themselves change in Korea?

In Korea, the speaker was seen as a single, unmarried woman needing a husband, which was a stark contrast to their previous experiences. This led to a reevaluation of their identity and a confrontation with their Asian background.

What challenges did the speaker face while living with a Korean family?

The speaker faced language barriers as the Korean family spoke no English, and they had to adapt to the cultural norms and expectations, such as being the only woman in the office and having to socialize with colleagues after work.

How did the speaker gain respect in their workplace in Korea?

The speaker gained respect by teaching English as a second language to their boss and co-workers, which positioned them as a teacher and elevated their status in the office.

What decision did the speaker face after graduating in the United States?

The speaker had to decide between staying in the US to pursue a career in line with their studies or following their Yemeni love interest who was working in Tunisia.

How did the speaker's experiences abroad influence their personal life?

The speaker's experiences abroad led them to marry their Yemeni love interest, create an international family, and raise their children in a multilingual environment.

What advice does the speaker give to those considering studying abroad?

The speaker advises to embrace the experiential learning, challenge oneself, make new friends from diverse backgrounds, follow one's heart, and dive into life to develop personal character and skills.

What role does the speaker currently play in the field of education?

The speaker is an education consultant, working with young people who dream of studying in the United States and helping them with college placements.

Outlines

00:00

🌍 Embracing a Global Identity

The speaker shares their personal journey of studying and living abroad, starting with their international family background. Born in the Netherlands, they moved to the United States for graduate school at the University of Texas, where they discovered their Dutch identity among a diverse student body. They also recount their experiences in Texas, including attending rodeos and making friends from various walks of life. The speaker then discusses their move to Asia for an internship in Korea, where they faced cultural differences and learned to navigate a new society, ultimately gaining respect through teaching English. This paragraph highlights the importance of stepping out of one's comfort zone and embracing new experiences to form a global identity.

05:01

💞 Love and Life Decisions Abroad

After graduating in the United States, the speaker faced a pivotal decision: to return to the Netherlands or follow their Yemeni partner, who was working in Tunisia. Choosing love, they built an international family, experiencing life in Tunisia and visiting Yemen. The speaker emphasizes the profound impact of studying abroad, not just for academic reasons but for the experiential learning and personal growth it offers. They also mention a study about the Erasmus exchange program, highlighting the significant number of relationships formed and children born from these international experiences. The speaker encourages taking risks, making new friends, and following one's heart, even in academic pursuits, as a way to shape oneself and gain life experiences.

10:02

🚀 Encouraging Global Experiences

The speaker, now an education consultant, reflects on the evolution of studying abroad from a privilege for the few to an opportunity accessible to many through university exchange programs. They stress the importance of having the courage to embrace the discomfort of living in a foreign country and the mindset to engage with new experiences. The speaker calls on the international community to inspire the younger generation to take chances, develop their character, and explore their potential. They conclude with a motivational message that encourages continuous exploration and personal development, both for the young and for oneself, to live life to the fullest.

Keywords

💡Study Abroad

Study Abroad refers to the educational experience of temporarily leaving one's home country to study in a different country. It is a central theme in the video, as the speaker discusses how studying abroad shaped their identity and worldview. The speaker's own journey to the United States for graduate school is a prime example, illustrating how this experience can lead to personal growth and a broader understanding of different cultures.

💡Cultural Identity

Cultural Identity is the sense of belonging to a cultural group, which can be influenced by various factors including nationality, ethnicity, and personal experiences. In the video, the speaker's cultural identity as a Dutch Asian is highlighted, especially when they mention how they were perceived by others in the United States and Asia, thus emphasizing the importance of understanding one's own cultural background in a global context.

💡International Family

An International Family is a family with members from different countries or with a history of living in multiple countries. The speaker's background is described as international, with parents who worked and studied abroad, and this has a direct impact on the speaker's own experiences and perspectives, showing how an international upbringing can foster a global mindset.

💡Personal Growth

Personal Growth refers to the process of improving and developing as a person, often through new experiences and challenges. The video emphasizes the importance of personal growth through studying abroad, as the speaker reflects on how their experiences in different countries contributed to their development, such as learning to defend their cultural norms and adapting to new social environments.

💡Experiential Learning

Experiential Learning is a process where knowledge is created through experience and reflection. The speaker argues that studying abroad is not just about academic learning but also about experiential learning, where one gains life skills and cultural understanding. This is illustrated by the speaker's various experiences in the United States and Asia, which were instrumental in shaping their identity and opinions.

💡Diversity

Diversity refers to the variety of different types of people or ideas. The speaker's experiences in different countries exposed them to diverse cultures, political views, and lifestyles. This diversity is highlighted as a valuable aspect of studying abroad, as it encourages individuals to broaden their perspectives and understand different ways of life.

💡True Love

True Love, in the context of the video, refers to the deep affection and connection one feels for another person, often leading to long-term commitment. The speaker shares their personal story of finding true love in Tunisia, which was a significant factor in their life decisions. This concept is also connected to the broader message of studying abroad, where it is suggested that such experiences can lead to meaningful relationships.

💡Adventure

Adventure is a thrilling or exciting experience that is not routine. The video encourages viewers to seek adventure through studying abroad, implying that stepping out of one's comfort zone can lead to significant personal and professional growth. The speaker's own life journey, moving from the Netherlands to the United States and then to Asia, exemplifies the adventurous spirit of embracing new experiences.

💡Career Decisions

Career Decisions involve choosing a path or making choices related to one's professional life. The speaker discusses making a significant career decision to follow their heart and marry their Yemeni love, which demonstrates the impact of personal values and relationships on career paths. This highlights the importance of considering one's passions and personal life when making career choices.

💡Education Consultant

An Education Consultant is a professional who provides advice and guidance on educational matters, such as college placements. The speaker's current role as an education consultant is mentioned, showing their continued involvement in the field of international education and their commitment to helping young people achieve their dreams of studying abroad.

💡Guts

Guts refers to courage or the ability to face difficult or challenging situations with determination. The speaker uses the phrase 'no guts, no glory' to inspire others to take risks, particularly when considering studying abroad. This concept is tied to the overall message of the video, which is to encourage individuals to embrace challenges and step out of their comfort zones for personal development.

Highlights

The speaker's personal journey and growth through studying abroad.

The importance of experiential learning and challenging oneself abroad.

The impact of studying in Texas and the cultural identity realization.

The experience of adjusting to a new culture in Korea and the challenges faced.

The role of studying abroad in shaping personal and professional identity.

The significance of adapting to different societal norms and expectations.

The value of embracing and understanding one's cultural background.

The influence of international experiences on personal relationships and love.

The benefits of studying abroad for personal development and self-awareness.

The advice to follow one's heart and take risks in academic and life choices.

The speaker's decision to prioritize love and family over traditional career paths.

The experience of raising a multilingual and multicultural family.

The encouragement for young people to seek out international experiences.

The evolution of study abroad opportunities and the ease of access today.

The call to action for individuals to take chances and explore their potential.

The importance of having the right mindset for studying abroad.

The speaker's reflection on the transformative power of studying abroad.

The advice to young people to seek out challenges and new adventures.

Transcripts

I myself am a product of starting abroad

and I would not be here if I had not

studied abroad myself I became the

person that I am right now I'm doing the

things I'm doing right now just because

I had this experience

abroad a little bit about my background

I come from a very International family

my parents worked and studied abroad and

they met each other in Hong Kong my

father was working in Asia my mother was

in school in Hong Kong then she studied

abroad in Australia to finish school

over there and what happened is they

married moved to Australia and lived

there happily after that's what they

thought but they went to the Netherlands

back home to my father's family and they

decided the Netherlands is a great place

to raise a family so that's when I came

about I was born in the Netherlands I

grew up in the north of the country in D

and that's where I thought I had a very

regular Dutch life

however I went to school in Cronan which

is a great place to study um and I had a

regular student student life I thought

but I I wanted more so I moved to the

United States and went to graduate

school over there actually I went to

Texas of all

places Texas is Big everything is big in

Texas and I really love being there um

the University of Texas is very

International I met mer many students

over there both Americans and

international students

and um there I also found my own

identity I found out that I was really

Dutch in their eyes you know perceiving

myself as a Dutch Asian student from the

Netherlands there I was totally Dutch

and I got many many questions about my

background like what is this policy in

the Netherlands about euthanasia what

about um gay riots what about um soft

drugs um about selling those and and

using them and I felt like I had to

defend a lot of things that I was not

even aware of myself being from a

society where things were like the norm

right so I felt I had to explain a lot

of things but that made me very much

aware of my identity my norms and I got

a lot of personal questions a lot of

sometimes offending questions but it

made me realize that I had to really uh

formulate my opinions in a very clear

way which I enjoyed I made many many

friends in Texas I went to rodeos like

you can see on this picture um I made

Cowboy friends um I had friends who were

Republicans who had um guns in the back

of their pickup truck I had friends who

were very liberal and they were Street

musicians in Austin it was a blast I

learned a lot but at the same time I

felt I had to move on and get another

foreign experience so I moved to Asia

and I had this chance to do an

internship for four months while I was

actually still a gradate uate student in

Texas so I moved to Korea I had never

been to Asia before even though my mom

was from

China but there I had to reinvent myself

again I was thinking okay I'm Dutch I

just happened to study in the US but

when I came to Korea people didn't see

me as Dutch they saw me as a single

unmarried woman 26 years old needing a

husband because they felt they needed to

take care of me

it was a totally different Society than

I was used to in the Netherlands and the

US and um it confronted me also with my

Asian background you know I had I have

some mild Asian looks that's what I

thought and but that was a confusing

thing at the same time because people

were looking at me and saying wow those

freckles and people were touching my

skin on the streets I went to a bath

house and and met many wonderful Korean

women and they were jealous of my fair

skin and I was very embarrassed always

that I was never getting a tan but they

said I love your skin it's so

white wow these were really interesting

things another thing was that I was

living with a Korean family they spoke

no English I was interning at the city

hall in Korea in tjon where no one spoke

English only my boss had a few words

what I found out is that I was kind of

low on the food chain it was like I was

at the end of a long long desk of

workers my boss was all the way on the

top of the desk and he was getting the

big privileges like sitting in a big

armchair and having a nap after lunch

while everyone else was working and I

learned the hard way that I had to

behave I was the only woman in the

office um but I gained my position there

respect um I had to go drink with the

guys afterwards and I did it was a lot

of fun I did karoke and um at the end I

felt I gained a position and respect

because I was as to teach English as a

second language to my boss and to my 50

co-workers there so that's what I did

after work and I felt I had a new

identity again even though I was a

foreign student I felt I was now in a

position that I could be a teacher to my

um hosts and that was a wonderful

experience on

itself after graduating in the United

States I had to make a big decision and

that decision was am I going to stay um

in the US or am I going back home to the

Netherlands and pick up where I left it

um I had a degree in law I had a degree

in public administration but at the same

time I had the other choice of following

the true love of my life who happened to

be Yemen yemeni and he um was working

for the state department as an Arabic

language teacher in Tunisia so here I

was go back home with all my wonderful

experiences and follow a career that was

matching my study background around but

I didn't I followed my heart and I

married um my Yemen love and we um kind

of put together this this wonderful

International family and uh I got that

very interesting experience being first

in Tunisia and then um uh visiting Yemen

as well this is my oldest son in my arms

and uh I had the nikab and he had I had

all the experiences that you could have

in Yemen after two years in Tunisia I

DEC decided to go back to the

Netherlands with my husband and um we're

now happily living here and raising our

three kids in three different languages

at home they're all destined to go

abroad for sure at least for a year you

know it's not a question of do you want

to go no they have to go it's part of

their

upbringing living abroad means also

loving abroad that's what I really

learned from studying in a different

country you get to love the culture the

new language the food the smells um and

if you're lucky you also find the true

love there was a recent study done um on

the arasmus exchange program where um it

was shown that about a quarter of the

students who went abroad met their true

love or at least a longl lasting partner

and about a million babies were born out

of those different

relationships um so I think that's a

that's a power very powerful

tool so if you go back to studying

abroad um studying abroad is not really

about studying I think studying abroad

is about being abroad it's about

experiential learning and I want to put

that question to you like what did you

get out of your stay in in a different

country did you challenge yourself

enough did you get away from the books I

know Academia is great building up

knowledge is wonderful but what it's

really about is getting

experiences getting experiences and dive

into new adventures that's what I advise

you to do secondly

make new friends make friends that don't

look like you who are different who have

a different opinion about life who come

from a different background number three

follow your

heart even in Academia there are so many

choices to make but you know what's

right for you there are so many

opportunities and it's all about diving

into life and shaping yourself as a

person you don't know who you are going

to be in a few years this is something

you need to explore

there is no big plan you just have to

follow Adventure follow life and develop

the skills that you need to have to go

through life in the best way

possible now I'm a consultant um I'm an

education consultant and I work with a

lot of young people who are dreaming of

going to the United States and we help

them with college placements I often

hold a mirror and say what do you want

to get out of this experience they

always say oh I want to go to Harvard I

want to go to yield

I said I know but why do you want to go

away you know what do you hope to get

out of that it's not about your major

field of study it's not about what

school you go to it's about what you

learn on the way the challenges are

there you have to pick them

up so 30 years

ago I was one of the few students who

went abroad for a full degree and um I

felt I was um going the hard way you

know I had to take out my typewriter I

had to write application papers and um

it was not an easy thing to do I could

have just studi in croning and stay in

the Netherlands and then just go on to a

job here in the Netherlands but somehow

I chose to do it the hard

way looking at the Circle that I went

through it looks like it was all planned

but it wasn't it was all chances that I

saw opportunities that I saw and um that

made me a better person I think and

living life to the

fullest 30 years ago it was more for the

younger uh kids who were from military

families or diplomats that had chance to

study abroad nowadays it's different

everyone has a chance to study abroad

every university has an exchange program

has Partners abroad so it's kind of easy

to get uncomfortable in a different

country through a comfortable um way you

know your school can arrange everything

you want but now what it takes is guts

you need to have guts to do it just to

do it it's not about packing the right

stuff for your trip abroad it's about

having the right mindset it's about

going out there and meeting new friends

meeting life

basically so what I call upon is is just

having all International women and men

encourage the younger generation to take

a chance and find their

Destiny throw away the books

everyone can be smart and study and find

their way to a better degree in a nicer

environment it's really about developing

your character no guts no glory that's

what I say and I hope that we can all

look for younger people but even look at

yourself and say hey can I get something

more out of my career out of my life and

explore so I hope that everyone will

study abroad one day one time and that

you will help encourage these people

thank you so much