What is global moxie? It is a plane ticket, a passport, a paycheck? Or is it a way of life, and a state of mind? Is it possible to be global when you’re at home? Does being out of country permanently change you, or the way you view the world, or the way the world views you?
Is global moxie a new pair of shoes or glasses, or is it an experience that becomes a touchstone for future endeavors? Can it be gained on a short trip abroad, or must the voyage be longer, or must one go abroad at all to find global moxie?
I am at the tail end of a year in Italy, and am mulling these questions. I’ve seen three seasons of students comes and go – summer 2012, fall 2012, and summer 2013 – and the 2013 summer students are arriving. I am wondering how the reentry experience has been for the students who have come and gone, and who are now in the US again. What has changed, what is different? Are you different? Do you feel more different than you look? I want to know.
Coming soon: the tale of Lauren Sanders, Ms. Global Moxie if I’ve ever met her, an Oklahoma girl from Midwest City who moved to Italy in 2008 and never looked back. I interviewed her last month – feature coming soon. Stay close!
One Response
I think I was expecting the re-entry experience to be a lot more difficult right when I got back home from Arezzo. I was so glad to see everyone I had missed and have the things back that I had missed in Arezzo so at first it was easy to get back into the swing of things. Now I am at the point where I am missing Europe and desperate to travel back! Going abroad definitely changed me in ways. I am more confident with myself and feel a greater sense of independence. Living abroad got me out of my comfort zone and made me have to adapt to different situations.