TCU Freiburg & Vienna Study Abroad Blog

  What does it mean to you to be a global citizen?  To be a global citizen to me means to make oneself as informed as we can on the world we live in here on earth and beyond. For example, to make oneself informed of what's happening in the news around the world. Being a global citizen to me could also mean to live not as a tourist, but also like the locals when visiting another country. Doing this would involve another important aspect of being a global citizen, which is not being afraid to get out of your comfort zone. I do realize that this may sound a little cliche, but I would also like to mention that being a global citizen should also require a general understanding of the geography of the earth such as being able to identify the location of some countries on the map. Another thing that I would like to bring up is showing courtesy and respect for the environment. We humans share planet earth, and so we must practice things like sustainability so that there are still enou...

  The value of becoming an ethical global citizen  was instilled in me at  a young age .  I grew up hearing about my dad’s adventures as a  high school  exchange student in Denmark, where he was immersed into another culture and language entirely at  a young age . This insp ired him to spend more time abroad, eventually learning 4  languages,  and compiling a  lifetime of stories about other cultures.  My Dad’s experiences inspired him to impart the important lesson of what it means to learn about, respect, and understand others  with  me and my siblings.  Everywhere we travel, we have been taught to appreciate cultural differences and understand why they are different based on their history, size, and location. My first real memory of this was  visiting his “host family” in Denmark in 6 th  grade. This was  my first experience in a country that was prioritizing environmental sustainability back then. I...

To me, being a global citizen represents making positive contributions to the globe in all facets of life. This corresponds to my personal moral code that guides my actions and aspirations to have a net positive impact on humanity. While I currently am not having a major positive impact on the globe, my studies are an investment into my potential to create real change in the world for the rest of my life. I really do believe that my path through TCU is building me up to be a true global citizen for my future. My career aspirations are limited only by the need to have a great positive impact on the world. I believe that I can fulfill this achievement in engineering through many pathways, including pursuing the advancement of sustainable energy in the United States. This trip has contributed to my growth as a global citizen by broadening my worldview, further educating me about the issue of climate change, and proving that significant positive efforts can be made to bring about a more su...

 Before this study abroad and even on my trips to Europe in the past, I honestly did not think too much about the global implications of my actions and how they impact the rest of the world as a whole. I think that, as Americans, partly because we are such a diverse and massive country, we too often get consumed by domestic issues and things that are happening inside our country. This is the trap I fell into multiple times as a combination of news feed and social media consumed my information. This trip has really opened my eyes to how what happens domestically has a large impact in Europe and the rest of the world. One of my favorite things we have done on this trip thus far has been meeting with the diplomats in Vienna for that short time. They were very interesting people, and I loved learning about their completely different backgrounds and how they found their way to becoming a diplomat for the United States. Omar’s story specifically stood out to me, as his was very similar t...

National borders, governments, and laws are entirely man-made. There is not physical border separating the effects of one to another, especially in terms of the environment and atmosphere. While people can pretend that our country's decisions only involve us, every action we take, especially within country as large and influential as the United States, permeates far past our coasts. I believe our position on the globe creates a national responsibility to act ethically by balancing national and global interests. As global citizens, this responsibility trickles down to an individual level as well. To me, global citizenship starts with an awareness of how our actions impact others around the world. I am blessed to be able to travel the world and expand my perspective, but even on a local level, I try to stay on top of world news, engage in new cultures, and take advantage of different learning opportunities. It is impossible to be perfectly sustainable, but trying my best can make a b...

As a TCU student I especially believe that global citizenship is important. Acting as a responsible citizen in the global community is something that our school really emphasizes in its mission statement. I would say that a lot of people my age, (and Americans in general), are not the best global citizens.There’s definitely a gap whether it’s in education or competence when it comes to understanding, learning, and adapting to cultures different from the states. Ever since I was young I was taught how to blend into different cultures while visiting different countries by my parents. Coming from a family who immigrated from Russia, I was taught the important pancreas of understanding where I am going to travel. I would make sure to dress differently and more appropriate to the country, learn societal rules, and learn a little bit of the language wherever I was visiting. For instance, whenever my family would go to France or Italy, it was important to my parents that my brother and I wer...