The Uncle I Never Knew

In university, everybody wants to see the world, broaden their horizons. And I think that's great: a bit of perspective surely never hurt anyone, and what better time is there to travel and entertain all sorts of crazy new ideas than in university?

So if you could go anywhere on a trip – an exchange, for example – where would it be? China? Germany? India? Guatemala? Ghana? New Zealand? I'm sure I'm missing a whole slew of countries people would choose, but somehow, I don't imagine anyone is objecting too strongly to my omission of the USA.

I know, I know: it's just like Canada but way more capitalistic; you'll probably get shot; a country governed by George W. Bush! Enough said. But have you ever wondered what lies beneath all these generalisations? And really, how many people actually carry weapons? What are these people like? Aren't Canadians more wasteful than Americans? And what's a young Republican like? Just a mini version of George Bush perhaps?

I guess what I'm getting at, is that during the last two months, I've been studying in Washington, DC on a Killam Fellowship (if you don't know what that is, you better find out soon) and my experience so far has been more incredible than I could ever have imagined! I've learned so much American history and seen it manifested in the culture that surrounds me; now, I can actually fully understand how one could view the invasion of Iraq as the only right thing to do; I met a lovely Evangelical Baptist girl from the Bible Belt and we had a great discussion about religion during which she not once mentioned any reason I should believe anything different than what I believe now. Of course, I also got to see the Dalai Lama share a stage with Bush and Richard Gere, I heard the National Symphony Orchestra play in the Kennedy Centre, and I attended a speech by a death row inmate who was acquitted 15 hours prior to his scheduled execution thanks to new DNA evidence.

Having also been blessed with the opportunity to study in Costa Rica and travel Europe, I must concede that there's much to learn in every country. But if you're interested in travelling but not in languages, or if you'd like to be somewhere close enough to home to be able to go back for Thanksgiving, or if your program would require very specific courses from time spent abroad, maybe you should consider the US?

A comparison I can offer to give you an idea of the value of studying in the US is the following. Imagine two Canadian physicians. One decides to spend a year studying Eastern medicine in China and the other decides to work in a hospital in Costa Rica. The first would likely learn a plethora of totally new treatments and techniques and would develop a broadened understanding of health and wellness. Although he may not be able to apply the Eastern treatments to his practice, his new understanding of health and wellness would undoubtedly be quite valuable.

The second physician, on the other hand, might learn some useful and cost-effective alternatives (still acceptable by most Western patients' standards) to more expensive Canadian treatments of simple ailments. She would probably also pick up on various other advantages in efficiency in a primarily public healthcare system which could be applied – with certain modification – to the Canadian system to decrease waiting times, for example. An enriched understanding of health and wellness would also inevitably ensue from this experience as well.

As this example shows, a greater difference in culture does not necessarily convert into a more meaningful experience. Personally, I think most paths end up leading us back home – or not too far away – and therefore, experience in a culture that is not too distant from our own can often prove to be quite useful in the long run. Nevertheless, I don't think anyone, myself included, is in a position comment on the overall value of travel to one country versus that to another. I simply challenge you to try to view the USA for what it is: a distinct country with its own complex culture. A culture with its faults, but with its qualities too; a culture with differences from ours, but with similarities too (and not just in qualities).

And if you can do that, you're probably a perfect candidate for a Killam Fellowship and you should check out www.killamfellowships.com. If you're still not convinced or would simply like to read more about my experience in Washington, DC, check out my blog at nicodube23.blogspot.com.