Nahid Baghdadi is a student at Michigan State University and an ISA Featured Blogger. She is currently studying abroad with EuroScholars in Stockholm, Sweden.
“Migration”
What does it mean to be someone not from Sweden? Really in one word, it doesn’t mean anything. The people are welcoming and do not care what nationality you are. They see you as a human being and this is amazing to observe.
Studying abroad or in general living outside of your home country for a long period of time is necessary for everyone to open up to the world we live in. This world is much bigger than we think it is and it has a lot more to offer and teach us! So get out of your comfort zone and get out there to learn how people are different than you and how cultures can be different but similar.
What the news doesn’t tell you about the refugees and newcomers to Sweden: people have blended together peacefully and appreciate each other. Nobody hates the newcomers because they don’t have the same skin color but rather appreciate the differences. In the news, it’s often told that refugees and people affected by wars in the Middle East have bad influences in the culture of the new country they arrive to, or that they are terrorists. But in fact, they are nice people and have hopes and dreams just like you and me.
Studying abroad has changed my perspective of immigration. Being in Sweden, a country which hosts a lot of crisis refugees, and seeing how people treat each other has given me a broader view of how immigrants can be blended into a society. Sweden is very diverse just like the US. But how is it that people accommodate and love the ones in need more here without having as many problems as we do?
The world awaits…discover it.