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The Dichotomy Of Instability In The Arab Spring Uprisings

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Just as the sun began to rise – land appeared in the distance. The ship was bustling with students and faculty alike packing their bags and saying their final goodbyes. I sat on the top deck watching until the horn sounded for the last time and it finally dawned on me; time to go back to reality. I collected my belongings and was soon on a plane back to Minnesota.
I had just completed a 3 month long voyage spanning across 10 countries as a student on Semester at Sea (SAS). Throughout the semester I had been exposed to more cultural diversity than I had ever encountered. It was truly the experience of a lifetime. Memories such as these have not only taught me about the world, but what it means to decipher my role in it. As inspirational as it may have been, my experience had presented an internal dichotomy that lasted for quite some time after returning home.
I have been very fortunate for the life I have been given: a loving family, good health, and the opportunity to build a future of my very own. Many other cultures around the globe do not even possess the ideological or tangible necessities that …show more content…

This brought a whole new context all the things I saw. For instance, riots breaking out in the streets of Turkey or the military response to terrorist threats at a local train station. Throughout the Mediterranean I watched as the discussions from class and images from our textbooks sprang to life. Never again do I want to feel that peculiar mix of emotion like I did that summer: guilt, privileged, empathic, and powerless. Not with all the opportunity I have been presented in my life thus far. I was given just a brief glimpse behind the curtain of other cultures and it has left an itching desire in the pit of my stomach, a desire to engage. With this newfound disposition I have every intention of using my education and distinctive skills for the betterment of

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