I would like to tell you about yesterday and how my experience of the world changed dramatically in just one day.
In the morning, I listened to the radio and world news, which broadcast how tensions are building up around the war in Ukraine, a situation that is frightening for most Europeans.
Later in the afternoon, I met with a small group of students from the Postgraduate Students' Association at Victoria University. It was an international experience, as I doubt any of us shared the same native language. In pairs, we practiced speaking about our theses or research, keeping it short and to the point, each at our own level.
The English teacher and master's student from Malaysia was in New Zealand on a scholarship from her home country. She intended to write a thesis on how critical listening can be taught in English classes, knowing that her country faces one of the highest illiteracy rates in the world.
The Russian PhD student was working on new techniques to use lasers in sport watches to scan blood, eliminating the need for blood tests with a needle. However, his application for a visa to attend an academic conference in the US was declined.
Despite our various backgrounds, ages, and languages, we had so much in common. Through academic ambitions, there are so many students and researchers around the globe that share a desire to learn more, understand more, and, in a small way, contribute something useful to others.
This was a remainder, there is hope.
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