Tea, One Direction, Prince Harry, Madame Tussauds and walking around in Hyde Park. Yes! It’s time for me to fly to the heart of my colonizers - London!!

As an international student at Wake who is already studying abroad, I never thought that I would take part in a WFU study abroad programme but again, like most of my decisions, I decided to spontaneously apply to London.

My journey applying has been an interesting one. As a woman of color and also an international student at Wake, I was aware that the school lacked resources to take care of my needs and requirements but it was only when I started this process that I realized that my experience studying abroad would be 180 degrees different from all my American peers.

As GPS sat me down for a mandatory orientation for students going to London, I tried to hide my annoyance as they talked about the problems with how “Americans” are perceived or how I should take care of my passport. It appalled me that they were so unaware of my identity as someone who was already studying abroad and fit none of the criteria being talked about. Still, I was determined to remain excited and optimistic about my upcoming journey.

I couldn’t help wonder, though, if the people sitting with me during the meeting recognize the experiences of people of color studying abroad. In a world with the Muslim ban and Brexit, POCs experience a radically different abroad than the white majority. As I travel to London I am well aware of the rising Islamophobia, racialization of brown individuals and profiling at airports. I am also aware of the fact that my white peers need not care about any of these things..

I wonder if Wake Forest, as a school, recognizes this difference and how it would impact the experience of a POC student.

I wonder, while I travel to London, how many students will travel to my homeland, India

I can’t help wonder how many of these students will return with a freshly renewed white savior complex.

I wonder how many of them would click a 100 like worthy picture with a brown child.

I can’t help but wonder whether they will truly try to immerse in my culture or return with a single narrative which will then dedicate their interactions with any other individual they meet from India, including me.

I wonder how I can acknowledge my privilege of being able to gain this experience of studying abroad while also allowing myself to believe that this programme was not set up keeping in mind my race and nationality.

I wonder if you ever even wonder about the same issues that I have no other option but to wonder about.