I am.. Global Citizen

I have lived in Idaho my whole life, yet identifying as an Idahoan still does not feel natural to me. I live in our Red State’s Blue Capital, Boise, but it is even hard for me to get behind all that this city is. To be a real Idahoan, you are outdoorsy. You ski, ride your ATV’s, pack your 12 kids into your large, industrial-grade RV glamper, or glamorous camper. You fish and backpack through our state’s beautiful mountains, or set up shop at an overcrowded campground with your kids and your beer and your watersport equipment, or you pick your own campground wherever you please and litter your sunflower seed shells/ Coors cans for the next detestable, entitled, likely libertarian lad or lassie to discover.

My parents came to this state with no ties, my mom is from Texas and my dad is a strong, independent global citizen. We didn’t have family land or a great grandfather who worked hard to deliver this state to its current glory, we didn’t have the money to go skiing or invest in outdoor gear/ Patagonia garb. Mingled with our liberal, agnostic ideologies, becoming an Idahoan just never really panned out for me.

So I don’t identify as an Idahoan.

And identifying as an American sounds too patriotic, nationalistic, and naïve of me to comfortably admit. I am no fascist sympathizer, I distrust the system as much as the next guy! But do not misinterpret this, I am a socialist.

So that brings me to my citizenship: Global Baby!

It just feels right.. My grandmother is an immigrant from Quebec, and I could be a Canadian citizen if I paid the fee and had the patience. I frequent refugee-owned grocery stores and restaurants, in my down time I enjoy watching documentaries and foreign language films. I indulge my ears on the daily with the sweet sounds of French music and jazzy Brazilian Bossa Nova beats and I❤ Afrobeats. I attempt to consume information/media from a diverse range of geographical regions and perspectives to make mine a global one.

I am committed to Global Citizenship.

Hi, my name is Emily.

I am…

a Global Studies Major