The first part of the title might sound like another highly researched article talking an academic language within a theoretical framework. But what this paper covers is nothing but the two weeks of my life in the States.
I am Efe Sevin. I am from Turkey. I studied international relations with a minor on sociology in Ankara, at Middle East Technical University. On my junior year, I was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship. I have arrived in Boston in August 2008 and am currently studying towards my master degree in Communication Management at Emerson College. I believe the only way to expand your point of view and to break stereotypes is to interact with people. This is why I have travelled to many countries in Europe and have spent my sophomore year in Poland as an exchange student. However, the two weeks I have spent in the Emerson Election Project showed me that I was ignorant about the non-European parts of the world, let it be Asia or America or Africa.
I am funded by US Department of State under the Fulbright Programme, which is one of the longest running US public diplomacy effort. Thanks to the programme, I managed to see the US and to meet many scholars around the world. Public diplomacy enables ordinary citizens to get involved in the politics and be a part of what is going on in the international arena. After I finish my studies and return back to my country, I believe -with the help of this Fulbright network-, I can help building up tolerance and understanding in the world. When it comes to breaking down stereotypes and building up communications, there is no such thing as top-down approach. You cannot make your citizens understand/tolerate/accept other people by issuing laws and regulations. The only way to create bridges across cultures and regions goes through the interaction of real people with each other.
I feel lucky that I was in Boston when the US was going through maybe the most interesting elections. I am not eligible to vote but as I think I am a part of the society for the time being, I wanted to take an active role during the elections. This is why I volunteered in Republican grass root election campaign, in Massachusetts and New Hampshire where I had the opportunity to meet some of the American voters either face to face or on the phone. To my surprise, although the election was in eight weeks, majority of the people were not sure about which candidate to vote for. All the media had been, and in fact still is, talking about only the presidential elections. Even most of the advertisements was related to the elections. The candidates spent enormous amounts of money to introduce themselves to the voters. Obama managed to raise a large budge and hence enjoyed larger media coverage. I personally believe this media coverage contributed to his success in the election. To put in context, we hosted 10 Indonesian journalists during the elections for two weeks in a project called Emerson Election Project, two of whom told me about their pro-Republican stance on the first day of their visit. After two weeks, we had a group of 10 Obama supporters. It was not only the Indonesians who were happy with the results of the elections. When Barack Hussein Obama, the first African – American with a Muslim name in the office, was elected to be the 44th President of the USA, people’s hopes and belief in the American Dream - the land of opportunity – were raised. I might be the only one who sees the outcome of the election ‘not good’ for the USA and the world in the New England region.
In short, public diplomacy efforts bring people together and sparkle the light of change in the personal level, which will hopefully create effects of larger sizes. During my stay in the US and during our project, I met people from over 40 different countries, some I have never heard about. I saw the similarities and differences between the cultures and most important of all, I saw how in fact it is possible to live together. I witnessed a historical moment in the American history, though as a McCain supporter it was also depressing for me. I saw the excitement and enthusiasm in people’s eyes. At the end of the day, all contributes to enlarge my horizon and expand my point of view.
Efe Sevin
Student / Traveller
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