Phong Nguyen

My topic for this semester’s course is the state of being neither here nor there. As an international student coming to a new country, the initial feeling is excitement. That feeling can be explained like this: “Every street I walk down is like an unfolding novel. I actually love it because even though there’s history everywhere, it’s not my history” (Kwan 417). At the same time, I still carry a sense of not belonging. Here in the States, I’m always an outsider. And sadly, even when I return home, I find myself changed and no longer fully belong there either. Through different media, I’m excited to explore that in-between part of identity, celebrating the beauty of living across cultures while addressing the ache of not being truly rooted anywhere.