Amalia Nilsson, Class of 2011

Citizenship: Sweden
High School: American School in Japan
Major: Economics & International Affairs
Has Lived In: Stockholm, Bangkok, Tokyo, Beijing, and Portland

About every fourth year, I pack up my belongings and relocate. In the meantime, I try to explore and take advantage of what life has to offer. That may be trekking the jungles of Cambodia, visiting the Orangutans in Borneo, snorkelling at the Great Barrier Reef, going whale watching in New Zealand, sweating at the sight of machineguns pointing at me up in the mountains of Laos, or, being traded by my sister for an elephant calf high in the mountains of Thailand. Although my sister assured me that she would trade me back when the elephant grew too big to keep indoors, I’ll never forget the smile on the face of the mahout.

I was brought up as a “global nomad” or a “Third Culture Kid” (TCK). Without the innumerable unforgettable encounters I’ve had around the globe, I simply wouldn’t be me. And yes, despite all the excitement, moving does bring with it tears and agony. Needless to say, being a global nomad or TCK increases the awareness of a culturally diverse world and help push you to develop personal skills for interacting. These are skills I plan on making the most of as I intend to double major in economics and international affairs.

“So, where are you going for your semester abroad?” “I’m here, for my eight semesters abroad.” The major part of my life I have spent abroad. Instead of going back to my roots, I chose to come to L&C when my family relocated from Tokyo to Beijing. I opted to explore a culture way more familiar to me than my own, yet unknown in its true element. Yes, you heard me correctly, I don’t eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and neither do I eat cookies or cake. And to some, I have landed from outer space, but on the whole, people are very much the same wherever around the globe. Like millions of others, I do love vegetarian sushi, Indian curry or a spicy Thai dish. Same, same, but different… kind of…

I wasn’t born with a tennis racket in my hand and started playing quite late. I was eight and have played on teams ever since. It is a great way to meet people and I love the atmosphere of a competitive team. In Tokyo, I played with an all boys Japanese tournament team--a challenge, both when it came to language and their Confucian practice regimen. But, I truly came to appreciate the experience over the years. I only applied to a handful of colleges, and with some great Division I tennis offers, including scholarships, it suddenly hit me, I wasn’t really cornfield material. Having spent my high school years in downtown Tokyo, I would certainly miss the pulse. That was one of several reasons I cametot L&C--to have access to city life with shops, restaurants, and a basketball team. Still, I rarely find myself venturing beyond campus since there is always something going on that you simply cannot miss. Add to that the personal attention from Coach Til and his team, Mr. Caldwell, helpful fellow students, e-mail buddies, the great selection of classes and facilities and I was set to go.

Here at L&C, I am on the tennis team. I am the tennis representative on the Student Athlete Advisory Council, 2007-2008, a member of LINCS, Lewis & Clark Intercultural Network for Connecting Students, as well as a member of International Students of Lewis & Clark (ISLC). Campus life is both interesting and rewarding. L&C is simply a good place to be. To summarize my reasons, I chose to attend L&C to continue to be somebody, not just anybody.