GOOD Advice For International Students
As we continue nearing the end of the year and begin anew…I felt the need to share some information with international students studying in the United States. It is important to note that I spent seven years living and working overseas in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and on St. Kitts. I have traveled to 23 countries around the world, including Antarctica. I returned home at the end of 2015 and left again 1.5 years later, and then came back in the summer of 2020.
When I first left the U.S. and came back at the end of 2015, even though I was coming home regularly, I definitely was experiencing some reverse culture shock. For a variety of reasons, I left again for another adventure. Upon my return home in the summer of 2020, I came home to a country that I was starting to not recognize. I took some time off from my professional career to regroup and help my family and friends with their projects. Over the next two years I was bouncing between the U.S. and the Caribbean continuing with my dive training and my underwater photography and videography training.
Then my father passed away on July 25, 2022 and from that point forward, I started experiencing what had become of my homeland. Beginning on November 26, 2022, my Netflix nightmare came into full swing with corruption within Cayuga County, Tompkins County, and St. Lawrence County. I continue to fight the GOOD fight and will not cease marching forward until this situation is resolved.
I decided to write this article today after I looked at the news this morning with the advice being given to our international students.
As I have always seen my role in this particular situation all of us are facing, I only provide information…I do not make the decisions. So to my international students and sisters and brothers from around the globe, especially to those of you planning to come back to New York State…I offer you this information to consider before making your decision to come back to this country as things will be changing substantially soon.
Feel free to take whatever advice you would like, however, I would like to offer this advice to all of the international students out there - stay home and take care of your family and friends until the dust settles. You will be needed more by your own country and you will certainly be appreciated much more than you will be coming back to the United States for the New Year.
I still am keeping the faith and I too think there is still time left although it is evaporating exponentially as I write this article.
The most important thing for you all to do right now is to stay home with your families and start making preparations for a new day and always strive for continuous improvement and education. I will forever be a professional student and as such, the best piece of advice I can give to all of my international students and sisters and brothers from around the globe…is to sit back listen and learn…
There have been several more videos and playlists set up and I will be uploaded additional information to that channel so feel free to subscribe and keep checking back.
While there are undoubtedly thousands of people who met my little girl, for those who were not blessed to meet this beautiful soul, here is a little background on her. The face on the image below is my little girl - Mia - she is a Vizsla. Her name is pronounced as “Mee-ah”. I voluntarily chose not to have children at age 25 and so Mia was the closest thing I had to a child. She graced this planet for 14 years before finally succumbing to an aggressive cancer in 2019. She spent her last years in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). She made many friends while at KAUST and I even think she may have converted some cat lovers into dog lovers! She continued to bring happiness and joy to me and so many other people…that I thought it only appropriate to help her memory and all of the positive energy she brought with her. She was truly a unique individual and gentle spirit and it is only fitting that she be the face of the newsletter…There Is A Method To The Madness.
Feel free to share and I hope this information helps you make a wise decision for your future and your children’s future. As of right now, my advice is still free, so take it for what it is…
