Why I think its harder to write for Odyssey as an international student | The Odyssey Online
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Politics

Why I think its harder to write for Odyssey as an international student

And it's not the language barrier.

Fernanda Marques Esteves
Jul 16, 2018
Emory University
36
Why I think its harder to write for Odyssey as an international student

Having only moved to the United States a year ago for university, I don't have many strong opinions concerning American politics. Even though the US is an influential country for international politics, and thus in the Brazilian newspaper as with other countries' newspapers there is often American news, there is nothing quite like the passion behind the opinions formed about the politics and general happenings within one's own country.

So whenever I have to think of a topic to address in my postings for the Odyssey, various things come up that I can't really use because I am writing for an American, or at least an English speaking audience. Most of the people in the United States wouldn't have an opinion concerning the arrest of Brazil's ex-president, so it wouldn't be relevant for me to discuss my own position in the matter. Same goes for the upcoming Brazilian elections or the recent corruption scandals that have been plaguing my country.

Maybe "relevant" isn't the best word, so let me try to elaborate. If I were to write about my opinions concerning the topics I used as examples for a Brazilian audience, I would be writing an argumentative article exposing my somewhat controversial views. If I were to write about these matters here, I would have to focus more on explaining the situations before exposing my opinions, and I don't really think the end product would be as interesting, and it certainly wouldn't make anyone (except maybe other Brazilians that study in the US) think twice about their own views on these matters, because this would be probably the first many Americans hear of it.

And I am not saying that all Americans should inform themselves about Brazilian politics because it really isn't that relevant to US citizens. I am just exposing an obstacle I hadn't foreseen, and wondering if this is just a personal feeling, or if other international students also have this difficulty in coming up with topics for the Odyssey or other opinion-based writing assignments. Could this be an unusual form of homesickness?

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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