Convergence of Worlds

I'm blessed to have the opportunity to study at a school that brings people together from all over the world. I live in an apartment with a guy from France, two Jewish Americans, and a Palestinian guy from Jersey. There's also a guy from Nigeria who hangs out here almost every day so I kind of count him as a fifth roommate. Thankfully, some of my roommates are political,and we have lively political discussions (meaning we shout our arguments at each other and then slowly descend into thoughtful discussion). We just concluded an hour and a half political discussion covering most of the controversial topics: Israeli politics, the two state solution, Netanyahu,the American election, Obama, the GOP, ect. It was fascinating to see American politics from the point of view of a Jewish Democrat and a Nigerian, and it was fascinating to see the Israeli-Palestinian situation from the point of view of a Palestinian. Though we don't agree on much of anything, we can talk civilly and constructively about the problems facing the United States and Israel and current events. Every single one of these guys is highly intelligent and articulate, so I am content with simply listening to what they have to say. This convergence of cultures takes place in the classroom too. In my Hebrew class, guys from Texas and Nigeria sit to my left and girls from Britain and Australia sit on my right. A guy from Papua New Guinea sits down the row from me. We all talk about home, find commonalities between our cultures and our worldviews, and form friendships that will span the globe. A couple of nights ago, I met a guy from Switzerland at an event and asked him about Swiss bank accounts and was treated to a ten minute insider dissection and explanation of the Swiss banking system and its superiority. At another event, I met two guys from South Korea and Japan respectively and immediately got involved in a discussion about regional politics, what the rise of China and North Korea meant for their respective countries, and what they thought should be done about it. I asked the guy from Japan whether they were considering becoming a nuclear power (possessing nuclear weapons) as a response to China and North Korea's saber rattling. He responded with a vigorous and unequivocal "no". When I asked why, he said simply "the United States will protect us if it were to come to that." The guy from South Korea agreed, saying nuclear weapons were unnecessary because of American protection. Both were very supportive of the United States and grateful for our alliance with them. At the end of the discussion, I assured the two of them that the U.S. was on their side, and they both said they appreciated the American support. Similar discussions happen every day between international students, and I have been privileged to listen and take part in several of them. This place literally is a convergence of worlds, where people from all corners of the globe study and articulate their ideas and world views together. It's a beautiful situation, and I'm looking forward to the next four months with these great people.