Confessions of a Reformed Europhobe
When I was young, I had an inexplicable aversion to anything related to Europe.
As if I lived at the bottom of a well, my perception of Europe was filtered through an understanding as narrow as the well’s aperture.
To me, Europe represented both the legacy of global imperialism and the architect of systemic injustice.
As a “person of color,” perhaps it was en vogue to view Europe through a “colonizer” lens. At a time when choosing ethnic studies was seen as the enlightened and progressive thing to do, taking European studies felt so last century.
With that flawed logic, I rejected a golden opportunity to travel to Europe with my family during a college spring break. Since then, I have not found time for such a tour of Europe as adult life and responsibilities have set in.
My myopic appreciation of the world led to a profound missed opportunity for cultural enrichment, personal growth, and the chance to broaden my understanding of the world beyond the boundaries of my own biases.
It was as if my mindset needed some kind of intellectual awakening—akin to an European style Renaissance and Enlightenment.
