Wow, where to begin. Although the past 8 months of ASTU have gone by incredibly quickly, they’ve definitely contained a wide range of moments that have prompted me to reflect upon my own personal experiences throughout the years that relate to the overriding theme of our CAP stream, global citizenship. Growing up as a third culture kid I feel as though I have some sort of predisposition for viewing things through a global lens. In fact, I rationalized choosing this CAP stream over others because of this. So in a sense I view this as a culmination of growing up abroad, taking the knowledge that I have gained through living in such a diverse setting and applying it in an academic context.

Furthermore, there have been several moments throughout this course that have enabled me to make connections that I wouldn’t have necessarily made in the past. The strongest example of this didn’t necessarily occur in one moment, but rather over the course of the year as we explored the war on terror. Some of the texts we read in class, such as Safe Area Gorazde by Joe Sacco, Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi and Redeployment by Phil Klay reminded me of just how horrible and gruesome warfare can be, especially for those caught in the crossfire. This in turn reminded me of the responsibility that developed nations such as Canada and The United States have in protecting and helping people who have to leave areas that have been adversely effected by military intervention from them.

Ultimately this course has significantly broadened my worldview and made me consider current affairs through a much more critical lens. This combined with exploring literary and scholarly works that have arisen from these events has most definitely allowed me to gain a better understanding and knowledge of what it means to truly be a global citizen.

In Redeployment  Phil Klay explores various issues relating to issues experienced by armed forces members relating to trauma. Focusing specifically on Sgt Price who has just returned home from Serving in Iraq. The first thing that I noticed in this section of the book was the general overtone of nostalgia that appears to be ever present from as soon as he has spotted his wife at the airport, from the tongue in cheek humour on his wife’s sign to the reflection on the appearances of both his wife and his dog, Vicar who appears to be in frail health. This general pattern continues while Sgt Price interjects his thoughts in a reflective manner. Through this passage it becomes apparent that Sgt Price is caught up in all of the traumatic things he saw in Iraq, causing him to be hesitant around his wife, which is highlighted when his wife asks him if it’s good to be home.

Interestingly enough, in recent years the subject of war trauma, or more specifically Post Traumatic Stress Disorder has been featured much more prominently in the mainstream media with several documentaries and films demonstrating how difficult it can be for veterans to reacclimatize when returning to their home countries. However, one film in particular was hailed as bringing this issue to the foreground for the general public. Kathryn Bigelow’s 2008 acclaimed work The Hurt Locker. In particular, there is one sequence in the film in which Jeremy Renner’s character has just returned to civilian life and is shopping in a grocery store when he essentially has a panic attack. What interests me here is the contrast between Klay’s much more subtle representation of the difficulties of re-adjusting to civilian life to the much more visceral and dramatic version presented by Bigelow. Personally, I think it simply serves to show the wide range of ways that trauma effects soldiers.