Pete Asks Challenging Questions to Improve the South Bend-Elkhart Community for Future Generations

In February 2020, I was beyond excited about the chance to study abroad in Germany, even if it was only for four months. I had only ever known the same old milieu of rural Indiana, and I was ready to, as they say, “broaden my horizons.”

However, the excitement quickly faded as COVID-19 began its assault on the globe, bringing my program to a halt. Forced to return home before I could collect any meaningful experiences in Europe, I spent the remainder of my undergraduate studies haunted by a thirst for the adventures stolen from me by the pandemic.

That thirst guided the search for my first job after college. Fast forward a little over a year from the moment my program was canceled, and I was beginning preparations to move into the heart of the Austrian Alps to teach English–a job for which I had no legitimate training and no idea where to start. As soon as I entered Austria, I knew the transition would not be as easy as I had imagined.

Everything from the language barrier to transportation in Austria was far more complicated than I had anticipated and demanded that I remain uncomfortable nearly every hour of the day. With each new cultural difference I encountered, I better understood why Austria approached issues a certain way and began to question my own country’s approaches to the same problems. My discomfort was mainly present in the Austrian classrooms, as my students wasted no time asking complicated questions about gun culture, obesity, education, and healthcare in America which I did not feel qualified to answer.

Fielding these inquiries forced me to view my country through a critical lens with which it was often difficult to contend: many things about the United States concerned the Austrian teenagers, and I never considered them to be anything but ordinary. Being forced to answer such questions made me aware of my country's shortcomings and left me wanting to enact change. During my time at enFocus, I aim to explore ways our communities can be improved by reflecting on current systems and learning from the successes of our peers.

I believe that if we are willing to be critical of ourselves, seek advice, and be open-minded about alternative approaches, we will not fail to manage our problems efficiently and effectively–and we will create lasting change that improves our communities for generations to come.