Linh Tran '18

Summer 2016

When the Birds Fly Home (Exploring Post Study Abroad Lives of Vietnamese Abroaders)

An important question is on the minds of many of the international students at Oberlin — Should I try to stay in the United States or return to my home country after graduation? Clover’s independent project will take her back to Vietnam to explore that pivotal issue and will come together in a photography installation. Clover will interview and photograph Vietnamese “abroaders”—individuals who studied abroad then returned home; she is looking for the answers to questions about integrating back into one’s own society after an extended stay abroad, and the challenges that lie ahead. Clover will have a public exhibition in Hanoi, create posts on Facebook, and then bring the exhibition back to Oberlin as a way to engage with international students on campus struggling with the same question. She thinks, “It will provide a chance for us international students, in Oberlin and elsewhere, to catch a glimpse into the post-study-abroad life in our home countries and make the decision from there.”