MARSHENKULOVA: International experience creates insatiable urge to travel, explore

I'm Russian only by citizenship. That's what my cute red (of course, red) passport says. My nationality is Kabardian, and I always try to point that out when I get a chance. My homeland is in the South of Russia, the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic.

But the real question is where do I belong? I've lived in the United States for the last two years. I've been to the Czech Republic, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, and could easily call them home because new friends made me feel welcome there.

My home is the World. And there are many of us of this particular nationality. It's called "an international student."

We don't belong anywhere, but at the same time, we feel that any part of the world could be our home. We can be outcasts in our societies for wanting to live a different way than our peers, for wanting more from our lives than an average person. And I'm not talking about conveniences or a better lifestyle.

If you've traveled or if you've lived somewhere other than your home, you'll understand what I mean. The moment you leave your comfort zone where every leaf is familiar to you, you start your endless adventure. Endless, because you'll never want it to stop. And remember, once you start the journey, you'll never be the same again.

Some people are scared of it. Is it easier to be born blind and live like you don't know the other world exists? Or is it better to get a chance to see a different life for a short while, and then go back to the square one? It's a pointless question. After that chance, there's no way you go back to that square. Once you see it with your own eyes, it's impossible to pretend you're blind.

What is it like to be an international student? First, you embrace the culture you are living in. Then you embrace traditions that are different from yours. You embrace people from all over the world who happen to live under the same roof as you.

They are just like you — they rebel against the norms in their societies, they want to bring changes into their lives and to the lives of people back home. They are different.

You have your student backpack ready for the next flight, the next trip where you'll see something new again and maybe change someone else's life just by being present in it. You never have enough money, but somehow money is not really an issue.

You have friends all over the world who can host you in every possible village, because your friends have friends and their friends have relatives. You can be surprised which couch might give you comfort at night when your feet are sore from restless walking.

It's not for everyone. Being an international student is contagious. Once you start school, you realize there are so many things to learn, so many opportunities to explore, so many conferences to attend. Your Facebook account bursts out from a huge friend list, and your phone book … well, the same there.

At one point, you realize that it's about time to start a life of an adult, maybe wear a suit and conquer Wall Street. But eventually you will look at your lonely backpack in the corner of your prestigious apartment and break that vicious circle of that adult life you were supposedly dreaming of at school. There are too many places left to visit, too many people to talk to, too many things to do on the way.

Being an international student is hard, but nevertheless rewarding in every possible aspect. Hard because you struggle with the foreign language you have to adopt and miss your friends and family back home; rewarding because the lessons you learn make you stronger and even better as a person.

There are millions of us. We are from all parts of the world. We bring diversity into any community. We make the locals go to our parts of the world, where they experience the same things we did. They pass it on to others. It's an unbreakable chain.

If you ask me what nationality I am, I will always proudly say "I'm Kabardian." But if your question is "Where's your home?" I can't be so sure. The World Map above my bed shows me at least 10 countries I'd like to call home. After all, I refuse to let my passport define my citizenship.

I am an international student. My home is the World. And I am the World Citizen.

Marina Marshenkulova is a Fulbright student from Russia getting a master's degree in journalism. Reach her at marinamarshenkulova@dailynebraskan.com