28 November | Tess Goodman

I woke up on June 24 to dozens of texts. My friends in Britain had just seen the news about Brexit, and many of them were upset. For many of them, the referendum impacted their abilities to live and work and travel. For some, it made them unwelcome in the country that was previously their home. It was a political decision, but for them, it was local.

As an American student, I felt insulated. I’m only a temporary resident in Edinburgh. It’s difficult to relocate permanently to Britain, so I never planned to stay. My life here feels so ephemeral that I’ve stopped buying books, knowing I won’t be able to ship them all home after my time here runs out. This referendum, like most other current events in Britain, seems to have nothing to do with me: this is not my country. I might have opinions, but getting really involved in the debate seems presumptuous, somehow.