A conversation with Simon Gonnet
For the entirety of my childhood, I enjoyed the comfort of a familiar environment, living 30 minutes outside of Boston in Wayland, Massachusetts. My family moved once (about two miles across town) and I attended the same school system from age five to age 18. My graduating class had around 200 kids. For the most part, everyone knew everyone and had for the past decade.
Simon Gonnet was born in Paris, France. At age seven his family moved to Washington D.C., where Simon and his younger brother attended school with American classmates. Three years later, at age 10, Simon found himself living in Tunisia. He would later move back to Europe before attending college at Syracuse University.
It’s hard for me to imagine what it was like for Simon to experience three different cultures by age 10, but I was lucky enough to speak with him about it. You can listen to our conversation by clicking here.
I left our conversation with a profound respect for Simon and the way he has handled such enormous changes in his life. I couldn’t help but self-reflect.
How would I have handled such sudden and drastic change at the point in my life?
The answer is that I can only hope to handle it as well as Simon, who noted both pros and cons of his unique experience in our conversation. He said that having his eyes opened to different cultures and perspectives was certainly a positive, but being in so many different places resulted in him having to adjust his behavior accordingly, sometimes resulting in an uncomfortable limbo.
Now, as a junior at Syracuse University, Simon says he’s enjoyed attending college in the United States. I am grateful to be friends with someone who has experienced so much more than me and is willing to share his unique perspective on culture and adapting to change.
