So I've heard some buzz about whether or not everyone at the University should be required to study abroad. Those against it say it's not feasible, that financially it's too hard on students, and therefore it shouldn't be required for everyone.
But I think everyone should do study abroad. And frankly, I can't say whether or not individual students can be expected to afford such an experience or not. Here is what I can say: Studying abroad changed my life.
And I hate to pull this card, but it's true: Until you have been abroad (and I don't mean to Canada or Cabo), you can't really fathom what the experience will do to you.
Nothing in America can prepare you for standing in the muggy belly of a foreign city, trying to comprehend a metro map in an alien language while an impatient stream of people rub past you.
Nothing domestic knocks you down a notch like sitting at a restaurant in the middle of France, running your finger down the menu and realizing you have no idea what anything means, and therefore, you're at the mercy of pure chance as to whether you get salmon or raw horsemeat.
If I had to describe exactly how study abroad benefited me, I'm not sure I could give tangibles. But think of it like camping. When I was a Boy Scout, we were required to go on monthly camping trips. I was never excited to go. I was always thinking of all the friends I could be seeing, video games I could be playing or even the homework I could be doing.
But as soon as we got out of the city limits and stepped foot into the wild, as soon as we caught that first breeze of clean air, I remembered that there was something about camping that I absolutely loved. It set me free. It got me out of my banal school situations and my home environment. I saw who I was and what I was like when the daily routine and baggage were cut away. I got to stretch and spread my wings. I saw a fresh side of myself and earned confidence. So it is with being in another country.
One thing many of us Americans lack is humility. One thing study abroad gave me was a big dose of just that. I don't know how many times I had to rely on the kindness of strangers while I was in Europe. I hated not being able to pull my own weight. I hated being needy. I felt like I was doing a month-long trust fall exercise. But I'll never forget the relief I felt from watching a pair of foreign eyes soften as their owner explained to me how to get to the nearest metro station.
Studying abroad didn't really extend my knowledge along the lines of thinking I already had. It opened up entirely new worlds and dimensions and paradigms. I thought one way before; I thought a different way after I returned.
And yes, it cost a lot of money. And yes, it was difficult. But I would never want to go back to the way I was before I went to Europe.
Comments (2)
Good on you William for opting to go abroad to study. I guess that's what I'm doing right now, although comparatively speaking, it's much easier to read a menu in Fayetteville than say Fontainebleau. It's early days yet to compare my experiences with yours, but so far it's looking very promising. But I do take the point about studying abroad as being beneficial, broadening the horizons so to speak. But, I'd say even if you're a backpacker, there's nothing to beat the excitement of being in countries with vastly different cultures and customs to your own and respecting such traditions. I've a thing for being in non-English-speaking countries - it just so different than walking up to an Aussie or a Kiwi and asking where's the nearest bus stop. Having an open-mind and being prepared to "rough it up" makes the difference between having a good adventure or one that makes you yearn for the comforts of home. I traveled solo for several years from eastern Europe (and parts of central Europe as well), to the Middle East and back and forth and for the most part, have rich and rewarding experiences - ones that I wouldn't readily trade with the routine of a 9-5 job, though we all know that that's something we have to do some day.
Posted by Denzyl Janneker | September 6, 2007 6:08 PM
Posted on September 6, 2007 18:08
I don't think mandatory study abroad will go any where, but just in case it does, I wanted to chime in.
There is a more diverse population of students at this university than the average, live in the dorms, no children to support, no responsibility, parents pay for it all student.
If the university mandated that I study abroad, then who is going to take care of my son? Or my house? The financial ramifications are minimal. I've figured out a way to spend weeks in Costa Rica, Nigeria, I've travelled all over North America and this was all after I spent five years travelling over seas with the Navy. When I want to travel then I will find a way to do it. I don't need the university to make me do it.
With that said (very intentional tone change), I have to say that I really enjoy your writing. It really is just like Kerry says: You can hear your voice. That's a gift and you should be proud of that.
In this piece, I especialy like:
"Nothing in America can prepare you for standing in the muggy belly of a foreign city, trying to comprehend a metro map in an alien language while an impatient stream of people rub past you."
That part reminded me of when I would pull in to Toulon, in Southern France and I would sometimes grab trains to Nice and Monaco and they would stop over in Cannes and I would say to the guys I was with, "Shit, man. We're in the French Riviera. You know like where James Bond plays black jack. The fucking French Riviera."
This time was fun, but I assure you I've gotten more out of visting the countries that the military didn't make me visit and I would assume the same goes for mandatory studey abroad.
Posted by Matthew Foster | September 6, 2007 10:54 PM
Posted on September 6, 2007 22:54