The dreaded Q&A that lingers at the conclusion of any study abroad program is the price one must pay for enjoying a four-month sojourn in an exotic location.
Much like entering through customs, I'll have to pass rigorous conversations that will test my patience and resolve before I'll be allowed to return to my common place in society.
They'll be repetitive, tedious and stale. People will grill me as if traveling overseas was a philosophical journey to discover myself.
"So Adam, how have you changed," they'll ask.
I'll respond with some witty remark that shows my contempt for questions that attempt to group these enchanting experiences together.
"Well I guess I'm more tolerant (large quantities of German beer); I'm not as defined as I once was (high calorie German beer), and I've broadened my tastes (well-brewed German beer).
These investigations undermine the purpose of studying abroad. It's supposed to be a way to branch out and observe the world in whichever way you choose. Here are a few of the ways I did:
• Relaxing to different customs - In Bodrum, Turkey, I smoked strawberry-melon nargileh (hookah) and played backgammon in a bar that overlooked the Aegean Coast.
In Budapest, I took a Turkish bath in Rudas Baths, constructed in 1566, with semi-covered Hungarians.
In Bamberg, Germany, home to nine breweries, I drank rauchbier (smoked beer) at Spezial Keller as I watched the sun descend over the small Bavarian town.
• Meeting the locals - In Budapest, a Hungarian family showed us around the city for five hours. Their 14-year-old son Daniel, who was learning English and was already fluent in Russian and Hungarian, quizzed us about our culture and was astonished that "Lost" was already in its third season.
In Selçuk, Turkey, amid constant hassling to buy carpets and eat at various restaurants, we were given a tour by a local Turk that we had met the previous night when we drank and mingled at his bar.
As we wandered around Selçuk Castle, which is no longer accessible except for a concealed hole in the fence, we wondered how much he would charge us. Instead, when we returned to his bar, he offered us free apple tea and only requested that we returned later that night.
• Soccer Culture - While Florida was busy winning two National Championships, I was embedded in smoke-filled pubs watching the Champions League and the English Premier League. I traveled to Olympia Stadium, where Jesse Owens defied Hitler and Zinedine Zidane defied common sense, to watch Hertha BSC Berlin compete on a snowy pitch.
Yet, the thing I'll remember most was our daily ritual of challenging German kids to pick-up soccer games. On the last Thursday of the program, we met at 9 a.m. (an hour before my German Philosophy final) to play one last memorable game.
These are small things that I'll treasure. I'm not trying to sell the study abroad experience.
Spending every year in Athens is perfectly acceptable. But if you want to create unique memories that you alone can sculpt, I strongly recommend studying abroad.
Just don't expect other people to be able to relate to all of your experiences. After all, that's why you go abroad.Labels: academy awards, career training, education online, financial aid, free college, free education, high school, scholarship, student loans, study abroad |
