I’m sitting on a plane bound for Washington D.C.
wondering what I’ve been wondering for about a week now: did I just study abroad? Is it really over already?
A few of you know that prior to this trip, I had been attempting to become a temporary ex-patriate for quite some time. In fact, during the summer before my sophomore year, I announced about 12 different locations where I decided (“no really, I’m actually going! I’m sure this time!”) where I would spend my spring semester. If I’m exaggerating when I say 12, Tim and Deb can attest that I’m not off by much. Desired locations included Ireland, England, Scotland, Spain, Peru, Ghana, Mexico, some countries I can’t think of, and finally Costa Rica.
I ended up spending that spring semester where else but exotic, tropical Raleigh, N.C., after deciding I couldn’t leave my life on campus (writing, editing, friends, classes, etc.) for an entire semester.
It took a lot of unfinished applications on the Study Abroad Web site, but I don’t think I could have chosen a better time or place to study. I went to Prague expecting to watch some movies, learn to be more environmentally sustainable, and hang out with Helen and Alison. While I did do those things, I also met a slew of great people, learned some amazing history lessons, visited the studios where they filmed “The Chronicles of Narnia,” experienced life as a blind person, gained awareness of womens’ issues, extracted honey from a beehive, etc. etc. etc.
I never knew what to expect when I left our Penzion each morning. While my experiences were all unique, they were not random. The things I saw and learned all tied together on a level I probably won’t fully understand until much further down the road.
