Dear Fellow Non-Passport Owners,
With the opening of a new semester upon us, many students begin their treks back to campus, or for some to new countries to explore the world. After listening and learning about the trips abroad and witnessing the different impacts on student's lives, I have taken notice to types of experiences encountered on american soil and those had overseas.
It comes to your attention that you may never use that degree in foreign language.
While slaving over my foreign language minor, I slowly and gravely came to the realization that without going abroad I may never actually use my foreign language degree. Besides coming across the everyday language translations on a nutrition label or bathroom sign, I have never needed to fully speak in another language, thus all the endless learned verb endings and struggle to understand the difference between the imperfect and preterite, were all in vain.
That saying, "Now is the time to travel" is irrelevant.
So many adults (to me, people older than 25) say once you graduate you lose the flexibility to travel, what they don't understand is that right now I barely have a schedule open enough to watch the Kardashians every Sunday. Therefore going abroad now or waiting until I am older makes no difference, because time is always an issue. Additionally, there is the monetary problem. Many college students spend a lot of money on extra expenses while abroad because they're still figuring things out and wasting money on clothes they'll most definitely regret buying once they show our best friends or on late night food runs. Traveling later could bring the benefit of that so called euphemism that we'll have our life somewhat "together", whatever that means, and know how to spend money on "luxury items" like jewelry and espressos.
You learn how to love your best friend from a distance.
Choosing to not study abroad was my choice, but it was unlike many of my friends. It becomes a battle between appropriate times to FaceTime and receiving texts from 25 long digit phone numbers that cause frustration and dropped phone calls. But what I learned is that effort needs to be made daily in a friendship, because if not you miss out on an entire semester's worth of inside jokes and stories. A lot of support is needed, on both ends, because you're both missing each other and needing each other in different ways.
Love does NOT have to be found in another country.
It's great movies like The Lizzie McGuire movie, that lead people to think love is waiting for you once your plane lands. But this is seriously troubling and sets oneself up for disappointment. Your love, or who ever your partner, or significant other, or FWB is can be found A N Y W H E R E, even in your state, town, or same college- crazy thought right?. So many people use going abroad as their escape to the ultimate romance when really the most romantic thing you can do for yourself is find yourself when you're most comfortable, and most of the time that is not when you're trying to speak in morse code to your supposed love.
You have to love where you are, to love anywhere you go.
If you're having a hard time at home, on campus, or with your boyfriend, chances are going abroad won't change that. What a lot of people need to realize is that you should not have to go abroad to admire the things around you, you should admire them because of what is around you everyday. The people and your daily routine are a part of you and your choices, how can you not like that? If you don't, change it at home first, change can be made anytime and fleeing the continent will not trigger that change for you.
College is a time where you grow into your personality and that can happen in both the United States or overseas; eventually who you are and what you are meant to be take shape. Some students will blame their outcomes on if they go abroad or not, but location and distance have very little to do with who you want to become and who you let yourself become. The idea is that no matter where you go or live is: learn about yourself first, and then share that person with people both here and abroad.
