Recently, I found myself in a conversation with a freshman. Enthusiastic about all things Franciscan, she was firing question after question about my years at Franciscan so far. Was I in a household? Have I gone on a Mission trip? What dorm did I live in? Have I gone to Austria? Am I planning to go to Austria?

When I answered, "no" to that last question, she was obviously taken back. As many people are. What student goes through four years at Franciscan and does not spend a semester in Austria? Well, here I am. One of those few.

It wasn’t because I didn’t want to go to Austria. Of course I had been planning since my starry-eyed freshman year. I mean, what young adult wouldn’t jump at the idea of spending an entire semester traipsing around Europe? And taking classes too, classes are important.

But sometimes life happens, and finances happen, and things don’t work out. But what I’ve learned through my experience of talking to other students who have not gone to Austria is that Austria does not mean you are now a real Franciscan student. No, Austria is just one factor in your time at Franciscan. A great factor, but not the only one there is.

As I had originally made plans to go to Austria, I remember discussing my plans with an upperclassman. I told her how I was going to take classes with Dr. Newton, live in the Kartause, go on the Romania Mission, basically do everything I could. When I learned she hadn’t gone to Austria, my reaction imaged that of the freshman. I was shocked. But she simply told me that it hadn’t been God’s plan for her life, and she knew she wouldn’t have grown from it.

I didn’t understand then, but now I recognize that not going to Austria doesn’t make anyone less of the typical “franny.” There are plenty of students here who are involved with Households, ministries, and campus life and have never been to Austria, and they are still complete Franciscan students. Shocker, right?

I’ve learned a lot through my own reflections and those of other people who have not had the opportunity to go to Austria. And here are just a few things I’ve learned:

• Living Austria through photos: Like one upperclassman told me, she lived her Austria experience without having to leave the States. Any of us who have friends in Austria constantly see the photos on Facebook of the Kartause and every Franciscan girl in her dirndl dancing around fields, and we experience a piece of that. We are seeing what they saw. It’s not the same thing, obviously, but it’s something special they have shared with us.
• Breaking the mold: Again, for those of you who won’t get the chance to go, don’t feel left out! Austria, I’ve been told many times, is a growing experience for many people, but it’s not the only way to grow. Don’t let that define you!
• It’s not about the places you travel to, it’s about the people you travel with: You can travel to the most glorious, beautiful places in the world, but if you aren’t traveling with people you love being with, and who make the trip memorable, then it’s pointless.

All the pictures are spectacular. The views are breathtaking, the buildings and cities: astounding. But what sort of stories do I hear the most about when I see people who got back from Austria? Stories like this: “Remember that time we got lost in Rome?” Or, “Remember that time we all spent the night in the airport in London?” Those are the memories that stick with you.

And we all have those types of memories. The stupid, silly things we did in college that we hold dear to our hearts. Although many of our memorable experiences emanate from Austria, we don’t have to cross the ocean to make memories with our friends. We can do that right here, right in Steubenville, OH.

I’m not saying that those people who got to go are wasting their time. I still consider Austria one of the best decisions anyone can make. And if you have been there, or are getting there, then do it, by all means. I fully plan to still travel to Europe someday. The choices we make are unique and special for each and every one of us, and while some people may grow from this experience, it may not be the growing experience someone else needs.

Incredible friendships are made over in Austria, people’s lives are changed, beautiful things happen. Our school is so blessed to have this program. But if we don’t get the chance to go, then it wasn’t the kind of experience God wanted for us. He wanted us to be transformed differently, right here on this campus. He has huge plans that are bigger and better than us. It’s just a matter of having the eyes to see that, of not being afraid to break the mold, of treasuring the times you have with your friends right now, and seeing how blessed you are just to be on a campus as wonderful and holy as Franciscan. That is a true blessing indeed.