Have you ever thought about studying abroad? You might have seen some posters on campus about it, or your might even know someone who is planning to study abroad. You might know someone who has already participated in a study abroad program.
I've got to say that studying abroad is a worthwhile experience. I've studied abroad, and I'm so glad that I made the choice to do so! I only wish that I'd seized the opportunity more often. I studied abroad for a semester in West Africa, but I have to admit that I had almost a completely different scenario in mind than the reality. See, I thought the university where I had planned to study was near the beach, so you can get the picture. I imagined myself taking in the culture and lying on the beach whenever I was not in class. I only had two classes, so I figured that I'd spend a lot of time on the beach.
Although the university wasn't too far from the beach, the water wasn't the crystal blue water that I envisioned. There was no white powdery sand. It was rather rocky. The water was too rough. When I did get to the beach, I didn't see a single person, lying around reading a book, listening to music or just sleeping. This was the type of beach that you gaze at while inside a comfortable building or on a patio. It was impossible for me to get to the beach without good transportation, anyway. It was dangerous on the roads, too.
I was too busy trying to learn how to survive in West Africa, but it was an experience that I'm glad that I had. I wouldn't change it at all. You know how it is when you are in class and your professor is telling you something, and you think you are listening, but when the test comes you find out that you weren't actually focusing? Well, that's how I felt when I made it to West Africa. I was shocked (but too polite to show it) when I realized that I had bathe using a bucket and there was no running hot water. That shocked realization continued when it sunk into my head that there were no washing machines, and I had to do my laundry by hand with water in buckets. That was my home life.
My university life was pretty typical. I went to class in a modern building. I researched in a library similar to, or maybe even larger than my library back home. It was a pity that I had classes only with other Americans, because the program was developed exclusively for visiting students. It was surprising to me (among my list of other shocks and surprises) that I was not always embraced as visitor there. While some of the West African students took me under their wing and made me feel at home, others were disinterested, wanted something from me, and one girl was outright rude and wanted to fight me. I'm guessing that, because I had no idea of what she was saying verbally but her body language told the story. How can I expect everyone to befriend me? People are people, and I know that those who visit our country have similar experiences with Americans.
Yet still, I wish that I could personally give all students the chance to study abroad, because you learn a great deal in a short period of time. You learn about people, life, and yourself. It's also great to have programs that are created for students with the logistics pretty much figured out. From what I know now, I would have been extremely disappointed if I had not studied abroad.
