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Travel Fact of the Day – To Study Abroad…Or Study In a Boring Library?
I took this picture with the children of the village I stayed at for my DIVOG Rural Homestay. Every time I took a picture, they would grab for my camera because they loved looking at themselves in the picture! It was quite funny watching them do this. They were adorable and humble, and I adored them.
Hello fellow travelers! I hope all of you are enjoying your March so far. I am so sorry I haven’t written a Travel Fact of the Day post in a while. I have been incredibly busy, but now I have the time and I am ready to get this party started again!
I wanted to talk to you about studying abroad during college. As some of you may have noticed, I studied abroad in Accra, Ghana during my junior year at New York University. I absolutely loved it and I want to return to Ghana so badly. It was such an amazing experience and I am so glad I chose to do it. However, there are some people out there who fully object to the idea of studying abroad.
I remember a conversation I had with one of my friends during my sophomore year of college. Many of our mutual friends went abroad to places such as Madrid (Spain), Prague (Czech Republic), and Florence (Italy). I was telling her how I was so envious of them that they went abroad and I knew they were having an amazing time. She didn’t share the same sentiment I had. She slightly balked at the idea of studying abroad. I was surprised by her reaction, so I interrogated her a little bit. Her opinion was that if she couldn’t study abroad in London, which is the most expensive study abroad site NYU has to offer, she didn’t want to study anywhere else and because of the fact the London program was expensive, she didn’t want to study abroad at all. In response, I said to her that she should be open-minded to the idea of studying abroad in general, and possibly getting out of her comfort zone. Again, she balked at this particular notion and held her stance on her opinion. The subject was soon dropped.
In this picture, my classmates are dancing with the locals in a village in the Volta Region of Ghana. This picture was taken during our DIVOG Rural Homestay in April 2011, which one of the most awesome experiences of my life. I will never forget it.
But this instance always stayed with me. How could you not want to study abroad in another country? I understand you have your ideal place you want to go to, but what about if that doesn’t work out? Are you going to refuse to go anywhere else? What happened to exploring your options?
Think about the possibilities. Instead of studying for a midterm in a fabulous plaza in Madrid or on the beach in Accra, do you really want to study in a dank, cold library at your college? Instead of going to the same bar you go to every Saturday night for cheap drinks in your college town, you could be attending a popular football (soccer) game in Buenos Aires or Florence, and then head to a bar with the locals afterwards. What I am trying to say is people should NOT outwardly reject the studying abroad experience. If your college or university offers those opportunities for you to study away in another country, then I think it is your responsibility to be open-minded and research your options. It is better than completely rejecting the idea. On the other hand, I understand completely if you cannot study abroad if your major or degree program won’t allow you. That is a different story. I am talking about if you have the opportunity to do so and your program allows you, then why not?
My friends and I took this picture on Thursday night before we ventured out into the club scene in Accra. It was Ladies' Night at some clubs like Tantra and Aphrodisiac, and we were ready for a fabulous time!
Your college years are the most opportune time to study away because you can still fulfill degree requirements and freely live in another country for a semester or academic year. Also most college students aren’t dealing with heavy life responsibilities such as taking care of a family or loved one, or making huge payments for your mortgage, and so on and so forth. Embrace the time you have while you are in college and use it to your full advantage.
Explore the world, explore yourself, find yourself, and have as much fun as possible!
When my friends and I were in the mountains in the Eastern Region, we wanted to go paragliding, but we didn't get a chance. Here is a picture of the mountain where the paragliders took flight. Isn't this a great view of the local town of Kwahu below?
Happy travels!
Jeanell (The Globe Trotting Rockstar)
The Student Globe Trotter 