The Daily OrangeWelcome back, now go study abroad
By Janae DeRusso
Posted: 9/2/09, 3:45 AM EST Section: Opinion
Welcome to the new school year. While you unpack belongings at your new abodes in Sadler or Ernie Davis, or down Comstock, Euclid or Westcott, I am ready to suggest you do not get too settled. Drop what you are hanging and Google the study abroad opportunities.
Through no fault of its own, never in a single semester on Syracuse University's main campus will you learn as much as during a single semester abroad. SU understands the benefits and growth opportunities of such trips, providing options and programs throughout the world to further your education, whether through SU organized programs or transfer opportunities with other institutions.
I returned to the United States just over a week ago after spending two months with the University of Virginia sponsored Semester at Sea program. Traveling across the Atlantic Ocean and circling the Mediterranean Sea to visit eight countries opened my eyes to learn not only about foreign countries and culture, but to learn more about my own country and myself.
Travel opens your eyes to political issues and the image of the United States abroad. To hear that in Istanbul I would be referred to not as an American, but as "Obama family," was incredible. When an Italian tour guide interrupted his routine introductory spiel to congratulate us on electing "Mr. Obama," even students who had dosed off in the summer heat snapped to attention. Regardless of how some students felt about the Obama administration and progress on issues at home, we recognized the respect abroad for the President and the eagerness of locals to meet his "family."
Economic issues are troublesome abroad. It was heart-wrenching to watch a male college student interact with a 7-year-old Moroccan boy that was selling toilet paper and watches in 99-degree heat as his mother stood holding a younger child nearby. Never before had I seen an extra piece of gum brighten someone's smile so quickly.
You realize the value of the U.S. dollar. You hold on tightly to each euro, realizing every coin is close to being worth a dollar and a half at home.
Through no fault of its own, never in a single semester on Syracuse University's main campus will you learn as much as during a single semester abroad. SU understands the benefits and growth opportunities of such trips, providing options and programs throughout the world to further your education, whether through SU organized programs or transfer opportunities with other institutions.
I returned to the United States just over a week ago after spending two months with the University of Virginia sponsored Semester at Sea program. Traveling across the Atlantic Ocean and circling the Mediterranean Sea to visit eight countries opened my eyes to learn not only about foreign countries and culture, but to learn more about my own country and myself.
Travel opens your eyes to political issues and the image of the United States abroad. To hear that in Istanbul I would be referred to not as an American, but as "Obama family," was incredible. When an Italian tour guide interrupted his routine introductory spiel to congratulate us on electing "Mr. Obama," even students who had dosed off in the summer heat snapped to attention. Regardless of how some students felt about the Obama administration and progress on issues at home, we recognized the respect abroad for the President and the eagerness of locals to meet his "family."
Economic issues are troublesome abroad. It was heart-wrenching to watch a male college student interact with a 7-year-old Moroccan boy that was selling toilet paper and watches in 99-degree heat as his mother stood holding a younger child nearby. Never before had I seen an extra piece of gum brighten someone's smile so quickly.
You realize the value of the U.S. dollar. You hold on tightly to each euro, realizing every coin is close to being worth a dollar and a half at home.
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