A Very Well Thought Out and Highly Researched Guide to Studying Abroad

So...I'm studying abroad (hopefully) at some point in my junior year. From where I stand now that's just over one year away so it is officially time to start absolutely panicking about it. As some of you know (even though I've been incredibly subtle and not at all annoying about it) I went to Paris over the summer and that kick-started the whole I must figure out this not at all pressing problem right now attitude.

 I've talked to a couple school officials including the study abroad counselor who told me all the sort of boring but very helpful advice that included: pick somewhere you can study your major, consider the language and the price point as pivotal factors. On the other end, my advisor (Dr. Weihe, for any SU people) told me that I have 11 years to take risks and do whatever I want before I really have to settle down with a family and a stable career. This, of course, led him to the conclusion that I should study in Kenya or Senegal––a whole continent away from countries I was seriously considering, but that's alright, more cryptic advice from the boss.

With all of these looming opinions (and only an entire year to think about it), I'm complying a list of all the places I could go with some preliminary––and not at all researched––pros and cons of each place. Bear with me. I'm a little bit dumb.

Athens, Greece
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Pros: I'd like to swim in the Mediterranean. It's a romantic idea and I can imagine a warm rain falling down on me as I have a cathartic moment lost in my private sea of thoughts. Then I could go back to my small apartment, decorated in delicate white detailing and write down my thoughts in a tattered notebook as I watch the sunset. Alternatively, I could reenact the plot of Mamma Mia; I'd have the set right there I just need a couple willing participants. The program I'm looking at takes students to a Greek island for a weekend to do long, flowy skirt Greek stuff. I also studied ancient Greece briefly for a UCOR class and in an acting class. The Greeks really might have done something, you guys. It's a historical city in a much more immediate way than any city I can think of. Though, of course, all places have their ancient roots, in Athens, I imagine, you can see it right there sprawling the city. It's probably worth a look. They also have my course of study and all the classes are taught in English which, in a more practical sense, seems like a good plan for college.

Cons: I don't think a romantic, Mediterranean mid-evening swim can stretch into several months. They might make me study. Or hop out. Other than gyros I don't know what the food is like at all. There's a lot of unknown which is scary. Most of the school I'd attend is made up of Greek students and I get the impression they wouldn't love having to always speak their second language for the random American who didn't bother to figure it out beforehand. It feels a little further away than in other countries I'm considering. Not even in a physical way––which at least is tangible––but somehow I feel like it'd be slightly more foreign. Like they wouldn't really know what to do with me. It also feels far away in a physical sense that it'd be harder to travel the rest of Europe which is something I at least want the opportunity to consider. Out of all the options I presented him, Weihe hated this one the most. He did not elaborate.

Florence, Italy
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Pros: Italy's another romantic one. I could have picnics every day and eat a lot of carbs but not in a gross, American way. I like the idea that ordering pasta is the right thing to do there. That is one sliver of comfort in a country where everything else seems very foreign. Call Me By Your Name (despite its evident flaws) was a cinematic EXPERIENCE and the scenes of Elio biking around his little, Italian village are picturesque and worth the recreation (the biking is where the recreation, for me, ends). Anyway, Florence feels like another city that you're just supposed to see. I could also, pretty easily, I believe, see Rome and Venice and other beautiful Italian places that everybody should experience in order to have a full life or whatever. And maybe a country where I don't speak the language is pushing me in a way I need to be pushed. I shouldn't always do things I'm completely comfortable with. This one also has my course of study and I'd be with international students which feels a little more comfortable.

Cons: It's landlocked. Something about growing up with the sound makes you feel like jumping into an expansive body of (even heavily polluted) water will somehow save you from ever-enclosing life. Land that stretches for miles and miles will swallow you whole and set you on fire. Even with the Seine in Paris, I still felt claustrophobic in the back of my mind. A new language–– though an exciting idea––would make day to day life very challenging. A hard day would become infinitely harder when you're unable to communicate even the smallest things. I don't believe in my ability to become fluent. There's also the idea that going to a school with international students (as opposed to an Italian majority) is very insular. Why travel anywhere when I'm just going to interact with the same types of people? I don't want to live in a bubble.

Barcelona, Spain 
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I would also like everyone to note the AIFS logo in the corner, this picture is literally from a study abroad program...it's inescapable...
Pros: I see beaches and parties and fun drinks and colorful houses. I haven't heard of one single person who's gone to Spain and had a bad time. There seems to be something to do every single night and something to look at every single day. I don't think I'd get bored. They'd be friendly enough to Americans, as I assume they're fairly accustomed to tourists. Though the main language certainly isn't English, communication seems fairly similar and I'd feel like a dick, but I think speaking English would be fairly tolerated. Travel between Spain and other places I want to see in Europe would be easy and there'd be quite a lot to do where I was in the city. This too has my major and teaches in English which would be solid education-wise.

Cons: Everybody goes to Barcelona. Maybe a bit shallow, but it's an unimpressive story to tell people that you studied abroad in Barcelona. So did the entire population of California. Get over it. Weirdly, I don't know a ton about Spain. Other than everybody studies abroad in Barcelona. Maybe I'm reading too much into it. People like it, so they keep going. I don't know...

Amsterdam, Netherlands 
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Pros: I know almost nothing about Amsterdam. Truth be told, I thought it was part of Germany until like eighth grade. Even today I wasn't sure if I was supposed to put Netherlands or Holland as the country (or maybe the Netherlands?), I don't know, I really don't. I could actually gain some pretty substantial knowledge of a culture I really am not too familiar about. I'm interested because of their approach to, well, everything. Their philosophy (so I'm told, don't quote me) is that as long as you're not hurting other people, you're good to go. What a way to live. Who wouldn't want to see that? It's also very pretty with its channels and beautiful colors. There's also quite a bit of history. The Van Gogh museum is there as well as the Anne Frank house. Those seem like the kind of places you don't forget for the rest of your life.

Cons: Should you live somewhere just to see what it's like? Should I do something based on a loose idea that hasn't even had time to evolve into a full story in my head? Amsterdam is full of questions and maybe the city is full of answers but maybe it's not. People who are corny travel here. I, of course, won't make a judgment on the people who live there themselves because WHO could be worse than Americans? But I just remember that a good chunk of A Fault in Our Stars was set there and it was so unbelievably middle school. I don't trust John Green's opinions on most things and I don't know if I should start now. Possibly most importantly, I'd have to seek out a program here, there wasn't one recommended to me. It would be slightly more work which makes things a little less planned, but I don't know if I'd really call myself a planner anyway.

Dublin (?), Ireland 
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Pros: I'll hole up in the woods somewhere, or maybe on a steep hill and write novels 'til my fingers bleed. Get up at the crack of dawn, tend to the sheep with the first glimmer of sunlight and work on my writing until I retire to a pub down the way for a pint at the end of a long day. A crowd of hardy, working men will cheer as I enter the establishment, we'll all sing drinking songs. One of my favorite guilty pleasure series (which I actually highly recommend) is set in Ireland. It follows an Irish detective squad and is as implausible as it is enjoyable. I'd queue up In The Woods (the first book) on Audible and have an Irishman tell me the horrifying crimes one more time as I overlook the countryside.

Cons: I'd be on my own for this one too. I'd have to find a program that has my major which doesn't seem overwhelmingly difficult but potentially more challenging. Ireland doesn't seem quite as vibrant as the others. It's an earthy tone while the others are bright oranges and pinks and yellows. Not any less beautiful but a little less bright. I don't totally know. There's something stopping me still.

Unspecified city in Kenya
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This is Nairobi, which seems to be one of the larger cities in Kenya. It's toward the middle of the country, so no beaches here. Probably no big animals either, those are probably in the more rural parts I'm guessing.
Pros: The vast unknown. Weihe approved. I think English is a widely spoken language there? I'm sure it's very beautiful. A new continent. Very warm and very big animals. Sunsets and sunrises would be unlike anything I've ever seen. Pieces of it touch the water so there's some potential for good beaches.

Cons: The vast unknown. There are no school-approved programs. I don't know people who've gone to school here. I don't want to rule a place out, though, because I haven't considered it. A shorter entry because I have far less information (at my own fault, I admit). It would be a long road for me to end up here than many of the other locations.

Unspecified City in Senegal
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Pros: More beautiful beaches and potentially a smaller community than other places on my list. I can't make that claim too definitively because I know very little about the country. There is, however, a program from SU that would go first to France and then to Senegal. I would need to learn the language, however, which seems like a pretty big hurdle to jump over. Weihe approved but I think this is also with the (false) assumption that I am a proficient French speaker or that I could quickly become one. I, again, don't know why he thinks this, he just does. In this program, however, there would be a faculty member who would be watching over a group of us so there is at least a small group of people who would feel like an anchor while we're far from home.

Cons: I, in fact, don't speak French. I don't know where I'd end up. High risk, unknown reward. I feel like this one might be tabled for next time. Just until I learn French.

I'm so caught up in my head about choosing the wrong city. Like I'll look out from my balcony in Italy and yearn for my Irish cottage. You never want to waste a second away from home feeling like you've made a mistake, what a waste. Shockingly, I find myself fairly open to new suggestions. Maybe I'll end up somewhere totally different, who knows? It's important to remember that the issue here isn't that there is a wrong answer, just thousands and thousands of right ones.




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