For many of us Amherstonians, the idea of study-abroad, of sacrificing even one of eight precious semesters at our beloved Bubble-on-the-Hill, seems almost crazy. With a limited amount of time to take advantage of the professors, resources, and friends on campus, why in the world would you choose to leave? Amherst is so comfortable! So fun! So beautiful! This is the last year to hang out with your senior friends! You will miss Homecoming/Crossett Christmas or Screw Your Roommate/Spring Concert/Spring Formal! You can always travel after graduation, but these 4 years are your only chance to be here at Amherst! These are all valid arguments (and I thought of them all when making my decision to come to Salamanca), but knowing what I do now, let me present a few of my arguments in favor of studying abroad:
1. Popping the bubble
Let’s be honest, although we complain about the bubble sheltering us from the “real world,” that bubble can feel really nice sometimes. But the actual Real World is out there, just waiting to be explored, and unless you venture out of western Mass., you will never see it. Stretching yourself beyond the norm can be frightening, but with a little time, you create new habits, and a more expanded comfort zone. For example, one of the best parts of my new burbuja (Spanish for ‘bubble’) is the daily sunrise walk to school, across an ancient Roman bridge built in the first century- something I could never experience at Amherst.
2. Seeing and doing awesome things
Apart from just experiencing the general amazingness that is living in another country, on my program I have been able to visit the famous Frank Gehry Bilbao museum in northern Spain, to tour elaborate old Islamic mosques in the south, and to see the beautiful palace complex of past Spanish emperors in Granada, just to name a few. We also have exciting weekly activities; today’s was a flamenco lesson! Every program is different, but they all want to show you as much as they can. Travel seems to be a fairly standard component. And if you want a program that specializes in something specific, you can do that too. I have a friend who is doing a Bio-Scuba Diving program, and I briefly considered an Egyptian archeology program (before Egypt fell into chaos, unfortunately). Study abroad is one of those rare scenarios when the “the world is your oyster” is almost literally true. If the program exists, more often than not, you can find a way to do it.
3. Bringing it all back to school
Being here is mostly spectacular. Even an ordinary day can become special, simply because I’ll manage to hold a brief conversation in Spanish with a stranger on the street, or I’ll decide to walk down an alley I haven’t before and find a beautiful garden. I am loving my time here but I definitely have moments when I miss home- my family, my friends, my boyfriend, ultimate, the food. I cannot wait to return to Amherst, filled with new experiences and ideas, more willing to take risks, and ready to share my stories and new perspectives. And I cannot wait to hear about everything that has happened on campus, and everything that has happened to my friends around the world. Returning from abroad, everything will feel different and fresh- the bubble will have a new shine.