Thank you, Study Abroad
Hi one last time :) After completing my 16 weeks abroad, I want to take a second to acknowledge something that's been bugging me since I got here. I have found that there's a stigma around the idea of studying abroad, that kids go abroad to binge drink, party, and to spend 4 months in a foreign country on daddy's dime with no responsibilities. And I'll admit, this stigma exists for a reason. So many kids I know lived in Europe for a semester and ran up $10,000 in credit card debt in 4 months, and somehow only managed to travel a handful of times. Along with this stigma is the running joke that "abroad changes you." American students return to the states and rave about their semester abroad, but are unable to explain this change that they speak of. A lot of times when asked how, people merely respond with "it just does." ?????? Did clubbing 5 nights a week change you? Or was it the 20 pounds you gained because of all of the pasta you indulg...
