Stars Aligned

I watch pink clouds dissipate into twilight, and in this moment, I realize that I only have seven more sunsets in my home of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It feels as though it’s summer that is setting, summer and all its essence: long hours of daylight, talks with friends, dinners with family, and my way of living and being in this sun-soaked time. On the 18th of August, my flight leaves for Vienna, Austria, where I will continue my musical studies with IES Abroad. 

Welcome to my study abroad blog! My name is Betsy, I’m an English major at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and I live a few miles north of the Chicago city limits in Evanston, Illinois. I’m currently gearing up for my semester abroad in Amsterdam, as my flight is in less than a week (!!!).

Studying abroad at Nanzan University this summer was very busy, but very fulfilling. I learned so much, and even though every day was a struggle, every day was worth the experience. Us international students often had field trips or activities on Wednesdays, and the other days were full of Japanese language learning. I would tag along with friends I have made along this experience to places such as Osu or Sakae shopping district. I also got along with my host family and my classmates well.

Bienvenidos a todos a mi blog y estoy emocionada para compartir mis experiencias en Ecuador con ustedes. (Welcome everyone to my blog and I am excited to be sharing my experiences of my time in Ecuador with you all). I leave tomorrow morning, and I still feel like I have another month to spend at home. My name is Tabitha Ato, and I am a senior (I still cannot believe it!) at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., but I call Oakdale, Minnesota, home.

November, 2018—I’m doodling a row of gabled canal houses along my arm, waiting for Creative Writing 203 to begin. Because it’s November in Illinois, winter is almost here. At the moment, Amsterdam is a dream and a distraction. It exists for me merely as the conveniently picturesque backdrop to John Green’s The Fault In Our Stars. As another name on the map of airline hubs that I memorize during the long flights between my college in the U.S. and my hometown in Sri Lanka. As a city I might visit. Someday.  

Some would say they’d like to trade winter for summer. Arriving in Sydney, Australia in August I have found that I made the less popular decision to trade summer for winter. Well—only for a bit, and not such a brutal one at least. I am studying abroad through the University of Sydney from August to December; September onward is supposed to be going into spring and summer here in Australia, so I do not have to endure so much of their said “winter” here.

Reflecting on my study abroad experience, one of the biggest things I’ve learned from studying abroad in Amsterdam is you don’t understand your own context until you leave it. It's hard to imagine a world you haven’t yet seen, and even harder to really dream beyond it. In our normal day-to-day lives, most of us rarely deviate from that which is familiar, and when we do it is rarely as unfamiliar as one would think.

Studying abroad has always been a dream for me: a chance to dive into a new community, experience a different lifestyle, build relationships, and develop a more inclusive perspective. But, the opportunity to study abroad in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands—a place that has inspired my passion for the environment—transformed this dream into a complete fairytale. When I first applied to the program I could not believe that the possibility of visiting and living in such a beautiful environment existed.

Sitting at the airport, ready to depart to Sydney, Australia, where I will be studying abroad for the next four months…I watch one of the great films of many that Audrey Hepburn acted in called Love in The Afternoon. In the film, our lovely icon meets a man who tells her he finds it best if people meet between planes. He thinks the concept of constantly having to leave creates a perfect space for people to meet.