FOFAC – Page 11 – GW Blogs from Abroad

Lost in Camaraderie

AdminAugust 31, 2012December 14, 2018

Once in a blue moon, I’ll become a planner. Without notice, my attention to prepatory detail will skyrocket. I’ll memorize dates, addresses, routes of travel, alternate routes of travel, weather plans—you name it. I glide through my planned journeys with a Gabby Douglas-like deftness. That said, the moon is rarely blue and it’s even rarer still that I actually slip into planer-mode. More often than naught, I tend to just…go with the flow.

“Buy your plane ticket a few months in advance!” My study abroad advisor warned. I put it off until about a month before I was to show up in Florence. “Be sure to learn a few key Italian phrases before you go!” My friends suggested. I snapped a few photos from my traveller’s companion as I disembarked from my plane in Rome. “Have a plan!” My mentor urged me. I didn’t. Not really.

You see I tend to err on the side of “pfft, it’ll be fine!” because generally speaking, it’s always fine. Trekking through New York to Jersey to get to Newark International was a joy. I met/fell in love with/considered proposing to a gorgeous customs officer during breezed through my layover in Montreal. Sure, I’d bought my tickets and glanced at them in passing a few weeks before I set out to travel. But I definitely hadn’t poured over and memorized them the way a true planner would have. “This,” I thought. “Is going to be a piece of cake.” And it was.

Until I got to Rome.

...continue reading "Lost in Camaraderie"

By oncptime

I’m less than a day away from leaving the U.S. and I find myself in a bit of an odd position. I’m writing this laying on the hardwood floor of a friend’s apartment in northern Jersey. Now you might be thinking to yourself “Why’s he laying on a wooden floor? That can’t be comfortable.” And you know, you’re right. It really isn’t. I’m down here, you see, to take inventory of the hoarding extravaganza that is my suitcase.

Months ago, when Italy shifted from a “maybe” to a “definitely”, I began to fantasize about the nomadic lifestyle I’d live while abroad. I’d trek across the globe armed with nothing but a simple rucksack and a hunger for worldly adventure. I’d befriend chic gypsies and schmooze my way into state-sponsored soirees with the consulate. I’d throw myself to the wind and like a leaf I’d dance and glide my way across Europe with whimsy and grace. In short, I was going to be amazing.

Thing is though? All of that amazingness is pretty damn difficult to pull off when you’re lugging 100+ pounds of crap on your back.

...continue reading "True Life: I Overpacked for Study Abroad"

Valpo Surf Project

AdminAugust 13, 2012December 14, 2018

By bbuck92

September 4th: Discuss what study abroad program you are attending and why, what type of volunteer work/research you plan to do abroad

About eight years ago, on an impulse I hardly even remember anymore, I found myself on a rented surfboard in Maine. While my mother nervously watched from the shore, I floated in whitewater surf giddily trying to recreate what I had seen on posters and movies. Of course, my attempts to surf with ease were in vain and I flopped around in the waves endangering myself far more than I was able to impress any onlookers. I collapsed after several hours when the sun had set with sore limbs and rashes which made it uncomfortable to walk. When my mother approached me to assess the damage I begged for a second day. All damage aside, I was hooked.

Such was my indoctrination into the world of surf. While my passion continued for several summers, a busy high school schedule and lack of car, along with a move to Washington DC for college eventually ended my brief affair with surfing. ...continue reading "Valpo Surf Project"