rememory
i have to admit that study abroad is one of my passions. i think that everyone should do it. and frankly, if you want to go to college, it should be a part of your studies. if it wasn't then you missed out on some of the finest moments.
what astounds me is that people who have studied abroad totally get what i mean. they spent time away, they did similar things, had similar moments, lived the surreal life, and survived. we all have very personal experiences that vary from person to person but even those are well-worth reviewing. including the following:
i had two major study abroad experiences. the second was probably the most profound for me and the one that allowed me to really figure "it" out for myself. in that year, i taught english to evil french children who were the most adorable things you have ever seen. i still contend that all cute children are truly evil because they are so darn cute.
that was the year that the baby was born. the year i went abroad actually has a reputation for those that followed in our footsteps. and it wasn't me who birthed a baby and no, the baby did not sleep in the dresser drawer.
my roommate, unbeknown to her, was pregnant when we arrived. let this be a lesson to all children under god- CONDOMS. she decided to stay and have the baby. now. let me tell you what kind of sh!tstorm that created. a huge one. because heaven forbid someone sign a contract and be/get pregnant, and decide to stay in france and have the baby. that. is. just. not. done. according to all the people who think that way anyway. to this day, i don't see the big deal.
now. she was 27 when this kid was born, not 18. but what was interesting about the whole thing was, here she was, alone, in a foreign country, having a baby, with me as a roommate, with an english woman as a roommate, a really really fun person who visited on the weekends, and one finish chick there on weekends too and yet, she chose to stay in this house of feminine madness.
alone, none of us could have had a baby. but together, we were able to put her to sleep to techno music, take her for walks, nap with her, hold her, console her, keep her mother sane, make her momma laugh and cry in fits of joy, take her to the pub, introduce her to coke, and make her smile.
she became part of a study abroad experience for all of us. unplanned, completely surreal, but part of it as she was carted to all the places we went (except for the clubs and the smokey bars). she was in the photos, she was in our hearts, she was in our language, she was in our arms. because of that baby, i experienced france from a completely different perspective. one that i will treasure forever.
and no. it is no big deal to study abroad and have a baby. but i don't suggest it, unless you have a house of women.
That's a fantastic entry! Wow, it must have been an amazing experience for all of you!
trish, it was amazing. on so many levels. and it never once took away from my experience(s) but instead, added to them.
Wow what a story!
I studied "abroad" in Boston instead of Venice and I still regret it. I mean, if I hadn't come to Boston, I never would have moved here after graduation and met my husband yada yada yada....but I would give anything to have had the foreign experience.
That's one of the strangest and sweetest study abroad stories I've ever heard.