Welcome back, now go study abroad

Welcome to the new school year. While you unpack belongings at your new abodes in Sadler or Ernie Davis, or down Comstock, Euclid or Westcott, I am ready to suggest you do not get too settled. Drop what you are hanging and Google the study abroad opportunities. Through no fault of its own, never in a single semester on Syracuse University's main campus will you learn as much as during a single semester abroad. SU understands the benefits and growth opportunities of such trips, providing options and programs throughout the world to further your education, whether through SU organized programs or transfer opportunities with other institutions. I returned to the United States just over a week ago after spending two months with the University of Virginia sponsored Semester at Sea program. Traveling across the Atlantic Ocean and circling the Mediterranean Sea to visit eight countries opened my eyes to learn not only about foreign countries and culture, but to learn more about my own country and myself. Travel opens your eyes to political issues and the image of the United States abroad. To hear that in Istanbul I would be referred to not as an American, but as "Obama family," was incredible. When an Italian tour guide interrupted his routine introductory spiel to congratulate us on electing "Mr. Obama," even students who had dosed off in the summer heat snapped to attention. Regardless of how some students felt about the Obama administration and progress on issues at home, we recognized the respect abroad for the President and the eagerness of locals to meet his "family." Economic issues are troublesome abroad. It was heart-wrenching to watch a male college student interact with a 7-year-old Moroccan boy that was selling toilet paper and watches in 99-degree heat as his mother stood holding a younger child nearby. Never before had I seen an extra piece of gum brighten someone's smile so quickly. You realize the value of the U.S. dollar. You hold on tightly to each euro, realizing every coin is close to being worth a dollar and a half at home. You struggle with paying 125 Egyptian pounds for a few drinks at Starbucks as you walk by a mosque whose courtyard is the resting place of a homeless woman. Her dirty and fading purple toenail polish stands in stark contrast to her ragged clothing. You question why, in a world with just under 200 countries, a menu thousands of miles away from the U.S. lists two prices: one in the local currency and the other in U.S. dollars. You lose misconceptions as you gain an education you won't get from a textbook. You'll realize it's not a 40-mile camel trek in the Sahara to the Giza Pyramids, but a one-minute uphill drive from a KFC and only a short distance from the Cairo Hard Rock Cafe. If you are like me, you'll giggle at the sign in Rome that says "McDonald's. Le Pantheon 50m." Most importantly, you'll talk to people. You might find that the local media's portrayal of the struggling American economy has left three young Bulgarian bankers thinking there are tent cities popping up all over New York State. Maybe you'll hear a Grecian man's story of his three summers and two winters in New York spent with his girlfriend he'll claim was Miss America 1969. Wherever you choose to go, there is a valuable educational and life-changing opportunity awaiting you. Numerous financial aid and scholarship opportunities are available through SU and other organizations in order to encourage travel for as many students as possible. Information can be found at 106 Walnut Place at the SU Abroad office and on-line at http://suabroad.syr.edu. Students I met this summer expressed that even grimace-inducing extra loans taken for their adventures abroad did not take away from the incredibly eye-opening experiences they said they wouldn't trade for anything. With enough research and effort, an opportunity to go abroad and become educated travelers rather than merely tourists can be found. Just remember, when traveling abroad protect your health and determine the cleanliness of the region's tap water. No one wants to experience the true meaning of the illness that is "Pharaoh's Revenge."

Janae DeRusso is a junior and a public relations major. Her column appears every Wednesday. She can be reached at jcderuss@syr.edu.