Bridget Veltri
arts@mustangdaily.net
It was my first quarter at Cal Poly; and I was sitting in my Geography 308 class listening to a lecture about Latin America. When the instructor started to show his slides from the summer study abroad program in Peru, I suddenly went from tousling my hair to pining to be one of those lucky beanie-clad students posing for photos in front of Lake Titicaca.
Without hesitation, I quickly applied and was accepted. Many of my friends had studied abroad in countries varying from New Zealand and Spain to China and India. In a way, I was conditioned to view studying abroad as collegiate rite of passage for those who can afford it. All my seasoned study abroad buddies raved about what an amazing experience it was, but yet, none of them could really explain why it was so incredible.
In the spring, as my June departure date neared, I began to sort of dread it. The thought of traveling in Peru for five weeks sounded fabulous, but the thought of 12 units in five weeks and studying with strangers sounded significantly less appealing. So I decided to take the road less traveled and withdrew from the program opting to stay in San Luis Obispo and do summer school.
If I am coming across as the antithesis of studying abroad allow me to clarify; I think that the chance to travel and learn in a foreign land is a great opportunity. It just isn’t one that is right or even available to everyone. And believe me, I received my fair share of confusion and flack from my peers regarding my choice to stay and study locally. But I haven’t regretted my decision.
Truthfully, my choice not to go showed me how comfortable I’d become with myself. In the past I would have sucked it up and made myself go and probably had a great time, but instead I chose to listen to what I really wanted to do, and honored myself. And I don’t think I would have learned I was capable of this if I was sitting in a classroom in Cusco.
It is often said that studying abroad is the “experience of a lifetime,” one that will alter and change you. I have been fortunate enough to have had traveled fairly extensively for my 23 years and don’t feel that any of it has made me a better person. And out of the many moments I have spent abroad, I can’t pinpoint one that changed my life.
I agree that travel can be enlightening and provide perspective. But I am also sure that there are globetrotters and jet set students that haven’t learned at thing. And what about the starving students who don’t have the option of studying abroad? Are they less cultured? Are they lacking perspective? Are they less enlightened? No. You don’t have to actually see the world to have a desire to know about it, explore its cultures or understand its people. Studying abroad may be an outlet to these things, but it is by no means a necessity.
The truth is, being magnanimous and aware of the world comes from within, not from a plane ticket or some exotic classroom.
Bridget Veltri is a journalism senior and a Mustang Daily reporter.