The large majority of people are raised in one place and spend their lives there, comfortable with the routine they begin to grow unconsciously through the years. We become very attached to our home town and our friends. Because of this we become extremely reluctant to experience other places and prefer to live speculating about what lies beyond our home and our the boundaries of our culture which we’ve grown to know so well.
Studying abroad isn’t as hard as it seems. There are many organizations dedicated to helping kids travel like “Youth for Understanding” and “AFS”. Some countries have already started to promote kids going abroad because of the great results it has had. Financial problems can usually be solved with student loans and many countries offer part time jobs which you can do to pay off your debts while you’re there. These organizations are designed to help students from around the world interact and exchange cultures.
Changing the pattern of your life, even if only for a few months, might seem a very difficult obstacle to overcome. We do not want to leave the safety of our typical day for a new world in which we don’t know the easiest route, or don’t have our lifelong friends to fall back upon if we make a mistake. All this makes the first step harder.
Not necessarily everyone may be daunted by leaving their home to study abroad but
many also don’t think it might help very much. A few months in a different country with different rules might make us value what we don’t have and what we do. I’ve always believed that world peace could be attained if we all spent time in each others homes, instead of staying unattached to the consequences of our actions.
Studying abroad is known to give you a different perspective later. It can also influence on your career decisions and give you experiences which you would never think about at home. Another big advantage you acquire is learning or in some cases, perfecting a different language. Not to mention it could change your whole career. The very best part is that you make friends on the other side of the world! One case of this would be my very own dad. Due to the fact that he went as a foreign exchange student for 1 year to the states, he later acquired a job in Nike!
Other people and cultures usually come up in our jokes. The physical or cultural features that seem ridiculous or unnecessary to us because we do not understand their perspective. But what do we really know. Maybe a different outlook wouldn’t do us any harm. It’s a scary thought, going out alone. But if you think about it, your home isn’t really going to change that much in an year. A life changing experience might just be worth the sacrifice of a few months out of the loop.
Sources of reference:
http://www.vistawide.com/studyabroad/year_of_study_abroad2006.htm
http://www.afs.org.ar/arg_sp/home
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