“Study Abroad”: An Extremely Condensed Lesson in Being Life-Savvy

So, it’s the day of my rescheduled departure to the oft-raved about Buenos Aires, the purported “Paris of South America.” Here’s where I was a little over 24 hours ago.

Spanish: not where it needed to be

Bags: dotingly packed. I marveled that they were under 50 lbs. When having to decide on which pair of patterned jeans to bring, I lamented that it “was the hardest decision I’ll ever make.” I think this dramatic proclamation was a diversion from facing the immediacy of what was likely to prove one of the most defining experiences of my life.

Emotional status of program participant: I’m hazarding a guess that the nausea I felt was due to both uncontainable excitement and utter apprehension. For months, I had envisioned the lurid scenes of a South American hotspot with a more blasé version of myself shuffling through its bustle. As ready as I was to embrace this potential reality, I still hadn’t gotten over the sentimentality of leaving home-base.

Emotional status of program participant’s parents: you would have thought I was an Amish teen headed out for her Rumspringa. You could tell they were beside themselves when they were divulging to everyone, from colleagues to grocery store cashiers, that their only child was off to Argentina for five months. I by no means wanted to trivialize how difficult it was for them to let me venture into what they saw as a foreign abyss, but I was fighting to prove my rise to independence.

Well, where did that fiery independence get me? Stuck in the Buffalo, New York airport after having missed my flight to Newark, New Jersey, where I was to then catch an 11-hour flight to Buenos Aires. The details of my “paradise lost” are as follows (disclaimer: it was one part “my bad” and all other parts uncooperative weather):

12:15 pm: arrived at the Buffalo airport
12:30 pm: realized at the United counter that I had brought my expired Indian passport in lieu of my valid U.S. one
1:07 pm: Mama Mareena returned to the airport after her mad dash to the house to retrieve the proper travel document
1:35-6:00 pm: told that my bags will not make my 1:55 pm flight; rebooked on a flight that was estimated to incur a severe delay; made a half-hearted attempt to move through security after being advised that my original flight may return due to hopeless weather conditions; shortly abandoned that course of action and had my tickets rescheduled for the next day; awaited pick-up by a latently thrilled mother.

Today, as I sit settled aggressively early at my gate in Newark, I can’t help but think of how appropriate this all was for the girl whose yearbook quote read, “The most important thing, of course, is… to make a magnificent entrance- Bridget Jones.” I have also been musing over what the past day, the incipient phase of my study abroad journey, has taught me. Every truism pertaining to study abroad experiences is likely true (i.e. you will have the best time of your life), and I’m sure to find that out, but here’s what I know for certain now: studying abroad teaches you to expect the unexpected. Life loves to hurdle complications our way. Our most acutely planned endeavors may encounter their fair share of foils. Roll with it. Not only is our character most tested during trying times, but we also gain serious perspective.

Moreover, flexibility and adaptation, the two requisite characteristics entailed in studying abroad, are invaluable qualities. Though the transition to a different way of life will be chaotic, it does not have to be unnerving. The best way to handle the daunting task of maneuvering around a new environment is to take your mistakes and stress in stride. The hustle of a city will continue, regardless of whether you’re a little flustered; you need to learn how to embrace it and become a part of its pulsation. The acculturation process will be grandly facilitated if you can acknowledge the value in misadventures: they are a part of discovering more about yourself and how you relate to what’s around you. Adventure begins where your comfort zone ends, so let yourself get taken for a ride.