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March 22, 2007
I’m Headed Back to Reality (Whoops and There’s Gravity)
Picture this:
I’m talking to a friend and out of nowhere the friend asks, “Do you miss Michigan?” And then I stare blankly. So blankly, I might have even drooled a bit.
That’s it. That’s my story.
But the idea is actually far more complex than that and I’m sure you’re sitting wherever you are, wondering how I answered the question. And it took me a long time to think up my answer…
The fact is, there’s really no way to compare Michigan to an experience abroad. Sure, I miss my friends, great academics, great school spirit, and that little man on the corner of State and S. University that sells “Buck the Fuckeyes”” t-shirts every Saturday morning.
But that’s about it, to be honest. And in the grand scheme of things, I feel like my life at Michigan will only amount to a small part of my life experiences.
And it’s important to remember that going to the University of Michigan is a uniquely American experience—it’s probably a very similar experience to that of millions of college students around the country: classes, partying, co-curricular events, dorm life, etc.
I look at my experience in Mexico, however, as being very different. Sure, maybe I’m saying this just because I’ve been riding on a high the last few days, but in the end, when I’m back in the United States, I really foresee my study abroad experience impacting my life.
I’ve come to appreciate new cultures and appreciate my own. I’ve learned to travel well. I’ve learned a lot in my classes and I’ve learned a lot about learning in of itself. And of course, my Spanish has improved as a result of all of this.
You know, I was talking with Erich when we were at Holbox about the quality of our Spanish. I asked him to what extent he thought his level of Spanish has improved and he told me to a great extent. And I feel the same way; my speech pattern is a lot more fluid and my vocabulary has increased to an enormously. The only thing that scares me now is losing it all when I return back to the United States. And I am guessing my Spanish will rapidly decline.
Like we both agreed, it’s going to be very hard to improve now. We’re at a level in between a native speaker and someone still studying Spanish. We can only stay the same, or spiral downward…
My week here has been going rather well in Mexico until I thought about returning home. I returned from a beautiful island on Monday with some really great people. And on Tuesday, I led an amazing discussion in my anthropology class about differences between indigenous societies in Mexico and the United States in mainstream culture. My teacher was so impressed with me and to be honest, I was really impressed with myself. Ive decided to use my discussion as a focus point for my essay on international relations… something which I need to start working on….
And yesterday, it arrived: My Wolverine Access date. Seeing the date on the internet, I was kicked back into reality. I´m headed back to reality (its like that Eminem song)… I thought about classes, about the turmoils of scheduling, about Mschedule.com, and ratemyprofessors.com, and the like…and I thought about snow….
And I began thinking about Michigan, if I really missed the school or not, and about my experience abroad, and how I plan to make the most of my experience in the remaining two months or so….
And so for the time being, I think I’ll just ´´defy gravity´´ a bit more…although Im well aware what awaits for me when I return….
Posted by jlsumich at March 22, 2007 07:13 PM