Study Abroad wants you (continued)The college’s trips are by no means inexpensive, Konell said one quarter of college in Florence costs less than a term’s worth of studies at Oregon State University. Still, for students who can’t afford to pay, there are options. Financial aid grants, scholarships and loans can be applied to any of the quarter-long trips, and a limited number of scholarships are available for certain destinations from the college foundation office, which, Hannon said, are often under-utilized. Montgomery took out a Stafford Loan, plus she received a grant – free money with few strings attached – from the financial aid office, and waited tables until the day before she left for London last spring. “If a student really wants to study abroad, they’ll find a way,” she said, and recommends students stay on the lookout for a tip-based job since hers helped tremendously. One obstacle for some students hesitating to study abroad is the perceived tension resonating throughout the world. Hannon, Konell and Montgomery say there is nothing to worry about, at airports or wherever a student’s final destination lies. MHCC’s program utilizes worldwide updates on travel risks from the state department. To date, even post-9/11, there has been nothing so severe that students couldn’t take off, but just in case there is an emergency, each trip has an escape plan if, for instance, a war breaks out or Americans become highly distasteful to locals. Current international-ease aside, Hannon had a few problems with foreign airports more than 20 years ago that make travelers’ worries today seem fairly G-rated. In 1979, Hannon and his group were stuck for a one-week layover in Calcutta on their way to Nepal – until an American showed Hannon how to bribe airport officials. During those seven days, money was running out, but five dollars and one hour later, the travelers were on a plane. “People were dying in the streets…[and there were] huge rats. Calcutta is a serious place to spend time,” said Hannon. 1980 wasn’t any better. “We were all set to come home and the airlines went on strike.” Penniless, the group had to pitch tent on a roof in Calcutta for a week. Today, however, Hannon asserts students are less safe in the states than abroad. “Where are you safer, Los Angeles or Mexico? No contest,” he said. Hannon put an end to Nepal trips in 1981. A U.S. official recently stated that it is important now, more than ever, for students to study abroad, but one part of traveling can still dissuade even non-students from hitting the road or taking to the skies. “I think airport security is very tight, and sometimes an inconvenience,” said Konell. “But if having our stuff searched and our bodies scanned means [we] get on a plane with no crazy people or bombs, then I’m perfectly fine with it.” Montgomery shared similar views. She said, other than her group being frisked in London, the entire trip was laid back. “By the time you get to where you’re going, you’re so delirious with lack of sleep it’s hard to take in where you are at the moment,” Montgomery confessed. “It’s like, oh my God, I’m in Italy, or, I’m in London, but it doesn’t matter because all you want to do is sleep or go to the bathroom.” Then, usually two to three weeks away from the familiarity of home, a strange feeling of comfort begins to set in, the trials of traveling begin to slip away and most students really begin to open up and explore the dimensions of life and culture that surround them. In Florence, a city rich in history and art, with people as endowed in character as their food is potent, diversions abound. Students have a four-day school week, with the three days left over usually spent traveling, either to neighboring countries or deep into Florentine’s heart. Same in London. “There are street performers everywhere,” says Hannon. “There are pubs everywhere that are wonderful, and all those famous landmarks.” And the British Museum, home to treasures like the Rosetta Stone and countless artifacts, has free admission. Scotland, Ireland and other major European countries are within a stone’s throw, and Konell said getting to those borderlands is cheap and easy, whether by plane, train or bus. Feasibly, traveling can occupy nearly half-a-week of a student’s schedule, and Hannon said those temptations are the largest test of a student’s will. “There are so many places to go, it’s tempting to just blow off your classes and travel.” San Miguel de Allende, for instance, is not far from some big-name places, such as Mexico City, and there is the temptation to go salsa dancing every night. Montgomery could be Hannon’s best sort of student-traveler, who says students shouldn’t leave the country they are studying in. “It kind of ruins the experience,” she said, recommending students wait until their next trip to branch beyond their newest borders. In San Miguel de Allende, absorbing the local vibe could lead to an unofficial adoption by a host-family, and possibly – as it has for some – marriage. One woman who studied in Mexico came back to the states, finished college, then went south of the border once again and married one of the sons of her former host-parents. Montgomery wants to go back to Italy one day, and was even torn about making the journey home. “They’ll let you stay if you want to,” she said, quickly adding that she never wants to go back to England. Konell admitted he was both happy and sad when he left Florence, but he plans on visiting again. Back in the states, they both alluded to the belief that for most people there is a comfort only home lends, regardless of how wonderful the Florentine pizza is, for Konell, or how warm the Mediterranean Sea is on your skin when you skinnydip off the Sicidlian coast.
|
