While last week was full of excitement and great anticipation, this past week has been filled more with angst and some sadness.  First off, the reality of my being away from home finally registered with me as I was picking out DVD’s from my DVD collection that would best help me during the patches of homesickness that any study abroad participant will most likely find at some point.  With each DVD I picked, I realized that I would be missing the specific aspects of home that each movie characterizes.  For instance, as I took out my Jaws DVD, I thought of the character and scenery of New England that I will not be able to see over either my Fall or Thanksgiving Breaks.  As I took out my Rocky DVD, I thought of the unpretentious macho-man character of both Americans and our movie heroes that I will obviously not have much of a chance to interact with over the next four months.  Finally, on this same strain again, as I took out my Forest Gump DVD, I thought of how I will be away from the country whose modern history is so cleverly and entertainingly told by the movie; however, these little recognitions were only the first of many other events that forced me to realize that I would be away from family, friends, and familiar surroundings for quite a while.

Having come with my family to help move my younger sister into her dorm for her freshman year at my own school, The University of Richmond, I have come even more face to face with the fact that I will be away for a whole semester from an environment that I truly love.  During the official welcoming ceremony at the schools gymnasium, the Robins Center, each student testimonial reminded me how much the school and its environment has done for me.  Hanging out and partying with friends of mine who have moved in early, I am reminded about both how much they mean to me and how much I will miss them.  Overall, almost every encounter I have had this week – whether it is with a person, place, or a movie – has reminded me about how much I will miss being away from home; however, after dealing with all these realities, I am ironically ready now more than ever to go abroad.

The reason for this unexpected state of acceptance and excitement is quite simple: to get over all I will be missing from being away from college and home, I have been forced to remember how much even more I will be gaining from studying abroad in Jordan.  For example, every time that I have had a doubt about whether I should still go abroad to Jordan, I think back to a speech delivered by Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), the Ranking Democrat of the Senate Finance Committee, at a scholarship dinner I attended this past summer in D.C.  During his speech, Senator Baucus commented on a year long backpacking trip he took through Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia immediately following his college graduation.  Describing the trip as being more rewarding than any other experience in his life, including his experiences in the U.S. Senate, the Big Sky State’s junior senator charged me and the other students to travel to continents other than Europe and to immerse ourselves in cultures completely alien to our own.  Whenever I think of Senator Baucus’ encouraging words, I then consider all the advantages that I will gain from spending an entire semester in the Middle East. 

For example, I will begin to be able to speak the language of a region that our country needs to create much more understanding and dialogue with;  and I will be able to experience the way the other half (if not more) of the world lives daily.  I will also have the opportunity to see the real Arab perspective on many important issues.  There for the taking, the opportunities listed above are only the tip of the iceberg of experiences offered by my trip to Jordan.

I’m not going to deny that saying goodbye to the people and places I love has been a tough ordeal; however, thinking of the opportunities offered by the rest of the world has made these last few days in the Good Old U.S. of A a lot easier!  

-Joe