Sound dumb? Perhaps it was, but I've had a love for castles for as long as I can remember. There is something romantic about their stone structures, their link to the past, their function in the great turning points in history. When I decided to study abroad, I ended up in Scotland at the University of St. Andrews, located an hour and a half north of Edinburgh on the North Sea. St. Andrews also just so happened to have the ruins of a castle in the center of town. The place is a beautiful medieval town with an incredible history. In fact, the university itself is twice as old as the United States. Like every town in Scotland, it is teeming with tradition and character, not to mention 27 pubs within a half a square mile-the highest density of bars anywhere in the U.K. Needless to say, the Scots like to drink.
Unlike some other people I know who went abroad, I didn't entertain any ideas of immersing myself in another culture-I didn't try to become one of the "locals." To me, that always seemed like a fool's errand; honestly, how much like a native of another culture can I become in four months? I didn't go in with a closed mind, however. Basically, I didn't have any plans for how I wanted the semester to go. I never thought that I'd have some revelation; I wasn't trying to "find" myself or trying find out how I wanted to spend the rest of my life. I wasn't trying to gain some new perspective. I was, more than anything else, looking for a good time in a place away from Amherst.
So what did I take away from the experience? When I came back, I felt like the exact same person who had hopped on a plane four months before. But, as I've been at Amherst longer and longer, I've realized that I must have changed. Everyone knows that Amherst is a bubble, and that, if you wanted to, you could close yourself off from the outside world while on campus. Admittedly, St. Andrews is no different; it's just a different bubble in a different place.
Though that makes it sound like there is no benefit to going abroad, there is. Without a doubt, just being in a different bubble is an amazing experience. I made some incredible friends, toured a whisky factory, hiked in the highlands of Scotland, visited the battleground where William Wallace defeated the English and stole golf balls from the famous St. Andrews golf course. I started referring to fries as chips. I said cheers instead of thanks. I wore a kilt (drafty). I drank cider instead of beer.
Would I say that I was living like a Scot? Definitely not. This seems obvious, but I was living like an American in Scotland. So, then, what's the big deal with going abroad, anyway? What's so great about it?
After being back for a few months, I think the best part about going abroad is coming back. Don't get me wrong. I miss Scotland, the Hall in which I lived, and the other Americans with whom I went on pub crawls. But coming back to Amherst, and back to my friends here, was an unforgettable experience. It sounds strange to say, but I would recommend going away just to come back.
So, if you are wishy-washy and don't know if you want to go abroad, I'd say, "go." Take a chance. Coming back will be worth it.
One more thing: go somewhere with castles.