Why Go? The Attraction to and Rewards of Educational Travel

 

The humidity in Mexico's night air wrapped itself around Robin Sutherby as she joined her teacher and classmates to stroll slowly down the road. In town, they headed into a piano club tucked away under the brewing clouds. Having visited the beaches of Acapulco and browsed the silver crafts in the city of Taxco by day, this break in their two week Spanish class tour abroad seemed just right. “There was a musician from Jamaica playing a fast, hot sound,” says Robin, who has cerebral palsy. “It started thundering and lightning outside, and rain poured down as we were sitting listening to this piano music playing.” As they requested songs and the musician told stories about himself, Robin thought about how they had traveled from different places to meet. “Even when the lights went out and we were without electricity, it was really fun just sitting around talking with everyone into the night,” recalls Robin. 

Photo caption: Experiencing something off the beaten path gives you memories for many years to come.

Most young people go overseas because of the excitement of seeing new places, practicing different languages, and meeting people from other cultures. You won’t be disappointed.  “The contact with another culture and getting to see all the things I studied about in high school, like Big Ben and Parliament, right there in front of me – I can’t put to words the value of it,” says Angela Winfield who has a visual impairment. “It just makes it very real; it makes the world small and makes it seem that everything is within reach.”

What you may not realize is how an experience like this can make a difference in your life on a personal level too. Many high school exchange alumni share about how it gave them more confidence, independence and a motivation to travel again later in their lives. “Looking back at it, if I didn’t have that experience then I may not have been able to expand my horizons – to go to a school in the east, to be able to live away from my parents,” says Rachel Berkston, who has a hearing impairment. “Even though I went to overnight camp for eight weeks at a time, I feel the earlier one travels abroad, the better they are prepared for anything in the world.”  

Sarah Gordon, who is Deaf, agrees, “I learned how to adapt to new changes and accept the unusual environments. After Germany, before my senior year, I had to move to a new high school in a small U.S. farming town. It was a different culture than the city that I was used to. I had to learn how to adapt and make the best out of it... Germany showed me how to step out of my comfort zone. Not only me, but my mother also, as a parent; she learned how to let go of me.”

Photo Caption: Many of the staff who organize youth exchanges are alumni of these programs. Like Rachel Berkston, you can consider interning at at one of these organizations on return to see if this career interests you.

 
Finding different access overseas than you have in your hometown may bring new realizations. It may make you see what you’ve taken for granted at home or see that better access is available elsewhere. “Seeing all these people who can drive yet are taking public transit, too helped me,” says Kim Borowicz who has low vision and traveled to Europe. “Public transit [in Europe] is the norm and more accepted than where I grew up. That was really good for me because I had thought, ‘How will I ever be independent and have my own life, and have a family if I can’t get around on my own?’ To see that it is a reality in other places was really good for me. It opened my eyes to ‘Oh, I can be very independent on my own.’” 

When Marcus Oden traveled with his junior wheelchair basketball team to Australia, they rented a fully accessible bus while there to get around the country. “It was a lot easier to find access there; all the streets were made for disabled purposes, and the hotels were arranged for disabled people, and restaurants too,” says Marcus. “Australians are very kind people and it really shows.” By working with the event organizers ahead of time, they were able to plan for accessible transportation for the whole team.

Photo Caption: Many alumni, such as Kim Borowicz, continue on after their high school exchange to study or intern in other countries.

 Many students also get to practice their foreign languages skills abroad. For those going to English-speaking countries, the difference in accents or words can still sometimes be quite enlightening or humorous.

“In London, I was with a friend, and it looked like something was going on because there were a lot of people. We were trying to figure out what it was and asked the man at the door and he said ‘You have to join the queue.’ We said ‘What’s that? How much does ‘the queue’ cost? Is it a club? What’s it for?’ He had to point to the line of people behind us, and we were like ‘Oh, we have to get into the line!’ Queue is the word for 'line' in England,” laughs Angela. If there is one thing you can expect from going overseas, it's that it will give you funny or other memorable stories to tell for years upon return. 

Photo Caption: When overseas you experience the typical ups and downs of transitioning to a new culture. One day the differences can keep you interested and curious, while other days they may make you feel frustrated.

Overall, alumni claim these times balance out to make your experience abroad well worth the effort.

Now that you know enough reasons to go abroad, read other articles in this issue to learn how to get through barriers that might try to keep you from getting there.