Something exciting and unexpected about traveling around Europe is experiencing how a four-hour bus ride can take you somewhere that offers such a different lifestyle. In the States, I’m very accustomed to driving somewhere 4, 8, and even 14 hours away while enjoying much of the same comforting culture that surrounds me at home. From people speaking a common language to grocers offering the same variety of goods, I can go coast to coast without feeling much distance or displacement.
A few weeks ago, I had the chance to visit Oktoberfest in Munich. A whole group of friends from DU got together there to experience the festivities. One moment, I was walking through the gothic-feeling alleyways of Prague and the next, I was wandering around a carnival tent city wearing lederhosen and listening to German big-band music. Everything, from the architecture to the expressions on people’s faces, changed over the same distance from Chicago to St. Louis.
I spent this past weekend in Barcelona, sitting under palm trees on the Mediterranean. I used my Spanish from DU to order at restaurants (though they speak a very different dialect in the Catalonia region), became close with a part-time local who has a passionate love for Layne Staley and Chris Cornell, and pushed myself to try a local seafood dish: paella with prawns, mussels, and cuttlefish.
Although Prague is beautiful and has its particular charm, I’ve found that forcing myself to visit new places on the weekends—despite feeling worn out from activities and exploring my home base—has been enriching in a way I couldn’t have imagined. Traveling in the U.S. is a very different experience that comes with its own perks, but European travel offers much more discomfort and unfamiliarity. Maybe this is only the perspective of an American, but the simple fact that only a morning’s trip away is a world with an entirely different language confirms this. Things like trying to find your train platform, listening to stop names to figure out when to transfer, and using Google Translate with strangers for advice all demand a level of vulnerability, presence, and willingness to take a shot in the dark. Beyond the language differences, customs and manners change drastically, requiring you to adopt a mindset of constantly orienting and reorienting yourself each weekend you visit a new place.
I’ve found myself returning to Prague after each of my trips, going back to the grocery store to stock up for the week, and accidentally saying “thank you” in the wrong language. A few weekends ago, it was “danke”; this week, it has been “gracias,” and next it might be the Danish “tak.” I’ve become accustomed to embarrassing myself in little ways like this and no longer feel they are embarrassing. Instead, I see them as the result of my efforts—something I’ve always valued about skateboarding and can now see materializing in my life off the board.
If you’re going abroad or on an exchange, get out there, try it, and say yes. Keep your eyes, mind, and heart as open as you can.
DU Abroad 