The Adventure Ahead

One February several years ago, a colleague learned that he’d be traveling to Japan in June. He promptly set about to study Japanese culture, history, phrases, etc. in order to learn as much as he could before actually arriving. He told me later that he learned more about Japan on the bus ride from the airport to his hotel than he had in all of his studies over the previous five months.

His remark has had a lasting influence on me, and it has been borne out in virtually all of my international travel. There’s something about being there – seeing it firsthand, smelling it, hearing it, and being disconnected from one’s familiar home environment – that accelerates and intensifies the learning process.

One thing I’ve asked our nine Macau-bound Susquehanna students to do is write their impressions of Southeast Asia before getting on the plane this Thursday. It will be interesting to compare these thoughts with what they come to learn over the course of the coming semester.

Everyone’s very excited about the adventure ahead, I no less than the other students. There’s also a bit of nervousness and apprehension, which is probably a good thing given distances, language barriers, cultural differences, and all of the uncertainties that need to be managed in the moment. All of are also extremely grateful for this opportunity!

My next post will be from “on the ground” in Macau!