Going into junior year at Fairfield is a very exciting process. It includes moving into a townhouse, figuring out how to decorate your house, how to create the most memorable beirut table and filling out your application for study abroad in the spring. Up until recently, the latter of this list was the least of my worries.
Early on in sophomore year I picked Belgium as my destination of choice. As a double major, my selections were limited. I needed a country where language wasn’t required and economic, international studies, and core classes were all offered. Brussels in Belgium was a perfect fit for me. I even traveled to Belgium this summer and fell in love. My heart was set on Belgium.
I made an appointment with the Study Abroad office to pick out classes for the spring in Belgium. When I got to the meeting I found out that a language was required and the CIEE program decided it didn’t want to offer various economic classes that I needed.
Belgium was now a shot dream.
The people at the Study Abroad Office were more than helpful. They did everything they could to get me into the program without the requirement. The thing with study abroad is that courses are not guaranteed. That means that things can change abruptly and Fairfield University does not have the power to control them. At first I was mad. How could they just change the program on me and why do these kinds of things only happen to me?
As apprehensive as I was, I started a new search for a good study abroad country for me. Every program that I looked failed to fit my needs. I narrowed down to Ireland as the only fit. At first I wasn’t excited. There was no choice, it was the only option.
Then I started my search for housing. Suddenly there was some excitement. I looked at pictures of Ireland and received a lot of feedback from various people. The excitement kept growing. Now I’m at the point where I’m just as excited about Ireland as I was about Belgium.
My message is, keep your options open. Don’t set your heart on one country. The choice is not completely in your hands. If your destination gets switched, work with it. In the end it may be the better pick. After all everything happens for a reason, doesn’t it?
As for me, I’m pleased and excited about Ireland- who can pass up Saint Patrick’s Day in Ireland, watching an Irish jig, a good Irish beer and pub or that Irish accent?
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