Danish Trip Leads to Turkey for Jordan Bush
That’s me, second from the right in the blue windbreaker, at ANZAC
Cove, where the ANZACs (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) attacked
Turkey in WWI. The people with me are Aussies who were three of the 30,000
that came to Turkey for the annual memorial. I think I was the only American
there. The point is that, despite the fact that I studied abroad in Denmark,
which is culturally and geographically almost as far as you can get from
Turkey in Europe, I ended up in Turkey anyway surrounded by Australians.
Studying abroad is so much more than where you choose to study because
inevitably you end up meeting more people, seeing more places, and learning
more things than you ever expected. It never entered my mind that I might
make it to Turkey during my year in Europe, but sure enough two of the
Aussies I had befriended invited me along on their adventure to the semi-near-east
where we explored Istanbul, spent the night sleeping outside on a grassy
knoll at Gallipoli, and woke up to a trumpet signaling the dawn service.
The lessons I took away with me after my year abroad went way beyond what
I picked up in class. I acquired a better understanding of the layout
of the world, including the politics involved in international interaction
and how the U.S. fits into the grand scheme of things. At the same time,
I picked up some of the nuances of traveling throughout numerous countries
and dealing with less than ideal situations. It was an adventure that
toughened me up and taught me about the world, about other, and about
myself. It redirected and more clearly defined my goals for the future
and most importantly left me with life-long friends scattered throughout
many different countries. It is so far the highlight of my college career,
and is now one of the experiences that most responsible for my development
and definition as a person. I couldn’t recommend studying abroad
more and thoroughly plan to jump on the next opportunity I get to take
such an adventure.
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