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Andrew Jones is a junior political science and legal studies double major and the treasurer of NSU’s International Relations Association. With his story, Andrew hopes that people realize that there is a wildly beautiful world around us that deserves to be explored, understood and respected.
This summer, three friends and I participated in a program that took us around the world. Our time abroad was part of the 12-credit “Around the World in 80 Days,” program hosted by Eastern Michigan University as part of the 40th anniversary of its abroad program.
To travel with EMU, I had to enroll as a guest student, receive acceptance and formally submit an application to be considered for their program. Fortunately, I was accepted and the last step in the process was having the program’s syllabi approved by NSU to ensure that the credits would transfer smoothly.
My journey started in Salisbury, England on May 16 and ended in Beijing, China on Aug. 5. We traversed across much of Eastern Europe, Asia, India, and a majority of Southeast Asia. In total, we visit 10 countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, India, Vietnam, Cambodia and more than 25 different cities.
We saw incredible sites and visited some of the most gorgeous places on Earth, like Stonehenge, the Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum, Pompeii, the Blue Mosque, Qutub Minar, the Red Fort of Agra, the Taj Mahal, the Peak of Hong Kong, the Angkor Wat, the Kings Palace of Thailand, the Terra Cotta Warriors, Xian China and the Badaling portion of the Great Wall of China.
Traveling is an experience that not only expands your mind but also your heart. Being able to see so much gives you a personal and insightful look at culture, customs and practices different from your own. It gives you the chance to explore the world around you and see all the beautiful things it has to offer. Traveling is an educational opportunity everyone should have the chance to participate in. For me, it was an avenue of adventure that cannot be topped; it was a strong sense of excitement mixed with a pinch of interest in the unknown that creates an overwhelming feeling of happiness. It also gave me confidence to work toward my professional and personal goals.
The knowledge I gained helped me, not only academically studying political science and international law but, also, personally because it gave me an opportunity to relate and engage with a multitude of cultures while sharing intimate experiences and memories. It is these experiences of sharing and growth that I know will translate into my success, not only as a well-rounded individual, but as an informed and competent member of the global community.
One experience in particular that still runs vividly in my memories is of the time I spent on a night train from Xian, China to Beijing. I was in the dining car late at night catching up on some reading and the ticket collectors were off duty taking their break in the dining car. They were all around my age, 18 to 22, and eventually what started as exchanging awkward glances became a full on conversation spoken in broken English and even worse Chinese. We managed to speak about school, sports, jobs, our homes and many other typical topics that any group of friends would talk about, but it dawned on me this was no typical conversation. I was sitting in a train in a foreign country, thousands of miles from my comfort zone and, yet, here I was, feeling as if I were in the Don Taft University Center hanging with my friends at NSU.
What this experience revealed to me is that we are not so different and while cultures, traditions and languages may alienate us at times, there is no barrier that a genuine smile and friendly hello cannot break.
My time abroad has taken my view of the world around me outside of just my home, family and friends and has reminded me to keep myself in touch and involved with the world that is not constantly within my reach. The more I see of the world, the more excited I become to make it a better place.
