"Study abroad second semester senior year? You've gotta be nuts!"
Those were my words last year as a junior. Flash forward one year, and now I am writing my senior column in a crowded Internet cafZ
The opportunity to go abroad my last semester came up when I discovered I had enough credits to graduate by December. I had three options: Pay Duke tuition to take random electives "just for fun;" stay home in Texas and find a job; or take advantage of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study abroad in Spain for four months. Needless to say, it was a pretty easy decision to make.
Studying abroad your last semester isn't a very common thing to do. Your friends, Duke basketball and all the senior year activities are just a few of the things you'll miss. Chances are, if you're like me, you'll be the only senior in a program full of juniors and a couple of sophomores. It's not the most convenient thing either in terms of timing; in my case, since Duke in Madrid's spring semester starts one month after Duke's, I'm flying back to Durham in three weeks for graduation, and then returning to Madrid to finish the program.
And yet, despite all the things I've missed out on this semester, I wouldn't give up my experience for the world. Every "disadvantage" has more or less turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I have made life-lasting friendships with 17 incredible people I probably would not have met on campus otherwise had I not gone abroad my senior year. Experiencing a culture that never sleeps through a nightlife like no other has been a welcome change from Duke frat parties. And although watching a live Real Madrid soccer game in Santiago Bernabeu Stadium with 90,000 screaming Spanish fans is not quite the same as a Blue Devils game in Cameron--any Cameron Crazie would be impressed.
More importantly, however, my Spanish that was limited to textbooks and classrooms has suddenly come to life here in Madrid. Living with a Spanish family, hanging out with my new friends at the Universidad de San Pablo or just reading the morning paper are ways that I find myself becoming immersed in Spanish daily life. Every day, I discover something new about this beautiful culture.
My classes have allowed me to explore a different culture in a way no classroom back home could ever offer: Why study a picture of Picasso's "Guernica" in an art text when you can take a field trip to the Museo de Reina Sofia and experience the real thing? Or where else can you take a photography class and be able to develop your own prints of the pictures of the bullfight you saw in Barcelona?
You get the idea. I say without reservation that this has been my favorite semester at Duke, and ironically, I'm not even in the country. (My summer at Duke-in-Oxford comes in at a close second. Go figure.) I took a risk studying abroad my last semester, but instead of closing myself off to the idea of doing something different, I ended up having the time of my life.
Trying new things and opening yourself to new experiences comes in all shapes and forms, not just through studying abroad. Looking back on my four years, I've learned to expect the unexpected and to be flexible. Everyone always says college is the fastest four years of your life. Why spend it doing the same things over and over again? One of the reasons why time flies by so fast at Duke, I've always believed, is because we let things become routine. You wake up, go to class, do some work and studying, maybe go out at night or chill with your pals and go to sleep. Weeks and months can go by like this. Is that the way you want to spend your four years?
Take advantage of every opportunity the University offers you. Don't pigeonhole yourself to the same groups. Explore something different tomorrow, and try to do something special every day. Make a checklist of the things you want to do before you graduate. You'll be better off for it, I promise.
I've always felt sorry for people who complain all the time about the problems that Duke has, how boring it is or how they haven't enjoyed their time here. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of things the University can work on, but there are also a lot of things I am proud of over my four years. These are the things I'll fondly remember years from now.
As I finish up my last semester here in Madrid, I often reflect upon my four years and ask myself what if I had decided to stay on campus instead of going abroad this last semester. We all ask ourselves "What if...." at some time or another.
But if Duke has taught me anything, it is that "No risk, no gain" really is true. Four years is too much time to be doing the same thing. Have fun, take a chance and try something new. Do a little bit of everything. You might like it.
Eric Choy is a Trinity senior and tech editor of Recess. He would like to thank his parents, The Chronicle, Round Table and all his professors and friends for giving him the opportunities of a lifetime.
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