Values

How might your personal convictions effect what you do when you go to a foreign country? Do you like to stay in your hotel room, adventuring out only for food and a swim? Do you wander the streets looking for new friends or souvenirs? Do you make a strict schedule for sight seeing and entertainment opportunities? Everyone treats an experience abroad differently, and the way we spend our time in another country says a lot about who we are and what we value. Those who spend their times with people and things beyond what they are accustomed to are likely to have a satisfying trip.

Nick asked us to jot down a short list of expectations we have for our trip to Tonga. I wrote that I want to visit botanical gardens, learn how to weave mats, and learn the language. I also want to make friends and go to a lot of social events. In the academic realm I hope to publish a paper, take good field notes, and learn about plants. After we wrote a list, we discussed what these expectations said about our character and what we hold in high esteem. I felt like some of my hopes were oriented towards having fun, but most of them were in the realm of improving myself as a person. I want my relationships with others to flourish and I also hope to try a lot of new things. I want to be a person, who, when traveling abroad, refuses to get anything less than a completely fulfilling experience.

I plan on traveling a lot more in my lifetime. Fortunately, my first opportunity will be to a beautiful country with a program that is built to teach me values for time abroad. If I keep in mind the values I discussed earlier, I know that I'll be happy with the outcome.