Most of all, as a family member and a friend, I can serve as a bridge between the people I interact with in my daily life and the people I met in Mongolia. I have the great privilege and the great responsibility of making the world a little smaller.
Are you guys interested in traveling abroad? If so, it’s now easier than ever before. Many high schools and colleges encourage participating in a program abroad. They can help you fundraise or apply for scholarships to pay for your airfare and travel. When you’re in college, you will learn about study abroad organizations like IES and SIT that send American students to countries all over the world. When you graduate college, you will be eligible for fellowships like Fulbright and Boren that will completely pay for your international experience. You will not only be able to take classes abroad but to also teach English and other subjects, work at an internship or engage in your own research.
As I hope you’ve found from my articles, being physically immersed in another country is very exciting. It changes the way you view yourself and others, and it gives you the opportunity to do things like milk a camel and watch an eagle festival! However, I think it’s important to realize that you don’t need to leave the United States to make an impact and to experience the personal growth that occurs when you challenge yourself. You can practice the same qualities that you cultivate while abroad – like being open-minded, curious, resourceful, flexible, adventurous, accepting and an ambassador between people – in your own communities.
