What's It Gonna Be

My study abroad is easy. I have very little to worry about in the sense that at any moment a million horrible things could go wrong.

Example A

A guy in my program broke both of his arms this week. He was walking when the little walk sign was on and a car ran a red light (keep in mind it's around 6 pm and he's sober), he jumped back and fell onto a guard rail, threw his elbows back to brace his fall and snap. Double casted for a month.

Example B

My friend Eric (along with a former housemate Eva and friend from AU Hannah) were all in Cairo this semester. All three have been safely evacuated into Turkey, the US, or, in Eric's case, to Rome. He's just bumming around Europe until his home university decides what to do with him. He got outta Turkey, went to Greece and is now in lovely Rome trying to figure out his life (He's thinking Morocco).

I joke about Italy being the only place I was allowed to study abroad half because it's the truth and half because I don't know if I have it in me to not be someplace not western. The midwest isn't exactly the most worldly place. We like life in our little bubble of Lutafisk and lefsa. I love it there only because it was the place I was raised in; it's hard not to have happy childhood memories of running around in six feet of snow and sledding during recess at school. So Rome, for whatever culture shock I have experienced, has been pretty tame.

Which is making my whole Peace Corps thing loom ahead a little darker than I want to think about it. Not in a bad way, just in a realistic way. I like to put things on pedestals, white and shining marble that never needs to be cleaned (like the Alter of the Nation). It's incredibly naive of me but I can't help it. I think it's the midwest in me.

If you want to read Eric's very interesting take (and his overall moderately pretentious view) on the revolution/life in general you can read his travel blog here. It's pretty good stuff.