The Brown & White

Today marks the deadline for students hoping to study abroad this winter break or spring semester. For those of you who decided not to go abroad, honestly, you're making a big mistake.

Studying abroad has been the best thing I've done as a Lehigh student, and I know that I am not alone. As a peer adviser for the Study Abroad Office, I can vouch for how inspiring your time abroad can be. If you decided not to apply this year, remember you can always apply next year for a summer program. Seniors, don't sweat it - you can volunteer abroad post-graduation, a path I hope to take this summer.

Studying abroad is not just about the legal drinking age in a foreign country; although, if you are of age, there's plenty of that to be found. It is about a learning experience that does not involve a daily cramming of tests and quizzes down one's throat, as can often be the case here. I only had one test, a few minor papers and a lengthy research assignment my entire semester abroad. I was encouraged to think creatively instead of just memorizing facts.

There are dozens of programs available around the globe in cities that you only dream of visiting. You could spend time in Paris or Sydney - beautiful and intriguing cities - or you could branch out beyond your comfort zone and immerse yourself in a culture vastly different from your own, whether in Osaka, Japan; Buenos Aires, Argentina; or the Cape Coast in Ghana.

I chose to spend my studies in Durban, South Africa, and the experience was surreal. My group was challenged to learn the African click language of Zulu, an incredibly fun and not-as-difficult prospect as it sounds. You will not believe the things you can learn when your evening meal depends on you saying the right words. And yes, before you ask, I spent a few days in a home without running water. But during that time, I lived with a family I will never forget.

The people you meet abroad can change your perspective on life in many ways, like the families I lived with, whom I will cherish forever. Yet, there are other things that I almost wish I could forget.

Engraved in my memory are the images of a shack settlement in Durban called Kennedy Road. The people of Kennedy Road are part of a larger political movement known as Abahlali baseMjondolo, or "the Shack Dwellers." These shack dwellers live on an incline similar to that of The Hill, between a six-lane highway and the municipal dump. Their homes are made out of whatever materials they can find, such as corrugated scrap metal, cardboard, chain link fences and discarded tires. Children play in the piles of garbage that the city refuses to discard, and parents struggle everyday to find jobs in the city to feed their families. It is one thing to see poverty like this in the movies; it is quite another thing to be in the movie.

I thought I had seen the most abject poverty, the lowest of the low, the worst that people can act towards each other, and then I heard some news. The people of Kennedy Road were attacked earlier this week by a mob wielding guns and bush knives. Homes were destroyed, many people were seriously injured and a few were even killed. According to a statement on their Web site, the Kennedy Road Development Committee believes that they were attacked partially because of their unwillingness to take sides in local ethnic politics.

Ethnicity seems to have become central again to South African politics through the presidential election of prominent leader Jacob Zuma. The people of Abahlali baseMjondolo worry that the increasing ethnic tensions will lead to further attacks on their settlements. While the 2009 election was relatively peaceful, it seems that several criminal and political groups still wish to use violence to push their agendas.

Granted, it is difficult to meet people in dire situations, but don't feel intimidated. Instead, challenge yourself to seek one-of-a-kind learning opportunities like mine. Studying abroad enabled me to learn about myself by being in situations that I had never been in before. It wasn't just about being in a new country.

The people I met while abroad have made the story of my life that much more interesting. The very least I can do is tell theirs.