Not Goodbye....See You Later

How it Came About

When I first started at Purdue University back in the fall of 2013, the idea of studying abroad was a thought, but only that. As I worked through the first semesters, I developed a strong connection to West Lafayette and my friendships here, and the thought of leaving all that behind for a semester caused me to write off studying abroad. In one of my classes in the Spring 2015 semester, the director of the course kept talking about a study abroad program set up through the college of Mechanical Engineering. This particular program went half-way around the world to Shanghai, China.

After hearing her talk about it a few times, I actually started to consider the possibility of going along, and thus began to weigh the pros and cons of my enrollment in this study abroad program. I came up with the following list.

The reasons for going:

• This may be the only opportunity I have to spend an extended amount of time in another country
• Thanks to Purdue University's $3,000 study abroad scholarship, the cost of studying in Shanghai for a semester is roughly the same as the cost of studying here at Purdue
• The Jiao Tong University where I will be studying is a partner university to Purdue, so I will be taking the same courses that I would be taking were I to stay here, keeping me from falling a semester behind in my studies
• When I come back to Purdue, only the completion credits get transferred, not the grade itself, meaning I only have to pass the courses, giving more time to explore the culture
• The program director works along side all of the students going on a weekly basis to make sure we all have everything set up correctly, making planning stress free
• The program usually has over 20 Mechanical Engineers, so it's a good-sized group that will all be experiencing everything new for the first time

The reasons for not going:

• I'll have to leave behind my friends and family
• I'll miss out on social events back home

Clearly, there are many more reasons to go than to stay, but for me, the extreme outgoing extrovert that I am, those reasons to stay weigh a lot more than any of the reasons to go. As I was wrestling with going or not and praying about it, two things surfaced that finally pushed me to my decision. First off, I realized that eventually, I will graduate from Purdue. My life will go on, and I will have to miss out on some social activities. Life moves on and we can't get too attached to any one time and place, or we won't be able to function when things change. Secondly, and this is definitely the most important single factor in my decision to go, I found out that one of my good friends and solid Christian is going on the trip. With these two additional pros, it wasn't a hard decision anymore. So now I find myself just two days away from departing on the biggest adventure of my life thus far.

What it Looks Like

There are twenty-five other Mechanical Engineering students from Purdue going on the trip with me, as well as two Industrial Engineering students. We are all arriving in Shanghai this Friday, January the 8th. I am flying with a few people from Indianapolis to Chicago to meet up with others in the group. Most of us are flying together on a non-stop 14.5 hour flight from Chicago to Shanghai. I will be returning on Sunday, the 15th of May.

I've been told that the weather there from January to May is comparable to the weather back home from March to May, so I will be grateful to miss the freezing weather of January and February back home.

Many people said something along the lines of, "I hope you like Chinese food." Fortunately, I do, and I've even had opportunity to try more authentic food than Panda Express. I mean, come on, do you really think that's Chinese? But seriously, I am looking forward to trying all sorts of new and exciting foods.

I see this trip as one giant adventure made up of many smaller adventures and excitements, opportunities to explore new places, meet new people, discover things I didn't know about. 

Like I said before, due to my love for people and social events, it will be hard to leave all that behind. It's been tough over the past few weeks, saying goodbye to many friends and family. Each time I say goodbye, the reality of what I am about to do sets in just a bit more. With that settling reality comes a sadness, but that sadness is alleviated by my roommate's comment to me. "It's not goodbye, it's see you later." Yes, five months seems like a long time to be away from home, but I'll be back before I know it.

While I will indeed miss all my friends and family back home, there is no doubt that I am totally ecstatic about this trip to China. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I travel and spend the next five months there. See you all when I get back!

Have a Splendiferous Day!