By Heidi O'Donnell Eastman
As the 2017/18 academic year comes to a close, some of us are getting ready to travel to distant lands either for a brief respite from perhaps a grueling year, enrichment to touch all of your senses, or study abroad to meet new people and learn new things. Many of us will be staying closer to home and enjoying downtime in favorite local spots. While others are looking forward to some serious armchair travel through books, film or travel blogs.
What does this all mean and how will this impact your life? What things or ideas or people will cross your path and leave some kind of imprint? Whether you head out to test your survival skills in the wilderness and learn about new flora and fauna, read that hefty tome about another time and place, or take on study abroad or wanderlust, you will surely be affected. Travel, whether real or virtual, will leave an indelible impression. We learn about our likes and dislikes when we venture out of our comfort zone. We imbibe a sense of self. And this is a good thing. Create your own community of learning that crosses and ultimately effaces cultural boundaries.
I am hoping that my students take advantage of some kind of expedition this summer, whether real or virtual. Sabrina's recent blog about study abroad was timely. I am happy to report that some of my students--one current Port to Port student--will be heading to University College Dublin, Ireland this summer, one of Europe's preeminent universities. I will be headed back to Scotland to the University of Glasgow designing a program integrating science, history, and the arts of the Scottish Enlightenment for international students.
Should your compass be set on local exploration why not expand your horizons? Try a new restaurant in a neighborhood you know little about, experience a local church, synagogue or temple where you have never ventured or spend a quiet day in your local library reading about the history of your town or city. Restaurants, houses of worship, museums and libraries are great pass-throughs or ports.
Grab your walking shoes, fill the tires of your bicycle with air, ready your passport and pack the sketchbook, pencils and watercolors and set forth. If you have the desire, remember, the world is your oyster.
