222 Days Later

Two-thousand eight will go down in the history books as one of those turning point years. It includes a monumental U.S. election and 222 days spent abroad by yours truly, events that will certainly change the course of history.

Television and the Internet can bring us insanely close to foreign lands, but they can’t physically put you there. This lesson even corresponds to journalism. If you can physically be somewhere to experience something, you have to go. That experience will most certainly be invaluable.

Invaluable. I think that is a good word for my time abroad this year. Whether it is Arhus, Denmark or Beijing, China (and these two places are just slightly different) or anywhere in between, the experiences are invaluable.

I grew so fond of Denmark that it truly felt like a home to me there. I can really only say that about three places in my life so that’s pretty significant. Invaluable were the people I met, the cultures I encountered, the life lessons I learned and the things I learned about myself. It’s very easy to be yourself in front of your life long friends, but the challenge to be yourself in front of dozens of people you’ve never met and who’ll your spend six months with is difficult. I’m proud of the short time it took for me be comfortable with those people and be myself. This is something that extends to hostel living as well. I made cool friends in several locations just by striking up conversations. In a couple instances I spent significant time with those new random people, something I never would have seen myself doing last year. 222 days can sure change a few things.

I’m thankful for getting to explore copious amounts of Europe in my adventures abroad. And yes, I did just use ‘copious’ because I haven’t used that word in forever, even if it may not fit in this context. Whether it was currywurst in Berlin, gelato in Rome, baguettes in Paris, crockets in the Netherlands, frites in Belgium or horse in Iceland, each destination presented new opportunities and learning points.

China, on the other hand, is a whole different beast to tackle. Although it seems almost impossible to sum up Beijing in one word, I’ll give it a try: invaluable. Not a day went by in Beijing where I did not experience something indescribable. As I’ve said in previous posts, China can be a frustrating place. But that should be no reason not to go to a particular place. If I just looked at it for face value, then I would have missed all the amazing things in between: the beauty and magnificence of the Great Wall, the Communist nationalism of Tiananmen Square, the compassion of the Chinese people and the Olympic spirit.

On a side note, it’s interesting that I would visit Communist China in the same year as such an important Democratic election in the U.S. I heard from many Chinese about how great Communism is and how they couldn’t imagine another government running their country. From my nationalistic U.S. standpoint, I could not disagree more. Communism sucks, that’s all there is too it. I take that statement down to a more personal level and that would be journalism. My job as a journalist working for the Chinese media would be so vastly different. Particularly in U.S. sports journalism, columnists will often write about how bad Joe Blow is doing or what a terrible move Joe Blow made. In our Beijing media tour, we were told straight from the horses’ mouth that they were funded largely by the Chinese government. You don’t have to be smart to figure out that you don’t piss off your boss. We all know the problems currently facing the U.S., but I can’t imagine the problems that would arise if the population were stripped of all their First Amendment rights. It’s so cliché, but we all take that for granted. To walk around all day in fear that someone may overhear my grumblings about the government is no way to live.

I think the most important thing for me to take out of the last 222 days is that I can’t let the lessons fade away. Who I became in that time is the person I want to take into the future, and I can’t forget that. I have to develop the close relationships I made abroad because I owe that to myself and to those I met. The world is so small, so it never hurts to have a friend around ever corner. It’s invaluable.