A couple of months ago, I sat in the school cafeteria with fifteen other junior-class guys eating a sandwich, and during a lull in conversation, quietly mentioned that I was going to Costa Rica for five months for a semester abroad. A few seconds later laughter broke out and my comment was forgotten. I had expected my friends to be curious, shocked, maybe even sad, but I never thought they wouldn’t believe me. It took about a week of my insisting I was leaving for this rumor to turn into the truth: I was going to a Costa Rican high school to take my classes in Spanish, and live with a local family. Once people stopped asking me why I kept endorsing a ridiculous rumor about myself, their question changed to a new one, “Why are you leaving?” I didn’t have many answers for why I was leaving, but I had a lot for why I was going. I listed the obvious – become fluent in Spanish, a semester abroad looks great on college apps, and I wanted to see what it felt like to live in a different culture. Only a few people heard my real reason, though, hidden under the clutter of “Who will take your spot as junior class Vice President?” and “Can I borrow your car while you’re gone?” For me, this reason juts out high above the rest. Nothing scares me more than seeing my future lined up for me, secure and unalterable. For the past year I could feel myself getting slowly sucked onto the conveyer-belt of life, preparing for college, preparing for a job, preparing for a career, which in the end would bring me what, exactly? I didn’t know. So when the opportunity arose for a semester abroad, to do something so different from my life here, I jumped at the chance.
People ask me if I’m nervous; I’m an English-speaking Jewish guy going to an all Spanish-speaking Catholic school, switching my usual jeans and T-shirt for a white uniform and dress shoes. The truth is I haven’t had a chance to get nervous yet; I’ve been so busy. All college preparation that is normally done at the end of junior year I had to do now – including taking SATs, ACTs, and college searching. My grades for first semester here in Hopkinton will count double, so keeping them up has been vital. I’ll be getting grades in Costa Rica, but they won’t count towards my GPA, which is fortunate considering that I’ll most likely fail most of them in the first couple months before I become fluent in Spanish.
It’s tough to know what to expect – to my knowledge no one at Hopkinton High has ever done a semester abroad before. Everyone seems to have a completely different picture of what my experience will be like, and for the most part people emphasize one aspect of my trip. Teachers seem solely interested in the fact that I’ll be taking all my classes in Spanish, and whether or not I’ll be able to keep up. Girls are most curious about my family, and what my home will be like. All the guys can talk about are pretty Costa Rican girls. Even a few of the hard-partying types jokingly suggest that I bring them back some potent herbs. All these conflicting viewpoints have made me realize that I have no idea what to expect. I don’t have much to go on - just an address, names of family members, and a dimly lit photo of a shy but friendly-looking family. And a dog, of course. No matter who my family is, though, or what happens in the next five months, I’ll come back a changed person. An adult, perhaps. Everyone goes through an experience that bridges the gap between youth and maturity – and this is mine.
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