Exposition.

Photo Credit: Britt Michaelian

"Why did I choose this program?" is a question that I often ask myself, and one that I think deserves discussion here in the run-up to the adventure itself.

Escher's Hand With Reflecting Sphere

I struggle to articulate why it is that I am so passionate about this trip specifically because I am so passionate about it-- when I search myself for communicable reasons, I find that I am filled with unbridled exuberance that cannot support an argument or make sense to anyone other than myself. Nevertheless, in putting forth my best-faith effort to my audience, I will presently try my hand at crafting a sensible argument to answer the original question-- why I chose this program.

First and foremost, I am drawn to this program by its extreme qualities-- the destinations are extremely far away (culturally, historically, ideologically, and of course geographically--14 hrs/ 7k miles!);  the amount of exposure is extreme (hitting the big sites in 3 distinct countries rather than sticking with one); and the cost is pretty extreme too! Of all the programs I looked into, this one offers the most in terms of experiences and most importantly in terms of departures from my comfort zones.  I knew from the beginning that I didn't want to study in another Western country when I could really spread my cliché-ed wings and expand my perspective by immersing myself in a drastically different culture and country. I figured that since I'll only get to study abroad once, I might as well shoot for the stars. In this case, that meant Asia!

I briefly mentioned the extremity of the cost above because it is an integral part of my story for more reasons than the obvious. This trip costs $6700 up-front, which does not include things like tuition or food/expenses... yikes! That's more than my average full-time, in-state semester! Neither I nor my family have any way of paying for this trip (and seriously, who does these days?), but I, being who I am, have not let that deter me for an instant. When I mentioned Sisyphus in my introductory post, this was largely what I was referring to-- the seemingly impossible challenge of funding this trip. I'm in the process of pulling it off surprisingly well, but... I'll save that story for another post!

There are other attractive facets of this trip than just its extremity. I have been interested in Asian culture for most of my youth-- I grew up watching anime; I have had very meaningful experiences with "Eastern Philosophies"/"Eastern thought"; I have studied (a very small amount of) Chinese, have enjoyed the friendship of a number of Asian and Asian-American students, and perhaps most significantly I have had two momentous interactions with Korean politics (which I will discuss in another post). All of these influential experience have laid the groundwork for my interest in Asia and are an integral part of my desire to study there.

These are the most accessible reasons I chose this program. Stay tuned for more riveting (/sarcasm) exposition as I count down the days to my departure!