As the semester -- and this column -- gets started up, I hope you'll enjoy reading. This column will focus on the Tufts community and things that students really enjoy.
To get started, I think everybody here knows how much Tufts people love service-learning and active citizenship. But there's something that I have found that rivals the enthusiasm people have about their volunteerism: spreading the word about their adventures abroad, especially those related to saving the world. I'm sure you have overheard people talking -- before class, in the dining hall and when they obnoxiously ask ten-minute questions during your political science lecture -- about meeting the First Minister of Northern Ireland, working with the Red Cross in Sudan or that time they built an outhouse in El Salvador.
The important part isn't the actual trip to El Salvador at all, or even anything unique to El Salvador -- they definitely didn't go for the pupusas, anyway. (Pupusas are thick, handmade tortillas popular in El Salvador; they're delicious, and you can actually get them in Somerville.)
Obviously, you traveled to El Salvador so you could impress people at Tufts with your stories about using an outhouse and talking to "real" Salvadorans. You went so you could tell your friends about the life-changing experience you had talking to guerillas in the jungle, convincing them in your broken Spanish to lay down their weapons and pursue their goals through peaceful means. It makes you different, perhaps better even, and Tufts people love making themselves look different and better than their peers.
In addition, Tufts people work hard to accumulate articles of clothing from unique locales all around the world. Forget that really cool hat you bought at the Guinness factory in Dublin -- the new fashion is the one with sequins spelling out "Guinea-Bissau" on the front. Really, the less well-known a location is, the better -- and, consequently, the more Tufts people like it.
Traveling to Ireland is a lot of fun, but it's almost routine at a school like Tufts. If you want to impress your friends, tell them about your trip to Suriname. (It's in South America.) On several occasions, I have been tempted to follow up a story about their time in Togo or Laos with my own story about a totally made-up place. I'm convinced I could get away with it (though now I suppose the word is out).
Location isn't the only important part of Tufts peoples' stories about their adventures. Ask someone about their semester abroad and you're sure to be regaled with stories about the "amazing people" and how things are so different -- and invariably better -- than in the United States. Even people who traveled to a place as ordinary and uninteresting as Ireland can't stop talking about how the people are so nice and it's just nothing like where they're from.
After spending Fall 2008 in Ireland, I can confidently tell you that Irish people are a lot like Americans and most actually think they are American. Dublin is extremely similar to Boston, which I was reminded of by plenty of locals.
And here I go, talking about my adventures and trying to impress you with my awesome experiences. I acquired a taste for a local type of alcohol (the stout in America is not the same) and really did meet a lot of nice people, just like everyone else. I even brought home a cool T-shirt.
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Will Ehrenfeld is a junior majoring in peace and justice studies. He can be reached at Will.Ehrenfeld@tufts.edu.
