Alumni Column - Studying Abroad: Beyond Colgate Education - Commentary

Alumni Column - Studying Abroad: Beyond Colgate Education - Commentary

The alum did NOT go abroad.  But then again, this is a cityslicker who found himself in the middle of an American desert that actually existed.  I hope some readers picked up the underlying reasons why going to New Mexico might be considered "going abroad."  To me, this trip fits in the broader category of "off-campus" study.

Popularity of Travel Blogs

I'm seriously amused by how many of people I know who are blogging from abroad. These are the people who are not usually into this kind of thing- sharing their lives publicly. Currently, I have my friend Ceci's blog (she's been in Morocco since August), a girl from Smith who's in Krygzstan for Peace Corps, and a Colgate friend who's down in Australia for the fall semester. I kept up with others like Lauren's brother Davin who was in China for 9 months. I still follow Dane's although it's turned more domestic. But still, her entries keep me very interested because A) I had never been to the cities that she traveled to and B) she publishes poetry and often she posts her inspirations there.

I'm not saying that I'm a trendsetter (ha!) but it's really a practical thing as people are realizing that. You can post pictures along with your story. You can send a link to anyone who asks for it (or you want to). Also, I think, the big thing for me, it's the feeling of being much more open. I mean, when you write an email, the box where you type in e-mail address is glaring at you, reminding you of who your audience is. When I'm writing my blog, I don't have to think about anything and just spill out more things than I would normally in an e-mail.

Anyway, just an amusing observation that I made while looking at my Feeds. This blog made go under some radical changes as I go through with graduate school because let's face it, my research is going to take me to places other than Israel.