The Five Stages of Study Abroad Preparation; or, It's Time to Go

The time is finally here-- today's the day I leave for Argentina.  I have been preparing for this day for months, and it certainly feels like it.  As I pulled out my (meticulously organized)  binder as I checked in this morning, I felt a sense of accomplishment that the preparations were finally done.  I breezed through security and felt good.  I got all the shots, printed multiple copies of all the right paperwork, and paid all my bills.  Everything is finished and the trip is here.  

Since I studied abroad in Israel in high school, the second time around has allowed me more time for reflection.  I think I've gone through the same five stages this time as I prepared to go abroad:

1. Excitement-- I really do love to travel and visit new places.  There's so many new locations to explore and people to meet.  I am optimistic about my trip and all the new experiences I will have.
2. Stress--I end up spending lots of time preparing for the trip, from visiting the doctor, calling the credit card company, shopping, packing, and so many others.  I feel good when these things are complete, but always worry about having enough time to get them done.  
3. Frustration-- When you go abroad, everyone and their brother has some words of advice.  When people who have lived in South America or spent long periods of time there share things with me, I feel better and appreciate hearing their perspective.  When people who spent four days in Buenos Aires in 1993 tell me how bad the subway was, I get very frustrated and try to fake gratitude.  Advice out of context is useless and frankly insulting to a traveler.  Just because you didn't like Mexico City doesn't mean all cities where the majority of people speak Spanish are going to be exactly like that.  
4. Panic, or "What did I get myself into?"-- This stage involves small moments of panic in which I realize I am shockingly unprepared to go.  For Argentina, these moments come when I realize I don't know Spanish words (ie, "I don't know the Spanish word for lawnmower, there's no way I can live in a Spanish-speaking country!").  
5. Acceptance-- I finally understand that there's no turning back and that I have to leave.  I am sad to leave my family, friends, and the comforts of home, but I know in the long run this experience will shape me as a person and help me improve my Spanish.  

With Mom and my bags at the airport

So now I sit at the airport waiting to go.  This airport has my favorite dessert places-- Pink Berry, Jamba Juice, and a cake store-- so I have seriously contemplated just doing my study abroad here in the International Terminal.   But I remind myself that there will be cake and ice cream and fruit smoothies in Argentina.  They will be called different things-- pastel, helado, and batido, respectively (I DO know my dessert vocabulary)-- and they will taste different and maybe even better.  There's no way I'll know unless I go out and find them, talk to people, and learn my way around a new city and a new world.  

A Traveler's Medical Dilemma

I have spent a lot of time in and out of doctors' offices in preparation for my trip to South America.  The process of getting the right vaccines for international travel is really an individual process--no one, medical professional or otherwise, can tell you exactly what to do.  I consulted the Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization's websites for what I thought was a complete listing of shots.  However, some of these were designated as "required" or "recommended," but I wasn't quite sure what that meant.  If a shot is just recommended, how do I know if I should get it or not?  What criteria do I use to make that decision?  

This dilemma presented itself to me with the yellow fever vaccine.  I made a list of everywhere I thought I might go on my trip, and the yellow fever shot was recommended for one spot I was planning on going in Argentina.  In March, I asked my primary care doctor if I needed the shot-- he said no, you don't need it because you won't be in Africa.  I didn't give it a second thought until last week when a student in Buenos Aires  I was corresponding with told me not to forget this shot.  I did some research and again saw that it was recommended.  My departure date was approaching quickly and I didn't know what to do.

After much calling around, I found that the Allen County Health Department would give me the vaccine.  It was strange because no one on the phone was able to give me a definitive answer about if I need to be vaccinated.  All they could say was that the CDC recommended it-- I knew this already.  One location said I needed to schedule another doctor's appointment if I wanted to be "consulted" about the vaccine.  I was also informed that about 25% of people who get the yellow fever vaccine have flu-like symptoms for a few days.   

My breakthrough came when I spoke with a family friend from Uruguay.  She said that I should definitely get the shot because I might need to prove I had it to be allowed in other countries.  She explained that when you get the shot, they give you a small yellow book (yellow for yellow fever?) that contains the shot date so you can show customs officials you're vaccinated.  This tries to prevent people from carrying the disease between countries.  She told me that she keeps this booklet stapled to her passport so she always has it with her.  

If the vaccination process for yellow fever is organized this well, I figured it was serious and that I should be vaccinated.  I got my very own yellow book today, in which the nurse at the Health Department noted the lot or batch of the vaccination, which I think is for tracking purposes should there be a problem.  She reviewed all my other shots and gave me lots of information about yellow fever and malaria prevention.  Even though I'm in minor pain and can't lift my arms above my head, I'm glad I'm prepared and vaccinated.  

"Green" Coke in Argentina

I love Diet Coke.  It's almost a full-blown addiction that I have accepted as part of my life.  Today, I didn't get the chance to have any "golden nectar" or "DC" (street names for Diet Coke) until after 2 p.m., and by noon I was getting cranky and crabby.  Sadly, one of my biggest adjustments in Argentina will be getting used to Coca-Cola Light, their equivalent of Diet Coke.  I am fully prepared to pretend this tastes the same as Diet Coke, even though I know it will be a little off from what I'm used to in the U.S.  

However, I will have even more Coca-Cola options in Argentina.  On my way home from work on Monday, I heard Bob Mondello's story on NPR about Green Coke, a new product Coke is debuting/testing in Argentina.  The country, Mondello says, is a good place to test products because it can be experimented with without upsetting any American consumers; Mondello thinks this is in order to avoid a New Coke-esque catastrophe.  Green Coke, or Coca-Cola Life, is made with sweetener from the stevia plant to be a middle option between Coca-Cola Light (Diet Coke) and full-strength Coke. The new ad campaign compares drinking Coca-Cola Life to a first kiss.  (You can follow what's going on in the commercial below without understanding Spanish.)

The comparison is cute, but I think it might be setting the bar very high for Coke Life.  I liked how the ad showed the father kissing the baby at the end, showing that the implied first kiss doesn't need to be romantic.  As I usually am when I watch ads from other countries, I don't understand why English music is used-- do people in Argentina have a strong enough comprehension of English to know what's going on in the song? They certainly have their own romantic songs.  (I dare anyone reading this post to send me a song in Spanish that doesn't have the word corázon, or heart, in there somewhere).  

I'll be on the lookout for Coke Life on the shelves in Buenos Aires.  Will it be comparable to a first kiss?  I'll have to find out myself.