Dear Grandma

Well, I’m all packed and ready to go. In a mere two days time, I will be in Berlin. Things sure go fast, don’t they? It seems like just yesterday I was accepting various prestigious awards for high school academics and athletics; and now here I am, living the dream I have cherished since childhood: studying abroad.

Life in Southern California has been growing a little stale, a little too familiar. Going to the beach everyday in December has gotten boring and I’m tired of going to the same old charity events with the same old people — I feel like I needed a change. I needed to “get out.” That’s why I’m leaving for my junior year.

I really think studying abroad will be highly beneficial, both academically and in terms of my personal growth! I can’t wait to immerse myself in a foreign culture and explore all it has to offer! Although I left the nest and went away to college, this will be the first time that I will truly be on my own, away from all familiar sources of comfort. I really can’t wait to apply myself to the challenge of learning a new language! I really can’t wait to stimulate myself intellectually by studying political science in a new language and from a more international perspective! And when I’m not in the classroom, I’ll still be a “full-time learner” because I’ll be so busy absorbing the cuisine, language, and cultural attitudes of the natives.

I’m really looking forward to developing meaningful new friendships with a diverse range of people from all over the world! My program even accepts people from places like Bangkok and Africa! I imagine it’ll be just like when I rushed my fraternity: now, as then, I’m sure I’ll gain eye-opening and worldview-altering insights into a variety of new cultures (there was a kid from Modesto in my pledge class) and economic backgrounds (there was a kid on financial aid).

I really think studying abroad will really broaden my horizons, socially, economically, and politically! I read in my guidebook that Europeans don’t all believe in the Bush doctrine and that they champion the cause of the poor! By experiencing different viewpoints, hopefully I’ll come to understand my own country better. Hopefully, at the end of my year in Germany, I will be better able to answer the big questions: What does it mean to be an American? What should we be learning from the wider world? And in an era of globalization and increasing multi-polarity, what can we, as Americans, do to adjust?

Yes, when I return home to Orange County and am recounting my foreign escapades over one of your delightful meatloaf dinners, I think you will be confronted with a whole new Me.

I think I have everything I need: my tooth brush, my life-size poster of Ronald Reagan, and the North Face rain coat I recently bought from Nordstrom’s because I hear that it has rained before in Berlin. They say Europe is the cradle of high culture and fashion. How could I not bring my vast collection of Lost Generation writers like Hemingway and Fitzgerald? Or that wonderful pastel dark blue, slim fit polo shirt by Burberry you gave me last Christmas? Needless to say, they’re currently resting snugly in my Samsonite luggage.

I’m really excited, Grandma. This must be what our ancestors from England must have felt like when they sailed over on the Mayflower. Traveling is so exhilarating! I should have tried it before.

Well, I need to go — adventures await! Say hi to Uncle Prescott and Aunt Elizabeth for me.

Love,

Your Favorite Grandson

xoxo

PS: Which of the beaches at Normandy did Grandpa storm?