Home from Europe, 2004, by Joshua Silberman

From MemoryArchive

Who: Joshua "Silby" Silberman
What: Returning to the USA
When: December 23rd 2004
Where: A Plane from Nice, France to JFK, NYC, USA

Home Again.

By the time you read this, I’ll be back in the United States of America. Right now, I am on my plane back to New York. I have finally completed my European adventure and now, some of the tough questions come. What did I gain, what did I take away from this journey, and most importantly of all, did I enjoy myself?

First of all, I gained experience. I’ve traveled all over Western Europe with my reach extending as Far North as Uppsala, Sweden, as far south as Rome, Italy, and as far West as Madrid, Spain. I’ve gone the distance in no more than six months. Now, here I am at the end. From it I’ve gained the knowledge of every city I’ve been in. In some cases, the knowledge came with a little help (that goes out to you Bjorn), in others, it came from pure luck, but what is important is it came. So I gained experience, which is always good. Hell, it’s great. It’s these experiences that will shape me into who I’m going to be in my adult life. Not to get all sentimental…but I will take away many good memories. Every subway I’ve been through, every art work I’ve stared blankly at trying to figure out just what the hell it means, but most importantly, every person over the past six months who came in and out of my life. Most of these people I’ll probably never see again, but they will always live in my log and my pictures.

Next question, what have I taken away from this experience? Short answer, I’ve taken away the sheer knowledge that, while I might not be able to understand the culture of the people I’m around, I can indeed adapt to new surroundings. Hell, besides the fact that I was not getting along with anyone, American or French, I was failing one of my classes at my abroad University. The French model of teaching was really bad. No innovative thinking or busy work whatsoever. They all ask for the same thing, a project, a final and maybe a midterm. That’s it and my midterm had gone poorly. This school just did not have good recourses for helping me to understand the materials. Not to mention I didn’t really fit in with the French mentality of all play and little work. All the people my age seem to do is concentrate on the next time they can go to the club. Do we do this in the USA? Yes, but at the same time, we understand that there is a life beyond the dance floor. This sentiment has not hit the Romance countries yet.

As you can see from above, I haven’t quite taken away an appreciation for European people that I hope I would, but I do respect the culture. The culture of Europe is intertwined with that of America. Though I’m not quite a believer of the idea that our past dictates where our future is headed, I do believe that preserving the past is important and Europe is the model for doing just that. Berlin showed me just how well Europe can preserve the past for the future, even though there are parts that they aren’t proud of. I.E, the Nazi domination of Germany. So on, so forth. There are even parts of the culture that I CAN appreciate. Sweden showed that indeed, people can be nice. Everyone I met seemed to have a smile on their face, even though it was freaking cold when I was there. [WP:Germany|Germany]] is a true model for redemption through future generations. My parents often like to note that I am the grandson of two Holocaust survivors and just last week, I was in the capital of the land that tired to wipe out their, and in almost every respect my own, existence. Still I went there, not only did I face the past; I had a damn good time in the present. I met some great people and lived it up in Berlin. Even the French culture has aspects that I can truly respect. Though I often criticize the French for their “laid back” life style, I must say that I respect the fact that they appreciate the work life balance. While I said they often live there life from club to club, they do understand that there is life outside of the office. However, I’m amazed they live long enough to enjoy it. You should see how these people smoke. It makes the smokers at AU look like health nuts and they criticize us about American’s weight? Put down the lighters and THEN say that. As you can see, I haven’t quite taken away the appreciation for European culture that I had hoped for, but I do respect it for what it is. The whole experience has made me “appreciate the USA more for what it is.” Some people would say that’s wonderful. Others probably think I’m a nut. To the later half, suck it.

On that note, I do need to appreciate that there were some failures along the way. I’ve written the entire time on how I just didn’t seem to get along with the French students at all and even the Dutch girls I was around were really shaky, so I’ll leave it at that. So, the final question, did I enjoy myself? Well, while I can safely say that Europe was not the breath taking and awe inspiring experience for me that it is for other people, I did have fun. It was just another semester, except with a lot of traveling. That is what I really enjoyed about coming to Europe. Though I learned I can DEAL with the French, the best part for me was the many adventures I had exploring the continent. So, while I wouldn’t recommend my school in France to ANYONE, I would recommend coming abroad to everyone. So, short answer, yes. I did enjoy my time in Europe because I made the most of it. Sadly though, my experiences with the American and French students have cost me that sweet confidence I had when I first left for Europe. The road ahead of me is very rocky and will probably have a lot of pitfalls, but the same way I did here, I’ll pull myself out of them and just keep going. Going back to AU is not going to be easy. I’ve got a new job as my fraternity’s VP of Technology and while I look forward to that, part of me knows that I’ve never even been a regular brother for a semester and now I’m on the executive board. Then there are my friends from Hughes five. They are great guys, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to deal with the drama that comes with them. I’m sorry guys, but I just don’t know if I can do it. Sill, I’ll do all I can not to give up. To everyone who read my logs, thank you. To everyone who received my logs, thank you for coming with me to Europe in sprit. I look forward to see you all upon my return to the USA. Only four hours to go. Good-bye.

Sincerely, -Joshua “Silby” Silberman