Abroad

i just want to give everyone a heads up: this isnt just any blog entry.
this is an exotic blog entry.
im writing this from romania, where i will be living for the next month during a coal mining study abroad program.
i know a lot of people (like my parents) are all like, “but theres plenty of that to be done in west virginia.”
thats true, but im in college. ive got to experience new things and expand my horizons if i want to be on the cutting edge of coal mining.
its only a matter of time before the industry starts trying to give our jobs to some stupid robots.
when employers are trying to make the decision between me and a robot that can work a lot harder and be crushed in cave ins with no one caring, a study abroad trip on my resume could really give me the edge.
i realize that romania isnt a “sexy” place to do study abroad.
most people like to go to countries like france or germany.
well, what romania lacks in hilarious racial tension, it makes up for in sheer volume of vampires.
anyway, ive only been here for two days and im totally stoked.
i had my orientation yesterday, where they taught me all kinds of useful romanian phrases like “hello,” “please,” “oh my god, the canarys dead. there must be a gas leak! oh god please dont let me die down here… in the dark… all alone,” and “thank you.”

originally posted: Sunday, May 25, 2008