HAMILTON, NY—Upon returning from abroad, students have mixed emotions. Some are happy to see their friends and families. Some are sad to have left a great experience behind them. Some are angry that they now must return to the sub-par Americanized versions of the food they enjoyed abroad. And lastly, some just will not shut the fuck up about their experiences in another place. Colgate senior Max Breidenstein spoke to the Rag about his current frustrations with a friend who returned from Washington, DC this fall.

        Breidenstein states, “Yeah, Eric and I were really close. But then, I went to Nepal for my semester abroad, and he went to Washington, DC. Don’t get me wrong, I talk about abroad sometimes, but like seriously Eric won’t shut the fuck up about the national mall and meeting the children of diplomats. He keeps saying shit like, ‘You don’t know how good we have it in Hamilton, people go hungry in DC.’”

        We reached out to Eric, in hopes of understanding the situation a bit better. When we asked about his abroad experiences, Eric mused, “You have no idea though. I am forever changed by DC. And just so you know—what they say about culture shock is so real—I am still adjusting to life back in Hamilton. A lot of my abroad friends are back at Colgate, which is great, but like, man I am going to miss DC. It is unlike any other place I have been before. It was like, exotic.”

        If you have plans to go abroad, we at the Monthly Rag wish you safe travels and a healthy sense of self-awareness.