The American Experience 1

My Experience at Washington College

Ashwin Pienaar was a BA student who went on exchange in 2005 to Washington College, Maryland, USA.  This story was originally printed on 11 August 2005. 

As the summer sun warmed the Southern tip of Africa during the New Year's vacation of 2004-2005, I left in the dead of night for a plane bound for the Northern hemisphere, and the land of George W Bush. I viewed the exchange as an opportunity to expand my knowledge of the world through personal experience, as well as to share and learn of other cultures. America has always been a Mecca for immigrants. Yet now, more than ever, it is filled with people holding foreign passports, pasted with a US visa. For this reason it has become a cultural melting pot. For me it was an opportunity to explore some of that vast and beautiful country whilst meeting students, such as myself, from other interesting countries.

Ashwin Pienaar in the States

As I looked at the vast number of stopovers on my itinerary, I viewed my journey to the US as an airport hopping adventure. However, when I arrived in Baltimore 48 hours later, I saw the journey as a travel agent's elaborate practical joke. However, tired as I was, I was thrilled to be in The States, and keenly asked an airport attendant for directions to a hotel. From the glasses perched on her nose, she eyeballed me in a manner that Donald Rumsfeld might regard a member of Hamas. My dark skin and foreign accent had thrown the poor woman. Yet once she established that I had no intention on taking her with me into the afterlife, she flashed a jolly smile and directed me to the airport shuttles.

When going from South to North in January, many a traveller has questioned why they would want to sacrifice an African summer in exchange for an American winter. I, however, questioned why I would want to enter a country where the legal drinking age was 21. However, right from the start I was taken by the whole experience: the snow, the incredibly friendly people, and of course the SIZE. Everything is bigger in America, including the roads, the food portions and some of the people. I was amazed by the giant, fuel guzzling SUVs that ruled the roads. At any given time you could watch in awe as an array to cars would go by: from 6 wheel SUVs with Bull Horns attached to the bumpers, to cars that looked like they had come straight from the workshop at West Coast Customs on MTV's 'Pimp My Ride'.

Whilst much of my time at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland was spent applying myself in the classrooms and lecture theatres, I also got the opportunity to make numerous trips to Washington DC, and I valued being just an hour from the Political Capital. Washington DC is an international hub of diplomats, students, and academics. It was fascinating to gauge the workings of the most powerful government in the world.

It goes without saying that I formed strong bonds with those in my hall of residence, the co-ed 'International House'. I thoroughly enjoyed the company of my Slovakian roommate, Andrej, and it was a privilege to learn about his culture and state of Eastern Europe. The countries represented by exchange students during the Spring Semester included students from Finland, Germany, Ireland, Guatemala, Ukraine, Scotland, Kenya, Japan, Korea, China and of course the foxy young ladies from Ecuador and Spain. I have discovered that there are only beautiful people in Ecuador and Spain.

Over weekends and vacations I managed visit Vermont, Boston, New York, Baltimore and Chicago. Vermont, nestled against the Canadian Border, holds some of the most stunning natural scenery in America and as the maple trees were tapped in the spring, I had come at a time when the syrup was fresh. Boston and New York hold their own cosmopolitan appeal: Boston, for its youth culture, and New York, for its dynamism. Chicago is undoubtedly America's best kept secret. If you manage to negotiate O'Hare International Airport, the city is highly impressive. In the summer, the fresh breeze off Lake Michigan clears the city air. The public transportation is efficient and clean whilst a walk down The Magnificent Mile can give one a good introduction to downtown Chicago.

Washington College offers a high standard of liberal arts courses, and its Political Science department is of an exceptional calibre. The student/ lecturer relations are healthy and what is of significance is the care for the individual at this institution. Right from our arrival, the staff at the International Office took a keen interest in each of the international students, which ensured excellent relations in an exchange that passed like a pleasant dream. When embarking on a university exchange it is important to note the efforts of staff from both the home and overseas institutions. I am highly appreciative of the efforts of those who work tirelessly in the International Offices to facilitate these exchanges. Their time and effort in preparing students to leave, whilst others arrive, is invaluable. Thank you to those at Rhodes and Washington for making my experience so worthwhile. I treasure the memories I have of a special College tucked away in Chestertown, Maryland.