Wait…What?
Alright hear me out. With all the new
Pokémon Go craziness happening, it sparked an epiphany: I could relate Pokémon to
anything. I mean they’re cute, dark, powerful, awesome, you name it — there’s a
Pokémon. So let’s run with this, shall we?
1. When you leave to study abroad tomorrow but you haven’t started packing:
Jynx’s has the ability Oblivious, which keeps the
Pokémon
from being infatuated or falling for taunts. That would be useful
against those fifteen-second countdowns Netflix has to distract you from
packing. Plus that crazy look on Jynx’s face is exactly your expression
when you realize it’s 1 a.m. and you leave in t-minus 6 hours.
2. Or you’ve been ready to leave for weeks, leaving no chance for last minute panic attacks:
Look at him, relaxing without a care in the world. Mr. Mime is a psychic
Pokémon,
meaning he’s seen this day coming for weeks! Just like you who circled
your calendar the day you booked your flight. Eat your American junk
food to your heart’s delight, it may be the last you have until you
return stateside!
3. How you look showing up to the first day of classes:
Dragonite is capable of circling the globe in just 16 hours, which is
a little shorter than your flight to Australia. Not only that, but
Dragonite’s a very friendly Pokémon, although a little shy. Kinda like
your first day of studying abroad,
hmmm?
4. When it’s the first night in your host country and you are ready to explore:
“On every night of a full moon, groups of this Pokémon come out to
play.” Just like you and your new study abroad friends who are ready to
hit the town!
5. How you feel when you are struggling with the foreign language:
Gloom is……wait for it…..
GLOOMY. It is known for releasing a
foul smell when faced with danger, similar to the way I wish I could
fall into a hole when I don’t know what to say. And I’m not sure why
Gloom is constantly drooling from its mouth. For us abroad, it’s
probably because of the delicious scent of street foods available.
6. And how you feel when you are totally rocking the foreign language:
Machop’s muscles never get tired and neither does your brain! You’re
absorbing every vocabulary word in sight and talking more and more
in-depth with your international friends. Machop is fist-bumping you
congrats because you are totally ace-ing this foreign lingo!
7. When you’re two months in and a total pro at adapting to your surroundings:
Check out that smile across Eevee’s face. It looks just like yours
when someone asks you for directions in your host city! Eevee is known
for the ability to adapt to its surroundings, as evidenced by its many
forms of evolution. Congratulations, you’ve adapted too, your host city
now feels like a second home.
8. How you look while your host family prepares their traditional meals:
Have stomach, will eat.
9. And how you feel after that amazing lunch your host family made:
Snorlax is the epitome of you. You are the epitome of Snorlax. It is
one of the most docile Pokémon and all it does is sleep and eat. Sounds
like you’re overdue for a siesta.
10. When you start to feel homesick:
Grab the tissues because Cubone is always homesick — his Pokedex
description is the saddest I’ve seen: “It pines for the mother it will
never see again. Seeing a likeness of its mother in the full moon, it
cries. The stains on the skull the Pokémon wears are made by the tears
it sheds.” …. I’m not crying.. There’s just something in my eye.
11. When finals are coming up and you remember you’re STUDYING abroad:
Psyduck generates brain waves “that are supposedly only seen in
sleepers.” That probably didn’t help in class. Time to start cramming
like usual, only thing is you keep seeing the beach across the street
calling your name! Help!
12. When you have to say goodbye to your host family/country:
Once Whismur starts crying, it can’t stop. The Pokémon cries and
cries until it falls asleep out of exhaustion. Sound familiar to those
returning back home? Tries not to cry, cries a lot.
13. When you return from studying abroad and can’t stop talking about it:
Togepi stores up feelings of happiness inside its shell and then
shares them with others, kinda like you share all your stories abroad
with friends back home. (Only no one gets sick of Togepi.)
14. And when you return from studying abroad and someone talks negatively about your host country:
Mankey is able to fly into a “towering rage” almost instantaneously,
just like the way you do when someone starts bad-mouthing the city you
spent a semester in. They better watch out because soon you’ll be
yelling “YOU’VE NEVER EVEN BEEN THERE!” with crazy eyes to match.
15. And finally, when you can’t wait to go abroad again and try more new things:
Ah, Pikachu. Pikachu loves new things so much, it blasts them with a
jolt of electricity. When you go abroad once, it’s never enough and you
get the travel
buzz. Why don’t you look into our exciting and
electric programs today? Too many puns?
Shocking.
Are you playing Pokémon Go abroad?
If you are, send us your photos catching Pokémon! We want to see
where in the world they appear. A Geodude at The Cliffs of Mohr? A
Lapras on a Costa Rican beach? Send them today!
To send your photos: Email
Amanda@usac.unr.edu OR Tag USAC on social media at @studyabroadusac
Gotta Catch ‘Em All!
--
by
Amanda Simmons
USAC Summer Young Professionals Program 2016
Home University:
University of Arkansas
USAC Program:
Puntarenas, spring 2015
Hey there! I’m Amanda, I’m 22, and I just graduated from the
University of Arkansas. I studied abroad with USAC during spring 2015 in
Puntarenas, Costa Rica!
My mom is a flight attendant for a major
international airline, which is part of why I love to travel so much.
Recently I traveled to Switzerland with my sister, making it my 20th
country to date!
My dream job would be a multimedia wizard who gets paid to travel the
world, but since that position doesn’t exist yet, I would love to share
my skills producing and teaching videography, travel writing, or
anything that can unleash a collective creative spirit.
Other than Los Angeles, I’ve never been to the Western U.S. and I am
really looking forward to doing some of my favorite things: exploring,
rollerblading, biking, hiking, and any water-related activity.
Fun Fact: I am most proud of winning Fayetteville’s local The Office trivia tournament. Our team name was Scott’s Tots.
