Friends in High Places

The common conception is that after graduation, everyone from my alma mater, Princeton, participates in a mass exodus to Wall Street. For my group of friends, this couldn't be further from the truth. Many took advantage of international postgraduate fellowship programs sponsored by my university and shipped off to exotic locations. One friend shuffles between refugee camps in Ethiopia, another sends updates of her wilderness adventures in Nepal and one spearheaded a performance of the Vagina Monologues in Bangkok. Others decided to take public interest fellowships through Princeton's Project 55, working in schools and nonprofits around the country. Still others were awarded Fulbright or Rhodes scholarships or decided to join Teach for America. And me? I decided to travel after graduation, visiting everyone!

Visiting friends is by far my favorite way to travel. Not only do I usually get a free couch to crash on, but I also get to experience a new location from an insider's perspective. In college, I tried to take advantage of every break to visit friends studying abroad or going home for the holidays. Irene organized an Incan adventure in the Sacred Valley of Peru, Jenny took me to her favorite $10 massage parlor in Beijing and my younger sister introduced me to all her Catalan friends in Barcelona. Next week, I'll be traveling to Southeast Asia to visit friends living there through the Princeton-in-Asia program, which arranges job placements for recent graduates from any university in schools and non-profits across the continent. I'm so excited, especially because I'll get to experience the region in a way I couldn't if I just went as a tourist. Of course, I'll be sure to post photos and insider tips along the way!

Until next time (in Bangkok!),
Jess
CosmoGirl Travel Blogger