I just attended the annual Baltimore Area Boy Scout Council 2006 Recognition Dinner and was touched by all of the altruism present in the room. I couldn’t believe that over 400 boy scouts earned the rank of Eagle. Very impressive. My brother, David earned his by building a portable chicken coop for Garden Harvest, an organic farm that donates all their produce to Baltimore area soup kitchens. His project made a difference because the chickens take care of insect pests (instead of toxic pesticides), their manure helps fertilize the fields, and the eggs provide protein and essential nutrients for children who eat at the soup kitchens. It sounds cheesy, but seeing so many civically minded young men made me feel proud to be an American.

The guest speaker for the event was Dr. Peter Agre, the winner of the 2003 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. He told an anecdote about an elderly Nobel Prize Winner who was traveling through the desert with his wife. They stopped at a gas station and being a gentleman, he started filling up the tank while his wife sat patiently in the front seat. A dirty, old hippie stepped out from the convenience store and stopped dead in his tracks. The wife leapt out of the car, ran up to the hippie, embraced him and kissed him passionately. Aggravated, the Nobel Winner beckoned to her and stated, “It’s time to go!” Reluctantly, she left the hippie and climbed back into the car.

“Before, I met you, I loved him and almost married him.” she informed her husband.

“It’s a good thing you didn’t because I’m a Nobel Winner.” he asserted as he puffed up his chest.

The wife sighed and shook her head. “You don’t get it. Do you?” she lamented, “If I had married him, he would have become a Nobel Winner.”

Dr. Agre shared this story with the scouts to let them know that even though earning the rank of Eagle is a great personal achievement that they should be proud of, they should not be arrogant. Their accomplishment would not have been possible without a great network of support.

I’m sharing it with potential study abroad students because I feel anyone who has the opportunity to study in a foreign nation is part of a privileged minority. Yes, I could be boastful and say I deserve this opportunity because I have studied hard, earned good grades, and assembled a nice little resume. But there are lots of equally hard working scholars with the desire to see the world who never get the chance. They face obstacles such as finances, time, family commitments, physical disabilities, and/or other impediments.

If you are given the chance to study abroad- DO IT! But be grateful to the support network that makes it possible. And when you go PLEASE DO NOT BE THE CLICHÉ LOUD, OBNOXIOUS, DRUNKEN AMERICAN!

Now back to the Boy Scouts Award Ceremony. One thing that tickled me pink was the blessing Dr. Agre said before everyone ate. (Note that the scouts in our area practice a variety of religions from Judaism to Catholicism). Dr. Agre finished his “Salute to Eagle Scouts” by blessing our meal with a quote from Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young:”

May God bless and keep you always,
May your wishes all come true,
May you always do for others
And let others do for you.
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung,
May you stay forever young.

May my little entries make you smile, reflect, and help inspire you to stay forever young.

             ~Tammy