Goodbye Athens!

By Gunjidmaa Gongor (Mongolia)

I didn’t want to say that “Goodbye!” Anyway, I had to leave this small wonderful city in the United States which is quiet, a bit humid and safe. This is all about Athens, Ohio.

Five weeks ago, I have been driven by the white van which has green letters saying “Ohio University” with Michael Wolven, program assistant and Anand Pradhan, journalism professor of India from the Columbus airport. We were the first coming scholars to attend the SUSI program at Ohio University funded by United States Department. This was the first meeting for us. Michael asked some questions about our experience and countries. Today, we all 16 scholars will leave Athens to our last destination in USA which is Washington DC on the same vans with the same drivers. 

Before my travel to U.S. my 6 years old son asked me: “Mom, when will you come back home?” I told him that I will be back in 42 days. Every day my son counts days and waits his Mom.

    

36 days have already passed at E.W Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University in Athens. During this time my daily life has been running between my dormitory in Courtyard and my studying place in Scripps Hall. But this time I felt somehow quietness like as living at my home. Just five weeks of my life time; the days in which I got to understand more my job and professional values, seek to get own contribution on my country’s media and society system, have to feel a dormitory lifestyle as foreign students, had my closest best friend from Kyrgyzstan and met my wonderful dearest friends of different countries and also got many good ideas to take away to my home country.

We have a lot of adventures, so wonderful travels to most important institutions in the world last couple of weeks. I have mentioned CNN headquarters in Atlanta; international media networks where journalists’ dream to visit, Google headquarters in San Francisco; the most important helper for journalists in the without border information world, Coca Cola museum in Atlanta; the good example of the best global marketing in the world, Martin Luther King’s National Historic Site in Atlanta; the hero of the Civic revolution known as “I have a dream”.     

After all those fantastic trips I often hurry to return back to my small room in Athens. The Courtyard dormitory seems to be more friendly then I know it; there were my good memories for me and my best friend Gulnura Toralieva. I remember a deer walking around the green forestry, students’ laugh in the swimming pool, quickie raining, WALMART shopping, singing own countries songs and so on.

We were laughing a lot with my friend, sharing food, working on some assessments at library room until tonight, playing the table tennis, running, walking, dancing and chatting to sit on the stones together.

I am going to leave my good memories in here which is my gladness, smiles, belief, weeping to say Goodbye my friend in her early departure. Those days will stay in my mind forever.

I love everyone and everything in Athens. Gunji

2013.08.06