As many of you have noticed, I have been using #boondoggle2014 on all of my posts regarding my study abroad experience.
"Boondoggle - what's that?"…"What the heck does boondoggle mean?"…"Boondoggle…huh?"
The week before I left, my family and I were sitting around the table eating dinner and my dad would not stop ragging on me for going abroad. Don't get me wrong - he is super supportive of me doing this, it's just that he isn't completely convinced that it is to study. At one point, he jokingly said, "Julie, you aren't studying abroad - you are going on an elaborate boondoggle!" At the time, my sister and I just kind of looked at each other, laughed and played along because boondoggle is a funny word - not because we knew what he was talking about.
After that conversation, I forgot about the word until it was time to say goodbye to my dad and he says, "Bye Ju, I'll miss you. Enjoy your boondoggle!" After parting ways, I found myself wondering what he was saying. I pondered the thought for a while and then when I finally had a minute to breathe in the airport, I decided to do some digging and find out what my dad meant. After extensive research (thank you google and dictionary.com), I finally figured out what he was talking about.
Boondoggle - a project funded by the federal government out of politicalfavoritism that is of no real value to the community or the nation. (dictionary.com)
Clearly my study abroad experience isn't exactly a boondoggle in the political sense, but it is close enough - according to Papa Olson at least… This whole time, my dad has been basically saying that this whole experience isn't actually studying - I am just saying that it is for school so that I have an excuse to travel the world.
Now, I had been trying to think of some original hashtag to categorize my abroad experience, but my creative juices were failing me. After finally decoding my father's words, I thought that boondoggle was the perfect description of my trip. If nothing else, at least it's a funny word that people can get a kick out of.
So there you have it friends, the story of #boondoggle2014.
Sincerely yours,
Just Another Original
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