So, you’re thinking about studying abroad while in college? Well, stop thinking and start doing.
I remember coming to Freshman orientation and listening to, as I would come to find out, a close friend, mentor and professor – Dr. Miller talking about the benefits of studying abroad. When investigating Universities in high school, study abroad was one of my main interests.
As time went on, the idea of a semester abroad was always in the back of my mind — and that’s where it stayed. I got caught up in extracurriculars, studying, volunteering, and all the little things (BILLS) that occupy our daily life. Luckily for me, great mentors and personal role models helped me keep my goals in sight and I finally found a program that fit my needs for credits, language, and experience.
After 5 months in Europe, I can tell you that it was the most fun and rewarding experience of my life. I learned more about people, humanity, language and culture, travel, and prejudice that many learn in years of life experience. I learned to appreciate people from other cultures who held extremely different views than mine and to have a great time while doing it. My French language skills, embarrassing at first, skyrocketed from living with my host family and being immersed in the culture. At the end of the semester I can proudly say that I speak French (although I probably won’t be contracted as a translator anytime soon). I desired to travel even before I left for Europe and got a small taste with the Alternative Spring Break 2009 trip to the Dominican Republic. But this turned that desire into a need.
As Mark Twain had said: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” It unites us all through our common humanity and, i’ve found, extends one’s own ‘home range’ until one can think of each person in the world as one’s neighbor. Travel endows us with tolerance, patience, perspective, and awe. I highly recommend it and I challenge you to find one job, hobby or person that could not be enriched by a broader perspective of and appreciation for the world.
———————-Tips, Advice, and Reverse Culture Shock——————–
Whether or not you have money to burn, study abroad and traveling in general is possible. Careful planning, research, followed by truckloads of sheer determination will get you where you want to go.
TIP: Live as if you were to die tomorrow, learn as if you were to live forever, pack light, and run fast. (Please forgive the bastardization, Gandhi). Trust me, when you live like a broke college student you learn to squeeze every (dollar) bit of enjoyment out of life and it leads you to unforgettable experiences down the road. That said, be safe and note the disclaimer in my previous post.
www.couchsurfing.com
www.ryanair.com
www.easyjet.com
www.eurail.com
When you travel, try to shed your inhibitions when it comes to social situations. It might be intimidating to practice a new language, meet new people, or try new foods but you’ll make new friends, find new strengths, and have once-in-a-lifetime experiences everyday.
If you can, live with a host family. It’s a change from the normal “do whatever you want” lifestyle most college kids have, but you get so much more reward from it. No, you cant come back at 3 am and stumble up the stairs, waking everybody in the house, but you can learn limitless stories about the local culture, practice their language at every moment, and make lifelong friends.
Finally, i’d like to share with you the parting message that my host-sister, Fanny, left me:
“Derek…i did not wake up and couldn’t say you goodbye :s i’m sorry! thank you so much for the music: it’s great, it’ll be an excellent opportunity to practice my english.
Have a safe trip home!
We’ll all miss you… you know you re most welcome anytime!
And we’ll certainly visit you soon in the USA.
Remember what i told you about the “post-paradize phase”, there are douzens of people, projects and curiosities to be discover in your area. And if not, just build it! change it! go for it!
Au revoir!”
The world is out there. Go get it.
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Tags: Paris, reflections, study abroad, travel tips, trip wrap-up
