1.
How have you changed as a person after studying
abroad?
I am way more
understanding of how difficult it is moving from a place where you’re so
familiar with everything to somewhere
where pretty much everything is new to you. I respect the fact that many foreigners come to America and adapt
to the American culture very well. I’ve become more
aware of my surroundings just because being in Rome for 4+ months made me that
way. I was
constantly checking around myself to make sure I had everything and that
something suspicious wasn’t going on around me. I’ve always been open minded
to learning about new cultures but this just made me want to travel
everywhere and not just learn about the culture but to understand their way of
living and why they do certain things.
2.
What self-discovery surprised you?
The self-discovery
that surprised me was that I love my personal space. I am not the only child so
the only personal space I’ve ever had was
my own room everything else was shared with my older sister. Being away for four months and
having the share a room with someone who I didn’t completely know at the time made me miss being at home being able to
blast my music in my room anytime I wanted to, leave the light on as
long as I want. Just the small things such as those made me realize how much I missed
personal space. Another thing that made me realize how much I love having
personal space is how the Italians didn’t have a sense of personal space. I
would be on the tram and there would be plenty of room for someone to get by
but as he/she
walks by they bump me but do not say sorry. I was so used to being in America
where if someone
accidentally bumps you they automatically say “excuse me” or “I’m sorry”. But
over in Rome,
incidents like that really aren’t worth apologizing because that is what they
are used to. It is not considered rude to them, as it would be to majority of us
in the United States.
3.
If you took courses in your major; how has
studying abroad impacted your understanding of your major?
I did take a
Managerial Accounting course while studying abroad. It really did not have an impact on
the understanding of my major because it was international things that we had already
been taught by Carlow.
4.
Single greatest benefit of studying abroad?
Being able to
experience several new cultures alone. Well not necessarily alone but without
my family.
Everything is always done with my family and for me to get an opportunity to
travel the world independently just shows me how much I have grown over the
years in College. I am extremely thankful for being able to learn
about different cultures throughout Europe at a cheaper cost because traveling
wasn’t as expensive as it was in America.
5.
How did your life goals change?
My life goals changed
because now I want to travel everywhere. I want to hit a different country every year and have the ability to adapt to a
new culture each time I step foot into a new country. I also plan on sometime moving out of
America into a European country because it is a different world than being in the United
States and living in Rome made me realize that.
6.
What was your favorite experience?
My favorite experience
was traveling throughout Greece for Spring Break. We booked a trip with
Bus2Alps where they took us to many different locations in Greece within 9
days. I enjoyed every stop that we made but I loved Santorini the most. The place
was beautiful and every building on the
island was white. It just gave the town a sense of peace to me. It was indeed a
very
peaceful place to be and the people were very nice and happy to see us
tourists.
7.
Any advice for future participants?
My advice is to do a
lot of traveling while you are abroad in Europe. It is affordable traveling and
worth it. Also learn the countries
language before you are abroad there. It will help you get a better/easier
experience because you wont be so focused on learning their language while you’re
there. One last thing is DO NOT spend all of your money while abroad partying.
I understand partying in a different culture is
fun but do other things such as the movies or going
to a local show to keep you entertained as well.
8.
Would you study abroad again? Why?
Yes I would because it
was the best experience that I’ve had. I loved being independent and living in another country and managing. I also
loved being able to study at a different university and seeing how they do things
differently than they do at Carlow. I would probably go to a more exotic place so I could always have fresh
seafood(one of my favorites). Also as I said before I love experiencing new cultures
and studying abroad would give me another chance to do so.
