Most Awards
May 20, 2018
As I reminisce about my semester abroad, I felt the best way to provide insight into my journey was to create “Mosts”. These instances are only highlights from my study abroad experience but represent the vast array of thoughts, feelings and instances that I had while abroad!
LONDON, ENGLAND
Most at Peace
Streets were hectic, we walked rushedly (although I was rarely in a hurry), we crossed without signal and drivers seemed ruthless. But something about the hustle and bustle allowed me to get lost in my thoughts which often lead to a smile, thinking “I can’t believe I’m here.” I would live in London in a heartbeat.
Most Academic Adventure
My Shakespeare class took us to see plays ‘Julius Caesar’ and ‘All’s Well That Ends Well’ which provided so much more context—with the emotions Shakespeare may have wanted! William Shakespeare’s plays have been a staple in education and visiting the recreated Globe Theatre for performances greatly enhanced my education!
Most Romantic
A British boy showed me around the city (hand in hand!), we went through Covent Gardens, pretended to furniture shop at the glamorous mall, Harrods, and then strolled around Hyde Park. I really enjoyed seeing a local’s view of the city instead of taking the Tube or bus everywhere! (I told my friends exactly where I was for safety purposes too).
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND
Most Adventurous
People were calling the top of Arthur’s Seat a mini hurricane! The entire experience was muddy and hilarious because my friends and I were sliding, one girl fell, I lost my camera, and we looked showered by the end! But we worked hard to reach the top of that grassy hill to see the blurred city below and that is worth celebrating!
PARIS, FRANCE
Most Delicious
Boulangeries (bakeries) were nearly everywhere and I was not mad about it! Everything I ate was délicieux! I fell in love with my first macaroon and baguette, and finally understood why people will walk around with bread poking out of their bags.
Most Funny
CIEE took my program to a comedy show and Gad Elmaleh, a famous French comedian pursuing a career in America, was backstage. My friend and I watched his Netflix show “Gad Elmaleh: American Dream” and laughed so hard about his experiences in America because we connected with them. He mentioned how the dumbest thing an American asked him was “Do you dream in English?”… which is something I have asked people, so long story short—do not test people on their language fluency.
Most Entertaining
I was mesmerized listening to the French crowd at Disneyland Paris sing along to Frozen’s “Let It Go”, and it showed anyone can fall in love with the same movies!
Most Helpless
I used my phone to translate everything during my first grocery haul and again when I went to a Japanese restaurant with only French menus. Ethnocentric me expected English to be everywhere… but by the end of my 6 weeks here I had more confidence speaking and reading the bare minimum of French! Yay! Times of distress provide the most personal growth!
Most Grateful
I visited Hôpital Saint-Louis’s wax museum of dermatological diseases with my Public Health class. A heartbreaking wax mold of a baby born with a disease made me more appreciative and grateful to the idea of having a healthy baby one day and blessed to live with the excelled medical knowledge of today.
Most Invisible
Noting what you do like is just as important as noting what you don’t like in order to discover who you are. People kept to themselves and spoke not at all or in very hushed voices in the metro. The silence and privacy permitted me to easily read on my phone but I disliked feeling so alone, so small and so unimportant.
Most Embarrassing
I lost my balance and landed on a handsome man while standing in the bus. When I sputtered out “désolé!” with my American accent heavily surfacing, a group of girls laughed loudly nearby while he smirked.
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
Most Accomplished
My brother visited me for two weeks and we explored, spent time with locals and recognized our privilege as Americans. When he got back home he thanked me for convincing him to fly 25+ hours and said, “You may have altered the course of my life as we know it.”
Most Breathtaking
CIEE took our program on a weekend trip to Sutherlands, a city with the darkest nights, the most clear skies and where the largest telescopes in the world are. I felt engulfed by the starry sky while we laid under the stars and an astronomer explained what we were seeing!
Most Fooled
A very thin, young boy walked behind me and 4 of my friends down the street asking for food for his family. Emotionally tugged, I went with him to buy a large bucket of chicken from KFC. Then he asked for 2 desserts. I got 1. Then he asked for money and I denied him. Later I saw him walking down the street, no food in sight and a cigarette behind his ear. I felt manipulated and fooled but later realized that my intentions were good and the boys actions were out of my control. It’s important to have empathy, but to be mindful of people’s motivations and their perception of Americans/tourists.
Most Sore
There is a cable car that goes up one of the Wonders of Nature, Table Mountain. It costs 151 Rand ($12) up and 277 Rand ($22) down so my brother and I decided not to utilize the man-made device and almost regretted it! 1 hour and 45 minutes later we made it to the famous flat top!
Most Disgusted
Looks deceived me. Racism is present in the world, I know, but I didn’t expect to experience it first-hand. At the beach a white woman told me (I am half black, half white) and a group of my white friends that she preferred this beach because black people never come. Then at a food market, I asked for a brownie and a white older man said “She’s the brownest brownie you’ll ever get! Give her a chance,” about the black employee behind the counter. I hated those people for their way of thinking they were superior, but it was the Apartheid that shaped them and I am not sure if or when those mindsets will be altered. I feel blessed to not experience overt racism where I am from and I greatly admire the strength of the people that do.
Most Appreciative
The friendships that I have formed are something I will always treasure. We all experienced something unique and grew together in a short time. Going abroad provides opportunities to meet people around the world that you may never have crossed paths with otherwise.
Most Changed
It takes something like studying abroad to change your global perspective. I don’t have to stress about things that people in other countries stress about. I now see America differently, I see my hobbies differently, I see my education, my major, my values differently and so much more. I have truly changed from studying abroad.
Most Important Advice for Future Abroad Goers
Understand that different ways of living and acting does not make a person good or bad, or right or wrong—they are just human. If you reshape the lens that you are/were put in, then you will speak to people you normally wouldn’t and do things you may never have.