Far away from home: Have your own study abroad adventure
Arnulf Moshammer
Issue date: 10/21/09 Section: Entertainment
By Arnulf Moshammer
Why study abroad? This question might be the beginning of every application process, or prevent many students from filling out the form in the International Programs Office. And even if this is a very important question, I think there are way more important questions to ask. How could I benefit from it? Is it worth doing it? Can I manage this huge step?
I think you can! Whoever it is, studying abroad is manageable, is affordable, is something everyone can do! It's about a year ago that I thought about what I want to do in future, what I want to experience, and which chances I want to take. I'm close to finishing my master-studies, looking forward to start working, earning money, getting settled… But the one thing I had not done yet was having an adventure. Leaving everything behind, your whole life, but not giving it up, just interrupt it, just escape for a certain time was the adventure I wanted to have.
Where to go to? This question is actually closely related to the question: How in the world did I end up in Louisville, Kentucky? To be honest: I first had to look up where Kentucky is. The only thing I knew was that it is far away. And to be honest again: I never applied for this University. I applied for some random places I thought that they could be nice. But once I got my permission to study at Bellarmine I figured out, that there is no reason to decide for or against any place, since you do not know what it will be about. You always have you coordinators to tell you the main facts about the place you want to go to, and everything beyond that is fortune. Basically it does not really matter where you study abroad; the important fact is THAT you study abroad! If I would have known, that Bellarmine is such a great place, a gigantic family, a place where you meet a thousand new friends and an enticingly new home, I wouldn't have applied for any other place in the world. Concerning language: I was not used to speak English at all. I had classes a while ago, and read some articles in English, but managing the everyday life or studying in another language is something totally different. But see, I feel well, got two A's as midterm-grades and write an article for a newspaper. And I am way not the smartest person ever. So if I can do it, you can do it too!
There is one other thing I can promise everyone who wants to study abroad: everyone will benefit from this experience! You will see differences (like in Europe the first floor is called Ground floor, and the second one is the first floor) and similarities (I am sorry, but the bureaucracy is the same all over the world: bureaucrazy), you will meet friends and change your mind in many aspects of your life, especially everything which has to do with different countries, cultures and people from other parts of the world. I started to understand why things are the way they are: because other people think differently. It's the way it is. But learning that and learning to adapt to a different culture is probably the best thing I have ever learnt!
So whenever you thing about studying abroad do not ask: Why studying abroad? Ask: Why not?!
Why study abroad? This question might be the beginning of every application process, or prevent many students from filling out the form in the International Programs Office. And even if this is a very important question, I think there are way more important questions to ask. How could I benefit from it? Is it worth doing it? Can I manage this huge step?
I think you can! Whoever it is, studying abroad is manageable, is affordable, is something everyone can do! It's about a year ago that I thought about what I want to do in future, what I want to experience, and which chances I want to take. I'm close to finishing my master-studies, looking forward to start working, earning money, getting settled… But the one thing I had not done yet was having an adventure. Leaving everything behind, your whole life, but not giving it up, just interrupt it, just escape for a certain time was the adventure I wanted to have.
Where to go to? This question is actually closely related to the question: How in the world did I end up in Louisville, Kentucky? To be honest: I first had to look up where Kentucky is. The only thing I knew was that it is far away. And to be honest again: I never applied for this University. I applied for some random places I thought that they could be nice. But once I got my permission to study at Bellarmine I figured out, that there is no reason to decide for or against any place, since you do not know what it will be about. You always have you coordinators to tell you the main facts about the place you want to go to, and everything beyond that is fortune. Basically it does not really matter where you study abroad; the important fact is THAT you study abroad! If I would have known, that Bellarmine is such a great place, a gigantic family, a place where you meet a thousand new friends and an enticingly new home, I wouldn't have applied for any other place in the world. Concerning language: I was not used to speak English at all. I had classes a while ago, and read some articles in English, but managing the everyday life or studying in another language is something totally different. But see, I feel well, got two A's as midterm-grades and write an article for a newspaper. And I am way not the smartest person ever. So if I can do it, you can do it too!
There is one other thing I can promise everyone who wants to study abroad: everyone will benefit from this experience! You will see differences (like in Europe the first floor is called Ground floor, and the second one is the first floor) and similarities (I am sorry, but the bureaucracy is the same all over the world: bureaucrazy), you will meet friends and change your mind in many aspects of your life, especially everything which has to do with different countries, cultures and people from other parts of the world. I started to understand why things are the way they are: because other people think differently. It's the way it is. But learning that and learning to adapt to a different culture is probably the best thing I have ever learnt!
So whenever you thing about studying abroad do not ask: Why studying abroad? Ask: Why not?!
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