Obstacles Overcome; Lessons Learned; Now What? - Australia (MCS)

Scuba Diving in the Great Barrier Reef 

       It feels like I just step foot in this country yesterday, and now I am preparing to leave in just a few short weeks. There have been ups and downs, from bearing the heat (I'm a cold weather person), trying to find something to eat in a predominately meat-eating country (I'm a vegetarian), and adjusting to living in student housing that is completely different than what I am used to back at Allegheny (essentially living in a tiny trailer room with no roommates). Maybe those all sounds like negatives, but the experience of adapting to new situations, getting out of my shell to meet people when I couldn't just go across the hall to annoy my neighbors, and trying new things, were all very much positive.

       About 2 weeks after I got approved to study in abroad in Australia in the fall semester, I started to get very, very sick. I missed weeks of classes, played catch-up with assignments all semester, and was constantly feeling stressed about the fact that I would not be able to go abroad as I had originally planned. Thanks to some incredibly supportive family, friends, and doctors, I made it here. The biggest obstacle was finding a doctor here that I could afford and could help me get through my time here. From the time that I stepped foot in Australia on February 4th, I found my worries were unfounded and my health has gradually gotten better. Even though it may have seemed like a terrible idea a few months ago to still go abroad, through the ups and the downs both here and back in America, I was meant to be in Australia this semester.

    Going home will feel different, but I don't think that it will no longer feel like home. Not that I won't miss the friends that I have made and the experiences that I have had here, but while the people I have here are wonderful, the people who have been through thick and thin with me are back in Pennsylvania. I have done things and seen places that aren't even possible in America.  I have become accustomed and comfortable in the wildly dangerous (the bugs + animals) and crazy country of Australia and a part of my heart will always be here. But all things will eventually come to an end.

Coral Reef Geomorphology Field Trip 

Obstacles Overcome; Lessons Learned; Now What?: Australia (MAS)

Well, the last week of classes is nearly over here which means I have 23 days left until I am done with my semester here at James Cook University (final exams are spread out over a two week period) and 39 days until I am back in America.  Honestly, the most difficult thing about my journey abroad was booking my plane tickets home; I am not ready to leave Australia and all of the friends I have made here but I am returning to the States in early July.  I suppose at some point I will have to come to terms with reality and accept that I can't stay in paradise forever.  Yes, it will be nice to see all of my family and friends again, but I don't miss home nearly as much as I thought I would.  

Sunset on Orpheus Island.  The perfect ending to a great weekend away.

My five months abroad have been amazing and more than I ever hoped for.  Many things have changed since my arrival in February, especially my levels of confidence and independence.  I am no longer the little girl afraid to touch every single thing in this country.  For example, my Coral Reef Geomorphology course had a field trip at Orpheus Island a few weekends ago where we had to cover every inch of our bodies if we didn’t want to be stung by jellies during our daily snorkel trips.  Well, I was stung twice but I didn't mind because I was snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef!  I now pick up rocks and shells like nobody's business.  But I have also become a master trip planner as my friends and I typically go somewhere each weekend (trying to make the most out of our time left).  The biggest challenge I'm facing is booking my week and a half long trip to New Zealand coming up in a few weeks!

I have also made major adjustments to my lifestyle making Australia and Uni Hall my home.  I am much more flexible and relaxed in my daily routines.  I realized just how accustomed to the land I've gotten because my brother has been visiting and I've been playing tour guide for the last week.  It's amazing to feel like a local here even though I haven't been here for that long.  Given that it only took a few months for Townsville to feel like home, I think it is very possible to make other places in the world home.  After all, home is where the heart is.

Wallaman Falls - tallest waterfalls in Australia

Obstacles Overcome; Lessons Learned; Now What?: Buenos Aires (MO)

Las Salina Grandes, Jujuy, Argentina

Leaving Buenos Aires in 2 months is not something that I am looking forward to doing in any type of way. It is becoming very stressful when people in my program, and my host family start talking about when I will be leaving, and when I will be returning to Argentina in the future? There seems to be an urge right now to travel the country lots and to experience as much as possible, because we are all realizing that our time here is limited. Many people have explained to me that when they first arrived it seemed like this semester would take forever, but now that we are rounding the last turn into the home stretch, it seems that nobody is ready for our experience abroad to end.

The beautiful Buenos Aires that is my new "home"

Through having already experienced living in a new culture, learning a completely new language, and learning new customs through my last study abroad experience in Germany, I feel sometimes that my experiences in Argentina have been completely different from those of others who are studying abroad with me. Fortunately my experiences in Argentina and in Germany have been completely different. For this reason there have been a number of obstacles that I have overcome while living in Argentina for the last 3 months. For me, the biggest and most apparent obstacle that I have overcome while living in Buenos Aires was living in an enormous city. Like I mentioned in my first blog post, I am from a very quaint area of upstate New York, and to me Meadville is a city. Therefore living in Buenos Aires is nothing that I could have prepared for, but is definitely something that I have come to love. I am able to access everything very quickly, well okay on argentine time, and have gotten used to knowing how many blocks away something is and the various options of public transportation I have to get there. I have learned to walk quickly on the sidewalk, and to always be cautious of my surrounding while on the subte. Without thinking I am able to get to the subte station, switch my backpack to the front (front-packing is real people), and squish into the most claustrophobic spot of your life in order to get to my classes every morning. I am able to hail and determine what taxi is legit in the middle of the night, and I am able to explain to the taxi driver exactly where I live when he gets lost, like they always do, on their way to my house.

Just a few of the wonderful friends I have made

Of course another large aspect of my study abroad experience that was an obstacle was the language and the accent of a porteño. I am proud to say that I can officially make the "ch" sound without thinking while saying my "y" and "ll" sounds, and I have learned many slang terms that only porteños use. I have gotten used to the speed of the Castellano that is spoken here and I have gotten used to the Italian pronunciation type thing that the porteños have going on when they get really upset. I feel that my drive to conquer porteño Spanish is a skill that really improved my time here in Argentina. I am able to get to know other porteños and share my feelings with my host mother. I am now able to read various news sources from Buenos Aires and understand while people have certain political views. Learning and showing my interest in Castellano has shown to the argentines that I am interested in their culture, and that I want to be here. This has greatly allowed me to connect with them on a different level, than a normal american tourist would. It is a great feeling when I am able to speak to other porteños, and they don't stare at me anymore with that blank face of having no idea what I am saying.

Having read many articles about "reverse culture shock" and having experienced it once before there is no doubt in my mind that it exists. Although it can be quite frightening thinking that what you considered normal in the past is no longer normal, it is actually something that I am looking forward to. I always find it interesting to see the things that I take for granted and to see the things that I forget about being different. I like the idea that my experiences abroad allow me to question how things work, and why things are the way they are back in the States. Reflecting back on my first blog post, all of these aspects of the argentine culture have become normal to be. I know one thing specifically that I will have a hard time not doing is kissing people when I greet them. I have already found myself kissing my american friends here when saying bye and of course that awkward moment when I went in for a kiss when I met Allie's american mother who was here visiting.

Pure happiness in Argentine countryside

I definitely agree with the statement that one can "make the world their home". I believe that it is very possible that a person has multiple different homes and that one can change where they consider their "home" based on where they are living and where they have connections with others, but I think that one's "home" changes. Right now my "home" is in Buenos Aires, but it has been in New York, in Meadville, in Augsburg, and Castrop-Rauxel, Germany. I have made many places my "home" over time and I look forward to creating other "homes". Although my "home" right now is in Argentina, I know that as soon as I step foot back into one of my other "homes", that place will once again will convert to being my "home".

Global Citizenship and the Purpose of Study Away: Buenos Aires (YO)

Why Argentina? What are you studying? What can you do there that you cannot do in the U.S.? Do they like Black people in Argentina? Are there Black people in Argentina? Will you be somewhere safe? Do you know the language well enough? Are you sure this is a good idea? Wouldn't you just be happier at home? These are just a few examples of the questions that I have been asked before going abroad and some of them I have even asked myself. Although I can now firmly answer these questions and others about this experience without a second thought, there was a time that I could not. During that time I simply respected the fact that there is an enormous world that I am only a small part of and have yet to discover. Regardless of any doubts, fears or anxieties from others or myself, I knew I had to overcome these things in order to truly learn past higher education or social media what life really is for people across the world. Only then would I be able to honor them through the work I hope to accomplish one day. Why is this important? Well, in spite of the underline meaning in some of these questions, they each (among other things) hold their own weight and carry their own relevance through molding an image of what global citizenship and study abroad mean to me.

There are a few articles that discuss global citizenship and study abroad. The one that resonated with me the most was the speech given by Michael Byers in 2005 at the University of British Colombia called, Are You a Global Citizen? Although I do not agree with all of his statements, I appreciated his thoughts on these topics the most because not only were his arguments thought provoking and debatable, but they also changed my view of the term "global citizen". I use to aspire to this term, hoping that one day I would be able to gain a genuine general knowledge and cultural awareness of the world around me. Now I realize that the actual privilege it holds and the exploitation that is has the power to use. Overall, due to the complex history and politics of the idea of citizenship and the problematic divisions it creates through the privileges the state rewards to those it deems "acceptable" enough to be called citizen, I do not believe anyone can truly be a global citizen. 

I believe the aspirations of those in privileged positions such as any given area from race to gender or socioeconomic status to educational background, should use their influential standing within the world view to augment the needs of others and not only themselves. However, if someone accomplishes this, I do not think it makes them a global citizen. Instead I believe it reflects a cognizant member of society that understands the the pervasive nature of power, privilege and difference through the world in addition to valuing cultural awareness and a commitment to the collective effort of creating a better world.

As far as study abroad goes, I know everyone that decides to do it has their own reasons for it. In my case, I believed that studying abroad would not only give me a chance to improve my Spanish but also learn about another country, its people, its culture, how the U.S. is viewed by people outside of it and how the decisions of elites within the States affect those around the globe.

Now as I answer this question of what study abroad means to me, I realize that what I set out to do has been accomplished in my short time here. However, the more time I spend in Argentina the more I realize that I am still learning how to define study abroad for myself. The longer I am here, the more goals I have that I want to see come to fruition before I leave. Don't get me wrong though. Although many of the questions I had before coming here have been answered, the truth is, is that being here has presented me with a whole new set of questions that I never thought I would have the need to ask myself. To be honest, I am still processing them internally which is why I am having such a difficult time writing this blog post. The very last one I will be writing is due in a few weeks and I truly look forward to discovering the rest of these questions, their answers and sharing them all with you.

Global Citizenship and the Purpose of Study Away; Buenos Aires LB

Google defines ¨global citizen¨as: someone who identifies with being part of an emerging world community and whose actions contribute to building this community's values and practices. There is a cartoon here named "Malfada." She is their version of Lisa Simpson. Malfada is very cultured about the world around her and questions politics and current events. She is a very popular figure in Argentina today symbolizing how Argentinians are very globally aware of their surroundings and consider themselves "global citizens." 

Malfada & I @ Caminito in La Boca 

     On the contrary, Americans have the reputation of being more close minded. I tried to beat this stereotype. I always loved the idea of study abroad. Being here, I have learned so much more about the world (and Spanish) than I could have ever in Meadville. Our program told us that we would be able to immerse ourselves in Argentinian culture and we would feel like Argentina was our home. Now three months in practically, Argentina does not feel like home. It feels like a resting point. I still have hopes that one day I won't stick out so much like a green thumb, but I don't think it's going to happen, unless I actually live here for a while.
For some reason I am having trouble writing and reacting to this blog post. I have this underlying desire to give an amazing personal/original definition of study away and that it'll affect all of my readers' opinions, but right now I am tired. The readings did interest me, but I am having trouble accepting what they say. 
I feel that because I make an attempt to go and open my mind to the world and make connections between lands that I am a global citizen. Even though I felt that Zemach-Bersin was kind of a brat in their writing, I can't find a reason as to why he would be wrong. I am never going to be an Argentinian, no matter how many times I try or how much effort I put in. My Spanish accent may always be a little off  and I will never fully be able to understand what it is to grow up in this beautiful country as a poor porteno. I can only try to understand a sliver of the hate some of these people have for the United States or for Great Britain. I can dress myself in platforms, drink Yerba matte, pronounce my "y's" like "chs" but whenever someone asks me where I'm from, the response will always be "the United States." It's who I am and I cannot evade it. Not that I'd want to.  
But isn't that the beauty of it? To read and hear about cultures is one thing, but to see them and experience them with your own eyes is something completely else, and much stronger. I didn't come here to become an Argentinian and use their culture to try and fit in. I came to by myself and learn more about the world and help shape myself. Obviously I came here to better my Spanish in the beginning, but now it has grown to finding independence and freedom. I do try different things and surround myself within their culture. How am I to describe to the ones around me about study abroad, you ask? To my family, study abroad is a growing experience. To a prospective employer or grad school, it was a way to learn different perspectives at a more difficult level, especially with Spanish. 
I'm pretty sure John Steinbeck wrote once, "People don't take trips, trips take people." I feel that I have been swallowed by Argentina, turned inside out, and spit back into the world. This adventure has been one for the ages, and I can't wait to see what this country still has in store for me.

"Awakened Argentina" 

Global Citizenship and the Purpose of Study Away: Buenos Aires (MO)

Study away means something different to everyone and I think that this is perfectly acceptable. If every person experienced study away the same way...there would not be a point to it. I am proud to say that my study away experience is very different from that of others. I have also been given the opportunity to study abroad before, in Germany for a year, and my experience in Germany was completely different than that of my experience in Argentina. I recently had this conversation with different people in my life and it has really allowed me to grow on the fact that my experience here is unique. Although at times it may seem like having a unique experience is not what one seeks while studying abroad, I am very content with the idea that my time here in Argentina is one of a kind because I wouldn't want it any other way.

The infamous Argentine Urban Literature Professor
on a class field trip

Yesterday in my Argentine Urban Literature class, I was discussing with a fellow classmate an interesting concept that our professor had explained to us. Although the concept is very abstract and pertains to living in an urban environment, I also believe that there is a huge connection with studying abroad. My professor explained to us that while walking down the streets of a city, we only catch glimpses of ourselves in the reflections of store fronts, cars, glass, and through the eyes of people we pass on the street. She then further explained that because we are only able to see parts of ourselves, it is like the city is breaking us apart, so therefore although the varying parts of us put us together and create a whole, the city first has to break us apart. She then explained that we only see the parts of ourselves that we want to see because we subconsciously choose what reflections we see of ourselves.

Some wonderful friends I have made this semester

Although it is slightly hard to comprehend, I believe that this concept directly correlates to the way that one feels while studying abroad. Living in a new culture and in a new country allows one to break down to our fundamentals, while also completing ourselves. I believe that my experiences abroad have allowed me to grow as a person and have allowed me to understand myself better as a whole. Of course I have chosen which reflections I am seeing of myself, but I am seeing them in a different setting, in a different culture, and in a different lighting. These differences have allowed me to put my many pieces together and develop myself as a whole while abroad, which for me is one of the many objectives of study abroad.

According to Brockington and Wiedenhoefft: "While the curricular goals of global competence and global citizenship share many of the same attributes, education for global citizenship extends global competency by the addition of instilling in students a respect for and desire to connect with others different from themselves" (Brockington, 121). I believe that this is also a large aspect to study abroad. For me, the purpose of study abroad is to engage and learn about another culture. One needs to meet new people, hear their points of view, learn new customs, and new languages to grow as a global citizen. By having the opportunity to meet so many amazing argentines, and other americans I constantly have been able to expand my views of other cultures and of the U.S. while being abroad in Buenos Aires.

Plaza de Mayo, Buenos Aires

Conclusively, I think that explaining study away experience to a prospective employer or to a graduate school may be a little troubling. I am not sure how I can express to others that things that I have experienced during my time away. I believe that study abroad is only beneficial for the person that is studying away. I think that it would be wonderful if somebody who has studied abroad is able to share stories about their new "home" and about the culture that they have been thrown into, but I also do believe that study abroad can only hold emotional ties to the person who actually experienced it. As many times as I tell my mom about the things that I see everyday on the street, or the way that I feel every morning when I am being shoved into the subte, clearly exceeding capacity, the amazing foods that I have been able to try, and the many new phrases and words I have learned in Castellano, she will never fully be able to understand what study abroad means to me.

Me and my Abuelito (Borges)

Study abroad means something different to each person that is willing to take the leap into one of the biggest adventures of life, and I believe that, that is exactly what study abroad means. Study abroad is exactly what you want it to be. With that I am going to leave you with two of my new favorite quotes:

"We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” – Anonymous

"No estoy seguro de que yo exista, en realidad. Soy todos los autores que he leído, toda la gente que he conocido, todas las mujeres que ha amado. Todas las ciudades que he visitado." - Jorge Luis Borges

Global Citizenship & the Purpose of Study Away: Australia (MAS)

1.   Global Citizenship and the Purpose of Study Away

I remember almost three years ago to the day sitting at Allegheny College striking a deal with a friend that if she studied abroad, I would too.  We both planned to go to Australia (in different semesters), enticed by the beaches, sun, and kangaroos.  Though those things may have been the original allure to studying abroad, I knew that the experience would bring me so much more.  In the months awaiting my departure, I could only hope that I would soon meet lifelong friends and gain traveling experience that would give me the confidence to go anywhere (in the world and in life).  My Australian journey thus far has met every expectation and then some.  

I think that study away programs actually have very little to do with studying.  The "study" is just an excuse to travel around the world for a semester while staying enrolled in college.  Now I still attend all of my classes, do my coursework, and love learning about marine biology and geology from a university on the coast next to the Great Barrier Reef but there is so much more to school, than school!  This is one lesson I think Allegheny has failed to emphasis; my experience as a Gator has been one of surviving, not living.  Every day in Meadville is a struggle to find time for two meals and two hours of sleep.  I enjoy the academic rigor there, but students need time to explore their passions and discover who they really are.  I think that is one of the main purposes of studying (living) abroad.  James Cook University was exactly what I needed to help me with those tasks as the school portion of the uni does not consume my entire day.  I take walks and spend extra time at meals because I can.  This has allowed me to focus more on myself and less on my textbooks, which can drive you crazy after a few semesters.

I find a great time to do some reflection and introspection is on early morning or evening hikes.

Being isolated from my family and everything familiar to me was what I needed to find out who I really am, what I really enjoy, what I really want.  Those are questions that only the individual can answer and there's no better time to answer them than when you are all alone in a foreign country where you know nothing and no one.  I would say that studying abroad is a journey of self-discovery.  

I also think that part of that journey is establishing independence.  When you arrive on campus with nothing but some clothes, you are forced to figure out the bus system and make your way to the nearest shopping center ASAP.  And when you end up in an airport an hour away from the hostel you booked, it is up to you to solve the problem.  Parents are technically still just a phone call away, but that's if you have wifi and are hitting the 14 hour time difference at a good time.  Nevertheless, the option to be completely independent is still there, you just have to take advantage of the opportunities.

Usually I try to blend in with the Australians, but I couldn't say no to the extremely touristy activity of visiting the Australia Zoo where Steve Irwin used to work.  (it was so worth being a complete tourist for the day)

Immersing yourself in the culture of the host destination is also an opportunity and goal of studying away.  Study abroad students come from all over the world to spend usually about 5 months in the foreign country.  Though they may leave their physical home behind them, it is still a part of them.  For example, I may pick up the different vocabulary terms here and try to replicate them, but I will never truly sound native.  And driving on the other side of the road doesn't seem wrong anymore, but it definitely isn't my natural instinct.  I agree with Zamach-Bersin that study away students cannot become global citizens.  We have the ability to learn about our temporary home, but we will not be one with our host nation; there will always be parts of home within us.  However, as Zamach-Bersin and Wiedenhoeft point out, studying abroad and even attempting to become a global citizen furthers our education.  Being a study away student provides us with learning curves not possible in any other situation.  It helps us become well-rounded individuals in terms of courses studied and general global knowledge and appreciation.  I only really watched local news back in the States but since being in Australia I have learned so much about the rest of the world.  I will definitely be taking those lessons back to the States and continuing to keep up with global news.  In a couple of months I will be returning to Pennsylvania as a more culturally aware student, but not quite a global citizen.  Afterall, as Byers pondered, what even is a global citizen?