Column | Lessons learned from study abroad | Opinions

Being away from home, family and friends for the first time promised exploration and adjustments. Being by myself, albeit with some new friends made along the way, gave me time to think about my study abroad experience and the lessons I’ve learned thus far.

First, America is a mostly homogenous country. Sure, there are different personalities depending on where you are from, but English is the most common language, and unfortunately, there isn’t much of a need for the average American to learn a second language.

At Penn State, people come from all over the nation to study and gain an education. All locations are somewhat different, whether from the Northeast, West Coast, the South or the Midwest.

Over here in Europe, that level of distance can mean different languages, cultures and personalities.

While most people in western Europe know English and speak it quite well, a lesson I’ve learned is to do the best I can with foreign languages. Most of my travels have been to French, Italian or German-speaking cities and countries, and while everyone has spoken English, it makes me feel better and more respectful to try.

While I certainly can’t hold long conversations, learning simple phrases and common questions has made the experience easier. And thanks to Penn State’s FR 3: Intermediate French, French has — without a doubt — been the most successful language I’ve communicated with. I’ll give some of that credit to the language degree requirement I completed by taking French.

Cultural understanding has been another lesson I’ve gladly learned from studying abroad. As I’ve said, America is relatively homogenous, but we all come from somewhere; even Penn State hosts groups, clubs and associations for different heritages.

To go from culture to culture, city to city and country to country in a matter of days has only exemplified this perspective for me. For something that could be a mere distance of commonwealth campuses apart, you could have two places with completely different cultures and histories, which has been the most fascinating part of abroad thus far.

A third lesson I’ve taken with me is personal growth. Whether personal or academic goals, I’ve felt like l’ve had a glimpse of perspective on many things.

Interests like art, music and language learning have all strengthened and given me a better foundation for subjects I’m now excited about. Academically, I’ve always had interests in topics like history, and to see such history in person has made me want to take more classes about it.

Similarly to history, reading has been something I’ve learned to appreciate more since I’ve been abroad. It wasn’t that I didn’t read before, but different books from different countries have allowed me to expand my horizons, and now I may want to take more English classes at Penn State.

Studying abroad has been filled with new lessons learned, experiences, people and stories I can now share. While something like this is an extraordinary opportunity, there are benefits in branching out and learning about a new culture or having a new experience.

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