Study Abroad: Quite the Proposal

This week was one of my favorite weeks -if not my favorite- in honors forum. We had a few people speak to us about the possibility of studying abroad, and gave us their testimonies of their experiences in other countries.

Personally, I have always wanted to study abroad in Mexico. I lived in Celaya in Guanajuato, Mexico for a year (when I was four until I was five). This time period was really where my memory began, and since then, I have always wanted to go back for another year. Granted, I went for a couple of weeks when I was 8 years old, and saw how drastically the place I used to call home had changed. I would really like to go back and see how it has changed again, but after hearing what the speakers had to say, I might have changed my mind.

We heard from a girl about Costa Rica. Her schedule consisted of classes from 1pm-5pm, and the rest of the time was mostly "play time." She got to see the World Cup (which I would love), Americanized malls, and La Fortuna. She also discovered the coffee there is amazing... As much of a coffee drinker as I am, I know I would love that aspect of the trip. Another great thing about Costa Rica for me is the language barrier. I already know Spanish, so that would not be much of a struggle for me.



Secondly, Lauren Daley told us about her trip to Spain. This, however, was a personally organized trip she went on. Lauren learned how to navigate and speak the language by herself. Of course, I find that highly impressive. I can only imagine everything she got to see and experience as a single traveler. She did tell us of her adventures at the Don Quijote palace and her account of a flamenco/ballet she saw while she was there. One weekend, she even went to the beach with her friends to Nerja Beach. She had class from 9am-1pm, and the rest of the time was hers to use in exploration and learning hands-on. Being an independent student in Spain, Lauren must have gotten a greater taste of the culture than most group students do. Hats off to Lauren, for that! Again with this, the language barrier would not be too bad. In Spain, they speak a different form of Spanish, but the words are still similar.



Lastly, everyone's favorite Corrine Beckinger gave us her spiel on her travels to China. This was my favorite part of the meeting, because well, she just had the best story, in my opinion.  Corrine went to China paying only 800 dollars, when the trip would normally cost 3,400 dollars without financial aid. Fortunately, the University gives scholarships of 800 dollars to the first hundred students who apply to study abroad, and 500 dollars to honors students. Corrine went to China as a geography field study. Anyone who knows anything about "field study" knows that it is mostly play, since work becomes fun. The most amazing part about Corrine's trip was that one day, when she and her boyfriend decided to climb the Great Wall, once they got to the top, he proposed to her....Then, he decided to finish out the year in China. Go figure. Either way, I think that sounds amazing, hence the title for my blog this week. Of everything Corrine told us about her trip, I think it sounded like the trip I would enjoy the most. The only problem for me would be that I do not speak a word of Chinese. No, wait! I can count to three! Ichi, ni, san. No, wait.... that's Japanese. Yep, the language barrier would definitely be a problem.



After this forum meeting, I know that I am highly interested in studying abroad. I hope that I can find a way and a place, somehow... Until then, I will keep studying about it and appreciate the beautiful campus I already learn at every day. Roar, lions!