"For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return." - Leonardo da Vinci
A Collective of
Study Abroad
Experiences
This page is a collective page where other students who have studied abroad express their personal experiences abroad. My experiences in Southeast Asia were unique to me, so I wanted to provide diverse perspectives and stories. Thanks to the people who have contributed; without you all this page would have been a long diary about my time abroad.
If you would like to contribute anything contact me through my email: estrellavrgs@gmail.com
Sirena Davis
is from Boston and is a recent graduate of Denison University. Sirena is a Gilman Recipient who studied abroad in Gulu, Uganda in the Spring of 2016.
Spencer Dow
is from Boston and recent graduate of Denison University.
Spencer studied abroad in Solheimar, Iceland in the Spring of 2016.
"Here in Solheimar, Iceland, I am an outsider looking in. I can pick and choose what I want to take away from this experience, but at the end of the day, this environment is home to the residents down to the minuscule bacteria native to this area. The Birds didn’t have a say in if they wanted me here, so the least I can do is be grateful while on the other hand, this world belongs to no one. So the least any inhabitant on this earth can do is treat it with respect.
I sit near the river with a huge mountain in front and the sun to the back right side of me. The peaceful current of the water on this mildly windy day is creating a relaxing sound of tiny water droplets. The cause of this is the water lightly hitting the sides of what was left from the river frozen over. My love for natural places like this began when my parents began taking me to beaches all over the country, and then some outside. Something about the sun reflecting off vast bodies of water always captured my attention as I felt as I was lost in its glare. This made me think of how little we are in comparison to our solar system and beyond. I find peace in that; knowing that my problems aren’t nearly as big as I make them out to be. With that being said, I think anything alive on this world should take in all the world has to offer it and be cautious not to abuse something as beautiful as this. The world is big, but it can’t take too many punches.
All of this environmental talk being here in Solheimar is completely new to me, and I really hope to take back half of the knowledge I’m accumulating back home. I still have lots to learn, and with it all being brand new I’m trying to take it all in. Past participants have told me to squeeze every bit out of every moment here because it sure does fly. I think that’s the best piece of advice I could’ve gotten- it makes me take experiences like this sitting in front of a beautiful mountain in all its glory and really be amazed by what the world has to offer. Knowing that these places exist and are finite give me the incentive to keep to sustainable ways."
Unfettered Consumption
Spencer shares with us a blog he wrote while abroad that highlights his experience in Solheimar.
"The term unfettered consumption may seem like a new concept to some, but little do they know they’ve been contributors to it for so long. The Merriam-Webster definition of unfettered is “not controlled or restricted,” so I take it that non-restricted consumption of material products like iPhones, the newest Nike sneaker, or even the shirt purchased from Gap at 50% off are all bought without the knowledge of what energy resources are put into the making of the product. I wasn’t a big shopper, but I did indulge in the little things that I got when I made a purchase. From the new hoodie I got from H&M to a new phone I scored. I wasn’t thinking of the effort put into the making of it, I was only thinking of all the new features the phone included or which hat to wear with the new hoodie.
I can’t preach to you that you buy or shop less, but at least I can shed some light on the damage being done to the earth when you do make a purchase. For an average smartphone, around 240 gallons of fresh water are used in the production of a single phone from mining the materials for its innards to the glass screen. Sure the world is 70% water, but a minuscule amount of it is fresh drinkable water. Not only is water used to create most of the clothes you have on now or are reading this on, but also the technology and equipment used to create it, which are electronically powered. Essentially all of the elements are being used to create a product like an iPhone. So when you break your screen next time, don’t think of replacing the phone altogether. The least you can do is replace the screen. Better yet, take better care of a phone you so dearly love to get the most life out of it. And one of the best resolutions: connect to nature and those around you so that when you’re bored you don’t have to dig your face into the palm of your hand, reducing the use of the phone overall.
This idea may seem like it only applies to electronics, but the same can go for everyday needs like clothes and sneakers. Less is more (for mother nature and the sake of the planet). By being less materialistic, you are giving less into big companies and their natural resource exploitation. If you don’t buy, they won’t supply. You don’t need the extra pair of sneakers because they’re on sale, the ones you currently have will be just fine, plus you’ll end up saving money in the long run with this mentality."
Jacqueline Rueda
is from Chicago and a recent graduate of Depauw University. Jackie studied abroad in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil in the Spring of 2016.
"My name is Jackie Rueda and I am 22 years old, Chicana bisexual woman from Humboldt Park Chicago, IL and recently living in Little Village. I am a first generation college student and a senior attending DePauw University in Greencastle Indiana. I am an Education studies major with a double minor in Spanish and Latin American studies.
I studied abroad for a semester in Salvador da Bahia, Brasil for six months. My experience was beyond amazing. I had ups and downs and they both contributed to my experience. I have learned so much about myself that I would have never been able to learn here in the USA. Where to start. Bahia has over 40% of the black population of Brasil and the Candomble religion is practiced by many Bahians. Without my experience, I would have never learned about an Afro-Brasilian religion that is practiced currently that was brought by African ancestors from the continent of Africa. Without living in Brazil for six months, I would not have been able to understand blackness in Brasil as much as I understand it now. Growing up, I only heard of black people existing in the USA as African Americans and in countries in Africa. Never did I hear Latin America as being part of the black diaspora. My family never talked about that until I went to school and was able to study it more in Bahia. It is important to understand the intersectionalities and stop viewing blackness and latinidad as two completely different things when it can and is one together.
I think it is very important for first-generation black and brown youth to go abroad because you will learn so much about yourself in a completely different environment. Home will always be home! The resources are there. They are us! Do what you are passionate about. Don’t do what the white society wants you to do because only you know what is best for you. There were times where I wanted to go home. Where I missed home. I missed my friends. At the end of all those feeling of missing, I remembered why I was there. Because I needed to be there. I needed to discover a completely different world than what I was used to seeing. It is a beautiful thing to just let go what is holding you back and be in a new space. I have many highlights with great lessons and those will forever be in me.
I don’t know how to swim, and before arriving in Brasil I was extremely afraid of water, by the end of the semester, I was able to get in the ocean and enjoy the motion of the waves dragging me 10 inches in deeper. I swam in a natural pool inside a cave that was 70m deep. I went to a beach at night with my friends and ran freely for ten minutes. Those are the memories that I will keep forever because they are part of my growth. I will forever remember Carnival where I learned about the music and dancing culture in Bahia and speaking Portuguese with locals and learning from them.
It is not about the destination, it is about the journey. Tu puedes, y no dejes que nadie te diga lo contrario. Somos el presente y mañana el futuro."