Study Abroad Blog

The reason I joined Paideia was to find some way to better myself as a person. The study abroad experience capitalizes on this goal. My whole life I have wanted to see another part of the world to compare cultures and broaden my view of life. However, a part of me has always been too afraid to step outside of my comfort zone. By being forced out of this comfort zone I will open myself to so many new opportunities that I would not hesitate to seize.

From this experience I hope to gain new insight into how others live. For all 19 years of my life I have been stuck in the United States. I have traveled and lived in enough parts of the country to know that even in the same country life is vastly diverse. I am excited to see how much culture and lifestyles vary from country to country. I came to SU knowing that undergrads get an abnormal amount of learning and research opportunities. By going abroad I feel like I am taking advantage of even more opportunities.

What worries me about studying abroad is that I do not know how I will take being so far away from home. Again, it is out of my comfort zone, so there are several worries. My other concern is that study abroad would prevent me from graduating on time.

After going to the study abroad fair I pretty much have my heart set on going to Australia but I am still open to suggestions. I want to go during the summer so that I do not get too far behind on my course work. I want to do some kind of study abroad that involves research or animal work. I am an Animal Behavior major so anything for Biology or Psychology really interests me.

What I Expect from Paideia

I applied for the Paideia program last year after I consulted a friend about student organizations last spring. I was looking for something that I could add to a busy schedule but at the same time I can better myself by getting involved in the community. She suggested Paideia and I was very skeptical but applied just for the experience. I signed up for this particular section because upon receiving the section list, this one stuck out to me. I am an animal behavior major and I find psychology interesting thus I chose the psychology section. From Paideia I hope to become more involved in the community. I also need a non-stressful class that can get me involved in something off campus.
I not really sure exactly where I want to study abroad but I would probably narrow it down to either Germany or an English speaking country. I am currently taking German courses but since I am a science major I would rather focus on something along those lines. So as far as where, I have to see what programs are offered.
I think it would be really cool if we can do some sort of mentoring program with one of the local schools for at risk children. I did some tutoring for an elementary school my senior year in high school, and it was really rewarding to see the kids get excited to do their work when we showed up. Kids really look up to us, so I feel we could make a difference.
My only worry is that I am going to have an overload of work. So far I am feeling confident but becoming over whelmed is always a worry in the back of my mind.