Eryne Schneider is sophomore who studied abroad in Salamanca, Spain with ISA over summer 2024. She is a sophomore double majoring in Spanish and Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.
The most memorable part of my global education experience was all the new and fun activities I got to do while making friends and learning about the world around me. The level of immersion left the learning so hands-on and interactive that each conversation and excursion stuck with me and deeply impacted my experience.
I still remember the taste of salt water and the excitement in my chest during my surfing lessons in Santander and how old the world felt as I crossed a bridge built by the Romans on my way to have a picnic by the water outside Salamanca.
I heard and spoke Spanish while having life changing experiences that informed who I was and what the world was like around me. Who knew that moments like these could teach me more about myself and the Spanish language and culture than a curriculum back home? Getting outside of the classroom and immersing myself in a completely different culture, language and way of life taught me so much about who I am as a person, student and professional, and it expanded my knowledge of the world in a way that has guided my experiences and mindset long after I left. I learned that I am actually a very outgoing person with a lot of interpersonal skills and adaptability.
I left my comfort zone behind and realized that being in new and different places is where I thrived and made the most impact on the world and the people around me. I avoided using my native language and spoke Spanish whenever possible and I used all my time outside of class to explore the city, go on trips and excursions and apply what my professors and host family taught me along the way. Being abroad both requires and cultivates a level of independence, confidence, open mindedness, adaptability and motivation that I hadn’t fully explored in myself before the experience but had completely embraced and developed once there and after.
Along with getting the credit and Spanish language knowledge for my major, I needed to go abroad to truly see how my academic pursuits fit into my overall career and life goals. I’ve always loved traveling so much, and studying abroad let me become more intentional about my passions and what I could do to better my life and those around me. I have been driven to pursue forms of advocacy and service with my Spanish skills, and seeing the people and places I may interact with professionally in the future allowed me to see where I fit in now and where I can go to continue to pursue my passions and shape them into a career and lifestyle. Regardless of my specific goals and interests, studying abroad expanded my intercultural skills and knowledge and shaped me into a better global citizen. I am more capable of bridging cultural gaps and understanding where I visit and how to adapt to any situation. Studying abroad shaped my open mindset, adventurous nature and love for travel into a greater understanding of the world and my place in it in a way that allowed me to fit in and respect the culture of where I studied while measuring my impact and influence in a positive way and actively directing and developing skills that will help me move about the world and cultivate change later on. Growing in my global citizenship informed and helped me achieve my personal goals while giving me what I need to pursue more opportunities in the future and make an impact on the world around me.
The first piece of advice I would give regarding studying abroad would be just to do it. Whether your passions are going to take you around the world or just working with your local communities, studying abroad and applying yourself wherever you study will teach you valuable skills and lessons about yourself and the world around you on an integral level. Along with just going, you will get the most out of your study abroad experience by fully immersing yourself, leaving fears and inhibitions behind and jumping into the experiences and opportunities around you with an open mind. This can feel overwhelming at first, but once you move past the nerves and start to adapt to the fast pace and flourish in the new experiences, you’ll start to crave the new and exciting things instead of fearing them.
Coming back from my study abroad, the only thing I remember about fear was the elation and satisfaction I felt overcoming it...
...and the amazing experiences and what I learned in doing so. This doesn’t have to be all about traveling around the country you’re visiting or doing daring excursions. It can be watching a movie made in your host country at the theater or trying that new and interesting food at dinner with your host family. Having experiences abroad informed and developed who I am, my goals of advocacy, influence and travel and gave me memories that I will cherish for a lifetime. I made friends that I still speak to today who teach me so much about the world and share my global experience. There is something to be appreciated and learned through every adventure abroad, and it was truly the most valuable and influential experience I’ve ever had.
