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Pre-departure thoughts: One week before Argentina.

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6/19/2012
One week until I leave for Argentina! That’s crazy, this is something for which I have worked and waited for soooo long. Since a year and a half ago from when I talked to Karie about the program, until now, It is truly been my own trip. And what a trip! I’m going to be on another continent where I don’t know anyone! I’m very nervous, but I want to speak completely in Spanish the whole time.

I have been spending all this time getting ready, packing, reading, and getting everything together, but really I don’t think anything can prepare me. It’s going to be different than I imagine, but I have great feelings about it, because I have waited for this for so long. From deciding to learn Spanish in high school, and writing scholarship essays about wanting to study abroad, I have always had a heart to travel. New things, new people, new language, I am totally drawn to it; Drawn to the challenge, the appeal in learning how other people do things, how other people express themselves, how they eat their meals, how they build their cities.

I do feel as though I already have a foreign oriented mindset, most of my friends are from different ethnic groups than I. I already dove into the culture of MEChA (El Movimiento Estudiantil Chican@ de Aztlan), dove into middle eastern culture by dating a boy from Saudi Arabia. I already love culture, I know that. And I can’t wait to have a true experience of another people group’s culture. Who are Argentines? How do they live? What do they like? What makes the country tick, and how can I learn and grow from their perspectives and experiences?

Because that’s the real question. What can I lear about myself by learning about others? That’s the only way to truly know who we are. Exposing ourselves; Experimenting ourselves; Letting experience shed light on what is inside of us and what is outside of us. Everyone and everything can be a learning experience if we want to to be. Image

This is a picture of my roommates and I on my last night in the states. We went to Applebee’s to celebrate!  Emily

Argentina Here I Come!

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It’s hard telling what my host culture will be like. I can sit here and list several details that I have read about Argentina, but I don’t think that it would do that country justice. I am really anxious to travel out of the country and see what this Argentina has to offer.

I can picture myself being like this bolt below. When I am abroad, I will be strung in all these different directions at once. My emotions will be up and down and all around. But I know that this will be an experience of a life time and I can not wait to arrive in Rosario!

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From what I have read, Argentines are meat lovers. It just so happens that I am a huge fan of meat as well. I believe that I eat meat at least once a day. So I am certain that I will fit in with those who love to eat meat!

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Where I am at in my life right now before this trip, I consider to be like a flower. I am growing slowly everyday, until that one day that a miracle happens and I will bloom into a beautiful flower. Going on this trip is going to help me grow. When I return, I will be blossomed and ready to embark on my new adventures that life bring.  Melissa

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In just a coupl…

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In just a couple days I will be leaving for Oviedo, Spain. I look forward to everything about the experience except the more than ten-hour plane trip.

I expect Spanish culture to be a mixture of modern and formal. The culture has been formed by thousands of years of history, and has had many different influences, so I expect it to have many different sides. I expect the culture to be much more traditional than I am used to, but I also expect to see how Spain has modernized.

I won’t be staying with a host family, so it will be more difficult for me to meet locals. However, by living in Oviedo I will be surrounded by the culture, and I hope I will be able to get to know it well. I am very interested in the culture, so it won’t be a problem for me to accept it, and I expect to fit in well. My greatest concern is my ability to speak Spanish; although I have felt confident in Spanish classes, I know that I am much better at reading and writing than at speaking and listening. I know that it will be difficult for me to converse with native speakers who may speak too quickly for me.

However, I know that I will return home better for this experience. It will be a challenge, but I look forward to the improvement that I will gain in my Spanish language—especially my oral Spanish.  Annelise

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Welcome to WOU’s Photoblog for Students Abroad!

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I’m pleased to introduce you to WOU’s photoblog for students who are studying or interning abroad.  I  invite you to follow our students on their journeys from pre-departure preparation through the return home.

Photoblogging is a wonderful way for students to share what they are learning, observing, and discovering in their new environments.  Enjoy the journey with them!

WOU’s photoblog is modeled on the Australian “Bringing the Learning Home” project developed by Jan Gothard, Greg Downey, Tonia Gray, and Linda Butcher, and with their permission, utilizes some of the materials from that project.  https://ozstudentsabroad.com/