Being a Visitor – Summer 2019

This May, I had the opportunity to study Communication Law in Oxford, England, and Leipzig, Germany, with the Journalism/Mass Communications department. Everything from the scheduled excursions to the food to the unplanned moments made the experience once-in-a-lifetime. We made our own postcards at the Museum of Printing Arts in Leipzig, toured Saint Anne’s College Library in Oxford, and learned a great deal of history on a walking tour of Berlin. We drank chocolate espressos at the oldest coffee shop in Europe, ate incredibly fresh raspberries, smoked cheese, and homemade sourdough bread from Gloucester Green, and tried meat pies for the first time. Two friends and I planned a trip to Scotland the day before the flight, hiked Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh on a whim, and found the most amazing Italian restaurant from the advice of a taxi driver. Each day held something new and exciting just waiting to be discovered. 

Academics and amazing days aside, the most formative part of a Study Abroad trip is learning how to handle the tough things without dwelling on them. I learned patience after wandering for hours in airport terminals, trying to find cheap food options in a different language. I learned humility and respect after being made fun of in a German café for only speaking English. I learned to appreciate the luxuries of home after going through customs several times, walking nearly 100 miles in 3 weeks, and eating a variety of new and different foods that I would not have eaten otherwise. If I had to sum it all up, I would say the most important thing I learned was how to be a visitor.

This experience gave me a newfound respect and compassion for people from different countries who come to live in the United States. Whether it be for college or for life, living in any country that is not your own for any amount of time is difficult. It’s tough to adjust to a different way of life. Everything is unfamiliar: the food, the transportation methods, the bathrooms, the language, even the way beds are made. However, living in a different country opens the door to a vast array of wonderful moments. The greenery is lush, the air is crisp and the fruit is fresh in Europe. The buildings, traditions, and ways of life are hundreds of years old, rich with history. 

There is beauty to be found in being a visitor. Throughout my time overseas, I made the most precious memories in the moments I felt confused, lost, and homesick. Being in an unfamiliar place on a school trip allowed me to grow in confidence while having a safety net of friends to fall on when I tripped up. The trip broadened my horizons and brought me into a community experiencing the same thing, giving us all a place to wrestle with the tough parts and celebrate the great parts of Study Abroad. If you ever have a chance to study abroad, DO IT! It will change your life for the better. 

Walking the streets of Whittenberg, Germany

Pretty building in Whittenberg, Germany