Emma is a senior at the University
of Arkansas, double majoring in Cultural Anthropology and International
Relations and double minoring in French and African/African American Studies. She started her travel by spending a summer taking anthropology classes with U of A faculty in Tanzania, followed by another summer learning more about the Holocaust in Prague and capped it off with a spring semester in Rwanda, focusing on peace-building. We asked her a few questions about her study abroad and here's
what she had to say:
Why did you decide to study abroad?
I decided to study abroad because I knew that it would
give me the opportunity to go to unique places and have once-in-a-lifetime
experiences and lessons. I chose Rwanda because the program captivated me and
fit with my interests and field of study.
What did you really learn by going abroad? How was it
impacted the rest of your college experience/your personal life/your job
search?
Studying abroad definitely fostered growth on a
personal level. I learned how to be more independent, open-minded, and
resourceful. Traveling to places that I had previously known nothing about put
a lot of things in perspective for me and sparked my desire to continue meeting
new people and hearing their stories. Study abroad gives you very practical
life skills that can be translated into skills for any and every job, along
with unique experiences to bolster your resumé. Personally, studying abroad in
Rwanda helped me to decide the career path I want to go down.
What was the biggest hurdle in getting abroad and how
did you overcome it?
The biggest hurdle for me was pushing myself out of my
comfort zone. Although the idea of traveling far away is always appealing, I
get nervous to leave the people and place that I am so comfortable with. I have
found that the best way to overcome this is to not overthink it. Just know that
no matter where you're going or who you're going with, you will have the
opportunity to stretch yourself and experience wonderful things!
What is one piece of advice would you give to other
students thinking about studying abroad?
I would say: Just go for it! You will not regret this
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and you will get even more out of it then you
expect. The chance to travel around the world and experience new people and
cultures is not something to pass up!
What did you learn about yourself/your culture by going abroad?
I personally learned to put everything in perspective
and not take myself too seriously. Studying abroad taught me how to be flexible
and resourceful when things do not go as planned, and to keep a positive
attitude no matter what!
Where did you live while abroad?
In Rwanda I spent the first 10 weeks living with a
local homestay family assigned by my program. The last 5 weeks I lived with 3
other girls in my program in a house that we had found with the help of a local
real estate agent (the program directors aided us as well). Both experiences
were amazing! Being a homestay student was a wonderful opportunity to immerse
myself in the culture and learn from my homestay parents and siblings about
Rwanda. On the other hand, living with my friends was a lot of fun and gave us
the opportunity to become independent and experience the city and country on
our own.
Was studying abroad expensive? How did you pay for your experience?
Though studying abroad seems expensive, there are
plenty of opportunities to get scholarships, both from your school and your
community. In my case, I was able to use my academic scholarships as well as
one received from the program.
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Use our search to look for more programs in Tanzania, Rwanda and the Czech Republic, as well as
over 40 other countries: http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/
If you need help getting started with study abroad, take a
look at the first steps: http://studyabroad.uark.edu/getting-started/first-steps.php.
