Why did you decide to study abroad?
I have always believed
that studying abroad is an integral part of a college experience that all
students should participate in to gain a larger perspective on the world and
how other students think and live. I wanted to be fully immersed in a culture
other than my own, which I truly did in both of my study abroad trips as well
as other international service experiences in college.
What did you really
learn by going abroad? How has it impacted the rest of your college
experience/your personal life/your job search?
My international
experiences along with my ethnic background has become my motivation for my
future endeavors. I intend to gear my degree toward the advancement of
healthcare in resource-limited settings by developing appropriate medical
devices and creating opportunities for others to do the same. After visiting a
rural health clinic in Vietnam, I have become increasingly aware of the medical
need in developing countries and my role of making an impact through my
biomedical engineering degree. In addition, I have a gained a deep appreciation
for other cultures and have joined several international organizations and
established one, called Engineering World Health Chapter at the U of A.
What was the biggest
hurdle in getting abroad and how did you overcome it?
A big challenge was finding
a program that fit perfectly with my engineering goals. For my first study
abroad trip, I wanted to study in Spain for the purpose of using my Spanish
while simultaneously studying in engineering classes. After my freshman year, I
still couldn’t find my ideal program. So I decided to simply study Spanish in
Madrid after my sophomore year, which was one of the best decisions I have
made. Though I didn’t take engineering classes, this trip definitely allowed me
to focus on my Spanish skills while exploring a new culture. Fortunately, I was
able to participate on my second study abroad which related more to my future
goals, serving in the U of A global community development program in Vietnam.
What is one piece of
advice would you give to other students thinking about studying abroad?
Just do it!! Don’t
linger on finding the ideal program. If you are adventurous and want to take on
a new challenge, you should study abroad now while you’re in college and before
you go out into the real world!
What did you learn about yourself/your culture by going abroad?
Though I have studied abroad before and been to several developing
countries, Vietnam was the first time I have been in a country where the
language, food, religion, and governmental system was completely different than
what I was used to. I learned that I have grown to appreciate differences of
other ethnicities, such as learning a language and trying some different food,
including sea urchins, squid, and balut!
Where did you live
while abroad?
I lived in the dorm of the Can Tho University with my U of A team. We ate
in the cafeterias, bought bottled water from the on-campus canteen store, and
played volleyball and a type of traditional hacky sack game with the local
Vietnamese students.
Was studying abroad expensive? How did you pay for your experience?
Yes, there’s no doubt about the high expenses! Fortunately, the Honors
College Study Abroad Grant covered most of the costs for me and I was able to
use some scholarship from my spring semester to cover the rest of the costs.
Did you encounter any
unexpected attention from your group or the local people by being a different
ethnicity than the ? How did you deal with it?
Before arriving in Vietnam, I had no idea about what people would think
of me as a person of a darker skin color. When our team was participating in an
English Club, one Vietnamese student came up to me and touched my skin, and
told me it looked really tough and strong, which was completely unexpected! I
took this as a compliment, and realized that many people thought it was a
unique thing to have dark skin. The Vietnamese locals would take pictures of me
and my team because we were foreigners. It was difficult for our team to blend
in with the culture because we traveled as a group and talked and acted
differently. Though we did not want to make a big scene of being foreigners, it
seemed to be inevitable.
Find out more about the U of A Community Development in Vietnam program at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/vietnam
