Hi there! My name is Anna Thrash and I am currently a junior
double majoring in Broadcast Journalism and Art. I am from Conway, Arkansas and a member of Alpha Omicron Pi. I have wanted to study abroad since I can remember, but my sister beat me to it when she went on the faculty-led trip during the summer to Belize while I was still in high school. She was the first person in our family to ever leave the country and it was really exciting, so I couldn’t wait!
My
turn came over this last summer, and I took a somewhat different path than my
sister. I chose to study abroad with USAC for a month over the summer in
Prague, Czech Republic.
This was the first time I ever left the country, the
first time I traveled by myself, and I didn’t know anyone on this trip. I was
the only person from Arkansas and one of the very few people from the South in
general. But, I can tell you it was the best choice I ever made.
There were around 50 people on my trip and I became such
good friends with all of them that I was pretty sad to be leaving because the
chances of ever seeing them again are slim. But I don’t regret it, and I know
that if I’m ever in their area or if they ever come to Arkansas that we would
be very welcome in each other’s homes.
I greatly recommend doing a study abroad, because I gives
you a much greater understanding of the people and culture of the area. You get
so much more out of it than you would just going there on vacation. I
personally feel like Prague is a second home to me because I came to know it so
well, and how cool is that to say?
For anyone going on a study abroad, my advice is always be
down to do whatever. I think some of the things that were off the beaten path
or that we didn’t expect to be very fun turned out to be some of the most
memorable experiences. When we were on a field study and riding a tour bus with
our program between Vienna and Budapest, none of us were really looking forward
to visiting this monastery that was on our schedule. When we got there we were
pleasantly surprised by a very funny and interesting monk, Father Albin, and we
found out the monastery was the oldest in Hungary, built in 996.
In the end, I
think the tour of the monastery became one of the highlights of the trip for
all of us. Sure, the touristy things are fun to do too, but your experience
will become so much more personal if you give everything a try.
--
Come
meet Anna and the other peer advisors, along with office of study
abroad staff, faculty leaders, program providers and other study abroad
alumni at the Study Abroad Fair on Tuesday, September 20, from 10am-2pm in the Intl Connections Lounge of the Arkansas Union!
