It has been many months since I went to study abroad in India. This
has given me time to reflect. I have kept up with three people I met in
India. One, Aman, I talk to once a month. The other two I keep up on
What’s App or Facebook Messenger. From my trip, I have continued to grow
as a person
Aman is getting married in December, and although we were only together for three weeks in India, he invited me to his wedding. One of my other Indian friends invited me to his sibling’s wedding in February. Friendships in India are long term. I normally do not keep up with my friends especially if we do not see each other often. My new friends are teaching me the importance of long term relationship. I have another friend, Ítalo, who is from Brazil. He has done the same thing for me; our friendship continues to flourish even though he left America over seven months ago. We Skype each other every few weeks to keep up with one another. He has also invited me to his wedding (the date is still to be decided.). I understand only two examples is a bad sample size, but I believe the individualistic culture in America causes our friendships to be short lived while other more collectivistic cultures, India and Brazil, focus on life long relationships.
The trip was difficult and fun. Yes, difficult and fun are not
mutually exclusive. The difficulty was caused by the exposure to a new
perspective on life. Most mornings, I spent a hour or more alone in the
morning to reflect on the day by praying and reading the Bible. These
times allowed me to continue through the difficulties. In the face of
difficulty or sometimes because of the differences, I made lasting
memories of my adventures in India. I found difficult, fun experiences
to be some of the most memorial. One of my favorite books, When Breath Becomes Air, reminded me the point of life is not about running away from hardships.
I highly suggest studying abroad. I have five recommendations when choosing a study aboard trip.
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To find out more about the International Business in India program, visit http://studyabroad.uark.edu/wcobindia.
Aman is getting married in December, and although we were only together for three weeks in India, he invited me to his wedding. One of my other Indian friends invited me to his sibling’s wedding in February. Friendships in India are long term. I normally do not keep up with my friends especially if we do not see each other often. My new friends are teaching me the importance of long term relationship. I have another friend, Ítalo, who is from Brazil. He has done the same thing for me; our friendship continues to flourish even though he left America over seven months ago. We Skype each other every few weeks to keep up with one another. He has also invited me to his wedding (the date is still to be decided.). I understand only two examples is a bad sample size, but I believe the individualistic culture in America causes our friendships to be short lived while other more collectivistic cultures, India and Brazil, focus on life long relationships.
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| Aman is the one in the front with the yellow shirt. |
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| My friend, Ítalo, is on the left |
I highly suggest studying abroad. I have five recommendations when choosing a study aboard trip.
- Visit a country with a very different culture
- Find a trip where you go places you could not go if you went by yourself
- Look for a trip (or trip leader) focused on your development as a person
- Ask past participants about relationship they still have from the trip
- Seek out a trip where you are immersed into the culture of the country
A little about Seth:
I finished my undergraduate in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Arkansas in May 2016. A couple of days after graduation I left to study abroad in India. Currently, I am in my second to last semester of my Master’s of Business Administration (MBA).--
Don't miss your chance to study abroad!
Read more from Seth at https://sethinindia.wordpress.com/To find out more about the International Business in India program, visit http://studyabroad.uark.edu/wcobindia.
