Finding an alternative to study abroad

“More than 33 percent  of Saint Joseph’s University students study abroad,” According to the Center for International Programs (CIP) website, in their FAQ. Currently I am not part of that percentage and when I started my college career, I was sure I would be. What exactly changed?

Objectively speaking, study abroad promises to fulfill everything a 20-something desires, like adventure, glamour, spontaneity, fabulous Instagrams and the chance to leave the confines of the classroom for a semester, or even a year. I love all of these things, and as a freshman, I imagined my junior year spent in London, peeling back the pages of “Henry V” while waiting for the Tube. 

The idea of studying abroad became more than a semester of bliss for me. Fall of sophomore year, I set my eyes on the Saint Andrew’s Fellowship, which finances a year abroad at one of four Scottish schools. I’ve always had a hunger for all things prestigious and a love of school work. At the time, I was beginning to think St. Joe’s was the wrong choice for me academically speaking, so it seemed like the perfect fit.

When I wasn’t chosen to apply on behalf of the university, I was disappointed. I decided not to apply to an international program through CIP, believing myself to be a shoe-in for the Saint Andrew’s Fellowship. The entire experience was a turning point in my education at St. Joe’s. While other friends made plans to go abroad the following fall, I was left questioning my own potential and open horizons gone unplanned.

I realized that I wanted a cultural immersion studying abroad, not an outsider’s perspective. There are a variety of ways to get this: internship experience, living with a host-family and traveling with strangers. I decided to do a mix of all three. In the spring of the same year, I accepted a position with American Village, a company where Americans travel to France to become camp counselors to local kids. Not long after my spring semester of sophomore year ended, I left for the job.

I could write about my experience forever, or at the very least, much longer than 700 words. The sounds of children’s feet on the floor in the morning; explaining to French teenagers that no I could not eat bread – ever; speaking to an elderly woman in the rural regions of France, in a desperate attempt to get directions. These are just a few of the experiences that made up a much larger life-changing one.

A summer of working my butt off taught me about life, working with others and the French culture. Trips to Paris, in between shipping groups of children back and forth between the major city, were treasured. I spent the last 10 days of my European summer in Italy, backpacking between Milan, Venice, Florence, Verona and Rome. But the reality is, 90 percent of my summer consisted of me consumed in piles of English Second Language (ESL) learner worksheets, paint from children’s activities and silly costumes from skits at campfire that smelt of stale s’mores.

Life fell together in a marvelous way I never could have imagined freshman year. I found a way to go abroad and one that paid me to do what I loved while still being immersed in the culture. I accepted an offer with a company not affiliated with St.Joe’s at the age of 19. Was it scary? Absolutely. But the payoff by far exceeded the original risks. Maybe you have heard this story before­—someone who does something outside the norm, forges their own path and reaps the benefits as a result. But you will never know unless you try and dare to do the same.

If the traditional “study abroad” experience doesn’t fit your financial needs or life circumstances, it in no way means that you are less adventurous, daring or worthy as the next person. I technically could have gone if I wanted to, but some students here and in other universities are not afforded those choices. Crystal clear pictures of Grecian water and warm snapshots of English pubs don’t dictate whether or not you’re a global Hawk or capable of international travel down the line.

For me, working abroad was a step in a larger directionin which  I wanted my life to go. International traveling is something I want to do throughout my career and the idea of fitting that into one singular semester seemed impossible and unlikely. The way my life shifted my path was impossible to predict two years ago.

If you did study abroad, I commend you on your courage to go beyond the confines of what we call home. If you can’t, but want to, you’ll find a way. The world is out there, regardless of whether or not you take advantage of it during your time here. Trust me, it’s not going anywhere.