http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rqPBucr4Ac&feature=youtu.be
For my STEP Signature Project, I traveled with the Office of International Affairs on their Global May Paris study abroad trip. I spent two weeks in Paris, France learning about the rich history, culture, and art of the city.
Going into this trip, I had never left North America. I had always wanted to go to Europe and felt that taking advantage of one of the international trips organized by the University would be the perfect way to fulfill this goal. Beforehand I had some apprehensions about going on the trip. I was nervous about flying for that long of a time, I had never traveled by myself, and I was worried about how well my knowledge of the French language would allow me to communicate with the Parisians.
By putting my worries aside and traveling with this program, I learned a lot about myself, my own culture, another country and their culture, and bonded with those who took the journey with me. By being able to travel myself across the world and experience another culture, it allowed me to be introspective about my own life in the United States. By observing another culture, it exposed me to a more open-minded outlook on those who are different than me. I found the different trends and social norms that I observed in France very interesting as well. By overcoming my fear of flying on a long flight by myself, I felt very empowered. Overall, the trip was very transformational for my independence, self-confidence, and my view on the world.
This program allowed me to make connections with Ohio State faculty and students that I would not have met otherwise. By putting myself out there and traveling with a group of people I had not met before, I feel that this gave me the ability to understand and empathize with others better. This will be a valuable skill that I will use in the future in workplace settings. I feel that experiences like these are always beneficial to personal character development, as it forces everyone to be put in an uncomfortable place, and to go from not knowing anyone in the group to being good friends with everyone.
I also felt that experiencing being in a country that my native language is not the primary language was very valuable. There were various instances in which I had to draw on my knowledge of French to communicate with cashiers, waitresses, and tour guides. By being forced to practice my French, it positively impacted my ability to speak the language. It also put me in a unique position that many face daily in the United States. Immigrants who do not speak English as their native language deal with this daunting task frequently. By having to experience this in France I now will be more empathetic to those around me who experience this in my own country.
Learning about the history and culture of another country and being able to see historical landmarks, museum exhibits, and shows presented by French people themselves also gave me a new insight to the French culture. I had never been able to learn about another culture firsthand like I was able to do on this trip, and I feel that it gave me very valuable knowledge that I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.
This trip was instrumental in my own personal development towards my career aspirations as well. It allowed me to be introspective on what I enjoy doing, what I’m good at doing, and the impact that I want to have on the world. As I traveled through Paris, I took various pictures and videos each day. At the end of the trip, I edited together a video to look back on my time in Paris. While doing this, I realized how much I enjoy having a creative outlet and that it is crucial that I have this outlet in whatever career path I take. I enjoy being unique and thinking of original ideas, whether that be through creating videos, designs, or writing. This is a revelation that I had when reflecting on my time abroad.
Being able to step outside of my life and what is comfortable to me in the United States will translate in my relationships with others in the workplace in the future. When experiencing a new culture, it strengthens your ability to be an empathetic and take the perspectives of others. This will help me work with others in group settings who are different than me. In terms of my career aspirations to be a School Psychologist, the things I learned from this trip will help me take the perspectives of the students and families that I work with and help me understand different points of view.
Overall, I am so thankful for the opportunity I was given to take advantage of the programs that Ohio State organizes to support its students in their abroad travels. I would not be able to make this trip possible without the generous help from STEP, the College of Arts and Sciences scholarships, and the amazing professors and OIA coordinators that made this trip possible.