My STEP project was a travel abroad/internship class through Arcadia University in Rome, Italy. I took a class called Modern Life in the Eternal City, this class was a field observation class about the history of Rome and its’ people spanning from the Ancient Roman Empire to the aftermath of World War II. I also did an internship at Aventino38 Medical offices where I focused on business administrations and did a research project about vaccines and the demographics of people as part of the class.
During the completion of my STEP project, I have matured and gained a better understanding of the world in a cross culturally context. It has opened my mind to the various differences between Europe and USA. Although the world is very large, the connections I have made on my journey made the world feel smaller. In Italy, I was part of a more communal society. What I mean by that, is that individuals are not independent in Italy, contrast to the United States. Family and friends are a core values. This has made me feel more at home in a foreign country. Italy is one of the top countries receiving refugees due to its closest proximity to Africa. With immigration being a hot topic, Italy has, for the most part, embraced it. The United Nations is a very progressive government system that protects human rights. This experience has changed my views about foreigners and immigrants. I use to be fearful of them because of how the media portrays them. Nobody chooses to be a refugee; atrocities must have happened that would make an individual want to move away from home. I believe Europe is a greener society. They recycle everything and they have specific regulations in food. This has incorporated in my everyday lifestyle. I am being greener and healthier. I am using water bottles, buying and eating fresh fruits and vegetable. I do believe that this lifestyle will have a positive impact on my health and future.
During my internship, it made me realize that there are many people similar to me with interests aligned and struggles we face. My co-worker, Ilaria, during my internship at Aventino38 Medical Offices, had made me realize that we are not alone in this world and that there are many people out there to guide you on the right path. As part of my work, I had to answer phone calls, which was a problem for me because I did not speak any Italian. I had to pass the phone to Ilaria, in which I responded, Io non parlo Italiano, Io passo mio collega. I do not speak Italian; I will pass the phone to my colleague. The internship had told me that 75% of the work was done in English, but when I had to say those words to a patient, it made me feel so helpless. Rest assured, Ilaria was there to save me from embarrassment of speaking broken Italian. That has taught me that sometime in life you have to ask for help. It also made me realize that there are a lot of good people in the world who are willing to help others. That is what I am striving for when I graduate college. I hope that one day, I will be able to help people in an effective manner. Aligned with my interests, I want to work with and cure infectious diseases. This experience has widened my view of the world and the various culture with in it.
As part of the internship, I was doing a research project alongside work for the class portion. I chose to research the demographics of people and their views on vaccines. The results of the research show an overwhelming support for the use of vaccines across the demographics including age, gender, education, and nationality. I have learned a great deal from this process. I learned how to interview people effectively without imparting personal bias. I also learned how to survey large amounts of people. I have written many papers before, but this class was the first time, that I had to plan and arrange the details of the research project. I learned academically how to plan a research project and how to communicate with people in a professional manner. I learned how to analyze data and support my finding with academic and scholarly articles. This experience was a good introduction to future work, in a field I am interested in.
In Italy, I have visited a hotel that was occupied by refugees. They were technically illegally squatting in the building. In this experience, I understood the refugee crisis more that is happening in Italy. We as a class was able to talk to a refugee, who came from the Congo, who was also a child solider. He was able to escape from his country at a young age by crossing the Sahara Desert and then the Mediterranean Sea before reaching Lampedusa, Italy. He talked about the bureaucracy and how the system has set up refugee for failure. The amount of time and paper work a refugee was astonishing. He told us storied about how the police was trying to kick out refugee occupants. They as a collective have nowhere to go because they are not allowed to have property nor allowed to hold permanent jobs. With these restrictions, the refugees are forced to live on the street or occupy abandoned buildings. There is a constant struggle between the us vs them. In this experience, I have learned how ineffective government can be. Refugee crisis is a humanitarian problem and people should be more aware about it. Here in America, there is a distinct divide and a large proportion of the population believe immigrants and refugee are a problem. People fail to realize that they are people with families and friends, that they left behind. This experience was transformational for me in the fact that it made me more appreciative and more aware of my situation.
I did a lot of traveling to other countries during my STEP project. Although it was not part of the project, I feel that this extended travel, has had a greater impact on me than my internship and class in Rome. I have traveled to 6 different countries during that time, including England, France, Denmark, Belgium, Germany, Austria, and the Vatican. This extended travel was extremely fun, but was an educational experience for me. Originally, I have thought that everything revolves around USA because of how influential and wealth this nation is. During my travels, I have discovered that other nations and culture was just as rich. I now do not look down upon someone because they are foreign, I look up to them because they too come from rich backgrounds. In Italy, I learn that Italians are extremely giving and willing to help their community regardless of their living condition. The homeless and refugee population there were embraced, not out-casted from society. In Germany, I learned that Germans are extremely environmentally conscious because they understand the impact garbage has on Earth. That changed me to be less wasteful because I want future generation to be able to enjoy the world like I did. This extended travel has taught me many lessons that will impact my future for the greater good.
This journey was an incredible experience, that has positively impacted my life. It has made more aware about global politics and tensions. I enjoyed the experience so much, that I plan to go back to Europe to explore more of what the world has to offer. This exploration has developed me personally to be more independent. I became an expert on how to navigate a foreign country, where I do not have access to the internet, nor speak the language. I learned how to find living arrangements and how to cook and feed myself. I gained a sense of independency compared to my living standards in the United States. The internship has helped me out a great deal. I am interested in the medical field primarily working with infectious diseases. Having this experience, I was able to understand how a medical practice works and how some treatments are done. I also learned a great deal from the research project. I definitely want to do some kind of research during my undergraduate career. The class itself was a good introduction to how the process works. Overall the journey, change my perspective on difference in culture, improve my independency, and good jump start to my future career aspirations.
