This past summer, I studied abroad in Barcelona and completed my minor in Spanish. I lived with a host family that did not speak English, and I took two courses, Contemporary Images of Spain in Cinema and The Silver Age: Intellectuals and Artists in the Interwar Spanish Vanguard, at Universitat Pompeu Fabra on the coast of the Mediterranean. My classes began at 3PM and ended at 7:30PM Monday through Thursday, and were taught entirely in Spanish. My class size for both courses was under 10 students, and the demographic consisted entirely of international students from around the United States with ONE local student from Spain. For me, the class size was intimidating rather than comforting; there was only the professor and one student from the university to lean on and try to perfect my fluency with! Moreover, many of my international classmates spoke in broken Spanish or ‘Spanglish,’ with no added effort to speak with an accent in the classroom. While I did not struggle with understanding nor communicating with my professors in an academic setting, I found myself sincerely uncomfortable in any other location: restaurants, shopping centers, on the street, at concerts, walking back home, and the like. Even though I spent years studying the Spanish language and reading books, watching television shows to prepare myself for the culture of Spain and Barcelona, nothing would prepare me for actually living, breathing, eating, sleeping, and surviving in Barcelona every single minute of every single day for 45 days.

I quickly found that tasks as simple as ordering a cup of coffee or going to the grocery store were very different from what I was accustomed to; initially I wanted to run back to my house on Avenida Diagonal with my sweet host mom, Olga, and her family and never leave. My home was not something I felt at ease with, but it was the least uncomfortable place in Barcelona. Because everything was foreign and new and different, nothing made me feel better. Nothing made me comfortable. For the first two weeks of my education abroad experience, I spent my days struggling to use public transportation, sweating in the classrooms without air conditioning and a heat index of 97 degrees, starving until dinner time at home at 10PM because I did not know how to feed myself or find someplace to purchase midday snacks, and trying to find the good in everything that lowered my spirits.

Then one day, like someone had flipped the switch for me, I was okay again. I woke up one morning and I walked down to Café Buho and ordered ‘un café con leche para llegar, porfa,’ and I found bakery on the street where I stopped and asked for ‘un pastel de xocolat,’ and I sat down at the park under a tree and finally felt at peace. I recognized, at that moment, that it did not matter if I was from another country. It did not matter that I was not fluent in Spanish. No one cared if it took me a few extra seconds to count Euros to pay in exact change. What mattered was that I was in Barcelona and that I was trying my hardest to learn the culture and to speak the language and that every single person around me minded their own business. I spent one-third of my trip worrying what locals were going to think of me, when the reality was that no one was thinking of me at all. If anything, I was ‘la peliroja que quería un café con leche,’ and once I left no one would remember my face, and that was something I was absolutely okay with.

Once I made this realization and accepted my new life in Spain, my spirits soared and I began to find my place in the city. I integrated into the culture by attending events and celebrations such as ‘El Día de San Joan;’ I visited neighborhoods like El Raval and Eixample; I stayed out late and watched the sunset at the beach; I explored other countries on the weekends and I discovered myself more and more through these adventures. While I had a roommate in my house from OSU, we spent most of our free time doing our own thing: we went our separate ways in the morning but met up for class and to walk back for dinner, and then made our own plans for weekend excursions—with little overlap. This high level of independence presented me with the opportunity to explore Barcelona entirely on my own, and then share my experience with my roommate when we met up again. As a result, I found that I am very flexible and open-minded to learning and seeing new things; I am accepting and patient of new cultural customs rather than annoyed or ignorant to my surroundings. I am not afraid to make a mistake or ask a question or get a little embarrassed in order to learn a new skill. I am humble and I am gracious and I am interested in trying new things.

Specific examples during my education abroad experience that shaped my personal growth and development include my experience in any café in Barcelona ordering coffee. It took me many tries to learn that getting a coffee ‘para llevar’ (to go) means that the baristas will give you your beverage faster than if you order something ‘para tomar’ (to stay, to dine in). I struggled with learning how to pay for meals when the waiters and waitresses did not return to the table to ask how I was doing or if I was ready for the check. As a result, I became a more assertive individual and also began asking locals for advice or tips about the cultural norms of Barcelona.

A second example includes adapting to the constant strikes and protests from the public transportation systems. Throughout my stay, the metros went on strike every Monday from 7AM to 11AM and 6PM to 9PM—conveniently the two intervals that presented the most traffic in the underground transportation system and the two intervals I used the metro to get around Barcelona. Trying to maintain high spirits, I learned how to walk from my house to the university and found the commute to be comforting—despite the heat and the humidity and the hills. I used this experience to shape me as a much more flexible, patient person; and very grateful for air-conditioning.

A third and final example that supports my personal growth during my education abroad experience includes dinnertime and conversations with my host mom and her family every night. Olga fed a total of seven mouths nearly every evening, and we sat around her little table in the dining room rubbing elbows and sharing what we did that day. Here, I asked many questions about Spanish culture and proper etiquette—such as how to walk past someone without cutting them off on the sidewalk, where the best grocery store was to find snacks for class, why it was not customary to eat during lecture, why many professors did not dismiss class at its scheduled time but rather much later, and the like. Olga enjoyed my curiosity and shared her world with me, teaching me Spanish customs and culture through my countless inquiries and in between bites of food.

Moving forward to discuss the significance of my STEP Signature Project, I chose to complete my minor abroad because I wanted to test myself and discover if I would be able to truly live in another country. I wanted to see if I could adapt to another culture, speak another language, and thrive halfway across the world with minimal feelings of homesickness. Following my education abroad experience, I can confidently say that I can live in another country. I can integrate myself into Barcelona’s culture and I can adapt to new customs with an open mind and an adventurous heart.

For the time being, I will complete my degree at OSU and then attend professional school—but where in the world I will go to professional school remains a mystery. I am very interested in going abroad to complete my education, and I am open to the idea of living abroad for an extended period of time. My STEP Signature Project offered me the opportunity to experience life in another country and to test the possibility of moving abroad indefinitely; for that, I am grateful. Thank you STEP, for your once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I will cherish my summer in Barcelona for the rest of my life and will reflect on my personal transformation for years to come.

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.

For my STEP signature project, I completed the study abroad portion of the six STEP Signature Project categories, by attending the International Studies Abroad (ISA) Hispanic Studies Summer 2017 program. I attended a five-week program in Valencia, Spain, from May 17^th through June 24^th, 2017. During that time, I lived with a host family and attended classes at the University of Valencia.  I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to study abroad and am eager to share my personal growth that I achieved during this journey.

What about your understanding of yourself, your assumptions, or your view of the world changed/transformed while completing your STEP Signature Project?                  

The city of Valencia has shaped and cultivated my perception of different cultures, my academic and professional goals, and my personal beliefs. During this summer alone, I truly feel that I have grown as an individual in ways previously unknown to me. I traveled to Valencia with a few goals in mind, to build relationships outside of my previous cultural context, to experience Valenciano as another native language of the Iberian Peninsula, and of course, to expand upon my skills as a Spanish speaker. Though I can proudly attest to the fact that my Spanish skills greatly increased, the path and perception of my first two goals changed as I carried out my journey.

During my time in Valencia, I successfully formed cross-cultural relationships. However, during this process, my perspective of both Spaniards and Americans developed in a manner that I did not expect. I have acquired a newfound appreciation for both Spanish and American culture through my studies in Valencia. Before I lived and experienced Spain, I placed Europeans and there culture on a pedestal, believing them to be superior to Americans in both ways of life and richness of culture. All of my knowledge on this matter was based on what I experienced through the media and pop-culture. However, after actually living in a culture, my perceptions transformed and grew. I find that though culturally, Europeans and Americans differ, we as humans share this planet and thus share core values and important aspects of character. Though they dressed smarter, ate cleaner, and tanned a bit better, Europeans are no more human than Americans. I have established both a respect for my own culture, and an appreciation for the culture of Spain.

Valenciano is another native language of the Iberian Peninsula, and is very much alive in the city of Valencia. It was my first contextual experience of native language of a Spanish speaking country. However, my perception of languages of this sort has changed drastically. Though Valenciano can be considered an indigenous language of the Iberian peninsula, I previously thought that due to this title, Valenciano must be dying, under-spoken, and under-appreciated. I was very wrong. Valenciano, a form of Catalan, is vibrant in Valencia, and Spain itself. The language isn’t dying, and though there exist particular social perceptions that will be later discussed, people speak Valenciano, and people speak Valenciano proudly. Speakers are not struggling to maintain the culture and existence of their language. Often, a person of Valencia spoke both Spanish and Valenciano, and exchanged the two depending on context. My desire to protect and save indigenous languages has become narrower, towards languages that are truly dying.

What events, interactions, relationships, or activities during your STEP Signature Project led to the change/transformation that you discussed in #2, and how did those affect you?

In regards to my formation of cross-cultural relationships and changed perception of both American and Spanish culture, my transformation mainly derived from experiences with my host family and interactions with locals. During my trip, I had to change host families due to a poor living situation. My first host mother was extremely judgmental to my vegetarianism and even fed me meat without my knowledge. She failed to interact with my roommate and myself, and often ridiculed us for asking questions and making mistakes in Spanish. Eventually we changed to another host mother and had an amazing experience with her. She respected my lifestyle choices and loved practicing Spanish with us. However, throughout both situations, I realized Spaniards are simply people, no morally different from Americans. They are flawed, they make mistakes, they are human. Spaniards have rich culture of music, and art, but their society has its own issues and problems. My first host mother showed me that just because a culture is of high regards, it isn’t a utopia. My experience with my second host mother showed that though a culture may have issues, great people exist. I saw both ends of the spectrum, and learned to appreciate the Spanish culture and form a new perspective on my own. Though there are many issues in American society, there is a lot of good as well. No culture or society is perfect, and this summer I learned what that truly meant.

In regards to my changed perception of indigenous languages, particularly Valenciano, I experienced this growth through interactions with my host family, and simply living in Valencia. Every public sign or poster within the city was written in Valenciano, and sometimes had a Spanish translation. Whether it was a street sign, a public transport vehicle, or a promotional ad, the language was everywhere. However, the key fact of this abundance of Valenciano: it was written everywhere. Though the language wasn’t dying, it was spoken within the city. I never overheard a Valenciano conversation downtown, nobody initially spoke to me in Valenciano before changing to Spanish, and though I knew many bilingual speakers, they chose to spoke in Spanish. Valenciano is language that some Spaniards consider to be of the lower class. My host father said that in Spain, people should speak Spanish, a phrase that sounded all too familiar.

Though the written language of Valenciano was everywhere, it felt more like a kind gesture to history rather than an embracement of culture. Only when I traveled to the outskirts of Valencia, in smaller villages and farms, I heard proud Valenciano interactions. I felt that the language was sometimes stigmatized, and thus a class became stigmatized. What I found was not solely a language issue, but a socioeconomic issue. Though Valenciano is not a dying language, it is a stigmatized, sociological issue. My desire to protect a language has remained, and I want to extend that desire directly to the people of the language.

Why is this change/transformation significant or valuable for your life?

          I believe my personal growth and transformation that resulted from my study abroad in Valencia is now vital to my future academic and career path. Having a newfound respect for my own culture, and a desire to experience different cultures to their fullest extent, by seeing both the highlights and flaws of a society, I desire to continue traveling and learning the language of different regions. I plan to finish my bachelor’s degree and spend at least two years abroad studying other European languages and experiencing the culture and society of the people. After gaining sufficient experience and skills from my time abroad, I plan to return to graduate school and study international development, which derived from my experience with Valenciano. From witnessing firsthand the stigma of a certain language due to socioeconomic class or race, I have realized simply learning a language will not fulfill me. I want to use the languages I learn and the cultural experiences I gain to help the people of the language in culture. Though I do not have an exact plan yet, I know what I want to do and I am excited to continue to follow the path that gets me there. My STEP signature project has inspired more than I ever expected, and set forth a new future that I am excited to pursue.

For my step signature project, I spent approximately six weeks in the small southern town of Italy called Lecce. While in Lecce I took classes to learn about the Italian language and culture. Throughout my time in Italy I was able to travel within the country and see all of the different cultural aspects each region of Italy had to offer.

For the duration of my study abroad trip I had the opportunity to live with a family which truly enhanced my experience. I got a much closer look at the Italian culture and I was able to form lifelong relationships with everyone in the family. This close connection allowed me to see the differences between American culture and Italian culture but also the similarities. I gained a lot of appreciation for the Italian culture and the large importance they place on tradition and family. Being with a family I could see and partake in family routines such as Sunday dinners with grandparents and weekly family dinners. Throughout the six weeks I spent in Italy, I was surprised to see that every night we ate dinner as a family, no matter how late we had to wait which was sometimes as late as 10:30 pm. Before dinner each night Giorgia, a nine-year-old girl in the family who I have become very close with, and I would set the table. This simple routine became something that I truly admired about the family and about most families in Italy, sitting down and eating dinner together each night was expected while many families in America, mine included, don’t always make time to eat together. Often growing up sports practices and other activities would get in the way of scheduled dinner.

The Italian culture is much more relaxed than what I am used to in American culture. Each day, all the stores in Lecce close from 12 until approximately 4 pm and most people head home to eat lunch with their family, another example of the importance placed on family. Seeing how the “siesta” works in person gave me perspective about how the American culture views and idolizes being busy while the Italian culture places much more importance on spending time enjoying life with family than working. The lives of many people I met in Italy were much more simple than the lives many of us in America live. For two weeks during the month of August, when temperatures reach the highest of the year, everyone in the south of Italy takes a break from working and spends most of their time at the beach where they can relieve themselves from the heat.

This amazing experience truly allowed me to grow and change as a person. It has given me drive to experience more in life and to work hard so I can continue to travel. Thanks to the homestay experience I now have people who I care about and who I know will welcome me with open arms if I am ever given the opportunity to return to the beautiful town of Lecce. With this experience I have decided I want to try and earn an internship abroad next summer so I can have another amazing and life changing opportunity in another country.

1. For my STEP Signature Project, I spent seven weeks in Paris taking an intensive Intermediate French Language course. The course was taught entirely in French, and was split into equal parts vocabulary, grammar, and French culture.
2. What about your understanding of yourself, your assumptions, or your view of the world changed/transformed while completing your STEP Signature Project? Write one or two paragraphs to describe the change or transformation that took place.

Spending seven weeks in Paris exposed me to a culture unlike one I’d ever seen before. I had left the country before, but Paris was a completely new experience; it was the first time I had visited a non-English speaking country, and people were much less friendly than what I was used to. The culture was very aggressive and I had a hard time figuring out how to interact with French people. However, the more time I spent there, the more I realized the need to be assertive and to carve my own path to make my experience in Paris what I wanted it to be. Once I started doing this, Paris became a lot more open, a place where I could leave my mark on the world. I also learned how to adjust to a culture where I did not speak the language particularly well, as I had only previously taken two semesters of French. I faced many situations where I was forced to adapt and overcome communication barriers as a result of this.

3. What events, interactions, relationships, or activities during your STEP Signature Project led to the change/transformation that you discussed in #2, and how did those affect you? Write three or four paragraphs describing the key aspects of your experiences completing your STEP Signature Project that led to this change/transformation.

There were a few events that occurred during my time in Paris that encouraged me to be proactive during my time there which led me to a transformation of myself. The most exciting example of an event where this occurred was when I found out on Twitter that Emma Watson was leaving books around Paris for one day, and I decided to make the most of my experience and to go out and find her. The day had been really tough as an exam I took that morning did not go particularly well, but nonetheless I decided to try and make the day memorable. Incredibly enough, I ended up proving successful in my efforts, and I managed to track down Emma Watson and meet her. Once I met Emma Watson, I knew that anything was possible. I vowed to approach the rest of my time in Paris with the zeal that I did on that day, and my experience in Paris and perspective on life grew significantly on that day.

Another event which was transformative for me was my decision to visit a friend in Israel for 4 days during my program. While the culture shock was significant going from the United States to Paris, Israel blew it out of the water. I had to adjust to being around not just a different language, but a whole new alphabet, which made getting around significantly more difficult. Understanding the customs of the country was very difficult, especially being there for such a short period. Being so removed from a culture I was used to and being with a friend who understood the country and its customs really allowed me to open my mind and appreciate the differences that exist between my culture and theirs. I also had the chance to practice my French for a few hours with native Israelis who were also learning the language, which was one of the most interesting experiences of my life. Going to Israel was easily one of the best parts of my trip, and my visit also allowed me to understand and respect the cultural differences between France and America once I returned to Paris.

One of the less fortunate events that was transformative for me was a terrorist scare that occurred while visiting Brussels, Belgium. I was on a bus which was supposed to take us back to Paris with a couple friends when we noticed a man on the bus acting very suspicious who seemed quite nervous about something. The man’s behavior grew increasingly bizarre, and even though we didn’t know how to get back we decided to get off the bus because we were too unsettled by the situation. The incident had me really shaken, and really made me evaluate my life and what I wanted to get out of my experience in Paris and what type of impact I wanted to have on people. There were a few other terrorist scares that took place in Paris that had me shaken up, and this was definitely not something I was expecting out of my trip but I learned to deal with my fears properly and have a great experience in light of what was going on in Paris and the rest of the world.

4. Why is this change/transformation significant or valuable for your life? Write one or two paragraphs discussing why this change or development matters and/or relates to your academic, personal, and/or professional goals and future plans.

These experiences and my trip as a whole taught me the importance of taking initiative and fighting for a life that’s worth living. In a place where people tend to be rather cold it’s difficult to thrive without being assertive and having confidence in oneself, and once I realized this I felt that Paris could become my city and so could anywhere else in the world. I feel more confident in myself after this trip, and that this confidence will be vital in the coming decisions to be made about my future. I had a great experience in Paris, but it also reminded me of what is yet to be experienced in Columbus, and I know that everything I learned in Paris will enrich the rest of my college experience greatly.

My STEP signature project was a study abroad program to Barcelona, Spain. It was a 5 week program, and during those 5 weeks I completed my Spanish minor by taking two classes. I took a Spanish Art and Architecture class as well as a Spanish Cinema class. These classes were two hours each everyday day of the week, and then during the weekends I got the chance to travel to other parts of Spain and Europe. While completing my project, I stayed with a host mom who spoke no English, and both of my classes were completely in Spanish. At first, this was a challenge and I really struggled to make it through the days in class and at dinners with my host mom. After a week of being stuck in this situation, it ended up changing me for the better, opened me up, and taught me about a completely new and amazing culture. Being completely immersed in the Spanish Language and Culture really helped change my views on the world. Seeing this completely different culture opened my eyes to all the diversity in the world. It made me realize that there is more than just the American way of life. I allowed myself to try all the different food and really allowed myself to flow with the Spanish culture. My passion and love for the Spanish language greatly increased. I loved becoming fluent in Spanish and being able to use it in many situations throughout Spain. My parents always made a big point on how important learning a second language is, and this opportunity really made me realize what they meant by that. There is way more than just the English language out there in this big world, and knowing a second language opens so many more opportunities. Being able to speak  Spanish made it easier for me to immerse in the culture quicker, which allowed me to experience the diversity in the world. I really noticed the language barrier in our world when we traveled to other countries like France and Italy. My group and I didn’t know any French or Italian and we didn’t realize how hard it was to try to live a normal life in another country with such a big barrier. These experiences in the other countries made me appreciate my Spanish even more back in Spain. This experience transformed me into a more flexible, open-minded person as I realized how much opportunity and diversity is out there in this huge world. It gave me such a desire to travel the world and see all there is out there. The biggest relationship that helped to create this transformation was the one with my host mom. Eating dinner with her every night as well as living in a typical Spanish apartment had a really big positive impact on my experience. I had to quickly become accustomed to the norms of a Spanish family, like having no air conditioning and not using lights. Eating dinner with her every night improved my Spanish tremendously, but also taught me so much about the Spanish culture. She was so motivated to teach and tell us as much as she could about Spain. I learned so much I had never known before, and it was even more interesting because I got the live through the new culture I was learning more about every day. I appreciated more than anything all the knowledge and time she took with us to make sure we really got the best experience in a new culture from our own. The program I went to also took us on a few excursions during the week in Barcelona that really exemplified Barcelona as well as the Spanish culture. They helped us to stay away from the most touristy areas to really be able to live with and experience the locals way of life. We went to places like the Sagrada Familia, one of Barcelona’s most famous arquitectures, the gothic quarter, an area of Barcelona that really exemplified the Spanish culture, Costa Brava, an Area of Spain that showed us much of the Catalan culture and way of life, and many restaurants that gave us a variety of the different Spanish foods. This helped us to stay away from touristy attractions, and really be able to experience the Spanish culture and way of life. It really allowed us to become immersed. All of this change and transformation that I received from my experience will now play a prominent part in my life and future. It is very important to me to stay bilingual. It made me realize how much more opportunity I will have in my future. My love for the Spanish Language and culture has increased, and I have such a desire to link it with my future career in the medical field. I would love to work with Spanish patients, or even in Spain one day. This experience made me realize early that I want to take my life to travel this world and experience all the diversity there is, and to really take advantage of every opportunity out there to escape my little bubble at home. Each experience I take advantage of will only teach me, and open my eyes to something new. It is so important to realize how big this world is. By me realizing this, many different experiences and relationships will help me grow in so many different areas which in turn will open up so many opportunities for my future.

For my STEP Signature Project, I went on a study abroad trip to Warsaw, Poland. During my trip to Poland I was enrolled in three classes: Independent research, statistical analysis, and social changes in Europe. While on my study abroad we took weekend trips each weekend to various cities within Poland to experience the country in different ways.

During my study abroad trip to Poland, I got to experience a completely different lifestyle than what I was used to. Going to Poland made me realize that I spend too much time experiencing life through my phone and social media, instead of experiencing life in the moment. Since coming home from Poland, I have made a conscious effort to stay off my phone like I did while in Poland and be one-hundred percent present during everything in my life. Instead of being out and snapchatting all my experiences, I keep my phone in my bag and take in the experience as it happens. Since my trip to Poland, I’ve also found myself being more curious. I find myself studying other cultures and lifestyles, and wanting to explore them and embed them into my life.

I spent five weeks in Poland for my study abroad trip, and during these five weeks I went without using my phone except back in my room at the end of every day. It was a weird experience for me to go from being in contact with my friends and family every day to occasionally getting to speak with them if the times I had access to service worked out with the time zone change. At first it felt like I was cut off from my own reality, and forced to interact with people that I didn’t know constantly. However, as time grew on I focused less on how I wasn’t on my phone ever, and focused more on the experience I was having while in Poland.

In hindsight, being cut off from communication with my friends and family enhanced my study abroad trip. Instead of worrying about recording my experience for my snapchat story, or texting my friends during every hour of the day I took in the beautiful architecture of the building I was passing on my bus ride to class or enjoying my walk through the park with the never ending statues. I still took pictures to look back on Poland, but I didn’t feel like I was doing these activities to capture for social media; it felt like a much more personal experience that I would remember with or without the pictures on my phone. The trip to Poland made me realize that I wanted to live in the moment and not through the camera lens on my phone.

While in Poland I quickly came to the realization that a lot of the people I was going to encounter were going to speak little to no English. This was a foreign concept to me, and was a particularly hard concept for me to grasp. Growing up my grandparents would frequently speak another language around me, but all it took was me to ask for them to speak English and then I could instantly communicate with them. This was not the case for me, and I found myself often having to resort to pointing at things in restaurants or shops, and gesturing with my hand in any way I could to try to convey what I was saying. The language barrier was very hard for me to deal with. Many of the other people on my trip seemed to grasp the basics of Polish very quickly, but I was unable to do so as quickly. By the end of the trip all I knew of polish were basics like “good morning” and “thank you”.  I expected not for there to be a language barrier, but what shocked me most was even in places where the people didn’t speak very much English, there were still American songs being played in English; whether this be in restaurants, stores, or cabs. It amazed me that even if they couldn’t understand what was being said I the songs, they still wanted to have them playing. This made me realize that even across the world in Poland, people still wanted to adapt to western culture.

I found that people in Poland attempting to adapt western culture was very eye opening to me. Across the world people are listening to American songs in English with no idea what the words are, and here we are in America not trying to adapt to any European cultures. Most people in America couldn’t tell you much about the country of Poland, and yet they incorporate American music into most establishments. After this study abroad trip I have realized that I want to learn more about countries other than the United States. I want to experience as many different cultures as I can, and not just forget about them the next day. I want to keep parts of every culture in my everyday life

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1. Please provide a brief description of your STEP Signature Project.

My STEP project involved a two-month long study abroad program in Valparaiso, Chile where I lived with a host family, learned the language, and experienced Latin American culture. For the first month I took two classes in Spanish, The History of Latin America in the 20th and 21st century and Latin American Literature and Film. During the second month, I volunteered at a public health clinic for a total of 90 hours.

2. What about your understanding of yourself, your assumptions, or your view of the world changed/transformed while completing your STEP Signature Project?

After completing my STEP project my perception of Latin America truly changed. Even though I have spent years in Spanish classes, I never really understood the complexity that exists in that continent. First, the Spanish language is very different in each country – there are different accents, different slang, and even different grammar. The customs and foods are also very different from country to country. Moreover, the US perception of Latin America is very flawed – I think many north Americans have the idea that every country is very unstable with lots of violence, drugs, and crime. This is simply not the case. In Chile I felt just as safe as I do in Columbus, the people were all incredibly kind and helpful, and this negative idea of “all Latin American countries” was simply proven untrue. Thus through this experience I have become much more unassuming and about things and places I am not familiar with or do not know much about. I also believe that I became more confident in my independence on this trip. I had to learn how to get around on my own, communicate, and explore. I became much happier with who I am as a person and my ability to problem solve. I learned to love my independence and I cannot express how inspiring it was to successfully accomplish things all by myself.

3. What events, interactions, relationships, or activities during your STEP Signature Project led to the change/transformation that you discussed in #2, and how did those affect you?

First, through all of the traveling I did during this program I learned to be more adaptable and problem solve calmly. On many of our adventures we had to buy plane tickets, book hostels, and plan things to do. On top of that, most of the information was in a different language. Thus, it was almost inevitable that we developed self sufficiency and problem solving skills. For me, this was very evident in Peru when we had issues with our flight from Lima to Cusco. It was definitely a challenge to stay calm and problem solve in a different language but we were able to successfully communicate and get on a different flight. Moreover, on our travels we were seeing and doing things I had never experienced before. From staying in hostels to climbing mountains to trying different foods, I was able to learn how to be open to trying new things.

Moreover, the classes we took were actually quite difficult and thus we were required to do a lot of research for our papers. Through class time and research, I learned a ton about the history and culture of Chile and other Latin American countries. It was incredibly interesting to see how distinct each country is and I learned so much that I didn’t know before. For instance, I learned that Latin American films have a much lower budget than US films because there is less of an importance placed on their version of “Hollywood” – thus there usually isn’t a ton of mass violence, car chases, or destruction because that is very expensive to do. Moreover, we were able to discuss the current events occurring in Venezuela, something most US citizens are unaware of. Thus, I learned not to judge what I did not know and I have shared to others what I have learned. My knowledge of Latin America really expanded and I feel like I have become a more aware citizen of the world.

Additionally, I learned communication and independence through my volunteering experience. Here, no one spoke any English, only Spanish, so I had to really rely on myself. I truly developed more confidence as I became friends with other students, talked with patients, and spent time with employees of the clinic. I was able to chat with doctors, nurses, physical therapists, respiratory therapists, dentists, and administrators about the Chilean healthcare system and the general public health trends of Chile. It was incredibly encouraging to successfully communicate and learn from these knowledgeable people and I had a blast doing so. For me, talking to people I don’t know has always been hard but this experience helped me become more outgoing and sociable with people I am unfamiliar with.

4. Why is this change/transformation significant or valuable for your life?

Any kind of personal development is important, whether it is large or small. I believe that this experience really changed me for the better and gave me more confidence which is extremely important throughout life. For me, having faith in myself is integral in all aspects of my life. Personally I had sometimes struggled with independence and confidence around strangers. However, being completely thrown out of my comfort zone into a place with complete strangers really helped me overcome this and even come to enjoy meeting new people. Professionally, independence and confidence in the workplace is huge for me since I aspire to be a doctor. I now have more confidence in who I am as a person and what I want out of life.

Quinn Weinberger

STEP Signature Project: Study Abroad

29 June 2017

1. My STEP Project was a study abroad program through the OSU Office of International Affairs titled British Invasion: The Impact of British Popular Music in the 1960s. It was based around the music of the 1960’s and examined and highlighted the exchange and interaction of music between the United Kingdom and the United States. The program consisted of about two weeks of study in Columbus (May 8, 2017- May 18, 2017) and two weeks abroad in London and Liverpool (May 19, 2017-June 1, 2017).
2. My STEP Signature Project definitely helped transform me and my worldview. The reason I chose to go on this particular study abroad was because I feel deeply connected to music—it has been a central part of my life all of my life, but going on this study abroad transformed my thoughts about how music can connect people cross-culturally. Before participating in this study abroad, I had never experienced any culture outside of the United States, so I was unsure about how life was abroad. While there were a lot of cultural differences, one thing remained the same: the love for music, particularly for The Beatles in England. I also never really considered the impact The Beatles had in other places besides England and the United States either, and even when we went to the Netherlands after our trip, people were still commenting on our Beatles apparel and talking about the albums that we had just studied. In addition to music, I was just completely unsure of what to expect in a different country from the people there. My view of the world changed in that sense because now I have experiences in another country and have interacted with the people of England—who are every bit as lovely and gracious as you would expect.
3. Many different events, interactions, relationships, or activities during my STEP project led to my transformation in how I view myself and the world around me. One idea of mine that transformed was how interconnected the whole world can be with the help of music. This realization took place throughout the entirety of my trip abroad to London and Liverpool, but was perfectly capped on the last day. On the final day in Liverpool, we were coming back from touring the childhood/young adult homes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, I had the chance to talk to a man about any and everything—life, music, etc. This man was about sixty and he was from Wales, so clearly we were from entirely different walks of life. In the midst of our conversation, we started talking about the states and where I am from. It turned out that a few of his family members live in a town close to Columbus and near my hometown. I thought it was so cool because if it weren’t for our shared love of music and the pursuit to know more about that music, we would have never met, as we are two people from two entirely different walks of life. After figuring this out, I said, “wow, it’s a small world” and another man who was sitting near us asked me how old I was. I said nineteen, and he said, “nineteen, and you’ve already figured out just how small and incredible this world can be.” Another transformation that took place for me was learning how to better adapt to being in a group of people, a group consisting of all different types of personalities at that. Traveling in a completely different continent would be difficult amongst people that you know but throwing yourself in a large group of strangers is an even more challenging situation. It forces you to be yourself right away, which in turn allows you to get to know yourself better and realize certain aspects of yourself/your personality that you otherwise wouldn’t have noticed. It was amazing to be in a group of people that share a common love for music no matter where they came from or what their other interests are. It made it very easy to connect with one another and to be able to have a very cohesive, tight-knit group. It also helped to foster some great relationships founded on a shared love of our favorite thing in the world—music. Lastly, a big transformation that occurred was developing an understanding for a completely different culture. But beyond an understanding, developing an appreciation for that culture as well. This transformation happened gradually across our trip when we had the chance to tour several exquisitely-crafted architectural masterpieces that are staples of British history and culture. Places such as Windsor Castle, Parliament, Saint Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, etc., give someone who is not a part of that culture a glimpse into how significant the Catholic church and faith was/is to the Brits. It is also incredible to realize these structures were built hundreds of years ago without the use of any machinery and still manage to be perfectly sculpted and timeless. This is an appreciation that I am eternally grateful for and it will help me to appreciate other cultures in my future travels as well.
4. The transformations that occurred are very valuable to me and will continue to be valuable throughout my life. The experience in a group of strangers will help me to navigate the social and professional world when it comes to relating to people from all different walks of life and unique personalities. The musical transformation I experienced is so special to me because music is what I love most in this world, and it helped me to solidify the fact that no matter what professional field I go into, music will always be a deep love of mine and there will always be other people out there who I can connect with because of music. Additionally, since this was my first trip beyond the borders of the United States, it prepares me for a lifetime of travel and adventure, which propels me towards a future of discovering other people and other fantastic cultures.