The Bittersweet Ending and Final Reflection

  1. Please provide a brief description of your STEP Signature Project. Write two or three sentences describing the main activities your STEP Signature Project entailed.

For my STEP signature project, I participated in the Fisher Global Exchange program.  I traveled to Perth, Western Australia to study at Curtin University as an exchange study abroad student.

  1. 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.

While studying in Australia, not only did I meet Australians, but I met people from all different countries.  I was able to learn about such a wide variety of places and their cultures through interacting with all the other exchange students.  Additionally, since I had not been out of the country for such an extended period of time before, this was the first time that I was able to fully immerse myself in another culture.  I also traveled to Australia completely alone.  Therefore, I was forced out of my comfort zone (not leaning on people I already knew) which lead me to meet such a wide variety of people.

It surprised me how easily I could connect with other people even when English wasn’t always their first language.  I believe I became a more well-rounded person because I was able to learn from so many different people.  I learned about their cultures and their views on the world.  I was pushed to think in a different way than I had always thought, living in the small city of Upper Arlington, Ohio and going to college ten minutes down the road.  Some of my beliefs were challenged and some of my views were strengthened.

  1. 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.

I believe the key part to my transformation experience was the group of friends I made.  I made such strong relationships with a group of girls from all around Europe.  One girl was from Sweden.  Two girls were from the UK.  One was from Scotland and several were from the Netherlands.  I was able to deeply learn about each of their lives and cultures while sharing about my own life and the culture I grew up in. I started being able to bond with each girl about important things in their lives.  For instance, I started watching the fútbol (soccer) games at 2 am (because of the time change) with her and helping her cheer on Liverpool, her favorite team.  I would visit cafes with one of the girls from UK and try different kinds of tea.  Lastly, I was able to celebrate King’s Day with my friends from the Netherlands.  King’s Day is a very popular Dutch holiday.

Another way I was able to learn about different cultures was through my experience in the on-campus housing accommodation that I stayed in. I stayed in the Guild House which is an apartment style housing complex on Curtin’s campus.  Since I came into this experience knowing no one, I was randomly placed with roommates.  All of my roommates happened to be from Australia.  Through living with them, I was able to learn about Australia on a deeper level than I would have if I lived with all Americans.  Through the daily things, such as the meals each of them cooked and the workout schedules each of them had, I was able to learn more about their culture.  Not to mention I quickly picked up on all the Australian slang they used.

Between the relationships with my European friends and my Australian roommates, I believe I was able to experience a wide range of cultures. Through these relationships, I was able to evaluate my beliefs and my outlook on life.  I learned so much through each of these individuals, enhancing my outlook on life and pushing me through a transformation experience as well.

  1. 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.

This transformation I went through has only and will only continue to benefit me.  I believe I have a more global outlook on the world and I can use this outlook as an asset in the workplace.  I learned skills on how to interact with several people from other cultures and can use these skills when doing business around the world.  I currently am interning with a company that operates in Australia and Europe and it will be easier for me to relate to these professionals because I have begun to understand their culture.

Lastly, I personally believe I have more respect for other cultures because I understand them better.  I no longer am in a mindset where I only know about my culture and can only relate to people from my culture.  I needed this experience in order to learn and grow as an individual and that is exactly what happened.

Me with the Curtin University campus sign

 

My group of friends and me

Links to the blogs I wrote while abroad:

https://fisher.osu.edu/blogs/global/2018/02/27/what-am-i-doing-here/

https://fisher.osu.edu/blogs/global/2018/05/02/its-a-small-world-after-all/

https://fisher.osu.edu/blogs/global/?p=9189&preview=true

 

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