Engineering the Castles and Cathedrals of England and Wales

STEP Reflection

Name: Kailey Freireich

Type of Project: Education Abroad

For my STEP Signature Project, I decided to participate in the education abroad program, Engineering the Castles and Cathedrals of England and Wales. This program consisted of 22 Ohio State students, each assigned a specific location to research and then present on while abroad. Prior to travelling, I conducted extensive research on St. Asaph Cathedral to prepare for my o

n-site presentation.

One reason why this experience was transformational for me was because it made me realize that not only am I capable of stepping out of my comfort zone, but that there is also a lot I can take away from doing so. For me, public speaking has never been a strength, but has always been a goal. Knowing that I would have to give my group a tour of a cathedral I have never been to was terrifying yet exciting as I knew it would be a rare opportunity. Despite my nervousness, it was extremely rewarding to finally give my presentation and tour after weeks of research, preparations, and travel. Being able to visit a place that I knew so much about was an extremely unique experience and would not have been possible if I stayed within my comfort zone. Doing so helped me gain more public speaking experience as well as realize that

leaving my comfort zone can be incredibly rewarding.

Another reason why my time abroad was transformational was because it had been my first time in the U.K. Even though my group and I studied our assigned locations and the country in general prior to travelling, the information learned from websites cannot be compared to what we learned from experiencing different cultures, people, and history firsthand. To explain, while still at Ohio State, each group member gave a brief presentation on their assigned location. While these presentations were going on, the information was interesting yet was just a bunch of facts which lacked personal meaning. However, as we travelled around England and Wales and experienced the locations and their communities, I could associate them with my own experiences, making what I learned memorable and valuable to me. This taught me the power and importance of travelling. In today’s technology-driven society, it is very easy to access extensive information on places and topics. However, I have learned that there is a lot more meaning and depth in travelling and learning through experiences.

As mentioned before, one of the significant changes I experienced while abroad was stepping out of my comfort zone. One way I did this was by researching my assigned cathedral. Because I was unfamiliar with cathedrals in general, it was intimidating to begin researching one that is in a different country and with such an old history. It was also intimidating to have the responsibility of giving my group a tour of the cathedral. Not only was it my first time being a tour guide, but it had also been my first time in that cathedral. Researching an unfamiliar topic and giving a tour of a place I had never been helped me experience the transformation of stepping out of my comfort zone.

As I have described, the unfamiliarity of the program in general helped me have a transformation experience. Throughout my time abroad, despite constantly being in new locations and interacting with new people, the Ohio State group I was with always stayed consistent. Even though I went in to the program hardly knowing any of these students or the faculty members, it didn’t take us long to form friendships and many inside jokes. Sitting at our final group dinner and reflecting on our shared experiences, it was hard to believe that we had been a group of strangers just weeks before that. Travelling with the other Ohio State students and faculty members has given me a few more familiar faces on Ohio State’s large campus which is very special to me.

As I explained earlier, travelling and gaining experiences has proven to be very valuable to me. It was very interesting to learn about a different country’s culture and history and compare it to my own. For example, unlike the U.S., England and Wales’ history goes back thousands of years. Visiting medieval castles and their surrounding towns is simply not something I can do at home in Ohio. I also felt that I could have more cultural experiences by being in the smaller towns where tourists don’t think to visit. It was very cool talking to locals and hearing their opinions on their own culture and answering their questions about American culture. For example, one person though it was crazy that in the U.S., one could drive for dozens of hours and still be in the same country. I also enjoyed talking to some students from the University of York where we discussed the similarities and differences between our college experiences and educations. My time abroad helped me to not only learn about, but experience a different country and its culture which was transformational for me.

The transformations I experienced are significant to me in many ways. One, it gave me an opportunity to experience and overcome an unfamiliar situation which I gained a lot from. As I get closer to a professional career, new and unfamiliar situations will become more common in my life, making it important that I can face them with confidence as I did in this education abroad program. Second, meeting new people and forming relationships, as I did with my group and with the people I met abroad, is a part of life and will always be necessary. Finally, because I gained so much just from being in the U.K. for two weeks, I know that I would love to return there one day as well as continue travelling and exploring new countries so that I can continue to have these transformational experiences.