Carli R. Jaff ‘16
Major(s): American Studies / Educational Studies: Schools,Society, and Culture
CIEE- Seville- Teaching Development, Spain, Spring 2015
I was extremely nervous before I went abroad– I almost didn’t go. And there were some days while I was in Spain that I thought I shouldn’t have gone abroad. I didn’t think I could leave my comfort zone for 4 months and start completely anew. And maybe I was right– maybe abroad wasn’t for me. I didn’t have the crazy, life-changing experience that everyone talks about, but abroad did change me.
Before I went abroad, my goals were to become more independent and confident in myself. I also wanted to learn more about myself as a teacher and a person, and also just have a fresh start in general. From being in the teaching program, I definitely learned more about myself as an educator and solidified the fact that I want to teach third or fourth grade. I think I still have more to learn about myself in that sense and about myself as a whole, but being abroad was a solid start on this path. Now that I’m back from abroad and have had time to reflect, I think that I did meet these goals. I am certainly more independent after living in a city and figuring it out by myself, and becoming more independent in turn instilled in me a new-found confidence that I never had before. From my study abroad experience, I now feel ready to take on my senior year as a strong and confident adult and face anything that will come next.
There were times I think I could have pushed myself out of my comfort zone more while abroad– instead of spending the time that I did in my room, I should have gone out to a café or a park and read or written in my journal. I was definitely anxious about spending time by myself, but as the semester continued, I became more comfortable with the idea and found myself in my room less and less.
Sometimes, the expectations that we set cause us to get ahead of ourselves, and most of the time, these expectations aren’t met. But instead, what we find are different expectations that we meet that are just as good or even better. So, what I would advise for every student who wants to study abroad is to throw all of those stereotypes, expectations, and predictions out the window and just go into abroad with as much of an open mind as possible. What you’ll find will surprise you. It surely surprised me. I made incredible friends, became fluent in Spanish, and came back to America as a better version of myself. I proved that I could be abroad and away from my friends and family and comfort zone for 4 months. I don’t think I could have asked for much more.
