Thoughts on studying abroad

Good friends, good food, good times.

For many people, studying abroad is more about having fun than actually learning. People save their “joke” classes or elective credits for their semester abroad; studying less means more time to party where the alcohol is legal and to travel to places they’ve only read about.

But studying abroad is more than just a way to have fun. It’s a great look into a different culture.

How different your semester home is depends on where you are. I compared my experience in London to a friend’s time in Jordan and found them radically different. Nevertheless, English culture does differ from American, and I thought it was a valuable experience.

Study abroad programs differ, even within a city.

Want to spend a semester abroad but don’t want to pay the outrageous fees just to take nothing classes?

IU co-sponsors a program with Arcadia University that sends students to London for a semester to not only take classes, but also get internship experience.

More than anything, working in an office in the center of

London taught me a lot more than taking a couple classes did. All emails are to be addressed very formally; even inter-office emails between colleagues are proper. Once an hour or so, someone jumps up and gets everyone a round of tea.

But it wasn’t just office customs that gave me insight into the Brits; talking to my co-workers taught me a lot more — everything from why Queen Elizabeth’s husband is a prince rather than a king to the political and social as well as religious importance of the Christmas season.

Working in a foreign country was an invaluable experience. I was completely immersed in another culture. News from home seemed very far away.

Except for Facebook and Skype, I was completely set apart from home. And it was incredible.

Many people feel that the American culture (if one can even define a specific culture from the hodgepodge that is our many peoples) is the greatest in the world.

Patriotism is commendable, but what’s even better is the opportunity to learn about how other people live — the good and the bad — to really appreciate how great our system is — and to see all the wonderful things we could do.

To me, studying abroad was an opportunity to travel — to see art on my slide list and visit the sites of important events. I didn’t expect to learn so much about my host country. It made me miss the States and never want to go back at the same time.

Studying abroad is an experience every university student should have. The prices are ridiculous (depending on the program, it could be twice what a semester in Bloomington costs). However, there are scholarships for students spending a semester out of the country; some are even available to specific departments.

Everyone should get to immerse themselves in another culture.

What better way to form connections around the world and bring the people of this planet together?

­— hanns@indiana.edu