The real reasons to study abroad
The past few days have been more hectic than usual as I’m transitioning into a new job. Which of course means I’m introducing myself and having the “why are you in Chile, lost little gringa?” conversation with everyone I meet. As you may know, my story starts with a study abroad adventure back in 2005.
That worked out pretty well for me, considering I got a husband out of the deal, not to mention a dog and and all around good life. Score one for studying abroad!
I realize, however, that my situation may be atypical (although you wouldn’t know it to talk to many of the gringos here in Chile). A more average experience tends to focus on language skills and travel opportunities, both of which are of course solid, valuable reasons to spend some time studying in another country. But those aren’t the only things you learn when you ship off to the other side of the world.
Much like being an expat, studying abroad gets you good at making mistakes. And that’s a great skill to have! There’s nothing like becoming comfortable having no clue how to express yourself, saying the wrong thing when you DO manage to get a word out and getting lost every time you leave the house. Because once you’re ok with all of that, you can handle a little thing like a job interview or a meeting with new colleagues in an industry you know absolutely nothing about without breaking a sweat. Not that I have done either of those recently, of course.
Via linh.ngan
Plus, let’s not forget that what felt at the time like hanging out at the local bar and traipsing around a new city can be repackaged on your resume. We call these skills “cultural awareness” and “international experience.” It’s not all good self- marketing though. It really does come in handy to realize that people around the world handle social and business situations differently. Even if you don’t know a particular culture’s customs, hopefully your time abroad will have taught you how to hang back and watch the locals for cues.
And por supuesto, if you are studying in a country where they speak a different language, then the language side of things is key. So for the love of god, please take advantage of the chance to learn rather than hiding in an expat bubble! It may be the most obvious of study abroad advantages, but it’s one that bears repeating. Because all that traveling and visiting of local bars felt cooler once I started doing it en español.
This post brought to you by Kaplan International Colleges.
Congrats Emily on the new job. Love your wedding picture
I agree 100% with you on the expat experience. It is so much easier to be with fellow expat however so much more enriching to learn the language in the culture you are living and experiencing life abroad…that of course does not mean it is not great to meet with expats and take a breather. Eventually you’ll just realize you are fitting in and being part of that society. What I love about Chileans is that it is ieasy to converse with them as they are always interested in what we think about their country and they want to share their way of life. All the best in your new job
Yes, yes, yes. And thanks for the good wishes!
God I love that pic! Congrats on the new job my love!!!
Thank you times two! That picture is one of my favorites.
Awwww I love your wedding picture! I never thought about how important it is that living abroad teaches you how to make mistakes. I have often lamented that I never played a sport that taught me how to lose — maybe I made up for it by the three times I lived out of the country! And congrats on the new job, girl!
Well I’ve played plenty of sports and still hate losing, so I don’t know that you should be too jealous
Ohhh, congrats on the new job! xoxo
Thank you! I’m excited to get started.
Great post about study abroad – I couldn’t agree more about getting out of your bubble, and that it makes you really good at making mistakes.
Plus, living abroad longer-term has given me a much deeper appreciation for all the immigrants in my home community who couldn’t speak the language at first. It’s HARD sometimes!
I agree, although it’s also made me really believe that there’s no excuse for not learning the language. I’m not asking for instant fluency, but if you’ve been living somewhere for a couple of years, you should be able to go about your daily life in the local language.
I really wish I studied abroad in college. I felt too scared to go that far from home where I didn’t know anyone. I also didn’t want to leave my boyfriend (though maybe that’s OK since we’ve now been together 7 years and I married him last year!). I started traveling to Europe regularly about a year after school, so that helped give me some of the skills that come with traveling abroad. But I can’t imagine how helpful studying abroad would be. Pretty cool that you got a husband out of it AND gained so much wisdom
I was sad to leave my then-boyfriend too, but obviously that worked out alright since I quickly replaced him with Rodolfo
I am so excited to see one of your wedding photos!! Such a great post – you’re right about the life skills that living abroad both takes and gives you. Sometimes when I do things that my less-travelled family or friends can’t believe, I forget that for me the amount of experience (brought on by many, many mistakes as you mentioned) that travel and the expat life brings you tends to tone everything else down a notch. It has made me somewhat fearless in a way. Great post!
I agree – although I’m still a type-A, over analyzing worrier. But even with something like changing jobs, while it’s scary, I think that really, it’s not as big a deal as moving across the world. Plus moving abroad has taught me that nothing’s permanent – if you make a decision and don’t like the results, just make a change and try something else!
Congrats on the new job! Curious as to what it is.
And that wedding photo is GORGEOUS!
Thank you! Wedding photos were all done by Kyle Hepp, so it’s no surprise they turned out pretty nicely.