Wednesday, Aug 27, 2014
We asked one of our study abroad students to reflect on her time in another country. Petra Gaskins traveled to Xian, China, this spring as part of the Alliance for Global Education. Gaskins was a recipient of the Gilman Scholarship and The Alliance for Global Education Scholarship. This extra support helped her fulfill her dream of traveling abroad.
Why did you choose China as your study abroad destination?
Speaking candidly, I decided to study abroad in China due to the feelings of inadequacy that I experienced during my sophomore year; during that time not only did I lose several people in my life, but I also committed the mistake of constantly comparing myself to my peers whom I perceived as more insightful and well-informed than me. I wanted a change of pace and thus decided to study abroad in order to learn more about the world around me, but outside of a traditional academic setting. I choose China because I am highly interested in US foreign policy, and the importance of knowing about Sino-American relations cannot be stressed enough.
What was the most challenging part of studying abroad?
The greatest difficulty I confronted comprised reconciling the familiar and comfortable culture that I grew up with and the new, foreign one. Sometimes the contrast in culture did not affect me, but other times I found it very difficult to cope with. For example, as an American I was accustomed to certain teaching styles, and was shocked the first time my Chinese teacher criticized and embarrassed me in front of my class; the way I dealt with such situations involved thinking about the reasons such behaviors exist and in this case my teacher simply wanted to motivate me more. Another challenging aspect I faced concerned trying to to explain certain aspects of my home culture and dealing with the frustration that ensued when people in my host culture did not believe me. For instance, some people thought I was lying to them when I tried to explain that I am American and not African because they grew up believing all Americans had blue eyes and blonde hair. In this aspect, I had no way of dealing with it but to stay positive.
What would you say you gained from this experience?
This is truly a difficult question to answer, as I believe that sometimes you change so much from the unique experiences encountered abroad that one is unable to fully articulate such changes. Although it is a bit clichéd, studying abroad (or simply living in a foreign country) transforms a person in so many ways. Besides the obvious gains in language fluency and understanding of my host culture, I gained more confidence and a higher self-esteem. When I first arrived in China, I lacked the ability to freely express my thoughts and constantly relied on others to help me, yet now I am the one able to assist those in need. In addition to that, I believe I gained the ability to realize who comprises the truly important people in my life. Close proximity to a person may lull one into thinking they have a good friendship, but those who are willing to be there for you despite the geographical distance are the ones to keep close. I know I had a good number of people who were constantly helping me solve situations when I was unable to in China and I’m thankful for them.
What advice would you give you to students who are considering studying abroad?
Always think positive thoughts and surround yourself with those who tend to stray away from negative feelings, that it not to say that you need to surround yourself with like-minded people, but to warn about the dangers of complaining too much.
Understand that those in your host country will think differently about America than you do, and sometimes you will not always hear positive things about not only your country, but you as an American. Life exposes everyone to different situations which lead them to possess different views than yours; be open to accepting these differences in opinion as they will help you grow not only mentally, but emotionally as well. Most importantly, ensure that the decision to study abroad is yours and not your parents/teachers/friends; after all once you’re in the host country it’s up to you to make the most of it. Studying abroad is totally worth it if you decide to do it.
To learn more about how to study abroad on one of Rider's many international programs, visit www.rider.edu/academics/academic-programs/study-abroad.
