Before I start writing about my study abroad experiences, let me introduce re-myself quickly. My name is Florentina Lang and I am an international student at SBCC coming from Vienna, Austria. I am majoring in International Business and Global Studies and I am nineteen years old. In my free time, I enjoy doing sports, going to the beach, going to the movies, and hanging out with my friends. In addition, I have been the social media intern in the SBCC Study Abroad office and an active SBCC ambassador. Travel is my passion and I wanted to share my study abroad experience with you from the perspective of someone who's studying here in the US. I hope my experience will encourage you to consider studying in another country, too
I have always loved traveling and was intrigued by the thought of far-away lands and cultures. My passion for traveling and making new experiences started early on. When I traveled to the Maldives at the age of five (and very much enjoyed myself), I told my parents confidently that I would be moving away from Austria when I was older. Distance never scared me. What did scare me was the thought of missing out. I wanted to see everything and at the same time! When I was only 14 I convinced my parents to let me do an exchange year on another continent; a continent I had never been to before but had always felt a connection with - AMERICA! The U.S. seemed to be the most interesting because I have been exposed to American pop culture all my life but never visited the “greatest country of all” before.
Experiencing the foreign culture first hand. American Prom Because I couldn’t go far enough, I decided to study in Santa Barbara for one year (which, spoiler alert, was the best decision of my life, details will follow!) and attended Santa Barbara High School during the school year of 2014/15. After my initial venture to study abroad, I decided to yet again come to the US to study at SBCC. I wanted to improve my English skills, as those are necessary for taking part in the global workforce. In addition, I have always been very open towards other cultures and wanted to learn more about foreign customs and ways of living. Furthermore, I wanted to live on my own, away from my family, in order to develop myself, become more independent, and make experiences I couldn’t have made in my home country.
Making life-long friends abroad
Looking back, I wonder how I managed to survive moving to another country at the age of fifteen without being fluent in the language, never having flown on my own before, and without knowing ANYONE there.
But I became friends with other great international students (my German roommate at the time is still my best friend) who helped me through the experience. Having friends all over the world now seems ordinary to me. No matter what continent or country I visit, I always have friends there who can show me their culture. It's like having my own tour guide and who wouldn’t want to see a country through the eyes of a local?
Taking on the challenge of integrating myself into another culture and community was a great motivator for me to make the decision to come back to study at SBCC. I was never one to take the easy road. I dreamed of being exposed to different cultures on a daily basis, interacting with students from all over the world, and developing a completely different worldview, which I couldn’t have gotten in Austria.
Explore your surroundings - go for a hike
The friendships I gained from studying abroad are simply amazing. Whether you attend a college for your whole course of studies abroad or take part in a study abroad program offered by your institution, one thing is for sure: you are going to make amazing friends and experiences! You’ll have so much fun with them!
In addition, you and the other students on the abroad program all go through the same challenges and it's great to be able to lean on each other and give advice to each other. In my experience traveling connects people!
Feeling on top of the world
Before going abroad, I thought that my life in Austria and how we do things were normal. But then I realized, there is NO normal. Every culture and every country are so strikingly different and we should embrace that and learn more about each other. Becoming a global citizen is so crucial in today’s globalized world and will make your life so much easier later on. Speaking multiple languages also provides you with an advantage when it comes to getting a job. Even though I went through difficult times, (problems with my host families, culture shock…) I grew stronger, became more independent, and eventually turned into a better person. Furthermore, gaining such insights from another culture and another way of living is such an extraordinary experience and will most certainly change your life. Take time to visit the sights
- Malibu Pier
To sum up, the main reasons why I decided to go abroad were to get to know a different culture, to be exposed to different ways of living, to find out more about other places as well as about myself, and to make great friends who I can visit all over the world – because that gives you a reason to travel. There is a reason why people say, “travel far enough and you will find yourself” (Cloud Atlas).
Stay tuned for my experiences with living abroad and adjusting to another culture in future posts. Sign up below to get all the news and tips directly in your inbox.