Rachel's Paideia Blog

Intercultural Experience Reflection

In all honesty, reflection on my time studying abroad in London has become more and more difficult the more time passes. Certainly not because I have trouble remembering it—I could chronicle every last detail of what happened to me for six entire months. Rather, I am so totally nostalgic for that period of time. As much of a study abroad cliché as it is, it was undeniably a life changing experience.
One of my main reasons for joining the Paideia program was so that I would be motivated (if not forced) to study abroad. I had always wanted to, but the process of making it happen was daunting. And for good reason. One of the most stressful semesters of my life was the fall before I went to London. The paperwork, the money, the preparation, the plans…it was all very overwhelming. It was, of course, nothing compared to the intense emotional rollercoaster. I am from Austin. It takes me 45 minutes to get to my parents’ house from Southwestern. I hadn’t ever really been alone. Although I made new friends at SU, I felt that I never fully experienced the “college lifestyle” because home and my old friends were always so close to me. This was my opportunity to change that. And I did. I was put completely out of my element without knowing a single human being for thousands of miles around. It was scary.
I have never considered myself a shy person, but others certainly might. I had difficulty speaking up in class, talking to strangers, meeting new people, and basically anything that was out of my comfort zone. However, being thrust into this new situation I had no choice but to just get over those problems and make a life for myself. That was one aspect that completely changed about me—I learned how to relax and to not be so self-conscious. This has been so unbelievably beneficial in every aspect of my life. In general, it has made me a more happy, confident and well-adjusted person.
Something else I had struggled with in the past was my own pretension. Part of the reason I never stepped out of my comfort zone was the fact that I was simply too stuck up to meet people unlike myself. I’ll be the first to admit that I was a total jerk. This completely changed. I was assigned to live in a student hall on the Goldsmiths campus called Loring along with seven other flatmates. I probably never would have talked to a single one of them under any other circumstances. These people, so entirely different than anyone I’d ever met, became my best friends in the entire world. They opened me up to different ideas I had never considered. They transformed me into a nice person. Now I don’t assume the worst in people and always give them a chance.
I could go on for pages and pages about this (you should see my journal) but I won’t. Studying abroad was the single most influential experience in my life not just because I got a taste of another culture or got to see a lot of sights, but because it gave me the opportunity to see the connection between all people. It changed my perception of myself as well as of others, and it made everything seem to fit into place. It’s difficult to describe, but I think it was exactly what the program had intended for students studying abroad. Paideia emphasizes making connections, and I think I was able to do that in every sense of the word.

posted by Rachel @ 12:15 AM