My first study abroad experience was when I spent six months in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I went not knowing the language at all, only being slightly familiar with the sports capoeira and soccer. I was amazed at how quickly one can learn a language when immersed in it.
My second study abroad experience was to Buenos Aires, Argentina. I interned for HelpArgentina and Periodismo Social, where I translated web pages from Spanish to English and conducted marketing research. During weekends, I traveled to several places within Argentina and also to Uruguay and Chile. One of my favorite places was Iguassu, at the border of Argentina and Brazil.
For my final semester of college, I will intern in Brussels, Belgium at the European Journalism Centre. I am excited for this new adventure and hope to learn more about the role of the European Union. I aim to improve my French and visit the Vatican for Easter.
Before traveling internationally for academic purposes, I also traveled simply for the purpose of seeing more of the world. My first travels were to Mexico while I was in elementary school. Visiting Chichen Itza changed what I had defined to be the limitation on creativity and ingenuity. I became fascinated with languages and foreign cultures from these early experiences.
Going to Japan in high school helped me come to the realization that I am happiest when traveling. My family and I spent two weeks eating fast food and riding the trains with the locals of Nara, Tokyo, Kyoto and Odawara. During my time there, my ability to use chopsticks improved greatly and I had an interesting encounter with a deer in the conservation park of Nara that changed my preconceived notions about the gentleness of deer.
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