Study Abroad Goals

To say that I've been nervous about studying abroad would be an understatement to say the least. I have lived in Maryville, Tennessee my whole 21 years of life, and I come from a culture where family comes before anything else. I'm very close with my family, and have never been apart from them for longer than a two week span. I am the oldest of five, and am close with all of my siblings. Naturally, I've put off a semester abroad for as long as possible.

With graduation quickly approaching and as I begin to think about my future, I realize how lucky I am to have the opportunity to travel to another country to gain experience. As an international business and Spanish major, international travel will be a positive contribution in reaching my professional goals.

While I'm abroad in Spain, I hope, most importantly, to become more independent. I've had the luxury of having my parents at my side every step along the way concerning my college career. They help me making important decisions and reach my goals every day, but it's time for me to learn to live on my own.

Another goal I have for myself while I'm abroad is to hopefully intern for a company or for the Spanish government. Interning for a company while I'm abroad would be extremely helpful for reaching my professional goals concerning my international business degree. I previously interned for a Senator here in Tennessee for five months and hope to intern for a Senate committee over the summer in Washington D.C. as well. Finding an internship in either of these sectors would be extremely beneficial. I hope to pursue a dual degree after I graduate from Maryville College--a MBA or MIB and a JD. So, being able to add professional experience abroad to my resume would provide me with a competitive advantage when applying to graduate schools.

Another goal I've set for myself is to travel as much as possible while I'm abroad. I selected Spain as my destination for this reason; to have the opportunity to travel to as many European countries as possible, as well as possibly Africa. There is so much to experience and see while I'm there. I'm excited to pursue these adventures, especially since a couple of my friends are planning on visiting throughout my time there to share these experiences with me.

I'm not really nervous about actually going to Spain. A language barrier doesn't exist for me, since Spanish is my first language. I understand the Spanish culture is different from the Mexican culture and definitely from the American culture, but I've had to live in a state of "in betweenness" between two cultures my whole life. I've gained adaptive skills, and I understand what it means to have to change the way you do things in certain situations out of respect for another culture. I guess the only things I'm really worried about now are missing my family and whether or not I'll like the food there... I'm such a picky eater! Oh, and I have no idea how I'm supposed to pack my closet into only two suitcases.. But other than that, I think I'm actually more excited than anxious to leave!