Scots-stagram: My experience at Maryville College through pictures

 Maryville College...yeah, how in the world am I supposed to adequately describe my time here without sounding like an overly emotional nerd? Well, my friends, it isn't possible. So for now I'm going to keep my words to a minimum and allow my pictures do a majority of the talking...

Beautiful campus, beautiful friends. 

Being so close to the Smoky Mountain National Park, frequent trips with friends is an absolute must. 

Attending performances and experiencing the arts with fellow students.

Classes at Maryville College are hands on to say the very least...professors encourage students to go out and learn first hand the topics discussed in class. Frequent trips to the college woods are always an exciting way to learn new things outside of the classroom. 

Being involved in Concert Choir has given me the opportunity to make some incredibly weird, but wonderful friends. 

Being with fellow MC students while volunteering locally and making a difference? Could it get any better?  

The memories I've made while traveling (domestically) with friends at Maryville College are ones that I will treasure for a lifetime. 

I'm most thankful for the experiences that I've been able to share at MC with my little sister by my side. 

Unfortunately, they don't teach a course on how to properly grocery shop on a budget...

Professors at MC truly care about our futures, and are always encouraging of our success (sometimes in the form of cookies...if you're lucky).  

Maryville College has had a lasting impact on my life. Through these pictures, I am reminded of all of the wonderful times I've had and friends that I've made in my 3 years here. I will treasure these memories forever, and will carry them with me even when I am away from campus. I am thankful for every moment, and will cherish them for years to come (See, I told you things get sappy once I start talking too much...).

Scotland!

      One of the easier parts of studying Scotland is that there isn't as much of a cultural gap between Scottish culture and American culture as there is between here and many of the countries that other students will be living in. Most of the student in our class are going to have it harder than me in the sense of having to get used to living in a society of different religion, music, language, family patterns, social classes, government, etc. This being said, I am also fortunate enough to have some travel experience under my belt that has taught me to appreciate and embrace these differences. I enjoy going off and doing things on my own, which I feel will be helpful while traveling to and first arriving at Napier University, but will have to push myself to integrate with the locals. I will need to constantly remind myself that the opportunity to interact with (and even maybe make friends with) other students will be invaluable, as I tend to retreat into myself in new situations. One of my biggest personal goals for this spring is to become a more independent person while pushing myself to be more interactive with people my age. I'm also thinking that I might embrace some Scottish drinking culture to help with this a bit (kind of kidding).

     When it comes to what aspects of “being an American” I will bring to Scottish culture I am not quite sure of. I like to keep myself busy most of the time and think of myself as a direct person. Like we touched on in class, I may be an American in the sense that I'm not usually one for small talk and tend to get right to the point. Overall though, I think most of my personality traits are more personal than a product of an American upbringing.

     Finally, I would like to help dispel some crude American stereotypes. Because I visit my (extremely blunt) family in Australia every couple of years, I have been exposed to what could be considered American generalizations. I also think it helps that I have lived in two completely different regions in America. I have a rounded view of different generalizations because I have been on either side of them, meaning I can somewhat understand a person making regional American generalization, also meaning I can better help to disprove them. All I really can do is be myself wholeheartedly and hope for the best.

Monica's World Gone Global

Living in Maryville, Tennessee is almost like living in a Utopia. Here,although in college and highly stressed and constantly busy, life is easy.

In Maryville my life consists of 2 things: Soccer, and My friends/boyfriend.  Here at maryville i can place certain words and pictures into a fitting description of my daily life.

Now this is me in argentina: Except not wearing a striped shirt, slightly shorter and way more voluminous hair than Waldo.

Strengths that i bring to the table- AKA THINGS IM AWESOME AT:

• Being me- i honestly couldn't place a single worded definition on my self. but i know im unique and bring awesome things to the table
• I have been abroad before and have a spanish cultural family background
• hopefully this background will come in handy, and the customs/practices wont seem so odd (aka un-american
• RED MEAT IS MY FRIEND, and Argentina is full of it.

Challenges I'm going to face:

• although i go to school 800+ miles and 2 states away from home, i still haven't managed to get a grip on the fact that when the going gets tough i cant go home to my parents house for dinner
• being a different country- let alone hemisphere.... coping with this will be harder
• ill miss my parents more than when im at school because ill want them to be there to experience every amazing thing they have worked so hard for me to do.
• Having severe FOMO (fear of missing out) Maryville is a small, not really hoppin' place, but once you settle in here, it becomes your home. 
• life will go on with out me and my friends will do all the friend things they do with out me, and EVEN THOUGH I WILL BE LIVING THE DREAM IN ARGENTINA, ill still stalk them on Facebook and cry a little inside because i miss them, and Maryville.
• Cell phone service- good thing im going to South America and the time zones are only offset by 1 or 2 hours. Having to depend on wifi is actually an awful thing. I did it in italy for 2 weeks and it was miserable... now dealing with it for 4.5 months, lets see how it goes
• Communicating- argentina wasn't my first choice because of the accent they have there, so ill need a few weeks to get warmed up (its just like soccer right?)
• Finances- Surviving in Maryville is easy, but will my tight budget for college carry over into another country with a different currency?

My strategies for Assimilation:

• Ive experienced assimilation in every aspect of my life at MC. 
• 1st- moving to Tennessee from Sunny and 75 degrees South Florida (enough said)
• 2nd- playing soccer for Pepe. Its not as easy as it sounds and it requires a lot of adaptation and changing probably everything you did in your soccer career prior to being a Scot
• 3rd- Moving to place where i knew no one and starting over again- except i was immediately presented with a family of 50+ soccer player ( a better welcoming gift than most)
• I plan on using all 3 of those experiences to help me channel my inner Argentine
• 1st- moving from tennessee to the new world of South America and Argentina
• 2nd- letting go of all pre conceived notions of life outside America and learning how to adapt for the greater good of my life
• 3rd- once again, moving to a place in where i know no one (this time to only be greeted by a host family, who doesn't speak the same language as me- not as thrilling this time around

Shining my Inner light

• I have a big heart, and those who surround me daily will testify in my favor . I will go above and beyond my means to help anyone. The same goes for trying to make the most of this trip. My family is my heart and making them proud by achieivng my end goal of fluency/ being bilingual is what really matters. I hope to have an unforgettable time in Argentina and come back a different, in a better way, person.
• Having my moms favorite quote imprinted on my mind- "Pick your self up by your boot strap, Monica."When the going gets tough, as basically my beginning days will be in Argentina, ill never forget this. I want to be remembered as a girl who always always always always trudged through adversity and still made it out alive... barely breathing or not, but still alive.
• I know ill make it- i am my mothers daugther and that alone is enought to conquer the world.

Channelling my inter Argentine (factually)

• Most of the conversations i have with Ben are about argentina. like what he did, where he traveled, what to see , how much money to bring . ya know all the important stuff that google cant really tell you. i hope to utilize this primary source and ask him 123456789098765 more question before i leave.
•  i have yet to be able to communicate fully in spanish with out the dependency of english. i wish to elimate the language barriers and soar through ropes like a trapeze artist influence by spanish. i want to cut my safety net and see where it takes me. I have nothing lose but everything to gain. Itll be worth in the end ( a little Chris Daughtery never hurt anyone)

LIKE THE COOL KIDS

I Wish That I Could Be Like The Cool KIDs

But Sadly I probably won't be..

I immediately thought of this song by ECHOSMITH right after assessing what my weaknesses were and since I feel that although there are many weaknesses that I posses the few strengths I have will help me over come them so I will list those first:

My Temporary Flaws:

 (temp., because I know I can out grow them) 

• I'm Broke (for now at least)
• I Like control
• Insecurity of my background
• Technologically profound (I do love my gadgets, I'm not super hard core but in another country this really worries me)
• I don't like asking for help, especially when I don't know where or if I even can ask for it. 
• Making long term bonds with people other than my family
• keeping in touch with people
• procrastination is at a normal level, but abroad might be a different story. 

My Super powers :

• I am optimistic person at the best of times
• patient 
• Respectful
• Aware of my surroundings
• I KNOW My weaknesses
• When I lose control I can stay level headed 
• I have a basic knowledge at least of the language 
• I seriously go straight into what I call "Survival mode" (I initiate conversation and meet people where ever i can fit it in) 
• I'm for the most part a very INDEPENDENT Woman 

I can be an awesome chameleon:

What I mean is that I am very good at adapting to my surroundings, and even when I find I can't adapt or just can't keep up, I'm super persistent in learning it fast. I know that It'll be hard for me at first, I mean everyone goes through their own struggles, everyone fights their own private wars but at the end of the day, as long as I'm alive and well, even if a little distraught, I know I'll make it. I'll rock peoples socks off!

My incognito mode of scoping out life in Spain will consist of:

• Tons of Youtube videos
• blogs
• pictures
• I Think I might even try get a pen pal over there before I go...Is that cheating?

Ultimately, I Don't know if any of these things will work, but It never hurts to try. 

Blog Post 2- Same Joni, New Country

With change comes adaptation.  No one necessarily looks forward to change and it often depends on how good you are at change and accepting something new.  Not everyone has the perfect personality and opinion, but everyone is unique.  For some of us it may be harder to adjust our opinions and ideas if we need to, while others embrace the change and modification.  

Personally, I like to think I embrace change and new things, but I know that parts of me are stubborn as well.  Depending, I find myself more adaptable in some circumstances.  I noticed after completing several self-assessments that there are specific parts of who I am and my personality that will make my traveling abroad experience easier and some that may make it more difficult.

What I believe some of my strengths are that will benefit me abroad:

• A solid overall understanding of the differences in universal, cultural, and personal ideas
• I focus on relations with others rather than my success all the time
• I am a very easy-going person who is comfortable with meeting new people and sharing with them
• I work well with groups; in-tune with others feelings and backgrounds
• I feel I have a good sense of priority in my life
• Openness to new things: food and sharing
• Looking out for myself, even if it is uncomfortable for me
• Mostly flexible, put concern where it is necessary

What I believe some of my weaknesses are that will hopefully not hinder me abroad:

• Larger groups of people are not my favorite environment
• Dependency on others, especially for guidance 
• Uncomfortable traveling alone (first time alone to another country)
• Missing my family and friends
• While I am open and flexible with some things, I prefer to be given details

Repsect for different perspectives and opinions!

While abroad, not only do I want to be immersed in the German culture, but I also want stay true to my roots.  I want to be a great example of the American culture but not an obnoxious one.  I hope that while I express who I am and my culture, that some will grow to accept and appreciate it just like I plan to do with the German individual.  I hope to share my background and interesting things about me, but also about my "people" in general.  

Where I come from and the Places I will go…

In the past few weeks as I have received my acceptance to the program in Pamplona at the Universidad Pública de Navarra. Knowing the destination of my travel adventures has made it just a little more real to me. I have always wanted to go to Spain for this semester and now it is happening. As exciting of all of this is, it has also made me realize that it is really happening. I am going not only abroad, but abroad to a country where my native language is not shared, my cultural values do not match up, and the general way of life is different. This is both exciting and scary all at once. Part of why I signed up for this experience was for this opportunity to learn and grow outside of what I know but there is still an unnerving anticipation in thinking about it.

In preparing for this experience through the Self Audit and the Cultural-Context Inventory I have found that my strengths in this process of learning and adapting to a new culture are in openness to new things and independence. Each of these qualities will help me as I study and may be useful as I work through cultural differences that I have seen based on my raking as a low index person entering a higher index country. I will have to work on openness about private affairs and other differences in that manner.

I think that the greatest difficulties that I will come across are the language barrier and the differences in pop culture references, especially as I try to make friends at my university. From what I have read online, Spain is a place where groups of people are very close and tight-knit. As an outsider and a foreigner, this may be difficult for me to get into. Details such as eating and sleeping habits will take some accommodation as well as Spaniards have a very unique system in both of these aspects.  I also know that the education system in Spain is taken very seriously and students are trying very hard to make it in an economy that is not doing the greatest. With that, I will have to be conscious of the way that I approach studies and interactions with other students. Some ways to go about these difficulties in my opinion will be to make good connections within the study abroad program that the university has to offer and to make sure that I am always open to trying new things and going to new places with the people that I meet. Along with that, I will also have to be intentional in my first couple of weeks to observe the way that they do things there and to try to find a balance between trying out their ways and living my own as well.

A great part of that will be deciding what parts of my “American self” I want to portray and educate others about. For me I think that I want to educate others on my compassion and care for others as well as my openness to new people and ideas. I think that US Americans are very curious and that is one thing that I want to portray. Another one of my Americanisms that I will carry with me is my individuality. Many of the exercises that we have done show that US Americans are very much so individualists and I think that I can show the way that that is positive for me while I maybe learn about the benefits of a more group-minded society.  All in all, it is my hope that I can stay as much myself while still allowing myself to have new experiences that might change my outlook.

Expectations for an Extended Experience Elswhere

    Although it isn't my very first long-term experience abroad, I can hardly call my self a seasoned veteran of travel. Furthermore, there's only so much that a person can prepare for when making a departure of this magnitude. So the question remains: what innate strengths and weaknesses do I possess that will affect my ability to cope when I inevitably encounter unfamiliar and unexpected circumstances while I'm abroad?

    Based off of the cultural-context inventory and self-audit we filled out, our in-class discussion, and my own personal experience, there are several traits that I believe will be useful.

1. I tend to go with the flow when events unfold differently than intended.
2. I'm fairly self-sufficient, and don't typically require interaction with others.
3. I'm open minded about nearly everything.
4. I'm not afraid to ask for assistance, directions, etc.

    There are also some traits that have the potential to hinder me, often merely negative counterparts to the previously mentioned positive attributes.

1. According to people that have known me for any length of time, I'm quite disorganized.
2. My self-sufficiency often has the effect of isolating me from others.
3. I'm not very talented at navigation, especially somewhere I've never been before.
4. I'm a hardcore procrastinator.

    One of my favorite parts of meeting people from other countries is the process of discovering all the innumerable peculiarities that make our cultures different. I like to think of it as a kind of trade of experience, and it's something I do pretty naturally. I'd really like to try to present those from other countries with a positive view of those from the United States through showing them some of the more positive values we adhere to.

1. I can show them that we work hard, and always get the job done.
2. I'll exhibit that we care about the impact our decisions have on the rest of the world
3. I will make it clear that we are extremely diverse, and perhaps dispel generalizations.