Final Reflection

For Project I, I wrote about an experience that happened some time ago but still left a significant mark on my impression of traveling. It was interesting to look back on old pictures and emails exchanged between me and my grandmother months before our trip. I think reflecting on such an experience is important as it allows you to think about how it’s affected you and how you’ll apply your newfound knowledge to your future endeavors. I didn’t realize how much of an impact this trip had on my relationship with my grandmother until I started comparing our interactions before and after our time in Paris. We’re definitely much closer now, which is a relief since going on a trip where you have nothing but each other can either make or break your relationship. Thankfully, we had nothing more than a few arguments about directions or what time our wake-up call should be. This was the first trip I went on where I was involved in the planning process and traveled with someone that I didn’t live with. This trip is where I discovered my love of traveling and the traveling community. As big as this community is, being with the right people in the right places makes it feel familiar and comforting. My visit to Paris made my decision on whether or not I wanted to study abroad a lot easier. At first, I was unsure of whether or not I wanted to go to a foreign country essentially on my own; now I feel as though my experiences thus far have provided me with enough practice to study abroad.

After hearing about my Aunt Jenny’s experience studying abroad in Germany throughout the years, I knew it was something I wanted to do. She gained so much from her experience, and to this day visits Europe on a regular basis. She met longtime friends (including her husband!) during her time overseas and now speaks fluent German, Czech, and some Russian. I figured that if I wanted to get the most out of my time abroad, she was the one to go to. During our interview, she told me that the most important step in learning a language is living in a place where they speak it fluently. This peaked my interest because the main reason I want to visit Spain is to learn Spanish. After our interview, I decided to focus my research in Project II on the process of learning another language while studying abroad. I learned a lot from my research, including the existence of a program available to students studying in Valencia, Spain called “Club de Español.” This program allows students to get a more immersive cultural experience, which is what I was looking for in my study abroad experience. The research I conducted for Project II along with some of the advice my aunt gave me has only amplified my excitement to visit Valencia in Spring of 2019.

Overall, I enjoyed this class because it allowed me to do research on things that I was genuinely interested in. Without this class, I wouldn’t have had an enlightening conversation with a person I’ve always admired about something we both care deeply about. I was also able to do research on FSU’s International Programs and learned a great deal of useful information that I’ll be sure to implement in my future travels. I loved doing Project III because I was able to use the information I’ve learned to create my own genres that will hopefully be useful to those also planning on studying abroad. My favorite genre was my thank you note to my aunt since it included information she gave me as well as some information I sought out on my own. It also gave me the chance to thank her for being such a positive influence in my life and providing me with the means necessary to get the most out of my traveling experiences. I also love working with digital design so I thoroughly enjoyed making the brochure as well. The “clickbait” article was also fun to make because I was able to write in a non-serious manner and address the readers directly. This course consisted of reflection, discovery, innovation, and collaboration. I enjoyed being in a smaller class as it allowed me to connect with my professor (hi Mat!) as well as my classmates. Although this class was required, I didn’t feel as though taking it was a punishment for not getting enough college credits in high school. I liked this course a lot and looked forward to going class every week.