Should you Study Abroad? - Exploring With Ang

Studying abroad can be extremely beneficial for your studies and to see more of the world around you. However, studying abroad can also be very expensive. So, should you study abroad? Short answer is yes. In this article I will explain my experience to help you better determine if it is a good choice for you.

Benefits:

Studying abroad has many benefits with a big one being your studies. Studying abroad can provide you with credits that are easy to obtain and a lot more fun than sitting in class. The credits can be great, but you not only gain these credits from studying, you also get to learn from experiencing a new culture. I will talk more about what I learned throughout studying abroad later in the post.

With studying abroad you will get to broaden your knowledge on the world and build your connections from meeting people and seeing how they differ from you.

Culture:

Experiencing a new culture can be daunting, and studying abroad helps you feel comfortable with it. This is because you visit with people you met in the classroom and with your trusted professors. Having these people with me made it so much easier to go in and experience the culture fully. I felt comfortable learning a new dance and exploring the cities and asking questions to the locals.

I asked the locals as many questions as I could about the language, food or even the traditions. This helped me feel like I was getting the most out of studying abroad. Asking questions can be intimidating. It might feel like you are annoying the locals or difficult because you speak another language. All of the people I talked to though appreciated that we wanted to not only visit but to learn from them.

Learned

Throughout my study abroad trip I learned so many things and visited so many places that I wouldn’t have if I only traveled myself. We went to an olive oil factory and learned the technique of picking olives to then make olive oil. Then we even got to taste the olive oil.

At the Agreco farm we visited to learn about how the farm keeps their trees and plants healthy. We got to taste their own wine and taste the fruits they grow on their farm.

Visiting a bee farm was my favorite activity. Learning how the owner made the bee hives and how the process of making honey happened was fascinating. We got to do all of this while wearing bee suits allowing us to get close to the bees.

Another fun adventure was when we got to take a cooking class. We got to make Greek food like gyros, greek salad, and a delicious cinnamon soaked cake. That was my first time making greek food. So to say I got to learn from chefs how to make traditional Greek food in Greece is just another cool thing I can say I did from studying abroad in Greece.

Studying abroad can be expensive but if you take out the cost for the course and add in what you will gain from it I found that it was so worth it. I would recommend anyone to study abroad.