Your plane touches down in a foreign country. You are far from loved ones, the life you are accustomed to and your normal routine. The only thing in front of you is opportunity and the beauty of the unknown.
This is the experience that Otterbein students Jacob Roszman, Megan McGill and Ashley Meade were faced with as they chose to study abroad. Even though it is known for these types of courses to be priced high, the experience seems to be well worth the penny. From one end of the world to the other, these Cardinals enhanced their college experiences.
Jacob Roszman, 2016 graduate of Otterbein University,
“Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there, make the jump.”
It is winter in Sydney, Australia, with a high temperature of 75 degrees. Rainy days are few and far between while the country’s capital, Canberra, experiences snow flurries. The weather is just as different as Roszman was upon returning home to the United States.
Making the jump was one of the best decisions Roszman made while in school. His experience at the International College of Management in Sydney, Australia, was liberating from the small- farm town he was accustomed to in Ohio. Before he knew it, he was taking steps towards becoming a new version of himself.
An hour away from his beachside temporary home, Roszman found himself making the biggest jump yet, literally. All that was visible below was a line dividing sand and water. He was abandoning his comfort zone and free falling out of a plane 14,000 feet above the ground. He described it as his greatest adrenaline rush to date. When you are standing on a beach at sea level the only place to go is up, and up is exactly where Roszman went.
The biggest piece of advice Roszman could give would be to put yourself out there. Instead of sticking beside the American students, he made a point to reach out to other international students. This resulted in some of his most genuine and treasured friendships. Keeping in touch was very important. He often still talks to at least 10 of the friends he made while studying abroad.
Each experience helped Roszman boost his confidence either personally or professionally. Meeting new people was becoming an adventure within itself. With each new person he met, confidence was gained. They genuinely cared to learn about him, so he kept moving forward.
In addition to friendships, Roszman also found another type of relationship. About halfway through the trimester he met a local woman, over the next month he started to develop feelings for her. She was also a student and liked Roszman equally as much in return. The goodbye was much harder than expected and, although they decided to just remain friends, she still plans to come visit Roszman and the United States soon.
The trip was expensive, but Roszman considered it to be an investment in his future. He since has gained the courage to move to Tampa, Fl, and leave behind the life he has always known in Ohio. Staying in Columbus seemed like the easy way out. As he continues to grow the most important thing that studying abroad taught him was to keep jumping.
Ashley Meade, senior International Business & Spanish Major,
“I can now see how small and sheltered I am in this world.”
In Buenos Aires, Argentina, the atmosphere is much different than in Columbus, Ohio. Surrounded by an impoverished area of about 3 million people ,and an unfamiliar accent on the Spanish language, Ashley Meade realizes for the first time how sheltered she has been her entire life. Meade spent the next 10 weeks removing her American lens.
Meade worked with an international market research company working to help expand their clients export market. However, the work week was much different than what we are accustomed to in the United States. On any given day the public transportation system could decide to go on strike. The bus system would shut down, and it would be acceptable to not work that day.
“Everything is much more relaxed with a greater balance of personal and work life,” said Meade.
Once she found a routine, it became much easier to be part of their living style and culture. The streets and bars were bustling with soccer fans who were emotionally invested in the Copa America tournament. By summertime, 2016 was becoming a very exciting year for Argentina as they faced Chile in the cup final. Not only were the people much more friendly, but the dogs were too! There are stray dogs everywhere in Buenos Aires, and if you were walking home alone at night they would accompany you as if they were protecting their owner.
In her free time, Meade took every opportunity to travel. She spent a day in Brazil, took a boat to Uruguay and even sipped wine in Mendoza, Chile. Farther south in the Patagonia region, Meade and other international students sailed around the southernmost country of the world. but didn’t stop there. She also hiked through the Andes Mountains and sailed around the southernmost city in the world, Ushuaia, not far from Antarctica. Once again she was reminded how small she is in this big world.
Megan Mcgill, senior Equine Major,
“We all get an American lens.”
On the other side of the world, Megan McGill was entering a three-week course through Otterbein’s Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies program. London, Amsterdam and Utrecht were a few of the cities on McGill’s itinerary. She loved the experience so much that she decided to extend her trip an extra week with Australian college students that she met during her time there.
“Living in the United States we sometimes shelter ourselves from how other places are evolving with time,” said McGill.
In London, street art is still very much illegal but recently has been used in protesting current social issues. The course focused on how gender and sexuality is viewed in other countries. McGill believes that since we are the next generation to influence change in the world, it is very important for us to stay open minded as voters.
London was much more accepting than the United States when it comes to different forms of sexuality. In Amsterdam, sex and prostitution is viewed very differently than we are accustomed to. While in America it is a criminal act, Amsterdammers were very accepting of their red-light district. The term red-light originates from the red lights used in brothels; the urban area houses mostly sex-oriented businesses.
On her last day in Amsterdam, McGill boated through the canals engulfed by beautiful sights, architecture and fellow Otterbein students. She described the feeling as surreal; it was as if she was taking in an entire city all at once.
“I definitely want to return and possibly even live in Europe,” said McGill. It is safe to say she added a new lens to her collection.
Studying abroad is an experience that only helps you evolve as a student and as a professional by being placed outside of your comfort zone. There are 13 faculty- led courses that offer one course credit for abroad studies. For a longer term, there are 15 different schools with direct enrollment who offer an entire semester of studying abroad. Otterbein offers many different options for studying in a different country whether it is for an entire semester or Senior Year Experience course.The opportunity is waiting.
