Beyond the Scantron

Me surfing
My dog, Evie, she loves to ride in the car and we are always on the go!

My outlook on higher education would forever change when a group of students who had studied abroad came to my class to speak about their study abroad experiences. Students who study abroad are just in the movies or at wealthy Ivy League colleges, not from Oklahoma! I soon learned just how many different and unique study abroad programs are offered at the University of Oklahoma. Being able to study abroad is an opportunity that students are able to not just sit at their computers and Google search a country, but to be able to actually go and interact with the people and places you read about in your textbooks. Personally, I am more of an interactive learner. If I see and feel what I am learning about, my learning experience expands beyond any test taken on a Scantron.

Traveling is one of my passions. As far as my traveling experiences go, I have been to Canada and Mexico, two beautiful countries that I was able to visit on mission trips with my church. One day, I would love to be a flight attendant, so I can travel to places people only get to dream of visiting. I love to learn about other people, and their customs and culture. Earth is so small, yet so huge! There are so many people on this planet, and not one person is like another. What is normal to you or me may be completely foreign to someone else. For people who vacation and only hang out at the “tourist” spots, they miss out on so much! Thank goodness there are people who are adventurous enough to seek locations off the beaten path and are able to give readers every emotion, detail and experience in a way that other people are able to grasp what you have written. It takes someone who is passionate and skilled to be able to carry over certain contagious energy into their writing.

Having the opportunity to take this course would help me to grow my writing skills, by learning different styles and techniques in writing. Being able to go beyond the pages of the textbook, and to become one of those writers who is able to give people that “non-touristy” information. Studying abroad is something that you will be able to carry with you for the rest of your life. You may forget about the things you read in your textbook, but it is hard to forget the things in life you were able to experience.

http://www.unitedafa.org/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/travel/