The Colosseum

Author: Anna Mathis | Majors: Agriculture Communications, Agriculture Leadership | Semester: Fall 2023

I have officially been home for a week from my study abroad experience, so I feel prepared to wrap up my last blog of the semester with the aid of family time, extra sleep at home, and some American food that I desperately needed. It seems only fitting that the last blog about a study abroad trip would revolve around school itself—so without further ado, I’m sharing the biggest lessons I’ve learned from my Fall 2023 semester abroad.

A Dream, not a Fairytale

Aside from life lessons, of which I had many, the most important message I want to share about studying abroad comes in the form of managing expectations—and here’s an important expectation. Your time abroad, particularly if it’s a semester or longer will most likely be a dream, but not a fairytale. I’m definitely not a Disney adult, but I’m a sucker for classic Disney movies where things magically go right, you always have a trusty singing sidekick, and big musical ballads about life. We, and our families, often make the mistake of painting Europe and other places abroad as fairytales where upon arrival, all your problems magically disappear, and you become so close with the locals you might as well move there. This is simply not reality. While studying abroad, you will encounter several issues and problems that will cost you money, time, and lots of stress. Public transportation is confusing, airlines are sneaky, and Walmart won’t be around the corner to pick up whatever your heart desires. It is imperative that the glamour and otherworldliness is not an expectation upon arrival, because sadly there might be some disappointment in the first few weeks.

However, along with the hardships that are bound to come, there are also so many surreal moments that feel like you’re in a dream. Living near things you learned about in history class, strolling down the Seine in Paris, horseback riding in Scotland while your friends are in school, or having professors that have seen it all—these are the dream-like moments that make all those hardships worth it. And they are. Who needs fairytales anyway? Especially when the hard things are the most worth it.

The Value of Hard Things

That brings me to the next lesson. It can feel like all the things that go awry, like bus violations or airline fines or delayed flights or bad WiFi or no hot water, can ruin your experience. I found that these things were the biggest learning experiences. Studying abroad can be hard at times, but that taught me that the hardest things in life are the most worth it. Whether it’s a hard class or interesting weekend trip or just your experience in general, I promise the hard things are there for a reason, and they will strengthen and teach you more than anything else.

The Power of Together

For my Arkansas Global Changemakers class, we spent a weekend in Naples learning about organized crime, which is the branch of the Camorra (the mafia is actually Sicilian). We visited several public service organizations on seized Camorra land, whose job is to educate about the dangers of organized crime or provide other services for the betterment of the community. Almost every organization we visited said the same thing: when you’re alone, it’s really hard to fight the corruption and extortion of the mafia. But when you stand together, their influence is so much weaker. This message resonated with me while in Europe, learning more about the European Union, NATO, and other global crises that occur in Europe’s backyard. Compounded by global migration, this message could not be more timely.

Conclusion

Each class, my internship and Syrian refugee friends, weekend trips, and excursions blended in a profoundly impactful way. Coming home is such a surreal experience because your home is the same, but you are not.

No longer will you view the world the same again. You see something that reminds you of Germany, or you recall something from a museum in Paris, or you see a TV show that suddenly makes sense because you understand the world so much better. There are so many important lessons to be learned from something as simple as Italian language fundamentals or complex as the Israel-Hamas conflict, but regardless, these are the lasting lessons that you will leave you a better person. Hopefully these enduring experiences will allow me to be more informed, thus more ready to make a positive difference in my home communities. I will be eternally grateful for my Fall 2023 study abroad.