14
Kansas State Engineer
What makes traveling so intrigu-
ing? There are new places to see, plenty
of things to do and exciting adventures
at every turn. But how is traveling dif-
ferent from studying abroad? And what
makes studying abroad such a life-
changing experience?
According to the seventh volume,
number one of Student Traveler, “Ev-
eryone should go abroad because it
forces you to think in a way you have
never thought before, to do things you
never thought you could do, and it ex-
poses you to people and experiences
that would never come your way if you
stay in one place your whole life.” Trav-
eling is making an itinerary to see new
sights and explore museums, theme
parks, ski resorts, sandy beaches, etc.
for a week or so. Studying abroad is
going to a country of interest for one
summer, semester, year, or longer, in or-
der to gain new insight on other cul-
tures and behaviors so you can learn
more about the world than what you
could from even the best books.
Students from Kansas State have
been all around the world. And most who
have gone abroad only knew the basics
of a language, or spoke only English. I
also have yet to find anyone who has
any regrets about going.
I studied abroad last semester in
Prague, Czech Republic, and you could
have a similar experience. Most stu-
dents will likely talk to you about their
experience with sparkling eyes and a
huge smile. The majority of students
who go through the Study Abroad pro-
gram at K-State go to Australia or
Prague, Czech Republic, but some other
hot spots include Argentina, Belgium,
Costa Rica, England, France, Germany,
Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia,
Spain, Switzerland, and Tanzania. Any
catch your interest?
Although I
only studied the
days before my
final exams, I
learned a lot more
than I ever would
have imagined
while abroad. I
traveled to Hun-
gary, Poland,
Austria, Croatia,
Slovakia Repub-
lic, Germany,
Switzerland,
France and Italy.
But my best expe-
riences were in
Czech, most es-
pecially in
Prague. It be-
came my home
very quickly. To
me, no other city can compare to Prague,
since the Heart of Europe has so much
to offer.
I also met many international stu-
dents (from all over Europe) with whom
I instantly became friends. I tried to
spend more time with them rather than
with my fellow Americans, which I did,
because I knew I could always spend
time with the Americans at home, and I
wanted to learn all about how Europe-
ans lived and behaved. My favorite
European friends were the Czechs, Ital-
ians and two guys from France and Bel-
gium. I explained a lot about America to
them, but they taught me so much more.
We had several discussions (and con-
versations) about politics, geography,
language, history and religion. Every-
one I talked to about religion had inter-
estingly different views and opinions
too. Furthermore, I was astonished at
how many Europeans were practically
anti-American at first. They even ques-
tioned us to see how much knowledge
we had about geography and world is-
sues.
The beautiful melodic French lan-
guage was my favorite of all, and what
little Spanish I have learned did not help
me much to decipher what my Spanish
roommate was ever saying. Being na-
tive English speakers, the Americans
and Scots were also at an advantage in
the International Student Club (ISC) and
at school since this was the binding lan-
guage. So I used my class hours wisely
and wrote in my journal to keep from
falling asleep. I would begin to fall
asleep because the professors spoke so
slowly my mind would start to wander
and tire. But I will treasure my detailed
journal entries forever.
I made sure to become friends with
the Czechs so I could experience Prague
like no tourist had. And I did. I met a
A New Point of View
A K-State engineering student and her life-changing experience oversea
By Tawny Albrecht
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