I never thought I would go on a study abroad trip. I hadn’t even been west of Alabama, let alone gone out of the country. I’m not one of those people who likes getting outside of their comfort zone and trying a bunch of new things. However, the semesters prior had all been full of getting out of my comfort zone and changing things up in my life. I had changed my major, transferred to a different school, and gotten involved in other extra-curricular activities. There were a few other people in my class that were discussing applying for a trip. I figured this may be my last chance to do something like this in my college years. I decided to apply along with a few of my friends. I remember sitting in our student area and hitting commit at the same time with one of my friends after getting accepted. I never looked back! Four girls from the Tifton campus all got accepted and planned on being with each other through the whole process.
The main point of the trip was to get some teaching experience in a primary school in Dumfries. I was honestly pretty nervous about teaching primary students. My plan is to teach high school agriculture. Now I was being put into what would be third through seventh grade classes in America, and I was teaching about sound with my group. The kids at the school were all so sweet and respectful. They paid attention to our lesson and asked questions. The teachers and staff were also very kind and let us use their break room. They shared their tea and biscuits with us and were overall just very welcoming. We got to sit with the kids at lunch and then play with them at recess. They didn’t have a normal playground with play sets like in America. They basically just ran around or played basketball the entire time. I got really comfortable in the classrooms and with the students. The part that I was most worried about on the trip quickly became one of my favorite parts. I’m so grateful I had the chance to go on this trip and have this opportunity.
