Last summer, I found myself in a small Kansas town as I worked for the American Hereford Association. This summer, I am heading in a direction that is quite the opposite as I jet off to Romania for a Culture-Centered Communication Study Abroad to document the happenings around agricultural philanthropy in communities.<\/p>\n
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My first flight overseas\u2014and flight over 4 hours in length\u2014will no doubt be an adjustment. I\u2019ve been frantically preparing by searching Pinterest for the best items to pack in my carry-on and clever ways to survive the flight. I have no idea if these will work, but I would rather learn from someone else\u2019s poor experiences than go in unprepared and have my own.<\/p>\n
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As far as preparation goes, I like to think I\u2019m pretty secure about the tasks we will be accomplishing in Romania. I\u2019ve read about all of the programs with which we will be working, and we\u2019ve been preparing co-constructive narratives in a pre-requisite course all semester. A large part of this trip will be constructing narratives about the lives of the families who benefit from the Open Fields (formerly Heifer Romania) agricultural programs. While I know how to construct these narratives, I have a feeling I\u2019ll be learning just how little I actually know, especially about Romania\u2019s people and culture.<\/p>\n
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I am so very nervous about the culture shock that will inevitably change my perspective permanently. Having never traveled abroad anywhere beyond the tourist-laden port of Nassau, Bahamas, I\u2019m not prepared for the difference in language or the culture I will soon encounter. I\u2019m nervous about interacting with the Romanian graduate students who will serve as our translators, what they will think of me and if anything will be vastly misinterpreted. However, my instructor, Dr. Abigail Borron, is a veteran of this type of work in Romania and a passionate educator above all else. I feel comforted because she knows exactly what she\u2019s doing, while it also helps my family to know that I\u2019m in very capable hands.<\/p>\n
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Speaking of family, I have to thank my older sister, Elizabeth, for being the first in our family to venture across the world. Elizabeth traveled alone to South Africa to work at a children\u2019s home for four months during her sophomore year of college. This experience makes traveling to Romania feel a little bit less intimidating, especially considering I\u2019ll be in a group and am (practically) a college graduate. Since I come from a small town, I grew up in the same county as almost all of my extended family who stayed there for a reason. My sister took the first step in exploring the world, and it\u2019s because of her that I don\u2019t have the fear to do so.<\/p>\n
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Overall, I\u2019m pretty scared. I still haven\u2019t decided what all I need to pack. I\u2019m measuring and re-measuring my suitcase to ensure it\u2019s the right size for a checked bag. I\u2019m thinking about learning Romanian phrases\u2014something I probably should have started before now. But more than anything, I\u2019m excited for this grand adventure that will mark the end of my undergraduate career and the beginning of (pardon my Disney reference) a whole new world!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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