Author Archives: jhflaherty

Studying Abroad with Mental Illness

The cultural, social, and environmental changes that happen when living abroad are part of the thrill and the essence of your trip. You will be immersed in a new traditions, slang, and garner more complex cultural perspectives for yourself. But this shift may cause some to feel lost during their time abroad and face difficulties coping with their mental illness.

Mental illness is a scary and often times daunting thing to manage and live with. However, proper care and a good support network can alleviate much of the issues it presents and allow you to live a normal life. And that includes being able to study abroad. Even for a person who may not already deal with mental illness, studying abroad can strain their mental health and make things difficult, and it is for that reason that you should prioritize your mental health when planning to go abroad just as much as you prioritize your financials. Continue reading

Doubts, Dreams, and My New Adventure

As the end of the semester, and the first part of the Integrative Experience, draws closer and closer, I have begun to see changes in myself when reflecting on the beginning of the semester. Originally, I had no clue as to where I wanted to go abroad and found myself feeling a bit lost. Feeling lost and being a Junior in college do not make the best mix, and this caused quite a bit of anxiety for me in looking forward. I knew that I wanted to work in translation and interpreting but I wasn’t sure what next steps I should take to make that happen. I began to question myself and doubt if I had chosen the right field.

However, as the semester progressed and our IE class made us reflect deeper and deeper on our drives, our goals, and our passions for learning Spanish, I began to feel more grounded. This class does not just make its students do arbitrary work, every assignment and every minute of class time was used to help us form a plan for ourselves, and understand the difficulties that come with them. Continue reading