Category Archives: Re-entry

Una llamada con mi abuela

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June 13, 2022

*Incoming call from Guadalupe Greene*

Me: “Hello?”

GG: “¡Hola Isabella!”

Me: “¡Hola abuela!”

GG: “Pues, ¿Como estás?”

Me : “Estoy bien, ¿Y tú?”

GG: “Sí, estoy bien, p-pero te echo de menos.”

Me: “Aw abuela, te echo de menos. Estás muy lejas. ¿Como está California?”

GG: “Está terible. Tengo calor, quiero hacer algunas cosas pero tú abuelo no-no le gusta nada.“

Me: “Lo siento. Necesitas actividades. Es un equilibrio. Abuela, tienes la familia, ¿No?”

GG: “Sí pero están un poco lejos. Solamente puedo visitar a tus primas y los nietos y no para mucho tiempo. Tienen trabjos y-y escuela.”

Me: “Yo entiendo. Es aburrido. Yo sé. Sabes que puedes llamarme.”

GG: “Sí, yo sé. Necesitamos hablar más.”

Me: “¿Abuela?”

GG: “¿Sí?”

Me: “¿Por qué no sabía que hablas español?”

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Mi vuelta a los Estados Unidos

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(Brook Hansel se graduó de UMass el año pasado y tuvo que ser evacuada de Ourense, España. Comparte aquí con nosotros un texto que escribió para La Voz de Galicia.)

El viernes 13 de marzo fue mi cumple. Ya yo sabía que iba a ser un cumple inolvidable para mí; era la primera vez que iba a celebrar mi cumpleaños en otro país. Pero nunca me hubiese esperado que fuese un cumple inolvidable por razones tan impredecibles. Nunca me hubiese esperado que ese fuera el día en que tuviese que hacer mis maletas para marcharme de Ourense, la ciudad que se había convertido en mi hogar durante los últimos siete meses.

Ese mismo día por la tarde, yo recibí un correo electrónico de mi beca y el gobierno de los EEUU que decía que debía volver a los EEUU debido al COVID-19. Solo veinte horas después estaba en un tren dirección al aeropuerto. Yo sabía que el día en que tuviese que marcharme de Ourense iba a ser difícil, pero nunca me esperaba que iba a marcharme así- tan repentinamente y sin despedirme de mis alumnos en el instituto Otero Pedrayo, ni de mis amigos ni de toda la gente tan simpática que me había ayudado durante mi estancia en Ourense. Continue reading →

Changing my definition of activism after studying abroad in Santiago de Chile

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Everyday it seems more and more difficult for me to think optimistically about the United States. I won’t delve into the numerous problems I have with the country that I am supposed to call “mine,” but I will say this: just as I’ve learned to critique the United States, I’ve learned through my first semester being back from studying abroad in Latin America that it is equally important to notice its intricacies in all forms. It’s much easier for me nowadays to make assumptions about people in the U.S., especially concerning how they think in regards to certain political topics. For example, I make the assumption daily most U.S. Americans know nothing or close to nothing about politics or current affairs in Latin America, or even beyond. Obviously that is not true, I’m literally enveloped in a community of students that are capable of proving me wrong. But the point I am trying to make is that recently I made the realization that I was conditioned to “dislike” people that disagree with me and immediately dismiss them instead of engaging them within a productive and civil discussion. Continue reading →

Trying (and failing) to sum up my study abroad experience

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As soon as people find out I studied abroad, they immediately ask “How was is?”, “What was it like?” “Did you love it?”, expecting a quick and simple response.

I’ve come to dread these questions, hating the fact that I’m expected to sum up my entire 10 months abroad of innumerable experiences, both positive and negative, full of every emotion under the sun, into a few words or a few sentences. Maybe some people are able to do this successfully; I, however, am not.

I have been back in the U.S. for over 5 months now, and I am still unable to summarize my abroad experience. I actually avoid talking about it. Although I give the typical answer of “Amazing!” or “Incredible!”, a more accurate description would involve the words challenging, rewarding, difficult, and eye-opening. I still am in the process of reflecting on my study abroad experience, on what I’ve learned, and on how I changed. It was a year of incredible growth and countless learning opportunities, pushing me out of my comfort zone to take risks and encouraging me to open my mind to see the world through a different lens.

I’m hoping that someday I’ll be able to summarize it well in an efficient way. Since I am not there yet, I am going to share some of what I learned abroad by introducing you to a few of the people I met in Spain who impacted me greatly and what I learned from each of them.

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Intercultural Understanding from Many Sources

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As a Spanish major I’ve had to take numerous culture, literature, and diversity courses, as well as a wide range of gen ed courses and electives. Among the classes I’ve taken are Biology of Social Issues, Intro to Anthropology, Berlin: the Global City, Intercultural Understanding, and assorted international literature and cinema courses. These courses come from the Spanish, German, Biology, and Comp-Lit departments, but they all have something in common. They all taught me about the range of ideas, beliefs, and cultures in the world. Some focused on one culture in particular (like Spanish Cinema and Berlin: the Global City), but others covered an assortment of cultures or cultural aspects (such as Biology of Social Issues, Intro to Anthropology, and the Latin American Film Festival). Intercultural Understanding with Carole Cloutier gave me a broader way of looking at other cultures and people by showing me the scope of difference in the underlying values people hold that make people act in different ways. This taught me a new way of thinking about “weird foreign customs” and made me a more open-minded, compassionate, and understanding global citizen. Continue reading →

Readjusting to life back home

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In the Spring of 2014 I studied abroad in Granada, Spain. Like everyone will tell you, studying abroad was the best decision I could’ve made. I made new friends, had an amazing opportunity to interact with the culture, and eat the most amazing food – but I’m sure by now you’ve head all of that a million times over. So I want to talk about my experience returning from Spain; because that’s something that a lot of people don’t want to talk about because it’s honestly not always pleasant.

Now to preface, I have to say again that Granada was the most amazing experience. I learned so much not only about the Spanish language and culture, but about myself. Continue reading →

Study Abroad didn’t change my life, but it saved me

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When I left for Spain, I was so overwhelmed and excited to travel to a new country.  I had always imagined myself traveling in Europe.  But when the day finally came, leaving became much more important.

You see, I was in this relationship.  As every relationship, it began like a dream.  He was perfect.  Everything was perfect.  And everyone thought we were perfect together.  Nineteen year old me thought he was the one. Continue reading →

excuses, excuses

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Being a travel junkie, I spend a significant amount of time thinking and reading about traveling. I by no means think travel is everything, and I would encourage thoughtful and intentional travel whether you’re going on vacation or study abroad. I do think that traveling, whether to a new neighborhood, state, or country, is an incredible way to learn more about the world and yourself.

I found this article the other day on one of my favorite travel websites listing “10 excuses that shouldn’t keep you from studying abroad.” It’s a quick read that says neither money, time, or fomo (among other things) should stand in your way of studying abroad. Study abroad experiences can be anything from terribly unenjoyable to world-rockingly awesome, and sometimes can be a combination of both.  It can be scary to embark on an adventure but my feeling is that you never know what you’re capable of until you try.  Even if it’s difficult or scary to imagine leaving home, why deny yourself the opportunity to grow and learn in new ways?  I always remind myself that sometimes my greatest learning has come from my most challenging experiences. And you never know how much fun you can have until you go!