Europe Study Abroad Experience

Tomorrow starts my study abroad experience in Europe. I will be studying at LCC International University in Klaipedia Lithuania. As a part of the study abroad program there, I will also be traveling to Latvia, Estonia, and Russia. I would also love to do some traveling with some friends I meet while I am there. I am very excited for my experience and I hope to learn a lot academically, but even more culturally.

My cultural goals for this trip are to become more aware of and learn about different global perspectives and cultures and to be more willing to understand and acknowledge that my perspectives and views are not always correct or even right. My professional goals for this trip are mainly be able to communicate and work with a diverse group of people in an efficient way. When you do not natively speak the same language, have the same cultural backgrounds, or have the same life experiences that have shaped you, it can be hard to communicate efficiently. Being able to do this better will greatly help in my professional career where I will often be working in a group to solve a problem.

Finally, my personal goals for this trip are to respectively listen and try to understand the different perspectives of different people, be more comfortable sharing my faith with others and to have fun in a different country and see as much as I possibly can! I think all these goals are attainable as long as I make an effort to make new friends who may not be like me, say yes to doing as many activities as I can, and to just be outgoing and kind! I really look forward to this semester abroad and hope I will make many memories and new friends.