Connecting the Dots: The Influence of the International Scholar Program on my Growth, Knowledge, and Future.

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                  Global experiences not only shape our knowledge of world events and international cultures but provide an ideal medium for our personal growth far into the future. Since I was little, my family had been accelerating this growth through family travel and field trips that developed my initial curiosity about the world, including other cultures. Taking further steps on my own through the International Scholars Program acted as another key developmental experience for me, but one more focused on testing my independence and maturing my global perspective.

                  These experiences were, of course, international, but they also included exploring culture at home in Gainesville, Florida. I attended the talks of visiting international speakers, which expanded my knowledge as both an international scholar and a budding researcher. I also attended community events showcasing unique dance routines, art styles, and music from an international perspective. However, I would especially like to focus on my experience at the University of Florida taking Spanish courses. As I mentioned in my description of this experience above, taking these courses went against my previous notion of language learning being too challenging and repetitive for me to enjoy. Instead, the more I studied the more I discovered that the challenge was invigorating and seemed to completely change the way I thought about communication, grammar, and bilingualism. It linked to ideas of neuroplasticity I continue to learn in my psychology and neuroscience courses, making my brain feel stronger and more adaptable. I further developed my strength of learning new skills through this experience and realized that passion is key for my brain to feel engaged and sharp. Much of my growth came from the emphasis on applying the content that these college-level language courses had. In high school and middle school, language learning felt more based on memorizing every word, which is why I found it so difficult to enjoy. In UF’s courses I was challenged to learn grammar and apply speaking rules, including online LinguaMeetings with native speakers as assignments and exams with portions where I would speak with another student in class. This confronted my shyness of making mistakes when learning, because saying nothing was always worse than saying something imperfect. I continue to use this skill today academically and personally.

                  My study abroad trip was the first time I left the country without my family, but I was more excited than nervous. The experience proved to me that my love of independence can coexist with my love of teamwork and community. Ireland was surprisingly similar to the USA on the surface, largely due to the countries’ strong immigration ties, shared English-based communication style, and business connections. However, under the tip of that cultural iceberg were many differences, some I anticipated and some more unexpected. For example, I knew the pub and beer culture would be strong but knew little about how the Guinness family both unified and divided society in ways that could still be seen today. I knew Northern Ireland was separate culturally and politically but was not familiar with the impacts that has on business and the economy. Many of these events were deeply discussed in a course I took, Irish Life and Business. My experience with that course created a wonder about the histories of other countries, especially with how they relate to politics and social issues today. This has been a key realization for how I approach learning about institutions and policies in place today, whether in the USA or other countries.

                  If Ireland was a book I had read the review of only to find the pages much richer, other countries I visited during the program were novels I had only heard the titles of. I knew embarrassingly little about the countries I was about to visit, buying the flights there late at night with friends who came to me with plans—I was either in or out. Of course, I was in! Croatia was one place I had never even considered traveling to before my enthusiastic friend said I should join her. I knew so little about the area that I wasn’t even aware Croatia was nestled right night to the country where my family originally immigrated from—Slovenia. We visited Zadar based on its Google description: not too touristy but still with plenty to do. Its beautifully smooth stone slab historic town felt like a dream, with gelato around every corner, buildings from almost 2,000 years ago, and sunsets rivaling even those of the beautiful Florida Keys. I learned about this “City of Wells” historical significance as the key stronghold for the Venetians against the Ottoman Empire. The fortress walls snaked all around the city, now hosting stunning tropical gardens and open-air restaurants and bars. The arts also flourished there alongside history. The plazas were rich with live music almost every night, a longstanding tradition of glass blowing made the city even more vibrant, and the amazingly large Sea Organ installment along the pier was played unwaveringly by the ocean’s tides. I felt the entire city seemed to be a large piece of art.

                  While each place I visited during study abroad felt almost criminally beautiful, learning about the history of Ireland, Croatia, England, and Scotland always came with nuanced feelings past surface appreciation for the finer architecture, food, and arts. In Ireland, I not only learned about the addiction and economic crises still ongoing from historical events but also saw the impacts through working at a community center offering subsidized services. The area where the community center was located was still full of charm, but its community was still rebuilding and struggling with homelessness and addiction. This would influence my eventual interest in addiction research at UF. Additionally, it was clear that in both Dublin and London some of the most highly recommended food spots were a direct result of the ruthless colonization of other countries. It created an interesting dichotomy of both appreciating such a wonderful blend of cultures but also regretting the way this blend developed. It made me appreciate the strength of immigrants circumstantially forced to move must have had to protect their cultural traditions. For all there was to appreciate about Zadar in Croatia, the impacts of World War 2 were hard to ignore. Swaths of incredible architecture would almost randomly end, or blend with a less-detailed modern buildings; 80% of the city’s structures were destroyed or heavily by the Allies. My modern role as a tourist in such a lovely city also had modern dichotomous effects on the city. In an economy largely shifting toward tourism for key revenue streams, local guides mentioned to us the issue of Airbnb’s affecting the community experience. Even historical families with roots in Zadar for many generations were giving up parts of familial buildings to Airbnb businesses so they could continue to afford living in Zadar. It was an interesting way to think of my own impact on the places I visit, and how so much of the charm of my favorite cities we visited was dependent on the local communities thriving and us being ahead of the tourism curve. I did not enjoy thinking of these cultures and places as products with a life cycle just like any other. Having this conversation, however, I know is key to prolonging the beauty of travel and having tourism gently cooperate with local culture rather than unsustainably turn it into a trend.