Brussels – DU Abroad

Culture shock

noun

1. A state of bewilderment and distress experienced by an individual who is suddenly exposed to a new, strange, or foreign social and cultural environment.

I have never really thought about culture shock, what it is, how it happens, what it is like. It has never really been on my radar, until now. Over the past couple of days it has certainly been exciting and tough for me to adjust to living somewhere abroad. For the vast majority of students studying abroad we are upper class(men/women). It’s like senior year of high school, we know the drill, run the show, have tons of confidence and unlike high school we claim to be more sophisticated, mature, and prepared to tackle to the world (debatable for some). With our seniority comes a sense of adventure, a constant urge to seek out challenges, to learn, to have fun. The thing is, in our seniority, we forget the basis of our ability to express these mentalities. The reason we’re so adventurous is we have a new comfort zone, a new home, a home away from home where we have found the freedom to make mistakes and succeed on our own. Its liberating, exciting, and quite honestly its the best. *Big shout out to all the parents (especially mine), family, friends, government aid, loans, that make that happen.*

Now, rewind back to the first days of college… Everybody was a little insecure, a little nervous, super excited, but the interesting part was we just did not know. Most of us took a chance to completely turn the past 18 years of our lives completely upside down. Friends, living space, meals, class style, social life, all of it completely new. Despite all the perfect pictures our friends would post on their social media of how they were at their “dream schools” and life could “not be any better” we all suffered a little bit to build up the amazing experience that is college. Studying abroad, is just that… you are moving to college for the first time all over again. Weird is it not?

Whether your parents came with, you did it yourself, you had someone waiting for you, or you did it with your best friend you moved to somewhere completely new, you needed to find new living quarters, figure out meals, learn in a new perspective, figure out your social life. All of it. It is all new, so new it’s not even American… Freshman year was nothing compared to this, and you did not even see it coming, because guess what? You were listening to all those stories from your friends who went before you, from the social media they posted of all the fun they were having, just like freshman year. Now before you have a midlife crisis at age 20-something and think the Illuminati are behind this (don’t rule it out either), lets get back to what is important: Study abroad is fun. Stupid fun. Study Abroad is the 1970’s Polyester Leisure suit of experiences, its uncomfortable every time you wear it, there are always moments where you’re not sure about it, but its too fresh to pass up. I understand I, nor most people of my generation can relate to this, but thats the best analogy you’re going to get.

So as some of you get close to your halfway points, are just starting, or getting ready to board your planes: love study abroad. Remember, like everything and everyone else you’ve ever loved it didn’t happen overnight. Study abroad demands a flexible, strong, and determined individual who is willing to push their comfort zones so that they can completely change their perspective and perceptions. We are all doing so different things in so many different places, that is important to know. Just because you have a friend traveling to Fiji, one eating in Venice, one skiing in South America, one riding elephants in Thailand, and your somewhere rainy and cold… think about why you are there! There are always adventures to be had, it all depends on what are you willing to do to make them happen? We all learn differently, some of us thats in an office, hiking mountains, playing music, building homes, or taking photographs, so be happy for your friends and jealous but find your own happiness in your program and let that guide you. At the end of this experience, you too will be the student who comes home and tells all of their friends how incredible your studies abroad were, show flashy pictures, and reminisce of those amazing memories. But for now, don’t worry about what you miss, or what your strive to have, embrace the now. Journal your journeys, photograph those landscapes, take some chances, and discover yourself. Wake up every day grateful that you’re doing this, that you were able to choose or be chosen for this, and think about how you are growing.

My name is Joe Aumuller. I am 20 years old, enjoy candle lit dinners, long walks on the beach, and just living the dream. I hail from the North Suburbs of Chicago, but I could easily fabricate a story about growing up with wolves in Scandinavia or being raised as a professional skydiver in Peru and include as many buzzwords as you would like. I’ll eat just about anything as long as it cannot look back at me, move, kill me upon ingestion, or happen to be organs (you could probably lie to me if you wanted me to eat these, but you’d have to be a better lier than Bill Clinton). In other news, I am studying abroad for the Fall 2015 semester in Brussels, Belgium at Vesalius College. If you want to know why I shipped myself here on a luxurious Irish airline with some suit cases, here are some words that I have written. If you like the way I put words together, read away, I’m going to keep writing them.

When people talk about study abroad it can have so many different connotations. For some, study abroad is a way to take a vacation for a few weeks that they may never be able to take again; for others, a life-changing semester or year completely immersed in another culture. This ultimately depends on a couple of factors: your school, your financial situation, your major, and what you are looking to receive from your experience. At the University of Denver, your study abroad is most commonly completed as a fall semester (this is due to the fact that a semester in the fall only conflicts with one academic quarter whereas in the spring it would conflict with two), however there are options to complete shorter periods during class interims and longer periods by petition. I chose to study abroad for the upcoming fall semester of 2015 because for me, it was logistically more sound than a yearlong study and I be immersed more than an interim period study.

Choosing a program was certainly difficult, as I had an idea of where I was thinking of going, but not how. From my previous travels and “study-abroad” experience in high school in France, I really wanted to return to a Francophone region where I could experience the culture through the local language (French). I was looking at both France, Switzerland, and Belgium as well as Francophone Africa. Needless to say after Ebola, the list shrank to France and Belgium. I decided I wanted to perfect my French in a professional environment, a challenge I had never experienced before, while enjoying the luxuries of convenient travel. While I applied to four programs, Paris and Brussels were my most desired options. Both programs provided traditional studies at a foreign university as well as the opportunity to complete an internship. I am aspiring to pursue a career in foreign relations, and the ability to work in a foreign country would be a valuable tool moving forward. I am thrilled to be headed to Belgium, but I would caution students: you may not receive your top choice or are nervous about finding the perfect program, study abroad is very similar to choosing a college at home. The choice you make is completely determined by what you are willing to put into your program, and almost always, the program you are least expecting can be the most rewarding. So as your friends apply to programs and hear back on acceptances be excited for them, but most importantly, be excited for yourself. Do not base your happiness off of that of another.

Brussels_Great_Marked_Square — Great Market Square, Brussels Belgium.

I have a lot on my mind before I travel to Belgium, but I think it is excitement rather than fear. I grew up moving and traveling internationally and no stranger to suit cases, planes, and the occasional cup of coffee in the morning. Every traveler is different, but I really love the thrill of going new places. What I’m most excited for is to use my French in Belgium, it will be my first time in a French-speaking country other than France. I find the language to be so fluid and dynamic, and the challenge of trying to blend in is always entertaining. I think my second most anticipated part of the program will be living on my own in an apartment in Brussels. Being independent in a city is the best way to immerse yourself.

As far as nerves go, I have not used my French actively in quite some time, but if it were perfect already, why would I be going in the first place? I have to believe that there will be some Zen-questioning moments (stolen items, lost items, getting lost, navigating foreign healthcare, etc.), but I’ll just deal with that when it happens. My final challenge, which to be honest I’m very excited to take on, is laundry at a foreign laundromat. If any European is dumb enough to steal my clothes I will be forced to buy more stylish clothes in Brussels (what a shame…). I’m sure the people-watching will prove equally entertaining.

A lot of people are asking me how I prepared for studying abroad, I will be blunt: I did not. I have completed all of the necessary steps to go to Brussels: visa application, the credit card, apartment lease, class registration, and internship applications. However, I did not do anything to really “prepare” myself to go to Brussels. This is for two reasons: one, I was unmotivated to do anything during this summer, and two, aside from the necessary packing, there’s no need to overthink. The greatest disservice you can do to yourself is planning out every detail of study abroad like it’s a vacation. The whole point, in my humble opinion, is to challenge your status quo and to add spontaneity to your life. Studying abroad should be an adventure to anyone whether you’re in a tropical jungle or a concrete one. This being said, flexible and lethargic are different words. Packing, having the proper documentation, and researching how to travel safely are key parts to being a smart traveler. Ultimately, study abroad is going to be one wild ride, and to quote the great philosopher Ferris Bueller, “the question isn’t what are we going to do. The question is what aren’t we going to do.”

Like what you see? Follow the DU Study Abroad blog at duabroad.com or Joe Aumuller’s personal blog at jaumuller.wordpress.com

Tag: Brussels

They Have Five Governments in This Country?

Have Program, Will Travel