Tag: Communication

How to have the talk again

Published on by DU AbroadLeave a comment

           I studied abroad in Exeter, England during the fall quarter of 2007.  I then studied abroad with the DU French Department’s summer program in 2008.  During my last year at DU I won a PINS grant to do research abroad for my two senior projects.  In all of these cases I had to have the “talk” with my parents, explaining why I wanted to go abroad.

            Each time my parents were very supportive of my choices for programs.  They liked that they were through DU so that way I would get credit and if there was a problem the school could take care of it. Also, they understood that DU was a school that valued study abroad and would make sure each student was capable of having a successful experience in a foreign country.

            There are plenty of other people like me who wanted to study abroad again.  This is normal.  I fully support anyone who sees an opportunity to go abroad again and decides to look into it and hopefully follow through with another program.  You’ve had a taste of what it’s like abroad and you should be able to continue exploring other places. However, you still need to include your family in your decision at least so they can understand why you want to leave again.

            Introduce your family to the idea of you studying abroad again.  I did it by telling my parents I had a really great time and there was more I wanted to see. I told them that I would look into other programs and find out as much information as I could.  My parents respected this because I was taking the initiative to find another program and I would inform them of what I found.  I kept them involved through each step.  This is very important to do because they feel like they’re going through the steps with you and they’ll be more supportive of your choice the more they know about it.

            Another important aspect is do follow through with your research.  Don’t just say you’re going to study abroad again and then just randomly find a program that might interest you. Find out what the program is, who runs it, how much it costs, how long it is, where you’ll be living, do you need a visa, are there other people you can contact who did it etc.  The DU Study Abroad office has plenty of links for programs that you may want to look into after you come home from abroad. There are also other opportunities to study abroad through DU like what I did with the summer program with the French Department. Look into those and contact someone for information.  The more information you have the better prepared you can be for finding the right program for you and for explaining to your family what the program is.  Some parents might need a lot of convincing so the more information you have will help them to support you.

            My last bit of advice is this: be patient. Each family is different and some parents might need more time to come around to the idea. This is normal as well.  Things changed while you were abroad and to them you have come back as a different person. That isn’t a bad thing, but it might be emotionally difficult for your family to understand why you want to leave again. Just give them time and when they ask you questions about the program give them honest answers and don’t get defensive.  It’s best to be calm and respectful. In the end it will work out.

 Amy Levy, DU Study Abroad Alum

The Best Part of Study Abroad? My Host Family!

Published on by DU Abroad1 Comment

I knew I wanted to study and live abroad in Italy since the first time I traveled there during high school.  I chose a full year program, hoping to improve my language skills and really experience the culture outside of the American study abroad bubble.  The best choice I made throughout this entire process was the decision to stay with a host family for the entirety of my trip. I was extremely excited up until the point I actually arrived on my host’s doorstep, lugging four suitcases behind me and trying to stay awake through my hideous jet lag. Prior to my departure I was told that I would be living with a single woman in a tiny apartment who may or may not have one or two cats…and that was the extent of what I knew.  I stood on the doorstep for a few more moments, repeating over and over again in my head what I would say in Italian as soon as she opened the door. 

The entire experience turned out to be much stranger and better then I could have imagined. It was just me and my host mom, and we did live in a tiny, vintage roman apartment with a fountain in the courtyard, and the one or two cats turned into a sweet canine named Tatto who arrived every weekend to stay with us along with my host mother’s boyfriend.  Coming home every night to a warm meal and someone to listen to all my daily triumphs and struggles was incredibly helpful in dealing with homesickness and the stress that sometimes came with trying to interact daily in a language I wasn’t fluent in.  She would even speak to me in her broken English sometimes, incoherently, to try and make me feel better on especially rough days.   I was able to spend the holidays with her family, learn invaluable secrets to cooking authentic roman food, and gain insight from her stories on life, love, and everything in between.

Of course there were a few awkward moments in the beginning, stemming from trying to act natural and normal while learning to live in a complete stranger’s house. I’ll never forget the time her boyfriend accidentally walked in on me in the bathroom, or when I completely melted a spatula on the stove and I had to tell her what happened. Sometimes even the little things were exemplified into embarrassment, but the feeling slowly drifted as we both learned how to live with each other.  My host family experience was the best aspect of my entire year abroad, and I will always remember it fondly.

Jillian Neilson, OIE Peer Advisor