Alumni Spotlight
Grace Einhaus
|
Alumni Spotlight goes abroad as we highlight recent alumni Grace Einhaus!
Grace graduated last year with degrees in Supply Chain Management and International Business along with a minor in Spanish. Grace spent this past semester abroad in Bilbao, Spain. Here is a Q&A revolving around her experiences! What was your biggest takeaway while studying abroad? There is SO much out there besides our little college bubble. It’s easy to forget that sometimes, but, being abroad truly opened my eyes to what the world has to offer. Meeting new people, seeing amazing places, and immersing myself in a language foreign to me were a few of my biggest takeaways. What was the most challenging part/hardest adjustment while studying abroad? I don’t think I can pick just one, but I will say one of the hardest parts of being abroad is pushing yourself to adapt to the culture and way of life in the place you are staying. It’s so easy to want to maintain your typical US ways of life but it’s important to challenge yourself. Speaking the language even with other English speakers is vital too. I know whenever I saw one of my US friends in class, I wanted to speak English but challenging myself to speak Spanish was important. What was the most interesting thing you learned about the culture there? The most interesting thing I learned about the culture in Spain was the pace of life. Things are so much more relaxed than in the US. Taking a long break for lunch and smaller periodic breaks during the day was very new to me, but I really enjoyed it. Everyone in Spain takes mealtime very seriously too- it’s a time to connect with family (+friends) and is never rushed. It’s extremely important to the culture to sit down together and enjoy eating a meal. Also walking literally everywhere. I probably walked at least 3 miles every day. It was actually very rare for people to have a car let alone more than 1 like we typically do in a household in the US. How do you think you are different and/or the same after this experience? After this experience I definitely learned a lot about what’s it’s like to start over. When abroad you don’t have the comfort of your closest friends or family- so it’s as if your life resets. You have to actively put yourself out there to meet new people and try your best to experience as much as possible in a short time. I also feel more grateful for the life I have at home in the US. It’s so easy to forget how lucky we all are but being abroad definitely reminded me of that. |
|
