This blog post was written by Education Abroad Peer Advisor (EAPA) Zoe Feng ’19…

During my semester exchange at the University of Sydney in Australia this spring, I took up a local internship alongside my academic studies. My internship role was International Project Assistant at the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Sydney. I was to work directly with the Senior Project Officer to help increase the Faculty’s international engagement, mainly on a mobility program called FHS Abroad, in which eligible students of the Faculty get to go to one of the four destination countries in Southeast Asia for 4 to 6 weeks during semester breaks, shadowing health professionals in a local community-based health organization. My daily internship tasks included email correspondence, application processing, data base update, and outreach material preparation.

As the internship was a part of a course called ARTS2600: Internship I at the University of Sydney, I received both academic course credit and expert support for it. There were workshops prior to and during the semester to help the enrollees, who were mostly American exchange students, to adjust into the new working environment, to gain better communication and collaboration skills, and to get the most out of the internship, its experience, and the relationship it fostered.

I picked Australia as my study abroad destination for its modern cities and beautiful beaches, and as I started considering moving there after graduation, I thought it sensible to first check out its work scene. The Internship I course was great as there were coordinators who were dedicated to help connect you to an internship post – the course had an extensive position listing as well, should you not want to find other ones.

‘Educational’, and ‘inspiring’ would be the two-word description for my four-month internship. Not only did I get to take a peek at the Australian working culture and environment as I wished, I also learned so much more. While the job itself honed my communication, time and project management skills, and professionalism, my supervisor herself has taught me gentleness with strength, generosity with heart through her own actions. It was a fun challenge to learn and adapt into a new system in a very short period of time, and adding Australia onto my international work portfolio as the fourth country after China, France, and the States opened my eyes further and prompted me to think about the ‘what-how-why’ questions behind the similarities and differences among them. Interest-wise, I had never been a science person before, but working with the Faculty of Health Sciences and learning about all the current progresses and mobility initiatives in the health science field around the globe during my internship turned that switch on inside of me, inspired me to think bigger, and to work to make the world a better place.

This post was written by Education Abroad Peer Advisor (EAPA) Debora Sena ’19…

Hello! I am Debora, a senior at Babson, and I spent my junior year abroad. During the BRIC program (Fall 2017), I realized the world was bigger than I thought, and decided to study at IE University, in Madrid,  Spring 2018.

When planning to go abroad, I was not very concerned about having friends to come with me, but that can be the number one aspect many students consider when choosing whether and where to go abroad. If you are in the middle of the decision process, I have two reasons why going abroad alone can the best decision of your life (besides choosing Babson, of course).

1. When you are alone, you have the opportunity to learn about and love yourself.

Being an international student made this discovery process less intense during my time abroad. However, when I was in Madrid, I was able to learn about what I actually liked to do by myself rather than what I enjoyed doing with friends, for example. In order words, I was not going with the flow, but actively creating my own flow. This is step is very important for you to learn about your individual identity, and not the group identity. At Babson, for example, I had never really discussed architecture with anybody, but I found out I love it during my time abroad. My Babson student identity did not let me see that clearly before, but allowing myself to own my individual identity did.

Have you ever taken yourself for dinner? Well, I had not until I had to; it was my first night in Madrid and I had no friends yet. “Can I please get a table for one?” Awkward, right? Yes, until you realize that being able to enjoy your own company (and people watch, forget your phone), can be a path to self-love and independence!

When I travelled to Valencia, Spain (alone), and found a stranger who managed to take this nice picture!

2. You can make new (actually new) friends!

This one is challenging, and if you are not willing to make the effort, it is not going to happen. In college, we have organizations, clubs, and groups that “force” people to interact, and that is easier because usually you have a lot in common with these people. Abroad is different, and if you do no reach out to people you find interesting, it is likely they will not do it either.

Therefore, assuming you are up for the challenge, you will definitely yield results. The interesting part here is that many of friends I made were not business students. I chose to be around people who are different from my regular circle of friends because for one, their friendship means learning something new every day, and for another, it allowed me to see life through many different perspectives. If you would like, you can call this an entrepreneurial move.

Great friends; we still talk about going to each other wedding parties in 10 years, either in Brazil, Mexico, United States, Turkey, or Sweden.

I hope these reasons helped you make a decision! If you have more questions, please send me an email at dsena1@babson.edu.

This blog post was written by Celine Vu ’19…

At the start of my Babson career just a few years ago, I knew study abroad was not even a question. I was always envious of abroad students who posted pictures of themselves on Instagram with breathtaking views while “living their best lives”. However, I think many forget the challenges that students face before posting such a picture-perfect image of themselves online and essentially forget all the things that could go wrong while abroad. Nonetheless, these challenges are the biggest lessons you could take away from an international experience because they have really helped me grow as a person.

1. You’re going to run into roadblocks no matter how much you prepare for a trip.

After traveling throughout Asia, I’ve come to learn that as much as I prepared for all of the trips I had planned, it never really went to plan. Whether it’s an unexpected downpour dampening your outdoorsy plans, an exhibit closing earlier than you thought, running out of money or missing the train, it’s imperative for you to learn how to adapt to the environment and learn how to make the most out of the situation.

Knowing that English is not widely spoken in many of the countries I wanted to visit, I had done my research and downloaded many translation apps to help me get around. I downloaded offline articles on my phone to reference when I didn’t have data in China. I even brushed up on my very weak acting abilities because it was frustrating on both sides if no one understood what each person was saying. Even with all of this preparation, things managed to go wrong and I had to learn how to adapt, stay calm and problem solve.

2. You’re going to subconsciously spend more money than you’d expect in return for an amazing experience.
   While I knew one of my big goals of study abroad was to travel as much as possible throughout Asia, I was firm on keeping track of how much I was spending. In fact, I kept a whole Excel sheet tracking (almost) every single transaction while abroad, whether it be in Hong Kong or a different country. What actually happened was that I spent way too much in the beginning because I was just getting used to my host country, got comfortable with the area and minimized my spending, then had a scary realization that there’s a month left and I should do everything I can to make my time last, thus increasing my spending exponentially.

While I unfortunately spent a lot more than expected, I don’t have any regrets about the decisions I made because I got the chance to explore as much of Asia as I could. “What could’ve been” would’ve been in the back of my mind. I believe it’s important to remember to make the most out of the experience and know that you might not have a chance to do these things ever again. I encourage you to spend the money and worry about it later because the memories and experiences are worth it.

3. Traveling with people who have the same goals/motivations as you is really important. Compromise is key.

I believe this is important especially if you are traveling with people who you’ve never met before.

What do you want to get out of the trip – how much money are you willing to spend on housing? Are we trying to relax or are we trying to do more active activities? Are we trying to hit all of the touristy attractions or are we trying to go on a food tour for the weekend?

For my 2-week spring break trip to Thailand, my intention was to see and eat as much as possible. Knowing that I was traveling with two other students who I had never traveled with, I knew it was important to talk about the logistics before booking hostels and planning excursions. 4 days into the trip and noticing that everything went surprisingly well, that feeling of satisfaction started to dwindle once we hit Bangkok: the frustration started to kick in and I, as the leader, had to learn how to compromise in order to make everyone happy. One girl didn’t want to participate in the activities we had discussed and didn’t want to stay in a hostel we had booked way in advance because she didn’t speak up and voice her opinion. This was something I struggled with but I learned how to stay calm and weigh all options in order to make everyone somewhat happy. I realized that you can’t satisfy everybody and doing your own thing independently is perfectly fine as well.

4. You’re going to have moments of feeling like an outsider and outcast in your host country.       

Even though Babson helped me prepare for the culture shock I’d experience because of the campus being very global, I felt extremely lost my first month in Hong Kong.

At HKBU, I was the only exchange student in my Creative Industries class. As the local students were very quiet and reluctant to participate in class, the professor suggested that everyone speak in Cantonese in order to increase participation and discussion in class. I sat in the lecture in complete disbelief, as the professor didn’t realize I was the only student who could not comprehend Cantonese and all courses were supposed to be taught in English regardless. That being said, I asked a local student to translate every single question and answer. When I spoke up and answered a question in my strong American accent, all eyes were on me and I could hear whispers about me.

While study abroad is great and everyone highlights the glamorous parts of study abroad, I think it’s important to be cognizant of what could happen and the not-so-glamorous parts of abroad you can definitely learn from.

If you have any questions about my experience, please don’t hesitate to contact me at cvu3@babson.edu.

This blog post was written by BRIC participants, Shreya Shah and Yoni Bachar on August 24th, 2018…

After a long summer of interning, working, and finishing up summer readings, we all gathered back on campus before we headed off onto our unforgettable adventure to Russia, India, and China. Coming together with a group of 24 students whom we did not know well prior seemed intimidating at first, however, after a week of getting to know one another we knew that we will be long lasting friends! One of our cohort members Carly said that she “…learned an immense amount, bonded with the cohort, and was extremely excited to go on this transformative journey.”

That first week, we had a packed schedule as we learned about global mindsets, cultural awareness, and about one another through the encounters course. We were fortunate enough to have locals come into the classroom to break the fourth wall and teach us first-hand about their cultures. Furthermore, we were already able to watch local Russian films, learn Bhangra and Garba (Indian dances), and indulge in delicious Indian food! Other than experiencing the cultures we also began our Russia courses: Russia in Modernity and Business Environment of Russia. We were finally able to bring our summer readings to life! In the the first nine days preparing for our departure, we were also able to give two presentations, one being an ethnography report which we made by analyzing various activities in the heart of Boston. The second presentation was analyzing various characteristics of Nikolai Gogol’s famous book, Dead Souls.

The highly intellectual environment was shown through the curiosity and excitement of everyone in the cohort. Everyone comes from such unique cultures that brings together an unparalleled amount of perspectives. We had already learned so much about Russia and could not wait to finally arrive – so excited to finally embark on this journey and share our memories with our friends and family, along with making memories that will last a lifetime.

This post was written by BRIC Participants, Maria Freitas and Jeremie Cabling…

At the conclusion of Professor Seitz’s classes, helping define the culture and identity of Russia, BRIC X was able to more easily transition into Professor Coyle’s class immersing ourselves in the business environment of Russia. Reflecting over site visits with companies like Dell EMC, PWC, Solopharm, and the American Chamber of Commerce, and guest lecturers like Professor Stanislav Tkachenko, we learned that maintaining close relationships is key to conducting effective business internationally, especially in Russia. Learning from Professor Coyle’s interactions with our hosts, where he would go out of his way to grab dinner with them to show his gratitude, we decided to encourage building close relationships between individuals within the BRIC X cohort by setting each other up on “blind (friend) dates”, based on who we thought needed encouragement to become better friends. We did this with the intention of bettering the cohort experience as well as setting each other up with substantiated professional connections in both the near and distant future. With a little healthy competition to have the most fun and creative friend date and picture, the twelve pairs impressed.

To highlight a few, we went to the top of St. Isaac’s Cathedral to get 360 degree views of St. Petersburg, picked out $10 outfits for each other at the Galleria mall, and grabbed dinner. Ashik and Ursula shared a dinner on a hotel rooftop, with views of the Hermitage and Neva River. Carly and Justin enjoyed a horse carriage ride around Palace Square. Swathi and Jack tested Jack’s comfort zone by getting couple pedicures. Chris taught Tara how to ride a bike in a local amusement park before grabbing shawarma for dinner. Tommy and Shreya were adventurous and played paintball with locals together. Julian, Ola, Api, and Michelle took it upon themselves to have a “double friend date” at the Russian Vodka Museum.

Photos: various from “friend dates” skyline views, paintball, visiting the city, and carriage ride!

This blog post was written by BRIC Participants Chris Lally and Ursula Dedekind…

When we encounter or become aware of social issues and have the means to help, what is our responsibility?

Coming into our week as team leaders, our intention was “care for the cohort”, a goal that we set in order to ensure that we were looking out for one another throughout the week. However, as we discovered, it is as important to care for our global community. Awareness and responsibility are contentious subjects, ones that we spoke about a lot inside and outside the classroom. The concept of slum tourism and the role of NGOs were two topics that we discussed over the past week which can be argued for on both sides. Regarding slum tourism specifically, we have argued about both its educational purpose as well as its entertainment and objectification components. Similarly, we talked about NGO intervention with Professor Ghosh and if these organizations are doing more harm than help in developing communities; it is clear these issues are not merely black and white. Over the past week, many of us have seen poverty and slum communities on a large scale, integrated into everyday life here. In India, we have been learning how to navigate our own roles in society and how we can best help those communities in need.

Our visit to Swecha provided an immersive insight into the lives of native Indian people actively taking a stance to improve communities battling the hardships of their environment. Talking to the students who are learning life skills in Swecha’s “Me to Be” education program emphasized the impact a well-intentioned organization with limited resources can have when general access to reliable and beneficial knowledge is rare. After convincing their parents that continuing to work with Swecha beyond the ninth grade was more valuable than working, the children in the community center emerged into adulthood with the ingrained values of gender equality and hope for the future. These previously foreign concepts predominantly contrast ideologies they are surrounded by at home and in their greater communities. Swecha may be a small example of a relief effort in comparison to the poverty and devastation of countless communities in India and around the world, yet its represents how impactful any effort to help can be when hope and education is a rare commodity in life for so many.

The answer to what our contribution can be to these global issues is a debate without conclusion, yet if there is one thing that we have learned it is the importance of continued exploration of the considerations of the actions we should take as a society. As we continue our journey through India and beyond our perspective will continue to develop, and we should continue to invite the lessons of each experience to continuously shape our mindset.

This blog post was written by BRIC participants Swathi Nachiappan and Thomas Smith during week 7 of the BRIC Program…

Reaching the halfway point of BRIC, we, Swathi and Tommy, as Student Leaders for the week had one intention: energy! We needed more of it. In order to re-energize our group, we decided that we would host some physical activities throughout the week.

Any exercise or physical activity that gets the heart rate up and the blood flowing and releases endorphins. This, in turn, raises energy levels and gives you more stamina. We wanted to build up that stamina so that we would continue strong for the next half of our BRIC experience.

On Tuesday, we started off really well with a middle school-esque gym class hosted by yours truly. We had one of the highest turnouts since August with twenty people in attendance! With 80s workout music in the background, we did some stretching and a basic body circuit workout. Everyone kept each other motivated throughout the 30 minutes and we powered through as a team.

On Wednesday, CET arranged for the cohort to be instructed by a Bollywood choreographer in a studio! Many of us were at the edge of our comfort zone but quickly overcame our fears as we sweat, laughed, and supported each other through a rigorous dance routine. Look out for us next semester at Babson’s annual AMAN show!

On Thursday, Shreya and Disha were kind enough to plan out a Bollywood Zumba class. Many of us had never done Zumba before, so it was a very cool experience to challenge ourselves. We worked out to numerous Bollywood songs and had a great time.

By the end of the week, what we realized is that a cohort that sweats together, stays together! Having these workout sessions really brought the group closer. This is extremely vital during the halfway point of BRIC because it is necessary that we support each other through this amazing yet intense journey. BRIC is such an incredible experience as a whole, but sometimes can get overwhelming, so using this theme of energy, we were able to release any tensions or frustrations and get ready to start fresh again.

Leading off of that, we also facilitated reflection on the first half of our travels. Reflection allows us to learn from our past and in turn, better the second half of our travels. As we had our check-ins with each individual, we made it a point to talk about our thoughts on the past seven weeks and what each person’s goal was for the future. Overall, there was one theme emerging: not only did everyone want to get closer to the cohort, but they also wanted to make sure that they made the best of their limited time in India and in China, in order bring the knowledge and experience back to our families, friends and peers at Babson. As team leaders of this week, we believe that we started the second half of BRIC with a powerful bang, and cannot wait to see what the future holds for our group!

This post is written by Education Abroad Peer Advisor, Ursula Dedekind ’20…

Last Friday marked an entire year having passed since I was accepted to participate in the BRIC program. BRIC is a specially designed study abroad experience where Babson liberal arts and entrepreneurship classes are taught alongside imbedded cultural excursions taking place across Russia, India, and China. It is hard to believe that just a year ago I was a naive sophomore, unaware of the incredible personal development I would soon undergo. It is easy to look at the program and see how the rigorous course load in addition to the challenge of adapting to three vastly different locations could orient an individual towards growth. Yet, I have come to realize that saying yes to a challenge is oftentimes one of the most significant and overlooked steps within the entire process.

In all honesty, I was in denial regarding the prospect of spending a semester abroad in three distinct foreign countries with people I knew very little about. When I spoke to friends and acquaintances about the adventure I was about to embark on, the experience felt very isolated from my own life. Looking at the past BRIC student’s photos, applying for my visa, and attending all of the pre-departure sessions did not make BRIC feel any more real to me. It was not until I was buying travel necessities, a daunting amount of insect repellent, Advil, and mini travel shampoos, days before arriving at Babson, that I was struck by the fact that I was preparing for the completely unexpected and unknown. I felt overwhelmed, wrestling with so many fears: was I going to get sick? Would I make friends with the cohort? Was I going to miss my family? Would I be able to adapt? I was scared of the future-the worst part being that I had done all of this to myself. I had wanted to go on BRIC, filled out the application, got into the program, and accepted the invitation. It was all on me.

Within days of the program’s start I convinced myself that I did not want to study abroad anymore. Up until this point I had taken many risks in my life, yet this time I thought I had pushed myself a little bit too far, questioning if I could take on the challenge. Although my mother assured me that I did not have to go if I did not want to, I knew that I could not let my own fears hold me back from an experience of a lifetime.

It is easy to say “yes” by merely showing up when you are supposed to, however immersing in an experience fully is another story-it takes courage to be yourself. Once our pre-departure sessions started my anxieties had not dissipated. I remained closed off from the group, afraid of rejection and being vulnerable with the cohort, all of whom I had not known before. After holding back from volunteering to participate in a group bonding activity, which required sharing a personal story, I realized something had to give. In order to get the most out of the BRIC experience I found that showing up was just half the battle, I had to dedicate action to words. To learn and grow you have to be vulnerable, make mistakes, and be engaged. As soon as I started to embrace sharing myself with cohort, letting them get to know me better, I was able to connect on a deeper level both within the group and within the cultures that surrounded me in each location.

Sometimes life scares us, but it’s important to recognize these pivotal points in our life as opportunities to reflect on how far we have come and to continue to take leaps of faith, plunging ourselves into new experiences. And this all starts with the commitment to a simple, three letter word “yes”.

Another student that was showcased on our Student Spotlight was Tiffany Shum…

1. Where is your hometown/country? Los Angeles, California (where the best frozen yogurt and burgers are :D)

2. What’s one assignment/project that you are currently or working on that you are excited about? For my supply chain class, my team and I are currently looking into a local pizza restaurant and seeing where we can help improve the supply chain of making pizzas in a more efficient and timely fashion. With the help of the restaurant, we were able to obtain data on the pizza making process, number of customers and lead time, as well as the ingredients that went into each pie. Currently, we are working with variables such as the oven as the bottleneck and finding the re-order point for asset of perishable inventories of ingredients. I’m excited to work on a supply chain for something I love to eat, pizza, and help out a local business!

3. What are you most proud of accomplishing during your time at Babson? Throughout my four years at Babson, I am most proud of becoming an individual who is confident in what she says and can express her thoughts in a thoughtful and concise manner. Coming in as a freshman, I can definitely say that I was much more timid in speaking up in a group setting and within the classroom. However, after becoming an FME Mentor and spending time abroad, I became much more comfortable in speaking and providing advice to the freshmen that I helped mentor, as well as not being afraid to ask questions in any context to get the help I needed. This has been especially helpful in both career and personal growth.

4. Within the Babson community, is there anyone/ any group of people you would like to recognize? I came to college with one of my closest friends from high school, Sukanya, who I would like to recognize for her commitment to the community at Babson, her consistent hard work and patience to help others, and most importantly, her open door for a conversation about anything. As she is one of the best supporters I have, I am so thankful and am amazed by her consistent efforts to be involved and care for the people around her.

5. What was the best experience/memory you had while you were abroad? One of the fondest memories I had while in Shanghai was on our week-long excursion on the Silk Road. Our group of students from CIEE Shanghai had the amazing opportunity to visit a local trade university in Dunhuang, which is a small city outside of Lanzhou. We participated in a fun and friendly game of basketball, learned some traditional Chinese dances, and cooked with the culinary department of the school. While this was a short visit, I remember vividly my interaction with this student who majors in carving vegetables into different flowers and spreads as décor for large hotels and restaurants. Not only were our cultural backgrounds and the cities we grew up varied in size, it was so refreshing to see that his major was something very artistic and technical as compared to a business student’s perspective. I had a lot of fun learning how to make this pink radish into a rose, failing miserably, and having him help me out with making a perfect flower. This cultural exchange was so valuable to me to meet with a student from the other side of the globe.

6. What advice would you give someone who was either planning to go abroad, or who was weary about going? Going abroad was one of the best decisions that I’ve made—in my experiences it was more than just the amazing food and travelling that I would be able to fulfill while abroad, but truly a time to reflect upon my identity as an Asian American in different contexts but also to see studying and business in an environment that I am not used to. From hearing about my Chinese tutor’s daily life as a student in Shanghai, to living and breathing the Italian lifestyle with my host family, I can definitely say those were some of the best takeaways during my time abroad. This is a once in a lifetime experience, and I believe this is something that everyone would love to take part in. I encourage anyone who is on the fence about going abroad to talk to someone in the Glavin Office or an Education Abroad Peer Advisor to get the inside scoop on how studying abroad worked out for them.

This blog post was written by Education Abroad Peer Advisor, Julia Dean ’19…

Semesters abroad are an exciting time for all of us. Time to explore a new country and culture, make new friends, try new foods and, most of all, travel…right? Many a Beaver believe in the fallacy that abroad is only ‘worth it’ if you travel to as many new countries as possible. I’m here to challenge that belief.

I’m Julia Dean, a senior Education Abroad Peer Advisor (EAPA), and I’ve studied abroad for two semesters, in Seoul, South Korea, and Vienna, Austria. I truly believe in the value of staying in your local community when you go on exchange to deeply experience another culture and learn about its people.

“Living like a local” means rewiring certain thought patterns many college students have about study abroad. Instagram and Facebook has convinced us that a ‘successful’ exchange semester involves travel every weekend to the four corners of the world (or however far you can manage). Why is this the goal? Surely, if you want to spend four to five months of your life in one location, doing the above is going about it the wrong way. This is, of course, not to discourage anyone from traveling. Some students are confident that they won’t be able to return to a certain area in quite a while, so they use their time abroad to travel extensively. But if this is not you, then let me try to convince you of the power of “living like a local”.

When I was in South Korea, I spent one entire weekend outside of Seoul. One. And that was to go to Busan, the 2nd biggest city in South Korea. Because I never once left Korea, I was able to spend my weekends with new Korean and foreigner friends I made in class, sharing kbbq dinners or nights at board game cafes. I grew my friendship with my new North Korean defector friend Cheolgook, who shared a bit more of his life story during each meeting. I was in Seoul to experience how quiet it gets during certain holidays (Chuseok, aka Korean Thanksgiving) and how buzzing it is for others (Pepero Day, when people exchange chocolate-covered cookie sticks as gifts). At a restaurant nearby my dorm, the hostess started bringing me my favorite whole fried fish without even asking me what I wanted to order. I officially had a ‘regular’, ‘the usual’. When the walk across the bridge from the Yonsei University campus to Sinchon felt boring because I had done it so many times, I knew I was a local. Spending my entire semester there wasn’t enough, as each new cultural experience made me fall more in love with the country and made me wish I had another week, another month, another semester. I don’t think I would’ve fallen in love as hard as I had if I didn’t commit myself to living like a local. For this reason, I knew I wanted to come back to Korea as soon as I landed in the US. I spent the next year and a half planning how to do just that, and will be returning this fall as a Fulbright Junior Researcher, working to build an entrepreneurship curriculum to teach basic business skills to North Koreans and defectors.

Not all Babson students will necessarily love their abroad locations as profoundly as I did, nor do they need to. But it may be worthwhile to consider staying in your city and country as much as you can. Embrace your daily commute until it becomes second nature. Have a grocery store that you always go to on the walk home. Form a habit of going to a specific restaurant, café or bar with friends every week. Whenever you look back on your semester abroad, you can confidently say that you lived like a local.

If you’re interested in studying abroad in either Seoul or Vienna, or are thinking about applying for the Fulbright program, feel free to email me at jdean5@babson.edu. Happy studying abroad!