When I started my study abroad trip to Valdivia, Chile my Spanish speaking skills were very much under the margin of where I needed and wanted to be. I could barely put a sentence together without really thinking about what I was trying to say. When I got there I encountered the same dilemma, however over time and patience for myself and from others who understood what I was going through, I managed to gain self-confidence in my ability as a Spanish speaker and was able to make out perfect sentences, in my opinion, without much thinking at all. It was as if I was talking in English to others around me but only in Spanish. Of course I came across words and topics I could not express very well due to lack of vocabulary but with time and practice I learned new words, grammar, and technical parts such as subjunctive. I truly believe it was my program coordinators Raquel and Mauricio, friends who studied abroad with me, and the patience and understanding we all shared that truly helped me make leaps and bounds in my study.
I believe the most profound experience that had impacted me the most was when I was talking with Mauricio in Spanish and I was actually making an amazing conversation with him. Prior to this conversation, I was starting to doubt myself in my Spanish and thought “Why should I try anymore? I’m not going to get this down anyways.” And days after thinking this I was giving up on myself. It was definitely the hardest time I was going through, because my future I saw for myself was wrapped around the fact that I can fluently speak in Spanish. If not, then my major will mean absolutely nothing to my future or me. When I was talking with him, he was just smiling as big as he could and nodding and I was getting self-conscious with myself. I asked him if he could understand me and if I was saying it right, and he just laughed and said I was speaking like I was a natural, of course a second language natural. This little comment just lifted my entire spirit and confidence. Here was a native speaker telling me I was doing an awesome job. We continued our conversation and I just felt my confidence come back little by little. Of course I had to still revive my confidence with every conversation I had but it was a fundamental moment in my studies and reassuri
ng me that I can do this.
My favorite class in my study abroad was Chilean Culture Class. My teacher was a little 5-foot woman named Maria. She was absolutely adorable and called me Lara since my signature ‘S’ looks like an ‘L’. She taught us about tolerance of the races and her personal experiences when traveling and living in the United States. She started talking about a cultural sign for Americans, which was the word “restroom”. She really needed to go to the bathroom and she thought the word “restroom” was somewhere with seats and television so one could relax in the airport. She walked for hours and hours looking for one until she asked a clerk and the guy pointed her to the “restroom”. She expressed it didn’t matter how smart you are, rich you are, or how much of a language you learned, unless you immersed yourself in a culture and learned about people you would never truly understand them.
Sara Eilenstine, Valparaiso, Chile 2013
Living in a 14th century Buddhist Zen temple in the heart of the incredibly culturally rich city of Kyoto was a surreal experience — sleeping on tatami mats, raking the pebbles of the gardens in the morning, eating native cuisine while sitting cross-legged in a circle, hearing the monks ring the bronze bells to signify that it’s time for meditation, seeing the ancient hardware-free wood joinery of my new home’s construction, being careful to not step on the entry threshold, removing shoes before walking onto the sacred floors — the authenticity of these five weeks were filled with wonderment, mindfulness and endless pleasant sensory surprises — everything was so new to me. Before arriving, I was a little worried I might feel a bit uncomfortable in a place so geographically and culturally distanced from the rural Appalachia in which I grew up. Instantly, though, I felt as though I was fully meant to be exactly where I was.
language. Setting out with books and paints in tow, my expectations were to spend a summer keeping myself entertained — self-work and inner-reflection were on my to-do list as was meditating and practicing yoga daily.
This only brushes on a sliver of the generosity I was shown in the first 48 hours of my tour. And, without exaggeration, this was typical for the entirety of my 48 day journey. I was overwhelmed with the kindness and hospitality consistently poured in my direction on a daily basis. I didn’t know what I had done to deserve it, or how I could ever repay these miracle workers, but I didn’t want to turn down any opportunities to bond with such lovely people; I didn’t want to miss out on a story that could make this adventure all the more enriching. I found myself falling more and more in love with life with every shared smile and laugh.
obligated to, but because it brings so much mutual joy. I hope to always feel that there’s room and time in my life to share it with those who pass through it, even if I realize that they might not extend identical offerings in return, but solely because the universe aligned us at a certain time and place. Japan restored my faith in the goodness of humanity, and I intend to carry this mantra with me wherever I may go or wherever I might be.
I was offered an internship at Chang’an Bank in Baoji, Shaanxi Province, China. I was supposed to rotate through their banking divisions and learn how banking is conducted in China such as help determine and provide credit ratings to banking clients and customers, help determine loan rates, provide services regarding foreign currency current accounts and fixed deposits, and learn how to conduct business with state-owned and private companies in China. They were job procedures that would not only enhance my Chinese proficiency and help start my business career, but they would also satisfy the requirements of both of my majors at the University of Oregon.
In mid-July, as I was about to embark on my internship in Baoji in Shanxi province, I get a call from the head of Chang’an Bank informing me that the public security bureau would not approve my internship. He explained to me that the procedures and administrative formalities in order for a foreigner to get into banking in China are extremely problematic, primarily due to the fact that banks in China are state-owned enterprises. My summer vacation was coming to an end, my term at Nanjing University had already finished, my apartment lease was about to expire and because my internship fell through, there was a chance that I would not see any of my internship-related scholarship funds successfully go through. I had literally hit rock bottom.
When faced with adversity, I carried on, never accepted defeat and never merely settled for good, but the very best I can. Those sorts of actions I truly believe define me as a person. When life throws you curve balls, all that matters is what happens afterwards is how you react and make of the circumstances that are given to you.
During my three weeks in Ecuador this summer, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to meet amazing people, see some incredible places and things, and experience a different culture firsthand. All of the memories I made in the little city of Bahia de Caraquez are ones that I’ll always be able to reflect fondly upon. However, looking back now, one memory in particular stands out from among the rest.
striped lighthouse on the point. We all sat together around the fire on giant pieces of driftwood and talked, laughed, and danced into the night.
to the way the simplicity of that night made me feel. I felt included in the culture, not like an outsider looking in like I did for most of the trip. I felt connected, alive, and in awe of the place where I was and the people I was with. I think that night may have captured the essence of the entire trip, and it makes me smile every time I think about it.