Whether it is the shorter summer trip or the longer semester trip, students can learn many different cultural customs, participate in fun activities, and have the opportunity to see a new part of the world when presented with the option to travel abroad. Harry Boon ‘18, who went to London on a school trip for theater, remarked that studying abroad, “can immerse you into different cultures and you get to know different people.” Boon also stated that learning about the country and meeting new people was one of his favorite parts of the trip.
As well as learning cultural customs the studying abroad experience is incomplete without getting to know the people that are on the trip with you. For Swiss Semester last year, Allison Ahern ‘17 was the only Blake student who went to Switzerland. While others might have let this ruin the experience, Ahern met a lot of new people from other schools and still has maintained those friendships today. Ahern remarked, that “you can make a lot of friendships” while studying abroad. Another important reason to study abroad is to further your learning in a different country. Emma Smith ‘17, who went to Cuernavaca, Mexico for five weeks during the summer explained how the trip helped her learn Spanish at a faster rate, where she also learned to speak with more fluidity. Smith also said that she would recommend travelling and studying abroad because of the benefit to your academics.
Finally, since studying abroad has a lot of benefits, the most important part of studying abroad is the impact it has on the people who are a part of it. Alexis Reaves ‘16, who studied abroad in France for nine months during her Junior year, said, “I know it sounds like such a cliche, but I really think it changed my life and my outlook. I don’t think I am the same person I was the year before. It changes you.” Traveling abroad is an extraordinary opportunity which shouldn’t be taken for granted, and being at Blake makes students fortunate enough to have these amazing opportunities to learn and explore new cultures.
