Bronco Bloggers Abroad

Studying abroad in Lyon, France, was one of the best decisions I ever made. It was challenging and scary, but also exciting and helped me to grow in many ways. I learned a lot, so much in fact, that my head hurt some days. I met many wonderful people and saw many beautiful places (and lived for a month in a beautiful city). I had to learn quickly (especially learning from my own mistakes) and be steady on my own two feet, but perhaps this was one of the greatest lessons of all.

Studying abroad quickly became one of the most savored memories at my time at WMU, so much so, that I decided to study abroad twice. My first trip was to Italy in 2015, one of the greatest experiences seeing art, history, and eating at the country most known for delicious food. But this trip, to South Africa in the summer of 2017, was the most impactful for me.

Of all the different gaijin (foreigner) moments that I faced in Japan there was one in particular which stayed with me. Traveling around Japan with a fish allergy wasn’t exactly the easiest thing I have ever done, but it didn’t turn out to be as difficult as it could have been. 

Studying abroad in Spain helped me to better understand how non-American people view Americans. I found that, in Spain, there are some common stereotypes about Americans—they think we are very loud and wild when we drink, for example, and also that everyone from the U.S. has a lot of money.

Studying abroad in Spain helped me to better understand how non-American people view Americans. I found that, in Spain, there are some common stereotypes about Americans—they think we are very loud and wild when we drink, for example, and also that everyone from the U.S. has a lot of money. 

Thailand is a country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia, known for being the Land of Smiles and home to exotic beaches, amazing food and wonderful people. It is also home to unique merchandising and business environment. Studying both the cultural and business in Thailand was an extremely unique experience.

I just finished explaining to my roommate that while we can ‘do the laundry,’ ‘wash the laundry,’ and ‘wash dirty clothes,’ we cannot ‘do dirty clothes.’ Because that sounds slightly lewd.