OSDFA Celebrates Study Abroad Day 2/26/24!

Hear from Vanessa Ruiz Perez, Global Studies and Spanish Major at RU-C, on her study abroad experience in Spain!

During my time as a Global Studies and Spanish major at Rutgers—Camden, I felt my degree would not be completed unless I studied abroad. As a 1st generation, worker, and student, I did not think it would become a reality for someone like me unless I made it one. After being told I would have to pay the entire cost of the program out of pocket, I saved as much as I could from my paychecks every week to make my dream a reality, which I so desperately wanted. When I started looking at the programs offered through the Rutgers Study Abroad office, I was completely overwhelmed. There were options from Korea to France and even ones that gave the option to switch locations to a different country in Latin America every month throughout the semester. I knew I wanted to be in a location that would expose me to different perspectives. Not only that but being a Global Studies major, I was highly interested in a place that would allow me to have these open conversations about what makes an efficient country. Upon looking through all of the Rutgers Study Abroad programs, I found Valencia—a midsized city by the beach in Spain that was known to house the highest number of Erasmus students. Erasmus students are European students who choose to study away in a different country in Europe from that of their own. In my opinion, this location was perfect; I am a heritage Spanish speaker, and it would allow me the opportunity to listen to different perspectives on campus.

Once I arrived, I had no idea I would be confronted with a mountain of linguistic challenges. I had assumed, as with any country, that I would be subject to culture shock, but as a fluent Spanish speaker, I realized I was not as fluent as I made myself out to be. I found myself defending that I do speak Spanish back home, and being scoffed at that I am a prime example of “American behavior”. It was not easy facing these opinions about myself, and nevertheless so aggressively; I was never so openly corrected about my misuse of words or my grammar outside of the classroom setting. My non-Spaniard classmates were in the same boat as me and had confessed they were also having a hard time adjusting to the linguistic change of environment. I stuck close to my classmates in my classes and made friends from France, Poland, Mexico, Germany, and Italy. Being with them allowed me to learn about the social and political climates in their home countries and their views about the United States and its citizens.

As a daughter of Mexican immigrants, an immense love for America has been instilled in me since I was young. As I grew up amid many political controversies that made the U.S. appear as the world's laughingstock, I suddenly found myself becoming hypercritical of a country I once believed was the best in the world. After countless conversations and debates with my newly made friends, I acknowledged that the U.S. is not perfect, but neither is any other country. It’s important to note that policies should not be seen through the lens of “One Size Fits All” and the U.S. is privileged enough to be so diverse in all senses of the word, which is not something that many can say about their own home country.

Life outside the classroom was truly a dream. After classes, I would take a 20-minute tram ride, arrive at the beach, and enjoy the warm weather until the sunset. I would love to take daily walks and stumble upon a new bakery, restaurant, or park. It was not uncommon for students to take a 2-hour train ride to Madrid for the weekend; I felt as if the world was at my fingertips. Having never lived away from home, I felt grateful that this was my first experience stepping outside of my comfort zone.

Although not every moment of my study abroad experience was picture-perfect, I don’t regret it one bit. I learned so much about the world around me, myself, and how experiences make up the lenses we look through. I got to explore Europe, most importantly Spain, and was able to hone in on skills I already had and even gained some new ones! I look back at the pictures from my time abroad and it’s bittersweet; these moments I’ve once dreamed about have now become nothing but memories.