Dylan&May&

UNIV&4925032I&
September&22,&2015&
&

Study&Abroad&Reflection&
&
When&I&discovered&that&the&art&program&was&holding&a&study&abroad&in&New&Zealand,&I&was&
ecstatic.&After&seeing&the&Lord&of&the&Rings&movies,&and&doing&a&sizeable&amount&of&research&as&a&
child,&I&had&been&convinced&that&if&I&was&to&travel&anywhere&in&the&world,&that&island&on&the&
south&end&of&the&world&would&be&it.&While&attending&the&meetings&about&the&trip,&I&began&to&see&
how&this&was&not&only&going&to&be&an&awesome&experience,&but&an&incredibly&helpful&one.&
&
The&study&abroad&was&officially&called&Art&and&English&in&New&Zealand&and&was&called&that&
because&it&would&be&focused&on&the&cultural&art&of&the&Maori&people,&contemporary&art,&and&the&
J.R.R.&Tolkien&literature&that&had&come&to&be&associated&with&the&country&after&the&Peter&Jackson&
films.&I&knew&that&this&was&my&opportunity&to&broaden&my&worldly&horizons&and&become&
inspired&by&an&incredibly&strong&and&beautiful&culture.&Being&a&design&student,&Im&always&
looking&for&influence&that&can&aid&in&the&creation&of&broad&ranges&of&work.&Not&only&would&this&
help&my&art&related&goals,&but&it&would&open&my&eyes&to&a&culture&other&than&my&own.&It&would&
be&time&to&reflect&on&what&else&is&out&there&and&how&I&can&become&more&attuned&to&things&
outside&the&United&States&and&our&way&of&life.&
&
The&professors&leading&the&trip&really&made&it&easy&for&us&when&it&comes&to&preparation&for&it.&
They&had&laid&out&the&entire&thing&as&a&whole&and&walked&us&through&each&step&of&the&process.&
Initially&it&was&simply&researching&the&country&to&figure&out&customs,&climate,&and&just&in&general&
what&to&expect.&From&there&I&began&planning&things&to&bring,&as&well&as&trying&to&gather&money&
to&help&with&the&expenses.&Luckily&my&parents&were&a&huge&help&when&it&came&to&paying&for&the&
trip.&It&coordination&with&the&trip,&I&was&taking&two&classes;&senior&seminar&and&English&2010.&For&
those&classes&there&was&preparation&work,&such&as&developing&a&book&project&for&senior&seminar&
and&reading&a&Maori&book,&The$Whale$Rider.&&
&
Over&the&course&of&the&trip&I&saw&myself&improving&in&ways&I&hadnt&really&expected.&I&have&never&
been&an&extrovert&and&someone&that&is&able&to&comfortably&approach&people,&but&I&began&to&
develop&a&skill&of&talking&to&people&on&the&street&to&find&out&about&the&surrounding&area&as&well&
as&getting&directions&to&places&I&wanted&to&go.&Being&in&a&different&country,&there&were&different&
systems&of&navigation,&so&I&got&better&at&getting&around&based&on&information&I&found&and&just&
keeping&track&of&where&I&had&been.&While&taking&part&in&Maori&ceremonies,&I&feel&that&my&
understanding&of&cultures&and&art&through&my&Art&History&classes&helped&me&a&lot&in&making&
connections&with&the&Maori&people&in&the&ceremonies.&Even&though&there&werent&overly&
obvious&connections&between&my&personal&upbringing,&I&was&able&to&search&deeper&and&find&
those&due&to&my&experiences&in&those&classes.&
&
Even&though&my&major&is&pretty&much&experiential&in&itself,&where&we&have&to&do&internships,&
work&with&clients,&and&hold&our&own&public&events,&so&it&wouldnt&seem&that&an&EDGE&project&

would&be&anything&more&than&another&project&to&stack&on&top&of&that&load,&Im&glad&it&gave&me&
the&opportunity&to&travel&like&it&did.&It&gives&people&without&the&drive&to&do&something&
worthwhile&with&their&education&and&time&here,&motivation&to&do&so.&As&we&are&graduating,&we&
are&all&needing&anything&we&can&get&to&put&our&skills&and&experiences&an&edge&over&our&
competition&in&the&work&field,&and&this&program&helps&us.&If&you&take&the&opportunity&and&make&
something&of&it,&it&can&really&give&you&what&you&need&to&snag&that&job&after&graduation&that&
youve&always&wanted.&