I decided that I wanted to study abroad when I realized that it would increase my foreign language skills, speed up my graduation date and give me a more diverse worldview. It was also essential for me to go overseas to complete the international degree.

My study abroad experience was in Angers, France and it was my first time in Europe. I spent approximately three months there with a wonderful host family a few minutes outside of town. I took the bus almost everyday to "CIDEF," my university. My courses concerned French grammar, translation, oral comprehension and literature. On the weekends, I traveled throughout France and other countries such as Germany and Belgium. I made many great friends from both America and elsewhere. I was able to adapt to a whole new way of life and learned much about another culture. Not only did it improve my French language skills, but it also gave me another perspective on the world through different eyes. My second overseas experience was my internship in Tunis, Tunisia in North Africa. I discovered this opportunity through Dr. Karim Hamdy; he introduced me to the director of CEMAT (Centre d'Etudes Maghrebines a Tunis). I was the general assistant there for the summer of 2006 and lived by myself in an apartment in the Medina. Throughout my work, I updated the library/theses room, handled finances, welcomed guests, communicated with the Embassy, took a business trip for a client in southern Tunisia, and handled all other various tasks throughout the research center. It was a very different experience from France but gave me first hand experience from a part of the world that I knew little about.

In Angers, I liked the fact that my host family was so fitting and that I learned so much about the major and language I was studying. It was such a thrill to meet so many people not only from France, but from all other countries throughout the world. I also loved the food, music and daily life of the region. It was a perfect mix between a big metropolitan city and a small rural town.In Tunis, I liked the people, cuisine, weather and work. My apartment was also priced very reasonably and was located in one of the oldest parts of the city. The beach of the Mediterranean Sea was just 25 minutes by metro from the city and all other transportation was easy. I liked that I could survive by speaking French to everyone, yet I learned a few Arabic phrases on the side. The director and assistant director at my work were very nice and helpful people. They were a great source for learning the ins and outs of Tunisia that I would not get otherwise.

I think this will help me in my future because I plan to use my French skills and abroad experiences in the field of international business. I hope that my knowledge will make me valuable in this field and allow me to be marketed widely.

As mentioned above, my career goals are aimed towards international business and marketing. I would like to use my overseas experience and language skills to work domestically and travel periodically abroad for work purposes. It would also be great to welcome international clients into the United States act as a host for them. I am keeping my future open to any options.

If I could give one tip to students who are studying abroad, I would tell them to be patient and always keep an open mind. Everything at first will be different from home and will take some time to adjust. Once you open yourself up to different ways of life, you will grow as a person and learn things you never knew before.