What made you want to study abroad?
I love languages and I love cultural differences and I love to break my routine and challenge myself. But looking back, I realize that more than anything I studied abroad because I wanted to prove myself. At the time I was very sensitive about depending too much on others and I thought that studying abroad would be the perfect opportunity to be independent as possible. It was sort of a “sink or swim” scenario which I wanted and I definitely got that when I arrived in the country. I didn’t have a set routine, I didn’t have very good language skills and I had no social network to fall back on.
Where did you stay when you studied abroad?
During the first month of my stay I lived in sort of a dormitory with other students. I did my own shopping and cooked my own meals and went everywhere pretty much alone. By the end of the first month I realized that in addition to all my class work that was way too much stress that I wanted to deal with. So I decided to move in with a host family and that was the best decision I ever made. They weren’t limiting at all; they were supportive, they prepared meals for me, which was so nice at that point and I really appreciated it. I really got along with them well. It was sort of a lesson that I learned over and over again while abroad. I learned to rely on others as resources to utilize people and work to nullify my limitations rather than fighting against them. It’s ironic that I had to go abroad to understand this and I was actually more reliant on other people when I was away. In the end, I think this taught me to accept help graciously.
I can remember being with Evan, who is the son of the family that I stayed with, and we became like brothers we would play PacMan together. He actually he lived with a family who originally was from Cuba and it was this whole other cultural experience that I got. Just living with him and interacting with him was great. We would go to movies together we went to see Star Wars, dubbed in Spanish of course. But it was it was amazing and it was something I would have never gotten if I hadn’t moved into the host families.
What sorts of accommodations did you receive from the university? How was the accessibility as compared to your situation in the U.S.?
While I’m in the States, I use a scanner and I scan books and the information is converted into text which can be read by a computer. Unfortunately that technology wasn’t available where I studied. So I eventually decided to hire readers and that was a great decision because not only could the readers help me with the language barrier they could explain things to me that I didn’t understand. They were also another source of cultural contact, personal interaction that I got. These are really interesting people who were well educated and were so nice to me. I think in a foreign country particularly a non English speaking one I would recommend people who scan their books here in the states consider using readers they are so helpful with the language barrier and they are great resources outside of that.
I couldn’t rely as easily for help from my readers with my research so I found ways around it. As far as academic work in general I think I had to accept that academic work abroad would be much harder and my final material wasn’t going to be at the same quality as it was in the States. But that was ok because it was part of the learning experience. The libraries weren’t as accessible and I had help from readers but its so hard to do research when to tell people what to look for when you don’t even know yourself sometimes. In fact, one of my final papers needed an extension. I ended up finishing back in the States because it was so much easier to do with accessibility here. I emailed it back to my professor and it worked out just fine.
How was accessibility outside of school, but rather in the community?
I initially relied on the staff of the program to help me learn the routes to and from class. After a while I decided to try them on my own and, of course, I got lost lots of times, but because it was a city there were always people around for me to ask directions. I was never more than a taxi cab away from home if I got too lost.
Of course in airports and banks, I could always get help from employees, but when traveling outside of the city or to an unfamiliar area I always wanted to bring a friend along. It was easier and safer. I remember one trip I took to Mendoza, which is a province in the western half of Argentina. I went with 3 other people from my group from the team who studied there. I had so much more fun with them along than I would have had otherwise. They helped with getting around and landing a hotel and finding activities to do during the day.
I remember vividly going to Iguazu falls, which are on the border of Argentina and Brazil. They are like 10 times bigger than Niagara and there are forests and wildlife all around. I remember walking into a field of what I thought were flowers, but turned out to be butterflies and when I approached there was this mass stirring and all the butterflies just flew up in the air at once and the sunlight caught them and it was just the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Of course, I had more vision back then and could appreciate the falls in that regard but there were other sensations as well: the rush of the water, the spray as it hit me and the smell of the flowers. It was all just an amazing experience which I’ll never forget.
Do you have any suggestions for students studying abroad with blindness?
My suggestion for people who have my disability is to do it and not to worry about what things might go wrong. The truth is that there are always things you can’t plan for and it will be so much easier if you accept this fact in the long run.
I am not saying one shouldn’t plan for things or think things through when you go abroad, but do so knowing that there are always things you won’t anticipate. Some of those things will be really amazing and some of those things will be really, really tough. But that’s just the nature of studying abroad.
Do you plan on going abroad again?
I definitely plan on studying abroad again. In fact, I’ve already made plans to spend the next year in Brazil on a Rotary scholarship.
Are there any preparations specific to blindness?
Of course there are a lot of preparations I need to make through the school in order to study abroad. I’ve already contacted the host university about hiring readers or using volunteers once I get there. I’m also asking them to put me in contact with a host family in advance so I can see about possibly bringing my guide dog.
I got my guide dog a little over two years ago and he’s been with me pretty much every day of that time with one exception. When I went to Brazil for a month two Januaries ago, I left him with some relatives not because I don’t love him and I don’t enjoy him and I don’t appreciate the guide work he does for me, but because I’m willing to leave him behind if I need to have these experiences, which I think are so important for me. I’ve never taken my guide dog abroad before except to Canada and it’s completely different when you are in another country with a service animal. So I’m going to go regardless whether I can take my dog or not but it’s taking a lot of legwork on my end to plan for things like that.
One of the drawbacks to bringing a dog to a place like Brazil is that they don’t use guide dogs there as a whole. They would never have seen a guide dog before and most people wouldn’t know that it’s ok for them to bring them into stores and things. I would probably use him for help to get to and from classes but I may have to leave him outside a lot of buildings. Of course the advantage of having a guide dog is that once you have an established routine the dog can be so much more helpful in getting around and it’s a great companion as well. I’d hate to go a year without getting to see him.
What are some important lessons you’ve learned through study abroad?
I am personally really open to new experiences and I love getting outside of the norm. I love breaking the boundaries of my everyday life and that for me is what study abroad is all about. I can do that, I can experience these things that I would never have a chance to do otherwise. I’ve been to Guatemala, I’ve lived with indigenous people in very rural surroundings. I’ve eaten with them, I’ve talked to them. Its amazing it’s a lifestyle which I would never have contacted with otherwise and its fascinating to me that there are people all over the world who live so differently than I do and yet they do it well and they have a perfectly good life.
How do you think studying abroad will help you with your career?
I think study abroad certainly helps me with languages. I’ve learned Spanish fluently and I’m working on Portuguese and that will maybe come in handy in a career somewhere down the line. It’s also taught me responsibility, it’s taught me openness to other people and it’s taught me to plan and to anticipate things.
How can educators improve study abroad for other people?
I think one great opportunity for someone like me with my disability is to talk to other people who have my disability who have studied abroad. Sharing those kind of experiences is so great for people and can give them such confidence in what they are doing, knowing that someone who is blind has studied in a foreign country and has done well has succeeded.
I think for educators it is really important to know just that it is possible for people with disabilities to study aboard and to succeed remarkably. I am definitely proof of that and I know that it can be kind of mind boggling to think that someone who is blind could go to another country and to do alright for themselves, but educators can be supportive and that’s the main thing I think. They should be helping people who have this desire to realize it.
Has your family been supportive?
I know that when I told my mom I wanted to study abroad for a semester, she didn’t seem to upset but she wasn’t too thrilled about it either. I think that deep down she was probably really nervous and I think that that’s natural for any parent to feel nervous that their kid is going to a foreign country, much less their kid who has a disability who finds things harder to do. I think its OK, I think that’s natural and luckily my mom fought against her nervousness and was supportive through the whole process.
Have you made many friends?
I’ve made lots of friends when I was abroad. Some of them I managed to keep in touch with up to this point and some of them I lost touch with, but they’ve all been such an important part of the experience, probably the most important part, when I think about it. It is about establishing these relationships and learning from other people. I still keep in contact with one of my readers in Buenos Aires, and hopefully when I go to Brazil we will be able to meet up and spend some time together.
