Leaving one familiar culture and moving into an alien one is difficult for almost anyone. Despite this daunting idea, students like Rochelle Breen, a senior in linguistics, have taken that step and feel that they are better people for it.
    
One of the largest barriers between cultures is language. Many students choose to not study abroad because of this barrier.
    
“Usually, if you’re in a different culture, where they speak a different language, if you try to learn the language, people will try harder to help you out,” Rochelle said.
    
Even with this help, Rochelle acknowledged that not knowing the language was sometimes difficult and frustrating.
    
Topics and questions such as these were answered and discussed in the study abroad meeting, Thursday, Jan. 24. This is the first year that the study abroad meeting has assembled.
    
Taking place at the International House, it gave students a chance to get answers to questions about the university’s Study Abroad Program from Tyler D’Andrea, an institutional relations manager at the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), and Heather Grigsby, the programs abroad coordinator at UT.
    
CIEE is one of the leading student exchange programs in the world. It’s been around for over 60 years, and now has exchange and study abroad programs in 41 countries.
    
D’Andrea became interested in working for the study abroad programs at the University of Florida. Having studied abroad himself, both in high school and college, he decided that he wanted to help students have the same experiences that he had.
    
Students said afterward that the meeting was a small get-together that provided a lot of insight into what the program is and how it works.
    
During the meeting, D’Andrea talked about the experiences that the program could offer. Short-term programs, such as the summer program, give students a feel for what it is like to be in another culture.
    
These short, one- to two-month experiences allow for a break in the normal, everyday life that students have and give them an inside look into another way of life.
    
D’Andrea also talked about the long-term programs, such as the semester sessions or year-long sessions. He made it clear that these programs allow for students to completely immerse themselves in another culture.
    
“The things you gain on a study abroad program, you can’t get in any other experience,” D’Andrea said. “From my experience, and from other people’s experiences, the Study Abroad Program opens your eyes and it changes how you view the world and how you view yourself.”
    
Different cities have different programs. Though many of the programs focus on business, there are other programs for all interests, including the arts, public health, communications, environmental studies and more. There is even a screenwriting program in Prague.
    
This meeting helped students who attended understand more about what the Study Abroad Program is and how it can help them have an incredible experience. Though the Study Abroad Fair happens every year, this new meeting allowed students to get specialized, and get personal answers to specific questions.