I have no way of knowing until the 14th of this month if I will be able to study abroad. I did want to share how I answered these particular questions, just for feedback, and/or for future reference for anyone that is deciding to study abroad. If I do not get accepted then my answers can be used as the "do not's" and if I do, then...
Explain why you wish to participate in this study abroad program.
Leaving the ‘nest’ and the comforts of home is not an easy task. When I began my college career, back in 2004, I was not ready to venture out on my own. I completed my general education requirements at the local community college of my hometown Chula Vista, located in the Mexican border region of California. After 3 years, I felt ready and as I applied to 4-year institutions, I hoped to get accepted to the farthest one, California State University, Los Angeles. And I was. CSULA provided me with being away from home, but if need be, it would be a 2 hour drive down the interstate 5 freeway. For graduate school, I felt the need to continue the exploration, and thus applied to 7 schools all over the US. Luckily, I was accepted to NYU and I could not have asked for anything else. I have learned more about myself in the past 6 months, than I did in the year and half that I was in Los Angeles. I feel, that if given the opportunity to study abroad this summer will only enhance my studies, as well as provide me with a cultural standpoint that I have yet to experience in my 24 years of life.
Describe your academic interests as they relate to this study abroad program.
My academic interests are in Latinidad, global and transcultural communication. Granted, that this program I am applying to is in Europe instead of Latin America, but I would like to experience other cultures that I have less familiarity with. The approach that will be taken to analyze the national tendencies of cultural memory can be applied else where, such as my studies about Latin America, more specifically in Mexico. In addition, the course will also be providing a theoretical survey of the relationship between the United States and France, which will be beneficial to my future studies, as I would like to examine the relationships, as I am U.S. born, between the United States and Mexico. I do not know how I will be approaching the subject matter yet, but I believe this course will help me to further assess what I will be doing for my thesis; it will provide me with another approachable framework. It would be such a privilege to be able to take this course abroad.
Describe a significant intercultural experience issue or event and its impact on you.
Having been raised in Southern California, and living and experiencing only the Southern California region, it was a big culture shock when I initially moved to New York. I had rented an apartment a few months prior to my move, in the uptown area of Manhattan, W 137th Street between Frederick Douglas Boulevard and 7th Avenue. I have visited New York City twice before actually moving, and it all seemed so glamorous. My arrival was everything but glamorous. The neighborhood, Harlem, was nothing I had ever experienced before; my parents had never been to New York and the expression on their faces proved that they felt insecure and unsafe in departing and leaving me in a neighborhood that they did not recognize and that was predominantly African-American. The moral of this story is that I lack intercultural experiences. My parents have just recently began to travel outside of Mexico, and this is due to my own explorations; they like to accompany me on my journeys when ever possible. After living in Harlem for about 2 weeks, I moved to Brooklyn. I now live in a predominantly Cuban and Puerto Rican community. I was scared of the unexpected and because I was raised in the suburbs; the city life is very different. Thus, I have realized that I need to travel and expose myself to other ethnicities, other cities, and other lifestyles. I lack exposure to cultural differences; being able to study in France will give me another experience to add to my life.
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