Rebecca's Travel Experiences

In the recent years as a young adult, I have been lucky enough not only to have spent some time traveling, but also to spend a semester studying in the beautiful country of New Zealand. While abroad I enjoyed a life of complete immersion, studying alongside new friends at Victoria University of Wellington. During my time spent outside the classroom, I was able explore the beautiful landscapes and native Mauri culture that make New Zealand such a foreign and exciting place.  While my studies focused mainly on understanding the geography, history, and cultures of both New Zealand and Australia, I was also enrolled classes with a more global context, such as an introduction to world religion.  I feel that learning alongside my New Zealand classmates gave me the chance to understand another perspective, another view of the material that would not have been possible had I been learning at an all-American university.

  While living in New Zealand I was able to explore most of the country as well as parts of Australia and Fiji. Since then I have traveled most of the western United States, Canada, and recently, Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. These travel experiences have helped broaden my vision of the world as I previously knew it, helped me to really understand and interact within cultures foreign to my own in the United States.  Exploring Central America also helped me to realize the importance of language studies, and the ability to communicate across borders.  Since returning to the U.S. I have been so intrigued by the possibility of both teaching English and learning Japanese, to begin anew the process of educating and immersing myself in a new culture.