Isabel Nelson

9 July 2018

SGS 484

Study Abroad Reflection

Considering the wide variety of courses, I’ve taken in my time in college, it is easy to take

any of my life experiences and connect them back to the work I’ve done. My time abroad is no

different, this was my first experience outside of the United States for more than a few days,

and my first time in Europe. Part of me knows that a study abroad trip to Greece and Italy is

very cliché and can seem like a little tourist experience more than a study abroad one, but I

think that it is more about the attitude that someone takes into the experience. On this trip I

saw so many pieces of art, learned about the political issues in the countries, and never felt too

out of place. I was expecting to feel different, enlightened in some way, but I’m happy with the

experiences I’ve come away with and I wouldn’t change anything.

After two grueling days of flights, that were the most financially reasonable options

considering the trip, me and an acquaintance from the trip arrived in Athens. Of all the places I

went on this trip, Athens was the least familiar and the most difficult to navigate. This may be

because Greek doesn’t use the lettering system I am used to. Thinking of the history of the

country, it probably also felt the least familiar considering that it used to be part of the

Ottoman Empire. The Western world really looks back to Greece, for its philosophy and for the

invention of democracy. In all actuality, Greek democracy was more of an Athenian thing that

the single city-state itself practiced (this is what we learned about in our politics and culture

course taken throughout the trip). In my global studies coursework, I’ve been asked to critically
think about historical issues and their effects on current-day issues countless times. This type of

thinking practice has helped me in taking what I know about the history of Greece and relate it

to my time wondering around the country. Greece isn’t a very old country, and I think it is really

important to look at past occupiers and the Ottoman empire to understand the people and the

ways the Greece actually has quite a different feel from the rest of what I’ve experienced of the

“western” world. When I put western in quotations, it is because I don’t actually believe that it

is that simple, especially after visiting and eating the foods and talking to the people. A lot of

the food around that area of the Mediterranean is the same, when my Lebanese friend brings

me traditional food, there’s a lot of overlap with Greek foods, when seeing what would usually

be thought of as “Turkish delight,” the boxes in Greece would say “Greek delight” instead.

Culturally, Greece has a lot of connection with its eastern neighbors and former-Ottoman

countries.

Current-day Athens, and Europe in general, are very politically different from the United

States. Mainly, there’s more room for groups on the left. Nearby where we stayed in Athens,

there was an anarcho-socialist neighborhood that the police never went into. Just the existence

of this type of thing really reflects on the political differences between what I’m used to, and

where I went. Part of me thinks that this is an issue with the two-party system compared to a

country where there is more political space for multiple parties to have legitimate amounts of

power. Most of what I’ve learned about in college, especially in my school and major, has been

political. It’s actually a challenge to go somewhere and not look at the way things are through a

political lens and use my schooling to think critically about what I’m experiencing.
 In Greece, we spent more time on Crete than we did on the mainland and in Athens. Crete,

despite being an island in the middle of that Mediterranean region, was actually easier to adjust

to than Athens. This was probably because Athens is very bustling, and the language barrier

issues were more frequent than in tourist-heavy, laid-back, Heraklion. On top of that, I had

been incredibly sick for my whole time in Athens, so that may have contributed to the

adjustment more that the feeling and culture of the place

Moving to Italy after the time in Greece was exciting as I was looking forward to getting to

spend enough time in one place to really experience living there. In Rome we got to stay in

apartments and fend for ourselves with a little more free time. I had always romanticized Italy

and so I was just generally exciting due to my expectations, and Rome did not disappoint.

There’s historical monuments on every corner and it looks how I want it to look. It was also a bit

easier to blend in in Italy than Greece for me because I definitely don’t look Greek at all.

Overall, I was just excited to really experience one place, especially a place as rich as Rome.

As I was more adjusted to my professors, I was less sick, and there was more time, I got

more out of Rome. I really like learning about the political history of Italy, and the development

and rise of fascism. There’s an area of town in Rome that is filled with fascist monuments and

buildings that were planned out by Mussolini. I found it most interesting to learn from my

professor that a lot of the buildings were finished after Mussolini’s death. I also think it’s

relevant to look at Mussolini who started as a socialist but turned into a fascist. We also learned

about how the Futurist movement influenced fascism and its violent tendencies. This topic of

discussion felt most relevant to my studies and interests. With global studies, it feels like we

spend a lot of time breaking down and analyzing conflicts and actions around these conflicts. I
think it is important to break down social movements that lead to issues, it would seem that

economic issues and strong political divide caused the issues between anarcho-socialism and

fascism in Italy before and during World War II. I don’t think conflict is always preventable, but I

do think having an understanding of historical events will allow people to avoid future conflict.

It’s exciting to spend time somewhere that we don’t typically discuss in global studies courses,

as we tend to focus on conflict regions, but Italy has history that is helpful to look at when

studying global conflicts considering the involvement in World War II and the real reign of

fascism there. Fascism, from what I observed, seemed to be reactionary to far-left anarcho-

socialist movements that were rising up. As fascism, at its core, is quite the opposite of anarchy,

it would make sense for someone with a strong sense of nationalism to want to go against the

anarcho-socialist movements and move towards an all-powerful state. For me, it is even more

interesting that after Mussolini’s body was dragged through the streets and the war ended,

that fascist buildings were finished. Coming back to the discussion we had during our time in

this part of Rome, it was clear that while fascism was powerful, it would not last in a meaningful

way. Looking at these buildings in contrast with the rest of Rome, they were plain and

organized whereas Rome is winding roads and decorative buildings and bustling and a bit

chaotic. These fascist buildings were the opposite, they lacked individualism. This is why I would

call the fascist movement a reaction more than something that made sense, as it seemed to

just be Italy trying to hold itself together in the face of any anarchy.

I did get a good taste of modern-day Italian politics as we were given the chance to visit

the Italian parliament and even sit in during a voting session. I am interested in learning more

about how countries where there is room for multiple parties to emerge compare the United
States where there is really only room for the two parties due to closed primaries and the way

presidential elections are structured. In the Italian parliament, the recent election has brought

in the youngest and least-experienced group in history. I was excited to hear this as I think that

it is healthy to give power to a variety of ages especially in a legislature where there’s room for

a lot of people anyways. I was surprised to learn that there had also been a few right-wing

parties that had gained power in the election, this was told to me by our Italian “guide” named

Max who was mainly there to just look out for us and help with any adjustment issues. He

didn’t really seem to like everyone in our group, as a lot of people were very loud and

obnoxious truly fulfilling the American tourist stereotype, but I did enjoy talking to him about

political situations. It does scare me to hear that it isn’t just the United States dealing with far-

right movements, but I do think it is reflective of current issues with refugees, and many people

are very xenophobic and afraid of people from other cultures entering their country, despite

any factual information. Despite all this, it was interesting to see another legislative body at

work, it seemed pretty similar to Americas legislature as there were committees and similar

structures. I think that it shows how Americas structure did influence other countries’

governments, but I don’t think that it excuses the United States Constitution from needing

improvements.

Adjusting back to America has honestly been more difficult than any culture shock going

into my experience. I think beforehand, I was so anxious about blending in and not being an

American stereotype that I researched fashion, behaviors, and cultures so much for everywhere

I was visiting. I miss the architecture and the city-cultures where people were more social and

interactive, the public transportation being easy, and just café-culture where people sit around
and observe each other. I miss the long dinners where you are expected to eat with other

people and talk for long hours. After my program in Rome ended, I went with a few friends to

Paris and Amsterdam, everywhere was so charming and people were nicer than I was told I

should expect. I really would love to spend a year or two really living in Europe, learning the

languages and knowing the political issues on a deeper level than several weeks can give. Being

back in America feels boring, the buildings aren’t as historic, there’s plenty of similarities but it

is hard not to focus on the differences. Even the slight differences, sirens have a different pitch,

every car in Europe looks a little smaller (probably just because gas and electricity are expensive

in the EU), I think I mostly miss the art and the architecture on every corner of Rome, it would

be nice to live somewhere that feels significant.

Overall, I believe my experiences abroad will help me in the future in indirect ways more

than direct ways. I’ve noticed that, generally, employers really like someone who can adjust to

change and unfamiliar situations. Frankly, the more I put myself in new situations where I don’t

know anyone or I’m unfamiliar with the area, the more confident I am that I will be fine in the

real world looking for a job after college. I think that going abroad and living is more concrete

evidence that I’m capable and willing to adapt to change and try new things. Being in another

country, where they speak another language and do things a little differently, strengthens a

person’s ability to jump into new challenges. I’ve worked a long time at a few jobs and I know

that it is important to be able to adjust or thrive in unfamiliar situations, or at least have a good

attitude despite and discomfort. I do think I can twist these experiences and use the skills I’ve

strengthened to help me in my professional life in the near future.