Farewell my endless summer

By Amelia Nguyen

From the U.S. To Japan

I welcomed the turn of our new decade by surrounding myself with palm trees, paw prints, and chilling 60 F [brrrrr] ocean breezes; and of course, I cannot forget running, well more like walking, with my mom. Quite a peaceful life to live if I do say so myself. But being the restless and free spirited soul that I am, soon I'll trade all of these perks of California living in for cherry blossoms and expensive fruits and vegetables- or should I say はなふぶき と たかい かさいるい - halfway across the globe in the wonderful country of Japan. Yes you've guessed correctly; those are Japanese characters.

Recently, I was accepted to the Engineering and Science in English Junior Year Program at Tohoku University. Quite a mouthful huh? In addition to taking Japanese language and biology classes, I'll be researching in a lab for 15+ hours/week. Please don’t be fooled that I am one talented young lady who is so fluent in Japanese that she can carry out independent research projects in Japan. I confess, my proficiency in Japanese is that of a 5 year old or rather that of a 3 year old! Despite the language barrier, my enthusiasm to meet my second ‘lab family’ and figure out the purpose of my life [without my family inculcating their ideas on my decisions] far outweighs my fear of being in a foreign place all by myself.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a big baby when it comes to leaving behind my two precious heelers and family behind. However, I desperately need an entire Pacific Ocean to separate myself from my comfort zone in order to keep my sanity. Just kidding! Studying abroad at this point of my life will most definitely provide ample opportunities for me to grow as a scholar and a person.

Why you may ask. Being part of a collegiate culture where my standardized test scores and G.P.A. are constantly under scrutiny, excelling as a team member and team leader are my solutions to escape the clinical methods many people rely on to judge my abilities. Over time-either due to habit or my obsessive compulsive nature to ameliorate my mediocrities, I routinely ask myself what I can do to be a leader in any chosen activity. Sometimes before and after the activity!

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Study Abroad & Its Impact on Your Leadership

Study abroad opportunities are often the pinnacle of many students' experiences during their collegiate years. Whether you are an international student studying here in the United States or an American student studying abroad for a semester or two, the eye-opening experiences always result in an intense personal growth process. As a result, many individuals who undergo this unique experience are changed forever.

What have your experiences been like traveling overseas?
How did you maximize your experiences to personally and/or professionaly develop?
In what ways has your international travel experience influenced your leadership?
What are your insights for individuals who are new to the international travel experiences?
If you are interested in studying abroad, why? Do you think the experience can inform your leadership growth? If so, how?

~APIASF/GMS Creative Consultants Team~

Beaches, Bones, Bus Rides, and Bad Tan Lines...

...those are only a few of the things I will remember about my time spent studying abroad in Greece! So far, it's been the best summer adventure that I’ve ever had.


I spent five weeks as a junior staff member for the Kenchreai Cemetery Project, an archaeological excavation based in southwest Greece. As a student participating in the program for course credit, I not only worked in the field Mondays through Fridays from 7 AM-1 PM (shoveling, pick-axing, trowel-ing, hoeing, sieving, sweeping, washing and learning about pottery and bones, getting dirt in places I thought I'd never find it, developing an intense six-pack and a hardcore tank top and sock tan...basically, all the different facets of field work), but I also attended seminars, and wrote and presented a research paper on the Lechaion Basilica - the largest ancient church ever found in Greece (it's longer than a football field). The picture below shows what remains of the basilica today:

Having no previous archaeological or art history experience, I learned so much from going on a dig! I'm going to be a Classics major, so interacting with the tangible remains of classical culture (coins, bones, pottery, tesserae, etc.) added another dimension to my mostly literature-based perspective on the ancient world. I was treated to some impressive (and very filling) native cuisine (moussaka, baklava, gyros, souvlaki, and feta, for starters), and I even picked up a little Modern Greek (at least enough to order a gyro from the local tavern). Best of all, I formed some great friendships with both students and professors!

It helped that I was surrounded by places like these everyday:

And that after work, we got to hang out at the beach!

And on the weekends, our group (comprising 30+ students from colleges all over the US) took a charter bus to different archaeological sites nearby like Epidaurus...

...Mycenae...

...and Ancient Corinth (this was near our hotel!):

In our free time, we organized all sorts of cool group activities. We hiked, explored tombs and other historical sites (it seems like anywhere you stand in Greece, under you is SOMETHING important in antiquity), went clubbing (it's definitely different from the American version of clubbing), attended a performance of Aristophanes' The Clouds in the Theatre of Epidaurus, and went sightseeing in Loutraki, Nafplio, and Athens.

I'm on a bench in front of the Parthenon. Can you find me?

I've always wanted to travel internationally, but as a Classics and Pre-med student, I know that with numerous course requirements, it is difficult to study abroad during the regular school year. However, there are still options in the summer, January term, or Spring Break to go abroad - you just have to take the time to hunt them down and plan ahead. The thrill of being able to explore one of my dream destinations made all that time I spent during the spring semester tracking down the right program and finding funding so worth it! I highly recommend traveling abroad at least once when you're in college - you will NOT regret it. I started out college having never stepped foot outside the US, and only a year a later, I definitely can't wait for the next trip!