{"103121":{"#nid":"103121","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Reflections of a Summer Abroad","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAddy Beck\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nSecond Year, College of Management, Marketing\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAbout this time four months ago, I sat on my bedroom floor and peered into an empty suitcase. As if packing for a 10-week journey wasn\u00e2\u0080\u0099t enough cause for stress, my mind raced with thoughts and worries about my summer ahead. How would I fit into the European culture? How would I find my way around? How would I ever survive without my family and close friends for an entire summer? Fortunately, when my plane touched down in Vienna, Austria, these troublesome thoughts vanished and were replaced by feelings of excitement and hopeful anticipation.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMy summer in Europe consisted of ten weeks of study in art, music, international business law, and leadership development courses. When I wasn\u00e2\u0080\u0099t in class, I spent my time taking in the sites and cultures of cities rich in history including Vienna, Paris, Rome, Prague, Barcelona, Dublin, and London. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFrom attending Vivaldi concerts to gazing in amazement at Michelangelo\u00e2\u0080\u0099s \u00e2\u0080\u009cDavid,\u00e2\u0080\u009d from hiking along the coasts of Ireland to perusing Barcelona\u00e2\u0080\u0099s La Rambla, I experienced things this summer that far surpassed even my wildest dreams. During my summer abroad on the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.oie.gatech.edu\/sa\/programs\/details\/ROX.php\u0022\u003EOxford Program\u003C\/a\u003E, I have formed lasting friendships, developed a sense of personal independence, and gained valuable life skills that will remain with me throughout my college and professional years. One must relinquish fears rather quickly when thrust into a new cultural context; I\u00e2\u0080\u0099m no longer scared to ask for directions or intimidated by new surroundings. While I certainly missed my family and friends, modern technology allowed me to video-chat and interact with them as if we were on the same continent (just with a six-hour time difference). \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI am truly blessed to have been able to spend the summer of a lifetime with such incredible people and in such fascinating surroundings. Before this trip, I was merely a college student. Now, I have a newfound appreciation for the world around me, a greater knowledge of international customs and politics, a keener sense of flexibility and patience, and a clear understanding of just how fortunate I am to live the life I\u00e2\u0080\u0099ve been provided.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"About this time four months ago, I sat on my bedroom floor and peered into an empty suitcase. As if packing for a 10-week journey wasn\u00e2\u0080\u0099t enough cause for stress, my mind raced with thoughts and worries about my summer ahead. How would I fit into the European culture? How would I find my way around? How would I ever survive without my family and close friends for an entire summer?","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Summer abroad programs expand a student\u0027s horizon."}],"uid":"27164","created_gmt":"2011-10-05 00:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:11:17","author":"Rachael Pocklington","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2011-10-05T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2011-10-05T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"1298","name":"Parent and Family Programs"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"21411","name":"crime alerts"},{"id":"1773","name":"police"},{"id":"171157","name":"student safety"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cstrong\u003ERachael Pocklington\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EParents Program\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/contact\/index.html?id=rpocklington3\u0022\u003EContact Rachael Pocklington\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E404-385-3920\u003C\/strong\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["rachael.pocklington@vpss.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}