Experiences
Here are three experiences that had a significant impact on my global learning journey.
Relax
Alternative Breaks
Alternative Breaks was one of the most impactful decisions I made during my college experience. It is a trip I will remember for several reasons. The first reason it was so incredible was the site to which we traveled. I got to go with twelve other FIU students to Cuzco, Peru for ten days. I went in March 2019, the second semester of my freshman year. I was so excited to get to go with Alternative Breaks because it was one of the organizations that convinced me to choose FIU. I had been active in service throughout my life, and I saw the organization as a way to combine two passions: serving and travel. I must admit, it was not as easy to coordinate and execute the trip as I thought it would be. It took many hours of work to fundraise for the trip. Two weeks before the trip, we still were not sure if we were going to be able to make it. That element alone was a valuable lesson to learn when coordinating international travel. Sometimes everything will line up, but other times, things might not fall into place. As it was my first time traveling to South America, I had to learn how to adapt to the host culture. We got to ride the bus to and from our job sites, use Spanish to communicate, and stay in a host home with a Peruvian woman. I learned a lot about different cultures within my own group of students from FIU as well. Our group represented several nationalities. Many of us had different expectations going into the trip that taught us all how to better adapt to the needs of the group.
Panthers around the World (PAW) Representative
Like Alternative Breaks, the PAW program was one of the most significant parts of my global learning experience and my time at FIU as a whole. I was fortunate enough to get to volunteer for the Office of Education Abroad as a PAW rep beginning in my first semester of college. Students like me who were passionate about international education and student exchange could sign up to be paired with international exchange students for the semester or two that they would be in Miami. I served as a guide and a friend to the buddies with whom I was paired. As I was new to FIU my first semester, it was an amazing program to help both me and the students make friends for the semester. Throughout my involvement in the program (until the pandemic), I got to meet students from countries such as Germany, Australia, Peru, France, Spain, Egypt, and other nations. I found great satisfaction in asking questions and discussing their cultures and sharing my culture with them as well. It was an incredibly enriching experience as it related to global learning because it provided a way to learn how to apply intercultural communication outside of the classroom. I was also able to be a friend to those who were new to the area and wanted a friend they could count on while they were away from home.
South Beach Food and Wine Festival
I greatly valued the times I had working at the South Beach Food and Wine Festival (SOBE) for many reasons. The most significant value the experience added to me was the ability to interact with customers from across the United States and around the world. I got to experience cultural aspects of different nations through the food offered at the festival. The first year I worked the festival, I got to work an event called Shabbat Dinner. Before SOBE, I been exposed to Israeli food. I did not know the Jewish laws of keeping dairy separate from meat. I also got to cut vegetables and handle herbs I had never before handled. It was a privilege to contribute to the production of a cultural event. Afterwards, I was able to use that experience as a connection point with Israelis and Jewish students. At other events, I got to serve alongside many international students. While we prepared meals and worked the events, we got to have conversations about their lives and home cultures. I met individuals from Vietnam, the Philippines, Italy, Hungary, Uzbekistan, and other cultures. It gave me a better understanding of the experience of international students and their approach to hospitality. Lastly, SOBE helped me to understand how significant the role of food is in community creation and cultural exchange.