Eunice Yoon

Studying abroad was something I have always wanted to do--just being in a different country where I do not know the streets, culture, or language was something I wanted to experience. I wanted to experience life and learn from a perspective outside of the bubble that I was always used to. I chose Portugal because of its program in entrepreneurship. It is rare to find entrepreneurship-focused courses, so I was particularly interested in Portugal's EIA Program.

My identity lies within exploration, creativity, and innovation. My desire to be immersed in an unknown community is what brought me to look into study abroad programs in the first place. I thought that being in a new place with new perspectives would help broaden my creativity and catalyze ideas for innovation. These salient identities drew me toward Portugal's EIA entrepreneurship program. My preparation was less of fear and worries, but more of excitement and eagerness. Regardless of where I ended up, I knew that I would enjoy exploring and learning about new cultures while taking my courses.

A typical day in Lisbon:

I would wake up and attend class from around 10 A.M. to around 6 P.M. These lectures would be the most engaging and interesting lectures that I would experience--taught by Professor Ken Singer! These courses opened my eyes to view life in a different light, but also exposed me to the culture shocks that I was surrounded by. We learned about the different interpretations of American students and international students for certain topics while also learning about entrepreneurship. Then, to apply these skills we would have super fun activities that exercise these skills. An example is when we had to market and negotiate a small item and trade it for a bigger item. Lunch and dinner breaks were spent scouting around the city in very hot weathers for a place to eat with my cohort. Afterwards, I would explore the city riding electric scooters everywhere, sometimes surpassing midnight hours!

A typical day in Porto:

Classes would start with a keynote presentation at 8 AM, and then branch into group work for our mock start up. We would meet up with mentors from all over the world and from various companies. The skills learned in Lisbon would be applied here as well. After working on our startup, there were lunch breaks where people would market their ideas and test their products. Otherwise, there were also workshops that we would tend to. After school hours, my favorite thing to do was either go into the city with the people from the program, or I would cook with my friends in our suite kitchen! Afterwards, my favorite thing to do was to talk with my neighbor who was from Mozambique (who was not a part of the program). Once again, we would explore the city on scooters eating gelato, seeing the sites, and exploring the nature. The weekends were for traveling out to further destinations!

While abroad, I took "IND ENG 192: Berkeley Method of Entrepreneurship" and a "Challenge Lab." These classes were a lot more engaging and focused in its subject than the classes I took at Berkeley, just because we were learning to apply our skills in real life. In comparison to a classroom where we simply learn the skills and test to see if we theoretically are able to apply these skills in real world situations, these classes required me to be really hands on and it simulated a real-life experience of starting a business. I enjoyed how the assignments were really catered towards learning, rather than learning the test. The way the course was taught was really creative and engaging which caused me to also be involved in the subject. (We actually started a mock company and practiced our skills with strangers or a real audience through various activities).

My experience abroad impacted my identity by allowing me to realize that I was really living in a bubble. I was really able to understand that my current life was such a minuscule aspect of society, and that I had so much more to explore and learn. I learned that I truly thrive in change or in a setting where I have the liberty to explore. One of the biggest lessons that I learned were from the people that I met. I learned that my life and what I thought I was capable of was such a minor part or an underestimated perspective that I possessed. Studying abroad and meeting other innovators opened my eyes to realize that I was capable of accomplishing great things that I thought I wouldn't be able to achieve before. I just had to prioritize and change my perspective to accomplish my goals.

The most memorable aspect of my time abroad was meeting some of my closest friends and exploring the city and nature that surrounded us. I had the privilege to meet people from all over Europe and the conversations that I had with these individuals and the friendships that I built is the most meaningful and memorable part of my time abroad. They were the ones that brought out the best parts of myself. Combining the people with the beautiful sites we witnessed such as the Playa de Ursa, was a euphoric and memorable memory.

My biggest concerns or challenges were centered around: finances, worries of language barriers, airport navigation, and phone service. As my parents are not fluent english speakers, booking my ticket and checking international guidelines and any questions I had were dependent on me. This was especially hard as it was my first time flying abroad.

I would strongly encourage individuals to study abroad as it teaches you perspectives and lessons that we would not be able to find in the routines that we were accustomed to. Especially with EIA and innovation, it is good to see a global aspect on your ideas because it highlights the flaws and strengths of your idea. Sometimes being abroad and adopting a new mindset of "starting new" or being more perceptive to learning could be good break from the routine we are used to. It is definitely a great way to learn more about yourself, but to do so, I would recommend students to put themselves out there, out of their comfort zones.