Gianfranco Gastelo Centeno

 My decision to studying abroad was fundamentally motivated by the intellectual curriculum and passionate community of learners at Cambridge University. I am attracted to these hallmarks as I enjoy challenging myself personally and academically, aiming towards becoming a well-rounded student for graduate school next year.

 I identify myself as a re-entry student, and implicit in this identity is the fact that, due to a combination of immaturity and depression, I squandered my high school education. However, being an underperforming student has been precisely what stimulated my eagerness to absorb everything I missed ever since my first college semester. At college, I majored in English, Philosophy, Linguistics, Spanish, Literature, Sociology, Psychology, Economics, interdisciplinary studies in humanities and behavioral sciences. Although academic semesters end, personal reflections upon in-class concepts do not, (re)appearing, like the Indigenous notion of time, recurrently in my journals. I used my 6 years of self-imposed college education plus those at UC Berkeley to be mentally, physically, and academically prepared to withstand the prospect of rapid acclimatization in England, being my first time visiting it or even studying abroad.

 Normally, I woke up at 6am to walk to the gym while listening to meditation music. Taking advantage of the 10-minute walking distance, I inspected my surroundings, memorizing the locations and schedules of nearby pharmacies, grocery stores, libraries. After running for 1 hour and returning to my dorm, I would take a bath and re-read in-class notes from 8am-9am. Since my first class usually started at 10am, I used half an hour to either prepare a quick breakfast or walk to the campus to receive one for free. After my classes, I had lunch with my classmates in the campus dining hall, exchanging personal stories and expanding in-class discussions. After that, I visited the library to study for 2-3 hours, taking advantage of its uninterrupted Wi-Fi. Then, I went to the market to buy groceries. At 7pm, I returned to my dorm to continue studying until 1am and 4am during midterms and finals.

 I took three courses: Alfred Hitchcock and Film Theory; Divided We Stand: Gender, Norms, and Sexuality; and Bioethics: Sex and Death. At Cambridge, there were seminars in addition to courses: the former was essentially a small group in which students led the discussions. These discussions were in-class presentations, problems given by the professor, unclear concepts encountered in readings or during class. I extremely enjoyed the passion and depth and experience that my classmates brought to the seminars: there were, like Nietzsche's statement, "no truths but interpretations," for an apparent universal truth revealed to be a projection of a culturally relativized custom, after examining it in conversation.

 In England, I was challenged to balance 1) my dedication to my studies 2) my socialization with classmates and professors during and after classes, 3) my responsibility to optimize my weekly schedule to buy groceries, go to the gym, visit interesting public places, do laundry, reserve train tickets, and 4) my connection with my parents whom I called once a week to share my positive experiences, since I did not want to worry them. Having earned A's while accomplishing the rest enhanced my identity a self-sufficient person, believing in myself, applying self-discipline and correcting my mistakes to the best of my abilities in the shortest time possible. This is likely the greatest lesson I learned which is linked to my identity as an intellectually ambitious student: to be perseverant and diligent in order to surmount a challenge.

 The most memorable, and, in turn meaningful, aspect of my time abroad was the farewell event in which most professors and students attended, even though, speaking from a student perspective, we were demolished by finals week. That moment of fellowship represented what Aristotle might have perceived as the sweetness of education, after having tasted its bitterness. The event was beautifully organized: in front of the library, there was a variety of dishes that, once students as well as faculty members selected their own, we all sat on the grass on a white blanket, eating together, sharing our individual experiences in that program and taking pictures.

 My biggest challenge was not anticipating an adapter. I was not able to buy one, so for the first days, I depended on my biological clock to wake up since my phone's battery died. This issue was solved, however, upon exhausting every possible solution: visiting stores, ordering one via Amazon, texting other students for an extra one, etc.

 I would recommend them to challenge themselves as well, being willing to explore a country or university of their admiration. However, I would add to be responsible as well, taking all necessary documents, watching pre-departure videos, applying for scholarships to have a budget beyond the standard one, meeting with a study abroad adviser, attending informational sessions to ask personal questions to other students, joining an interpersonal group with students flying to the same destination, and of course, being fearless to new adventures.