This past year I lived in a suite with seven other girls, but unfortunately (or fortunately for me), six of them decided to go study abroad for the second semester. People would ask me if I would ever want to study abroad, but I would tell them that I basically already did and about how I spent a semester studying abroad in Poland.
Around this time last year, I had just gotten back from spending five months studying abroad in Poland (more on my decision making process later). I was there to study the language and culture a little bit better, since both my parents immigrated from there more than 30 years ago. I already spoke the language fluently, but I was really bad with reading, writing and grammar, so I decided that I wanted to spend some time there to get better at those things. I may have spent a lot of my time there in class, but I was able to meet some amazing people and have fun while learning.
My time studying abroad was one of the best experiences I could have imagined taking. I got to learn with about eight other people with one main teacher right under the castle in one of the oldest cities in the country.
I learned a lot in my classes and outside of school, with my fellow classmates, but because I was living in a city with so much history, I was able to learn more about the history of the country through experiencing the different historical landmarks as well. The city was also right on the river and had a huge park in the middle, so being able to enjoy the natural aspect of living in a big city was another thing I enjoyed about my stay.
The program that I was studying through, is one of the best in terms of being able to learn such a hard language in a short amount of time. The types of classes and the techniques the teachers use make the experience fun, memorable and one in which a lot of learning takes place.
Towards the end of my stay and afterward, people who know me asked, and still do, if I would ever want to go live in Poland, even if it is for a short time like my study abroad trip. My answer has been that I would love to visit Poland every year, if I could (it is the home of my parents/ancestors), but to live there long term, I don't think I would be able to do. The reason for this is that America is my home and even though I love my parents homeland, the US is my home.
