Ricardo Balderrama Caraveo- Thailand 2019
Age at time: 21
My study abroad trip to started in the kitchen. Multiple kitchens. From cooking in food trucks to enjoying fresh homemade tortillas with grandma, it was always an opportunity to spend my time with loved ones and practice new valuable skills that extend further than the kitchen. That is basically what it feels like to complete a study abroad trip, you develop into someone with value that extends further out than studying abroad. Inspired by his shows and world wide experiences, I decided follow the famous alumni from the School of Hard Knocks, Anthony Bourdain. I am a huge fan of his work. I quickly learned from his experiences around the world and was the perfect example to show there isn’t any room for growth without being outside of the comfort zone. For me personally the most uncommon part of this chapter of my life was being able to afford the experience as a young Hispanic male. Never the less it was a huge investment for this young phase of my life and I will never regret it.
Little did I know, although challenging, this commitment to study abroad allowed me to grow in new ways I’d ever considered to be possible. Thailand was a blessing in disguise; a well organized program dedicated to American students to complete a hands on public health focus in Thai villages. Most of my time in the program was spent throughout Thailand learning about the health systems. Among other public health interventions and course content we spent the majority of our time comparing it to the rest of the Southeastern countries around it. We even had a chance to visit Myanmar (Burma) as a class to be able to compare the system. Words cannot explain how friendly everyone treated us, everywhere we went. Overall the personal, professional, and life lessons I learned during the experience was priceless.
The most eye opening part of organizing this was realizing how many resources there are for students across the board. I was fortunate to be selected as a Benjamin A. Gilman Scholar which helped me financially. The organization hosting the program also helped me financially with a few scholarships CIEE: Council On International Educational Exchange simply by applying to the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship. The resources are out there and the type of networks you can create are limitless!
At the end of the day, this journey we call life is a short one. If you are considering traveling abroad, do it! Do not hold back based on any current situation. Make the investment, broaden your horizon, and never stop learning after you study abroad. The coolest part about it all is when you come back from abroad, the stories you share seem to never end! Luckily for me, I was able to come back home safely from Thailand, eat some more fresh homemade tortillas, and share all these amazing stories with all my loved ones.