Student first, tourist later....
If there is anything in this experience that is not different from my life in the United States, it's FINAL EXAMS!! Yes, going on excursions, climbing mountains, meeting beautiful and fun people are important, but sometimes its very easy to get distracted from the reason you came...EDUCATION! I'm sure my fellow JYA cast members can attest to this. A study abroad experience encompasses so much. Not only do you grow as an individual, but academically as well. Some of the major challenges one must over come are adjusting to different styles of teaching, the academic atmosphere in the classroom, and of course the language barrier. With final exams, projects, and papers on the roster, I only have time to be a student first and a tourist later.
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