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Baylee Mehr
Baylee Mehr is an Ambassador who studied abroad in Spain.
Briefly describe a specific cultural experience you had on your trip that made a lasting impression.
There are so many cultural experiences to pull from, but the one that most vividly pops into my brain immediately is how much Spanish I learned. However, I didn't realize this until I left Spain and my host mom to travel Western Europe with my friends for a month. I had to return to Segovia to pick up my belongings and the lunch conversation (in Spanish) flowed with ease. I was so proud of my accomplishment.
Why did you choose the program in which you participated?
I am from St. Joseph, Minnesota and the CSB/SJU Study Abroad Programs were arguably the largest deciding factors in choosing this school because it would allow me to experience something completely different. I appreciated the sophistication and comprehension of the programs and the reasonable amount of options to choose from. I have also heard many "study abroad" stories and wanted to make my own story. I chose Spain because I am a Hispanic Studies Minor and wanted that full-immersion experience.
Describe your overall study abroad experience.
Just GO! I would describe my experience as necessary as I reflect back. I say necessary not only because I was born in raised in the St. Joseph area and only done limited travelling, but also because, as I mentioned, I could not have done this much growing in such a short amount of time. I feel that this growing was necessary because it has set me on a career path that will, with much anticipation, begin soon!
How has the trip affected you? How are you different for having completed the experience?
I feel like I have completely changed since coming home from my Study Abroad Experience. I made life-long friendships while living in Spain and those friendships led me to seriously consider what I want to do with the rest of my life. My friends promoted these discussions. I now know that I want to become a counseling psychologist only after I go back to Spain to teach English for a couple of years. I strongly believe that I would not have figured this out for myself if I hadn't made the trip.
What advice do you have for future Study Abroad Students?
I went into my experience what I call "preparing for the worst and hoping for the best." Being from St. Joseph and having been away from home for a month at the longest I was most afraid of my homesickness. I wanted to make sure that I didn't disregard the possibility so I very much prepared for it and experienced homesickness for the first time, mid-May when I was missing my new home.
Do you have questions about studying abroad in Spain? Email Baylee at bmmehr@csbsju.edu.