Thomas Bowman

Thomas Bowman is an Ambassador who studied abroad in Spain.

Briefly describe a specific cultural experience you had on your trip that made a lasting impression.

While on one of our many weekend trips, this one to the city of Sevilla, our entire group was lucky enough to go to a fantastic flamenco performance. The show was unbelievable and totally different from anything I have ever seen. Afterwards for the rest of the night our entire group was dancing nonstop. Everyone was so excited to be walking the streets of this incredible country with thousands of years of culture and history still so apparent and to have the chance to be a part of it. The whole trip is an experience that I will never stop talking about or forget about.

Why did you choose the program in which you participated?

I have been studying Spanish language with the goal of fluency since elementary school. Spain seemed like an excellent place to go with a group of great people, an experienced leader, and learn what I had been wanting to in an unforgettable environment.

Describe your overall study abroad experience.

My study abroad experience was an unforgettable opportunity to live, study, and experience another county and another people. I already miss the time that I spent in Spain, and the people that I met there. It was a time in my life that taught me many things about myself, and how to be an independant person, and how to approach different situations without fear. It is a chance that I will encourage anyone I can to experience in their own way.

How has the trip affected you? How are you different for having completed the experience?

I think that the main way in which going abroad has affected me is by teaching me how possible and amazing travel is. Despite the language barrier it wasn't nearly as difficult as I anticipated to move around between different countries and cities. The people that we met along the way could not have been more helpful or considerate, and everyone was more than ready to be friends from the first moments we met each other. Everything about it made me want to get out again as soon as I can.

What advice do you have for future Study Abroad Students?

Do everything. Any time that someone asks you if you would like to go do something do it. Explore every inch of your surroundings, and do it alone or with a very small group. That is the only way that you will get to know the people, and the places that can be discovered when you leave the beaten path. Don't waste a second of your trip because it will be gone in a flash.