Kako putovanja ili studij u inozemstvu mogu utjecati na nas?

Ako vas zanima kako putovanja i boravak u inozemstvu radi studija ili nekog drugog razloga mogu utjecati na ljude i koje su prednosti, na pravom ste mjestu!

Bivanje u novom okruženju s drugom kulturom i nepoznatim jezikom može izazvati strah i tjeskobu kod ljudi, zbog čega se ne odlučuju putovati ili otići na studij u inozemstvo. Ipak, postoje i pozitivne strane tog iskustva.

O prednostima putovanja pisali su učenici srednjih škola u sklopu natječaja za najbolji esej na engleskom jeziku uoči Tjedna međunarodnog obrazovanja koji se održao u studenom u organizaciji IRO-a i Veleposlanstva SAD-a. Koje prednosti vidi Ema Gita Šimić, učenica četvrtog razreda Prirodoslovne škole Split, pročitajte u nastavku u njenom eseju koji je osvojio drugo mjesto na našem natječaju!

The benefits of travelling and seeing the world are numerous. What is your opinion?

“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” – says a quote from the eminent French novelist, Gustave Flaubert. If you’ve ever in your life had the opportunity to travel to any destination previously unknown to you, you’re most certainly familiar with the feeling Flaubert is referencing.

Being in a completely new environment, be it the busy streets of New York or the peaceful countryside of France, can be a completely eye-opening experience. Surrounded by cafés you haven’t had an opportunity to try out with your friends, shops you’ve never set foot in before, landmarks, monuments, museums, galleries, which beauty you’ve yet to fully bask in. This new massive influx of stimuli can be overwhelming at first, making you hyperaware of the fact you occupy nothing more than a minuscule corner of the world, but once you’re somewhat accustomed to your surroundings, you start to fully appreciate the beauties and cultural differences of the world you’ve yet to fully explore. The benefits of travel are plentiful, the first and most obvious being escaping the mundane, humdrum routines of everyday life. Everyone needs a change of scenery now and again, if not purely for the reason of keeping one’s sanity. When embarking on a journey abroad there’s a list of activities any eager traveler should look out for; from practicing your language skills to immersing yourself completely in the culture of the place you’re visiting by replicating the daily life of the locals – trying out traditional cuisine, dressing characteristically, examining the mannerisms and appropriate way of behavior in your city of choice are all excellent ways of doing the aforementioned. Furthermore, this exposure to different cultures and people is extremely beneficial to broadening your horizons. You get the opportunity to learn about things in person instead of merely reading about them, you can make long-lasting memories and friendships and it can even help you garner a deeper sense of self-understanding.

In conclusion, it is my personal opinion that traveling is an invaluable experience anyone and everyone with an opportunity should take. Though annual trips and excursions may be costly, I think it’s of great importance to remember that travel is the only thing we can buy that makes us richer. Earning more money is always an option, but we can never buy back our time as well as the choice to spend it on the things that truly matter and enrich our lives and existence.

Još jednom čestitamo Emi Giti i njenoj profesorici na trudu i sudjelovanju na natječaju!

Nadamo se da vas je Ema Gita potaknula na putovanja i otkrivanje svijeta, a mi vas pozivamo da nas pratite i na našim društvenim mrežama iro.hr i EducationUSA Croatia (Facebook i Instagram) radi sličnih sadržaja, novosti iz svijeta obrazovanja te obavijesti o grupnim savjetovanjima uživo ili online u okviru Obrazovnog četvrtka u IRO-u.

Ivana Lončar
Suradnica za obrazovne aktivnosti u Institutu za razvoj obrazovanja