To Russia and Beyond: A Generation Study Abroad Ambassador’s Story
Meet Dylan Filkins, a recipient of the 2017–2018 Generation Study Abroad Scholarship, who studied at Saint Petersburg State University in Saint Petersburg Russia, during the Fall semester of 2017. Originally from Utah State University, he studied the Russian language for two years and then realized his own desire to study abroad. Read on to hear his story about his journey of professional, cultural, and personal development through his semester abroad, and why he encourages others to participate as well.
“I wanted to study abroad from the beginning, so that I could fully immerse myself in the Russian culture and improve my Russian language skills. I knew that the challenges were going to be abundant. The first trial was to start learning Russian, as it is ranked the second hardest language, among others such as Arabic, Japanese, or Korean.
A quote that I have incorporated into my life for the past two years is, “What you are afraid of is a clear indication of the next thing you need to do” (-Unknown). Even though I knew I wanted to study abroad to improve my Russian speaking ability, I was still somewhat afraid to go there because I had preconceptions about the country and its people, and I had very little knowledge of what life was going to be like over there. However, I realized that the best way to learn the language fluently and to get over my fears was by going there and facing them. Some initial challenges that I faced were not knowing where I was going to live two weeks before leaving, not knowing anyone in the country, and not knowing how the education system works. The success of working through these challenges was dismal at times, but it was nonetheless a personal growing experience. After living there for five months, I also learned that those preconceptions I had before arriving were wrong, and I have made a conscious effort to encourage other students to study abroad, reassuring them that they can do it despite initial fears or preconceived ideas too! There are even more opportunities abroad than they may think!
When I talk to students that are considering studying abroad they frequently ask about the cost. After that tends to be the question: “weren’t you afraid to go?” Money is an important topic, but I have advised plenty of students that if you play the game of airlines you can actually get a cheap flight over to Europe. I have found that if you look at different places to fly out of and different places to land, usually the price is cheaper. Another method to find a cheaper flight is timing. Being flexible on travel dates can also lower the cost. These methods will sometimes be an inconvenience but can save you hundreds of dollars. My preferred choice of airline to do this with is Norwegian Airlines. I have flown with them several times and can consistently get a one-way ticket to Europe for just over $200. With cheaper flights like these, it makes studying abroad more likely for more students. Another outlet that students don’t consider is looking at scholarships. There is an abundance of specific scholarships for locations, languages, majors; you just have to put in the effort to find them [for some examples of funding resources check out Generation Study Abroad’s funding webpage].
Another frequent topic I address with fellow students is about culture shock. For most, it can be hard to find yourself in a new setting and society where things that you have done your whole life are now not considered normal in the new location. The difference in the lifestyles can be a culture shock. I have suggested to classmates that are planning to study abroad to fully immerse themselves in the community. Try to go out and be a part of the culture. This would include: going to plays, bars, festivals, and anything that is cultural to that location, allowing you to see the community first hand and immerse yourself in that country’s culture fully. Diving into this lifestyle will force you to quickly adapt to the new customs. You will also be able to start creating lifelong friends and see the structure of the society first hand, all in your own unique manner.
I had to sacrifice a lot to go to Russia, and often asked if it was worth going. One such sacrifice going to Russia, was delaying my degree graduation date to solely study the language. I had to reconsider a lot before committing to this experience, but I ultimately decided that having stronger language skills that could and did lead to additional professional experience, was worth not being able to graduate within the four years as originally planned. Another sacrifice was to spend all of my saving that I accrued over several years. The experience was well worth all the expenses and would do it again, because there are a lot of advantages to studying abroad. For me, the biggest advantage was becoming confident in speaking Russian and watching my level of Russian improve. I still have plenty of work to get to fluency, but I am on my way.
Another benefit that I have experienced is that it helped me get a summer internship. Currently, I am working as an Engineering Project Manager in Minsk, Belarus for the summer. Here I am able to continue to learn Russian, travel, and get professional experience from it! I was able to obtain this internship because of learning the language at a formal institute. The company required a basic level of the language and was interested in an international worker. Working in Belarus and having international experience, will help me next summer with finding another place abroad to work. I have my sights on France.
A benefit that I think most people come out of studying abroad with is an ironclad confidence in traveling. You are faced with many challenges while traveling and you have to deal with them. After you have dealt with the challenges, you are ready for the next one. For example, while on my way to Russia, I thought it would be a good opportunity to travel before starting my semester. I planned on going to Berlin, Germany and make my way up to Russia. When I got to Berlin and exited the airport, I realized that I had no clue how to speak German, didn’t have any internet, didn’t have a map of the city, and didn’t know anyone in the city. At this moment, I had two options: I could sit there and panic or I could find my way to the hostel. I learned how to ask for help and how to think in these stressful situations. Eventually, I got to my hostel after several hours of asking strangers and taking various forms of transportation. Now I know, that I need to plan ahead and find a route to the hostel before landing. Through challenges like this, you learn more about yourself and more about handling tough situations that carry a high level of stress.
In my opinion, studying abroad has forever changed my life and changed the type of person I am today. I can solely devote this to my experiences and challenges faced while abroad. If you don’t study abroad, you are doing yourself an injustice. Go face those fears and succeed!”
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The Institute of International Education (IIE) made funds available for the IIE Generation Study Abroad Scholarship Program for U.S. students from a broad range of backgrounds to make it possible for them to participate in an academic, internship or service-learning experience abroad. The scholarship program intends to diversify study abroad and to encourage students to go abroad who would otherwise not participate in an international experience. The program provided Generation Study Abroad Commitment Partners from U.S. colleges and universities who completed their annual progress report an opportunity to secure supplementary funds for student scholarships.
