#IEW2019 Q&A with…Brie Longworth
International Education Week in the Faculty of Arts
Going Abroad with Brie Longworth
November 18–22 is International Education Week, which is celebrated in over 100 countries around the globe. During this week, we will be highlighting stories from students (and the Dean of Arts, Lesley Cormack!) who have gone abroad as part of their program in the Faculty of Arts.
All interviews conducted by Sherilyn Trompetter, Senior Officer International, Undergraduate Student Services, Faculty of Arts.
Meet Brie Longworth. She is working toward her BA in Political Science. Currently, she is participating in the Arts Work Experience program and is working as the International Student Engagement Intern for the Faculty of Arts.
Hi Brie! Where did you go and what did you do?
I spent a semester at a Danish Folk High School in Denmark, with two months of that time spent in a small village in Nepal. The school in Denmark, although called a “high school”, was for people of any age and from around the world, to come together and learn about cultures, and to engage in activities and classes that we were passionate about. This school had a connection with the village of Sermathang in Nepal. I went to Sermathang for two months along with four other Danish students from the school. The purpose of my time in Nepal was predominantly cultural exchange and self-growth — to learn from others and about a different culture, as well as to learn about myself.
At what point in your academic program did you go?
I went in the first half of my gap year between high school and first year university (August-December).
Why did you go?
Although I knew for certain that I wanted to go to post-secondary and that I specifically wanted to be in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta, when I graduated from high school I did not feel ready to go straight into my degree. I felt as though I needed more time to figure out what specifically I wanted to do, and to figure out who I was, and I thought that going abroad would be a good way to do that.
I was so scared to leave home for so many months and go to a country I knew very little about, but I also felt very excited. I think that the biggest growth experiences come from those situations where you feel both nervous and excited, so I knew that the experience was exactly what I needed to do at that moment in my life.
I had also been very involved with the performing arts in high school, and while I still loved them, I wanted to slightly distance myself from them. I wanted to discover what else I loved, and who I was without them so that I could hopefully discover other interests and therefore potentially what I wanted to major in at university.
What delighted you about your experience?
I loved my experience so much! I fell in love with everything about Denmark and Nepal and all of the people that I met. Living in both countries made my perspective on so many things expand. Especially with the contrast of Denmark and Nepal and how they both contrasted back to Canada, I was constantly being faced with experiences that challenged the way I thought and what I had always considered my “normal”. I think it’s really important to challenge what you’re used to and what you’ve accepted as “good” simply because of extended exposure. I loved that I learned so much about how things can be different and how I could be different.
How did the experience influence you?
The experience made me overall much happier and much more confident. High school can be a time where you are constantly feeling down about yourself and constantly doubting your abilities and whether people actually like you. In contrast, my time in Denmark and Nepal made me learn that it’s possible to surround yourself with people that are similarly motivated, passionate, and can inspire you to be a really authentic version of yourself.
My time spent abroad really anchored me into myself, if that makes sense. I discovered more about who I wanted to be, and the opportunity to go into an entirely new environment with entirely new people gave me the chance to present myself to people without them having any preexisting knowledge about who I was — I was able to show them who I was and I was given the chance to grow into exactly who I wanted to be because I was starting these relationships from scratch.
What surprised you when you got back home?
When I returned back home, I experienced a lot of culture shock, which I didn’t fully expect. I thought that when I came home, things would feel normal. But after being away for five months and seeing the world and living in places where day to day life is done in different ways, coming home to “normal” felt strange and it made me feel very small.
It’s difficult to fit back into the mold you left for yourself after you’ve grown so much, and difficult to fit back into a space where everything feels the same as when you left except for you. It was almost as if time had stopped for everyone else in those months except for me.
But the wonderful thing about the culture shock of coming home is that you are able to be critical about your “normal” and evaluate what is important to you.
What advice would you have for Arts undergrad students who are considering a study abroad option?
I would definitely recommend studying abroad to anyone! I think with anything in life, if it’s something that you’re feeling both scared and excited about, that’s the perfect recipe for self-growth and an amazing experience. I feel that because of my time spent studying abroad, I am able to have a much wider perspective on my own life and on the place that I live, and it also helped me to discover what I love. Then when I entered university, I was more sure about who I was and what I wanted to do. So I would wholeheartedly recommend it. No matter where you go, you’ll find somewhere, or something, or someone that you fall in love with.
Check out our amazing Study Abroad programs here!
