Staff Experiences Abroad: Part 2
Living abroad can be a transformational experience that teaches you valuable lessons about other cultures as well as helps you better understand yourself and your place in the world. A number of staff studied or worked abroad early in their careers, and these experiences have left a lasting impression on their lives.
Andrew Palmacci (Internationalization and Equity) studied in Paris for a semester at the Paris Center for Critical Studies, as well as the Université de Paris III-La Sorbonne Nouvelle. After finishing up his undergraduate studies, he taught English at a high school in Bordeaux with the Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF) for a year. When he returned to school to earn a master’s degree in French at Middlebury College, he spent a summer term in Poitiers, France, at the Université de Poitiers.
Later, he spent a summer taking a professional development course for Spanish teachers from the Americas, in Salamanca, Spain. He also interned in Siena, Italy, at SIS: Intercultural Study Abroad, an independent study abroad center, as part of a master’s program in international higher education at Lesley University.
When asked about his favorite memories abroad, he said, “Taking band classes at the Rock School Barbey in Bordeaux while teaching in the city, renting a (very small) apartment in Paris, and attending the il Palio horse race in the main piazza in Siena in 2022.” His favorite travel destinations while abroad were Berlin, Germany; San Sebastian, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal; and Volterra, Italy. One of the many lessons he learned while abroad was the importance of having a solid support system—both at home and overseas.
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Jennifer Recinos (Undergraduate Admission) spent an undergraduate semester abroad in Seville, Spain, through the CIEE Communications, Journalism, and New Media Program.
While Recinos was studying abroad, she traveled to Chefchaouen, Morocco; Paris; Bologna, Italy; Sagres, Portugal; as well as Madrid, Cadiz, Cordoba, and Granada in Spain. When asked to identify her favorite destination, she chose Chefchaouen. “It was the place I least expected to visit, and I felt most out of my comfort zone in a great way. I learned a lot about the culture there, [through] the food and the gender dynamics. I had the best mint tea ever and had beautiful conversations. I’ll never forget the hospitality I received and the lovely blue colors of the homes in the hills of the villages.”
During her time abroad, Recinos had many transformative experiences. Her visit to the Alhambra in Granada, Spain, was “one of the most breathtaking and spiritually enlightening experiences” she has ever had. She also said that being stranded in Amsterdam after a mix-up on return dates led to her learning to trust herself and flex her problem-solving skills.
When asked what the most important lesson she learned while abroad, she said: “Be open to new perspectives; the world is worth marveling at! And…read the dates three, four, five times before you purchase [a ticket]!”
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Tyler Rowe (Iwasaki Library) studied at the Université de Caen–Basse Normandie in Caen, France, for a semester. “I may sound like a typical millennial who does a study abroad experience, but I really learned a lot about myself,” Rowe said. Studying abroad pushed Rowe to become self-sufficient and independent, as his program wasn’t affiliated with his American university.
One of Rowe’s favorite things from his travels was the connection he made with his host mom, Martine. Beyond life in Normandy, Rowe took advantage of travel discounts and vacation time to see as much of Europe as possible. “My favorite and most unexpected place I traveled to was Portugal. Honestly, I bought the plane ticket because it was about 25 euros and I had very little expectations. It turned out to be one of my favorite trips,” Rowe said.
After studying abroad and graduating from his American university, Rowe went back to France to teach English through the Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF). He was placed back in Normandy, where he had studied, and was able to live with Martine again.
“Working at the Collège Lycée Expérimental ignited a passion for ‘nontraditional’ education,” said Rowe. At le CLE, there were no grades or tests. Instead, students set their own goals and teachers were there to guide them. “A lot of what I experienced there still comes into play in my current position as an academic assessment designer here at Emerson.”
While Rowe was studying abroad, he met his husband, Matt, who happened to be studying at the same university. After they returned to their American universities to finish their undergraduate degrees, they both returned to France to teach English. Rowe proposed to his husband at the Chateau de Caen, which is where they went on one of their first dates.
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Cate Schneiderman (Iwasaki Library) spent a spring semester at St. Andrew’s University in Scotland and then stayed for a month in Edinburgh after the end of the term. During her time abroad, Schneiderman was able to make many connections and many good friends whom she still keeps up with. “We had these fantastic parties with tons of people, and [my friend] Sarah would cook a bunch of food. One day, we went shopping and there was an enormous stock pot and she decided to buy it. I said it was too big to be useful but she proved me wrong that weekend by cooking ‘a kilo of pasta’ in it,” Schneiderman remembered. She also credits the friends she made overseas for helping her learn more about herself and the world around her.
During spring break, Schneiderman met up with two other friends who were also studying abroad that semester and they traveled to Spain together. They went to Santiago de Compostela, Madrid, Cordoba, Malaga, Jarez, and even did a brief stay in Morocco.
They kept their travel plans rather spontaneous: “We had a few scheduled stops, and we booked our flights and our first night in a hostel in advance. But everything else was only arranged a day or two ahead; we would pick where we wanted to go next and call ahead to book a room and then go. To keep our luggage light, we each only brought one book and we traded them around over the course of two weeks.”
If you studied/lived abroad and would like to share your experience in a future installment, email people@emerson.edu.
Camryn Ciancia ’24