With this last winter term being the first term that Carleton has been able to run its Off Campus Studies (OCS) programs as planned, the Carletonian reached out to hear from students who were on the programs “Sports and Globalization in London and Seville” and “Architectural Studies in Europe.” Without further ado, enjoy this Q&A session with two juniors from each program, conducted while they were still abroad.
Kenta Hikino ’23
Program: Sports and Globalization in London and Seville
Q: Where have you been so far?
A: The program is based in London and Seville, with day trips to Manchester, Cádiz, Córdoba, and Southampton and Ronda.
Q: What is your favorite place that you’ve visited?
A: Seville has been amazing thus far, and not just because the drink prices are super cheap. Prices everywhere aren’t bad, on top of getting to experience quality food, sunny and warm weather and the cliché concept of a new culture and language.
Q: What’s been your favorite part of the experience?
A: Going to European professional soccer games. At this point I think I’ve seen around 12 games.
Q: What have been the biggest challenges?
A: Adjusting to living in an apartment on my own in London during the first week – especially when my flatmates had to isolate themselves separately for COVID. I’d never quite had to grocery shop, cook and manage life in a foreign country on my own, much less right at the start of an experience before. After that, I’d say a major challenge was staying productive with the little work we had to accomplish during the classes segment in London, especially with one of the world’s most famous cities at our fingertips. Then I’d say speaking Spanish in the south of Spain where speakers additionally have a strong accent, especially given that I lived with a homestay family that didn’t speak any English.
Q: How has COVID-19 impacted your experience, if at all?
A: COVID has impacted my experience in numerous ways. I had my two flatmates swept away from me on day one of the program, leaving me to fend for myself for the next week. Then I got sick, which impacted a good part of my second week in London. Then I tested positive at the end of that week and basically missed the entire third week. But since then, I haven’t had to worry about it one bit!
Q: Any other thoughts?
A: I think studying abroad can be addictive, but in a positive way! I’ve always thought it would be a life-impacting experience before doing this trip, but actually participating in the program has me eager to look into other opportunities outside of Carleton to visit and study in other countries. I’ve personally grown in several ways by being thrust into a new world with a limited Carleton group size. It has also allowed me to get to know other Carleton students I probably wouldn’t have gotten the chance to get close to. Participating in my OCS has really put Carleton into perspective and helped me realize how small Carleton feels if you never leave during the four years we have.
Hannah Sheridan ’23
Program: Architectural Studies in Europe
Q: Where have you been so far?
A: We have been to Italy, Spain and now the UK. I have loved all the places!
Q: What’s been your favorite part of the experience?
A: My favorite parts have been moments when I am truly flying by the seat of my pants. We have a lot of free time on the program, which means that there have been times when I just jump on a train or wander around a new city and let myself bump into something completely unexpected.
Q: What are you looking forward to?
A: I am looking forward to our sunrise Stonehenge visit! I think that will be really memorable.
Q: What have been the biggest challenges?
A: The biggest challenges have been remembering that even though I am in these exciting new places, I also have to recognize when I need to rest. Staying in my apartment or hotel instead of going to see something new in whatever city I’m in always feels like a bit of a waste, but I have to remember that we have been doing some very fast-paced travel and sometimes I need some moments to myself to just chill.
Q: How has COVID-19 impacted your experience, if at all?
A: COVID has been wildly different depending on where we are. In London, nobody has to wear a mask anywhere. In Italy, you had to wear FFP2s, even outdoors. We had a little COVID scare on our program in Barcelona and I was a close contact, so I moved out of our apartment complex and into a hotel. People who tested positive isolated together. It’s a little scary knowing how many planes, trains and crowded areas we have been in and how many of us have definitely had COVID without even knowing it, but you just have to accept it.
Jancyn Appel ’23
Program: Sports and Globalization in London and Seville
Q: Where have you been so far?
A: London, UK, Cordoba and Seville. We went to Edinburgh, Scotland during the travel break.
Q: Have you had a favorite place?
A: Westminster Abbey in London.
Q: What’s been your favorite part of the experience?
A: I’ve loved the opportunity to travel and learn in a different and less intensive environment. Experiential learning is great sometimes!
Q: What have been the biggest challenges?
A: The biggest hurdle has been just the mental hurdle to take the day as it comes. I’m very Type A and it’s been a huge amount of growth to relinquish control of my schedule and be okay with just going as it comes.
Q: How has COVID-19 impacted your experience, if at all?
A: COVID hasn’t impacted us too much thankfully. A few people contracted it, but being triple vaccinated and wary of regulations in each country has kept us generally safe.
Q: Any other thoughts?
A: It’s been very fun!
Aldo Polanco ’23
Program: Architectural Studies in Europe
Q: Where have you been so far?
A: We’ve been all over the place! Rome, Florence, Sienna, Paestum, Pompeii, Ravenna, Naples, Barcelona, Cordoba, Grenada, Malaga and London. That’s not including whatever travel people have done on their own.
Q: Have you had a favorite place?
A: My favorite place has probably been Barcelona or Granada. I appreciate being able to speak the language, plus people were super friendly. There was a nice diversity of food to try, and they seemed like cities where regular people were living.
Q: What’s been your favorite part of the experience?
A: My favorite part has probably been the smaller cities that I wouldn’t have gone to on my own, as well as having all logistics figured out for me by the program coordinators.
Q: What are you looking forward to?
A: I’m looking forward to doing some solo traveling at the end of the program and also seeing a bunch of my friends back on campus in the spring. Winter is definitely the best term to go abroad.
Q: What have been the biggest challenges?
A: There really haven’t been any challenges. It sounds weird, but the group has been great and pretty easy to get along with; our program director Baird Jarman has done an absolutely stellar job caring for each of us. If anything has been challenging, it’s that moving around a lot can be a little stressful due to constant packing and unpacking, but it’s a small price to pay to go to this many places. I also know that this experience isn’t universal to every single person on the program.
Q: How has COVID-19 impacted your experience, if at all?
A: Not as much as we thought. We had a few people get quarantined in Barcelona, but that’s about it. They missed a few tours, but they were able to catch up and it wasn’t a major loss.
