What is study abroad? Study abroad means people get education in other countries than
one’s own. Nowadays, as the globalization becomes an important phenomenon, many
people study abroad to learn new languages and cultures. In another word, globalization is
important to people. People going to other countries to study are becoming more common.
There are several benefits for people who study abroad, which are learning new languages
and cultures, learning how to become a more independent person, acquiring the ability of
adaptation and sensitivity, and having a wiser perspective.
The first benefit is that people can learn new languages and cultures. In another word,
people could become a multilingual and multicultural. There is a survey indicated that
study abroad is succeeding about intercultural development, “98 percent of respondents
said that study abroad helped them to better understand their own cultural values and
biases, and 82 percent replied that study abroad contributed to their developing a more
sophisticated way of looking at the world” (Dwyer and Peters). I also have been studying
abroad since 2005. I have studied abroad for almost 10 years, which are 7 years in China,
and 2 years in the U.S. Before I decided to study abroad, the only language that I could
speak was Korean, and I did not know about other countries’ cultures either. However,
through these 10 years’ study abroad experience, I have learned new languages, made
friends with international students, and learned about their different cultures. For example,
in China when people are eating, they will talk to each other while they are eating.
However, in Korea, when people go to restaurants, they would talk before the food comes
out; however, after the food comes out, people do not talk while they are eating.
Furthermore, in Korea, when people are having dinner with older people, they cannot start
to eat the food before the older people start eating, and we have to be quiet while we are
eating. Also, younger people cannot put their arm on the table while they are eating. For
instance, I am a left-hand person, so when I am eating with older people, my right hand
cannot be put on the table; I have to put it under the table. Otherwise, older people would
think that I am a very impolite person. However, in China, it is opposite way. People have
to show their both hand on the table.
The second effect of studying abroad is people can learn how to be an independent person.
