University of Wisconsin–Madison

Portugal: Jasmine Zarate

Program: UW Movement as Medicine in Portugal, Summer

Jasmine’s Major: Nursing

Jasmine leans against a yellow archway, glowing in the sun, with a rock formation in the background.
This photo was taking during one of our day trips during the program. We visited the Peña Palace which is located in Sintra.

What did you learn about yourself or the world because of your experience?

I learned that in other countries and continents it is more common than I thought to know multiple languages. Being bilingual as child growing up in the U.S., I  felt proud of myself because I knew two languages, but after traveling, I began to see how common it is for people to know three to five languages.

I believe that traveling will affect my career and studies in a positive way because I now have a better understanding of a culture and lifestyle I was not familiar with before.

How did your identities impact your experience? What advice would you give to students with similar identifying a similar experience?

Being a first generation student, it is often common to experience anxiety when going through your college journey. The idea of studying abroad and traveling to other places without my family was never an aspiration I intended on having before entering college. This is a very common belief amongst children of immigrant parents or first generation students that staying close to family is always very important. As someone who is guilty of centering their life decisions around her family, I think it is important for students like me to get out there and live these experiences and not feel the burden or guilt of “leaving their family behind”.

How will your experience benefit you in the future? How might it affect your future career or studies?

I believe this experience gave me a better understanding of the world and how people function in different cultures and or areas. Since I had never been to Europe I didn’t know much about the lifestyle or social norms of the continent, so traveling and being able to experience living in the continent firsthand was a very helpful experience. I believe that traveling will affect my career and studies in a positive way because I now have a better understanding of a culture and lifestyle I was not familiar with before. It will overall help me be more open-minded and understanding of differences in cultures and ways of living especially as an aspiring healthcare worker.