Whenever people ask how my experience was, I find it hard to fully explain how I truly feel to a point where I’d rather keep it to myself than give them an incomplete answer. It’s hard to put into words how it wasn’t just about the places I’ve seen but also the things in between. The people, the challenges and learnings, and the realizations. Reducing this experience into a few words is just impossible but I’ll give it a try anyway.
This experience made me realize how big, and at the same time, small the world is. It’s big because it took me 30 hours of traveling to get there and knowing that I won’t be able to see my friends anytime soon because of the distance. I went to eight different countries in four months. I was in Prague where I attended Anglo-American University. When not in school, I walked around parks and grabbed coffees from different cafes. I traveled to Austria alone, went to a spa in Hungary with my roommate, visited a family friend and did a cooking class in Italy, hiked in Switzerland, saw the Eiffel Tower in Paris, danced Flamenco in Spain, and went to the biggest Christmas market in Germany. Personally, that is a lot yet I know there are way more places I haven’t discovered, foods I haven’t eaten, and cultures I haven’t experienced. |
Dear Mr. Johnson,
I would like to express my gratitude for your continuous involvement with Shidler College of Business. I am honored and grateful to have been chosen as the recipient of your travel scholarship. This opportunity will not only help me to further my education, but also will help me to further my personal growth. My name is Monique Rapacon and I am currently a junior studying Accounting. Moving from the Philippines to Hawaii taught me that the world is vast and people around the world differ from each other. My dream is to learn more about other cultures specifically European Culture and with your generous support, I will be able to pursue my goals. I am beyond excited for this life changing opportunity to study abroad at Anglo-American University in the Czech Republic this Fall 2019. This scholarship will allow me to push myself to my full potential. Thank you again for your generosity and I can't wait to start this new journey! Sincerely, Monique Rapacon |