My Study Abroad Experience

I Went Abroad!

If you visited campus in the fall of ’23 and felt a strange absence, perhaps something existentially lacking, it was my absence that was throwing you off.

Kidding.

But I did go abroad! (Want more photo evidence? Check out my last blog!)

I had the great fortune to travel with the Women’s and Gender Studies in Europe program, one of our Carleton Global Engagement programs. Two things separate the Global Engagement programs from our regular study abroad offerings: the program’s length and the students’ makeup. While most Carleton programs fit neatly within our 10-week trimester, the Global Engagement programs are a semester long. Furthermore, while most Carleton programs are only available to Carleton students, the Global Engagement programs are open to any undergraduate student. These were both big deciding factors for me because I loved the idea of meeting new domestic students while also making new friends abroad, and the longer program seemed like a fun change of pace.

The program was divided into three locations — I spent 3 weeks in Utrecht in the Netherlands, roughly a month in Berlin, and 5 weeks in Prague. With each location came new site coordinators, who were local faculty who supported us in each location in addition to our Carleton professor, Iveta Jusova. It was amazing to meet them all! I loved every city we stayed in, although they were quite different. Utrecht was gorgeous and walkable, Berlin has an incredible culture, and Prague is an amazing and vibrant city. I feel super fortunate that my abroad experience took me to three distinct places, each with its own things to love (and language, which was sometimes embarrassing, but we managed).

The Study Part

With all the hype surrounding study abroad and the glory of travel, it’s easy to forget that school is still a huge component of your life abroad! During my time in Europe, I technically took 4 courses — Situated Feminisms, Issues in Feminist Methodology, Feminist, Queer, and Trans* Theory, and an independent research course. As someone who’d only taken one Gender Studies class before coming to this program, there was a learning curve, but I had so much fun studying Gender Studies in a new European context. As an American Studies major, I found it particularly interesting to think about how although some of the specific feminist concerns in Europe were starkly different from our issues in America, many of the root causes were precisely the same.

One of the most rewarding components of the program was the opportunity to complete an independent research project on the topic of my choosing. I decided to research how the legal status of sex work in the three countries we visited directly impacted the quality of life of sex workers on the ground; this was a big undertaking, but thankfully I had the support of Carleton faculty and our site coordinators! Without their help, I would have never successfully navigated the giant Dutch libraries, let alone had the opportunity to interview former sex workers and activists.

The Abroad Part

While I found my studies during fall term to be intellectually engaging and personally rewarding, the highlight of the trip was exploring new places and meeting new friends! Outside of the three countries we stayed in, I also had the opportunity to travel to Budapest and Vienna to meet up with other friends — the convenience of travel in Europe is one of the things I miss most about my time abroad.

We also enjoyed a lot of sights and culture, doing the normal touristy things while also finding things that aligned with our interests. One of my favorite memories is the day I wandered into a music shop in Prague and had a lovely chat with the owner before attending a symphony orchestra performance later in the evening. Other highlights included many incredible museums and stunning cathedrals, and a live organ concert from an extremely talented organist in Olomouc.

This Could Be You…

In retrospect, I can confidently say that going abroad was one of the defining moments of my Carleton career, and I encourage everyone to seek out study-abroad opportunities whenever possible! If you’re interested in the WGSE program specifically, feel free to reach out (leeq@carleton.edu) with questions, or hit up the faculty director and traveler extraordinaire Iveta (ijusova@carleton.edu).

Quinn (she/her/hers) is an American Studies Major and Chinese Minor. Quinn has a deep love of the Carleton community; she says she is so lucky to be surrounded by such brilliant and kind people. Quinn is an active member of the student-run radio station KRLX, the orchestra, the equestrian club, and the music department! Following her love of music and radio, her favorite place on campus is the record library. And finally, a fun fact about Quinn is that her family helped to found the Minneapolis St. Patrick’s Day Parade!