When the Lord Opens Doors, Walk Through Them Confidently
Carlos, a Southeastern University alum, traveled to Europe for the first time to spend a semester in Rome, Italy and spoiler alert … he loved it. From venturing to Greece, Malta, Spain, and more to connecting with locals over coffee culture and playing a lot of soccer, his advice to anyone thinking about a semester abroad is “Just do it!”
After finishing his final semester of undergrad with a semester abroad in Italy, Carlos has been home, processing his time and reconnecting with friends from his semester in Rome. Now, he’s looking into jobs around the world, particularly Europe.
Carlos didn’t know he was going to spend his final senior semester in Rome. He heard about Living & Learning while playing golf with a friend who was signed up for the semester program in Italy. As Carlos put it, Kaden said “I’m going to Rome, you should come with me!” He thought about it for a moment and replied “ah sure”.
Two months later, he was on flight bound for Fiumicino Airport in Rome, Italy!
Before getting to Rome, Carlos was comfortable with his foot in the door on campus, working two jobs at SEU and it was his last semester on campus. In his interview on the Living & Learning Podcast, he shared that it was a little scary at first to think about leaving all of that for a few months. It was his first time to Europe and the process in general was something new that he wasn’t sure if he was ready for.
“Will I fit in?” “Will I enjoy it?” “What if I hate it and want to leave the next day?”
These are the questions he worked through as he made his decision.
In response to the question “was it worth it to work through those challenges and decide to study abroad?” Carlos said “Oh, one thousand percent. I’m so glad … If I didn’t do it I wouldn’t have met all the people that I met – the people I was able to interact with; the people from Italy and the people from different colleges … I made two really close friends …”
Here’s some rapid-fire insight from a study abroad alumni!
Something fun and memorable about a semester in Rome?
Playing soccer and bridging the language barrier through that.
Favorite additional country you visited during the semester?
Malta, Greece, and Spain!
Most challenging part of the experience?
Understanding and getting used to the culture. We’re used to knowing what to expect, but in another culture, you have to learn and adapt to the things that are different. That's the beauty of travel, immersing yourself in the culture there and adjusting and actually learning from the people who do it differently than you by being abroad seeing how other people live.
Most memorable trip or class excursion?
The Greece trip and going to Corinth, visiting Mars hill where Paul was and reading what he wrote in Acts. You need to go experience study abroad for yourself.
Who had the greatest impact on you during your semester?
The whole LLI staff was there for us all the time with whatever we needed and our small groups. Specifically, a shout out to Riccardo: “he was always there whenever we needed him.”
Greatest lesson learned from your semester abroad?
“There’s so much more out there and the Lord really does have a plan for your life … Knowing that there’s more out there, continue to trust in him.” and “your heart is expanded when you go and see new things, cultures, and people.”
What about the impact of your experience on your relationship with the Lord?
“[Studying abroad] … helped me to trust God deeper and understand that there is so much more to learn than what I know now. I was born and raised in church but your relationship with the lord is a marathon and not a sprint, you spend the rest of your life growing closer to god and every day is just another walk with him.”
What advice would you give to someone thinking about studying abroad?
Just do it, go for it. Don’t let anything stop you or expectations get in your way. If the Lord opens that door, walk through it confidently. Pray about it and know that the lord is going to open doors. Do it and immerse yourself into it.
You can listen to Carlos’s full interview on the Living & Learning Podcast here!