Abroad in Brazil

By Julie Tuttle

There are many benefits for a student to study abroad. The benefits of this experience become greater for tourism and hospitality majors. I recently spent six months in Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil studying Geography at the Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina. Before leaving for Florianopolis I knew of some of the benefits to studying abroad. I thought of the simple benefits, putting the experience on my resume, learning a new language, and living on my own but I never believed that this would help me so much with my field of study. There are many little experiences and hurdles that a person does not predict that make studying abroad so helpful.

The most important thing that I have learned through this experience is to expect the unexpected. I have heard this so many times in my life though I never fully understood it until I was by myself in a foreign country. This skill comes in handy in all professions, but especially in the hospitality and tourism industry. Working in a resort, hotel, restaurant, wherever you are, something unexpected is bound to happen, and being prepared to handle this is very important. Studying abroad definitely helps a person gain this skill because when you are all by yourself in a foreign country, you have to figure out what to do and how to solve the problem by yourself. There were many instances in the six months studying abroad where I experienced this, but the one that sticks out in my mind is when I was miles away from my apartment in Florianopolis, and the bus system, which was of vital importance to me , went on strike. Here I was in the middle of the city by myself and I had to figure out how to get home without the buses. The main thing I learned in a situation like this is not to panic. There is always a way, no matter how bad the situation may seem.

Another important thing that I have learned through this experience is to be aware of the variety of careers that the hospitality and tourism field has to offer. Although I knew that this field has many different career paths, and that there could be an opportunity to travel, until I really stepped out into another country by myself, I didn’t fully appreciate that fact. When I left for Brazil I was all by myself for the first time in my life. I was dropped off at the hotel and had to make my way to a completely foreign place in 24 hours. It was the first time I had to deal with almost every aspect of the hospitality and tourism industry. From traveling by bus, by plane, and by taxi I realized that there is so much more to the transportation section of the industry than meets the eye and because I had to deal with them by myself while in a Brazil, I really came to appreciate the variety of tourism transportation types. The same goes for every other part of the hospitality and tourism industry. The awareness is now helping me when picking out my career for the future. When I look into a certain section of the industry, I really research it, because now I know that there is much more that meets the eye, and this is due to what I learned from studying abroad.

Although these are just two main ideas that I have learned through my experience studying abroad, there are also hundreds of little lessons that I have learned that will help me in my career in the future. Studying abroad is not something that just happens and then is forgotten; it is an experience that will be taken with you for the rest of your life. So for students who are studying hospitality and tourism look into studying abroad, you will gain so much knowledge not just about the industry and yourself, but also about the little things that will help you out for the rest of your life.