How Studying Abroad Can Change Your Life

How Studying Abroad Can Change Your Life You have already read about the inspiring experience of Judy Su and Ellen Wall who studied in Denmark. Both of them enjoyed the time spent abroad and advice you to go for it as well. However, you may still think how will I actually benefit? What studying abroad can give me and how can it influence my personal development? Our great big world is getting smaller by the day. The Internet allows us to connect with people and cultures around the world with almost no effort. In fact, you probably already have social connections with people of different races and in different countries. So, why is studying abroad so life-changing? Make New Connections Although Twitter and Pinterest might connect you with people around the world, there is nothing better than actual face-to-face interaction. Study abroad allows you to finally meet all those people in real time. In addition, you can make new friends with people who are very different from you, giving you better perspective of your own life. And, you can make important connections that will help you become more successful in your future career. Become Fluent In Language According to the Department of Labor, translators and interpreters are expected to be one of the top 15 fastest growing occupations in the nation over the next 20 years. In fact, a study by MIT showed that learning a foreign language brings in an average of 2% more annual income, with more exotic languages (Chinese, Arabic, Russian) earning considerably more. By studying abroad, you get the best possible language training by being fully immersed in your language of choice. You’ll have more earning potential and a better chance for employment upon graduation. Find Out Who You Are Odds are good that you have spent most of your life in one country, one state, or even one city. You may not have had a lot of opportunities to try things outside of your comfort zone. Studying abroad gives you the option to try new things in a relatively safe environment where there are few impacts on your â€Å"regular† life. That means, if you try something and fail (or don’t like it), it won’t matter as much as if you were back at home with the people you grew up with. Learn To Be An Independent Leader Studying abroad is a perfect way to learn the ropes of being on your own. You’ll learn great life skills of making travel appointments, connecting with local help resources, and getting a job. You’ll learn to know what you want and how to get it through skills of discipline, hard work, and determination. By the time you come home, you’ll have more motivation to succeed and leadership skills to bring people along for the ride. Solve Problems Studying abroad is not always easy. It can be frustrating experience as well. You might feel homesick. School tasks, policy and life in general might be totally different in your host country than in your homeland. Don’t stress. Studying abroad gives you the opportunity to use these trials as tools for growth. And, when you return home, you’ll have a much better perspective on what are â€Å"real problems† and what are â€Å"mere inconveniences†. Gain Global Perspective More than any other lesson, study abroad teaches you that your actions never happen in a vacuum. By living in a different culture, you realize that human experience is universal. You’ll find out that people who look and think differently share the same core values and priorities as you do. And, you’ll also discover that people who are geographically separated still have incredible influence on each other. This global perspective will help you be a more compassionate leader and also will make you a better employee and citizen in future. Studying abroad is often spoken of by college students as one of the most â€Å"life-changing experiences† they had during their course of study. The reason for that is learning new skills in new environment, which eventually last longer and are more relevant in your life than those you obtain during regular college classes. What do you think you could gain from a study abroad program? Have you completed one already? What advice would you give a new student preparing to study abroad? Please, share your thoughts with us!

Helpful Lessons for Warm Fires in the Firewood Poem

Helpful Lessons for Warm Fires in the 'Firewood Poem' This Firewood Poem was written by the wife of World War I British Hero Sir Walter Norris Congreve.  Lady Celia Congreve is believed to have written it around 1922 for a published book entitled  Garden of Verse.  This particular verse expresses how information in the form of a poem can both beautifully  describe things and serve as a guide for burning wood. This poem fetchingly describes the value of certain tree species for their ability to provide or failure to provide heat from seasoned and unseasoned wood. Lady Congreve likely composed the poem using traditional English folktales passed down through the centuries. It is amazing how accurately and charmingly the poem captures the properties of firewood. The Firewood Poem Beechwood fires are bright and clearIf the logs are kept a year,Chestnuts only good they say,If for logs tis laid away.Make a fire of Elder tree,Death within your house will be;But ash new or ash old,Is fit for a queen with crown of gold Birch and fir logs burn too fastBlaze up bright and do not last,it is by the Irish saidHawthorn bakes the sweetest bread.Elm wood burns like churchyard mould,Een the very flames are coldBut ash green or ash brownIs fit for a queen with golden crown. Poplar gives a bitter smoke,Fills your eyes and makes you choke,Apple wood will scent your roomPear wood smells like flowers in bloomOaken logs, if dry and oldkeep away the winters coldBut ash wet or ash drya king shall warm his slippers by. Lady  Congreves Firewood Explained Traditional folk legends are quite often expressions of early wisdom acquired over time and passed along by word of mouth. Lady Congreve must have taken anecdotes from these to compose this very accurate depiction of the properties of wood and how different tree species burn. She especially pens praises for beech, ash, oak and aromatic fruit trees like apple and pear. Wood science and measurements of the heating properties of wood totally support her recommendations. The best trees  have a dense cellular wood structure that, when  dry, have greater weight than lighter woods. Wood that is dense will also have to ability to produce more heat over a longer period of time with longer-lasting coals. On the other hand, her assessments of chestnut, elder, birch, elm, and poplar are spot on and deserve her bad review. They all have low wood cellular densities that rapidly burn with low heat but few coals. These woods produce a lot of smoke but very little heat. Lady Celia Congreves  poem is a cleverly written but non-scientific approach to selecting firewood. It is certainly supported by the sound science of wood burning and heating values.