Shippensburg University student Kelsea Collins is like Maroon 5 and has got the “Moves Like Jagger.”

She is an English major who is keeping it moving as her college career blossoms into an opportunity to study abroad.

“I don’t know what I want to do with the rest of my life so maybe this will give me a better idea,” Collins said in a quiet study room close to home at SU.

Collins began traveling to Limerick University in Ireland on Jan. 14 and she will return May 15 with an experience she has been awaiting for over a year.

The organization sponsoring the trip is Academic Programs International (API).

Collins believes her time in Ireland will change her perspective in ways learning and living abroad can do.

Like many students, Collins is unsure about what to do after college. She views the forthcoming journey to Europe as a way to expand her viewpoint and simplify her plans for the future.

She knows she is interested in language and literature with a major in English and minors in French and Spanish.

While some uncertainty lingers, Collins is greeting her opportunity to travel abroad openly.

Most of Collins’ classes pertain to English and French but she really looks forward to her Modern European Political Thought class and Introduction to Horsemanship.

All of her classes had to be approved for credits to transfer to Shippensburg, and horsemanship will fulfill her science requirement.

With a wide range of subject matter and an expansive focus on language, Collins has a lot to look forward to in school.

What makes learning abroad unique is the whole other learning experience that is living in a foreign country for four months.

The trip includes excursions to the Aran Islands, Bunratty Castle, The Burren, Dublin and Paris. Collins is especially excited to put her French skills to the test in Paris.

Besides the excursions, Collins can look forward to life in a different country and learning all about their culture.

API provided her with a lot of information about some cultural differences.

Collins noted the interesting point that her facilities consist of only a small washer but no dryer so all her clothes must hang dry.

She also said that the Irish are much more open about talking about politics and she was advised to be up to date on U.S. and Irish foreign policy.

“I think it’s a great experience. You get to meet so many more people. You get to see how another culture, another society works,” Collins said.

“It’s so much different than over here. We think they’re another English-speaking country. They’re not much different, but they really are.”

She is also interested in learning about the drinking culture, but is cautious about how to handle being of legal age to consume alcohol.

She understands that just the high from being in a foreign country can lower one’s inhibitions, and alcohol has the same effect.

She plans to experience the culture surrounding Irish pubs, but will take care of herself and pay attention to her surroundings.

According to Collins, no one hangs out at home there, so she may be going out a lot when homework is all done.

Collins said there were many of papers to fill out and many approvals to be made, but it was all well worth it because she believes this experience will benefit her personally and academically, and will be a memorable experience for the rest of her life.

Collins has plenty of time to figure out what to do with the future, and she knows that for now she must keep it moving and pursue life-changing opportunities sutch as studying abroad.

Share