Why Gratefulness in 2021 Matters

A new year and new semester is now underway, but it is never too late to reflect on what last year left us with, and to ask ourselves: was everything we went through even worth it? How could we really take something positive out of such an intense year? 

The entire world breathed a collective sigh of relief when the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve and the calendar read 2021.

However, if you are still feeling exhausted, drained and stuck under the weight of 2020, our team wants to let you know that you are not alone and we felt important to reflect on this sentiment and to keep it all in perspective.

Grateful for Challenges

Although we’d all like to pretend the past year didn’t happen, or that it is already in the past, it’s important that we pay very close attention to all those challenges that made it such an intense year and to learn from them.

To many of us, 2020 meant a significant and major change on our routines, plans, goals and on our personal structures too. 

And for you, if you’re a high school or college student, it meant a significant change in terms of your learning process, but also your way of socializing. You adapted to new ways of studying, communicating and connecting not only with your classmates and teachers but with your friends and family too, and you worked to overcome those difficult challenges. 

The challenges that you’ve faced as an individual within a bigger society have left us with major lessons about solidarity, justice, and adaptability that we all need to implement in our current, respective lives. Collectively, we’ll take these lessons to build a new one that goes beyond society itself and structure a new sense of community: a much more conscious, compassionate and responsible one. 

Just as for us, as a company and as a group of individuals from around the world: many of our plans had to change when the pandemic hit, and we were suddenly stuck in a dense uncertainty cloud with no clear path in front of us. However, it was right in the middle of the crisis that our team found a way to rise above the challenge of the pandemic together, as we’ve always been, and luckily with the same team we had at the start of 2020. 

Grateful for Innovation

For our team, we created two passport-free programs to provide students the ability to connect with an international experience, even if it was virtual. Our Virtual Study Abroad program in partnership with the most prestigious university in Peru, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. Additionally, our team created an unbelievable Medical Spanish & Latinx Patient Program integrated Medical Spanish language classes.

Each program had workshops focused on latin culture backgrounds too that are both online and affordable options for students in need of, even under hard circumstances, continue learning and exploring into global perspectives.

Grateful for Growth

So, how could each and everyone one of us feel grateful for 2020? During last year, have you reflected on the fact that challenges, such as economic and political crises and health systems collapsing, have always been a common thing in the world?

They didn’t start in 2020, but somehow no year has ever brought out in such a uniform way, how necessary it is to start thinking even more collectively and to take responsibility for ourselves and others, and how little we really need to live happily.

Challenges will always be a common denominator that we all need to adapt too. So, going from there, why don’t we start approaching life from a grateful, wider perspective and focus on everything we have instead of everything we lack? 

Let’s appreciate what last year taught us. 

Let’s not forget all of those things that let us shine our truest and most vulnerable essence. 

Let’s grow into kindness, respect and care for and to one another. 

Let’s see life from a grateful approach.

Take a minute to think about this and reflect: what are you grateful for today? 

Our team is hopeful the world will become a better and safer place for all of us. We are grateful for being alive, healthy and for the incredible opportunity to keep doing what we love most, despite what’s happening in the world. 

As our organization looks ahead, we are very excited to welcome a new year with you and thrilled to tell you about all of what we have planned for you both online and through future in-person programs.

This 2021 is filled with travel opportunities we need to know how to take advantage of in the most careful and responsible possible way. 

Want to keep connected with us and learn more about our programs ahead? Don’t forget to follow us on all of our social media below! Let’s get it started!

Maintaining a Positive and Thankful Relationship with Study Abroad Experiences

In the age of COVID-19, we all know that we can’t predict the future or know what exactly is to come. But let’s have some hope! 

As a study abroad alum whose experience was cut short, I’ve learned over the past year about taking each new experience in stride, and being thankful for opportunities and the lessons you learn from facing adversity. Using connections, reaching out, and keeping a positive outlook on the future will set you up for personal success and positive experiences. 

Over the past year, my experiences have helped me reflect on the importance of keeping an open mind, staying persistent, and being thankful for the opportunities that come my way. 

Building a Life Abroad in Peru: The Positive Effects

In retrospect, I went to Peru to study abroad for the year knowing very little about the country or what I was getting myself into. You can read all you want about a place but nothing can fully prepare you for what you experience. 

I am eternally grateful for the seven months I spent in Lima. 

During this time, I became a part of my host family and integrated into Peruvian society. In and out of school I learned about Peruvian history and the intricacies of Peruvian culture. With time, I assimilated to new ways of life and of doing things. I reflected on the pros and cons of various aspects of both Peruvian and American society. 

My time in Lima helped me grow as an individual, a learner, and a global citizen. 

The more I saw and experienced, the more curious and excited I became about understanding the world’s societies and all of its different facets. Returning to the U.S., I was filled with a passion for Peru, Latin America, and learning about cultures. 

I knew that this experience was only at the beginning of a lifelong journey of learning, understanding, exploring, and engaging with people of diverse backgrounds and cultures. In the middle of a global pandemic and grieving the loss of my second semester studying in Peru, I was still hopeful for the adventures to come. 

Gained Perspective: The EdOdyssey Summer 2020 Internship 

When internships were increasingly being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the sudden shift to fully remote summer internships, EdOdyssey CEO and Holy Cross alumni, Peter McGovern, put an internship opportunity on Handshake for Holy Cross students. With the intent on helping provide a useful summer opportunity for students who may be in a pickle due the pandemic, EdOdyssey was also in need of passionate college students who could help with social media presence, and content creation related to study abroad and international education. 

Having come home from Peru in March instead of late July, I suddenly found myself in need of a summer internship. When my friend sent a screenshot of the EdOdyssey Handshake internship post, I was quickly intrigued. While I do not have plans to go into marketing in the future, I am extremely passionate about study abroad and EdOdyssey’s programs. 

New Times, New Challenges

The summer internship turned out to be a wonderful learning and growth experience. I have learned invaluable professional skills related to communication, technology, and marketing. I have also grown as a creator, team member, and writer. 

A particularly exciting aspect of my internship with EdOdyssey has been witnessing the new virtual programs come alive. A key aspect of the Virtual study abroad program is that students take part in a weekly cultural module with the Peruvian EdOdyssey team. 

Seeing the cultural module agenda for the semester, I was excited by how thoughtfully put together it was. From Peruvian history, to soccer fanaticism, to cuisine and music, so much of the Peruvian society I had experienced was covered in the program. 

New Opportunities for Study Abroad

More than anything, the virtual programs have shown me the power of taking a challenging time and making the best of it with the resources you have and a bit of creativity. 

EdOdyssey didn’t step away from international education when the times got tough. Instead, they innovated and created something new that would still positively impact students and help them grow into global citizens. 

This mentality of staying positive is one which I encourage students to have when it comes to studying abroad in the future. For now, virtual opportunities are an incredible way to get a taste of what different places and cultures around the world have to offer. Yet looking to the future, hopefully students will be able to travel again soon and I encourage them to embrace the opportunity and engage with an international community. 

Especially after experiencing a global pandemic, traveling to a new country will be particularly interesting to learn about other experiences during these difficult times and how people have persevered just as students in the U.S. have. 

Moving Forward: Step By Step

Looking ahead, we can only create conjectures about the future. We don’t know what will happen next week, next month, next semester, or next year. I emphasize this sentiment because staying in the present and valuing the opportunities that come your way will help you prepare for and stay positive as you head into this unknown future. 

Valuing and fully taking in every experience we have as a learning and growth opportunity helps align us for new challenges ahead. The unique times right now teach us about perseverance, community well-being, self-care, and the importance of being creative. These are all traits that can be translated to experiences like studying abroad. For young students, these challenging times build a solid foundation for future international engagement! 

My time in Peru, which was challenging, fun, and educational in a multitude of ways at the time, has helped me both grasp a more global understanding of the current reality of the pandemic. It guided me to an internship opportunity that has helped me grow professionally and personally while helping out the company.  

It’s okay to be nervous for the future and to try our best to plan. But at the end of the day, we have to be thankful for the opportunities we have and keep a positive attitude as we fall asleep and wait for the sun to rise on a brand new day of opportunities.

Step by step, day by day, and week by week, embrace the moments and build upon them to create your own path and your own future. If something doesn’t go as planned, remember that you haven’t even scraped the possibilities that this world has to offer. Go and seize every moment, every opportunity. 

Want to know what led me to travel abroad in the first place? Check out my first EdOdyssey blog as an intern to learn more about how my youth experiences inspired me to study abroad! 

3 Ways to Reframe Challenges as Growth Opportunities

Confusion comes from situations that we don’t quite understand in the moment because the obstacles overwhelm us at first. Students, most of you have attended virtual classes for the first time. Teachers, you’ve had to adapt your lesson plans at a moment’s notice. Parents, you’ve had to support your children while maintaining your workload.

Businesses and offices have gone remote. The classrooms, and generally the world around us, has gone digital. With that said, all of us have experienced our respective challenges along the way. With little planning and preparation, all of us have resulted in a lot of unexpected changes and growing pains. 

Weeks and months later, we realize that these challenges were meant to teach us a lesson. At the moment, we might be in that moment of truth now. 

How have we overcome the initial obstacles? How have we grown in the midst of rapid changes? 

Today we focus on three ways to best work toward resolving frustrations that come from challenges and to move them toward solutions! 

1. Looking Beyond Immediate Challenges

What is this obstacle trying to teach me? 

The moment that we feel that we’re face a seemingly insurmountable challenge, we can automatically feel overwhelmed. The weight of a decision, or project, can feel like a huge weight if we don’t seek to understand our emotions first. 

We need to find a way to understand our emotions and channel it into a solution. 

With all the outside influences that affect our lives (the media, news, etc), and our responsibilities, we have to try our best to learn in the moment. We will have to make uncomfortable changes or adjustments, and we have to look at these decisions with a long-term view.

Will you remember this issue in years from now? 

Ask yourself what bothered you if it’s still bothering you or if you found a solution. 

We have to try our best to understand what our emotions are trying to tell us and focus on the bigger picture. All of us are learning and embracing the process, and the lessons learned from the challenge can create bigger impact if we focus on the desired outcome. 

If you’ve had a problem asking for help, you might have learned to confidently communicate that question. If you’re still struggling with your obstacles, and/or how to communicate, you’re still learning and that’s okay! Some challenges stem from widespread issues within society and culture, and they can’t be changed overnight, but on an individual level we can do our best change our relationship with them with the support of others.

One of the reasons why our team loves supporting teachers and students is because we see students overcome their culture shock, their fears, their biases, and whatever might be holding them back in the moment while abroad. At the end of each day, and throughout the day, our team leads reflections with the students to assess how students are overcoming challenges.

All of us are trying our best to understand our emotions, and we can’t judge ourselves while we’re in the process. 

2. Focusing on Lessons Learned

What have I learned about myself from this challenge? 

Sometimes we try to move so quickly past our challenges that we don’t appreciate what we learned from it. The valuable information and perspective that we gained from it. 

In many instances, the global pandemic has forced us to communicate in different ways. We can’t go over to our colleague, teacher or student in person and so we had to find another way to find closure or a solution. 

We focused on the issue, what we needed and how to articulate it in a new way. All of us increased our communication from outside of school, or the office, we’ve all had to better master digital chats, forms, messaging and email.

If you work better in a team, you’re probably realizing how much you can do on your own. If you’re always organized and structured, you've been pushed to be more flexible and find new approaches and tackle new challenges. 

All of us continue to grow in different ways as this digital era continues to change and evolve!

3. Embracing the Evolution of Connections & Relationships

What ways have I become closer to colleagues, friends and family? 

We continue to spend more time on our devices, and our relationship with them continues to evolve. We seek advice and information on search engines, but we also have increased ability to connect on social media platforms for those same answers. In some cases, we’re unable to see each other because of distance and restrictions. 

In the past few weeks, our team has created values and demonstrated our values and our commitment to creating meaningful, authentic experiences for students abroad. We continue to serve our school communities as we prepare for the future. 

We’ve found new ways to connect with each other in positive ways. Virtual coffees and virtual meetups have become more popular. In the past, that text message or phone call wishing someone a happy birthday has become a Zoom with friends and family. 

Please make sure that you’re taking time to reflect on your own growth and the challenges that you’ve overcome these past few weeks and months! If you’re a teacher, professor or administrator, we would love to hear from you!

Click here to share your growth with us and your passion for teaching your students!