international education, study abroad Amanda Lowrey international education, study abroad Amanda Lowrey

Why You Should Travel While You're Young 

The truth is you can travel anytime in your life yet there are plenty more opportunities with the flexibility of being a student, rather than having a 9 to 5 job, building out your career, and worrying about a house payment. Experiencing a part of the world before you graduate will be an adventure of a lifetime!

The truth is you can travel anytime in your life yet there are plenty more opportunities with the flexibility of being a student, rather than having a 9 to 5 job, building out your career, and worrying about a house payment. Experiencing a part of the world before you graduate will be an adventure of a lifetime! You also don’t have to stop taking classes to travel, because studying abroad offers so many options! 

Travel Differently While You Can 

Once you get tied into leases, loans, bills, and other on-going payments after your college days, you’ll realize that it’s harder to get up and relocate to another country for a few weeks or months. However, during undergrad, you have the opportunity to move to another part of the world, meet locals, and explore other countries while these issues aren’t a priority. 

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Gaining valuable life experiences that can contribute to your future is what college is all about. Traveling as a young adult is different from a family vacation, because you’re independent, you’re making your own decisions, and choosing what unique experiences to undertake.

When you travel, you’re immersing yourself in other cultures without worrying about what’s going on back home. Studying abroad, in particular, is a great way to delve into a culture different than your own, and embrace all the possibilities that come with travel. 

After college, certain jobs won’t allow more than 2-3 weeks of vacation per year, so take advantage of the countries around you and hop on that plane! Go on adventures, because this is the prime time to do so. As mentioned above, the older a person gets, the more responsibilities they may have weighing on their shoulders, so these are the younger years to make the most of flexible lifestyles.

Utilize Your Resources

Now, the one thing teens and twenty-somethings get to relate to all too well is a limited budget. This should not be a huge problem! Travel can be affordable depending on how much research you’re willing to put in! Stay in a hostel, choose activities that won’t break your bank account, and learn how to get the best deals with some bargaining street smarts.

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If you have the desire to study abroad, create a game plan for it! You can apply for scholarships, financial aid, and fundraise to assist with paying for a semester program overseas. There are always plenty of resources to keep in mind when considering going abroad.  

If you’re a student struggling with time management or feeling like you don’t have any available semesters to go abroad, you should make sure that you’ve tapped into all your resources. You could even gain professional and academic experience in a similar way abroad, but your time to travel is limited by the responsibilities you’ll take on down the line. 

Slow Down, Don’t Stop 

Many students have everything all planned out, for the time being, but what if you feel like taking a break from higher education?

EdOdyssey Marketing Intern Amanda Lowrey enjoyed traveling during her summer breaks. Pictured is Ko Phi Phi Islands, Thailand.

EdOdyssey Marketing Intern Amanda Lowrey enjoyed traveling during her summer breaks. Pictured is Ko Phi Phi Islands, Thailand.

Travel during breaks in between semesters, such as interning or volunteering abroad, or take a gap year to help you figure out how you want to spend your next few years. You never know what might inspire you while out on your international journey.

And for anyone who might be skeptical about studying abroad… Why only study about a culture or hear about politics, history, economics, etcetera in a classroom when you can experience it in person? 

Considering taking a gap year to explore the world? Check out our past blog, “Four Reasons Why a Gap Year Makes Sense” to find out how traveling is beneficial toward your education and future!

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How to Manage the Ups & Downs of Study Abroad   

Time will fly by in a semester! Now that you’re living overseas, take the time to check in with yourself and slow down when you need to! Here are a few tips and tricks on maximizing your time while you’re abroad!

The semester will go by quicker than you think! For those of you who are living overseas, take the time to check in with yourself and slow down when you need to!

Here are a few tips and tricks on maximizing your time while you’re abroad:   

What Do You Want to Accomplish?

Set goals for yourself about what you want to accomplish whilst abroad. Keep these realistic, but if there’s a nearby city you want to explore or activity you want to get involved in at school, having a “study abroad bucket list” of sorts is a great way to organize extracurriculars.  

EdOdyssey’s current study abroad students got to explore Macchu Picchu in Peru - a bucket list item for many travelers!

EdOdyssey’s current study abroad students got to explore Macchu Picchu in Peru - a bucket list item for many travelers!

The key word here is realistic, be mindful of how busy your semester will be and prioritize additional adventures accordingly so you won’t be stressed out by Week 3. If there are places you want to visit, it’s never too early or too late to start planning. Don’t wait for friends to get on-board with your tentative plans - prices for cheap tickets and good accommodations will come and go!

Stay Connected With Home 

If you’re missing your family, find an accommodating time, per week or per month, that you can schedule and look forward to talking with them. Keep a group chat open on WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger so you can stay updated with all of your friends at once. 

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You might even send postcards from places you’ve visited. Staying connected is important, because it can alleviate loneliness and encourage you to exchange stories with your family so you’re both up-to-date with what’s new.

Keep A Positive Attitude

Mid-semester can be tough, and final exams can be difficult when it’s not the same education system as America’s. Besides school, it’s totally normal to feel overwhelmed when trying new things, but this can actually benefit travelers to stay open-minded. 

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Be optimistic - there will be times when you’re being challenged acclimating to a new country and all that it brings, but staying positive will only make your experience better. It’s almost guaranteed that you will come across moments that grant cultural misunderstanding, whether that be language barriers or situations dealing with cultural shock, that you will just have to accept and move on from. 

Staying flexible and having a good sense of humor when things like this arise, can aid funny stories later on, by finding a way to create an optimistic frame of mind. Also remind yourself that your time is limited while you’re abroad, so it’s still a fantastic opportunity to learn and grow. 

Document As Many Memories As You Can  

Make friends from other countries, enjoy your time with your homestay family, and try new things as much as you can. It’s amazing how we can pack thousands of photos into our phones, where we can save our memories from any daytrip we may take. However, try not to live through your phone, and look up to enjoy your surroundings. Too often we end up glued to our phones, snapchatting or instagramming a moment without being present with those experiences in real time. 

You might try documenting it in a journal at the end of your day, so that you can immerse yourself while an experience is happening and reflect on it in the evening through writing. Another idea is creating a blog or website that your family and friends can follow along with during your semester. That way, your network back home can read when they have time, and you have something to go back and glance over whenever you want. 

Regardless of a mode of documentation, take opportunities to explore your host country and make the most of it. Check out “5 Ways to Keep Study Abroad Experiences Alive” to read about a few ways to keep your study abroad experience alive once you return home! 

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How Travel Changes People

For the past week and a half, we have had the pleasure of hosting our summer campaign, #TravelChangesPeople, on Instagram and Twitter. Our motto here at EdOdyssey, “Travel Changes People, People Change the World”, has motivated us to network with other like-minded travelers and hear their inspirational stories. 

For the past week and a half, we have had the pleasure of hosting our summer campaign, #TravelChangesPeople, on Instagram and Twitter. Our motto here at EdOdyssey, “Travel Changes People, People Change the World”, has motivated us to network with other like-minded travelers and hear their inspirational stories. 

We wanted to take a few minutes to highlight some of the submissions we received during the campaign! Study abroad alumni and travelers from areas of North America, Australia, and Europe shared the impact travel has left on them! Check out their stories below: 

Cam
One thing I’m always amazed by when traveling is instances of our shared humanity. This photo, from my time studying abroad in South Africa, was taken during a service trip to a school in one of Cape Town’s townships. During recess we played a variety of sports with students, including pick-up rugby, a South African favorite. It’s incredible to me how universal games can be, connecting people of vastly different ethnicities, backgrounds, and ways of life in moments of joy.
— Cam Ciesielski (IG: @camcski)

When I traveled to Peru to visit Corazon de Jesus, I had the opportunity to learn what ‘community’ truly meant. This will always be a memory to keep me humble and mindful.
— Eric Chapman (IG: @eric.chapman_)
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I went to visit my friend in Helsinki for the summer solstice celebration, Juhannus (or in this case Midsommar, as they’re one of the 5% of Finns whose primary language is Swedish). Within hours of arriving to their quaint home by the Baltic Sea, I was surrounded by people I’d never met before but who welcomed me with open arms. The sun never truly sets for days on end — so for days we ate and drank and celebrated life, ran from sauna to Baltic Sea, sang Finnish folk songs (well, I mostly mumbled along to the tune), and explored how despite being so different on the surface we’re all so similar at the core. A microcosm unto itself where time seemed to stop in its tracks. Not every experience is seemingly momentous, but every experience does alter your worldview — even if just a little.
— Michael Tomaino

Travel not only shows you different corners of the world, but also deepens friendships as an added bonus.
— Anina (IG: @anina_yvonne)
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Traveling has opened my mind, it has brought me a new perspective, has presented new opportunities and revitalizes me to live new experiences. It’s taught me about life more than any class can teach and allows me to meet new people with different mindsets and appreciate new places and cultures but also appreciate the place I come from. They say that the journey matters more than the destination — and what is life but a fascinating journey?
— Javi del Val (IG: @javidelvalmusic)

Traveling taught me that I’m a much stronger person than I thought I was. I’m in my early twenties, trying to figure out “adulting”, and because of traveling I have gained independence that I can use in different aspects of my life.
— Becca Mitchell (IG: @mitchell.becca)
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Before, all I wanted to do was stay at home and not be social. Once I studied abroad and once I traveled, I realized how amazing this world really is and how much you can learn by exploring. Now whenever I travel I learn something new about myself. It’s pretty funny because I always reflect back on who I used to be and laugh… Moral of this post go ahead and travel.
— Antony Navidad (IG: @antonyxn)

Traveling has changed my life by opening my eyes to all the options I can make for myself. From life styles, goals, occupations, beliefs, or new countries to visit, people love to share and I love to listen.  I’ve gotten to meet so many different people from all over. Whether I met them in their home countries or they were traveling like I was, there is always a bond I’ve gotten to develop. Because of my experiences, I’ve become more open and welcome to meeting people who are traveling to my home. Overall, traveling taught me to get out of my comfort zone and try new things no matter what other people might think of you.
— Lily Hurteau
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Congrats to our winner - Caroline!

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Travel has impacted my life greatly. It has changed me as a person by learning different cultures, meeting new people, and being given the opportunity to see a totally different part of the world.
— Caroline Gillis (Twitter: @carolinegillis5)

Thanks again to everyone who participated! We hope you have enjoyed reading others’ insights into their global experiences. Please continue to tag us (@edodyssey) using the hashtag, #TravelChangesPeople, and share your story! We’re always excited to hear all about your endeavors! 

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Creating a Roadmap to Study Abroad in 2020 

What an exciting time it is to explore another country and gain some cultural perspective! Though it may seem like a long time from now until the end of fall semester, it will certainly fly by. For those students who are looking into studying overseas, here are a few ways to start creating your roadmap to going abroad! 

What an exciting time it is to explore another country and gain some cultural perspective! Though it may seem like a long time from now until the end of fall semester, it will certainly fly by. For those students who are looking into studying overseas, here are a few ways to start creating your roadmap to going abroad! 

Figuring Out Housing - Before and After

Should you sign a year long lease and sublease part of it while you’re abroad? Should you put your belongings in a storage unit or keep them with a friend while you’re abroad? Neither of these questions have easy answers, but we have some ideas to help!

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When you plan to go abroad, and if you currently live off-campus where you have signed a lease, you’ll be better off speaking to your landlord, and roommates, as early as possible about the option of subleasing your room. You’ll allow everyone to help you find another temporary roommate so you aren't solely responsible for your room and bills while you’re studying abroad. 

Online sites, like Facebook groups or Housing Universe, advertise student accommodations which are helpful when other students are looking for potential places to live for a semester or summer break. 

Another option, especially if you live on-campus, is to put your items into a storage unit for the time being if you’re moving out, or you could ask your family and friends for assistance with holding onto your car, furniture, and valuable items while you’re overseas.

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You’ll want to make sure that campus housing department knows of your plans to go abroad and you’ll wait to convey who you plan on living with well in advance.

This might also be a good time to go through everything you own and potentially share your belongings amongst family and friends so that you don’t have to organize or donate things when you return. Definitely keep a list so you don’t lose track of your stuff!   

Coming up with a plan of what to do with your belongings is important when planning to go abroad. Be sure to also have a solid plan when you return home, so that you won’t be scrabbling to find a place or trying to gather all of your belongings before that next semester kicks off. 

Have You Mapped Your Courses? 

For first and second-year students in college, declaring a major and mapping credits needed can be daunting. However, this is important when planning what’s needed to complete during your remaining time in college!

Find out what fundamental courses are offered in fall or spring, if there are any classes open for winter intersession, and which classes have higher priority to be completed. 

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For those who are upperclassmen, double check which courses are still needed before graduation. Are there any lower level credits (100/200 level courses) or upper level credits (300/400 level courses) still needed to get checked off of your list?

Which courses are required? Are any only offered during spring or fall semester? Which courses are mandatory for graduation and which are considered elective major or minor courses? 

Regardless of your class standing, staying in open communication with an academic advisor is beneficial to gather the correct information and receive supportive advice on courses required.  

Can I Gain Credit In Creative Ways? 

The simple answer is yes! There are multiple ways of gaining credit through studying abroad. Independent studies is one option, where you can work with your professors in coming up with a game plan.

Independent study courses can also be taken as pass/fail or credit/no credit, which means that you don’t have to worry about getting the highest grade, rather, as long as you complete the class successfully, you will pass and receive the appropriate credit.

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Cross-listed courses can also be smart way of completing multiple disciplines in one course, such as political science, policy and history. A cross-listed course is a single course offered collaboratively through two departments or programs. This means that students can get two department requirements completed at the same time! 

Lastly, you can also receive credit for an internship or volunteer hours. Depending on your major and minor, you may be eligible to volunteer your time in exchange for credit while overseas. Be sure to discuss these options with your academic advisor in order to receive accurate information regarding courses, units, and available opportunities. 

Check out our past blog, How to Make Studying Abroad Work For You, for more tips on academically preparing for your study abroad experience!

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Three Tips on Starting Your Semester Strong 

Whether you’re beginning your senior year in high school, or second year in college, starting your semester strong is an important foundation for the year! It may seem cliché but being conscientious of how you begin your year can really affect the rest of the semester.

Whether you’re beginning your senior year in high school, or second year in college, starting your semester strong is an important foundation for the year! It may seem cliché but being conscientious of how you begin your year can really affect the rest of the semester.

Below are three tips on maintaining an efficient semester!  

Organize & Strategize 

Life gets more hectic once the school year starts! The homework and assignments can start to pile up if you don’t start off on the right foot because you’ll have to start managing your activities, sports, work and homework as the school year goes on!

If you start with good habits, you’ll set a good pace to run the semester in a marathon and not sprinting to finish assignments at the last second. It’s also a good time to strategize for your spring semester and not procrastinate. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from teachers or friends! 

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Create a schedule for yourself to follow and really try your best to stay on schedule - this will help you get back into the swing of things. If you map out your assignments beyond just the week ahead, you’ll have the ability to create a roadmap to stay on top of those assignments and you’ll be less likely to feel overwhelmed if you start your projects and papers early on to get ahead. 

If a planner seems like too much work, you can use apps like Evernote or My Study Life to help manage all of the class notes you’ll be taking, and assignments you’ll be completing. 

Stay Ahead of The Game 

Meet with your academic advisor, or academic counselor, within the first month to go over expectations for the year. Check on what courses are left to complete before graduation and keep a checklist of courses that are higher priority that should be completed sooner than later. 

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Staying ahead of the game can also relate to studying abroad! If you're contemplating going overseas, it’s never too early to plan for it! You can get organized on which schools offer the study abroad program of your desired choice, and understand what going abroad truly entails.

Make Your Dream of Going Abroad a Reality

If you’re in high school, you don’t necessarily need to wait until college to go abroad! EdOdyssey works with high schools and teachers to create mission-aligned programs so high school students can immerse themselves in cultural experiences. You can go abroad with your friends, make new memories, and get a taste at what international travel is all about. 

If you’re in college, you can contact your study abroad office, or speak with an administrator, to get information on programs available for studying abroad and see if there are peer advisors you can meet with to get more insight into what a semester abroad might look like.

Plan ahead about where you might want to travel to, so that you can keep in mind what language classes will be required or which semesters are available to apply for. 

Curious how studying abroad impacts a student’s life? Check out Finding the True Meaning Behind Studying Abroad to read on about an EdOdyssey Alumni’s experience overseas. 

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Four Ways Traveling Can Improve Wellness

How our experiences abroad can impact our wellness? What is “wellness” and why is it important to understand before, during and after studying abroad? At a glance, wellness is commonly considered anything pertaining to self-care, reflection, and current states of emotions or physical capacities. In this context, we are going to explore the idea of wellness and how it relates to the experienced emotions that come with traveling. 

How can our experiences abroad impact our wellness? What is “wellness” and why is it important to understand before, during and after studying abroad?  

At a glance, wellness is commonly considered anything pertaining to self-care, reflection, and current states of emotions or physical capacities. In this context, we are going to explore the idea of wellness and how it relates to the experienced emotions that come with traveling. 

DEFINING Wellness

It’s important to keep wellness in mind, whether you’re planning a trip or returning home from a crazy time abroad. Our busy schedules are filled with time restraints, stressful due dates, and challenging decisions. With all that said, self-care allows us to take the time to focus on ourselves to figure out what makes us want to embrace life as is. 

It’s easy to think of self-care as something that is just to pamper oneself or be self-indulgent, but it is so much more than that. Taking care of one’s body and mind essentially affects every aspect of someone’s life for the better. And yes, this can even include travel, especially if you’re allowing yourself to grow and relieve stressors! Keeping your well-being in mind during your time abroad can alleviate stress and allow you to prioritize what makes you happiest.  

You may have heard of wellness being linked to travel, but how does travel affect us specifically, besides the initial anticipation and excitement when we arrive in a new city? Are there long-term advantages to going abroad? 

An Attitude of Gratitude 

For starters, De Vos & Witlox, researchers who conducted a study on travel satisfaction in 2017, suggest, “satisfaction with travel in general–is affected by a wide range of elements (including mode choice, trip duration and travel-related attitudes)” (365). As a result, passionate travelers can have a greater satisfaction for their lifestyles and time abroad, but also for the positive attitudes that come with those experiences. 

Traveling encourages human interaction, which in turn, builds connections with others and enlightens feelings of admiration or respect. When we feel encouraged, we boost our own happiness and productivity, which is why many times we end up trying to ‘maximize’ the days abroad with activities that will increase our own satisfaction.

Another component that is impacted by travel is gratitude. Incorporating gratefulness from challenges experienced abroad can seem challenging, but it’s all about creating a positive mindset. We can actively choose to practice gratefulness, which is another way of boosting happiness. 

There will be moments abroad that are frustrating or confusing. The flustered feelings that may come with those situations can be overcome by gratefulness, because at the end of the day, you have the freedom to travel. The feelings of accomplishment fueled by the passion to explore new things is another reason to be grateful, for these are moments for self-realization and growth. 

When students travel abroad, they are able to open their mind up to new cultures and appreciate a country for its beauty reflected in history, natural surroundings, and morale. Traveling opens the door for thankfulness and not taking for granted even the simplest things we experience! 

How We Unpack Experiences Abroad With Students 

It’s essential to unpack observations and embrace how we feel during short-term immersion programs and study abroad semesters. During short-term programs (1-4 weeks), the group of teachers, administrators and students should feel encouraged to share observations and feelings. 

EdOdyssey’s current study abroad students pose for a photo during their first few weeks acclimating in Lima, Peru.

EdOdyssey’s current study abroad students pose for a photo during their first few weeks acclimating in Lima, Peru.

For longer term study abroad programs, students need to feel that they’ve had enough time to get acclimated to their new home. As EdOdyssey educators, we like to have reflections to build trust and to learn from each other for short term programs. 

During the semester, EdOdyssey’s study abroad students have a month-long orientation to boost their Spanish, make new friends and gain a good relationship with their classmates and our staff so together we can support each other and encourage a great start an amazing semester. 

Too Impressed to be Stressed

Let’s face it, planning a whole trip by yourself can be frustrating and tiring, so how would travel possibly relieve stress? A research study conducted in 2015 by Eric A. Morris, an assistant professor at Clemson University who uses statistical methods to analyze traveling, agreed that travel does come with a few cons.

Travel may have some disadvantages in terms of fatigue and uninviting stressors, but according to Morris, “these [disadvantages] can be offset by things like novelty, adventure, satisfaction, the thrill of moving at high speed, mastery, autonomy...and activities undertaken while traveling” (520). 

Though travel can develop some emotional costs, it has a positive impact on the overall quality of one’s life. Have you left a trip feeling content, or longing for more monumental adventures? That sense of a greater satisfaction in life is partly due to the emotional well-being related to traveling, and reflects how one feels about their adventures abroad. 

Morris states that travel promotes wellness and emotional well-being, in terms of self-realization, enjoying accomplishments, and exercising expressiveness (520). Travelers value any time spent abroad, and yearn to continue achieving fulfillment through experiences undertaken when overseas.

Travel Allows For Individual Growth 

Many times, we understand that people come back from their time abroad with exhilarating stories and talk of the profound impact a specific person, place, or activity had on their life. Seeing beautiful places and meeting people who are different from ourselves grants moments of self-reflection, which allows time to look into one’s own self and assess where they are now and where they want to be. 

Travel allows us to access destinations that make us feel fulfilled, which is a huge motivator when reflecting on past trips and planning for the future, according to Morris (519). The satisfaction that comes from traveling, “can also help people to achieve personal growth and realise the best in oneself” (De Vos & Whitlox 365). Growth doesn’t happen overnight, but the empathy that travel brings surely makes a difference to a person’s outlook on life. 

It’s important that students normalize their struggles regarding challenges and obstacles that may arise during their time overseas. Reflecting on yourself, such as what you’ve accomplished and overcome, is the greatest gift that travel can give us. When you think about the novel situations that have transformed your outlook on life, you’ll see that taking the opportunities to travel increases our life’s satisfaction, which assists with maintaining wellness within ourselves. 

Traveling not only promotes your emotional well-being through activities during your expedition, but promotes your mental health by expansion of the mind and inspiration from impactful moments. When travelers allow themselves to experience different cultures, and expose themselves to other aspects of the world, they are able to embrace truly their curiosity. 

One thing is for sure, we don’t return home as the person we were before. Our blog, Five Ways to Work Through Culture Shock, discusses tips on managing the cultural impact of an unfamiliar environment that comes with studying abroad! Check it out!

References 

De Vos, J. & Witlox, F. (2017). Travel satisfaction revisited. On the pivotal role of travel satisfaction in conceptualising a travel behaviour process. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 106, 364-373. doi:10.1016/j.tra.2017.10.009

Morris, E. A. (2015). Should we all just stay home? Travel, out-of-home activities, and life satisfaction. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice,78, 519-536. doi:10.1016/j.tra.2015.06.009

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