ME42: Studying Abroad (Part 1): Learning Through the Challenges & Making the Most of Our Experiences (With Guest: Dani Jauregui)

Mindful Expat, with Dana Nelson, Ph.D.

Today’s Mindful Expat Guest is Dani Jauregui!

Dani is originally from the Chicago area. While studying at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois – majoring in Sociology and Hispanic Studies – she decided to do a semester abroad in Alicante, Spain. After returning to the US to finish her degree, Dani then decided that she wanted to move back to Spain, so in 2013 she moved to Granada, where she worked as a teaching assistant in a bilingual elementary school. After a brief stint also teaching in Costa Rica, Dani missed Granada and decided to move back. Since then, she has been working full time as an online English teacher, reaching students around the world from Granada, which she now considers to be her home.

Dani and her friend Claudia – both of whom live in Granada and also both of whom have studied sociology – started a website together called Sincerely Spain, where they share their experiences and insights on topics related to living in Spain and cultural adaptation for students studying abroad.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Dani’s experience of studying abroad for a semester and how this experience inspired her to move back to Spain after finishing her studies.

• Some of the common challenges that young adults face when studying or living abroad during this time in their lives (and some tips on how to navigate these challenges).

• Some of the amazing benefits of studying or living abroad during this formative time in our lives and how this experience can increase our own self-awareness and lead to personal development.

• Some tips to keep in mind when planning or navigating a study abroad experience.

Resources mentioned in today’s episode:

• Dani mentioned an article on her website about how we have different personalities in different languages. This article can be found here: “Confessions: I am a Different Person in Different Languages.” (See more below for links to a few more articles on Dani’s website that relate to our conversation today.)

• Dani also recommended The Lively Show Podcast, with Jess Lively.

More about Dani and how to follow up with her:

To learn more about Dani, you can visit her website, Sincerely Spain, where she and her friend Claudia share their experiences of studying and living abroad in Spain. (You can learn more specifically about Dani here.)

Some of the articles on their website that you might find especially interesting after today’s discussion include this one about how studying abroad can be scary and challenging but why we should do it anyway, and this one on how living abroad can increase our own self-awareness.

Dani and Claudia also provide consulting services to students who are either currently studying abroad or planning to study abroad (especially in Spain, but elsewhere too). For more information about their consulting services, check out this page of their website.

You can also find Dani on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and you can connect with her through this page of her website.

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