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Veronica Mandella

Professor Andrea Reilly

English 100

February 27, 2020

My Year Abroad

Slovakia, in a way, has become a second home for me. I have been going there for the

summers ever since I can remember. My most vivid memories from this place during those many

summers growing up are spending time with my mom’s friends at their lake house or cabin,

hiking trips up to the Tatra Mountains, and berry picking in my grandparents’ garden. Each year,

we do many of the same things, but each activity creates new and beautiful memories that will

last a lifetime.

So, three years ago, when my mom suggested that I stay and go to school in Bratislava

for a semester, I knew it would be a lifechanging experience that I couldn’t pass up. My journey

studying abroad began the day I watched my mom and sister walk through the security gates at

the airport. I remember feeling like I had made a mistake. I had begun to tremble so hard,

knowing that this was it. This was the beginning of a new chapter in my life. After six fun-filled

weeks of enjoying the beginning of an activity-filled summer, they were gone. At the age of 15,

my semester turned, one-year experience began.

Once I had settled into living with my grandparents, and gotten comfortable in my day to

day routine, the feeling of not knowing if I had made the right decision slowly began to dissipate.

Each day was new and exciting for me as they brought new activities and memories even though

I did many of the same things. While living in Slovakia, I experienced a lot of really cool events
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that occurred in Europe, from the global warming protests to national hockey games, and

different themed fairs occurring around the city. All of that excitement was not what day-to-day

looked like for me. My days always began with school, which ended around one o’clock. Then

my friends and I would almost always spend our afternoons together. We enjoyed studying or

just chatting in local coffee shops, early dinners, which often turned to late-night snacks at the

food courts in the local malls and riding the trams for fun to different parts of the city. I feel that

these little activities make up some of my fondest memories from that year abroad.

I remember one particular Spring day, my best friend in Slovakia, and I had decided to

hop on a 7:30 a.m. train to Vienna. We had no plan and a whole day to enjoy the city. We arrived

at the Hauptbahnhof in Vienna just before 8:30 a.m. I remember the station being packed to the

brim with tourists and locals alike. Navigating ourselves through all the people down to the

metro had been quite a challenge. Eventually, we found ourselves on the train headed to the city

center in no time. Once we arrived and had agreed on a cute little breakfast spot about a mile

away from where we were, Lea and I hopped on an electric scooter and made our way to the

café. After a delicious breakfast of oatmeal and eggs benedict, we walked down the street to the

vast array of stores that Vienna had to offer. After doing a little shopping, we decided to walk

through the streets of the historic part of Vienna. While making our way there, we discovered

that the LGBTQ parade was going on. So, of course, we had to join.

After hours of exploring the city, shopping, and dancing in the LGBTQ parade, Lea and I

slowly made our way back to the train station. On the short trip back to Bratislava, I remember

that both of us had fallen asleep to the soft lull of the train’s engine. Upon arriving back to the

city, we made our separate ways back home, both content with the exciting day we had spent

together in Vienna.
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Attending school in Slovakia was one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life.

Their way of teaching is so different from the way of teaching here in Hawaii or even in the

United States. The whole curriculum is textbook oriented and requires students to memorize

specific passages from these textbooks. We would then be chosen for an oral exam at random

throughout the week. The amount of studying and what the students in Slovakia are required to

learn is 10x more than what is expected of students to learn in High School here in the U.S.

Having to learn in this way has taught me how to organize my time and complete my

assignments effectively and efficiently even under stress.

During that year, I was able to travel to a handful of different countries around Europe.

Some of these trips were day trips, while others were 2-4 days long. Visiting cities like London,

Paris, Pisa, Lucca, Rome, Vienna, and Prague allowed me to gain knowledge of the different

cultures and how unique each and everyone is compared to other countries around them.

Slovakia is a country that has always had meaning to me as I had spent many summers

there while growing up. Having now lived there for a full year and experienced the culture,

different seasons, met new people, and went to school someplace that is so different from the

little island that I had grown up on, has completely changed my perspective of the world. I left

Maui as a 15-year-old who didn’t know what it was like to live in a city, or even what a cold

winter was. I came back as a young woman who had experienced a small chunk of the world,

became fluent in a language that had been spoken to me since birth, and gained knowledge about

different countries and their cultures at a young age.

Thinking back now to those 13 months, I realize how valuable this experience was to

shape me into who I am today. I was able to learn more about myself and who I want to be. I

gained independence that I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to have at such a young age and
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gained knowledge of different cultures and school systems around the world. Having the

opportunity to study abroad and travel to different countries in Europe has made me realize how

lucky I am to have been born and raised on Maui. The experience has also made me realize that I

don’t want to live anywhere else and that Maui will always be my home. No matter what, I will

always end up back on this little island.