Here is my first interview in what I hope will be a series about off-campus study at DePauw. If you’re interested in applying to an off-campus study experience, make sure to reach out to the Hubbard Center! To start, I talked to my friend Jess Gaumer‘23 about her current semester abroad in Limerick, Ireland. She has raved about her time, and I looked forward to hearing more about her experience in this interview.
HC: Can you briefly introduce yourself?
JG: My name is Jess Gaumer and I am currently a junior. I am a kinesiology major and anthropology minor. When I am on campus, you can find me running around Greencastle as a member of the cross country and track team or in the library as a Peer Research Consultant (PRC). This semester, I have the opportunity of studying abroad at the University of Limerick in Limerick, Ireland!
HC: Tell me a little about the study abroad program you chose.
JG: I chose this program because it checked a lot of my boxes. I needed to take a biomechanics course abroad for my kinesiology major. I needed anthropology classes for my minor. I wanted to go to an English speaking country. The University of Limerick satisfied all of those requirements so I decided to go there. The University of Limerick offers so many clubs and activities, such as surfing club, athletics club, and outdoor pursuits club (where you go hiking, rock climbing, and caving). I have had so much fun trying activities I have never done before and embracing all Ireland has to offer.
HC: Why did you decide to study abroad?
JG: I decided to study abroad because I wanted to see the world. Ever since my high school Spanish teacher talked to me about her time abroad, I knew I wanted to go abroad in some capacity. When I chose DePauw, I was hoping to take a couple of winter terms abroad, however, with the pandemic that hasn’t been an option the past couple years. I knew that if I wanted to go abroad, going this semester may be my only chance so I decided to go. Going a semester seemed daunting before I left but now I am so glad I went for an entire semester as I have gotten to experience so much!
HC: What has been your favorite part of the experience?
JG: My favorite part of the experience is meeting and connecting with people from all over the world. Two of my roommates are from India and the other is from Iran. Through conversations with them, I have found pleasure in getting to know their culture and traditions as well as share mine with them. My roommates and I recently celebrated the Iranian new year, Nowruz, together with my roommate from Iran! It was a super fun experience. On a hike recently, I met someone from my hometown and someone else who lived 15 minutes away from me in the town next to mine. We reminisced about some of our favorite places in the Des Moines metro and talked about what we missed about the Midwest. That was super fun as well to be able to meet people from my hometown in an entirely different country. There is something to be said about human connection and finding ways to connect and celebrate each other no matter where anyone may be from.
HC: What did you learn from going abroad?
JG: The biggest lesson I learned abroad was that kindness is universal. When I arrived in Ireland in January, I arrived safely but without any baggage- the airline company sent my luggage to the wrong location. I had nothing on me besides my backpack that had my laptop, chargers, and documents in it. I was overwhelmed, I had very few belongings, and I was alone in a foreign country trying to figure out what to do. Needless to say, there were lots of tears. However, so many people from around the world showed up to help me in my time of need, lending me clothes, helping me find a bus stop, giving me food, and providing me comfort. I will forever have this gratitude in my heart for all the people who helped me that day and continued to help me throughout the semester. People are truly amazing.