As the semester comes to a close, Taylor students studying abroad take time to reflect on their experiences.
Hanna Fritz, a senior creative writing major, spent her semester studying in Oxford, U.K. The semester proved to be both rigorous and rewarding as she studied J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis and British culture.
While in Oxford, Fritz stayed with two other Taylor students in a house called the Vines.
“It’s a good connection to have people who are from Taylor who sort of have the same university experience and background who you can talk to,” Fritz said.
Before her term at Oxford began, Fritz spent three weeks devoted to her British culture course, which gave her a preview of what the tutorial system, which she would later be studying under, would look like.
The tutorial system is unique and very different from how students are taught in the U.S. Students are paired up one-on-one with a tutor for an hour to discuss literature and assignments in detail.
“Tutorials aren’t for everyone. I personally love them because I really love and value learning one-on-one,” Fritz said. “It’s a little overwhelming at times because it’s a lot more of a high pressure setting, but I have found it to be immensely rich.”
When her term began, Fritz wholeheartedly dedicated herself to her Lewis and creative writing tutorials, as well as an independent research project.
Fritz’s research project is unlike anything she has ever undertaken. She is analyzing the realm of fairy that Tolkien discusses in his essay on fairy stories and how that is represented in the works of Tolkien, Lewis and Andrew Peterson.
“It’s a very nerdy project, probably the nerdiest thing I’ve ever done,” Fritz said. “It’s not something I ever thought I’d talk about, but it’s been really beautiful to dive into.”
A focal point of Fritz’s project is how these fairy stories connect to the concept of longing.
Throughout her work on her research project, Fritz has taken time to reflect on the goodness of the Lord and how He is the only one who can fulfill human longing.
“I think that’s part of why my studying here has been so beautiful,” Fritz said. “As hard as it is, both emotionally and intellectually, God keeps proving Himself to be good.”
While Fritz has been studying in Oxford, sophomore Layne Hoeflinger spent her semester in Cuenca, Ecuador.
Hoeflinger, a human physiology and preventative medicine major, took courses in anatomy and physiology, Spanish and even undertook a practicum in a hospital.
Hoeflinger was inspired by her mother’s college experience to study in Ecuador.
“My mom studied abroad while she was at Taylor and, like, all of her college stories are from studying abroad,” Hoeflinger said. “That was one of my biggest reasons that I even came to Taylor.”
The Ecuador trip also paired perfectly with Hoeflinger’s major, giving her even more incentive to study abroad.
Hoeflinger was surprised by the strictness of the program, which did not allow the students to miss any activities. However, she is grateful for how this allowed her to bond with others in her group from Taylor.
Hoeflinger appreciates the welcoming and friendly culture of Ecuador and will miss her host family when she returns to the U.S.
“We’ve all had very different experiences with our host families, but personally I’m very tight with them,” Hoeflinger said.
She hopes to remember them and bring the intentional culture back to Taylor by stepping out of her comfort zone and reaching out to more people at events.
One of the most significant ways that the studying abroad experience has impacted Hoeflinger was how she grew in her faith in Ecuador.
“I guess I didn't really expect to grow in my faith. I just expected to be in my comfort zone,” Hoeflinger said. “This experience has very much forced all of us to put our trust in God.”
Hoeflinger’s time in Ecuador has left a profound impact on her, and she intends to maintain her habits of spending intentional time with God and others when she returns to the U.S.
