During the Studying Abroad Panel Discussion on March 4, Teaching Professor Denise Mussman led a freeform discussion touching on topics such as the biggest challenges, rewards and surprises of living abroad, the educational experience in different countries and techniques to adjust to a new culture and learn the language. (Photo by Valerie Furlong)

Denise Mussman and Sandra Trapani both studied abroad for the first time at the age of 16. In both cases, leaving the United States forever changed the course of their lives.

“I first went abroad when I was 16, to France,” Trapani recalled. “I spent the entire time trying to figure out how to get back. I find that that happens often. You get somewhere else and all you can think of is where I can go next or how can I get back to this place.”

Trapani is now a teaching professor of French and the chair of the Department of Language and Cultural Studies at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. For the past 20 years, she’s led short-term summer study abroad programs to France, giving UMSL students the opportunity to broaden their horizons and see the world.

Mussman is a teaching professor of English for academic purposes at UMSL and first traveled to Belgium for a summer at 16 years old thanks to a scholarship. As an undergraduate at the University of Kansas, she spent one summer and two semesters in France while working toward a BA in French.

Mussman and Trapani shared their experiences as part of the Studying Abroad Panel Discussion on March 4 during National Foreign Language Week. The discussion was part of a series of events hosted by the Department of Language and Cultural Studies. Other festivities included a kickoff celebration with poetry readings in multiple languages, a Mardi Gras celebration with King Cake tasting and a Japanese cooking demonstration.

UMSL alumni, students, faculty and staff gathered in Clark Hall for the panel. Mussman led a freeform discussion touching on topics such as the biggest challenges, rewards and surprises of living abroad, the educational experience in different countries and techniques to adjust to a new culture and learn the language.

When Mussman headed to France for a whole academic year, she assumed she would be able to communicate fluently within two months. That timeline turned out to be overly optimistic.

“I think what surprised me, my challenge, was really getting the pronunciation and understanding people,” she said. “In retrospect, I wish I had done a little more reading and writing. I was so focused on listening.”

Eventually, what helped her develop her language skills was making French friends, who wanted to practice their English. In return, she got to practice her French. Carli Knopf, an international business student minoring in Japanese, spent the previous academic year studying in Tokyo and also touted the value of international friendships.

“I enjoyed speaking to people from different countries,” Knopf said. “For me, it’s really rewarding to invest in those friendships and get to know someone on a really personal level.”

As an Asian American growing up in rural Missouri, Knopf always knew she wanted to travel to Asia and learn an Asian language. At UMSL, she met a friend who graduated from the Japanese language program and recommended it to her. Picking up a Japanese minor seemed like the most efficient way to learn a language and eventually study abroad.

The experience was transformative for Knopf.

“It was honestly one of the most eye-opening, perspective-shifting years I’ve had,” she said. “I felt like I was in a slump mentally, academically, and I needed that change. Going abroad and meeting friends from different countries really gave me a greater appreciation of where I come from and my own cultural identity and better sense of where I fit in the world.”

Tanner Reichl is majoring in Japanese and planning on studying abroad in Japan next school year. In the future, he intends to live and work in Japan teaching English for an extended period of time. Studying abroad for a year is the first step toward that goal.

Reichl found the discussion useful for his upcoming journey, particularly a few of Knopf’s tips about the differing social norms in Japan. Aside from social etiquette, Reichl said the language will probably be his biggest challenge.

He attempted to learn Japanese himself for about three years before coming to UMSL, but he didn’t quite absorb all the intricacies of the language. After nearly a year in the Department of Language and Cultural Studies, he feels more prepared to take on Tokyo.

“I realized that I was speaking Japanese very rudely,” Reichl said with a laugh. “That’s a unique thing to Japanese. The grammar is a little bit different depending on the formality and how you structure words. I was also speaking too loudly. I was emphasizing the wrong things. I was using casual language. But part of the experience here at UMSL is that you get the language learning, and you get the cultural learning. That’s why I’m going for the year. I want the full cultural experience.”