Study Abroad Voyages: Eric Forrest
Spending the summer in Singapore was one of the best decisions I have made thus far in my college career. I had the Butler in Asia program on my radar since before freshman move-in, and I am so happy to have had such a great opportunity. Professionally, it offered an on-the-ground perspective of working in a diverse city. I also completed complex, tangible projects for a multinational company. I loved building a daily routine – from accounting for my commute into the office to exploring the city in my time off. There was so much to see in such a short time, but thanks to our first week of intense travel/touring, I think we saw nearly everything!
I loved getting to connect with the fellow students, planning fun activities like dinners and weekend voyages. Our weekend in Thailand was a highlight of the trip: I got to experience another Asia-based culture after having acclimated to local Singapore. Walking through the Thai markets, there was such a variety of products - hand-made jewelry and clothing to designer-brand mimics. In Singapore, I enjoyed a sense of city-living and connection. At my office, there were people from a range of backgrounds, including Australia, the United Kingdom, and Malaysia. My coworkers contributed to a diverse environment of sociocultural perspectives. Befriending our tour guide, Yap, was also a central part of the trip. As a group, we managed to build a camaraderie with him. This sense of camaraderie extended beyond our first week together. He gave us great recommendations for sightseeing and brought us places we never would have found on our own. And I haven’t even mentioned all the time that I spent learning boxing at a world-class martial arts gym.
It was important to take advantage of our time abroad. Going into the trip, seven weeks sounded like it would be an eternity, but, at the end, it felt as though time had just flown by. It was bittersweet to return home, leaving behind the beautiful country that I had the pleasure of living in for the summer. Most of all, this experience taught me to seek out new adventures and to take a chance on study abroad opportunities by Butler.
Eric’s experience is one of the many extraordinary study abroad opportunities that Butler’s Center for Global Education (CGE) offers. Furthermore, this summer (May 2024-July 2024), the Butler in Asia program will offer another session. Students will have a choice of either Tokyo or Singapore (formerly Hong Kong). Below is the link to CGE’s application forms, and IBO is happy to answer follow-up questions or setup conversations with CGE administrators for IBO members.
Note: The application deadlines for the Tokyo and Singapore programs are both November 28th. Decisions should be published by December 12th. For LSB students, this internship may qualify as one of the two required internships for graduation (qualifies as 3 academic credit hours).
Butler in Asia – Tokyo: https://global-education.butler.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgramAngular&id=10746
Butler in Asia – Singapore: https://global-education.butler.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgramAngular&id=10561
