Would you like to learn Quechua in Cuzco? Or visit the amazonian jungle in Iquitos? These are just two of the many fascinating things SU International Studies student Alejandra Benitez did during her study abroad in Peru.

As for the value of this experience and the IS program Alejandra herself attests: “So far, my experience abroad has taught me more than I ever expected to learn. I’m also learning in a way that I don’t think I have ever learned before. Studying abroad has made me think about things in a more profound way and has also allowed me to broaden my perspective by taking me out of the cultural context I’m comfortable with and tossing me into another cultural reality. It has also helped me better understand myself (my limits, my understandings, my passions), and reevaluate my lifestyle and the lifestyle I desire.

“After I graduate I’m actually hoping to spend a year abroad volunteering before I continue on to graduate school. I am very confident in this decision now, but I don’t think I would have been if not for this opportunity. I believe that this experience abroad, along with the diversity of classes the International Studies program allows me to take, will help me better understand myself and help me become more aware of the possibilities out there and make a decision about what I want to dedicate the rest of my life to.

“Studying abroad and the International Studies program is preparing me, in an unexpected and exciting way, for adulthood, for my future and, I believe, for my professional happiness.”

Please check out her video blog here.