Local Clemson student takes full advantage of study abroad opportunity
It’s often said that travel is fatal to prejudice, and Moniteau Jr./Sr. High School graduate Brooke Tenney found this out firsthand earlier this year when she added over 10 new countries’ worth of stamps to her passport during an unforgettable study abroad trip.
Tenney is just beginning her junior year at Clemson University in South Carolina, where she is studying nursing. For the second semester of her sophomore year, Tenney took a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to participate in the school’s study abroad nursing program, which allowed nursing majors to take a semester’s worth of classes at the University of Nicosia in the capital city of Cyprus.
“I came back with so many stories and just a completely different view of the world,” Tenney said.
For Tenney, the relatively slow-paced life of Cyprus took some getting used to.
“There was definitely some culture shock,” Tenney said. “The most shocking thing that kind of stood out to me was their lifestyle. Compared to the U.S. and everything, their pace of life was just really chill and very low-key, and people would just go about their day. But I really did enjoy that slower pace of life.”
While her study abroad education was based in Cyprus, Tenney and her friends took the opportunity to expand their adventure by visiting as many countries as possible on the weekends during their four months away from home.
“I had class Monday through Thursday, and then I was fortunate enough to create a schedule where I had Fridays off,” Tenney said. “So on the weekends, a group of us would get together, and we’d take the weekend to see a new country.”
Tenney ended up visiting more than 10 countries during her four months away from the United States, including Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Monaco, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and Greece.
And she didn’t just visit these nations — Tenney had unique experiences in each of them.
“I checked so many things off my bucket list that I kinda wanted to see and wanted to do,” Tenney said. “Skydiving in Switzerland was a huge highlight. It was something on my bucket list that I really wanted to do, and Switzerland is just a beautiful place. I got to go skydiving with one of my best friends from Clemson, and that was a huge highlight for me.”
Although her extended trip outside of America was primarily for her nursing studies, Tenney said her most valuable life lessons happened outside the classroom.
“My advice to anyone who’s looking to maybe go abroad, I would tell absolutely everyone to just go for it,” Tenney said. “Even if it does seem scary or something like you’re not completely into, I think it was a perfect opportunity. I just think it’s really important to say yes to things that feel unfamiliar and things that you wouldn’t usually say yes to.
“Just be open and be curious and be OK with being uncomfortable.”
