If you have ever considered studying abroad, Ashley Shields, an Elgin Community College student from Algonquin ILL., advises you to “just do it because there’s no time but now.”

Shields, participated in one of ECC’s many study abroad programs and traveled to the United Kingdom last fall semester 2015.

Shields has always had the urge to travel beyond her mundane surroundings and enjoyed traveling with her family. Shields was also influenced by another ECC student who participated in the study abroad program in Spain. She made the decision to study abroad and flew to the UK a few months later.

“Best experience in my life thus far,” said Shields.

Many students also do no participate in the study abroad program because they fear being in another part of the world alone, yet Shields has gained a new, nostalgic perspective from traveling alone.

“It puts you in a state of vulnerability because you have to open up to new people [and] new experiences. You’re in situations you [would’ve] never thought you’d be in before, but it’s the most amazing thing ever, in being vulnerable and just approaching people you learn that there are so many nice people out there,” said Shields.

Shields made friends the first day and did not have to think twice about how she was going to spend her time. Other than school, Shields made it her goal to travel somewhere every weekend. Shields stayed with a host family along with other international students.

The grading system was the overall shocker.

“A 70 percent  to 100 percent is considered an A,” said Shields.

The coursework was much less, according to Shields.

“Here you have quizzes, tests, exams and finals every week. There you have one paper, that’s it,” said Shields.

However, Shields claimed to have written a 27-page paper. Shields described the school day as a lecture and a seminar immediately following. Shields wasn’t always in the classroom, but also went on field trips every Friday.

Other than those field trips the school also provided a traveling agency that allowed Shields to travel to other locations. However, most of Shields trips were planned entirely on her own.

Apart from studying in Canterbury, UK, Shields also traveled a range of other countries as well. Shields saw the sceneries of Scotland, tasted the exotic foods of Morocco, the astonishing views of Wales, witnessed the architectural beauty of the streets of Belgium, and saw the breathtaking cliffs of Ireland.

One of the places Shields visited with the agency was the North African country of Morocco. She was hesitant about visiting the country by herself, mostly because she was a woman, which is why she went with others. Shields faced many issues from dealing with corrupt officers, to being offered to be bought by a Moroccan man.

“The worst thing we heard was ‘h ow much for us,’” said Shields.

However, Shields, focusing on the positive, could not decide if her favorite travel location was Scotland or Morocco. In Morocco, Shields witnessed wild animals and a visual difference between the wealthy and the poor.

Scotland is one of her favorite locations for its scenery and because it was the location in which she met a guy who is now her boyfriend. Although meeting him in a foreign location, Shields shared that her boyfriend is from Ohio but lives in Miami.

Finding another American Accent in another part of the world was shocking, according to Shields. Shields did not have that ideal in mind when traveling. But the connection she had with the guy she met was one of a kind.

Shields also attended an Adventurers’ Gathering in London. It is a gathering of people who do wild adventure activities, according to Shields.

“For example, a guy who tried to break the record of walking the perimeter of Australia but didn’t because he came down with some disease or these women who rode boats from continent to continent. They [do] crazy, extreme stuff,” said Shields.

Shields received help from her parents for this trip, but most of the expenses came from her money and personal funds.

“If you work and strictly save that money for your travels then you can do it,” said Shields. “You don’t need those clothes, or that car, go travel.”

When asked if she felt homesick, Shields found she missed American food. Shields admitted to not really missing her home or her parents.

“If anything I really missed my cats.”

ECC Professor Dr. David Zacker has taken many groups of students around the world and has traveled himself many times.

“Once you make the commitment to travel abroad and experience another culture, a whole new world of possibilities opens to you—new food, new music, new worldviews, new ways of living, and even the sense that you can do things you never thought possible. It may even open new career possibilities for you,” said Zacker.

Professor Dr. Zacker is also taking a group of ECC students to Brazil later this spring semester.

Shields plans to go to Australia in the near future and work in an orchard earning cash and hanging out.

“[Studying abroad] itself has made me more open and willing,” Shields said.