I am only an undergraduate student at Chapman once with opportunities available to me only now. I might not have another break in my career. I need to do this now or I will regret it. These thoughts drove my decision to study abroad. I knew I wanted to take advantage of all the Chapman opportunities and not take my time here for granted. As soon as the Interterm 2024 travel courses were released, I emailed the faculty of the Tale of Two Cities: London and Paris, and began the process. In January 2025, I realized I could fulfill my Global Studies GE in Spain while learning a new language. These two amazing travel courses became unforgettable, pivotal chapters not only in my Chapman career, but also in my entire life.

I only applied to colleges in California because I am extremely close to my family, and I did not think I was ready to be far away. After preventing homesickness with a schedule filled with various on-campus involvements, travel courses were the next great opportunity that aligned with my interests. Even though I was crying with fear, sadness, and uncertainty at the airport before getting on the plane to London, I was crying with tears of joy when I was on my way back because I was grateful for my trip and did not want to leave. Leaving for Spain was sad because it is hard to be away from my home and family, but surprisingly getting on the plane for my next new adventure felt like a comforting “home away from home.”

The structure of both travel courses were drastically different with London and Paris being strictly a class through Chapman with assignments, attendance, and a final project, versus Spain being a combination of attendance and performance in a language school in Spain. In London and Paris, I stayed in a hotel with one roommate, we went on excursions as a class every morning and had free late afternoons and evenings. In Spain, we stayed with host families during the week, went to hotels in new cities on the weekends, attended class at a language school in Spain in the morning, went on class excursions in the afternoon, and had most evenings free. I loved both structures because they allowed me to feel safe and comfortable while still challenging myself outside of my comfort zone. The hotels in London and Paris were beautiful, and the families in Spain were extremely welcoming. I loved the class excursions and guided tours because I always learned something new about the city or culture of the country. I was grateful for the free time we were given on both trips because that is where I learned the most about myself and grew as a person. The language school in Spain was great: I truly bonded with my instructors, I valued the learning materials and content they provided, I gained cultural knowledge especially through the hands-on cooking and flamenco classes, and it was fun to wake-up and have a daily routine of going to class as if I lived there.

Traveling with friends is a wonderful experience, and I am grateful that during both of my travel courses, I had a close friend to go through the journey with. We flew to our destinations together and were roommates during the trip which calmed a lot of my nerves about flying solo and staying with an unknown family. With my friends’ presence, comfort, and support, I felt brave enough to start exploring the cities on my own. Doing anything by yourself is intimidating because you feel exposed and uncertain, but I believe it is also where you have the most growth. I have two distinct memories from wandering around the cities by myself; one in Paris and one in Madrid. After a full excursion to the Palace of Versailles with a small group, I wanted to maximize my museum pass, so I ended up going to The Centro Pompidou on my own.

I saw artwork from an artist that is featured in my favorite movie, which was a surprise that was personal and relevant to me. In Spain, I went to the Condeduque simply because it looked cool on Apple Maps, even though I knew nothing about it and had no idea what to expect. For eight years, I have collected souvenir pencils from any museum or memorable location I visit, so I wanted to find the gift shop at this location I had found by chance. Putting my new Spanish skills to the test, I asked a worker who did not speak English where the shop would be and if they sold pencils, which he explained there was none. I thanked him and continued touring around the grounds. On my way out, he stopped me and handed me a pen with the name of the building on it. It was his personal pen that he insisted I keep, and I was beyond moved by the gesture. Every interaction I had when I was exploring alone was amazing and taught me that I am capable of being extroverted, brave, independent, and confident, a mindset that has stuck with me to this day.

After both trips, I came back with different views on the world and on myself. How small my city, my school, and my life is compared to the world. How young the United States is. I need to appreciate the seemingly small things here more because I loved them there enough to take a photo at each one (water fountains, parks, plants, architecture, and more). Traveling must be addictive because each time I leave from a trip and return home, I want to start planning my next. I am extremely grateful that Chapman offers these programs because I was able to work them into my crazy schedule, and they shaped me into the person I am today.

Thanks for reading,

Kassondra Lundgren

Biological Science Major ‘26

Interterm 2024: HUM 353C: A Tale of Two Cities (London and Paris)

Summer 2025: SPAN 101A: Spanish Language and Culture, Madrid (Madrid and Malaga)