Illinois State softball student-athlete Stephanie Thulen has always had a travel bug in her. After going on a mission trip to Haiti when she was in high school, the rising junior realized that there was a lot more in the world to see, and a lot more that was meant to be discovered.
"I have always loved to travel and getting the chance to gain a new perspective," Thulen said. "When you go out of the country, it really opens your eyes to your culture and how good we have it, compared to places you are traveling to.
"I think that there has always been a travel bug in me, but it never came out until I was older. My mom was a foreign exchange student in high school and traveled a lot in college. I went on a mission trip my senior year of high school to Haiti and I realized after that there was so much more to see."
When she was going through freshman orientation at Illinois State, Thulen first heard about the opportunity to study abroad and it immediately caught her attention, but it never crossed her mind that she might be able to manage it.
"I had discounted the idea of studying abroad, because of being a student-athlete. I wasn't sure where I would find the time," Thulen shared. "Once I made the decision to go, the original plan was to travel to London with other elementary education majors, but I stumbled across Scotland's page on the website and decided to break off from my major."
Rather than traveling with a large group of Illinois State students from her major, Thulen made the decision to venture to the unspoiled territory of Scotland to explore and learn.
After being crammed on a full airplane for nearly eight hours, Thulen finally reached her destination on June 9, where she would spend the next month learning and living outside of her comfort zone.
"I would alternate between watching movies and taking naps to keep myself occupied on the flight," commented Thulen. "There was one other girl on the flight with me from Illinois State, who actually decided to stay two months. Our opportunity to connect with each other and share this experience actually helped us become good friends."
The jetlagged Thulen lost track of time early on, after spending all night on an airplane and touching down in Scotland at approximately 9 a.m. local time, making it nearly 3 a.m. in the United States.
"It took a few days to adjust to the time difference, but my adrenaline really helped keep me going once we landed," said Thulen. "It took about three days to adjust to the time zone in Scotland, especially since their daylight hours are extremely long. They get about 18 hours of daylight in Scotland, so it wouldn't start to get dark until about 10:30 at night, with the sun fully set at about 1 in the morning, and then the sun would come back up around 3:30 or 4 in the morning."
Her studies commenced right away, as she was enrolled in two classes – short story writing and the study of Scotland's public education system – but there were several options for international students to choose from.
"Our group was made up of Americans with a couple of Australians, so there wasn't much of a language barrier, which helped make it easier," Thulen shared. "My initial expectation was that I would be meeting a lot of people from other countries, but I was still surprised with how different the education system looks like in the U.S., even across different states."
Despite the lack of a language barrier, Thulen recalls there being some adjustments that had to be made.
"Their (Scotland's) education system is very different," said Thulen. "Scores from 70 percent to 100 percent are considered an A, but it is extremely hard to get a 70 percent or above. My entire grade relied on a single paper that I had to submit at the end of the course."
The classes ran themselves at their own pace, since there were no small assignments and the courses weren't rushed. The focus of each class was on the learning experience, rather than the grades, so the professors would hand out a workbook of materials at the beginning of the course to help the students follow along. If the class went off topic, it was not as big of a deal since there was no set content or schedule to follow, which allowed Thulen to leave her schoolwork there and not force her to do much work outside of class.
"I only had class three days a week," Thulen shared. "I went to class for four-straight hours on Monday, while I attended class just two hours on both Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I wrote a little bit for my short story writing class outside of the classroom, but I was able to get a lot of my schoolwork done in class, which made it easier to explore when I wasn't in class."
When she wasn't in class, Thulen took advantage of her free time by meeting new people in her flat, exploring Scotland, visiting nearby places and trying new food.
"I shared a flat – similar to an apartment in the U.S. – with seven people, but we each had our own bedroom and bathroom," explained Thulen. "We shared our kitchen and dining area, and ended up spending a lot of time there, which made it easy to get to know each other. Our program coordinator, Amy, helped organize excursions with the entire program (about 75 students), which was a great experience as well."
Some of those individuals Thulen met, who she would say have become pretty good friends, were from right in the Fenton, Illinois, native's own backyard.
"I met a few people from outside of the U.S. and the Midwest, but the people I formed the closest relationship with were from Iowa, Wisconsin and then the student that traveled with me from ISU," said Thulen.
Typically unadventurous when it comes to food, Thulen stepped out of her comfort zone and made herself try Scotland's national dish – Haggis – which is a savory pudding containing sheep's pluck; minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, traditionally encased in the animal's stomach, though now often in an artificial casing instead.
"I don't really like to step outside of my comfort zone when it comes to food," Thulen giggled. "But I made myself try Haggis, which is actually illegal in the United States. Something not as adventurous, just had never tried it, was salmon and fish and chips, which I didn't mind. The salad is also very different in Scotland – it is literally just spinach leaves and occasionally you get lucky with some dressing."
The often plain and natural food was more flavorful than Thulen had imagined, but it was nice to enjoy a meal without a ton of additives, which was enjoyable for the adventurer. She even ran into trouble her first time going to the grocery store.
"Grocery shopping was very different and a difficult concept to grasp at first," explained Thulen. "Ritz savory biscuits were cookies, the eggs weren't refrigerated and chips were actually French fries. Once you got the labeling down, it was easy to find items you were looking for. They even had an American section, which had Trix cereal and an assortment of junk food, including Twinkies."
Being away from home can be difficult sometimes, especially when you are so far away from your friends and family. Thulen kept those close to her updated through weekly video blogs and photos, sharing her experiences for the week, anything new she learned and what that week's adventure brought.
"I talked to my family more-so in the beginning, trying to email them once a week," Thulen shared. "I had a limited phone plan over there and only had so much data, so I was trying to save it for when I would be venturing away from Sterling."
Thulen's lack of communication was seemingly refreshing at times, as she wasn't constantly feeling the need to check her phone because she simply couldn't. This experience led to some unexpected adventures, including the navigation of public transportation, to find her way around.
The first week in Scotland was the busiest for Thulen, as she was adjusting to the time zone and getting settled into her studies. It seemed like she was constantly on the move for about a week and a half, before she was able to calm down and really take in what she was experiencing.
"There was a lot to do and a lot to see in Sterling," Thulen continued. "We would go hiking a little bit off of campus, visited the grocery story once a week, took the bus different places, took part in cultural events on campus and even got to see the Scotland Highland Games.
When Thulen had the opportunity, she would stray from Sterling and go on her own adventures, which included a trip to Dublin, Ireland, because she wanted to see what it had to offer and she had allotted the time to do so.
"I was inspired to take a trip to Ireland because of the movie Leap Year," Thulen expressed. "I loved the scenery in the movie and especially wanted to visit the Cliffs of Moher. Once I got to Dublin, I was able to take a bus trip and it was truly an awesome experience."
Dublin was a bit overwhelming at first for a girl that comes from a small town, but Thulen walked over 20 miles that weekend to see what all it had to offer her and she was not disappointed.
"I stayed in a hostel that had 14 bunks in it," shared Thulen. "It was honestly kind of fun to just live on the edge with other people that were just like me – living on limited resources and money – and around the same age as me. It really felt like the modern version of bumming it and living simply."
Thulen wrapped up her month-long excursion and returned to the United States on July 8. Not only did she walk away with a lot of experience in her studies, but she also learned a lot about life and how she is as an individual.
"Studying abroad really taught me to become comfortable with my comfort zone," Thulen expressed. "The first week I was constantly sticking to the book, but by the end of my trip, I was getting out of my comfort zone, while also learning to say no and know my limits. Once I was able to figure out what my zone consisted of, I was able to live with a go-with-the-flow attitude and I gained an entirely new perspective on life."
Thulen knows that she can take what she learned from her experience in Scotland and translate it on the softball field as well.
"This experience is going to make be a better athlete," Thulen continued. "When things don't go my way or go right at practice, on the big-picture scale, it's not going to be a big deal. I know that you can go back the next day and try again."
She plans to help her teammates understand this concept as well to help the Redbird softball program continue to grow and get better each and every single day, on the field, in the community and in the classroom. Thulen believes that her travels can help shine a positive light in the locker room that will help the program win each day.
