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September 1, 2015鈥擪immy Schlafly (C鈥�17) caught the travel bug at a young age. In fact, it was her love of travel that attracted her to Georgetown during a family trip, when, at age seven, she first saw the campus from across the river.

鈥淚 spotted it and said 鈥業鈥檓 going there,鈥欌�� she remembers. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 because it reminded me of London.鈥� Schlafly had visited the famed English city with her family prior to the trip to DC鈥攕he credits her father for instilling a sense of adventure and an appreciation for other cultures. 

鈥淗e grew up traveling,鈥� she says, 鈥渟o he was always planning great trips for us.鈥�

That wanderlust has been helpful to Schlafly, a and major, who returned from a semester abroad earlier this summer. All Georgetown language majors are required to study abroad, and in Schlafly鈥檚 case, that meant a francophone country. So in early January, she was off to Strasbourg, France, a vibrant city near the border of Germany.

Schlafly began learning French in third grade, having attended a Sacred Heart School.  

鈥淚 love languages,鈥� she explains. 鈥淚nstead of playing [the game] Candy Crush, I have this app called , and I teach myself other languages in my free time. I just enjoy it!鈥�

Studying abroad gave Schlafly a chance to truly test her skills by taking courses through direct matriculation at the . She also lived with a French couple, the DeGasquets, and their four children.

 鈥淚 really integrated into the family, and I feel so lucky to have met them. They made my experience so much better,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 sure that when I鈥檓 older, I鈥檒l have the DeGasquet children visiting me!鈥�

Although Schlafly had a full course load during her semester abroad, she took advantage of the opportunity to explore France as well as numerous other countries. Some of her destinations included Savoie, Monaco, Nice, Marseille, Paris, Italy, Ireland, Scotland, Switzerland, England, and the Netherlands.

What stands out most for Schlafly is the unexpected experiences that arose from these travels, such as a chance stop in Ribeauvill茅, 鈥渁 quintessential little French medieval town鈥� in northeast France.

During her first weekend away from Strasbourg, she and a friend stopped in a Ribeauvill茅 hotel for lunch, and ended up staying there that night as the sole guests. They spent the day hiking through snowy vineyards and taking in Ch芒teau de Saint-Ulrich, a castle that was built in the 11th century.

鈥淭he next morning, we came downstairs, and even though we were the only guests, the staff had set up a table with every single breakfast item possible. It was amazing,鈥� remembers Schlafly.

While visiting Marseille, Schlafly had a chance to get outside of her comfort zone after meeting a group of Canadian and American travelers around her age. The group decided to spend the day exploring a nearby lake, which led to an impromptu cliff-jumping session.

鈥淲e found a little alcove and swam out to the rocks, where I saw some people jumping off a really, really high cliff,鈥� Schlafly says. 鈥淚 get really nervous about these things, but I looked at it and said, ‘Who鈥檚 doing it with me?’鈥�

In addition to forming new friendships, her time abroad allowed Schlafly to rediscover childhood friends. While traveling, she went to Prague to visit a middle school friend she hadn鈥檛 seen in five years, reconnected with another friend who was living in Belfast, and happened to bump into a high school classmate while browsing postcards in Amsterdam.

鈥淚t isn鈥檛 only about the people that you meet while you鈥檙e there,鈥� explains Schlafly. 鈥淚t can also be a way to find people you never expected to see.鈥�

Six months and ten countries later, Schlafly returned to the U.S. to take a course at Georgetown and intern for the in Dupont Circle. Now, she鈥檚 both thinking ahead to life after college and trying to enjoy her time on campus. Technically a senior this semester, she鈥檚 contemplating whether to graduate early.

鈥淚 really want to end up working abroad,鈥� she explains. 鈥淚 just want to be able to keep speaking other languages.鈥�

One thing Schlafly knows for sure: while studying abroad is a requirement for language majors, she would have gone no matter what鈥攁nd she encourages others to do the same if they can.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a learning experience that you just can鈥檛 replicate,鈥� she says. 鈥淲ho knows when you鈥檒l have that chance again?鈥�