{"id":412,"date":"2019-11-19T13:42:59","date_gmt":"2019-11-19T12:42:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/preblogs.deusto.es\/deustolife\/?p=412"},"modified":"2019-11-20T10:42:35","modified_gmt":"2019-11-20T09:42:35","slug":"how-studying-at-deusto-changed-my-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.deusto.es\/deustolife\/how-studying-at-deusto-changed-my-life\/","title":{"rendered":"How studying at Deusto changed my life"},"content":{"rendered":"

How it all started<\/h1>\n

It all started when I attended an unusual course at my home university under the title\u00a0Human Resources Management\u00a0<\/strong>where the teacher introduced the concept of how to be a globalized citizen with 21st-century skills. I started to\u00a0dream and think globally<\/strong>, became self-driven to go beyond education to learn and gain knowledge beyond the given text. The flame of curiosity to experience and explore\u00a0transformed my dream into a goal<\/strong>. The sound of the word \u201cunknown<\/strong>\u201d became the main passion to explore new areas, a new lifestyle, away from the norm. I wanted to sense the feeling of traveling, the smell of grass, to be totally independent with my sound choices, and of course to enjoy\u00a0the feeling of detachment\u00a0<\/strong>from home to another reality where I would be surrounded by colleagues from international backgrounds. This was the new color and skin I wanted.\u00a0The first step was addressing the\u00a0External Academic Relations Office<\/strong>\u00a0at my Home University where I was briefed and introduced to\u00a0Erasmus+ Program Student Mobility<\/strong>. I got to know more about the application procedure, criteria of selection and learnt more on how-to for creating a successful application with a competitive edge.The call for Erasmus+ Student Mobility to Deusto was announced by the Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education on a national scale,\u00a0one seat<\/strong>\u00a0available among\u00a015 universities\u00a0<\/strong>in Palestine competing for this opportunity. It was a competition that I challenged myself to win. After a short while, I was contacted by the Ministry that I was exclusively and competitively nominated for this opportunity. Time felt like thin air, three months passed to find myself walking in the corridors of\u00a02019 Spring semester<\/strong>\u00a0at Deusto University in Bilbao\/Spain.<\/p>\n

Arrival at Deusto<\/h1>\n

First step at Deusto was to explore different\u00a0methods of learning<\/strong>\u00a0and interacting with new staff, academics and students with diverse backgrounds. Once I got engaged in the program and became part of the enrollment process and procedure, the exposure lead me to know\u00a0my true call and passion for life and living<\/strong>. I met influential Bilbao locals and internationals where we all blended in an extraordinary\u00a0enabling environment<\/strong>. We had a lot to talk about and share especially since they wanted to know more about my daily life and\u00a0living in Palestine<\/strong>, with all that they hear from social media, which by the way I can now totally understand where their prespective was established and comprehended.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dancing and Spanish<\/h1>\n

So, my true passion is\u00a0dancing<\/strong>. Back home this is considered to be a hobby, not a career. As an active traditional folkloric Palestinian \u201cDabkeh<\/strong>\u201d dancer, I wanted to learn more about new folkloric traditional dancing themes and patterns, so I attended a\u00a0local dance center<\/strong>\u00a0to pick up\u00a0Flamenco<\/strong>\u00a0Spanish dance. I emjoyed dancing with talented Spanish ladies and, by the way,\u00a0I improved my Spanish<\/strong>\u00a0language via practicing. I needed to learn the language because that was the only difficulty I confronted in my entire mobility experience.<\/p>\n

What I take from this experience<\/h1>\n

Upon my return from Deusto, I realized the benefit of the student mobility experience when coincidentally I had\u00a0an opportunity to start my career in dancing<\/strong>. I saw an announcement about a national competition to choose an \u201cAmbassador of Palestine for Heritage and Folklore<\/strong>\u201d to compete in an international world Heritage Competition under the auspices of the\u00a0League of the Arab States and UNESCO<\/strong>\u00a0in Cairo. Thanks to Deusto\u2019s experience, I saw myself in that competition, a\u00a0liberal young woman<\/strong>\u00a0who can spread her country\u2019s cultural heritage, youth achievements, and represent the ambition of the young Palestinian generation.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t deny that the\u00a0Erasmus+<\/strong>\u00a0experience was the main motivation that pushed me to apply for this competition. The cultural interaction I experienced; the knowledge I gained about the\u00a0nation\u2019s lifestyles<\/strong>; learning more about\u00a0human rights<\/strong>, international\u00a0values and ethics<\/strong>; how to be a\u00a0globalized liberal Citizen<\/strong>\u00a0all added value to my personality and presence. I learned how to\u00a0accept others<\/strong>\u00a0no matter how different they are from my background and standards; to be open to\u00a0varied cultures and backgrounds<\/strong>, I became a person who wants to\u00a0stand out and create a leading career that expresses true passion and goodwill intentions in life<\/strong>. And the most important thing is that I discovered that\u00a0every person has a message to spread<\/strong>\u00a0and share worldwide, no matter how small and \/ or insignificant one person may\/might self-evaluate oneself.I am proud to present and represent myself as an icon to empower the Palestinian Youth from all genders and backgrounds<\/strong>. My message is dedicated to all young people around the world,\u00a0GET OUT of your comfort zone<\/strong>\u00a0if you wish, desire, and dream to get internally connected with your true inner self and identity. Erasmus Program and Deusto University opened doors of opportunities for me. I advise you to\u00a0go out and hunt after your dream<\/strong>, make it true, make it happen. Simply live life and the moment to the fullest. Don\u2019t forget, be genuine, be your best self,\u00a0BE YOU (BU)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Samar Qwasmi, Bethlehem University (BU), Palestine<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n