When Stephanie Petrakos was not in a classroom during her junior year of college, she was trying local Australian cuisine in Brisbane, Australia.

“We went to a restaurant and tried kangaroo; it’s a very lean meat … like the leanness of a chicken breast,” Petrakos said. “Also, we tried crocodile; it has the flavor of fish, but the texture of chicken.”

Petrakos, senior businessmajor, earned college credit while studying in Brisbane from February to November 2009. She said she became interested to study abroad in 2007 after taking a trip with her friend to Germany, Paris and Prague. In spring 2008, she applied to study abroad at Sacramento State’s Office of Global Education.

Jack Goodwin, director of the Office of Global Education, said studying abroad is different than tourism.

He said while students learn about foreign cultures studying abroad, they also learn about their own culture and themselves.

“When you’re a tourist, everything is visual,” Godwin said. “But when you are a resident and you have neighbors and responsibilities you are livingin the culture and when you live in it, it begins to transform you.”

Petrakos said she saw how people from other cultures viewAmericans.

“We’re viewed as more cautious,” she said. “Here (in America) I wouldn’t walk homeat 2 o’clock in the morning as a girl by myself, but there (in Australia) would be people that would want to walk home at that time.”

She said Americans are more cautious because they are raised with the idea that things can be scarier. Petrakos said it is not as threatening in Australia because they do not have as many crimes as America does.

Also, Petrakos said she discovered that Australia is more laid back than America.

“(Australians) were all very friendly,” she said. “(Americans are) always fast-paced and got-to-go, stay open late and on time.”

During her trip, Petrakos learned more about Australia by taking classes on Australian society and culture.

Learning about other cultures and being able to empathize with other cultures is a valuable skill in the global economy because Sacramento is a multi-ethnic city, Godwin said.

“It adds value to whatever degree you’re pursuing, whatever field you’re studying … no matter what country you go to,” he said.

Petrakos said she has added international business as a concentration to her degree and wants to travel with a job. She said studying abroad will benefit her with job opportunities because she feels more confident in herself, cares less about what others think of her and will share her views – even if others disagree.

“It shows (I) can adapt to changing environments,” she said. “Now I do things for myself; where do I want to be at?”

Godwin also said students find out who they really are after studying abroad.

“Elements of your personality that you thought were you aren’t really, they are artifacts of the culture,” Godwin said.

Petrakos said because she stayed a year, she was able to have more experiences. She said she could have missed out on her outback adventure where she slept under the stars in the Australian desert.

For Rachel Barry, senior government and Spanish major, she can now speak Spanish more fluently after spending a year in Argentina.

“Now English and Spanish are equal. I don’t have any problems understanding anything,” Barry said.

While some students might enhance their bilingual skills, knowing another language is not a requirement because students can match a destination with their foreign language skills, Godwin said.

When planning to study abroad, students have two options: yearlong programs offered through the California State University International Programs or a semester-long or yearlong program offered through Sac State’s Study Abroad programs.

The cost to study abroad for one year is often not much more than studying at Sac State for the same amount of time. Financing the trip can be done through scholarships and financial aid, Godwin said.

“You pay your airfare, but the fees aren’t anymore higher than if you were studying here,” he said.

He said the more planning a student does, the better off he or she is when it comes time to finance the year and select the location that would have the classes he or she needs.

“(Nearly 100 percent) say “It was the hardest time in my life,’ but they also say “It was best thing I have ever done in my life,'” Godwin said.

Michelle Curtis can be reached at [email protected].