CIEE Full Circle Experience - Life Update! By Margeaux Stapleton

Hey friends!

I thought it was time for a life update. I know many of you watch my stories and reels, but as a friend reminded me the other day, that doesn't give you the full story.

As I write this, I feel quite overwhelmed. I am overwhelmed by gratefulness, joy, and also anxiety, as this time is flying by. I don't know how it is almost November. I still have so much to do! And guys... how is 2026 right around the corner? I remember as a freshman at Wofford I felt like my graduation year of 2026 seemed centuries away, but now somehow I graduate in 6 months. I wish there was a pause button on life, but there is not. I have learned the closest thing to a pause button is living in the moment. Every moment.

School Update

I am really enjoying my classes here. It is cool to get to take classes I normally wouldn't at Wofford. The shock of having everything in Spanish has worn off and homework doesn't feel like it takes as long. We are coming up on a busy few weeks as we will have tons of essays and presentations due. As if it wasn't already busy! I don't think I have shared all of the classes I'm taking so here they are:

• Intercultural Communication and Leadership
• Advanced Spanish
• Popular Dominican Dance
• Independent Directed Research
• Community Service

It is definitely different than having Organic Chemistry and bio labs! I am thankful for the opportunity to use another side of my brain.

Spanish

I am for sure not fluent yet, however, I feel a lot more confident in my Spanish abilities than when I first got here. I can write an essay in Spanish pretty quickly now and my reading has gotten much better. I am also really thankful that my Spanish is up to speed enough to do my research interviews without an interpreter!

I will be honest, some days I do just crave an English conversation or for my phone to be in English (thanks for that, Margeaux), but I know growing pains are the only way to get better! I am really thankful for my other American friends here because some days you do just need to be able to have a conversation at your normal talking speed, without analyzing every tense you are using. It is a good brain break.

Host Family

I have absolutely fallen in LOVE with my host family. They love me so well. My host sister is such a blessing to me. Just this morning, she and I sang "Baby" by Justin Bieber at the top of our lungs and laughed and giggled. She is pure joy. I am so thankful for host parents who love me like a daughter and are always there for me. My adjustment to this life would be very different without them. It is so wonderful to know that you will have a meal waiting for you when you get home from class, and someone to talk to when a class is frustrating you.

Research

My research is in full swing, so I am busy! I just started my interviews with doctors this past week. I was sooo nervous because I have always been the one in the interviewee seat in my past experiences. It was weird to suddenly be the one asking questions! The first interviews went well, and I am anxiously awaiting some more interview appointments in the coming weeks. All of the interviews are done in Spanish and after each one, there is a protocol set in place for me to transcribe each. It is much harder than I thought to transcribe them, but as I do more it gets easier.

I am also in full research prep mode for Ghana which is crazy! There is so much preparation that goes on behind the scenes before I can even think about landing in each of these countries.

Ghana

In speaking of Ghana, all plane tickets are purchased and my visa application has been submitted. I will travel to Ghana in mid-December and it will be my last stop on this worldwide adventure! I will spend Christmas in Ghana which will be my first Christmas away from home and family ever. I am grateful that I have a Ghanaian family who loves me very much to spend the holidays with.

Reflection

I have felt quite overwhelmed in the past month. I often reflect back on my previous adventures in India and Thailand and just sit in awe that they were actually real. I was on the other side of the world? Alone? No way. I have felt every emotion possible since arriving in the Dominican Republic. I have felt exhausted from learning a new language, I have felt joy that I get to live here, I have felt sad that I am missing things back at Wofford, I have felt anxious that I graduate in just a few months, and I have felt honored to be doing this and so unworthy of such a life-changing experience.

Before leaving, I was the world's worst at feeling feelings. I always want to smile and laugh, but I never want to feel the other emotions that come along with life. Well, I have found that when you sit alone in your bedroom in the quiet of the night, crickets chirping and ceiling fan attempting to keep you cool, you don't have much choice but to feel those feelings. And you know what I have found? It's really good. It's freeing to realize that I am human and that sometimes I cry, and get tired, and overwhelmed. It's also awesome to recognize the childlike joy that I often feel when I cuddle up with Indie (my teddy bear) under my fleece blanket at night.

What you often see about study abroad on social media is the adventure and the adrenaline and the food. Now don't get me wrong, I have FUN and I have crazy stories to last a lifetime. But what we often forget is that you are not just studying abroad, you are living abroad. There are days that seem mundane where I feel like I should be doing something cool because they tell me this is once in a lifetime and why would I waste time? But it's not just the flights, the day trips, and the pictures that are once in a lifetime. It's also the quiet moments where I sit and dream about telling my little babies about this one day. It's the struggle days that remind me I actually really like hot showers. It's the hugs from my host sister that confirm to me I do love physical touch despite what I have told every boyfriend I have ever had. THOSE are the once in a lifetime moments, and I am doing everything I can not to miss them.

I know all too well that in the blink of an eye I will be in my twin XL bed back at Wofford, drinking a latte made from my Nespresso, while stressing over a homework assignment that for a moment seems impossible compared to moving my life across the world. I know that even faster I will walk across the stage, leaving behind four years of my life that shaped me and molded me into the version I am now. And I know that somehow, one day I'll be rocking a little version of me to sleep, reminiscing on these adventures that I am having right now.

So, through the exhaustion, the anxiety, the unknowns, and all of the ups and downs that studying abroad brings, I want to take in every moment and savor it, like the once-in-a-lifetime gift it truly is.

Sending love from the Dominican Republic!

Margeaux Stapleton