Hello! My name is Justin Esperto, and over the next few months, I’ll be sharing my journey with you from Lisbon, the capital city of Portugal. Even though I haven’t arrived yet, I’m excited to begin this experience and to learn alongside you as it unfolds.
While in Lisbon, I’ll be living with a host mom, someone who lives there as a local and calls Portugal home. Living with a host parent isn’t completely new to me. Last summer, I studied abroad in Spain for six weeks and lived with a host dad, which was my first time ever leaving the United States.
Even though Spain and Portugal are close to each other and share some history, Portugal is a new place for me, with its own traditions, stories, and ways of life. I’m looking forward to giving the people I meet the chance to show me what makes Portuguese culture unique.
That experience in Spain showed me how valuable curiosity can be, especially when it’s paired with kindness and respect. Asking good questions, listening carefully, and staying open to learning helped me grow in ways I never expected.
As a traveler, I believe it’s important to represent where you come from well. That means being respectful in someone else’s country, listening before judging, and giving people the chance to share who they are and how they live. When you take the time to listen to others, you don’t just learn about them, you learn from them. People feel seen and heard, and that creates understanding and connection.
This journey will also include moments of discomfort. Learning a new language means making mistakes, not understanding everything right away, and sometimes feeling unsure of yourself. But those moments are often the ones where the most growth happens. Making mistakes teaches patience, both with yourself and with others, and helps you build confidence over time.
Because my first experience abroad was so meaningful, I wanted to share this one too. Instead of going on this journey alone, I hope you’ll come along with me as I explore Portugal, meet new people, and learn how different ways of life shape the world around us. I’m looking forward to discovering, learning, and growing together.
Want to know more about how you can study or intern abroad when you are a college student? The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by the Institute of International Education (IIE). Learn more about the scholarship by visiting www.gilmanscholarship.org.
