Barbara Delfs
Barbara Delfs
Start Date
November 2023
Interests
Poetry • Language Enthusiast • Scrapbooking • Learning Irish/Gaelic • Volunteer
“To me, the most fascinating thing about living and studying abroad is the experience of connecting to and feeling at home in different places, while ultimately not feeling completely at home in any of them. As time goes on and you navigate a new culture, home sickness, adapting to a new environment, and Fernweh, home becomes this abstract concept of different people, places, languages, and cultures that are never one but exist within you and combine to create a feeling of home, rather than a place on a map.”
Education
Barbara earned a Bachelor of Arts in Education, English, and Spanish from the University of Cologne in Germany, where she completed an undergraduate teacher education program, majoring in teaching English and Spanish as foreign languages. After her undergraduate, she pursued a Master of Social Science in Social Work, Welfare, and Justice from University College Dublin, Ireland.
Travel Experience
At 16 years old, Barbara was a foreign exchange student in Oklahoma where she lived with a host family and studied at a local high school for 10 months. This experience impacted her significantly, taught her to leave her comfort zone, and ignited her passion for languages and cultures. For her postgraduate degree, Barbara embarked on another study-abroad experience and moved to Dublin, Ireland where she found yet another place to call home.
Did You Know?
Barbara grew up speaking German and Russian at home. Even though her Russian is a bit rusty, she still understands most things, can listen to Russian podcasts, and participate in easy everyday conversations.