ASK US! WE'RE THE PEER ADVISORS
By Natalie Flanzer, Peer Advisor for the Office of Study Abroad
For many students summer programs provide the best option for studying abroad. The Office of Study Abroad is offering 40 programs in 23 countries during Summer 2005, with courses ranging from specific major credits to general requirements. If you are thinking about going abroad, the Peer Advisors, Natalie Flanzer, Melissa Hartnett, Susie Mason and Meredith Vacek, offer their advice and answer some of the questions that are on everyone's mind.
What is your favorite summer program and why?
Meredith: Language and Culture in Croatia. Croatia is a beautiful country with miles of coastline on the Mediterranean. You get to learn the Croatian language without needing any previous knowledge of the language. You will also be involved in several different activities including films and lectures about this often overlooked culture.
Susie: British Summer Institute. The program has the opportunity for a lot of travel. A trip to the Scottish Highlands has just been added for this summer. It is a great opportunity to travel to Loch Ness, the Isle of Skye and Eilean Donan Castle. You have the opportunity to get to know the cultural differences in various parts of the United Kingdom.
Earning nine credits is a huge bonus and makes the month-long study trip worthwhile.
Natalie: Spanish Language and Journalism Internship in Puebla, Mexico. For someone interested in studying Spanish, the Puebla program is a great
ed in studying Spanish, t opportunity. The program just added a journalism practicum credit, which will provide an opportunity for Journalism students to work in a Spanish-speaking environment during their internship hours. Living with a host family and participating in the optional excursions gives students a great immersion into the culture, language and society that are all a part of a worthwhile experience abroad. Melissa: Language and Culture in Vitoria, Brazil. Brazil is an excellent program
Participants on the Vitoria, Brazil program take an excursion to Ouro Preto. Contributed by António Simões, Program Director.
because the intensive language program improves students' Portuguese, a lesser-known language. The program provides students with an opportunity to live with a host family, which is unique for a summer program. You can be at any level with your Portuguese studies, from beginning to graduate. Plus you get to learn capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian form of martial arts.
Is there one thing you wish you would have known before going abroad?
Meredith: I wish that I would have known that the
German idea of a vegetarian involved shrimp and bacon.
**Susie:** I took a huge suitcase and a pack, which I ended up having to lug around with me. Do not bring nearly as much as you think you need, you can always turn your underwear inside out.
Do you have one tip for packing light?
Meredith: For ladies, cut down on the hair care products, so come up with a style that is simple and easy to care for. Guys really just need to make sure they do not bring too many clothes.
Natalie: After you have gathered together all of your clothes and toiletries cut the amount in half. If you forget something,you can always buy clothes,socks underwear and shampoo abroad. It is always good to have room in your suitcase for souvenirs and gifts you might pick up along the way.
Melissa: The best advice is to step outside the group. Whether it is spending some time with your host family, doing some independent travel or meeting locals at a café just take time to enjoy being in a new environment. Your time is really short; so don't allow yourself to spend all of your time with other group members.
What is one piece of advice that you could give to students interested in studying abroad during the summer?
Each summer about 750 students study abroad through KU. If you want to be one of those students, then stop by the Office of Study Abroad today. The Peer Advisors are in 109 Lippincott from 8-5, Monday through Friday, to answer all of your questions.
THE BEST DECISION I HAVE EVER MADE
By Ryan Yost, University of Hong Kong
I spent my birthday in Chongqing, China, which claims to be the world's largest city, and I spent Christmas in Hong Kong. You might be guessing where I chose to study abroad. I decided on the University of Hong Kong as a worthy place to spend a semester, and the decision turned out to likely be the best I have ever made.
According to any guidebook Hong Kong is a recent British colony, it's the Gateway to China and the Pearl of the Orient, a modern international city with more Rolls Royce per capita than anywhere in the world, and Cantonese food tastes great. Everything I read about Hong Kong made it sound so foreign when compared to Kansas, but it took less than two weeks for the place to feel like home.
Fears of a language barrier dissolved when I found nearly everybody spoke a little English, and what barrier did exist was easily overcome by a few simple Cantonese phrases and a working knowledge of the numbers. Fears of a culture shock dissipated when I found the local students helpful and friendly. Fears of finding myself bored disappeared the moment I saw the view from my dorm room on the 22nd floor overlooking the sea.
Within a week I bought a cellular phone and acquired the numbers of over three-dozen international students, all of which were in the same situation as myself. Everyone made friends fast. We spent our spare time traversing the city streets and visiting the outdoor markets, the restaurants with cuisine from every country,
and the bars, which are open until six in the morning and sometimes later. We saw temples, barbecued on Victoria Peak, and took ferryies to the outlying islands. Each weekend was a new adventure, and I now can rest easy at night after seeing the world's largest outdoor sitting bronze Buddha, which is only a short ferry and bus ride away.
Ryan Yost on the Hong Kong Island Tram. Contributed by Ryan Yost.
Hong Kong really is the Gateway to China.Visas take about 3 days to obtain and for the price of a big
weekend out in Kansas, you can buy a train ticket to Beijing or Shanghai. A hostel will cost about six dollars a night. From there you might find yourself in Tiananmen Square at midnight or inside China's tallest building, the Jin Mao Building, both of which I ended up at on the first night upon visiting the two cities.
Give the Hong Kong program some thought. The classes are taught in English and the instructors enjoy the new perspectives international students bring to class. Put aside any hesitations regarding the city and go see it for yourself. You're unlikely to regret deciding to study in Hong Kong, so take a couple minutes the next time you pass Lippincott Hall and pick up some information from the Office of Study Abroad.
JAYHAWKS ABROAD
SPRING 2005
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