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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30. 2013
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WHEN YOU WERE OVERSEAS, WHERE DID YOU LIVE AND HOW LONG DID YOU STAY THERE? I lived in Merida, Spain for one year's time following my graduation from KU. I resided in Extremadura, which is on the very western edge of the country and is nestled on the border with Portugal, from August 2008 to 2009. My residence abroad also coincided with the 2008 recession, which I experienced from an international perspective, as well as the 2008 presidential election.
WHAT COMPANY DID YOU WORK FOR? WHAT DID YOU DO FOR THIS COMPANY?
During my year in Spain, I was employed by the Ministry of Education of the autonomous region of Extremadura. Each week I taught English conversation courses to middle and high school students at two institutes named Sáenz de Buruaga and Ruta de la Plata. The ministry placed other native English speakers from a variety of countries—namely England, Australia, Canada and Scotland—at other public schools around the region.
HOW DID BEING A JAYHAWK
ENHANCE YOUR EXPERIENCE
OVERSEAS?
As a student, I'd already studied abroad twice through the encouragement of the university and my professors, which prepared me for the rigors and challenges of immersing myself in another culture. My language skills were more advanced than that of my peers and I'd already ventured to learn several additional languages thanks to the vast offerings at the university, [One language was] Portugalese, which came
in handy during a field trip to Évora, Portugal, when I became the translator between my Spanish students and the Portuguese students at the school we were visiting. During my classes at the university we hadn't focused solely on grammar and conversation, but also culture which was a huge factor in my seamless transition to Spain.
CHEYENNE HANSEN
France
STUDENT
WHERE DID YOU STUDY ABROAD AND DURING WHAT YEAR OF COLLEGE?
I studied abroad in Paris, France for the Summer Language Institute in Paris during the summer between my junior and senior years.
WHAT FAVORITE MEMORY DO YOU HAVE OF YOUR EXPERIENCE?
I have so many favorite memories. I loved the tour portion of the trip where we toured around France from Normandy to Brittany to the Loire Valley. It really cemented our bond as a group. I also loved getting to explore Paris in our free time. The last two nights we were there, me and a couple of my friends went to the carnival in Tuileries Garden and rode all of the carnival rides. It was such an awesome view of Paris at night and was the perfect way to cap
off the trip
WHAT DID YOU LEARN BY STUDYING ABROAD?
learned a lot about cultural differences. We take a lot of things for granted here in the States (air conditioning, for example, which Paris does not have). It's so interesting to not only see the world, but to see it from a different cultural perspective. I feel more independent and like I can handle any problem that comes at me I went from crying every night because I missed home to crying because I had to leave France. If I can handle language barrier issues and living in a completely foreign city for a month, I feel like I can handle anything.
HOW DID THE COUNTRY YOU VISITED DIFFER FROM THE US?
France is very different from the U.S. When I got there, I hated the food. I couldn't find anything I wanted to eat, because it was just so different. The longer I was there, the more I grew to appreciate the differences and enjoy my experiences. I even tried escargot! Also, Parisians have a reputation in the U.S. for being rather rude, but that's not true at all. It's just another cultural difference. Parisians are more straightforward and don't sugarcoat things like Americans do, but that doesn't make them rude. It's a difficult adjustment, but you soon learn that in a big city like that, their demeanor is very understandable and appropriate.
STUDENT
WHAT FAVORITE MEMORY DO YOU HAVE OF YOUR EXPERIENCE?
WHERE DID YOU STUDY ABROAD AND
DURING WHAT YEAR OF COLLEGE?
I studied in Trier, Germany,
in the spring semester of 2013.
I have too many favorite memories, but one of them would be spending time with my German roommates. We would cook together many evenings, even though they knew I wasn't a great cook (I was a star vegetable chopper though) and afterwards we would have movie nights. The great thing was that my roommates were nearly vegetarians, but also very athletic.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN BY STUDYING ABROAD?
I learned a lot about tolerance, patience and understanding. During my ten day trip to
Luxembourg for a class, I faced teachers who barely spoke English. Communication was rough and I became frustrated many times. However, I knew that if I gave it time and tried again and again I would be able to get through it. I had to be understanding; if I were teaching a student who couldn't understand me, I could only do so much. Instead we communicated by action, gestures, and drawings.
I also learned to enjoy life and socialize more often. School in Germany is quite different from school in the US (more laid back). The University of Kansas' Graphic Design program is pretty demanding, in a good way, but it was nice to take a stroll and enjoy the little things in a foreign place. My roommate would always tell me I need to socialize more. I didn't realize it was such a problem, but because
of school I sacrificed a lot of my social life. I'm glad I was able to have a laid back setting, because I learned to appreciate things I didn't before and realize the differences between Europe and the US.
Finally, I learned that we are pretty well off in the United States. We are very privileged in getting many free things (like free public toilets or refills for drinks), having freedom in general, and being "bigger, better [and] faster." The life in the US seems to be a lot faster and more convenient, whereas in Europe I was able to take it slow and walk around.
HOW DID THE COUNTRY YOU VISITED DIFFER FROM THE US (FOOD, WHAT WAS GOOD OR BAD ABOUT IT, CULTURE, ETC.)?
I talked about it before, but many things differed from the U.S. Germany was a little more conservative than I was used to. My roommate was a political science and journalism major, so I definitely kept up to date with what was going on in the world. One thing that drove me crazy was that on Sundays nearly everything was closed because Europe is largely Catholic.
Germany is great in being very walkable and leaning more toward a village-city than 'suburbia.' Germany is also one of the cleanest, most sustainable countries I've been in (I traveled to seven different countries during my semester stay); everyone separated trash from recyclables and the streets were cleaned every day. During the school year, it seemed like there was a holiday every other week. Germany has a lot of celebrations and festivals, they really know how to party. Another wonderful thing about Germany is the bread selection; it makes American bread taste like paper. I miss it dearly.
STUDENT
I've traveled around the States before and the places I went were lovely, but I didn't want to go somewhere where I would go on holiday. I wanted real people and real culture.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO COME TO?
SO FAR, WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR
FAVORITE PART ABOUT KANSAS?
Probably the first football game, because I've never been to anything like it. When we got there it was so hot, but I thought it was worth it. We followed the band inside and they were playing, and I remember, I turned to my friend and said that this is just like being in Disneyland. It was so surreal. It's not just students who come, but also the past students and faculty and friends. It's nothing like that back home. I mean, when the anthem came on there was a fly by. It was amazing for a school, but it didn't make sense. When something is so different than what you're expecting or used to, you just don't know how to take it. It was just... wow.
www.danddtire.net
DID YOU STUDY ABROAD WHILE ATTENDING KU?
I mean my two years at KU were one huge 'study abroad' thing. I was an international student from Russia on a Fulbright scholarship.
WHAT COMPANY DO YOU WORK FOR IN MOSCOW?
ALUMNI
Upon my arrival I got an editorial job with Russia Today, a big international TV channel. I worked there on the interview show "Spotlight." Now I'm in the process of getting a new job in a major Russian production company which makes videos for several TV channels.
HOW DID BEING A JAYHAWK ENHANCE
YOUR EXPERIENCE AND THE
OPPORTUNITIES YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN?
First of all, my English level has risen extremely, which gives me a certain advantage in the Russian job market. My internships with Al Jazeera and my work for KUJH-TV and the Kansan gave me hands-on experience I needed to enter a media job market. I learned how to conduct research, which it never hurts to know. But what I value most is that I met so many wonderful people at the university. They are all different, yet amazing. I wish I could have spent more time learning from them.
ALUMNI
WHAT DO YOU DO IN TURKEY?
I currently work as an English Education Consultant at a private school called Akansu Koleji here in Kayseri, Turkey. I teach English to 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th graders, as well as doing private lessons with students and adults alike. I love my job, and although the students are difficult to control at times, I do enjoy seeing the looks on their
faces when they understand what I try to teach them.
WHAT IS IT LIKE LIVING OVERSEAS?
It is absolutely frightening living in a country you you've knowledge of, regarding the culture and the language, and it forces you to learn as much as you can. I've only been here for a short time and I have had to learn some Turkish to get around and to communicate with locals. They seem very receptive of me speaking in their tongue. Their encouragement and words of praise are very powerful factors that encourage you to keep learning the country's culture and language.
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