Section A·Page 18
The University Daily Kansan
Monday, August 17, 1998
Students' summer trips learning experiences
Terrorism, soccer mix with studies
By Mariana Paiva
Kansan staff writer
For some University of Kansas students, a summer abroad meant a bomb threat in a Scotland subway, the aftermath of the Bolivian earthquake and a tour of pyramids, mines and mummies in Mexico.
Brian Wanamaker, Topeka junior, studied at The London School of Economics with six other students from the University. Some of them spent a weekend in Scotland, where they had a thrilling moment.
Wanamaker said that as they waited for a friend in the subway, a police officer started to push them away and evacuated the area. They did not get any explanation from the police, but a friend later told them that bombs were found in a subway phone booth and in four different places in the country.
"Even though there was a bomb threat at the same stop where we were supposed to meet, at the same time we were supposed to meet, we did have a great time," Wanamaker said.
The World Cup also brought excitement to Wanamaker's stay in England.
"I've always played soccer, but I just understood the magnitude of this game when I was there," Wanamaker said. "Even when England lost to Argentina, people kept meeting in the dorm bar to watch the games. They took it really serious, and they go wild about it."
Will Holliday, a Lawrence graduate student who spent his summer doing research in Cochabamba, Bolivia, was a bit shaken by an
Above: Chris Hund, Topeka senior; Nadia Parker, Salina junior; and Michelle Cadwalader, Overland Park junior, stand on the Pyramid of the Sun in front of the Pyramid of the Moon in Teothuacan, Mexico. The students learned about the language and culture of Mexico during the two months they spent in Guadalajara. Right: Part of the KU Study Abroad group visits a mine in Guadalajara. Contributed Photos
earthquake aftershock
"I got in Bolivia after the earthquake that had affected an area close to Cochabamba, but one day when I was doing my research in the archives, I felt a fairly small shock," Holliday said. "It was disconcerting for me, who was experiencing that for the first time."
In Guadalajara, Mexico, students enhanced their Spanish skills and learned about Mexican culture.
"The best thing about the program was that we studied it, read poems in class and then got to see it," said Chris Hund, Topeka senior. "We were standing in pyramids that were built 2,000 years ago."
Hund also traveled to Guana-jauto, Mexico, where he visited old gold mines and saw mummies.
"The mummies weren't wrapped as the ones in Egypt," Hund said.
"You see the bodies from people that had lived 400 years ago. It is really grotesque, but you have to see it once in your lifetime."
Mar Freire, Galicia, Spain, graduate student, was a teacher in the Guadalajara program. She said that even though the program lasted only two months, students could learn more Spanish and more about Mexican culture than they would in a semester at the
University.
"It was an amazing experience, and I recommend, to any student or teacher interested, to participate," Freire said. "People in Mexico treat you really well, and it is easy to make friends. It is just like a family."
Anyone interested in studying abroad should contact the Office of Study Abroad in 108 Lippincott or call 864-3742.