TAKING A LITTLE BIT OF "HOME" ABROAD
Andrew Stark spent the 2006-2007 academic year studying at Obirin University in Tokyo, Japan.
6 Months? A Year?!
5:30 AM. Cold November morning. Going to watch the KU vs. K-State football game.
This may seem like the act of an overzealous fan going to get in line for one of the greatest rivalries in college history, but actually, this was me, November of last year in Tokyo, Japan, going to my host campus to get a wireless internet signal. I bought a nifty little box before I left the States last fall to let me watch Lawrence cable on my laptop while I was studying abroad for the year.
Many students who contemplate studying abroad for an extended period of time worry about what it will be like to leave everything they know and love behind: friends, familly, their campus. Subsequently, they find themselves torn between two worlds and, eventually, missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime; living and studying in another country. Well, I'm here to tell you there are ways to keep a little bit of home with you anywhere you go.
First of all, anybody who can use a computer can keep in touch with family and friends. MSN Live Messenger and Skype (an internet phone) are the best ways I've found. Both allow a user to do regular on-line chat as well as free PC to PC video/voice conferencing. You can also purchase credit to call landlines or cell phones for much cheaper than an international phone card. Just set-up a time with people to talk each week and away you go.
Secondly, if you are a huge sports fan, like me, or TV junkie, you can buy a Slingbox which hooks-up to your local cable and internet and streams local programming straight to your computer over the internet, and you won't ever miss your favorite show...as long as you're not in class.
Also, there's always Facebook, blog sites, and good old fashion e-mail to keep in touch with everyone back home, but there is a warning to go along with all of this technological connectivity. Don't miss out on your study abroad experience because you're so worried about what is going-on back home!! The reason for going abroad is to have cultural experiences and personal interactions that you would never get at home. If you spend all your time worrying about what's going on back home, you'll miss out on many opportunities abroad.
Family and true Friends will be there for you no matter how long you're gone. There is always next season, there are always re-runs. Bottom-line: don't let the fear of being away from all that is "normal" and "comfortable" keep you from going abroad, but don't be so connected to home when you're there that you forget the reason you left in the first place was to get a new perspective on life.
ANDREW STARK AT THE TANABATA FESTIVAL IN HIRATSUKA, JAPAN.
Michael Nelson studied abroad in L viv Ukraine during the 2006-2007 academic year through a student-initiated program.
LIFE IN THE UKRAINE
I decided to study abroad in L'viv, Ukraine at the beginning of my junior year. I wanted to go to Ukraine in order to attain a better understanding of the Ukrainian language, as well as further arouse my curiosity of Ukrainian culture. At first I applied for a federal scholarship in order to study abroad, and although I did not receive it, I did not feel discouraged from pursuing my goal to study abroad in L'viv. I felt as though I had enough assistance as well as the qualifications necessary to study abroad in Ukraine; that is, I already had a strong command of the Russian language and had been studying Ukrainian intensely with one other student in my faculty. Therefore, I was very much set on my decision to study abroad, and I knew that nothing was going to prevent me from being able to do so.
I left for Ukraine in August of 2006 with a good idea of what to expect from the host culture. I had already studied abroad in St. Petersburg, Russia in 2005, so I did not feel any fear or great uncertainty in my decision to go abroad. Moreover, I knew what to expect of the Ukrainian bureaucracy, which is rather similar to the Russian bureaucracy. Although this was the case, I entered Ukraine differently than I had entered Russia. Firstly, I entered Ukraine alone; secondly, I experienced some problems with my luggage at the international airport in Kyiv; thirdly, I was study and live in Ukraine for an entire academic year (I studied in St. Petersburg for six weeks). But soon after I arrived, I quickly adjusted to the city and experienced very few difficulties in navigating my way around the city as well as with the language. In addition, I lived with a host family, which gave me the opportunity to speak Ukrainian as often as possible. I even met a number of Ukrainian students at my university, most of whom were in my faculty, and quickly befriended them. This allowed me to become very confident as well as very proficient in the Ukrainian language.
While abroad in Ukraine, I was forced to do a lot of things on my own for the first time in my life. While I had a group of fellow Russian students from the university with me in Russia, I had very few friends in Ukraine with a strong command of the English language. Furthermore, I was forced to make friends with Ukrainians, which was a significant contributor to the development of my proficiency in the Ukrainian language. Whether it was during class at the university, or at the pub with friends during the evening, I was speaking Ukrainian as often as possible, with a variety of Ukrainians. Being forced to meet new people in a different culture greatly changed my world outlook, and I feel as though I continue to benefit from the fact that I had to build a brand new social network in a completely different country.
MICHAEL NELSON
TOOK THIS PHOTO OF THE
L'VIV OPERA HOUSE.
WINTER OR SPRING BREAK A GREAT TIME TO GO ABROAD
WINTER
Can't devate a semester or year to study abroad? Short-term programs are a great way for students to complete discipline-specific credits while
Wi
Can't devote a semester or study at school? Short-term programs are a great way for students to complete discipline-specific credits while experiencing another culture, KU will offer a number of short-term programs during Winter and Spring break this year. All courses are taught
in English.
Winter Break: Marine Biology: Field Studies on a Coral Reef Island of the Caribbean
**Winter Bay, Maine** Marine biology. First studies on a coral reef biomass in the Northwest Atlantic. Course will focus on coral invertebrates in Caribbean. Course work will focus on the ecology, biology and identification of marine invertebrates, fish, mammals, and turtles. The trip will include 13 days of diving as well as explorations of terrestrial and aquatic environments.
Winter break. Integra also the artist in prague.
This program includes six of its evening exhibitions from October to December in which various aspects of Czech history, and culture are introduced. The course culminates in a 10-day trip to Prague in January. The trip will include lectures by local scholars, visits to museums and other sites and evenings at the theatre. A special emphasis will be placed on contemporary theatre.
The Brits Rica Experience.
Winter Break: Theatre and the Arts in Prague, Czech Republic
World Bank-Costa Rica Experience
Women in Costa Rica experience the opportunity to investigate a variety of current issues in Costa Rican politics, culture, and environmental conservation through lectures, field trips to sites of interest, and individual research projects.
**Winter Break:** Turkish winters bring 12 days in Turkey and Winter Break exploring the ways in which women have been and are active in Islam and society in turkey. Special班会 in Turkey to tour Islamic monuments and meet with women who are active in the public sphere in areas as diverse as education, research, development, politics, religion, art, music and media. Six evening seminar meetings will be held at KU in the fall prior to departure in Turkey.
Winter Break: Design in Mexico
Students will explore cultural aspects of contemporary Mexico arts and crafts including visits to contemporary art galleries, art and crafts museums and anthropological museums. The program will visit the well-known colonial city, Puebla which is known for its outstanding ceramic production called Taletaver. The group will also travel to dynamic City to visits its world-class museums and archaeological sites and the beautiful colonial city, San Miguel de Allende to visit the study of practicing artists and craftsmans.
Spring Break, renaissance tournaments and other activities in the United States and Canada. A visit to Western Civilization II on the Lawrence campus this spring and spend Spring Break in London will visit museums, historic buildings and other locations related to course assignments. Assignments, examinations and discussions are planned at our offices on Wednesday, April 14th.
Reviews with Inglis The London Review
Spring Break: The London Review
Spring Break The London review Program student to plan and research a visit to London, to spend Spring Break visiting London, and to create a review of essays and their study. Students attend class weeks during the spring semester, both before and after the review.
Spring Break: International Careers in London
Spring Break: information greater
The purpose of this Learning Experience Study Abroad opportunity is to assist students in gaining a greater understanding of work in the global economy and identify the avenues leading to employment opportunities abroad. Students meet weekly during the spring semester, both before and after the program. The course will include a spring break trip to London, England where students will visit 3-4 global companies/organizations and a graduate school.
JAYHAWKS ABROAD
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FALL 2007
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