Study Abroad: Australia

Almost every peer advising session, usually between doing homework and counting the Lonely Planet books, one or more students come in wanting to know more about studying abroad in Australia. I cringe. It's nothing against Australia. I'd love to go there someday and it looks/sounds like an amazing country to visit. But the fact is, that studying abroad in Australia is usually done as a vacation, not a once in a lifetime experience. I want redirect there attention to somewhere less conventional. I want to tell them that although Australia sounds fun, they will gain more out of a less interchangeable culture. I want to tell them I've never been to Africa so you have to go for me. But then I'm left with the question: What if Australia is that ultimate new and life-altering place for them? Everybody is different, maybe Australia is where they will learn and grow the most.

I've found that peer advising the "Australia situation" is like walking a fine line. I answer their questions and help them with whatever it is I can relating to Australia, but I also ask why they want to go. Usually that can open the conversation up to other locations offered abroad. It is the best I can do to withhold my bias. I don't want to steer them away, because that is not what peer advisers are here for, but I do make sure they know there are other options.

If all goes well they leave with information on Australia as well as stacks of paper about many other, less conventional places; and I move on to playing with the Glimpse magazines.

Posted by Ian, Salvador, Brazil, Summer 2007

Movie Review: "Au Revoir les Enfants"

The other night while I was doing some homework, I was flipping through the channels on TV and came across one of my favorite movies, “Au Revoir Les Enfants,” or in English, “Goodbye Children.” It is a semi-autobiographical film, written and directed by Louis Malle. It takes place during World War II at a Catholic boarding school in France; the priests at the school are hiding a Jewish boy named Jean Bonnet from the Nazis. A great portion of the film focuses on the friendship between Jean Bonnet and another student at the school, Julien Quentin. For anyone who is interested in French culture, or even historical films, I would totally recommend this movie. I originally had seen it for one of my classes, but I have been a huge fan ever since. Louis Malle does a great job of portraying the struggles that accompanied World War II during the 1940s… Definitely check it out!

Posted by Jen, Brussels, Belgium, Spring 2007

Study Abroad with Friends?

Recently, I encountered students interested in studying abroad together in the same program, even if they both have different interests and are seeking to gain differing experiences during their time abroad. I handled the situation by asking them about their majors and if they wanted to continue taking classes abroad related to their majors. I also asked them preferences about where they would want to travel during their time abroad and tried to highlight certain programs based on their interest of travel. They seemed very set on studying together, and it was hard to accommodate both of their needs into one specific program. I let them know that studying abroad really brings people together and bonds the members of the program, so even if they did study by themselves, they would meet new people easily and make new friends in the program. I was able to recommend certain programs to them, some of the programs being different from each other and others being the same. I wanted them to definitely consider the option of studying on their own and learning to be independent and meet new people, but I also kept in mind that they were interested in studying with each other. In the end, I think I opened their eyes to the possibility of them seeking different programs, because based on their majors, traveling preferences, and other interests, they did desire diverse experiences. However, we did find several programs within Europe that did fit many of both of their interests. Hopefully based on their preferences for their study abroad experience, they will find programs that will help them gain the most out of their time abroad.
The reason why I was interested in this issue was because when I decided to study abroad in Rome, it was my first time being completely on my own without any other familiar friends or family with me. It was at first an overwhelming experience, because I knew that I didn't have anyone to fall back on right away, but after a few weeks of transitioning into the culture and meeting new people, I felt very comfortable with being by myself and knowing that I could rely on the new friends I was making. I became a lot more independent from my time abroad, which was an eye-opening experience for me.

Posted by Jill, Rome, Italy, Spring 2007

Thanksgiving in France

My thanksgiving was very different when I was in France, but really exciting at the same time because my family came to visit me then (because they had time off for school) So we had a mock thanksgiving dinner with my host family. We did not however, make traditional thanksgiving food (which I think would have been fun, but my host mom was not really feeling thanksgiving dinner) She likes to cook, so she decided she wanted to make a traditional French dinner so that my family could experience it, in place of the same thanksgiving meal we have every year, which was kind of neat. Anyways, I got to spend Thanksgiving with my French family AND my real family which was really cool. Also, my mom's birthday was on Thanksgiving, and my host mom and I acutally baked her a French cake (which was delicious) so it was neat that they got to share in that experience with my family as well.

As for my friends, The University of Minnesota make a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for all the students at a local restaurant that was all paid for, which was really cool. They had turkey, stuffing, gravy, the works so that no one had to spend Thanksgiving alone!

Posted by Jillian, Montpellier, France, Fall 2006

Thanksgiving in Denmark

Since I am from a very close-knit family, Thanksgiving with out them seemed fairly daunting so I tried to plan ahead to make sure I had a plan for the day so I wouldn't miss my family too much. Turns out I didn't really have to plan much. My friend Hannah's mom planned her trip to visit Hannah for the Thanksgiving Holiday. With her she brought an approximately 50 LB bag full of all the Thanksgiving feast necessities, mostly canned goods of course. She planned it out meticulously, they reserved the Turkey and whatever else that she had to get while in Denmark and about 15 of us (Americans and non-americans) had a regular old Thanksgiving day feast.

It wasn't quite home, but it was close enough.

Also that day, Copenhagen had their annual Christmas tree lighting down town which was one of the most beautiful, festive things I have ever seen.

Posted by Colleen, Copenhagen, Denmark, Fall 2006

Blogging while abroad

The internet is a great way to keep in touch with friends and family while you're abroad. Social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace have made it so easy to know what's going on at home, it sometimes feels as though you haven't even left home. I think that it's really important to make a chronicle of one's adventures, instead of just sending sporadic e-mails and Facebook messages to friends, why not make a blog for everyone to read?

Before I went for my year in Japan, I designed a blog and put it on my PSU personal web space. Weblogs are easy to come by, there are free services like Blogger.com and Livejournal, to name a few, that offer pre-made layouts and easy publishing for those of us who are maybe slightly impaired when it comes to the arts of web design. I set it up with links to my host school and of course resources for study abroad at Penn State and also for people interested in Japan. I even had a strip of pictures that would update as I added new ones to my Flickr account. I would try to post at least once a week, but it was kind of hard, especially since I didn't want to spend all of my time studying abroad in Kansai Gaidai's computer lab. My family would visit my blog and see what I'd been up to that week, and they could also see my photos, since everything was in one easily accessible location.

Blogging while abroad was definitely a great way to recount my experience, and now I have all of these blog posts I can go back and read and remember my travels. You can read them too, at my site: http://www.personal.psu.edu/bmb5015

Actually, people have found my site while doing searches for information on traveling in Japan, and have e-mailed me with questions about the specific regions that I lived in and visited during my year there. I was also contacted by a former student of Kansai Gaidai who lived with my same homestay family! You never know who is out there reading your stuff, so make it good, and believe me you will be in for a memorable experience!

Posted by Bridget, Osaka, Japan, Academic Year 2006-2007

Movie Review - Maria Full of Grace

María Llena de Gracias (María Full of Grace) is a great movie full of suspense with scenes in both Colombia and the United States. It tells the tale of María Alvarez, an outspoken Colombian teen fed up with her life of working in a factory to support her family. She does not want to follow in the footsteps of her mother and sister: pregnant, abandoned by the men in their lives, and barely surviving. Embracing her rebellious side, she becomes involved in drug smuggling, which promises opportunities to travel and earn much money, but with major legal, personal, and social consequences. Her character is very brave as she makes her way to the U.S., knowing no English and traveling with lethal drugs inside her body as a “drug mule”.

The movie is really riveting and held my attention intensely throughout the film. As the action takes place in Colombia I was really draw in by the beautiful scenery but also how frustrated María feels in her small, impoverished village. As the scene shifts to New York City the contrast between lifestyles and countries is drastic. I love immigrant stories so it was really interesting to see all of María’s struggles (language, culture shock, lack of material things) and all of the opportunities that were available to her also. This is a great international film and definitely worth renting!

Posted by Clare, Seville, Spain, Spring 2007

Life in Shanghai-Myths and Reality

I know many students may be timid and have much anticipation when studying abroad in a foreign country. Especially a country that does not speak their native language, which for most students happens to be English. I studied abroad in Shanghai, China this past Summer 2007- and had probably the most misguided views anyone could have on a country. Coming from New York City, I had heard many of the horror stories about going to a communist country so far away and so different in culture. However, all my erroneous beliefs were ended when I arrived in Pudong airport. The general assumption of China is that no one will speak English, it is a rural country that isn’t very advanced, and it does not compare in any way to the modernization of the United States or other European countries. Well, if you have had any anticipation about studying abroad in China, I am here to tell you that it was one of the best experiences if not the best experience of my life. Shanghai is the closest comparison I have ever encountered to New York City. It is a high tech, face-paced, extremely modern city that is continuously growing from day to day. Many people speak English, certainly at all tourist locations, and I was surprised to find so many foreigners there (mostly business men and women) working in Shanghai for their international companies. There were many westerns studying in universities nearby to mine, and also many Europeans doing exchange programs in my apartment building. The real estate is booming, and nightlife is much like that of New York City. I would go as far to say that Shanghai might be if not equally, possibly even more efficient and technologically advanced than New York City. People are always on the go, and it can basically be compared to any major city in the United States excepted cheaper. So if you are considering studying abroad (especially in a non-English speaking country), and are unsure of how you might adapt to that experience, think it over and give it a chance. It might be the best and most adventurous experience of your life. Don’t be fooled by the common misconception of a country before researching it.

Posted by Alison L, Shanghai, China, Summer 2007

Book Review

I just finished reading a book that I recommend to all those who like travel. It's called The Sex Lives of Cannibals (it has nothing to do with the title really) and is by J. Maarten Troost, a guy who moves with his girlfriend to live on Kiribati in the equatorial Pacific. The book is so funny; I've laughed out loud reading it. It's a memoir and Troost just talks about all the mishaps and adventures that he experiences in the 2 years the he and his girlfriend live in Tarawa, an island that is in Kiribati. It's interesting to read about how life really is on an island in the equatorial pacific and just how things are pretty different. I think my favorite chapter was when he talked about their acquiring a handful of dogs and a cat and about how there are stray dogs everywhere and that he finally became immune to the American humane way of treating animals and would throw rocks at the to keep them away (not that I think the inhumane treatment of animals is funny, just his description of the events is). It's a pretty quick and easy read, so it's a good distraction from all the fun reading you get to do for class. Pick it up and start reading it-I promise you'll like it!

Posted by Jaime, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Spring 2007