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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 2002)
Accepting the Crocodile Fat: by sunshine Ray Clark The Many Gifts of Overseas Study Identity is shaped by vari ous experi ences, and nat urally my experiences abroad have had an enormous effect on who I am today Perhaps the great est influence from my trip to South Africa came from one touching incident: It was my first day at the site, when I heard a voice coming from over the hills. I looked up, just in time to see a small boy, no older than six, standing on the top of an adjacent hill, smil ing and waving his arms frantically. It took only a moment to hear his broken English: “Welcome to my country” Al most instandy, tears came to my eyes, as the young boy, followed by a large group of other children, ran up to us with a unique gift in their arms: crocodile fat. It was at that moment that I realized that poverty meant nothing in relation to hap piness. These people were living in dung hous es, with barely enough food from their small sugarcane fields to get by, but they were presenting us with one of the most highly prized gifts in all of Zulu culture. (Crocodiles are said to hold magical pow ers, and eating the fat makes one resistant to poisons and diseases.) This experience made me see life in a different way, and made me an entirely different person. I now realize what it means to share one’s way of life with another person, whether it be material or not, and what a profound influence that can have on an individual. Being removed from a home and peo ple that I have known all my life also made me more appreciative of the people around me. I spent much of my time "Spend ingtime overseas broad ened my view of the world and made me more sensitive to the people and places around me. overseas thinking how lucky 1 was to be there, and how 1 would never have had the chance to have such an experience without the financial and emotional sup port of those close to me. Everyday I make sure that those around me know how grateful I am to have them, and how imrwrtcmt tVipv c\rt> fn rr\t> important tney are to me. Spending time abroad has also helped me on an academ ic level. I have become devot ed to my major (archaeology) and more driven than ever to complete school and follow my ambitions. My grades and attendance have improved drastically Through my expe riences in South Africa, I have now seen how I want my life to be, and I have begun to work towards that goal. Essentially, spending time overseas broadened my view of the world and made me more sensitive to the people and places around me. The experience improved my sense of identity, and I look forward to adding to those changes in the future. Sunshine is a senior majoring in archaeology. She participated in an overseas internship in South Africa in the summer of2001. Sunshine poses with an alligator. Sunshine gets hands-on experience digging at an archaeological site in South Africa. It Just leemTCT A 7 Getting BettirVi Li VV Study-Abroad Opportunities for UO Students • New hands-on programs. Students can now select from four new semester-length programs in Be lize, Cuba, Jamaica, and Mongolia. Classroom learning is concentrated in the first part of the semester, with inten sive culture and language courses, and a hands-on field placement fills the re mainder of your time. Placements in de velopment, human services, ecology, the arts, and a variety of other fields are pos sible. For Cuba, two years of Spanish language is required; for the other pro grams, no previous language training is needed. Contact: Surendra Subramani, surendra@oregon.uoregon.edu. • The cooperative model. Like UC Santa Cruz or Evergreen State, Aalborg University is Denmark’s alternative school, where the coopera tive learning styles of the 1960s are still the norm. Spend two months in discus sion-based seminars and then work with a small group of students on practi cal, problem-solving projects. All cours es are offered in English, and Aalborg programs are tuition-free for UO stu dents. Choose from: development stud ies, Danish welfare state studies, and in ternational cultural studies, European integration studies, or transnational studies. Contact: Roger Adkins, rad kins@oregon .uoregon.edu. • Eastern exposures ‘near’ and ‘far’. The UO now offers semester, year, or summer study programs in Jordan, Taiwan, and Turkey, as well as three new programs in mainland China. In Jordan and Turkey, select from courses on the local culture, language, history, literature, politics, and religion—all taught in English. In China and Tai wan, courses are offered in both Eng lish and Chinese (some programs re quire prior study of Chinese). Subjects include Chinese language , culture, and literature; economics; international re lations; history; sociology; art; and art history. Contact: Cari Vanderkar, cvan derk@darkwing.uoregon.edu. • The Argentine way. Another new program for UO stu dents is at the National University in Rosario, Argentina. Courses in busi ness and Argentine culture and history are taught in English, and courses in Spanish language are available. Fall, spring, and summer programs are avail able. Contact: Surendra Subramani at 346-3207 or surendra@oregon.uore gon.edu. •Creativity in the Italian Alps. The Department of Art now offers a workshop from mid-August to early September each year in scenic Oira, Italy. Topics and media vary each year. Contact: the Art Department at 346 2163, or stop by 198 Lawrence Hall. • The business of learning in bustling Copenhagen. For several years the Oregon Univer sity System has run a popular study pro gram at the prestigious Copenhagen Business School in Denmark, but the program was limited to MBA students. Starting in the fall of 2002, juniors and seniors studying business and related ar eas are also eligible for the program, which offers undergraduate courses taught in English. Contact: Roger Ad kins, radkins@oregon.uoregon.edu. • General information on UO Overseas Programs: http://studyabroad.uoregon.edu or stop by 330 Oregon Hall. Happy travels! 1. Globalize your education. Some people think only students majoring in foreign languages study abroad and, sure, that was the model in, like, the 1800s. But these days, the world is get ting smaller and better connected, and jobs in every field are more international. People planning careers in just about any area can significantly benefit from over seas study. Just think about your interview at Global Company X, when you are asked about the range of your experience and training and whether you can inter act with people from diverse backgrounds, and you get to say, “Well, I studied in India for a semester in college.” Dude, you are so employed. 2. It’s so much cheaper than you think. Consider these simple facts: You get to use your regular financial aid (most scholarships, grants, or loans you usually get) for the costs of any UO-sponsored study abroad program. There are also special scholarships and loans just for peo ple who study abroad. Plus, some programs (at foreign universities that have di rect exchange with the UO) actually charge no tuition beyond the study abroad fee. For many of the UO overseas programs, people end up spending around the same amount that they would for on-campus study (and it can be an even better deal for nonresidents). With these super options and the lifelong benefits of over seas study, you can’t afford not to do it. 3. Just fit it. There are so many options these days, just about anyone can fit overseas study in their academic plans. With 85 regular programs in more than 50 countries, the UO offers something for students in any major, and you can choose from any re gion in the world. With a little advance preparation, your term, semester, or year of overseas study can be tucked neatly into your overall plan, getting you to your degree just as quickly—and with the added benefit of an international experience. 4. Sprechen Sie Deutsch? It may not matter. Many courses in UO overseas programs are taught in English. In addition, some programs include an intensive period of language training upon arrival in the host country. Some programs do require language training, however, so con sult the individual program description or an overseas studies adviser. 5. When you wish upon a star, it makes no difference who you are. Students of all identities and backgrounds study overseas these days, and spe cialized information is available to address the specific concerns of people of color, disabled people, women, and lesbians and gay men who want to study abroad. Ask the overseas studies advisers in OIP for more information about making your dreams of overseas study come true. 6. Shiny, happy resumes. If you think studying abroad is a boost to your resume, try working in a foreign country! Every employer wants to hire people who know how to interact with for eign colleagues or business panners, and what better way to prove that you have this skill, than to do it? Through Oregon’s unique IE3 program (International Ed ucation, Experience, and Employment), you can choose from about 120 estab lished internship positions, in dozens of employment fields, in more than 30 countries. Plus, you get internship credits for your IE3 experience, and you can use financial aid toward your overseas travel and living expenses. Getting that unique experience for your resume just got a lot easier! 7. Get a clue. As Americans, we tend to be a little, well, sheltered. Studying or interning abroad while you’re in college is one of the best ways you can broaden your per spective of the world. In fact, many overseas returnees talk about how much more they understand American culture and their own sense of self-identity after being removed from those familiar contexts for an overseas study experience. You can gain more self-confidence and a wider sense of the many possibilities of human life. It’s a kind of learning you just can’t get in a classroom. 8. Be the change you want to see in the world. Are you an idealist who dreams of a more socially just society? Of course, you must know that any lasting social change must happen both locally and globally. And what better way to understand how folks in other countries are working to better their own societies than to go and witness for yourself their efforts for pro moting peace, ending hunger and poverty, and improving their social and cultural infrastructure? Several of the UO’s cooperative programs with the School for Inter national Training offer field-placement opportunities. You can get hands-on expe rience in Central America, the Caribbean, Africa, or South or Central Asia. Now that’s thinking globally. 9. It pays to do the time. Not only will you be, like, an ideal future employee after you study abroad; you’ll also be far more likely to have gazillions more rewarding international expe riences. The stats don’t lie: the UO, which has one of the highest levels of student participation in overseas study and internship programs, also has high numbers of Fulbright Scholars, graduates in the Peace Corps, and alumni who end up work ing in overseas jobs or starting their own international projects. The fact is, laying an international foundation now opens up additional opportunities for jet-setting in your future. 10. Airfare: 866 Euros Apartment in Siena: 296 Euros per month Overseas experience: Priceless You know what we hear over and over again from folks who’ve just returned from studying abroad? “Wow, that was really a life-altenng experience.” It’s true: you’ll never have had such an incredible sense of going beyond your own bound aries—and we’re not just talking about the U.S. border. There simply is no substi tute for studying abroad. You gotta go!
