Because there are so many ways students benefit from studying outside of the country, 91福利社 vigorously promotes its study abroad opportunities through its Center for Global Engagement.
While it鈥檚 true in these connected times that the world seems a smaller place, there鈥檚 simply no substitute for traveling outside of our boundaries and experiencing firsthand how people live in other parts of the world and becoming immersed in different cultures.
During February 26, National Study Abroad Day, 91福利社 recognizes how important it is for students to go beyond the familiar and broaden their worldview. Some of the 91福利社 students who are currently studying abroad shared their experiences below.
Oxford, England: Karah Snyder
Karah Snyder loves all things British. Inspired by the books she鈥檚 read that are set in England, Snyder has dreamed of going to England for a long time.
鈥淥ne of the most surprising things about England as a country has been how right and familiar it feels,鈥� she said.
The junior honors student from Irmo, South Carolina, is majoring in Dance and minoring in English and also Christian Studies. This semester, Snyder is an associate member of Wycliffe Hall and is part of Scholarship and Christianity in Oxford (SCIO), which is affiliated with the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). In addition to studying at Oxford, a world renowned seat of higher education whose alumni include J.R.R. Tolkein and Lewis Carroll, Snyder has enjoyed side trips so far to historic Bath as well as the the scenic rolling hills of the Cotswolds in southwest England.
鈥淥xford operates off of a tutorial system,鈥� Snyder explained. 鈥淲e meet one-on-one with a tutor in a specific class once a week or once every other week, depending on the class. I’m taking two tutorials and I’m taking English classes. I’m an English minor, so I’m fulfilling most of my minor requirements over here. In particular, I鈥檓 focusing on Medieval Literature… My secondary tutorial that meets every other week is on Icelandic Sagas. I knew I loved Middle English literature; I knew nothing about Icelandic Sagas; So I kind of picked both to give myself a variety. That has been really fun.鈥�
Taking a 40-minute walk from the Victorian house she shares with other students in the SCIO program, Snyder gets her steps in. She鈥檚 also fascinated by the extensive network of footpaths the British enjoy.
鈥淭hey have a bigger walking and cycling culture than we do,鈥� she said.
Snyder and the students she鈥檚 living with do a lot together, including preparing their own meals. Snyder loves to bake bread. She says she appreciates being pushed beyond her comfort zone and learning to rely on God鈥檚 provision.
Vienna, Austria: Hannah Dickson
Hannah Dickson is taking in the sights and atmosphere of this historic cradle of culture that brought the world Beethoven, Mozart and Strauss. The sophomore from Charleston, South Carolina, who is majoring in nursing, is living and studying in the center of Vienna. She鈥檚 living with students mainly from Oklahoma and Tennessee at Das Millicanhaus, an apartment building. Her classes also meet at Das Millicanhaus.
鈥淲e’re all living here together in different apartments and we take classes together,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 am currently taking a Christianity and Culture class鈥攖his one is specifically studying spiritual disciplines. We went to a Catholic mass. We’re looking at different denominations and different ways they practice spiritual disciplines, like solitude and reverence and those types of things.鈥�
Dickson enjoys her experiences, which have included visiting the Sch枚nbrunn Palace and the Vienna Military History Museum and experiencing firsthand the splendor of the Johann Strauss Ball.
Although Dickson had taken some German in high school, she鈥檚 taking two German classes this semester. She enjoys the many opportunities she has to sharpen her skills in German, Austria鈥檚 primary language.
鈥淚 live right next to a university and see a lot of university students,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 like to go to cafes here and I’ll practice my German when ordering鈥� There is so much to see in the city and you can take the U-Bahn, which is like their metro system here, and that could take you anywhere in the city. It’s very clean, very well run.鈥�
Dickson has traveled to several other countries and feels those experiences help her perspective as an American.
鈥淚 realize that the Americans do it one way, and it’s great, and the Viennese or the Austrians do it a different way, and that’s still great, even though they’re different,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t’s been really interesting seeing the similarities between our two cultures and societies and the differences, because there’s both.鈥�
Seville, Spain: Carly Shoup
Carly Shoup (who is Hannah鈥檚 suite mate and good friend, by the way) is a sophomore from Columbia, South Carolina, majoring in Christian Studies and minoring in Spanish. She’s experiencing the rich history and culture of this large, historic city located in the southwestern portion of the Iberian Peninsula. While studying through Semester in Spain, she鈥檚 living with a host family where she can experience up-close how the Spanish do life.
An adjustment Shoup admits to is the different daily patterns of life in Seville.
鈥淗ere the meals structure the day instead of the classes or our job structuring the day,鈥� she explained. 鈥淭ypically lunch is going to be 2 or 2:30 p.m鈥� then the rest is siesta until 5 p.m. Locally-owned stores are closed. They work until around 8 p.m., then you鈥檙e probably going to be eating at 8:30, maybe 9:30, and then you won鈥檛 really finish until 10 p.m.
Shoup is taking a class devoted to volunteer opportunities. She recently volunteered at Impacto Solaria, an afterschool program for children, where she taught Bible stories. She鈥檚 also witnessing firsthand a small but vibrant evangelical population that exists in the traditionally Catholic nation and cultural crossroad.
鈥淚t truly is a picture of every tongue, nation and tribe. Whenever I go to church I鈥檓 like 鈥榯his is a picture of what we鈥檙e going to get to see in heaven one day,鈥� Shoup said. 鈥淚 feel the Lord is going to do something with that when I graduate, leading me to places and it opens up the door to who I can communicate the gospel with,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 no longer limited to just English-speaking people. It opens the door to so many Spanish-speaking people around the world.鈥�
AU Study Abroad
With one of the most expansive international programs in the Southeast, 91福利社 is dedicated to creating unique study abroad experiences that last a lifetime. Study Abroad is coordinated through the 91福利社 Center for Global Engagement. The center directs short-term programs, mission trips, faculty-led experiential learning programs and semester-long programs. For more information, contact the Center for Global Engagement at studyabroad@andersonuniversity.edu or 864-231-2141.