What Students Say About Study Abroad

Studying abroad is a remarkable experience, and we in the Study Abroad Office have gathered quotes and stories from students to give you an idea of the kind of experiences you might have and the kinds of feelings you might experience while abroad.  See below for a sample.

Student Stories
Costa Rica  |  Ghana  |  Spain  |  Switzerland  |  Thailand

To contact past participants to hear more about their experiences abroad, be sure to click on the "Past Participant Contact Information" link here or from the list at the top of the page.

General comments:
"Not only was the experience one of the best in my life, but it has given me a whole new sense of courage and confidence that I can do anything I want in life and succeed.  The challenges that come with going off to a foreign, distant, non-English speaking territory provide the most encouraging results.  It was a perfect time to learn a lot about myself...."    --Kristin De Bello, USAC-Alicante, Spain

Language mishaps:
"I had a 'fantabulous' time in Cuba!  The first thing we did was go to a fun cafe to eat lunch.  We were all excited when we found that they had tostadas on the menu.  It was the only word I understood, and I had been craving Mexican food, and the prices were really cheap.  We could get 2 tostadas and a drink for less than $2!  The girl looked at us a little strangely when we each ordered 2, but shrugged, and a few minutes later, we found out why.  The waitress set before each of us 2 orders of Cuban tostadas--toast.  Yup, for my first meal in Cuba I ate 8 pieces of dry, dry toast and washed them down with a Cuban Libre.  YUM.  Look at me, immersing myself in the culture already....  After that experience, I learned a lot of Spanish REALLY fast!"  
                                                                                               --Desiree Hafliger, Semester at Sea (while traveling through Cuba)

On being an American abroad:
"Don't go anywhere expecting to be loved for being an American.  Likewise, don't go anywhere expecting to be hated for it either.  You'll encounter curiosity more than anything else.  Don't misinterpret this as something negative."    --Annette Henke, ISEP-Spain

Travels:
"Strasbourg is the quintessential European town.  Just incredible!  Lively and touristy, it is filled with great architecture, old buildings, all kinds of foods and shops, the cathedral, plus several other lovely churches.  It is a perfect blend of a little bit of everything European.  I loved it!"                                                       --Krissy Hanford, USAC-Pau, France (while traveling through Strasbourg)

"Singapore didn't seem like a country to me, but one big city.  It seemed like tall, modern skyscrapers took up the entire island, and botanical gardens took up whatever was left.  And everyone was SO interested in where we were from!  They ALL asked, 'America?  You live in California?'"                                                    --Desiree Hafliger, Semester at Sea, (while traveling through Singapore)

Experiential learning (volunteerism, internships...):
"I just spent the most incredible week of my life in the Amazon.  To help out the village we bought 6 gallons of paint and painted their school.  Their houses were traditional huts with thatched roofs, as you would expect in the jungle, but the school was more modern with wooden boards and concrete floors.  The whole village showed up for the afternoon and they watched us paint.  The little kids helped and everyone had a really good time.  I have never had such a big audience while painting!  We gave them some new supplies for their school too and they were very appreciative."
                                                          --Adair Muth, PUCE-Ecuador (Social Ecology of the Amazon course trip)

Costa Rica

Erin Johnson, ISA San Jose, Costa Rica-Fall 2006

My first night in Costa Rica, my roommate and I were sitting at the table with our host mom. We were making conversation when she asked us if we would like some lemonade. We said yes. I was expecting her to walk into the kitchen and open up the refridgerator, instead, she grabbed a broom as big as she was and walked out the back door. Before we knew it, we were watching this tiny lady heave the giant broom and beat a lemon tree until enough lemons fell off to make a pitcher-full of ice cold lemonade. It was the first time it really hit me. I wasn't in Idaho anymore. It was great. So was the lemonade.

Chris Clunie, USAC-Heredia, Costa Rica-Summer 2005

I studied abroad in Heredia, Costa Rica for 5 weeks last summer. I took Spanish classes at the National University in Heredia for credit towards my Spanish minor. It was an amazing experience. My host family was amazing...all of them were tri-athletes who competed often and showed me the greatest time while there. I traveled easily around the whole country.

I went to Punta Leona, a beautiful beach on the Pacific side with clear, white sand beaches and hidden waterfalls. I went to Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean side, a beach town with clear, blue water and a huge presence of friendly Caribbean Hispanics, so much so that I met Costa Rican rastafarians! I went to Guanacaste, another untouched beach where I helped to run the yearly triathlon that my host family competed in.

The city of Heredia was amazing, a perfect mix of urban and suburban. There, I witnessed a World Cup qualifying match between Costa rica and Guatemala in the national stadium. I also saw numerous festivals and cultural performances throughout the many parks and squares.

In San Jose, the capital, I shopped at the outdoor market and met tons of ticos already going crazy thinking about soccer and the World Cup. I made friends with many ticos who took me out to clubs and discos, played basketball and soccer on the streets, and took me in as a brother. My whole experience was great and I wouldn't have done anything differently. My Spanish improved so
much and given another chance, I would go back.                                     

back to top

Ghana

Daysha Hampton while studying in Ghana
[USAC-Hamilton, New Zealand-Spring 2003, USAC-Bilbao, Spain-Spring 2004, USAC-Rangsit, Thailand-Summer 2005, USAC-Accra, Ghana-Fall 2005]

Akwaaba- welcome in twi-

The rather long awaited Ghana update is here! First off, I'd like to tell all those that may be worried that I am fine, sorry I haven't responded to any e-mails for quite some time- I took a really long break from the internet. Again, where do I start... I haven't blessed the rains yet but I plan to-I have been in Ghana almost half of the time I have to spend here already, it has flown by and I have experienced more already than could have been expected by even the more avid travelers I've met. I could try to recount the last month and a half by going through all the trips I've taken and major/standout experiences I've had but rather I'll give a quick list of the places I've been and then just mix it all together unchronologically and poorly referenced because I can only think of a few people who will bust out the map to see where I was and when anywho...plus this is more fun.

Names of places:
By Legon: Osu, Madina, Labodi beach, Accra central market-woah intense
Around Ghana: Kofordia, Bodi Falls, Cape Coast, Kakum National Park, Kumasi, Tamale, Mole National Park, Volta Region- specifically Dzodze's Annual Dancing and Drumming Ceremony...

The collection of stories begins: Oh my lord- works as a good starter because everything in Ghana happens by "God's grace" and everything is only hoped to happen if "God be willin'"- On that Christian influenced note- first major trip we went on- I was at one point running through a gathering of at least a couple hundred people who came to dance the night away and watch people be saved and accept God in their lives as their Christ and savior up on stage- I fortunately did not have to go up on stage and be put on display but two of my friends were not so fortunate- I was sitting in back after getting away from the preacher man coming after me and saw the crowd explode when two obruni- means white person- travelers no one even knew were in town joined the hand holding circle on stage...only bummer- i couldn't dance with the kids anymore and had to wait forever for my friends to sit through the following -how to be a good christian- talks they gave to everyone. -funny, kic! k off the travelin story, but on the opposite end of the traditional religions- often practiced alongside Christianity- but statistically said to only make up 5% of the religious practices of Ghana- I attended a African traditional religion funeral this weekend- I can't even explain the rollarcoater of feelings I went through in the 4 hours I was at this small village close to Accra. My friend and his polygamy practicing, future telling, look in the bowl of water inside a silk curtain filled room father had my friend and I with the small group, those who can see the spirits, take 4 libations, be blessed my animals and spirits and witness the sacrifice of a chicken and goat. Being vegetarian watching an animal sacrifice was about top on my list of things to avoid...but somehow being caught up in these sacred traditions that seem to be slipping away from the Ewe, Ashanti, Fante, ect. just leaves one in an odd state of appreciation and respect for traditions even when they make one want! to vomit and hold back tears from the kids running all around you in the midst of it all happening. moving on... I walked across one of the only canopy walks over a rainforest in the world in Kakum...smelt the deeply moving stench of urine, sweat and tears at the overused Cape Coast Castle which was one of the main sites for holding and exporting slaves from west Africa- learned an incredible amount of unbiased factual information at the museum now inside of the castle- saw the darkness of the dungeons, the trough used for urine and the only way to expel the fluid containing all the sickness and disease surrounding the soon to be slaves. Just outside of the Cape Coast Castle I fortunately missed another sacrifice, this time of a full grown bull, done by the chiefs as a longstanding tradition- details I heard would be too much. This trip we stayed at a motel type place with much of it built over a big lake with croc's in it- that was cool- we also went out that night to watch little kids box in a randomly stumbled upon rink with tons of people watching- later on we danced the night away, which is pretty standard for a night out, with new Ghanaian friends to amazing live music, highlife and reggae. I've had parents ask me to take their children, been proposed to and had many a Ghanaian man proclaim their love to me- met some very pushy males, taxi drivers, teachers.. but also made friends with some absolutely incredible people, professors, students and musicians who don't see me as a walking dollar sign, someone to fall in love with or their key to getting into the US.

I also am really enjoying my own change in thinking -coming from Idaho- at first having a hard time not thinking about how new it was that I was the only obruni in my class, in the vicinity, etc.- but now I sometimes even forget about being the only obruni around- just feel surrounded by friends, locals, students and smile realizing skin color didn't cross my mind ....until the cute little kids run up to me shouting "obruni"- the kids here are gorgeous and just absolutely adorable!- The people here are also beautiful- glistening different shades of brown skin, unique features, beautiful courageous, proud women with real personalities and happy smiling old men to the lean and incredibly handsome university men that can always be seen playing soccer in shirts vs. skins. All good things have a another dimension to them here though: the people in general are more showing of their emotions- whether they are angry, upset, happy, excited...whatever, they will te! ll you and you will know- it's nice though because it's quite opposite from the sometimes cold, cut and dryness one gets in the US- but the other side to this here is there is violence and definite gender bias.

Basics: I live in a big international student hostel- mixed feelings about being put all together with international students- actually it's about half international students and half Ghanaians- usually roomates are Ghanaians- about 200 plus foreign students- so we are sort of excluded and it's on it's own end of campus, but we have it way nicer than all the other halls where there are 4 people in a room about half the size of our 2 person rooms, and sometimes there can be up to 8 in a room with 4 -6 beds because people have perchers- which are those unable to get a board at the university and end up sleeping on the floor or with their friends- I think the standard of living for students has to be detrimental to their education. More: no water heaters, it's hot enough, but the running water isn't even guaranteed- I'd say on average it goes out 1-2 days a week- which means going down to the spout to do laundry- by hand, no machines here- and to fill one! 's bucket to shower with. i mostly drink water out of little plastic bags sold all over, most is purified- there are some knock off brands though- usually unpurified water can be distinguished by the taste. Ghanaians go to sleep early and wake up often at dawn- so do all the people that clean and their kids- who sleep in sort of closet rooms or balconies at the big 4 story international hostel. My room ate is cool, I randomly got a roommate who has a lot of money and a mother working in London, which definitely isn't the norm in Ghana. We are very different people but seem to get along most of the time- like other Ghanaians I've met she is sort of fiesty- it almost seems like she's yelling all the time, but I think she just gets worked up about things- and when she's happy she's laughing really loud and letting everyone know as well- she sort of looks like lil kim- in a general sense- but she will freak out if you say that because she is a good Christian and lil kim is immoral! Sometimes in an overly motherly way, she lets me know how concerned she is about me though- and I do really appreciate her concern and care.

The university is going well...there is a definite respect held for older males who very much expect to be treated accordingly, twi is coming along and I enjoy trying to speak the language with everyone. My dance, drumming and ensamble teachers are amazing and I am blossoming in dance and drumming- many are pleased with my enthusiasm, dedication to learn the drum and my outgoing spirit- I just get up and dance with anyone and everyone- my mind is feasting on this newly discovered array of rhythms, beats, dances and culture that comes with it all.

One other little insight into most of what I have been thinking and writing about while here is how Ghana receives the bad results and outcomes from modernization from the western world without the full systems and infrastructure that usually accompany modern ways of life. Such as garbage for instance- this is one thing I can't get over- there is trash all over the place, huge cliffs of it landsliding into the ocean, on all the streets, coming up from the ground everyone walks on from previous hand dug land fills, the chickens and goats are eating it and everyone throws everything on the ground whenever and wherever-except for the few garbage cans placed around campus and new movements. Burning trash was the long practiced method in Ghana for handling waste, but since the western introduction of plastics Ghana is really at a loss- burning plastic can be smelt all the time which isn't good for the environment or people, but it just doesn't decompose! and now the majority of water everyone drinks is in little plastic satchels people just finish and toss on the ground. There are no garbage trucks, specific landfills, no masses of bulldozers and dump trucks to make large landfills, no chemicals to boost decomposition...but not only is trash a problem but also there are many non-tariff borders on exports from Ghana to the western world where the more manufactured or close to being completed a project is- the higher the tax imposed on Ghana to export. But the attitudes here about politics, poverty, underdevelopment and who is to blame are quite interesting and cover a large range of complete lack of knowledge (those that run up to me and praise me for being American, want to marry me and say they are going to go to America and work for 6 months and come home and buy a car and house and get their family out of poverty) to very educated people having debates and talks on campus about how to do something for Africa and stop Africa from being underdeveloped by powerful western nations.

There really is so very much to say! I feel like I am constantly thinking here even about the most basic of things that I have never pondered for very long before- such as food, and a country being able to grow enough of it to feed itself, violence and what is taught to children...- I have awesome things happen every day and I get frustrated if even just a tiny bit every day- it's all a big mix of the good and the bad- as is anything I guess, but the large disparities on the scale of good to bad that all happen in the same day are unimaginable and astonish all of us every day. It is sort of like the one guarantee in Ghana- every day something will make you stop and think- often blow my mind.

Lately, I've been getting some contact information and it looks like I'll hopefully be getting in contact finally (haven't seen a phone book so it's been hard) with the U.S. embassy, possibly foreign service, peace corp, western aids organization to possibly work with terminally ill hospice aids patients, I might still do a weekend trip with Ghana wildlife society- to preserve Eco systems, vegetation, help animals- and I'll see about working with this org. for street girls and children in a nearby town.

I know each of you will have your own perception of my words, but I hope overall you can see the experience at hand! There are people, situations and things that make me smile and laugh every day and other things I spend hours thinking about how I could change- but in it all is the experience- talk about reverse culture shock I can just see it coming, ha ha. Overall, I am lucky to be here, to learn all I am learning on campus and the little things I accumulate throughout conversations and just being a bystander- there is no doubt my time here will shape my life and the way I think about many things- how could it not.

Lastly, let me say that all of these stories are merely my own perception of Ghanaian culture through my personal experiences. I also hope no one makes up their mind about Ghana completely based on my stories because try as I might I can't convey my exact feelings or tell it perfectly as it happened. Things in Ghana are undoubtedly better than I could word them here and on the other end much more devastating than I would dare mention here- Just please take it all with a grain of salt, especially those of you who have experienced Ghana for yourselves and surely have your own ideas about what I should mention and what I should leave out to show Ghana accurately and portray Ghana as the great country it is.

Medaase- thank you....if you made it through reading this long one!

back to top

Spain

Eric Ingersoll, USAC-Madrid, Spain-Spring 2003 and ISEP-Buenos Aires, Argentina-Fall 2005

I had always wanted to see a Formula One race in person. As a teenager I didn’t even have a car, but for years my intense interest in automobiles had been swelling inside my head and this passion seemed to hold my mind hostage. I thought about cars, especially fast ones, to the point where I could hardly sleep at night.

In congruence with this obsession, I attended a Skip Barber Driving school for my high school graduation gift. Seeing the instructors- many of whom were, or had been racecar drivers- control Dodge Neons as if they were Champ Cars awed and fascinated me. They seemed to be able to do exactly what they wanted with any car and they did it with impeccable skill. Much like all masters of their craft, their driving suggested a certain confident ease. It was like reading a great writer or listening to a virtuoso guitarist-- so mesmerizing was their talent.

So when, a few years later I was studying abroad in Spain I heard that the 2003 Spanish Grand Prix would be going on outside Barcelona, I jumped at the chance to go. I was studying in Madrid and a friend of mine, who also was an F1 fan, was studying in Barcelona. We arranged tickets for the race and I made the trip to Barcelona by bus.

I arrived the day before the race and we spent the afternoon on the beach instead of taking the train to the race track, which was an hour away and conflicted with our budget. I have learned that when traveling, beaches are usually the cheapest way to spend your time. The downside is, however, that although they won’t break your wallet, they will cost you sunburned skin. I awoke the day of the race with thriving sunburn on my face and neck.

After a meager breakfast we took the train out of Barcelona toward the Circuit of Catalunya. If you were to imagine the exact opposite of the NASCAR contingent you would have an idea of the F1 fans who packed the train that morning. There were Spaniards, Frenchmen, Britons, Italians, Germans as well as other nationalities. Some of the Germans had coolers of beer and their hair dyed red with “Schumi” shaved into the back- okay, so not all were that far removed form NASCAR fans, but there were no Chevy’s with Earnhardt stickers on the windows.

The Circuit of Catalunya was situated on the edge of a small town an hours train ride form Barcelona. Upon arriving we funneled through the narrow streets toward the track. Everywhere were booths and kiosks selling merchandise from Ferrari, BMW-Williams, McClaren-Mercedes and many other racing teams. Familiar names such as Montoya, Raikonnen, and Schumacher were peppered across every shirt, hat, and jacket.

When we finally passed through the gates, we quickly learned that our tickets offered no seats (only grass) and no shade. Such is the case when one pays bottom price- access is limited and one can be sure they will not see the start/finish line. We made our way to the inside of turn four where we sat down on the grass under the gaze of an angry sun. One the beach, the day before, I had bought some imitation Oakley sunglasses for five Euros. I put one of my shirts over my head and tucked it into the sunglasses. I looked like a hip, red Christmas light adorned with a turban.

Before the Formula One cars took the track there was a pre-race. Seats (a Spanish passenger car) had been race prepared and were pitted against one-another, like under cards before the main event. The drivers hurled the Seats into the turns as we watched, squinting in the brightness. From our vantage point we could see each car pick up its inside rear-wheel as it neared the apex of the turn. The crowd gasped as one driver lost control of his car and spun off into the dirt. He quickly plucked himself from the car and the emergency crews moved in. The driver looked something like an alien emerging from his ship, with his oversized helmet and fire-proof neoprene suit. Fortunately, the alien was uninjured and the crew towed away the car.

Then it was time for the Formula One cars to claim the tarmac. The first time they passed us the drivers were warming the tires by zigzagging like nervous snakes. I was immediately amazed by the car’s agility and commanding appearance. The cars were incredibly low and small; almost fragile looking. They appeared both ethereal and purposeful and as they passed, their three-liter V10’s let out a noise that sounded like what I imagined to be the scream of a fasting saber tooth tiger. And watching them did make me think of something pre-historic, despite my knowledge that they were born of, and possessed state-of-the-art technology. My hair was standing on end.

After a few warm-up laps the cars didn’t pass for nearly ten minutes. Then they came. The sound of their engines reached our ears before we could actually see them. When they entered the corner the velocity was much higher and the noise was much fiercer. Listening to the whole pack pass was astonishing- you could literally feel the power. However the next lap, the cars had slowed down to their previous pace. My friend and I couldn’t figure out what had happened. Then we saw Kimi Raikonen’s damaged Mercedes-McClaren being towed off the track. We found out later that Raikonen had crashed into the back of a Jaguar which had stalled as the race began.

After a few laps under the yellow caution flag, the drivers commenced to race. Each man and his machine fought for position, doing everything they could to shave seconds off each lap, while looking for the perfect chance to pass the car ahead. It quickly became apparent that a driver would win by being smooth, prudent and patient.

Michael Schumacher started in the pole position and remained in the lead for most of the race. Every lap we were again impressed by Schumacher’s skill and mastery of his craft. He seemed to negotiate the track effortlessly, each braking point hit and each apex achieved with perfection. His driving seemed economical and spare; he did not waste the rubber of the tires nor did he misuse his fuel.

However, the highlight of the day for the crowd was the performance by Renault’s Fernando Alonso. This was before he was last years’ Grand Prix champion and a well-known name in the sport. Although he could not catch Schumacher’s Ferrari he fought hard and captured second place with the home-crowd cheering his name.

Then, just as suddenly as it had started, the race ended. We were left wanting one more chance to witness these drivers carve the line and astound us with the power, sounds and images of live Formula One racing.

I am still waiting to see a Formula One Grand Prix again, although I have watched many on TV. But live, it is a tangible, different experience that I will never forget. What one misses from the multitude of cameras; inside the car, in the pits and around the track on a television broadcast is compensated by the raw rush of the racecars and the titillating sensation of watching, live and in person, these athletes at the pinnacle of their sport.
That night we went out in Barcelona. Our heads were full of screaming engines and images of speed. We talked of little else that night.

back to top

Switzerland

I am a senior studying abroad at the University of Bern, Switzerland this spring. Due to local contacts I have made, I have had the opportunity to have a personal tour of the American Embassy, and visit a local family for an extended homestay in Biel, the French-speaking part of Western Switzerland. Tomorrow, my Biennese friend secured tickets for me to attend the local showing of La Traviata at the City Theatre. If you make the right connections, you will have the opportunity to experience local culture at its finest in a way most foreign students are never exposed to. Whether through church, a civic organization, or other affiliation, do the most you can to maximize your experience and minimize culture shock.

If you come to Switzerland, be prepared to experience a lot of different cultures at once. There is no distinctly Swiss culture, it is truly a cosmopolitan experience. Think international - very international. But be prepared for cultural withdrawal! It is totall different than anything I ever could have expected.

back to top

Thailand