JayhawksAbroad/a newsletter from the office of study abroad

Fall2009

Study Abroad FairToday, Wednesday, September 9

10:30-3:304th Floor, Kansas Union

photo submitted byJen Mayer, China Summer 2009

It is difficult for me to successfully synthesize

my month abroad in South Africa, and it

is only now, in retrospect, that I see clearly

those thirty days were the best spent and

most appreciated of my life. Each day I

experienced a new range of highs and lows,

which was like traveling through uncharted

waters in my concept of emotion. I felt my

greatest joy was simply getting to know my

group, a juxtaposition of characters, all unique

in style, but alike in warmth. Together, we lived

and learned, each day different from the next.

During our first week, days were spent on safari

and nights passed finding a new appreciation

for South African culture. Wasting no time, we

shifted our interest the following weeks to the

National Arts Festival, where we were exposed

to some of Africa’s finest art, theatre and music.

Without missing a beat, our group self-organized

a weekend flight to Cape Town to celebrate

the end of Festival and to mark the beginning

of a new adventure. In less than 48 hours we

viewed the world in ways we never dreamed

possible. Whether it was from the top of Table

Mountain, the ‘edge’ of the African map in Cape

Pointe, through the vineyards of wine country, or

from the ever-popular clubs and bars, our view

was outstanding. Returning back to campus

life, our time together had grown short, but

our bond had brought us closer. With our final

week together we braved a four-day trip to the

isolated town of Keiskammahoek, splashed

together in the Indian Ocean, and even sacrificed

two flat tires on a quest to eat at a “Mexican”

restaurant.

However exciting and carefree most of my

memories of South Africa are, my most defining

moments in the country were spent solemnly.

I, for the first time in my life, faced the realities

of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. I joined hands and

hearts with HIV-orphaned children, visited the

homes of multiple families devastated by the

virus, and saw with my own eyes a man so

close to death he could not speak. I cannot

justly express to you, through words, the way

in which many of these experiences moved me,

for as impossible as this was to face, it was a

hundred times harder to walk away from. To

study aboard in South Africa is to open yourself

to a new outlook on life and death. It is to

reconsider your values and what you thought

you knew, to change, to grow, and to hope.

I would like to extend a huge thank you to the

KU Office of Study Abroad, Rhodes University,

and to all of the students within the program.

Special thanks goes out to a former teacher,

Andy Nussbaum, for my inspiration, and to the

program’s student chaperone, Ashwin Pienaar,

for all of his care and hard work.

JuliaGuard

Summer 2009Society, Politics, and Culture South Africa

The study abroad experience often brings

to mind not only exciting, new adventures

but a number of worries tied in as well. Living

thousands of miles away from family and friends,

straying from the day to day familiar routines to

dive into life in an unknown place can be both

terrifying and exhilarating.

Upon arriving in San Jose, Costa Rica last

spring, the fears and unbearable anticipation I

had struggled with weeks before my departure

quickly subsided. After a tiresome travel day and

quick introductions to fellow participants, we

were off to meet our new Costa Rican families.

The excitement of the host families was felt

immediately as they eagerly shouted our names

from outside the bus. My host mom scooped up

my oversized bag and we were on our way.

The first few days at my new home involved a lot

of poor Spanish grammar, question asking and

incredible amounts of food, but I was surprised

how quickly my comfort level rose. During one of

the first weeks, after watching a round of Costa

Rica’s “Who Wants to be a Millionaire”, my host

mom began sharing more about her past host

students and why she chooses to participate in

the program. After her husband passed away

nearly 8 years ago, my host mom decided she

would enjoy having some company around the

house and contacted the Grupo de Kansas

office. Although she has kids of her own, they

are much older and do not spend much time

around the house. She has hosted students

every semester since, and shares memories of

each individual experience.

Upon hearing her insights and motives for

hosting students, I began questioning my own

reasons for choosing a homestay program. The

obvious answer, and original reason for doing

so, was to improve my Spanish. However,

after spending just a short time with my host

family I realized they would offer me much more

than just Spanish practice, including a sincere

place in their hearts. Not only did my host mom

consistently invite me along to gatherings with

friends, she would proudly introduce me at “su

hija” and I naturally thought of her as “mi mamá

tica”.

Although there are countless memories that

stand out, I find myself looking back on the few

days we spent painting the outside of our home.

It was quite a hefty job for two people with our

level of painting experience, but my host mom

took the task on fearlessly. We passed the time

singing to her favorite Enrique Iglesias songs

and gossiping about neighbors.

As my time in Costa Rica began to wind down, I

realized how my relationship with my host mom

had evolved over the last 5 months. We went

from being complete strangers to lifelong family

in just a short time, and I will forever be grateful

for the generosity she showed me. I now know

that I will always have a home waiting for me in

Costa Rica.

RachelBohn

Spring 2009Semester in San Jose Costa Rica

This past May, when boarding our plane

destined for China, I felt all kinds of emotions

- anticipation, happiness, excitement; I

couldn’t wait to go explore an unfamiliar

country and culture. Unlike some others in

our group, it hadn’t even occurred to me to feel

nervous for what was to come over the next

three weeks; I had, after all, studied abroad

before for almost six months in Costa Rica,

so I (naively) assumed that I “knew what I was

doing.” Oops. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Let me be the first to tell you that Wuhan, China

is nothing like San Jose, Costa Rica. I seemed

to overlook the tiny detail that I had studied

Spanish for almost 6 years before living in Costa

Rica, yet barely even knew 6 words in Mandarin

before landing in China.

This became all too evident from the minute we

stepped off the plane. After 14 hours, almost 5

movies, and too many bags of pretzels to count,

we were famished, and decided to find some

food at the airport in Shanghai. Sounds simple

enough, right?

Searching for anything that looked familiar, the

closest we could find was a fast food restaurant

named Kung Fu. With confidence and hunger,

we approached the front counter to order,

smiled, and began to look at the menu. Here’s

when things got interesting; we were reminded

that not only do we not read nor understand

Mandarin, we couldn’t even recognize the

food shown in the pictures on the menu board.

Where was the General Tso’s Chicken, or the

Crab Rangoon that I usually ordered at the

Underground on campus?

Our (again, naive) hope for an English-speak-

ing employee was crushed, and after almost

10 minutes of pointing, hand gestures and

other failed attempts at communication, we

paid and waited for our food. I ended up with

some kind of meat, unidentifiable vegetables

cooked in an unidentifiable sauce, and a soup

that I still only know how to describe as spider

webs in a black hole. To this day, I still cannot

tell you what I had for lunch that afternoon. But

it was the moment when I realized that if I was

this confused after only 30 minutes in China, I

couldn’t even imagine what was in store for the

next 3 weeks. Fortunately for us, it was an in-

describable experience: interesting, confusing,

humbling and fun, all at the same time.

For me, that is the best part about studying

abroad - in China, even ordering lunch can be

an adventure. Yes, exploring ancient temples

and climbing the Great Wall were perhaps more

memorable, and definitely more photogenic.

But it is those small, day-to-day adventures that

really challenge the way you view the world, and

make the experience one you’ll never forget.

JenMayer Summer 2009Kansas Asia Scholars China