Students use studying abroad opportunities

The opportunity to study abroad has turned students’ studies to other countries and continents around the world.

Brett Bacon, who spent a semester in Rome, Italy, found being an outsider to be an eye-opening experience. Bacon was in Italy for the 2004 presidential election and was surprised at how closely the rest of the world followed U.S. politics. 

Hector and Lindsay Salinas, who studied in Egypt, found that they were charged more for food than the local people due to being Americans.

Anne Straate studied in both Spain and Ecuador in order to set herself up for a career of helping and working among people with language barriers. Growing up in Postville, Iowa influenced Straate to become a Spanish major. In order to perfect her Spanish skills, she immersed herself in the language and life of Spanish speakers.

Zach Marsh, who spent a summer studying law in Eastern and Western Europe, really liked seeing things that are far older than any building in the U.S. He thought it brought history to life, and gave a greater respect for preserving history and not forgetting past world wars.

Jon Erickson headed to Tasmania for a semester with the goals of making great memories, meeting new people and traveling. He participated in activities such as snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef and bungee jumping in New Zealand.

Trips vary from one to six months and longer, but taking the opportunity to become a traveler instead of a tourist can change the way students look at new foods, people and cultures.

Unless students travel to an English-speaking country, there can be some language barriers. Even in Wales, it was often hard to for students to understand the natives’ way of speaking English. Most people had some struggles with communicating with local residents.

Programs are available to all over the world where students pay tuition to the university and are enrolled in the school abroad where living arrangements are set up.

Often the cost is comparable to living on campus and going to school at home. Although after including travel expenses, the expense of visiting other cities and countries, can be expensive. Many of those who went abroad agreed, however, that had they replicated the trip going just on their own, it would have been much more expensive.

For more information on studying abroad, contact UNI’s Study Abroad Center at 273-7078.

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