|
My daughter came home from school one day and said "mom, there is a program at school called Janesville-Bordeaux and French kids from Bordeaux, France come to stay with host families from Janesville for 3 weeks during the summer. I really, really, really want to have a French girl come stay with us. That was 4 years ago, and since then, we have hosted French students for the past 4 summers. Initially, my whole goal for the program was that our daughter would meet a life long friend from another culture. I never, ever imagined that I in turn, would get to be "the American mom" of our French kids. We keep in touch with all of the students we have hosted. My daughter became best friends with one, in particular and spent part of her summer in Bordeaux last year, and her best French buddy also traveled to Janesville to stay with us a month ago. She didn't come with the Janesville-Bordeaux group this time, she came on her own just to be with us. It has truly been one of the greatest experiences of my life, and my daughter's! Danielle has a best friend from France and I have an “adopted” French daughter! We were sitting in a small cafe in Zarzis, Tunisia just a stone's throw from the Libyan border. It was January, 1989 barely a week after the U.S. had bombed Libya. My daughter…then a Fulbright Scholar doing research in Tunisia, and I were the only non-Arab folks in the cafe. It was soon apparent that we were noticed. For a while we continued sipping our sodas trying to ignore the commotion we were generating, hoping we would soon be viewed as the thirsty travelers we were. Finally, when the agitation reached a crescendo, we realized that the people in the cafe were afraid of us. Afraid of us? With this new information we picked up our belongings and left the cafe astonished that two pacifists would be viewed in such a light. Where we had visited and the people knew us, we had always been well received. Many of the customers in the cafe were Libyans. This experience made a major impact on the formation of the Habiba Chaouch Foundation in 1991. In reality, we know Americans make the same unreasonable assumptions about Arabs that the people in the cafe made about us. Since the foundation was created, we have helped to give information to Americans and when traveling, we have opened the dialogue to the people on the other side of the world and we have hosted a Tunisian this past spring. Thanks to assistance from….USAID, I now regularly teach a course called "The Art and Science of Negotiation." Beloit College is fortunate to have many international students, many supported by State Department programs. An especially transforming experience for me and the class came when a Palestinian from Bethlehem and two US students developed a poster showing how an effective peace could be negotiated for Jerusalem. These students developed a simple investment plan that would be acceptable to most of the people they know - if it were not distorted by their leaders. We need effective education and support of the youth of today to develop their thoughts before being indoctrinated in the old ways. After the current generation of national leaders is gone, these young people will be prepared to build a better world. Spending federal tax dollars on the education of youth around the world is an investment that will save a fortune in defense spending and human suffering. The poster can be seen here: http://beloit.edu/~ordman/posters/postimagesneg/Jerusalem07.ppt_files/slide0003.htm. Through my personal experiences including being a Fulbright Scholar living in Europe, studying a semester abroad, hosting exchange students and working with them on a daily basis in my current role as an International Education, I have become very clued-in about how other regions of the world see the United States and it’s citizens and these experiences have contributed to my view of the world and reinforced my understanding of cultural tolerance. Further, I can identify that my participation earlier as an undergraduate with the global student organization AIESEC (www.aiesec.org) which is present in 100 countries today and which offers students the opportunity to live and work abroad in an internship placement has been the one single experience that has developed my knowledge about world cultures, economics, poverty, AIDS, business, sustainable development and corporate social responsibility. My internships in Mozambique and Germany opened up my eyes to world issues and have provided lifetime friendships and intercultural experiences. I firmly believe American students require education, work and life experience in another country in order to change the image that the rest of the world has of America at this point in time and in order to support our country’s future security. I believe it is important to elect future officials who have these types of world and cultural experiences. In the summer of 2005 our family, which owns a dairy farm, did an international
exchange with a Mexican college student named Ceci. I studied abroad in high school, which led me to be more interested in other cultures. After university graduation, I joined the Peace Corps in Bulgaria, which completely changed how I look at the world. I have since earned a masters degree in Intercultural Communication at UW Milwaukee, and I have developed a career in International Student and Scholar Services. I currently am the coordinator of International Admissions at UW Milwaukee, where I work to bring hundreds of international students to Wisconsin. I am a sophomore from UW-Oshkosh. This past summer, I participated in this program called USA Summer Camp in Japan. That was my first time ever to travel abroad and I have so many stories to tell about my first experience in a foreign country. When I stayed in Japan, I was culture shocked by how polite the Japanese people are. I was also extremely nervous about how I was ever going to get my way around Japan because of the language barrier. I did take a year of Japanese prior to attending this program; however, since the Japanese people were so kind, they made my traveling experience exciting and full of surprises. In conclusion, I learned so much about their culture and lifestyle within the short two months. The biggest impact that impressed me was their respect. I felt I was welcomed with open arms, and maybe in the future could make a living there. Studying abroad is an opportunity that any student should be able to take advantage of. This past Spring Semester, I had the chance to study abroad in Pamplona, Spain. Never did I imagine it possible for me to study in Spain had it not been for the financial help provided for me in the form of grants and loans. I entered Spain, expecting to learn a language, when I left I had learned and gained so much more. Coming back to the United States, I not only feel more comfortable in my ability to speak Spanish but in the way I present myself. When studying abroad, language can become a barrier, and one must rely on other things such as tone of voice, hand gestures, and more often relationships to understand the culture to its fullest. Having to conquer the hurdle of language while I was abroad, I learned to depend on other strengths and attributes I never knew I had. I can say honestly, that I have gained much more than the experience of learning a language, moreover the growth of a family. Living in the United States, I take a little piece of Spain with me wherever I go, hoping to influence others with my experience. Last year for my spring semester of freshman year I took part in European Odyssey. This was a trip with about 20 students and four professors and we traveled to six different cities/countries: London, Rome, Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, and Athens. This trip was easily the best experience of my entire life. I have definitely been bit by the Euro-bug and now all I can think about is finding more opportunities to study abroad. The classes we had were so much more interesting as we were in the actual places that we were learning. Also, seeing so many famous museums, ruins, and monuments was mind-blowing. I loved experiencing so many different cultures and talking to people from all over the world. The trip also gave me a lot more confidence in myself because I was very nervous in the beginning but by the end I didn't want to leave. I think everybody should be given the chance to study abroad because it truly is the experience of a lifetime!!! As a non-traditional student who has not only studied abroad in three countries but has also had roommates from Rwanda and El Salvador, I can only scratch the surface when I tell you how these experiences have impacted me. I have grown to respect and love the differences in cultures. I am no longer biased and I believe that there is so much that we have to gain by supporting our students’ studies abroad. My increased awareness for human rights and dignity, as well as, my appreciation for the vast differences of the people in our great nation, these United States of America, has made me realize that these differences are our strength. These differences of culture, creed and ethnicity create a balance and make us the great nation that we are. This is what continues to bring new people to our shores. I recall with distinct clarity a conversation I had with my host mother in Spain about the people of Islam in our country. She was very surprised that I had friends who are Muslim and that I respect their culture and religion. She told me that I changed the way she views Americans. When students leave our great country and venture into other lands, they begin to see the world in a much larger view. They begin to care for not only their own country and the problems of their own culture and people, but also for that of the entire world. Now, when I watch the news, I watch the world. I am no longer just interested and concerned about the earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis that hit our cities and coasts, but I worry about my friends in Barbados and in other lands. Senator Feingold, I am no longer just a citizen of the United States of America. I am a citizen of the World. It’s not good, it’s not bad, it’s just different. That’s what I told myself very often during my year abroad [as part of the 2006 -2007 Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals]. Discovering another culture and way of life is an invaluable experience I wish everyone could have. Complete strangers invited me into their home and gave me life essentials when I arrived. These people did not know me, had never met me, but yet they brought me into their home and gave me what they could. I will be forever grateful. During my year abroad I got the chance to see how others see the USA – government, our people, culture, laws/rights, etc. I also broke some American stereotypes along the way and will never forget what one man said to me, “Wow, I never heard of an American that could speak another language.” Makes a person wonder how other parts of the world see us and what views we might have on the rest of the world that might also be a little off. . While I was on active stationed in Germany I took every opportunity to be involved in the European community. As the president of the "better opportunities for single soldiers" program we adopted a local German orphanage and raised money and gifts for them on Christmas. We then bought American treats and delivered everything to the children. The kids were overjoyed to have so many great Christmas gifts when they were expecting none. It also gave them an opportunity to meet United States soldiers and see that we were good people. It also gave the U.S. soldiers a chance to interact with the Germans and learn that their kids are just like ours. Overall it was a great experience and left me with a full heart. To see that there are children everywhere that need a hand and that it was a way for us to show Americans as good people. My other experience is this. While I was on active duty Army stationed in Germany I organized a team to take part in the Nijmegen March. It is an international road march that is attended by a half a million people and soldiers from dozens of Armies all over the world. We ended up staying in a camp with all the other soldiers in Nijmegen. It was the most amazing experience we were able to talk with and learn from so many different Armies. We spent 4 days there and marched 100 miles. Not only did I speak with civilian marchers from all over the world but with other soldiers. I think what I learned the most is that even though we may look different, speak differently, and have lived differently we all want the same things. Also most of our experiences we have in our military are the same as those in other countries. I have never felt so connected to the world and everyone in it. For ten weeks from April 14-June 30, 2007, I was a field team member for Nonviolent Peaceforce, an international organization that provides unarmed non partisan protective accompaniment for human rights workers in Guatemala. I had the opportunity to help people who were gathering testimony about human rights violations and provide security for human rights defenders. As a university professor, I am now better able to share in detail Guatemala’s history and struggle for human rights and to apply it to our own struggles in the US. I first went abroad on a high school program to Spain, then on a university program to Mexico then, with the help of a UW Oshkosh faculty member to work & live in Japan and have become a “world traveler”. It was the beginning of a lifetime journey which brought me to the Office of International Education at UW Oshkosh, where I now plan and promote study abroad programs, exchanges and more for university students and community members. I’m a completely different person because of my experiences. I’m no longer shy. I have become more assertive; I ask questions and I really listen. I can appreciate other perspectives and work efficiently with people from most cultures (and with Americans with vastly different personalities). I have refined my definition of a crisis and can handle most difficult situations on my own. I appreciate the opportunity to pay taxes knowing that my tax money will be well-spent, will benefit ALL Americans and will help change the world in (mostly) positive ways. I can speak one foreign language and get by in another. I can communicate easily with non-native speakers of English in English. I feel connected to people all over the world. I’ve affected lives and perceptions of Americans through small conversations, friendships and chance meetings. I have come to know myself as an individual and as an American. I know when to compromise, when to change and when to follow my values and stand firm. I’m not afraid of people who live in America but speak a different language or hold values which are not like mine. I’ve enrolled my son in a bilingual education program so that he can grow up feeling comfortable with people and environments which are different from those found in his own home. I remember who I was before I traveled and I know how different I am from that person now. I know that I was lucky to have had the chance to begin growing in high school and university. I’ve met people the world over who will never be able to come to America to learn who we really are. I work every day to ensure that Americans can get “there”, learn what I’ve learned and continue to affect people the world over. I am a 55 year old semi-retired business woman, and more importantly a community volunteer. My 22 year old daughter asked me to join her on a 4 week volunteer trip to Cape Town, South Africa in July. There were 30 volunteers through the NGO, Cross Cultural Solutions, from the US and Great Britain. We lived in an old renovated home near the townships where we worked. Most of the volunteers were 20-24 years of age and we were the only mother/daughter duo. Our work placements were crèches (daycare centers), hospitals, schools, and women’s shelters. Alex and I worked daily in a crèche that accepted children from 6 months to 6 years. The work was exhausting, but very worthwhile. There are over 5 million people that live in Cape Town, and about half of them live in townships that consist mainly of shacks and have no police protection. It is extremely dangerous and you have to be smart to be safe. During our time there, we had the sad experience of the murder of our favorite staff person’s son. We learned the way their culture deals with death and funerals, which is so different from ours. The African people have a rich history, but it is also very recent. Apartheid ended in 1994 and Nelson Mandela is a hero with the Whites (19%), the Blacks (20%), and the Coloreds (61%). To study the history, the city structure and the languages gave me an understanding of a country that is very different from the United States. This volunteer experience was not life changing, but it has changed the way I think about situations, charity and family. To describe it, I would say it was profound, gut-wrenching, gratifying, intense and beautiful. From a seasoned volunteer’s perspective, I found it commendable that so many young adults were so engaged to give of their time and money to help others. Members of the University of Wisconsin River Falls (USRF) Dance Theatre have been studying both styles of Hula for two years at UWRF with [the owner of] Hula ‘Ka Hoku ‘Akau (Hula School of the North Star) in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Two of the participants had this to say about their experiences [studying through the program] in Hawaii; “Being in Hawaii made the dances we were working on come to life. Surrounded by nature, we learned how sacred traditional cultural practices are to Hawaiian people and I experienced things that, before this trip, I would have thought impossible. We learned to chant as a spiritual act of asking nature to guide us. At first we were shy and weak, but our voices and our spirits grew and soon we could chant over pounding waves, and feel nature respond to us. I have traveled all over the world, but this really was one of the most exceptional experiences in my life.” - Sara, UWRF Dance Theatre Member “Being in Hawaii made the dancing and culture real, and the impact was incredible. I will think back to these Hula experiences as I continue on in my education, and my journey towards being a teacher. I will remember the impact that our activities had, such as chanting at the blowhole, hand-picking materials and making leis, watching the ocean, and seeing and experiencing a culture that I never could have experienced without going to Hawaii and spending time with people….truly love and respect their culture. I have gained an appreciation not only of Hawaii, but of other cultures. I could go to Hawaii anytime as a tourist, but having the meaningful cultural experience that I had studying….could never be duplicated.” - Diana Johnson, UWRF Dance Theatre Member Through this emersion program the participants can begin to develop an understanding and appreciation for the Japanese people and their cultural practices in the context of their values and traditions. Ultimately, the goal of this program was to help students appreciate diverse cultures and better understand cultural differences and similarities in relationship to their own cultural traditions The UWRF students and Dance Theatre members traveled and studied in Japan are. Students had this to say about their experiences in Japan: “Going to Japan is by far one of the best experiences I have ever had. It was definitely a trip of new experiences- food, language, travel, and culture. I loved it! I never thought I would learn so much about the Japanese culture, and myself. Going to Japan has made me very curious of other cultures. Now I want to go everywhere!!” - Stephanie, Health and Human Performance Major “The Japan trip was amazing, I learned so much in such a short time. I learned about classical Japanese dance but about traveling, culture and the country, working with other people in close quarters, and so much more. This trip also helped me dream for more then I thought possible. I hope some how to go back again to Japan. Through this trip I learn so much about myself, my potential, life’s possibilities and dreams.” - Penny Reinhold, Dance / Musical Theatre Minor “This was the experience of a life time, how many students are
able to say that they were fully immersed in a culture. The things I
learned, I will remember for a life time and carry with me in my heart
as a future elementary school teacher.” - Through my college career studying Marketing, I have been on three separate trips overseas. First I traveled with a group of marketing students to Barcelona, Spain to participate in a worldwide, student trade show based on virtual businesses. Being the only one in the group who knew any Spanish, it came in quite handy, especially when ordering food! I learned that Spain is a very beautiful, romantic, high fashion, people oriented country. The architecture and people in Barcelona were astonishingly amazing. It is a city built on a rich history with past centuries framed in their architecture like hanging pictures on every street corner. Time is not of the essence, its people, culture, and living in the moment. Secondly I participated in a foreign exchange program with a group of German students. Verena, my now close friend, has been to the US twice and stayed with me both times, once through school and once on our own. I have visited Germany and the Northern parts of Austria once and plan to go back to visit Verena next year on a trip to Italy together. It is true that Germans smoke, drink, and drive extremely small cars. I found not much a difference between Germany and Wisconsin. Language was the largest barrier. Again, rich in history, I learned of Hitler, architecture, and past and present culture. My third excursion was to England to participate in an exchange student program, although different from my experience to Germany. I went with a group of students from the college and stayed at a large mansion built in the hillsides of East-Central England. This country is saturated with war stories, individuals struggle for power, and the struggle for advancement in a rich cultural, historical country. People in England were the nicest of all the countries I have been to. Being there wants to make you stop each elderly person you see walking on the streets, or sitting on a park bench in London and ask them to tell you their story. You go from the hustle and bustle of down town London, of which is full of fashion, government, and business tactics; to the quaint, cultural countryside of the remaining towns. I felt most comfortable here because of the small cities sporadically placed, and the people of each small town, most of which have lived in the same place for their entire lives. I grew up in a small town and understand the importance of small businesses and love people have for their small towns and keeping them alive and beautiful. My overseas experiences have widened my view points and narrowed my ability to make quick assumptions or classifications. You must experience things to really know what is out there. All of my pictures will never describe the emotional impact these experiences have had on my personality and outlook on the world. World travel aids in the development of understanding not only individuals backgrounds, but the ability to think outside the box and utilize others ways of thinking to broaden your ideas and sense of well being. I have lived 20 years abroad. I returned last year to Wisconsin. I deeply enjoyed my international experiences in Mexico, Japan, Germany and Canada and they molded me into a very open-minded, accepting person. I speak 3 foreign languages and have become a citizen of the world, internally. I am presently a graduate student at UW Oshkosh double majoring in College and Community Counseling with the aim to work with foreign students in their native tongue (German, Spanish, and Japanese). Living abroad is an eye-opening experience that everyone should have. Traveling or studying abroad is an addictive adventure filled with learning experiences every minute. Being the "foreigner" is a must in order to bring about understanding and true empathy for those that are guests in our country. I cringe when I hear derogatory remarks or snide comments filled with prejudice. Ignorance is the source. If others would look deep in the eyes of another, they would simply see themselves...in need. God made us all the same in his eyes, why should our perspective be so different? The world was given equally to all of us, and the responsibility to care for it and each other rests on all of us equally, too. On Friday, December 8, 2006 you generously praised the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh’s Global Educator Graduate Certificate Program for its authenticity and applicability in Wisconsin’s educational leadership initiatives for the new global century. As an established certificate program, we have been actively aligned with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s international literacy model and collaborating to promote the “five C’s” – literacy in communication, citizenship, careers, culture and community. In the press release, you specifically stated, “…we need to work even harder to engage more Americans in international education and exchange programs…to start, we should be following the lead of those who have begun this process…”. Our university continues to illuminate the importance of building on an accountability quotient in preparing our students in a demanding economic and international environment. Of the 21st Century realities, global interdependence and cross-cultural encounters continue to intensify. It is through international education programs and exchanges that we are better equipped to respond to emerging developments in the promotion of democracy, mobilize the competitive marketplace while focusing on a distinctive web of values that revolve around equality, freedom and human dignity. There isn’t a more provocative arena for innovation and understanding than exposure to cross-cultural exchange programs. Not only does it foster literacy in the five C’s, it instills a profound sense of personal/professional obligation – global leadership - to prepare fellow citizens for the future. It’s imperative that we provide our citizens with a compass for engagement. Travel beyond our borders provides the breadth and scope of learning that provides a return on investment that perpetuates high yield opportunities to put intellectual and practical skills to work. My recent cross-cultural journey to Santiago, Chile in August provided immeasurable opportunities to not only represent my higher education institution as a graduate student, but also represent the state of Wisconsin as a citizen and teacher. My preparations prior to the assignment demanded extensive research specific to the country, culture and mission as aligned with the ministry of education. My experiences ranged from dwelling in a host family scenario and functioning as a teacher in K-16 teacher to interfacing with citizens and educational experts to critically examining economic tensions that influence individual’s perspectives on 21st Century skills and knowledge – facing global realities – bridging cross-cultural barriers to literacy. My overseas journey has been one in many over decades and my advocacy for cross-cultural exchanges has become an enormous component of my professional aspirations as a teacher/consultant. I encourage you to re-examine your remarks endorsing the international initiatives for the state of Wisconsin as we continue to pride ourselves as national frontrunners on best practices in international education and business development, linking Wisconsin to the world. When I read the request for examples of Wisconsinites who have engaged
in citizen diplomacy, I couldn't help but think of Kai, a senior student
at the University of Wisconsin-Madison majoring in geography. With the help of Senator Feingold's staff, I finally received my passport
just a few days before my scheduled departure to Kenya. For a month
this summer, I volunteered with a small community based organization,
the Leo Community Development Network (LECDEN) in the Kiambiu slum of
Nairobi. With only a few years to retirement, I wondered if international
relief service could become my next career so I jumped at the chance
to work with "the poorest of the poor." More than anything,
I learned that people are sacred and everyone is worthy of love, peace,
health and prosperity. I worked with dignified, talented, industrious
people who only want a "hand up" not a "hand out."
I felt their intense desire for good government in a democracy which
is only 40 years old. I experienced a familial interconnectedness which
surprised and astonished me. Those orphans are all of our children.
And like any mother, I must do what I can. My name is Lacey…I am a twenty-five year old graduate of UW Madison. I just returned home three weeks ago after spending the entire summer in China. The majority of my time there was spent in the capital city of Beijing studying at Peking University. While I was there, I lived with a Chinese family. As a result, I not only learned the language, I also learned a great deal about Chinese families and culture. During our one week travel break from classes, I traveled to Xian, Jinan, Qingdao, Tai An and Shanghai. As a result of my studies in China, I am now going to go back to Beijing next summer to be a volunteer interpreter for both Spanish and Chinese at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. I am looking forward to just being a part of it and helping both Chinese people and foreign tourists alike in any way I can while positively representing my country, my state and my hometown of Wausau. It brings me a great deal of pride to be able to do something good in the name of my state. I feel that I have been given so much from my parents and teachers throughout my lifetime that it is really an honor to use that to give back in a positive way. I spent a majority of the summer in 2002 in Barcelona Spain studying at the American British College. Besides Spain and China, I have also been to Peru, Australia, France, Germany, England, and Ireland. Speaking a foreign language opens up the door to friendships that would have otherwise never been possible. I currently am and have for several years now been a volunteer Spanish interpreter for local police departments. I work at D.C. Everest Middle School. Every year, several of our history teachers ask me to give a Chinese language and culture presentation/lesson to their classes for a day. I have also done this presentation in the Wausau school district. I think it is important to raise an interest in language learning and travel. In the summer of 2005 I volunteered to assist with the Chinese division of UW Marathon County's Adventures in Language day camp, and in the summer of 2006 taught a half-day Chinese class to 1st-3rd graders. I use my travels and the things I learn from each place to bring back to my community with me and try to give back in whatever way I can as much as possible. Every time I go somewhere it opens my eyes a little wider and just makes me want these opportunities available for other kids too. Whether these opportunities be in the form of travel, language learning, hosting a foreign exchange student, etc., I really want to spread the word and raise an interest in these opportunities to others in the community.
During my visit to Korea last week I went to a school that I had voluntarily
taught conversational English at during my "off duty" hours
from military duty 39 years ago. I was introduced to the school because
a Korean man befriended me, a foreign soldier in his community. Generally
the U.S. military personnel did not mix with or engage in the regular
life of the indigenous community, and so I was fortunate that a "local"
person would reach out to me and connect me with the host community.
Eventually I was able to bring other soldiers to volunteer at the school
as well, and we were able to be American ambassadors of good will. I teach a course where I take 30-35 college students overseas to Europe every year. The single greatest gain for me from this experience is seeing the students' growth in self-awareness. They learn a great deal about the country they are studying and visiting, but even more so, they learn about themselves as cultural beings. The experiences they have cause them to see themselves as members of the American culture, with biases, perspectives and word-views that are not universal. The first step to appreciating cultural differences is often simply learning to see yourself as someone with a specific cultural lens. They also learn about themselves in terms of self-confidence and competency. They come away from their studies feeling like they know themselves better, that they can do things they were afraid of before, and that they have skills sets and knowledge bases they were not aware of before. I love to go every year because each year I get to feel that "first time traveler" excitement, fear, frustration, and exhilaration through their eyes.
As foreign faculty teaching in the Slovak Republic under the auspices of the US Fulbright Scholar Program in 2006-7, I had some opportunities to arrange for the exchange of ideas between American and Slovak scholars and administrators, but the most meaningful act of citizen diplomacy stemmed from our family’s decision to give birth to our daughter Žofia in Slovakia. The six months of prenatal care there, the week in the hospital for our daughter’s birth, and then Žofka’s first six months as an infant all involved extensive interaction with a segment of society least penetrated by western values and influence. Slovak became a real language for us, not just a reflection of local color. From the day we brought Žofka home, she served as the magnet holding together our support community: neighbors came to our apartment with offers of food for mommy and daddy and toys and baby clothes for our “malicka” (‘little one’); daily walks brought us in contact with the larger community in our host city, where our baby would be oogled (“What long hair! What big eyes!”) or fussed over several times every trip (“A little girl? And why no earrings?). Under these circumstances we couldn’t help meeting other new parents and two such couples became our best friends. A colleague, who arranged Žofka’s christening and became Žofka’s godmother, and the family of our baby’s godfather--also with a new infant of their own--made sure we were included in every holiday and every custom from eating carp at Christmas to whipping and splashing at Easter, to roast goose “rozlucene” (‘good-bye dinner’) on the week of our return to the US. Under these circumstances we had no problems recycling clothing, toys and equipment. They say that having a baby is a gesture of trust and hope. For us, now back in Wisconsin, our baby is a life thread that keeps us connected to the school, community, and nation where we used to live, as well as an excuse for us to have already begun plans to go back to build on our professional and family relationships over there. Some diplomacy brings people together; our particular brand has brought people together as family. It promises to be a durable and productive bond. My son spent a year abroad studying Organic Farming. Amory, 20, graduated in 2006 from River Falls High School and unlike many students who take the traditional path of going to college, Amory created a 5 year road map of his life that included traveling all over the world to experience other cultures and discover what makes him tick. Amory left for a twelve-month trip, May 31, 2007 to remote parts of
Australia and New Zealand. He will be participating in a program called
WWOOF -Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms. WWOOF is part of a
worldwide effort to link volunteers with organic farmers, promote an
educational exchange, and build a global community conscious of ecological
farming practices. Volunteers generally commit to week or longer period
and then work for a half-day, participating in farm work and projects
as needed. In exchange, farmers provide volunteers with meals and accommodation. Here are some parting words, leaving Australia from Amory: "Looking back over the last three months, I am deeply grateful to this country for the experiences I had - to the people, the food, the landscape, and the generosity of strangers by whom I was able to travel nearly five thousand kilometers. I enjoyed working hard on various farms and communities and have had the chance to go where few other outsiders do. I’ve also done a great deal of thinking about my future plans, goals in life and farming specifics." I am also participating in the International Host Family Program through UWRF and have a 18 year old student from India. We spent time exploring the countryside of Western Wisconsin this weekend, visiting apple orchards, farmers markets. This experience will be rich for our family as we get to learn about the Indian Culture and introduce "America" to our student. In 1993 I came to St Norbert College to start an intensive English program for foreign students. Shortly after I arrived two people came into my life who have forever changed my and my family’s perception of the world. Aurora “Lola” Shehu, a high school exchange student from a rural town in Albania, wanted to go to college here, but she didn’t have the financial ability to live on campus, so we “adopted” Lola and welcomed her into our home for a few years so that she could complete her degree in biology. Today Lola is completing her Ph.D. in cancer research at the University of Illinois, Chicago. The intervening years brought us great joy as we supported our “daughter’s” struggles and celebrated her victories. Her enthusiasm, energy, and positive attitude have had a profound influence on everyone in our family. Personally, I no longer take for granted the little things that make life comfortable: safe and clean streets and parks, reliable energy and utility services, convenient medical and dental services, traffic laws that are enforced fairly, stores filled with reasonably priced groceries and goods, and opportunities for anyone who has the motivation to better themselves. I don’t find many reasons to complain about life’s little inconveniences these days; the “Lola’s” of the world have far greater struggles and face them with a happier face than I. In 1995 a middle-aged man from Iraq walked into my office. He said he had no money, but he wanted to study English. My life has not been the same since that day. Mazin, his wife and 3 young sons were refugees from Sadam Hussein’s regime and, somehow, made their way to Green Bay, Wisconsin. Our two families have been connected ever since that fateful day. Today my wife and I and our two grown-children have a new respect and understanding of Mazin’s religion, their family values, their food, their hopes and dreams. Our families have walked together down some rough roads, but we have supported each other and found a new kind of friendship that crosses all cultural and political barriers. My mother moved from Milwaukee to Jamaica when I was just ten years old and I began visiting her on extended trips just after she moved. I grew up between Jamaica and Milwaukee and was motivated by my experiences there, to see more of the World. I back-packed in Western Europe for a while when I was eighteen and traveled to Mexico shortly after. I have lived, worked and studied in Cuernavaca, Mexico and I am now studying for a semester in Guadalajara, Mexico. From the day I set foot in another country I believed that my life
had been perpetually changed. Traveling and living outside of your element
motivates something in your body and mind to care more, to take more
interest in the World in which you live. I pay attention to my actions
and the actions of those around me and consider how they may affect
the World. I am interested in making living conditions better for all
countries, not just my own. I am motivated by the lessons of others,
their history and cultures. I find that I have more patience in general
and a better understanding of what it means to respect others, including
those I may not understand. We are strong believers in developing ties between peoples on a very direct, one-to-one basis. Citizen diplomacy is a good description. We have been hosting folks from all over the world through a variety of programs for nearly 35 years. We started with programs offered through the University of Minnesota while we lived in Minneapolis, and have continued for the last 15 years with programs sponsored by Northcentral Technical College in Wausau. Our children have grown up with dinner guests and “extended family” from countries as remote as Lesotho and Ivory Coast, Siberia and Turkmenistan, as old as Egypt and China, and as close as Wales and Germany. They discussed security arrangements for the Seoul Olympic Games with the man who was in charge. They have discussed the Arts in China, education in Ukraine, and trade unions in Africa. Along the way we seemed to become an unofficial embassy for Morocco in Minneapolis, with students passing along our names to other students coming in following years. We just crossed the generational gap with a guest last month from the University of Morocco in Rabat, where one of our original “kids” is now a professor. It wasn’t and isn’t at all atypical to have 10 to 15 folks from other countries over for dinner and conversation at the same time. We aren’t sure of the reason, but our youngest son is now an Anthropologist. Perhaps it was a result of having multi-cultural dinner table stimulation for years. Kathy had an opportunity to return the favor, when she was selected for a two week trip to Ukraine to discuss farming methods with folks under the Community Connections program. We have also traveled to Morocco to look up former guests from long ago, and were treated like royalty. All the neighbors came over for introductions, kids everywhere, all talking in Arabic and Berber, no one understanding each other, and everyone having a great time. Laughter needs no translation. We have lots and lots of stories, but the headline may be that people interact with people at a very different level than countries interact with countries. I may not like what your country is doing, but if I get to know you as an individual, I can still build a connection. Programs like these put a face on the country, making it less abstract and impersonal. Once the guests get to know a farmer from Wisconsin, I’m sure they also have a better understanding that our country is more than the image they see presented by the politicians, or the sports figures, or the media folks. It’s real folks with the same kind of dreams, hopes, and wishes for the future that they have. And perhaps we get a bit closer, one relationship at a time. This past summer I completed an internship on the Tibetan Plateau in the Yunnan Province of southwestern China. It was coordinated through UW-River Falls and the China Exploration and Research Society (CERS). The mission of CERS is to conserve the cultural and natural environments of remote China. I aided in this mission by helping to develop eco-tourism plans for one of their current projects This involved designing nature trails, septic systems, and composting toilets. Living in a developing country really puts the world into perspective. I now look at my day-to-day life differently than before. It is hard to put into words, but I feel much more content with my decisions and myself. Seeing the lives of the rural Chinese and Tibetan people has shown me how other people live and sustain themselves on very limited resources. They get things done with the tools around them and are patient to let things unfold naturally. When time is taken to look at all the options for solving a problem and all the consequences have been laid out, the likelihood of success based on common sense is far greater. Studying abroad is a great opportunity and a true life-altering event. It challenges a person right down to their core and really builds character on a newly formed understanding of the world. I am senior at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. My life is focused around the idea of international education. I am an International Studies and Latin American Studies major and am also a Peer Advisor in the Office of Overseas Programs and Partnerships, or more common only known as the study abroad office, on campus. Over the past two years, I have volunteered in New Zealand, studied abroad in Seville, Spain, worked in England and most recently, did a human rights delegation in Guatemala for the month of June this past summer. While all of my international experiences have been special and unique in their own way, the program I took part in this summer was by far the most crucial to my personal development as not only a U.S. citizen, but as a person of this world. While leaving for Guatemala City, I knew that the month ahead of me was going to be a challenge, but I hadn't imagined it was going to be the eye-opener that it truly was. The majority of us as Americans have been blessed with warm showers, clean drinking water, and all of us, I am proud to say, live in a democratic nation. Unless you've studied Latin American history, you wouldn't have any idea that for 36 years, the indigenous population was targeted and made to disappear through a civil war. Thousands of innocent indigenous Guatemalans died during this period and although the war ended just over a decade ago, the effects on the country's economy and population are still blatantly obvious. Guatemala is one of the poorest nations in the world and this can be seen even in the tourist destinations that are the most developed. Never have I felt so uncomfortable in a foreign country as I did in Guatemala. With every store and bank in the city guarded by men in uniforms holding rifles, and with a 98% impunity rate, I felt intimidated and scared to be an American female walking the streets of Guatemala City by myself. On the last day of my delegation, it was National Military Day, a day in which the country celebrates their military by having parades and air shows in the center of the capital. As I was getting breakfast that morning, I was put in a situation that I will never forget. A protest against the military broke out, which resulted in tear gas bombs being thrown in my direction. I was trapped in a restaurant where the tear gas bomb was thrown and was as a result, unable to breathe. After a few minutes of struggling along with the other people in my group for air, we were able to get out of the restaurant where the military celebration was still occurring. After being tear gassed, I wanted to get out of the center of the city as quickly as possible. During my month stay in Guatemala, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to live in the highlands with a Mayan family who took me into their home like I was one of their own children. They made me breakfast, lunch and dinner, heated up my bath water every morning and even hand washed my clothing. They had shared tragic stories of family members and loved ones "disappearing" during the 36 year civil war and until that moment in the center of Guatemala city, where I couldn't see or breathe and all I could hear were the thousands of soldiers marching to the same drum, I felt their pain of being an innocent bystander, harmed by the effects of an authoritative government. Having gone through what I did that day, it made me think twice of the Iraq war and how we're putting innocent Iraqi civilians in danger. The feeling of terror that I experienced during that day was enough for me to be convinced that the War on Terror was really the War OF Terror. How can we fight a war on terror, when we are inflicting terror on the nation at the same time? I am proud to be from the United States and I am proud to be from Wisconsin. However, I am a citizen of this world and until innocent Iraqis stop dying and Guatemalans stop living in fear of their own government, I can't sit and enjoy my hot shower and washing machine just yet. I had a once in a life time opportunity to study abroad in the Wisconsin in Scotland program in the spring of 2006. This experience changed my life. It not only helped me realize what I wanted to do in my life, and give me the desire to travel, it also changed the way I looked at every aspect of the world. This biggest thing I took away from the program is my view of other cultures. I was naïve when I first left to study abroad thinking that any culture that wasn’t as “advanced” or “sophisticated” as the US was simply just not wealthy enough to be up to our “standards.” I now am adamant that this is not the case. I live by the phrase “different isn’t bad, scary, or wrong, it is just different.” This experience also helped me realize what I wanted to do with my life. I intend to become a theatre professor, and I want to teach somewhere in the UK. I loved every single aspect of my study abroad experience and cannot wait to go back. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, I learned something about myself that I would not have learned anywhere else besides in another study abroad experience. I learned my own personal strength. I learned what I was capable of. When I was on holiday in Milan I missed my flight, and it was up to me, not my professor, or my parents, to figure out what to do. I never realized what it was like to be a real adult until I had to take care of myself. It was scary, and it was hard, but I did it. I now have this inner strength of knowing what I accomplished by myself, in a land where no one spoke my native language, and I got myself through it. I will be forever grateful to the University of Wisconsin-Superior and their Wisconsin in Scotland study abroad program for turning me into the strong, well-educated, and open-mined woman that I am today. Studying abroad is a priceless experience that every student should have the privilege of doing. I got to travel all across Europe, experience different cultures and make friendships that will last forever. Not only did I make great friends, but I made connections with people all across the globe. I was lucky enough to see the Eiffel Tower, the Berlin Wall, Anne Frank's House the Coliseum and so many more amazing places; without studying abroad I never would have seen all those places by the time I turned 21. The only bad thing about studying abroad is coming home, wanting nothing more than to go back and realizing your broke. Studying abroad will forever be the best time of my life. I was fortunate enough to study in another country. At first, when my friends told me about the study abroad program, I was hesitant to sign up for the experience. In the end I had made a decision that would change my life forever. I had decided to study in the Wisconsin in Scotland program. Before that time I had never even been in an airport much less fly to another country. When I was in Scotland, I learned far more about culture than any one could experience from a class or text book. I was place in a foreign world and had to deal with the changes. This is what made me feel more confident about my independence as a person. Soon after my returned, my communication and people skills flew through the roof. Thanks to the study abroad program for helping me become the successful person I am today. I studied abroad in the spring of 2007 with the Wisconsin in Scotland program. I stayed in Dalkeith House, five miles outside of Edinburgh, with 64 other Wisconsin students. While abroad, I spent time traveling through Scotland, Ireland, England, Spain, France, The Netherlands, Jordan, and Egypt, and I can say with complete certainty that studying abroad was the single most educational experience of my life. While a lot of what I learned stemmed directly from the classroom, the vast majority of knowledge was gained through travel and meeting people of other cultures. I was able to recognize how many of my values stemmed from growing up in America, and I was able to appreciate the differences in culture and values that I experienced while abroad. I also had an internship with a law firm while I was in Scotland. I had the opportunity to work in family, emigration, and criminal law as well as spend time in the High Courts, and this experience demonstrated to me how much a society's values are reflected in the judicial system. In the spring of 2005, I was informed that I was one of 15 teachers nationally selected to participate in the US-Eurasia Awards for Excellence in Teaching Program administered by the American Councils for International Education. The program goals included developing learning partnerships between teachers in the U.S. and in the former Soviet Republics. As I planned for my October departure for Uzbekistan, the relationship between the US and Uzbek government began to break down… Uzbekistan’s human rights record, already poor, continued to worsen. The government refused to authorize an independent international investigation of the alleged killing of unarmed civilians during demonstrations in May 2005 in Andijon. Uzbek authorities asked the U.S. to pull all military forces out of the Karshi-Khanabad air base. The visas of 52 Peace Corps volunteers expired and were not been renewed by the Uzbek government, forcing the volunteers to return home immediately. Uzbek authorities sought to control all nongovernmental organization (NGO) activity, forcing local and international NGOs to close. While official, diplomatic communications during this period continued to deteriorate, my travel visa was approved. For 2 ½ weeks in October of 2005 I visited schools and interacted with teachers and students at all levels. I designed a project in which middle school students in Wisconsin and Bukhara, Uzbekistan exchanged individual zip-loc bags containing photographs and items representative of themselves and their culture, along with written descriptions. Wisconsin and Uzbek students practiced citizen diplomacy while helping to shape foreign relations, albeit, one middle school student at a time. * * * * During July of 2007, I was one of 20 educators from Wisconsin who participated in a Fulbright-Hayes Group Project Abroad in Fes, Morocco, sponsored by the Center for International Study at the University of WI-Milwaukee. In the mornings, I formally studied Arabic language from a soft-spoken teacher and practiced speaking loudly with my Moroccan host family around the meal table. My favorite times were our walks in neighborhoods of the Medina, the ancient walled city in which they lived. I would practice identifying Arabic letters and words in print we passed. After twenty years as a middle school reading teacher and specialist, I was once again an emergent reader. In the summer of 2003, I lived in Tamil Nadu, India for five weeks as part of a Fulbright-Hayes Group Project Abroad sponsored by the Center for South Asia at the University of WI-Madison. Most memorable are the rhythms of daily life I experienced along with observing the rituals of daily puja, or prayer. Both Fulbright-Hayes Group Projects Abroad inspired me to develop innovative interdisciplinary curriculum units, made infinitely richer by my newly acquired photographs, video footage, cultural artifacts, interview notes, books published outside of the U.S., and personal reflections. More importantly, these international experiences led to ongoing collaborations with educators in the host countries. As a result of ongoing internationally focused literacy programming, my middle school students, including reluctant and struggling readers, seek out books on other cultures and countries, are intrigued by world maps, and pay more attention to world news and global concerns. I participated in the Wisconsin in Scotland Study Abroad Program in
the Spring of 2005. Simply put, it was the most rewarding educational
experience of my entire collegiate career. Not only was I able to experience
other cultures, meet a host family, and break-down preconceived stereotypes,
I was also able to grow as a professional. Since I am a high school
English teacher, I am constantly looking at ways to bring literature
alive for my students. My stories, postcards, memorabilia and literature
open up my students to the world that we are reading about - especially
British Literature. Because I teach in a low-income area, these students
are especially touched by the extra resources I provide. The study abroad
experience is not one that ends when we get off of the plane; it is
an experience that never ends whether it is one's memories or one's
ability to share with others. Continuing this program is vital for those
of us who traveled, our families and our community. I am currently a student at the University of Wisconsin - River Falls. Last semester, spring 2007, I was a participant in the "Wisconsin in Scotland Program." It was an amazing experience to be a part of. Not only were we able to enroll in courses which would transfer credit back to our home university, but we could fully absorb a different culture by living in it. One of my friends said it best- you learn more from traveling, especially studying abroad, than you could from years in a classroom with text books. Although Scotland is relatively similar to Wisconsin, volunteering in the community of Dalkeith, visiting with host families, and traveling with new friends offers new challenges. When we flew back in May, I think we all had a new sense of independence, a different look on the influence of the United States on other countries, and an appreciation for what we have at home. Being able to have the opportunity to study broad is an important, valuable experience. My journey to Papua New Guinea took place during the summer of 2005. I was one of forty people to travel to a remote area near the small city of Goroka, which is located in the Highlands region on the eastern half of the main island, Irian Jaya, which is shared by Indonesia. The experience was no less than breath-taking as I spent six weeks learning about tribal missions through New Tribes Mission’s Interface program. The program immerses us in the culture, language, and surroundings of one of the most diverse and untainted countries of the world. We spent time with the Bena Bena people near our campus; we saw their hunger for the Word of God. Though their usual cheerful greetings and lackadaisical lifestyle confronted us in the beginning; it was quickly replaced with an emptiness for something greater than themselves. They were searching for fulfillment in other things; coveting their neighbor’s wives, warring against neighboring tribes, obtaining “white man” material things. This was how they thought that they could “be right with God.” This struck a deep chord within me; especially when I realized that the Bena Bena was only one of over 700 tribes in Papua New Guinea, who were hungering for Truth. One-fifth of the world’s languages resides in that small sliver of paradise and most, unreached. The culmination of the trip was when we took a six-day trip to visit a tribe that already had a thriving church established. What joy! We were able to celebrate with them in their undiluted passion for “God’s Talk,” as they call it. They have almost nothing, yet they had everything; we spent hours singing and praising God out on the dock, jutting out from the tiny island. Two years later, I cannot look back at the trip, as if it was some thing in the past, because it has become a part of me. The people, their country, and their joy have permeated who I am! I am a faculty member who has participated in our Wisconsin In Scotland program, taught in our International Traveling Classroom (in Europe) and last year began a study tour to Vietnam. I had the advantage of growing up in a family that traveled and it greatly affected my life, my education, and my world view. Our students need the same. Many of the students here at UW-River Falls are first generation college students and have had little experience traveling anywhere! Of the 10 students who went to Vietnam with me last year, half had to apply for their first passports -- a few had never been in an airplane before! My great frustration this semester is the lack of funds to help students have this international experience. Currently, due to the lack of a WI budget, there are NO FUNDS available via the WI Study Abroad Grant. Financial aid is limited. More grant money needs to be available to students in order for them to afford to travel. The trip to Vietnam was amazing. Vietnam became the 150th WTO member while we were there. The Vietnamese are incredibly welcoming and open in discussion about their future dreams and equally open in their thoughts and experiences with the U.S. during the war. Students (even those who had traveled abroad) say this trip changed their lives after staying in local villages, going without some of the conveniences we take for granted, learning about the suffering during the war, etc... Hmong students were among our tour participants -- and what an incredible experience that was watching them interact with Hmong villagers, hearing their stories, and having our non-Hmong students learn about this group that they have always known but have not known their story. Please encourage Senator Feingold to do what he can to support and get more support for these sorts of programs. I was an AFS students in high school (to Brazil) and since then firmly believe that if we could lift every 16 year old our of their "comfort zone" and have them live somewhere else in the world for a few months; we'd end war and certainly increase global understanding. I am a single parent that lives with a handicapped adult child and
2 Silky terriers. Through Barb at the UW-Platteville campus we were
offered an opportunity to host a Chinese Scholar from the South-Central
University for Nationalities in Wuhan, China for a weekend in our home.
Even though it was a short 30 hours we were able to pack without being
pressed much of our family and community culture into that time. The
wedding & reception of a friend, the 25th anniversary of a co-worker,
a birthday party for my son Travis, the family unit of my daughter Traci
& her husband & children and taking my oldest daughter, Teri,
to Badger Camp. When we were finished with the paper work and getting
ready to leave camp, Teri spontaneously gave Linda a hug as is her custom.
On the way back to Platteville, Linda told me how she had learned so
much that was quite different from what their literature tells them
about our families and communities. But what touched my heart is she
told me that she teared up when Teri hugged her goodbye. In her country
she had always been afraid to work with handicapped people because she
did not know how to talk to them. What she found out in a very short
time, is all you have to do is spend time with them. I am senior at the University of Wisconsin - River Falls. Two years
ago, I spent a semester of my academic career studying Spanish in Querétaro,
México. I lived with a host family while I attended the Instituto
Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, and I had an
absolutely phenomenal experience. Yes, I developed my language skills
significantly, but even more so, I developed an appreciation for the
Mexican culture and an understanding of the social and educational problems
that cause so many of the Mexican people to emigrate to the United States.
My study abroad experience impacted me so greatly that I changed my
major from Elementary Education to Spanish Education with a minor in
TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other From September 2005 until September 2006 I was on a sabbatical leave from UW-Whitewater in Oman as a senior Fulbright program scholar. I taught business and economics courses at Modern College of Business and Science, which is located in Muscat. In addition, I assisted the College administration and owners in preparing their college for academic accreditation. I participated in English language training of Omani judges (in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy and the Ministry of Justice). My family and I have met many interesting people from different ways of life and had many opportunities to travel throughout the region. Promoting American values in the Middle East today is very difficult. I believe that my solid work particularly with college students will enhance good will and will bring tangible benefits in the future by developing bilateral business and educational linkages. We have been active in the Friends of International Students organization at the University of Wisconsin for quite a long time, hosting foreign students for two or three days when they first arrive and helping them find lodging and get settled in. A few years back, we had the pleasure of hosting a young lady (Alison) and a young man (Richard) who are from Shanghai and came to Madison as boy-friend, girl friend. We hosted them for three days, and kept in touch with them while they attended the University and got their bachelor degrees, even keeping their car and clothing when they went home for one summer. After graduation, Richard went to work for GE and was out of town in a training program so we didn't see him very often, but kept in touch with Alison since she stayed in Madison and took a job with Promega. Later, she decided to get a Masters degree at York University in Toronto,
and we visited her there once also. It wasn't too long after she received
her Masters that we got a letter from her announcing that she and Richard
were going to marry, and that they wanted us to be at their wedding.
They said they knew that it would be very costly for us to travel to
Shanghai, and they had made arrangements to have a judge marry them
on Bascom Hill, with just Ann and I attending, and then they would have
their big wedding in Shanghai, which is what they did. We continue to
have very infrequent emails from them, with pictures of their two sons.
This whole experience has made us feel so much more involved in the
world, and especially with China, which becomes a bigger presence every
day. Last year I went on a trip with my technical college (Moraine Park) to England for an international study course. I had never been overseas before that and it was an experience of a lifetime. Before this trip, I would have never been interested in news from around the world, but now I find myself switching through the channels just to learn a little more from another country or even state. I am more interested than ever now about other countries and can't wait to travel some more. I find other cultures so amazing, they way they do things, the things they eat, etc. I plan on taking another international study course in May 2008 and I believe for that one we will be traveling to Italy. I am currently studying at the University of Melbourne in Australia for my Master of International Politics (receiving US financial aid). I completed a Bachelor of Arts in 2006 with a double major in International Studies and History at the University of Wisconsin- Oshkosh. I studied abroad three times during my undergraduate, living and attending classes in Prague, Paris, and Edinburgh. Basically, having the opportunity to study abroad changed my life. When I started at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh my major was undeclared, but after applying for and winning a scholarship to go to Prague for a semester everything changed. I had traveled to Europe once before on my own, however, living in a foreign country for an extended period of time really opened my eyes. I began to see the distinct differences between Americans and the rest of the world and how our influences affect the international community. I returned home with focus and immediately declared my major to be international studies. After that semester I also came down with the travel bug, returning to Europe two more times to study abroad as well as an extended stay in South Africa, a summer teaching English in Taiwan, and travel everywhere from Moscow to Istanbul. As mentioned earlier, studying abroad has change my life. However, what I would really like to impress on you is that my overseas studies have also changed the lives of my friends and family as well because while abroad many of them came to visit. Most of these people had never been overseas before, but were willing to go because I knew my way around and could guide them. I have seen so many changes in everyone who has visited me, especially concerning their perspectives on world affairs. One example I can point to is my father. Until I had studied abroad my father had never been overseas. He has now visited me in Paris, Prague, Budapest and London. Additionally, he has developed an interest in international politics and watches multiple news sources including overseas ones like the BBC News. He has truly learned that you sometimes need to look outside the US to get a better perspective on an issue, even if it is a domestic one. Furthermore, in this time of globalization and political turmoil I implore you Sen. Feingold along with the rest of the US Senate to continue endorsing study abroad programs. It must be realized that it is not just one student gaining from these programs, it is an entire community that benefits. I studied abroad through UWRF by becoming involved in an incredible international service learning project called Building Tomorrow. Building Tomorrow is a nationwide non-profit organization encouraging philanthropy among young people by raising awareness and funds to build and support educational infrastructure projects for vulnerable children in sub-Saharan Africa. Currently in Uganda, Building Tomorrow works with the local government, the Ministry of Education, and students across the United States, to identify areas in need of educational infrastructure and to then raise funds for the construction of new schools. Since it was founded in 2005 by, then student, George Srour of College of William & Mary, the organization has been growing exponentially. As a global service experience offered at UW-River Falls, our University stands as one of ten campuses across the nation that has a chapter of Building Tomorrow and one of three campuses that traveled together on the first student trip to Uganda in January 2007. The incredible two week journey included volunteering at the first school built with funds raised by Building Tomorrow as well as home stays with Ugandan families. Teaching English, math, art, song and dance to the Ugandan students was by far the favorite activity of everyone involved. While at Meeting Point primary school in Kampala, Uganda, I made about forty new little friends in a matter of minutes. But it was a young boy, Najja, who wanted to tell me his story, even if our languages wouldn’t allow for it. He took my hand and looked up at me with the most gentle and trusting eyes. Without having to say a word, Najja’s hand revealed his own pain, hope, struggle, and love. Each day Najja ran back to me, eager to lock hands and tell me more. By the end of the week I learned that I am apart of his story and his livelihood because I am apart of his school. Not just for that one week, but always. I am working to raise funds for Building Tomorrow to construct schools for children, like Najja, to become apart of their livelihood and to give them the hope of tomorrow’s possibilities through their education. The opportunity of education is something that I have all too often overlooked and taken for granted in my own life. My experience in Uganda not only taught me the value of my own education, but the value of relationships and community. As our group drove through the city and numerous towns and villages, I often thought to myself, “What is it that holds this country together?” It did not take long before that question was answered; family, friends, neighbors, schools - outlets where a human connection is made. These connections drive the happenings of areas throughout Uganda. Relationships are fostered because they have to be in the uncertainty of what tomorrow may bring. While in Uganda, I was also fortunate enough to have a home-stay experience with a Ugandan family. The idea was to be paired with someone whose career was in the realm of what you want to pursue. I and two other Building Tomorrow members were paired with a doctor because we all had an interest in some aspect of health care. Michael, the doctor, took us to immunization clinics, the microbiology department at the local University, and his own office specializing in children’s health and providing free care. This experience was remarkable and contributed to my decision to pursue a career in public health. Many of the health issues that the people of Uganda face could be prevented with education, and certainly education has been a key player in the successes Uganda has seen. Investing in education now creates less dependency on the overstrained healthcare system. I want to be apart of that investment. Uganda was a huge challenge for me personally. Everything I saw and felt pushed my limits and put me outside my comfort zone. As I walked through the city and into the city slums, making home visits to people receiving assistance and medication for HIV/AIDS, the devastating poverty, relentless and inescapable odor of polluted alleys and waterways became almost too much as I looked into the faces of family after family in crowded spaces living with little to nothing. These are realities I know exist in the world, but it’s difficult to describe how tough it was staring right into it with such a powerless feeling. Interacting with others and trying to become apart of another culture also brought on another set of feelings I had never experienced to such a degree. I found out what it felt like to be the minority. Having assumptions made about me based on the fact I was white was trying. When I walked around the city I could feel a thousand eyes on me. I knew going into this experience that that was how it was going to be, but the way it felt affected me more than I thought it would. Yet, even though certain judgments were made about me, I know I went to Uganda with some of the same thoughts. And in the end I learned so many times over that the people I met in Uganda wanted to know more about me, just as I did about them. We both took on judgments and learned about each others cultures beyond our initial opinions. Part of my realization of my limits and feelings accompanied with each day was due in large part to the UWRF staff….All of our days were filled with a busy agenda and by the time night came we were all exhausted emotionally. Brent and Amy demonstrated great emotional strength as they facilitated nightly reflections to help us grow and learn from our experiences. They, in a sense, helped connect the dots in the puzzle when our minds were racing at a million miles per second. They helped each of us find a greater meaning behind our experiences. I can’t imagine not having had them during the journey. Being involved in Building Tomorrow does not mean you simply go abroad for a global service experience. Building a school in Uganda takes a commitment from all who are apart of the organization, before and after going abroad. Our campus chapter of Building Tomorrow has a fundraising goal of $10,000 for another school to be built in Uganda. Raising that kind of money takes a great deal of organizing, collaborating, and outreach; not too mention some tenacity. Students involved with Building Tomorrow grow into leaders that are capable of all those things and have a deeper understanding of and commitment to philanthropy. Our largest fundraising effort on campus is a benefit concert called “The Big Event.” Saturday, October 13th will be our second annual concert with the addition of a children’s carnival with games and activities, “The Little Event.” Building Tomorrow at UW-River Falls has the power to make education a possibility for hundreds of vulnerable children in Uganda through providing support for educational infrastructure. Examples of family and community in Uganda have shown me where a different kind of hope comes from. I am now apart of that community and am dedicated to providing some of that hope. In the February of 2006, I was fortunate enough to be able to get on
a plane and fly to Scotland for the start of my semester abroad in a
program called Wisconsin in Scotland. It was by far the best semester
of my life. Not only did I learn about the Scottish culture, but I was
able to travel to England, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands
also. The 4 months I was there changed my life in ways I never imagined.
I came back to the US with a new outlook on life. I was able to see
and experience how another culture lived and why they live that way
and I now look at other cultures in the US differently. The US is such
a “go go” [society]…when I went to Italy and many
things were closed down on Sunday and then each day between 1 and 5
for sure, many things were not open, I realized that there are people
in the world that take time to stop and relax which makes them more
productive! I wish everyone could experience what I did, because I take
so many more chances now. I went on this program not knowing anyone
and I had to make new friends and live thousands of miles away from
all I knew and it changes you. I am a retired Milwaukee Public Schools teacher, having taught special education in Milwaukee for the past 30 years. I am now retired from the classroom and am working as a mentor teacher for teacher interns going into special education in the city. This past summer I had the good fortune to be one of the members of the Fulbright-Hayes program studying in Morocco. Over the course of the month of July we studied Arabic as well as the Moroccan educational system and culture. Our experience was made even more valuable because of the fact that we did home-stays. This type of accommodation allowed us to share meals, conversation and experience, first-hand, Moroccan family life. We were able to see how leisure time was spent, what made our family members laugh and feel sad, watched our host-father go out to the mosque while our mother said her prayers on a prayer-rug in a side room and then prepared meals. We were able to partake in the life rhythms of our Moroccan family. It is such experiences that I feel more teachers need to have in order to become authentic role-models for their 21st century students. These are students who will need to be able to say “yes” with conviction and assuredness when offered a job half way around the world or just down the street. They need teachers who have experienced other cultures, worked at learning other languages, who have gotten “out of their comfort zones” in order to encourage their own credibility and who can speak from experience. These are the teachers our children require and we ought to do everything we can in order to make this happen. UWM’s Fulbright-Hayes summer program offered an opportunity to nurture an interest I’ve had in the Middle East and North Africa since I was a freshman in college (over a decade now). Like many Americans, I had reservations about traveling to a part of the world that seems hostile to us. My experience with my Moroccan host family proved this perception false. I learned that the legendary warmth and hospitality of the Arab world are not myths. Indeed, my host family gave the impression that their primary enjoyment of material comforts came from sharing them with me, a stranger with strange ways to whom they had opened their home. They eagerly shared their culture with me, and were infinitely patient as a I learned the finer points of Moroccan manners, such as eating with my right hand and remembering to take my shoes off when I walked on a carpet. After my experiences in Morocco, I find myself having a lot to say when I hear another American declare that Arabs or, more broadly, people in the Muslim world, hate us. Hearing this is frustrating, knowing what I know now, especially when people use it to justify an unjust action on the part of the United States toward countries in the Muslim world. The Moroccans I met went out of their way to distinguish between the U.S. government and the American people when expressing dislike of a particular U.S. government policy or action against a country in their region. They feel that their side of the story is not heard or understood. Since I’ve been back, I find myself seeking out news coverage of the Middle East and North Africa, waiting to hear those perspectives my Moroccan friends and family shared with me. Their absence only seems to reinforce the “well, they hate us,” attitude, since they are often preempted by more extreme viewpoints. I think that programs like our summer trip to Morocco can expose both sides to new ways of seeing the conflicts that exist between us and that can be a positive first step to better relations. I went to WIS Wisconsin in Scotland in the fall of 2006. I traveled Europe in that time while staying in a Palace when not traveling, the classes were tough in that we had 4 days of class instead of 5 but even for normal classes there was a lot of work. That lead to the weekends of fun and traveling experiencing different peoples and cultures is eye opening. We just recently had or 1 year Scotland Reunion in La Crosse for Oktoberfest. 30 of the 55 that participated in WIS were at the reunion, traveling abroad causes friendships, to sum it up, it was the time of my life. Because I was having so much fun traveling in Europe half way through my stay in Scotland I received an email from a UWRF professor regarding a study abroad trip to Vietnam, within six hours of receiving the email I was signed up. To see a culture such as Vietnam is eye opening. A complete different culture not based on individuality but of collectivism and peace. I would rather walk in the worst neighborhood of Ho Chi Minh City than that of my home town in that I would be more safe. Such experiences broaden ones view of the world in general and shape a life into what the true meaning of living is. I am a senior at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. During the spring semester of my sophomore year of college, 2006, I did a semester abroad program in Sydney, Australia, which also included study tours in Fiji and New Zealand, through the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point International Programs. It was the most incredible and rewarding experience of my life, and I believe it changed me greatly as a person. We began our program with ten days in Fiji, staying in Suva with native host families for a week, and a three day, two night stay in a Fijian village. I learned so much about Fijian culture and way of life, and how to live with less comforts and different foods than I am used to. They were so kind and giving, and it really helped me become a more generous person than I had learned to be growing up in American society. After Fiji, we spent three months studying at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. There I found a culture I really connect with, and got to know the real Australia, not just the one our media and stereotypes portray. I took clarinet lessons with a professor from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and found new ways of learning, teaching, and playing, as well as a plethora of new music, some of which I have performed for recitals since returning to UWSP. Australians are typically a lot more in touch with the news and what is going on in the government and the world than Americans are, and I learned how important this is, and now I keep up with national and world news regularly, and am able to make more informed opinions and decisions. I identified with the Australian culture so well that I met my future husband (an Australian), went and lived there again May through August 2007, and am moving there when I graduate in December 2008. After our semester in Sydney, we spent ten days in New Zealand, traveling and going to lectures. I learned much about the indigenous Maori culture, the history of New Zealand, and a country who really takes care of its environment. Traveling and studying abroad in general taught me about American and other cultures, societies, views, and ideas, different forms of government, a greater sense of independence, and how to look at cultures and traditions that are different from my own with an open mind, rather than making judgment before I know all the facts. It changed the course of my life, and made me a part of the international community. I am now working in the International Programs office at UWSP as a recruitment and orientation intern, telling other students about my experiences and encouraging them to broaden their horizons and study abroad. This is a passion for me because it has had such a profound impact on my life. Going abroad is the best and most beneficial classroom anyone can spend time in. When I arrived in Chile in 1988, the military dictatorship of General Pinochet was still in power. I arrived with all of the idealism and naiveté of assisting the Chilean people with rebuilding a democratic, participatory form of government. In October 1988 the Chilean people participated in a plebiscite on the dictatorship with the whole country consumed with advocating for either the Sí (continuation of the dictatorship) or No (reestablishment of an electoral democratic process) vote. There were marches, editorials, rallies, radio shows and every night at 10:30 pm the country would come to a stop to watch the infamous 15 minute TV promotional spots for either the Sí or the No vote. I was working with poor farmers off the grid. The farmers would literally take their batteries from their cars and attach the batteries to their TV sets to watch this half hour of uncensored television after seventeen years of censorship. The Chilean people by 54.9% said NO to the continuation of the dictator. The humbling experience was that after all the trauma of living under arrests, torture, disappearances, and extreme oppression the Chilean people taught me, a US citizen and attorney, more about participatory democracy, about the power of nonviolence in the face of violence and about core values articulated in the US Constitution than any experience before or since. I arrived in Istanbul just in time for the last few days of Ramadan. My parents were worried about how safe I would be traveling in a predominately Muslim country. I felt I was probably much safer there than many Muslim-Americans are back home. The fact that many of the people I met could not eat or drink during daylight hours did not stop them from maintaining their traditional hospitality, offering me apple tea nearly everywhere I went. Many people assumed that I must be from Canada, or maybe England. When I told them that I was in fact American, they often asked me why I wasn’t scared of them. After I asked them if there was any reason I should be, I could see them start to realize that not all Americans were the fear-driven stereo-types media all over the world is so eager to portray, that some of us were genuinely interested in other people and countries. And that was a great feeling. As a child I was fascinated with the “Evil Empire” of the Soviet Union, so after I finished college in 1994, I traveled to Ukraine to teach English at the University of Chernivtsi. Although I had read much about Ukrainian history, including the massacre of millions under Stalin and the Chernobyl disaster, nothing prepared me for the hospitality and joyfulness of the Ukrainian people. I went there expecting to see despair but instead found joy and hope. Despite food shortages and high unemployment rates, my students and friends seemed to have a joy for living that appears to elude many in the States. Although they had very little, they shared what they had, sang songs, told jokes, celebrated the blessings of each other, and laughed a lot, often poking fun at their unpleasant conditions. From my time in Ukraine, I learned the importance of relationships and to give what I can to others, to live happily on less, to truly enjoy the blessings of each day, and to laugh a lot! Riding on the train in Morocco is never a dull experience, and it is always interactive. Unlike many American trains, compartments are shared and fit about 5 or 6 adults (and sometimes 8 when it is crowded). Perhaps more than anything, the kindness of Moroccans is apparent on these trains, as meals are shared along with seats. Anytime anyone opens a snack, it is passed around the entire compartment and enjoyed by everyone. To not share would be considered rude. It is interesting that in a country with so little, people are so generous. That has been my experience around the world, and while I have loved sharing my culture and experiences with the friends I have made, I feel I have always been the recipient of greater gifts and life lessons in my travels than I could ever share. That is the beauty of exploring the world, and I feel very lucky to have experienced it. I am 85, not traveling abroad any more. Most of my travels have been with the Friendship Force, if not, I will so note. Every home was welcoming. We were not to bring up religion or politics - every host did. The US was very popular these years. It is impossible to overestimate the graciousness with which we were received. Also impossible to verbalize the knowledge I gained of each culture, passing it down to my children and grandchildren who have all traveled. On several occasions our hosts would say, “We love the American people but we do not like what your government does.” I am sure it would be more pointed today. Our family entertained foreign students from 1950 on. 1975 - My husband and I took a trip to Greece during which we visited 4 graduate students we had known in Madison where they had gotten their graduate degrees. We both became aware of the difference in cultures. Sad to say, my husband had a heart attack and died there. The compassion every Greek showed me through to the airlines etc. until I arrived at home was very gratifying. Bob Kastenmaier helped me get details when I got home. The son of this Greek family came to the US to get his PH.D. and our friendship continues to this day. My children encouraged me to keep traveling and I did so mostly with the Friendship Force. I was 50 years old. 1982 - I went to Germany with a friend and stayed with a German lady who spook no English - we managed. She had lost her husband in WW 2 as did my traveling companion. She was afraid to fly , but another couple we met returned the visit to my home. 1982 - I went to India on my own to visit a family whose parents had gotten graduate degrees here -was surprised when camels and cows were right outside the air terminal. As Hindus, they still had a small Christmas tree to help me celebrate my holiday and I took part in their flying of the kites. I returned to their home in 2003 to attend the wedding of their daughter. I was in saris for the wedding week. 1983 - I went to China but we were not home hosted - but we visited their tiny three generational living quarters and other educational sights etc. I also arranged to meet the parents of three graduate students studying in Madison. Not very safe for them to see me but they risked it, brought gifts and in low whispers told me to tell their children not to come home. One Father had been a wealthy exporter and then had been sent to the fields to work - had nothing now. China sent a group of people to be home hosted. I hosted an English speaking tour guide and the ex mayor of Beijing who spoke no English but was on the telephone continually calling American professors around the US who taught in Beijing and he had known before the revolution. 1984 - New Zealand - stayed with an elderly couple who introduced me to their Maori friends 1984 Australia - Hosted by a newly divorced lady with 5 children in a small town - we have emailed ever since and she came to visit me last year. 1985- Moscow Peace group entertained us - no home stays - but did make contact with Christians in Estonia and gave them bibles - they worshipped in secret. 1987- Brazil, hosted by a lovely young couple who knew little English but we had a great time. An older couple who also entertained me came to visit a couple of years later. 1988 - Egypt - lovely Muslims - they had visited the US and said they could not come back. Was also entertained by two couples who had attended the UW. 1989 - Kenya - hosted by Ann, new, young widow with three children. She worked for CARE and was such fun but she was burdened with providing for her husbands single sister and some of his nieces and nephews - custom of her tribe. My daughter and son visited her 2 times. My daughter was teaching child care techniques to day care centers. My grandson went to HS with Ann's son. 1991 - Ireland - We were in a small town, Bantry, and I believe we knew almost every resident before we left - so friendly. Host returned the visit. 1992 - Moscow - stayed with a college age daughter and Doctor mother - no English, no problem. Learned to know many of their friends in their living complexes - pot luck suppers etc. We had taken staples as they were having a food shortage abut they saved up food for me. As her father died they could not come to the US but one of the other young women came to stay with me. Couldn't get over the grocery stores. 1993 - Bali- This was an Elderhostel but I had a home stay with the three wives of a deceased prince. The youngest wife was in charge. I thought I knew Hinduism - much different here. 1993 - Israel - A small town of Palestinian and Arab Christians who were much maligned - poor roads, little money for schools, utilities etc. Hosts were most generous and fun loving - lived in apt. above their grocery store. 1994 - Japan - stayed first with a young family. The wife spoke a little English but was suffering the agony of many Japanese wives. After marriage, the husband did not come home after work until late at night and then having had too much to drink. He did go to some social functions with us at night which delighted her. She took me with her friends who had similar husbands and we shopped, ate out, sang karaoke etc. 1995 - Turkey - hosted by a college girl and her physician parents. Visited their medical clinics - an education in Turkish health practices. My son and grandson visited some years later and we have been in e-mail contact ever since. 1996 - South Africa - I lived with an older couple who had both had white Fathers and black Mothers. During apartheid, they had been treated as all black. Finally, they had a little brick house and food. They took me to so many places they could not enter during apartheid years. I had been somewhat involved in encouraging our gov't, churches, University etc. to stop trading or investing in S. Africa during apartheid - so good to see their beautiful country so much more free now. 1997 - Viet Nam - People kept saying "the past is past, today is good and we look forward to-morrow." I attempted to get some exchange professors to interact with professors there - to no avail. We entertained some of our friends from Viet Nam but they stayed in hotels. 1997 - Thailand - visited a Thai lady who had stayed with me. 1998 - Iran - went with small group and did not stay in homes but we were entertained in homes for a couple of meals a day. I had to wear a burka but always took it off in the homes as did our hostesses. We visited colleges and historic places and parks - in all three, students would come up and ask about the US. I was given lovely gifts and kept up a long e-mail correspondence with one of the young women. From an early age I was fortunate enough to travel to several different
countries in Europe with my parents. Throughout school and college I
had an avid enthusiasm for foreign languages, studying French, Russian,
and German. As a Junior at college I spent an eye-opening 10 months
in Clermont-Ferrand, France, where I truly grasped a thorough understanding
of the country's cultural traditions and lifestyle. I have also been
involved with a nonprofit student exchange organization for several
years. As a area representative I monitor foreign high school students
that come to live with a host family while experiencing American high
school. I was selected to participate in the Training of Writers program offered by the National Council on Economic Education (NCEE). This program is part of the Cooperative Education Exchange Program, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, and carried out in coordination with the U.S. Department of State. Briefly, the week I spent in Bucharest was amazing and exceeded all of my expectations! On a professional level, I benefited from the formal goal of the program: creating a pool of qualified economic curriculum writers which provided insights into NCEE curriculum materials, voluntary national content standards in economics, and active learning strategies. This program has already improved my teaching as I re-focus my lessons on meaningful and relevant economics content. (Hence, the reason why I am swamped as I am making adjustments and improvements in my classroom) On a personal level, the experience of working with international educators was invaluable. We worked as partners in collegial teams creating active, meaningful economic lessons which could be implemented in K-12 classrooms worldwide. The collaboration allowed me to learn about economic education in various countries and build an international network of fellow educators. I will continue to work on this program over the coming months as I refine my lesson with feed back from the US faculty, field-test the lesson in classrooms here in Wisconsin, and finally submit my final lesson to NCEE with revisions based on feedback from teachers involved in the field-testing. My international experiences through opportunities provided by the NCEE have shown me the importance of working in partnership with people in other countries and building positive collaborative relationships. I studied abroad in Uganda in 2005 with a group of students from UW-Madison and after falling in love with the people and culture, 4 of us started a student organization which eventually became a 501(c)3 non profit called Village Health Project. Since then we've funding 7 rainwater collection tanks and over 100 BioSand water filters to help with the problem of unsafe drinking water there. We've also supported income generating activities for HIV-positive people by selling their beaded crafts in Madison and elsewhere throughout the country and even London. The trip there opened up all of our eyes to another corner of the world and people that shared their lives, stories and laughter with us. Upon returning to Madison, we felt the least we could do is raise awareness of some of the health/human rights issues over there and fundraise for them. Personally, I changed my career plan and am now at Tulane University in New Orleans getting my master's in public health (specifically international health). |
# # #