hayashi « OSU Abroad

Originally from Kyoto, Japan, Midori Nagai spent the academic year of 2014-15 at OSU through the Doshisha-OSU exchange program. This exchange is open to all OSU students who meet the admission criteria. In this entry, Midori shares her academic and cultural experience at OSU.

Midori (right), an exchange student from Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan — Midori (right) with Benny the Beaver

What inspired you to pick OSU?
The reason why I chose OSU was because OSU is one of the best universities in the United States, and also because I heard that Corvallis is a student friendly city where I would be able to enjoy many outdoor activities.

In what ways is OSU different from your home University?
One of the biggest differences that I noticed between OSU and my home university was how everyone at OSU, including students, professors, families, graduates, and even the city itself, supported the school spirit of the Beaver Nation. It was a cool thing for me to see how many people were wearing orange clothing and OSU t-shirts daily to express their pride in being part of OSU.

In what ways is OSU similar to your home University?
I noticed that both of the universities encourage students to go overseas to experience different lifestyles and cultures during their college years.

What is one memorable experience you’ve had in Oregon?
One memorable experience I’ve had in Oregon was the INTO skiing trip that I signed up for during winter break.

What are some of your favorite aspects of studying abroad?
My favorite aspect of studying abroad is that I can experience a completely different lifestyle from my home country, which allows me to experience something new all of the time.

What has been/was one challenging aspect of studying abroad?
One challenging aspect of studying abroad for me was having to take care of everything by myself in a country that practices a different culture, while also being away from home for a long time.

What is one thing, person, or experience you are/were excited to reunite with when you return to your home country?
I was excited to reunite with my family and friends, and definitely also the Japanese food.

What is your message for OSU students considering studying abroad in your home country?
Japan is a unique country that practices different customs and has a unique culture. I strongly recommend considering Japan as a study abroad destination. Japan’s capital, Tokyo, is hosting the Olympics in 2020, and preparations are already transforming Japan into a more welcoming country for foreigners. Such changes will make it easier for the foreign students to live in Japan and study. Students have the chance to be part of the changes that Japan is making toward preparing for the biggest event in the country.

Sian Munro is a world traveler. She has worked in international education for 10 years. This field has brought her all over the world, but there has always been a special spot in her heart for New Zealand. Currently based in Dunedin, Sian is the Resident Director of all New Zealand Programs for The Institute for Study Abroad – Butler University (IFSA-Butler). Read on to hear more about the beautiful land of the kiwis!

What brought you to be a Resident Director?
Like many people, I fell into International Education and loved it from the first instant. I have been very fortunate to make a career out of it. I worked at the University of Otago (Dunedin, South Island) for a number of years providing student support to international students. I lived in the UK for 2 years where I worked in a cultural exchange company based in London and traveled in Europe and the US. Then I went to the US and worked at a summer camp in the Pocono Mountains, PA and did a bit more traveling. I joined IFSA-Butler as a Student Services Coordinator for University of Otago students and am now the Resident Director of all 5 of our New Zealand Programmes.

What are some unique aspects of your city and country?
For a country only 1600km long and 450km wide New Zealand is incredibly diverse. You are never far from water and you are never far from breathtaking wide open uninhabited spaces (even if you live in our largest city!)

What is one thing most of your students may not know about you?
Aside from spending time with my family and friends, my favourite pastime is sewing.

What are some of your favorite aspects of being a Resident Director?
I love working with college age students and as only 1% of study abroad students choose New Zealand as a destination (we would welcome more!), our students tend to be real go-getters who are keen to venture out of their comfort zones. I love to hear their stories of traveling in New Zealand and gushing about how beautiful it is as much as I do. As I have a social anthropology background, I also like to talk to our students at different stages of their time here about their views on our culture and how their study abroad experience has altered the way they see the world.

What are some of the challenges of your job?
It’s challenging when things happen to students while abroad that are out of their control but negatively impact their experience. While I never want anything bad to happen to any of our students, the beauty of IFSA-Butler is that our staff in NZ are here on the ground to offer an extra layer of support on top of university services.

What have you seen as the biggest challenge for incoming students?
When our students first arrive a b ig challenge is adapting to the lack of central heating and insulation in our housing- but we tell our students that libraries on campus are always warm! The second is that New Zealanders are friendly but to become friends takes effort on both sides.

What is your advice for students planning to attend your program, or to study abroad in your country?
Come to NZ through IFSA-Butler! Our programme is a great way to get into New Zealand culture from the moment you step off the plane. We have an awesome 4 day orientation so that our students get over their jet lag, get to know each other and enjoy some quintessential New Zealand activities. On the final night we stay on a Marae which is a Maori meeting place in a big room altogether, this is a real highlight for our students. My advice once students get to their new cities is to make the most of being in New Zealand and travel when you can, but at the same time try and join a club that has kiwi students in it so that you can get an intercultural experience.

What is one thing you think students shouldn’t forget to pack for life in your country?
Being a tiny island nation surrounded by large oceans the weather in New Zealand is extremely changeable. The best things you can pack are layers of clothing for cool and warm temperatures and a 100% waterproof jacket with a hood (which you always carry with you)!

What do you think is the most important take-away for education abroad students?
A semester abroad will seem like a long time when you are preparing to go but it goes insanely quickly. Much of what you learn on your study abroad experience you won’t have time to reflect on until you return home. If you don’t feel like your study abroad experience has even in a small way changed how you view the world (especially your own culture) then that should be something you reflect on.

To learn more about attending one of Sian’s 5 IFSA- Butler New Zealand programs, follow this link!

This blog entry is by Erin Chapman a Human Development and Family Sciences major at Oregon State University. She is an IE3 Global returnee.

In Fall 2014 I had the amazing opportunity of spending 3 months in Cambodia working as an intern for a non-profit NGO called Cambodian Organization for Children and Development. This is a blog entry taken from Day 49 of my trip in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

I have reached and passed the halfway point for this amazing adventure and the first thing that comes to mind…I am not ready to leave. So much has happened in just 6 and half weeks. I have learned so much about Cambodia, about this beautiful culture, about working and living abroad, about COCD and working in a non-profit organization, and about myself. This experience is changing my life.

This is not a countdown though. I’m not thinking how many days I have left but instead I am going to think about now and what I can do to make the most of every moment. When it comes to my internship with COCD, up to this point I have been easing into the office culture and finding my place. Now I am going to use this time to focus and contribute as much as I can to support the staff and the clients. Also, I have two big goals I need to cover: 1.) Learn as much of the Khmai language as I can, 2.) learn how to cook some Khmai food. I’m sharing these goals with you all so you can hold me accountable! I can do this!

There is one very personal thing I want to share about what this trip has meant to me so far. My home back in Oregon is wonderful and I love and miss all my friends and family so dearly. At the same time, I have never felt more accepted and happy in my life then how I feel here on this adventure. I have met some wonderful people who have made me feel incredibly loved and fulfilled. Some things in life are meant to be and I KNOW I am meant to be here. I feel as though I have found a place where I belong and this trip is definitely going to have a huge influence on what happens next in my life after I graduate from Oregon State. I still don’t have any idea what those plans will be though. I’m just going to have to wait and see!

So as usual, lots of exciting things have happened in the past week. Within the past 8 days I have:
– Dressed up as a lion for Halloween dodgeball (rawr!)
– Joined some of the staff from COCD on a full day visit to the Pursat Province to observe a meeting and discussion about a new project proposal
– Ate some fried crickets, worms, frogs, AND TARANTULA!
– Hiked 7 kilometers around the Anloung Chen Island with a group of 60 people
– Went on a 3 day trip to the beautiful beaches of Sihanoukville
– Joined a van full of teachers to the beach, and on the way, got stuck in the most ridiculous 40 kilometer (24 mile) traffic jam you can imagine. Somehow we managed to get out of it in about 4 hours (it doesn’t sound all that bad, but there was definitely potential for us to be stuck there for days)
– Spent a couple nights in a hostel literally ten steps away from the Gulf of Thailand waters
– Made some new friends with people from all across the world (Spain, England, Cambodia, US)

Throughout my trip, the adventures were endless.

To read Erin’s full blog, follow this lin k!

Fabián Espinosa has a deep love for nature and culture. He combines them both with his passion for teaching and travel through his Resident Director position in Quito, Ecuador, with SIT Study Abroad programs. Read on to learn more about studying abroad in a diverse and beautiful country!

What brought you to be a Resident Director?
As a freelance naturalist guide and cultural interpreter I learned about the great work of SIT Study Abroad in Ecuador, and throughout the years I did serve occasionally as Independent Study Project advisor. The program was a double RD program at that time, and when one of the directors resigned I was encouraged to apply for the position. According to my colleague, the institution was ready to hire an Ecuadorian citizen as RD.

What are some unique aspects of your city and country?
Ecuador is the most biologically diverse country per square meter in the Americas. It is also extremely diverse in terms of culture and ethnicity. Fourteen distinct indigenous nationalities, two Afro-Ecuadorian cultural groups and several international communities consider Ecuador their homeland. Ecuador drafted the most progressive constitution in the world in 2008, which considers nature as subject of rights and demands the construction of an alternative paradigm to development known locally as Sumak Kawsay, a Kichwa philosophical principle meaning plentiful life in harmony with nature. Quito, the capital city, was the first city to be declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO given its spectacular natural setting, colonial architecture, and rich history.

What is one thing most of your students may not know about you?
Maybe that I have had six near death experiences all related to activities in the ocean.

What are some of your favorite aspects of being a Resident Director?
Establishing a learning community with my students, leading educational excursions, and witnessing how students become intercultural and biophilic beings.

What are some of the challenges of your job?
Coping with local bureaucratic regulations, developing and revamping contingency plans on a regular basis, securing the participation of associates and lecturers, readjusting syllabi to meet the needs and/or expectations of students and sending institutions, and identifying appropriate research options for my students.

What have you seen as the biggest challenge for incoming students?
To learn how to unlearn and relearn.

What is your advice for students planning to attend your program, or to study abroad in your country?
To be assertive without being aggressive, to be kind without being docile, to be focused without being obsessed, to suppress self slightly, and to be tolerant with ambiguity.

What is one thing you think students shouldn’t forget to pack for life in your country?
Malaria prophylaxis medicine, or should I say sunscreen?

What do you think is the most important take-away for education abroad students?
The notion that interculturalism is highly relevant in the US as well.

In college, Rachel Wellborn got a taste of the life of a Resident Director while living with American students at her university. Years later, she is the Resident Director for Academic Programs International (API) in Leeds, United Kingdom. Rachel loves showing students the culture of Leeds, her favorite places to go, and especially loves introducing students to new (and delicious) foods!

What brought you to be a Resident Director?
When I was at university myself, I lived with an American study abroad student and I helped her and her friends adjust to life in the UK. It seemed like a natural progression into this job, although I had many other careers in between. I have lived a lot of different places, and I love telling students the types of things I wished I had known about on my own journeys of discovery in other cultures.

What are some unique aspects of your city and country?
Leeds is unique in many ways – it is a large city (750,000 inhabitants) but the centre, which has some of the best shopping for miles around, is best navigated on foot. It is home to two unique Edwardian cinemas, dating from 1911 where we go for British movie nights, and at least three country houses (think Downton Abbey), plenty of live music venues, splendid Victorian glass covered shopping streets, the largest indoor market in Europe, and the ruins of a great Gothic Abbey – Kirkstall Abbey, known as the Jewel in the Crown of Leeds. Leeds is a student’s best bet for a fully integrated experience in the UK, living in the same flat as British students and studying with them. Americans are still something of a rarity in Leeds, so most British students are desperate to get to know you. 🙂 Leeds is also geographically the very centre of the UK, so it is halfway between London to the South and Edinburgh to the North. It has the largest train station in the UK outside of London and very easy links for travelling around the UK and in Europe.

What is one thing most of your students may not know about you?
I have traveled alone for months around much of Central and South America and speak fluent Spanish. I also worked as a reinsurance broker in London for a number of years.

What are some of your favorite aspects of being a Resident Director?
I see educating young students from the US as something of a mission – to help them see a world outside the US, that is not wrong, just different, and sometimes even maybe possibly better in some ways (shock, horror!) . I also like disproving the fallacy that British food is bad. Being something of a foodie myself, I absolutely love it when a student tells me that they came expecting the terrible food that they had been told about prior to arrival, but in fact they haven’t had a bad meal since they arrived. I love introducing students to fish and chips, toad in the hole, Sunday Dinner, a proper curry, the delights of a full English breakfast and not forgetting the institution that is Afternoon Tea.

What are some of the challenges of your job?
A lot of work goes into the smooth running of the programmes and ensuring that the excursions and cultural events come off as planned. When it works well, it is a great relief, but this means that our students don’t see all the effort that went into it. I have had students ask me what my other job is when I am not with them. To say that this is a full time job is an understatement, so for them to not comprehend the amount of work that goes into it can be a little frustrating at times.

What have you seen as the biggest challenge for incoming students?
Adjusting to the independent nature of our university system. There is a lot of independent research and studying required and the entire grade can be based on just one final unseen exam. This is a bit scary for someone coming from the US system.

What is your advice for students planning to attend your program, or to study abroad in your country?
Just do it! You will love it! I have never had a student come to Leeds who didn’t love it and wish that they had come for a year instead of a semester. You should prepare yourself mentally by reading up on the British education system and trying your hand at independent study. You should also read about all the fabulous places you can visit while you are here, both in the UK and Europe.

What is one thing you think students shouldn’t forget to pack for life in your country?
An umbrella for the changeable weather, and an open mind 🙂

What do you think is the most important take-away for education abroad students?
It’s not wrong, it is just different and you only regret the opportunities you pass up.

To learn more about the programs offered at OSU, follow this link!

Ally Malone is studying Chemistry and is in the Honors College at Oregon State University. Currently an ambassador for the OSU Office of Global Opportunities, Ally is a travel enthusiast. In fall of 2014 she went on exchange to Lancaster University in Lancaster, United Kingdom. Read on to hear about hiking, exploring and learning abroad!

The Lake District in Northern England is known for its tremendous views, rigorous hiking and stormy weather. Luckily for me, Lancaster University is situated right on the outskirts of this National Park. Although I wouldn’t call myself an experienced hiker, I was determined that the best way to see the English countryside would be to join the Lancaster University Hiking Club.

The first trip to the Lake District proved quite challenging. We took a large coach down windy cobblestone streets to the small town of Langdale. There were three hikes to choose from with varying levels of difficulty. Being ambitious and a little clueless of the length of a kilometer, I excitedly chose the hardest hike and was soon on my way down the rolling, green hills to the trail head.

The first three kilometers were up make-shift granite stairs that climbed over 1500 feet to the top of the small mountain. The heavy morning fog clouded the entire view of the valley and made it seem like I was floating amongst the clouds. Despite my gasping for air and the persistent stich in my side, I found the strength to continue to put one foot in front of the other.

At the top, the fog had lifted with the defrosting of the morning and the view of the cascading valleys below was astonishing. It was here that it dawned on me just how outrageous it was that I came to England, utterly alone, and felt at ease and comfortable.

The journey of this hike stands as a symbol for my entire experience in England. It wasn’t always easy and I had to constantly work to survive in the new culture, but the ups and downs made the experience richer and more rewarding than I could have ever hoped for. If I had to take away just one thing from my time abroad, it would be to take chances on new experiences that challenge my knowledge and body and trust myself to succeed.

Ryan Lorenz is a travel enthusiast. After his travels to both England and Kenya, his journey lead him to being a Resident Director for IFSA-Butler in Spain. Currently living and working in Barcelona, Spain, Ryan loves to help students fall in love with this unique city.

What brought you to be a Resident Director?
Good fortune! I never planned to work in study abroad, although I was a study abroad student in London back in ’84. That experience opened my eyes to the wider world, and led to my Peace Corps stint in Kenya. From there, it was one small step to being a study abroad director. After 26 years of doing the same I cannot imagine a life different from this one!

What are some unique aspects of your city and country?
Spain is not a nation. It is many! Four distinct nations and languages of which the Spanish language is only one. One can say the same about Barcelona and Catalonia, which is not only Catalan, Spanish and European- but also Chinese, Russian, Pakistani…the whole world lives here! I have lived here for seven years now and still find it complex, interesting and wonderful.

What is one thing most of your students may not know about you?
I have fabulous stamp and comic collections.

What are some of your favorite aspects of being a Resident Director?
My own abroad experiences have transformed my life. I love watching others make the same journey. Feeling like I am part of that change really energizes me.

What are some of the challenges of your job?
Dealing with ignorance and inappropriate behavior. Fortunately this only applies to a few students! The rest are fabulous.

What have you seen as the biggest challenge for incoming students?
Adapting their homegrown expectations to a new cultural environment. That is normal, of course, but slows down their ability to fully comprehend their new and temporary home. I also think that some students have a very short attention span, which is a real handicap when trying to figure out what is going on around you when you understand few if any of the cultural cues.

What is your advice for students planning to attend your program, or to study abroad in your country?
Lower your expectations. Less is more. Better to dig deep than skim the surface…you experience less yet more profoundly.

What is one thing you think students shouldn’t forget to pack for life in your country?
The right attitudes! Flexibility, patience, and a sense of humor.

What do you think is the most important take-away for education abroad students?
No matter how much you think you know, you in fact know very little. Learning is constant and continuous.

To learn more about going abroad at OSU, check out this link!

OSU Abroad

knowledge without borders

Author Archives: hayashi

Meet an Exchange Student: Midori

Meet a Resident Director: Sian Munro

Making the Most of Every Moment

Meet a Resident Director: Fabián

Meet a Resident Director: Rachel

Jump First, Think Later

Meet a Resident Director: Ryan

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