Returnee « OSU Abroad

Madelaine Corbin is an Applied Visual Arts major in the College of Liberal Arts at Oregon State University. During Summer of 2014, she spent two weeks in Athens, Greece, through AHA International. She delighted in taking in the surroundings, learning about art and even learning more about herself. Below is some of the artwork she created while abroad, along with excerpts from her blog that she wrote while still in Greece.

“The bright natural light mixed with the native plants, friendly faces, and thoughtful architecture is the perfect environment for inducing creativity and happiness (as they are nearly synonymous).”

“Greece may use the Euro as its currency and kilometers per hour to measure speed, but the true measure of currency and efficiency is in the grace of a smile. We travel at a smile a minute, and true payment comes in the form of the well-received curvature of the edges of our lips.”

“Outside our apartment window is the most pleasant of balconies, where I am currently sitting in fact. There is a small fenced railing where my resting feet can just peer over the edge. Beyond the tips of my toes lies the never-ending city of Athens. There are beautiful surrounding hills that lead to the sea of buildings. The Parthenon sits atop the Acropolis; it is true too, you can see the Acropolis from almost any point of the city. It’s hard to get lost when you can always orient yourself with such a monument, thank goodness.”

“If home is where the heart is, then Athens is my home. Upon arrival yesterday afternoon, with messy hair and a thirsty heart, I made my way through the Athens airport and took a taxi to the apartment I now call home. I share the apartment with two lovely girls, just as easer for adventure and excited about art as I am. We took a little time to breathe after traveling and then immediately headed out into the beautiful landscape of the city to get to know both this new home and each other.”

“Athens cannot be put into words, and I am so grateful this is my home for the next three weeks and to be learning about art.”

Recent College of Agricultural Science graduate Kasey Moore not only received a B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences from OSU, but also had the opportunity to study abroad twice during her college career. As a sophomore, Kasey traveled to Valdivia, Chile to study at La Universidad Austral de Chile for a term, and during fall of her senior year Kasey hopped on a plane again, but this time to Africa to participate in the School for Field Studies’ Wildlife Management Studies program. Now, having explored the world as an undergraduate, Kasey is embarking on her grandest adventure yet—traveling the world with Cavalia.

Most people find a job within their related field of study after they graduate from college. This is how I imagined my life after college would go, but things took an unexpected turn a couple of months prior to graduation. Instead of moving straight into a job within the field of fisheries and wildlife science, I will be running away and joining the traveling circus.

The show is called “Cavalia” and was created by Normand Latourelle, who was also one of the original co-founders and managing director of Cirque du Soleil. Cavalia is very similar to many of the other Cirque du Soleil shows, except for the fact that there are horses as well as acrobats in the performances. The main idea behind the show is to give tribute to the relationship between horses and humans and to document their place in history through an artistic and visually stunning performance.

I first heard about this job opportunity through an old friend of mine who I grew up riding with in the United States Pony Club. She is currently on tour with Cavalia and working as one of the team’s veterinary technicians, and in April she sent a post out on the Oregon Region’s Pony Club Facebook page advertising the position opening. This seemed like the perfect fit for me, as it incorporated the two things I am most passionate about: traveling and horses. I have spent most of my life around horses and involved in the world of 3-day eventing and dressage. My 13 years of involvement with Pony Club has allowed me to achieve all 10 certifications within the organization, and given me countless valuable skills for working in the horse industry. I have also been lucky enough to participate in two study abroad programs during my four years at Oregon State. The first was in Chile during my sophomore year, and the second was a program through the School for Field Studies in Kenya and Tanzania during my senior year.

Both my horse and travel experiences helped me to obtain this position within Cavalia, and now everything is becoming very real. I will be leaving for Brussels, Belgium two days after OSU’s spring commencement ceremony and begin my journey working for this incredible show! I will be working as a groom, meaning I will be taking care of the 47 horses that Cavalia has as they tour the world. Daily routines will include basic barn chores, exercising and warming up some of the horses before each show, and getting the horses ready for each of their evening performances. After the show ends in Belgium, our next stop will be Singapore, and then other major cities throughout Asia for the remainder of the year. Needless to say, I am extremely excited for this opportunity and to work with these talented horses and tour the world at the same time!

For more information on Cavalia and their touring schedule, visit: http://www.cavalia.net/en

Sarah Proffitt is a recent graduate of Oregon State University, where she studied Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences through the College of Agricultural Sciences. Sarah interned at James Cook University in Cairns, Australia through IE3 Global Internships during summer 2013 and served as an IE3 Global Internships Student Ambassador after returning to the States.

Many of us have heard the phrase “everything in Australia is trying to kill you,” but I would argue just the opposite—that everything in Australia made me feel alive! In the summer of 2013 I ventured to the Northeast coast of Australia for an IE3 internship working with several species of bats.

As a wildlife science major, I had been training for the past three years to conduct my own research and decided on a behavioral project observing a colony in Cairns. Each day I would sit in front of the colony, which consisted of about 700 large fruit bats, and observe them for 6 hours. I wrote down aggression behaviors, grooming, sleeping, etc. The idea was to find out what these bats were doing all day. As a nocturnal species I expected to observe sleeping bats all day but I found they were much more active and took intermittent naps throughout the day.

When I wasn’t at the colony I took part in other studies such as mist netting for small blossom bats to determine diet and volunteering at a local bat rehabilitation center. Each experience had its own challenges but with every challenge comes a great reward. The experiences I gained from my IE3 internship have led me to my first job as a college graduate. As of May 2014, I have been working for the Forest Service as a bat surveyor in the Missouri Ozarks. Without my IE3 internship I wouldn’t have even been a candidate for this job. My future boss was impressed with my experience and told me I was her first choice, right off the bat (no pun intended).

Now that I’ve graduated, I would eventually like to go back to school to pursue a Master’s degree. As for now, I am planning on taking a few years to work in my field. Maybe I will find new inspiration or maybe I will find myself abroad again. That’s what is so great about the future…it is life’s greatest mystery.

Still looking for a way to satisfy your Contemporary Global Issues requirement and expand your horizons with international travel? OSU’s College of Forestry offers a unique program that may be just the fit for you. FES 365: Issues in Natural Resources Conservation is a two-part learning experience that consists of a 9-week E-campus course, followed by 10 days of experiential learning in Costa Rica. Offered each fall, this course allows students to develop a well-rounded understanding of natural resource use in Central America

There’s still time to apply! The deadline to apply for Fall 2014 (Dec. 11-21, 2014 in Costa Rica) is July 8. Interested? See the program page or contact the instructor Ron Reuter at ron.reuter@oregonstate.edu for details.

Wendy LaRue, a 2013 program participant, encourages students to take advantage of this course:

This particular Forestry course (FES 365) being offered online through Oregon State is an educational and life altering experience I wish all students could participate in. Dr. Reuter is dedicated to providing distance learners an opportunity to connect with an academic experience while looking through the eyes of another culture. Reuter’s dedication to the students and the class trip to Costa Rica is top notch. His attention to details encompassing the real world along with the educational aspects of visiting a country which leads the world in sustainable practices made the trip one that I will remember for a lifetime. We not only learned about the sustainable practices of this nation we lived them also. We ate, slept and hiked in places that most visitors would not be able to find on their own. If you are looking for a high-end resort style trip, this one is not for you. If you are looking to really get a feel for the people and a country as wonderful as Costa Rica, then consider this class one that will give you a feeling that you connected with another culture in a positive way. Pura Vida!

Oregon State University graduate Rebekah Smith majored in Public Health and minored in Psychology. As spring term was coming to a close in Corvallis, Rebekah was nearing the end of her internship in Quito, Ecuador with Child Family Health International (CFHI). As an IE3 Global Internships scholarship recipient, Rebekah participated in an internship involving medical rotations, and was able to reflect on her experience while still abroad.

I am now ending my seventh week in Quito, Ecuador. I have three more weeks in this amazing country and am in no way prepared to leave. To provide some insight into how huge of a development this trip has been for me, let me explain just how new international travel was to me just seven weeks ago. Prior to this trip, I had never left the United States, nor even had a passport of my own before applying to intern with CFHI and IE3. Understandably, these factors led me to have a ton of anxiety, which combined with the fact that I did not speak any Spanish. Despite the many “firsts” I’ve tackled recently, I have grown not only comfortable overseas, but have developed a huge passion for traveling and experiencing other cultures.

My internship involves attending clinical rotations and taking Spanish classes with incredible instructors in Quito on weekdays. I’ve found that having some responsibilities in the city makes me feel as though I have a purpose here and am bettering myself professionally. My biggest words of wisdom when spending time in another country’s healthcare system would be to remember why you are there. This can be very difficult, especially with regards to healthcare because systems can vary so greatly between countries. Remembering that you are solely there to learn will help when experiencing things completely different from the U.S. It will only cause stress to think that you are there to fix issues or judge another country’s healthcare system. Our purpose as interns is to act like sponges, learn everything we can, and return to the U.S. with a better perspective and deeper compassion for health care. This concept will help you in all areas of interning with this program. When I was volunteering in the schools I also had to remember this because they teach different subjects and use different techniques than we do in the states.

On the weekends, I am TRAVELING! Traveling has been such a huge aspect of my experience here and has taught me about the culture and country just as much as the program itself has. Traveling to the different Ecuadorian cities is such an incredible experience because within a few hours you can be in the Andes Mountains, on the beautiful coast, or deep in the jungle. Traveling forces you to practice Spanish and allows you to meet an outstanding amount of people, both foreign and local. I have traveled to a cloud forest in Mindo, the sunny beach in Montanita and Canoa, and am soon traveling to a gorgeous volcano in Cotopaxi. I also have plans to yonder on to an adventure-filled town called Banos, as well as the jungle in Tena. Traveling around is affordable and easy, as well as gives you opportunity to develop a great sense of independence and cultural competency. Traveling is also the way to make everlasting memories with other students in your program! You are stuck on buses together, staying in amazing hostels and going through both stressful and exciting times together.

Being abroad in Ecuador has taught me many things so far. One of the most impactful things I have learned is patience. America is very “Type A” and extremely punctual, these things are not a priority in Ecuador. I have waited over an hour for one of my preceptors to arrive at a meeting, I have had doctors show up twenty minutes late to appointments and many other experiences. You are also very commonly juggling your wants and needs with those of the other students who you are working with, and this requires a large amount off adaptability and patience. These experiences have taught me patience, and how to adjust to other cultures. For example, I don’t go anywhere without a book here! It is your job to adjust to them, the entire culture does not need to adjust to you, so learn to adapt! It’s been nothing but beneficial because I have finished two books just traveling and waiting for meetings, It’s GREAT!

Some final advice I have is, to bring more money than you expect. You will never be able to be totally prepared for traveling abroad or be able to know what you will be doing. Having money hold you back from being able to engage in a great opportunity would be upsetting so just budget extra! I also advise to release any expectations you have or restrictions you have in the U.S. For example, two of the guys in the program were vegetarians for ethical reasons in America and came to find that it restricted them so much here in Ecuador, and they wanted to be able to experience the culture so they put their expectations aside and decided to return to being vegetarian when they returned home. I really respected their choices because they fully immersed themselves in the culture and benefited from it greatly. As far as avoiding cultural mistakes, I was so lucky to have a friend who had been here for a long time before I arrived, and I was constantly asking her questions and observing how she interacted with locals. This was really helpful for me because I was able to learn polite mannerisms and safe tactics while in Ecuador.

This experience has been life-changing. As cliche as that may be, it truly has been an experience that has helped me grow and develop my independence and cultural competency. I only want to continue the experience, I am NOT ready to go home in three weeks!

This blog was originally published on the IE3 Field Notes Blog. For a link to the original entry, click here.

Hannah Bittner is an Oregon State University junior pursuing a double-degree in Education and Human Development and Family Sciences (HDFS) with an option in Early Childhood Development. During fall 2013, Hannah interned through IE3 Global Internships at the Chaslivtsi Orphanage in Chaslivtsi, Ukraine. Throughout her three months in Ukraine, Hannah reignited her passion for education as she worked as an English teacher for developmentally disabled children.

The novelist Milan Kundera wrote that the brain appears to possess a special area called the “poetic memory.” He wrote that the poetic memory records everything that touches us or charms us; the poetic memory records everything that makes our lives beautiful. If what he wrote was true, then my poetic memory is a book that is bound, written, and sealed by Ukraine.

I know that I have been inexplicably drawn to Ukraine from a very young age. When other girls were dreaming of being movie stars, I was dreaming of living on the thirteenth floor of a Soviet-style flat. When the opportunity of interning abroad in Ukraine fell into my lap, I seized it.

Cutting my hair, kissing my parents goodbye, and boarding the plane for Eastern Europe was the best decision I have ever made. Upon arrival, I dove into my work. I taught English in a rural orphanage for disabled children for three months; I sang the ABC’s and “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” hundreds of times. I grew to love not only my students, but also the work itself. I fell in love with teaching English, not despite its challenges, but because of them. Throughout the three months I spent in Ukraine, I became even more intrigued by the effects of institutionalization upon children in post-Soviet environments. This experience inspired me to move forward in this area through both work and research; I plan to apply the education of Child Development that I received at Oregon State University to future work with institutionalized orphans in Eastern Europe.

Interning abroad gave me professional direction, confidence, and personal relationships that have taught me that love and friendship do not know language barriers or cultural differences.

To my fellow students: there is never a more beautiful time than now. Leaving what is familiar for an extended amount of time will greatly benefit you.

Lauren Eyrich is a third-year student in the Oregon State University Honors College majoring in Animal Sciences with an option in Pre-Veterinary Medicine, and is a member of the Pre-Veterinary Scholars Program. During Summer and Fall of 2013, Lauren studied abroad at Lincoln University. At this University located outside of Christchurch, New Zealand, Lauren participated in an animal sciences focused program through OSU’s College of Agricultural Science. She also detailed her term-long experience abroad in her own personal travel blog.

If you had asked me while I was abroad what I was taking away from my experiences in New Zealand, I would have talked about rugby matches, cooking venison, driving on the opposite side of the road, and jumping off of a bridge. What I’ve come to realize after the fact is that, these were all just experiences. Don’t get me wrong, the experiences were amazing and nothing I would have traded for the world. I got to see so much in such a short amount of time, but the true impact of my time in New Zealand wasn’t realized until I was packing up my room and heading back to the U.S. after five and a half months.

I have always been a planner. I’m a pre-vet student, and between a full course load, 10 hours of work per week, and a job shadowing, I have a very strict schedule. But, if New Zealand and the Kiwis taught me anything about life, it’s that you shouldn’t have everything planned out. If you have everything planned all the time, you have no room for adventure.

This became incredibly clear while I was touring the South Island on my mid-semester break with three friends. We took off on the few highways that the country possesses and didn’t really have much of a plan. We “freedom camped” a few nights on the side of the road, ate mostly-cooked spaghetti off a burner that didn’t always work, and drove thousands of kilometers with no true destination. We knew we had two weeks to cover as much ground as possible and that we had to have our rental van back by the specified date. For the girl who always has to have everything planned, there was something very freeing about not knowing what the following day held.

You are able to enjoy life so much more when you’re not concerned about having to meet deadlines. Being able to pull over on the side of the road and take in the sunset, without the pressure of needing to get to a campsite or hostel made the experience that much more enjoyable. I mean, I was able to go bungee jumping! Never in my wildest dreams would I have planned something like that into my schedule. And I can say now as a bungee survivor, I am really glad that I didn’t count that one out from the get go.

Overall, the Kiwis taught me to plan a little less and improvise a little more. My future career as a veterinarian will be filled with schedule changes and missed deadlines, and that’s okay. I have begun to learn how to roll with the punches so to speak and not get overwhelmed when things don’t completely abide by my schedule. It’s okay to improvise. The greatest moments in life are the ones when you are able to sit back and relax, without being distracted by the bustling world. Although I have gotten sucked back into my busy schedule, I try to find some time every day where I can simply let life happen and slow down to enjoy the people and things around me. My time in a small town outside of Christchurch, New Zealand is continuing to impact my life in ways that I didn’t expect!

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Tag Archives: Returnee

Art in Athens: Discovering Greece Through the Eyes of a Painter

Life’s a Circus

Bat Habitat Down Under

Resource Conservation in Costa Rica- Apply Now!

Reflecting Before the End

Poetic Memory of Ukraine

Livin’ Life Kiwi Style

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