Study Abroad: advice from those who have gone

When in Scotland, Gabrielle Krawczyk says, don't call a "kilt" a "skirt," be careful what city's football jersey you're wearing, and for heaven sakes, don't call the Scots "English."

During the recent Study Abroad Fair, UW-Parkside students learned about the world of opportunities available to them. Representatives from organizations like GlobaLinks, Semester at Sea, Academic Programs International, and many others told our students about the value of expanding their horizons. Faculty, staff, and students talked about the Winterim travel programs to Cuba and India while still others spoke about the upcoming Ostfalia computer science and Japan trips this summer.

For some students, language skills, or the lack of them, makes traveling abroad a concern. Depending on your destination, Jaclyn Rosner, who spent two weeks in Wolffenbuttle, Germany, said the "language barrier" isn't really that much of a barrier.

"I had only one semester of German, so I only knew a little bit," Rosner said. "In the beginning, maybe the first day, I was a little intimidated but quickly I got over it because everybody there pretty much speaks English, the young people. And people are very helpful and respectful."

Krawczyk, a UW-Parkside student who was promoting the "Wisconsin in Scotland Program" offered by UW-River Falls, fell in love with Scotland and its people.

"The land is absolutely beautiful," she said, and there's the changing political

climate. "Definitely, one of the fun things about being there right now is because they are applying for their independence from England. You'll definitely be a little part of that political movement which is a lot of fun to be part of."

Student Nikolas Bergmann experienced no language barrier when he came from Germany to UW-Parkside for spring semester. In fact, he was pleasantly surprised by what he unexpected experienced.

"Sometimes I feel like a VIP because some people have heard that I'm a German and then they say: 'Hello, you must be 'The German,'" and I've never seen that person before," Bergmann said. "It is a very nice gesture to be treated like that."

For Bergmann, another unexpected aspect of American life was the number of students with cars. In Germany, he said, most students use bicycles.

The Study Abroad Fair was held in Main Place of Wyllie Hall.

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ABOUT THIS STORY:

Story Status: Archived
Publish date: 2/26/2013

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