Cedars, November 2018

by Zach Krauss M any students don’t know that there are dozens of options for studying abroad through Cedar- ville’s international programs office. Each year students travel anywhere from Spain to South America to eastern Europe for an entire semester to learn more about the lan- guage, culture and people of a specific coun- try. Students have called studying abroad one of the best decisions a student can make if they want to really learn about a language or a culture. James Gilcher: Senior Spanish and professional writing and information design double major Gilcher went to a Spanish camp through Cedarville, where his camp counselor first gave him the idea to study abroad. He spent a semester in Spain during the spring of 2017, where he studied at the institute for Spanish studies in Valencia. The class load allowed Gilcher to have three-day weekends every week, which gave him an opportunity to travel frequently. “Me and my friends went around to places like Madrid and Barcelona, and we were able to spend the weekends seeing lots of different places,” Gilcher said. “[If you] plan ahead and spend your money carefully, the weekend trips don’t need to be extreme- ly expensive.” Gilcher said Spain was one of the best places to learn about Spanish culture and the intricacies of the language. “This is one of the only times a lot of people will get to be able to spend such a long period of time just to go to another country and another culture and learn in that way,” Gilcher said. “I definitely think it’s one of the best ways to learn.” Jesse Mangum: Senior global business major While he was considering the Spain study abroad semester, Mangum knew that the best way to learn a language was to be in a country with people who spoke it. He re- marked that the experiences he had in Spain were not only some of the most challenging and growing, but also some of the most fun. During a spring semester, students were allowed to travel and experience lo- cal culture in between their days of classes. Groups of students could take trips to differ- ent parts of Spain or even other countries, as well as participate in local festivities. “In Spain they have this huge festival called Las Fallas, which is just this huge celebration that lasts two to three straight weeks,” Mangum said. “There were millions of people flooding the streets, and that alone was an amazing time.” Something Mangum thought was help- ful as he was trying to learn the language was a pairing up of English-speaking and Spanish-speaking students called intercam- bio. With this, Mangum was able to practice speaking phrases in Spanish to someone who would also be trying to respond in English. “If someone is serious about learning a language and really stretching themselves, then this is the best way to do it,” Mangum said. “Not only did I learn so much more than I could have in a regular semester, I also made friends that I’ll have for the rest of my life that I never would have met otherwise.” Jordan Beal: Junior linguistics major Beal is a student currently studying in Lithuania. In an email, he said that his favorite part of studying abroad has been not just getting opportunities to practice his German, Lithuanian, and Russian, but also being forced to speak them without any choice. “Well more than half of the students here speak Russian, so I hear it in the dorms, classroom, really all around,” Beal said. “Being here gives the impetus to de- velop my language skills as fast as possible.” Beal said one of his motivations for studying abroad was simply to get out of his North American comfort zone. “Life in Eastern Europe is so unexpect- edly different from home, and being here has taught me how to move beyond was is most convenient or easy,” Beal said. “My se- mester here prepares me for the future with the practical language training I get in con- versations, as well as preparation for possi- ble work in more international settings.” Studying abroad has caused Beal to re- evaluate the settings in which he lives while in the U.S. “Being away from home in a foreign country helps to build a sense of confidence and independence,” Beal said. “Being here has taught me to live with less, and simul- taneously reminded me to not take lightly the bountiful abundance that exists in the USA.” Karis Ryan: Senior linguistics Major Karis Ryan studied abroad in Spain during the spring of 2018. She said the high- lights of her experience were the friends she made while she was there and the Spanish church that she was able to get involved in. “[The church] brought so many great friends to help us grow and feel like we were at home,” Ryan said. “They made such an impact on me through this experience and will be friends that I can stay in contact with for the long run.” During her time in Spain, Ryan found that her viewpoint was opened to seeing a new side of the world. She said that you have be able to make the place you’re at your home, even if you know you will only be there for a semester. “There were definitely hard times, but in the end, the continual good pieces out- weigh the tough times by far,” she said. Ryan’s advice to someone considering studying abroad is to not let fears and un- certainty steer you away from taking the step to go. “There were so many countless ways that I grew through this experience, and so many things I learned about myself,” Ryan said. “Don’t let any fears you have stop you, be- cause you don’t know what kind of blessings and crazy experiences can come out of it.” Zach Krauss is a senior pharmacy/music double major from central Texas and cam- pus reporter for Cedars. He loves music, theatre, biology, community, and meeting new people. November 2018 5 CAMPUS Students Expand Horizons Cedarville students studying language believe studying abroad is invaluable for achieving fluency Photo courtesy of Kari Nupson Kari Nupson overlooks a classic view of Florence, Italy, during her semester there.