Rymph, a Spanish sophomore, is preparing herself for a semester-long trip to study at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Meanwhile Carey, a comparative cultures and politics senior, is transitioning back into the life of an MSU student, where cow intestine isn’t going to be served at dinner anytime soon.

Rymph and Carey are two of thousands of MSU students who study abroad every year through MSU’s Office of Study Abroad, a program that’s been ranked No. 1 for participation among students at public institutions nationally for the past six years.

MSU received its latest first place ranking earlier this week.

To help prepare the new set of students who are anticipating their voyages overseas in the coming spring semester, the Office of Study Abroad hosted “Spartans Abroad: A Day in the Life” in Erickson Hall Kiva on Tuesday night, where students such as Rymph and Carey were able to connect, share experiences, fears and excitement. The event was aimed at preparing students for the cultural differences that await them, and to make students respectful of those differences.

Being held for the second time, the workshop is designed to supplement the online orientation all students are required to finish before taking off any runway, said Inge Steglitz, assistant director for the Office of Study Abroad.

Members of the Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives’ Transforming Theatre Ensemble took the stage in Erickson Hall on Tuesday, acting out various study abroad scenarios from the plane ride there to the return trip home.

“We’re trying to have students think about the before, during and after of the study abroad experience,” Steglitz said.

Tackling transitions

Rymph doesn’t know if there will be someone holding up a sign with her name when she steps off the plane or how she’ll navigate the transportation and nightlife of a foreign country, but she does know her Spanish isn’t going to improve until she jumps in.

“I’m very nervous,” she said. “I studied Spanish for six years now, but I’ve never been somewhere I’ve actually had to use it. I’m not ready for it yet, but I’ll just have to be when I get there.”

Carey hated Spanish in high school but after her trip to Ecuador, made Spanish her minor.

“I told my host family I like cocaine instead of coconut,” Carey said, laughing. “I was petrified.”

But Steglitz said if students such as Rymph aren’t a little shaken up when they arrive, they’re probably not going to learn a lot.

She prefers the term “cultural fatigue” to the commonly used “culture shock.”

“It’s not so much a shock as getting very tired of dealing with an environment different than your own,” Steglitz said. “With the foreign language on top of it, you get really tired. Some students sleep a whole lot. Some eat more or less than usual. It affects people in different ways.”

Although it’s tempting, Steglitz said she warns students against hiding in their dorm rooms and hanging out with only American students. Programs such as the Spartans Abroad workshop help address such issues, she said.

“This is part of a larger effort we’re making to work with students and program leaders to be more proactive about the cultural learning part of study abroad,” she said.

Digging deeper

Kurt DeMaagd’s students will spend four weeks in Tanzania — two at a training center and two working and engaging with the Tanzanian community.

DeMaagd, an assistant professor in telecommunication, said faculty began going to Tanzania years back to install Internet connections at rural schools and came across the idea to get students involved.

“It’s a less sheltered experience,” DeMaagd said. “(Students) learn more about the culture. There’s something about being there and engaged with the community members that gives you a more accurate view of life.”

And more programs like DeMaagd’s are becoming a part of what the Office of Study Abroad is about, associate director Cindy Chalou said.

Administrators are in the process of deciding whether all programs should have some element of community engagement or whether it should just be highly encouraged, Chalou said.

“By working side-by-side with a community and understanding the challenges they face, it’s not just all warm, fuzzy and feel-good,” she said. “It’s understanding that there are issues that the community faces and those can impact the student’s relationship with the community. It’s an opportunity to really get to the grass roots of an experience and not something that can be done in the classroom.”

Unpacking

All else aside, going home can sometimes be the hardest part, Steglitz said.

“The idea that you have about your home country is a photo that’s static,” she said. “Sometimes it’s hard to see life has gone on without you as normal and this can lead to re-entry shock.”

The Office of Study Abroad tries to help students with this by getting them to discuss their experiences, she said.

One way in which they’re able to do this is through unpacking workshops held by the Career Services Network, said the office’s associate director Linda Gross.
“What employers and graduate schools are looking for are students that can connect the dots of experiences,” she said. “That’s the student’s job. They have to connect the dots after they return.”

And for most MSU students, it won’t be if they go, it will be when, Chalou said.

“We have faculty members out in the classroom who are regularly reminding the students sitting in front of them about study abroad,” she said. “It’s become part of the culture here at MSU. It’s not just an isolated study abroad office, that, if students happen to stumble across the office on their way to the food court, they’ll study abroad. It’s a culture.”