Students' Stories & Resources

Access to Abroad View's Spring 2010 Magazine content will be available summer 2010. Stay tuned!

Thinking about going overseas? Check out these resources:

•Planning your experience
•Resources for going abroad
•Volunteering and service-learning tips and links
•Travel basics
•Cultural preparation
•Articles about homestays
•Money matters
•Study abroad programs
•Work and intern abroad
•Health and safety tips
•Learning a language
•How to minimize your environmental and socio-cultural footprint

Returning from abroad? Build on your overseas experience:

•Surviving cross-cultural re-entry and readjusting to life at home
•Career pathways: putting your international experience to work
•International fellowships
•Resources for civic engagement and activism
•Start your own initiative or join students who are working for global change
•Become a social entrepreneur!

Read about students' experiences abroad:

Africa //Asia // Central and North America // Europe // Middle East //Oceania //
South America

Check out the I Am section for stories and experiences from diverse perspectives.

It Was and It Wasn't
Myth #1 – you have to be rich to travel. The furthest I agree with this statement is that one must be rich in the breadth of one’s thinkingto fully experience international travel. I am from a middle-class working family and nearly every opportunity I’ve had to travel internationally has come from a desire to “go.”

Exploring Ethnicity in Paris
I’m one of many American students in Paris, and one of twenty in my program. But unlike the typical American student studying in Paris, I’m not white. I’m the only minority in my group of twenty students, and one of the few at Reid Hall, a center for a handful of American colleges. It’s still shocking to me that this imbalance exists and that no one talks about it.

Congratulations to the 2009 Student Diplomat Video Contest Winner!
The 2009 Student Diplomat Video Contest winner, Nicole Barrasse, is a recent graduate of Keystone College in Pennsylvania. Her video video tells an inspiring story of cultural understanding and global connections, as she gives us a glimpse into her study abroad experience in the small agricultural village of Ladakh, India. Nicole stayed with a host family in the village and spent her days farming and learning the local language and culture. The cultural understanding that Nicole developed through this experience not only allowed her to learn about the Ladakhi people, but also to communicate to them how much she appreciated their culture and way of life. Nicole came away from this experience not only knowing much more about sustainable farming and the Ladakhi culture, but also understanding what it means to be a citizen of the world. “Ladakh has not only taught me life lessons, but also what it truly means to be connected to the world around you,” she says in her video. Nicole is now home in Pennsylvania and plans to start a local effort to inspire youth in her community to think more globally. In addition to being named the 2009 Student Diplomat, Nicole will be awarded a cash prize of $300. Click here to read more about Nicole or to watch her video.

MAGAZINE HIGHLIGHTS

Tastebud Tourism
It’s hard to beat the pizza in Naples—a slightly charred crust provides a perfectly crispy base for fresh tomatoes and gooey mozzarella. Unless, of course, its competitor is a bowl of pho in Vietnam—clear broth steaming while slippery noodles slide soothingly down your throat.

Artistry Abroad
Creative expression crosses boundaries. Immersion in the artistic environ-ments of cities like Paris and Florence can provide you with an opportunity to realize your creative potential.

Finding Volunteer Work Abroad Looking for an inexpensive and worthwhile experience volunteering internationally? You may want to follow in Michelle Hunscher’s footsteps and organize your own experience as an alternative to an organized program.

Peru's Seeds of Hope
“Hola profesora!” the children say, as they scamper around the room giving each of us volunteers a kiss on the cheek. I may have limitations with the Spanish language, but I know what the ritual means.

Clicks & Smiles: A volunteer at a South African hospital learns more than the skills he needs to practice medicine.

Carving Into Ancient Tradition
Wade P. Shepard travels to the home of one of India’s master craftsmen to learn about the ancient art of woodcarving.

Echoes of Ecuador: Ariel Fox turns her experience of Ecuador’s language and land into poetry.


Without My Words: Tongue-tied in Madrid, Jamie C. Hennick learns how to translate her world.

The Sheikh and His Wives: Alexandra Halpern tries to blend into the complexities of a polygamous culture while living with a traditional Bedouin family in Jordan.


From Hardship to Helping Hands: CNN “Young Wonder” Shin Fujiyama overcomes his own obstacles to start a non-profit in Honduras.

Fresh From the Field: A taste of South Africa sparks Jensen Lowe’s interest in international relations and issues facing developing nations.

Going Mobile in Malawi: Josh Nesbit is using text messages to provide better medical care for locals.

Reaching the Red Line: What you can do from anywhere in the world to help prevent runaway climate change.

Hydrating Honduras: Bringing water to rural villages proves a satisfying alternative to the typical college spring break.

Digging Into Diplomacy: A U.S. Embassy intern in Ukraine finds out what the world of diplomacy is really like and opens her eyes to the deep-seated societal problems that promote illegal international emigration.

Midnight Matzoh: A Jewish-American student in London redefines her Passover traditions in one late-night meal.

Finding a Rhythm: For one dancer, the fears and uncertainties of living in Madrid fade with the beat of salsa music.