Students swap travel stories at Study Abroad Office lunch

Studying abroad can be an intimidating experience. Students may be nervous about living in a… Studying abroad can be an intimidating experience. Students may be nervous about living in a foreign country, but how many should be worried about having to readjust upon returning to campus?

While the primary goal of a study abroad department is to prepare students for life in a foreign country, Pitt’s Study Abroad Office has become concerned with helping students readjust from living in a foreign country to living back on campus.

To aid in the process, the Study Abroad Office has started a Brown Bag Lunch Series event where recently abroad students are able to gather in the William Pitt Union dining room on certain Wednesdays and share their experiences with one another while getting back into their former campus lives.

Lindsey Anderson, a Pitt graduate student assistant at the Study Abroad Office, coordinates the lunch meetings. Having studied abroad in Madrid in summer 2005, Anderson recognizes that “coming back to campus can be a really challenging experience.”

At the lunches, the students share their stories about their encounters with other cultures. Anderson and the other representatives from the Study Abroad Office strive to create a relaxed atmosphere so that those who have had any difficulties are equally willing to talk about them.

“It’s a really honest and open conversation about people’s experiences,” Anderson said.

Yesterday’s meeting featured Pitt students who had studied in various Asian countries. Along with representatives from the Study Abroad Office who were knowledgeable on studying in Asia, the panel discussed their traveling endeavors from trying to interact with locals in China to crossing hectic, traffic-stricken intersections in Vietnam.

The students agreed that their experiences abroad were invaluable.

Josh Rigney, a Pitt fifth-year senior who studied abroad in China and India, remarked on the value of experiencing life in a country vs. taking a course on it.

“There’s no comparison you can possibly get by taking a class on the subject,” Rigney said. Additionally, the students reported their overcoming of any anxiety about traveling and living in a very different country as a major accomplishment. But not all of the stories presented revealed wholly enjoyable cultural experiences.

While traveling in India, Rigney came down with food poisoning and was admitted to a hospital. The Indian hospital was well below standards regarding its cleanliness, and none of the doctors spoke English, Rigney said.

Given that AIDS was prevalent in the area of the hospital’s location, Josh was wary about receiving injections from the doctors.

Despite the scare, Josh is in good health and shared his dramatic story with the group.

“You’ll definitely get some experiences that will push your boundaries to places they haven’t been before,” Rigney said.

In addition to helping returning students readjust, the Study Abroad Office wishes the event to be informative for all who attend.

Aside from the panel of students who recently studied abroad, faculty and staff of the University and any students wishing to learn more about life abroad are present at the lunches.

Students aspiring to study abroad can read about a foreign country in a textbook or flier, but Anderson says the discussions at the sessions intend to offer “a much more exciting and personal way to learn about a different region of the world.”

The lunches cover a variety of areas of the world. A new region is presented at each meeting.

To date, students who studied in Africa and Asia have been featured. Students who studied in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Australia will be featured during the following weeks.

The Study Abroad Office initiated the lunch sessions last week.

They selected a brown bag lunch theme in order to keep the event informal and practical.

Since the entire program is still very new, the office plans to evaluate the effectiveness of the program at the end of the semester.

One existing disadvantage of the lunch program, however, is its current schedule. Because the meetings occur only on Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m., some students are unable to fit the event into their day.

“This is an ongoing process. This is the first step at having a better re-entry system for students,” Anderson said. The Study Abroad Office is looking into adapting a more accommodating schedule in the future, Anderson said.

Regarding readjustment to campus life, the brown bag lunches serve as only part of the entire process devised by the Study Abroad Office.

Earlier this month, the “Welcome Back Dash” event provided returning students with free food, international music and a place to converse with other newly returned students.

More information on studying abroad and the Brown Bag Lunch series can be found on the Study Abroad Office’s website.