By Kelsi Williamson, Student Reporter
ACU students currently studying abroad in both Oxford and Montevideo are learning about and submerging themselves into European and Latin American cultures.
David McMichael, sophomore English major from Abilene, traveled to Spain, Portugal and France, as well as around England, as a part of the Oxford study abroad program.
McMichael said he enjoyed traveling to smaller, unpopular destinations such as Girona, Spain, because of the prominent local culture.
“You get to interact with the local people more and get a better sampling of how things really are in a place like that [Girona],” McMichael said in an e-mail.
Dr. Kevin Kehl, executive director of the Center of International and Intercultural Education, said when students step outside their normal surroundings, they see both the familiar and unfamiliar in a new way.
In Oxford, McMichael and his peers entered the local community in order to fulfill their 20 hour service requirements. The service hours are embedded in both the Great Britain and Latin Studies’ courses.
“It’s a good opportunity for students to get plugged in to something local that’s happening in real time that affects the community,” Kehl said.
McMichael said he liked the requirement and has volunteered at the local Oxfam International office. Although forced service might be contradictory to the original definition, McMichael said it is a good reminder of what it means to live in Christian community.
“We just wouldn’t think about service without the requirement when we’re so swamped with work and keeping up with everything else that’s going on,” McMichael said.
Jordan Lowe, sophomore biology major from Crowley, currently is studying abroad in Montevideo and agrees with McMichael on the necessity of the service requirement.
“It gives us an opportunity to converse with people our own age and talk about issues like politics, popular culture both here and in the U.S., music and other things we have in common,” Lowe said in an e-mail.
Lowe said students in Montevideo have worked closely with Alianza, a Uruguay- United States alliance organization that teaches English courses and American
culture.
Both Lowe and McMichael said they have benefited through local experiences. “It has been really great to learn about C.S. Lewis and then actually go and see where he lived and studied,” McMichael said.
For Lowe, the subject matter may be different, but the result is the same.
“All of the classes we take are made easier by the fact that we are submerged in the culture we are studying,” Lowe said. “We read about and learn about Artigas, the local hero, and then visit his monument and tomb in the Plaza de Independencia.”
While McMichael said he values the eco-friendly aspect of the English culture, Lowe said he was impressed by Latin Americans’ interest and involvement in politics. Both students said these lessons would continue to affect them once they are back in Abilene.
