Munich, Paris, London, Brunnenburg, Ghana. The options are endless. About 35-38% of all Guilford students (main campus) opt to study abroad. There are many reasons why students choose to see the world beyond the “bubble” – some obvious ones include learning about another culture or country, learning another language, and obtaining a new perspective on one’s own culture or country of origin. Although I (Rebecca) was interested in many of Guilford’s programs abroad, I ultimately decided that the area I was most interested in traveling to was in South America. Since none of Guilford’s abroad programs go to this area, I chose to go with a non-Guilford program.The program I had traveled with was service-oriented, a value that Guilford holds to be very important. The school in Ecuador that the program happened to be connected with, however, was a school of 2,700 people that served the wealthiest 2 percent of the country. Classes usually had 30 people or more in them, not to mention they were taught completely in Spanish! In addition, there were usually no breaks between classes – one directly followed another.
Although the work was certainly challenging (I had to write a 19-page paper in Spanish for one course), the amount of paper writing certainly did not measure up to that of Guilford. There were also no clubs or activities outside of school, and all students lived outside the school (as is customary in Latin American schools). Most American students at the school I attended also lived with a host family. All of us lived in Quito, the capital of the country and one of the largest cities in Latin America. The country’s population also consisted of a very large Native South American population.
The description of some of my experiences abroad just given may seem to many to be as completely opposite to Guilford as possible. This is why, in my opinion, Guilford needs a better transition program for those who choose to study abroad. This would not have to be anything elaborate, but even a reintroduction into dorm life would be of help. In addition, I think a new position should be created to put one person or a few people in charge of aiding students in the transition back to life at Guilford. My situation was an extreme one since I chose to go with a program outside of Guilford.
However, other students who went abroad with Guilford programs have had similar experiences. For example, London is one of the most modern and cosmopolitan cities in Europe, not quite like Ecuador. One might think the transition would be rather easy, going from London to Guilford. However, when Sarah and I (Shana) stepped back on Guilford’s campus in January, we knew that it would be different. Many things at Guilford had not changed while we were abroad. However, our mentality had changed, as did our views of the world.
Our transition back into the Guilford “bubble” was a slow one, sometimes difficult because of the change in our surroundings, workload, and flexibility for travel and freedom. In London, the workload for the semester consisted of short 2-3 page papers, none of which needed to be typed or thoroughly researched.
Similar to the orientation we had prior to leaving for London, we feel it would be best if there were an orientation to acclimate us back into the Guilford mindset. Possibly, this would consist of a dinner in which student’s stories were exchanged from their experiences while abroad. Also, a student who had been abroad the previous semester could give tips on how to make a smooth transition to Guilford, as well as mentioning factors that most affected him/her.
One of the many things that Guilford rightfully prides itself on is acceptance of and encouragement for outside cultures. Therefore, the school should be more open-minded to helping decrease levels of “culture shock” by remembering that a transition into the Guilford “bubble” may be just as difficult – if not more so – as one outside of it.