From bull fights to Bible studies, missionaries to museums, international cuisine to cultural community, the international study abroad program offers a wide variety of experiences that can benefit any student.
Interview with Emily Adams
[podcast]https://www.obusignal.com/podcasts/emily.mp3[/podcast]
Interview with Daniel Anderson
[podcast]https://www.obusignal.com/podcasts/daniel.mp3[/podcast]
Senior Emily Adams, studied abroad last year at Seinan-Gaikun University in Japan.
“My favorite part about going to Japan was meeting the people, learning the language and trying to understand their culture,” Adams said. “There were a lot of things I had to get used to. The main thing that I tried to do was be sensitive to their culture and kind of forget about my own culture and try to blend in and do what was acceptable there.”
Cultural barriers are often a fear of students who consider studying abroad. Junior Daniel Anderson, participated in the Hands On program abroad in the Czech Republic last year. His experience of crossing the cultural and linguistic barriers in Czech really grew his faith.
“In my faith I learned a lot of patience because the language there was a lot different than our language,” Anderson said. “I had to use translators and try to learn the language, but mostly we used another missionary and that was a lot different than being able just to speak with them in person.”
Adams did not know any of the Japanese language before she left, but it didn’t affect her experience in a negative way.
“I just jumped in the water and started learning Japanese,” Adams said.
There are several ways to learn a new language once you are in a foreign country. Anderson experienced this firsthand and was able to integrate his faith and learning.
“We went to a Czech Bible study on Sunday nights,” Anderson said. “It was a Czech and English Bible study where we just read the Bible to learn Czech and taught the Czechs English through the Bible.”
Being immersed in different cultures can help students broaden their outlook on the world. Adams encourages students to study abroad so that they can experience cultural diversity.
“It gives you a totally different perspective on the world,” Adams said. “There’s so many different kinds of people, not just the people that are like you or the people from your country. It also gives you another idea of not just cultures but also their religions or their value systems. Here in the South we have a lot of Christians but in Japan or in other countries you have totally different religions and life values.”
Study abroad has not only educational benefits for students, but it can provide a great faith building experience outside of the Ouachita community.
“Coming from Ouachita I was so used to having Christians everywhere,” Adams said. “It’s normal to pray before a meal or it’s normal to talk about God or go to church, but when I was there, not just among the Japanese but among my international friends, I just felt really awkward [talking about God]. But I really started to have a heart for Japanese people. I wanted to tell them about God because a lot of them don’t have the Christian background like we do. I just wanted to let them know.”
Anderson encourages students who are interested in missions to participate in Hands On because it gives you a practical experience in what you’ll actually be doing.
“If you are wanting to know if you want to be a missionary, it’s definitely the perfect thing to do,” Anderson said. “It’s better than taking a missions class because you’re actually on the field. You get to know what missionaries are dealing with and struggling with and experience that for yourself.”
For more information on study abroad and the Daniel & Betty Jo Grant Center for International Education, visit www.obu.edu/intprograms.
