Hello all!
A lovely gal from my college recently wrote me to ask a few questions about my experience abroad and I thought I'd share my answers with all of you:
1. Why did you choose Scripps for a college? Was availability of OCS options a factor at all?
I chose Scripps because I felt so at home the moment I stepped on campus. I love the people and the Core program was everything I wanted in a Freshman program. Yes, having access to various study abroad programs was critical to my college choice, as I knew during my application process that I would spend a full year abroad during college.
2. Did you know that you wanted to study abroad when you came to Scripps?
Yes. I studied in Spain during my last semester of high school, and upon completing that semester I realized two things; 1) I knew I wanted to spend my entire Junior Year abroad, and 2) I became certain that I simply had to learn a third language. I felt that Europe was far too familiar after the time I had spent there, so my mind turned immediately to Africa –a place where I would be put far out of my comfort zone and never, for the life of me, be able to blend in. Because of this desire to spend time in Africa, I chose French as my third language. However, I’ve had a long-standing desire to learn Chinese, which I may begin this semester.
3. When did you decide that you wanted to be a foreign languages major?
Well, upon entering Scripps, I had every intention of being a Biology major. But as I realized that taking two languages simultaneously and going abroad for a full year would be rather hectic in conjunction with a biology major, I decided to switch tracks and go with what I’m most passionate for: languages.
4. What do you plan on doing in the future (if you know) with your foreign language background?
My original intention for learning languages was to be able to communicate with a broader spectrum of people, to be able to delve into a variety of cultures in a way that is impossible with a language barrier, and to travel. Now, I have done a great deal of traveling and have experienced first hand the delights of communicating with someone in their native tongue. Their eyes light up and suddenly new realms of conversation are unlocked that were previously forbidden. Literal and metaphorical doors are opened as people invite you in for tea and ask for you life story. It is quite inspiring, actually. In this way, I intend to continue using my languages; as an avenue for communication, personal growth, and learning. Professionally, I assume that languages will be useful in any domain, however my eye is currently turned back to the sciences and medicine in particular.
5. Had you traveled abroad before this year?
As I mentioned before, I spent spring semester of my senior year in high school in Alicante, Spain. I also spent a month during the summer in Granada, Spain and have made several un-academic trips to diverse locations, including, India, Thailand, and Italy.
6. Why did you choose these two particular programs--especially the one in Senegal which many people might not have thought of as a first choice of place to study French.
Well, as I said, I wanted to experience a culture that was completely different from anything I had known in the US or Europe. I chose my study of French based on my desire to study in Africa, recognizing that this choice would also help me obliterate a smidgeon of my ignorance concerning that part of the world. Choosing Senegal was a sort of process of elimination; there are only two francophone African programs offered through Scripps, the first in Madagascar and the second in Senegal. Senegal is the only one that provides students with the opportunity to live in a host family, which I consider critical to greater cultural immersion and learning. So, that is how I ended up in a country that I knew virtually nothing about and, sadly, had to look up on a map during my application process. As for Chile, I wanted to use my Spanish and ultimately found that this program and one in Mendoza, Argentina fit my desire for a smaller city with a breadth of course options. In the end, I opted for Valparaíso because of the wonderful art classes offered here. I’m very pleased with both of my choices.
7. Can you tell me a little about your experience in Africa? What were some of the highlights? Did you speak exclusively French? What were living conditions like? How were you received there?
I was received very warmly by my host family in Senegal. The entire culture prides itself on what they term “teranga,” or an openhearted embracing of everyone into their homes and daily lives. In this way, I received several invitations to dine with a host of kind people and had many wonderful conversation with cab drivers and street vendors. However, there are also pervasive stereotypes of “western” foreigners and white foreigners particularly. We are, generally, conceived of as walking money-bags, and are sometimes treated as such; it was oftentimes difficult to make friends out of acquaintances because ulterior motives would sometimes surface in their behaviors. Nonetheless, I find Senegalese culture to be something vibrant, proud, fascinating, welcoming, joyful, and diverse. The experience and understanding I gained there was invaluable.
As for living conditions, I showered out of a bucket of cold water, slept in small but comfortable quarters with a fan as the only air-conditioning system, and ate delicious, rich food out of a common bowl with three generations of family members. The key here, though, is that I had that bucket, those quarters, that fan, and all of that food. I felt incredibly privileged every moment of every day. My family even honored my vegetarian tendencies, although they didn’t entirely understand why I would voluntarily limit my diet, leaving out the most highly esteemed part of each meal; when the majority of people are without work and starvation is visible, nobody forgoes the meat set before them.
I did not speak French exclusively, due in large part to the fact that I was in a program with fifty other American students, taking classes exclusively with them and going on regular pre-orchestrated trips with them. I am rather disappointed that I didn’t vow to speak only French and stick to it, which is why I have decided to do so here in Chile. English may be a linguistic comfort food for exchange students, but I won’t have any of it! Besides using English, I also spoke a great deal of Wolof –at least as I came to be able to speak it more and more. I conversed in Wolof with my street friends and during my Wolof class, although my host family didn’t really have the patience for my haphazard Wolof during meals, which was our prime time together.
I’d say the highlight of my experience in Senegal was sitting out along the roadside on makeshift seats with my dear friend Sadio and our American buddy, Andy. Sadio was our informal Wolof prof, selling cookies and cigarettes to passersby between lessons. He taught us the Senegalese way to make “ataya,” or tea, by making a strong brew with heaps of sugar. The key was mixing in the sugar by pouring tea from one cup to another, letting the tea fall as far as you possibly could, until a light froth settled at the top of your steaming, glass cup. Many a sunset was spent laughing with our Sadio -over excellent tea.
8. Did you have some time at home before going to Chile?
Yes, I had two months between my programs. I spent my first month traveling through Portugal, Spain, and Morocco and my second home with my lovely family.
9. I heard that your trip to South America was delayed because of the earthquake. Are there other ways your experience was affected by the earthquake? Have you been involved in any relief efforts? What is your situation like there?
Well, thus far the earthquake has colored my entire experience here. Of course, I did arrive a week later than planned because of it, but also my orientation was shortened and permeated by more frequent earthquake and tsunami precaution lectures than one might expect under normal circumstances. Most notably, my first day in Chile was marked by a tsunami alert in my city of Viña del Mar, so immediately from the bus station I was taken up into one of the nearby hills as part of the general evacuation. It was quite a welcome to this country! As for relief efforts, I gathered supplies from my hometown during that extra week and brought 53 lb of it over as a part of my luggage. This week I will be dropping it off at a church with my host parents and, from there, it will be taken further south. As for the situation here, we’ve been having frequent mild aftershocks that aren’t particularly bothersome. Some of the buildings around the city are cracked or falling apart, so some are closed and others are taped off. One of the university buildings is no longer usable, but the others have all been thoroughly inspected to ensure the safety of the students. The people are frightened and, above all during the tsunami alert, everyone was trying to gain contact with their family. Frantically, everyone used their cell phones simultaneously and, thus, the whole network collapsed. It was very stressful for everyone. But now, everything feels quite calm. I’m sure that it is not the same in the epicenter city of Concepcion. Everyone is very worried about the people there, moreover because we all have family and friends there.
10. Can you email me some photos of both your Senegal and your Chile experiences?
Of course. :-)
