Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Beginnings

If you are reading this, you have probably heard that I will be studying abroad next semester on the Around-the-World trip offered at Concordia!  This is a great opportunity and I am thankful I have been blessed with the chance to participate in this!

Now some of you may be wondering what this trip entails.  If that is you, read on!  If that is not you, read on anyway!  Basically, in one semester, a group of Concordia students and faculty will circumnavigate the globe.  The students have been selected and we have a big group!  There will be 28 students, 3 professors, 2 wives of professors, 5 children of professors, and 4 graduate assistants putting the total travelers at 42!  As of now, the trip is as concrete as it will ever be, meaning that things will not change unless something drastic happens (ie political turmoil in one of the countries, natural disasters, etc).  We will visit 9 different countries over the course of 4.5 months (August 5th - December 17th).  We will visit them in this order: Mongolia, China, Vietnam, Thailand, India, Ethiopia, Israel, Hungary, and finally Peru.

Here is a video put on by the group that went last year:
http://www.cui.edu/admissions/undergraduate/aroundtheworld.html

We have already met as a group at Dr. Norton's house (one of the professors on the trip) for ethnic desserts and fellowship.  Getting to know the group is an exciting process!

So what exactly will I be doing on this trip you may ask?  Well it will not be all fun and games to be sure (though both fun and games will still be included)!  While traveling, I will be taking 15 units of courses including Foundations of Language, Travel Writing, Postmodern Novel, Epic Literature, and Service Learning Practicum.   These along with three 1-unit classes (Global Cultural Studies, Understanding Cultures Anthropologically, and Cross-Cultural Communication Awareness) which I will take next semester will give me a minor in Global Cultural Studies when I finish.  There will be a mission component in each country as well.  This can span anywhere from helping to teach English to helping run a Week-of-Welcome for new students at the Mongolia International University.

A trip of this magnitude will obviously be more costly than a normal semester at college.  Leading up until the time I leave, I will be trying to raise funds to help cover the extra cost of the trip.  If there are any odd jobs that I can do for money let me know!  Also if you would like to donate to help me go on this trip send me an email and I can give you more information on how you can make it tax deductible!  If you have any other questions about the trip, let me know and I will be happy to answer them to the best of my abilities!