Sixteen Westmont College (CA) students traveled to Southeast Asia for four weeks during Mayterm 2010 to study human trafficking, learn about current prevention efforts and examine their personal role in the fight against human trafficking. In this
third of three videos chronicling their study experience, three students reflect on how their trip will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
Greenville College (IL) junior Beky Smith, a double major in cross-cultural studies and digital media with a minor in sociology, traveled with Go Ed last year in Thailand and Cambodia. In this video , Beky describes what she learned during her study abroad experience.
In Their Own Words
A Fly on the Wall of Cultural Contrast In July 2010, a trip to China with a group based out of Huntington University and Global Mission brought me out of my comfort zone and to a place where my cultural norms were challenged.
We were in a quiet, rural Chinese village that was having an out-of-character night. Deafening firecrackers, used to scare away ghosts, erupted in the swamp by the chicken coop and outhouse squatty-potty. A sprawling tarp stretched over cramped tables filled with endless platters of unidentifiable food. It was someones 70th birthday, and everyone came out for the party, including me an American teaching English who felt like a wide-eyed, sensory-overloaded fly on the wall.
Days later and a few kilometers away, I nervously reviewed cultural norms while sharing an exclusive table with high-ranking Chinese business and education officials and nine different fancifully cooked animals, all of which I ate. The spacious, private dining room sported an elegant tea-drinking area, lavish carpet, and a balcony overlooking a river. Here I felt like a fly refusing to land on the wall. The engraved, gold wallpaper was too imposing.
I marvel at the small place and time that offered me such dynamically contrasting cultural experiences.
Luke Brenneman, junior sociology major at Huntington University (IN) Life overseas is never as expected. Israel is complex and hard to understand. Before coming to Israel, I was a naive American: Arabs are the terrorists, Israelis are the victims. Life here has shown anything but that.
I live in Jerusalem, right outside the Old City. I have three great classes here on campus. One is with an Israeli Jewish professor. It is great to hear his views on modern politics: similar to what I was hearing while in the States, but with more pomp and patriotism to it.
Twice weekly I venture into Bethlehem, West Bank with six other students to study Arabic. Here we get a completely different perspective. The Palestinian Arabs had their land taken away by Jews with the aid of Britain and the United States. They fought for their land but were pushed aside by these big nations. Israel put a thirteen foot wall around half of the West Bank to keep the Palestinians contained and stop them from fighting for their land.
I see hostility from both sides, Israelis and Palestinians. I also see beauty and peace in both groups. Life is not simple. Nothing is as it seems.
Chris Erickson, Northwestern College (MN) student currently studying in Israel at Jerusalem University College 
Ive been blessed with two opportunities to punctuate my academic career with study abroad programs, first in Europe on Oklahoma Christian Universitys Vienna Studies, and now with the CCCUs Middle East Studies Program. I can say without a doubt that these have been some of the most valuable experiences of my college career and my life.
Learning about other cultures and peoples is fantastic, but the most valuable elements of the international experiences Ive had have been the interactions and relationships that allowed me to form connections with folks Ive met on these trips. Sometimes the interactions that stick out are small, like meeting someone on a train in Vienna or talking with a taxi driver in Cairo. But these connections are things I cherish because its through meeting people that you can foster genuine goodwill among nations, however small these connections are.
Overall, the value of studying abroad is in the chance to travel and get more than a simple tourist experience, an opportunity to seek an understanding of the history and culture of a place and, if youre lucky, to catch a glimpse into the hearts of its people.
Ben Peterson, senior political science major at Oklahoma Christian University currently participating in the CCCUs BestSemester Middle East Studies Program. His blog about his CCCU Middle East experiences can be found at blogs.oc.edu/ben.