Meet our Education Abroad Ambassadors!

Time flies when you're having fun. Or if you're running from class to class trying to keep up with this semester! But, if you are considering studying abroad at some point in the near future, take a moment to slow down and begin learning about the different programs available to you. In her post "25 Things I Wish I Had Done Differently When I Studied Abroad", post author Rachael Taft says that she wishes she would have researched programs more extensively before choosing. While we at the Education Abroad office want you to research programs extensively, we also encourage you to use the people resources available to you! UW-P program alumni can provide invaluable information on culture, costs, classes, what to seek out, what to avoid, what to expect and much more. This semester we have several fabulous student interns and ambassadors who are specifically interested in sharing their experiences and happy to answer questions about what it is like to study abroad!

Derek Harmann is studying software engineering and spent a semester at the University of the South Pacific (USP) in Suva, Fiji on the UW-Platteville Education Abroad program. Derek plans to keep traveling in the future with plans to go to Asia, Europe, and South America once he has the money to sustain himself. He loves Chinese food and dancing till he hits the ground, and  his favorite travel experience was learning to scuba dive in the beautiful coral reefs of Fiji.

Holly Sutcliffe was one of our excellent student interns last fall. She is an animal science major with minors in international studies and German who studied abroad twice.  Her first experience was on the UW-Platteville Renewable Energy Best Practices short-term faculty-led program to Germany and was followed by a semester at the Dronten University of Applied Sciences in Dronten, Netherlands on the UW-Platteville Exchange program.  Her favorite travel experiences to date were in Germany, England, Ireland, Netherlands, Italy, France, and the US, and in addition to returning to Europe, her travel goals include experiencing Asia.

 Kayann Johansson is studying business administration major with emphases in marketing and international business, previously interned in the Education Abroad office, and is currently a tour guide on campus.  Kayann has studied abroad three times:  on the UW-Platteville Chinese Business Practices and Culture short-term faculty-led program, on the UW-Platteville History of Science and Technology in Europe short-term faculty-led program, and for a semester at Schiller International University in Heidelberg, Germany through UW-Platteville’s affiliate CCIS. She loved getting to explore the Heidelberg Castle where she lived in Germany and thought it was really cool to learn about the history and how a family feud had part of the castle being blown up by a hundred pounds of gun powder.



Kayla Steffel grew up just north of Oconto Falls, Wisconsin on a small dairy farm, where she also owns a small herd of Brown Swiss dairy cows, which inspired her animal science major with a dairy science emphasis.  Kayla participated on the UW-Platteville Agriculture and Cultural Exchange short-term faculty-led program to the Netherlands where she was able to tour multiple farms, gain a new perspective on agriculture and experience a new culture.

Nate Frentzel is a senior studying Business Administration with an emphasis on International Business and a minor in International Studies. Nate spent a semester at the Mahidol Univeristy International College just outside of Bangkok, Thailand through UW-Platteville’s affiliate GlobaLinks Learning Abroad. He is currently studying Chinese, Thai and Khmer (Cambodian).







Katy Lang is senior history major and political science minor.  Katy studied abroad twice: on the UW-Platteville Chinese Business Practices and Culture short-term faculty-led program and for a semester on the UW-Platteville Exchange program at the Windesheim University of Applied Sciences in Zwolle, Netherlands.


There are many on campus organizations and events that also allow you to meet study abroad alumni, as well as international students. Check out International Cafe on Monday nights at 6 p.m. in the Oasis in Brigham Hall, International Students Club on Thursdays at 5 p.m. (next meeting on the 17th!) in Doudna 143, or Global Lunch Hour at 11:30 a.m. every Friday in the Pioneer Room of the PSC.

Interns AJ, Hannah and Nichole are also here to help answer questions and share experiences from a student's perspective. Stop in at Royce, or check out our website for more information! 

From Platteville to Zwolle, and back again

New semester, new faces! Interns Holly and Nate have moved on, and joining us in the UW-Platteville Education Abroad Office for Spring 2014 are AJ Coley and Nichole Padgett. AJ is a Marketing and Outreach Intern who studied abroad in Zwolle, Netherlands one year ago in the Spring of 2013.

AJ is majoring in Business Administration with an International Emphasis

"My favorite part of studying abroad was probably the fact that I was the only American there, so I got to learn about many different cultures. I learned a lot about the Hungarian culture because that was where my roommate, Bence, was from. He invited me back to his home town in the Western part of Hungary to further experience his culture. It was awesome, his parents couldn't speak any English so he had to translate for me, but it was pretty great. There was a language barrier, but we managed to figure things out and have a great time.

Like this one time we went to a castle in Austria and everybody was supposed to meet back in the car, but nobody was there except for his Dad. So I just kind of like shrugged at him so he knew I was confused, and he got it and pointed to where everybody went. It just goes to show how important the non-verbal communication was for us on that trip.

AJ with Bence's family in Hungary

The structure of the University in Zwolle was pretty different. Each class met one time per week. At the beginning of the week you had to figure out what time they met at, because it wasn't always the same. In that way, it wasn't as organized as here. There was no homework, and the only thing you were graded on was the final exam. It was terrible! I like homework points because they are easy points. If you have to rely on one final, it's not that great. The homework here keeps you on track for the class. There you show up and listen to a lecture, but you don't really have to think about it until the end.

In front of the Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona

My favorite place that I visited abroad was Lisbon, in Portugal. I met a friend that studied abroad at my high school from there. After not seeing him for six years, I stayed with him at his home in Lisbon for four days. It was really good- a different experience. They only eat like twice a day and the dinner was at 11 p.m. I forgot what we ate, but his mom cooked regular Portuguese food and it was really good. He drove us around and showed us the entire city, everything touristy. I also found out that there are two cities called the "city of seven hills" and this is one of them, because the road and everything were very hilly. It was also the first time I've been to the ocean, and on a real beach. That's the first thing we did after landing, was go to the beach.

I also went to Barcelona, with a  friend that visited me from UW-Platteville. We visited the soccer stadium, one of the most historic stadiums in Europe, so that was really cool to see. We took a tour and learned at lot about the city. It was the first time I went kayaking, off the coast of Barcelona and France. There were caves that we kayaked into-it was really cold. We docked the kayaks there and went snorkeling. We saw starfish and some other tropical creatures."

Q. So, what made you want to work in the Education Abroad office?
 I want to help students in anyway I possibly can in order to help them follow their dreams of one day being abroad. Working here, I also get to learn more about different universities and places abroad. I enjoy connecting with these students that desire to go abroad, because I once had a desire that I wished to fulfill and it meant the world to me that I was able to.

Stay tuned to learn about Professional Writing Intern Nichole's experiences in Japan! 

Hello Holly!

Introducing Holly Sutcliffe, a Marketing and Outreach Intern for the 2013 Fall Semester!

Holly at the Photo Contest 2013 Booth

Holly is a senior studying Animal Science with an emphasis in International Business and minors in German studies and International Studies. She serves as German Club president, and event producer for Campus Programming and Relations. Holly is also an active member of the Equestrian Club. If you're interested in an advising session with Holly, e-mail her at sutcliffeh@uwplatt.edu, or stop in at Royce 111.

Holly in Amsterdam

Q: Where did you study abroad and when?
A: I traveled abroad in the spring of 2010 with my high school German class for a brief two weeks, staying with host families near Frankfurt, Germany, and Carpi, Italy. That of course spurred me to study abroad not once, but twice. To get my feet wet, I first went on the Darmstadt, Germany, Renewable Energy short-course during the summer of 2011. I then decided I was ready for "the real thing" and spent and the fall 2012 semester in Dronten, the Netherlands. 

Q: Have you ever had an unexpected experience that turned into the highlight of your trip?

Riding a Frisian horse in Friesland

A: Getting placed on a dairy farm 45 minutes from my school for an internship I didn't know I was doing. We were told at 11 p.m. the night before to "pack our bags for a few days on the farm" and were then shipped off the next morning with no idea how to get home. At first, I was disgruntled and a bit nervous, but that internship turned out to be the best part of my entire trip. I was blessed to get placed into a loving family who practically adopted me as their own. They took me sightseeing, taught me language skills, helped me learn to relax and really showed me how to embrace Dutch culture. I even got to go to their St. Nick's Day celebration and was invited to go skiing in France with them. Unfortunately, my flight left for home the day they got back from France, so I missed that trip, but I still got to see them once more before leaving. They came to my school apartment and surprised me with a whole dinner! I still keep in contact with them to this day and joke about all our crazy times.

Q: Describe the most delicious food you have ever eaten while travelling abroad. 

A: Homemade apple pie. It was so much how delicious it was, but more so the effort that went into it and the meaning behind it. We had invited our closest international friends to an American dinner to celebrate Thanksgiving while we were abroad. By the time the pie came around, everyone was almost too full to look at it, but somehow we made it all disappear. 

Q: Describe the most meaningful travel experience you've had. 

A: Well, besides all the wonderful times at my internship, I would have to say learning being surrounded by other cultures. At my university, we were immersed in a huge block of international students from over 20 different places around the world. I studied with them, worked with them and lived with them. They were my new extended family and they had lots to share. They taught me all about their cultural backgrounds from schooling to family practices. It not only widened my view of the world, but also made me come to appreciate all that my own country had to offer.  

Q: What would you say to students that are considering studying abroad?

A: Stop considering it. Go! It will change your whole outlook on the world, your future, and most importantly, yourself. 

Q: If a penguin walked through the door right now wearing a sombrero, tell me 1) What would he say? and 2) Why is he here?

A: Well, firstly we wouldn't speak. He’d sing; probably some Jamaican medley about unrequited love. And secondly, he is going to keep singing his audience is either singing along or running off to the study abroad office to get their next adventure under way.
 

Cliffs of Dover

Meet Jenni!

Education Q&A Round Two: Jenni Krahn
Q: If you studied or traveled abroad, where was it, and when?
A: Undergrad exchange program to Dronten University of Applied Sciences, Dronten, Netherlands, 2007-2008 Academic Year; Undergrad exchange program to Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Galway, Ireland, Fall 2009 Semester; Graduate Short-Term Faculty-Led Program, Turkey, February 20012; I have visited 18 countries in total to date.

Q: Describe the most delicious food you have ever eaten while traveling?

Jenni in Rome

A: At a restaurant called Hostaria in Rome.  If you order the chefs choice, they will bring you multiple courses of small portions of different pasta dishes until you've had your fill.  The chef makes it up as he goes, and it's all delicious!

Q: Have you ever had an unexpected travel experience that turned out to be the highlight of your trip? What was it?
A: I was traveling in Scotland with my cousin this summer and had planned on doing a three day tour which fell through at the last minute.  We had to scramble to make our own travel plans and itinerary, but ended up meeting some amazing people and seeing some wonderful places that we would have otherwise missed on the tour.  Everything happens for a reason when you travel, never get discouraged!

Home-stay in Turkey

Q:Describe the most meaningful international/travel experience you've had. 
A: As part of my short-term faculty-led program to Turkey, we were required to do two home-stays.  My first home-stay was with a very modern family (just a mother and daughter) in Istanbul who spoke fluent English.  My second home-stay was with a very traditional Turkish family (three generations under one roof) in a small village who didn't speak any English.  The differences in the experiences gave me such meaningful insight into the cultural differences within Turkey, and the experience of staying with a family for three days when I didn't speak any Turkish was incredibly challenging and rewarding. 

Q: What would you most like to say to students that are considering studying abroad?
A: Ask anyone who has studied abroad, and they will probably tell you it was the highlight of their college experience.  Ask anyone who didn't study abroad, and they will probably tell you it is their biggest regret from college.

Q:  If a penguin walked through the door right now wearing a sombrero, tell me: 1)What he would say? and 2) Why he is here?
A: Señor Penguin would probably be returning from an education abroad experience in Mexico during which he totally went native, and he's having a hard time in re-entry and giving up his sombrero wearing days. 

Office 101B

Find Jenni in her office in Royce Hall 101B or contact her to set up an advising appointment at krahnje@uwplatt.edu! 

Get to know the Education Abroad Team!
In case you haven't had the pleasure of stopping by our offices in Royce Hall, here's the first round of Education Abroad Q&A!

First up is Donna Anderson, Director at the Education Abroad Office. Check out her stories below, including the time she bribed an East German Official!

Donna Anderson: Director Extraordinaire

Q: Have you studied abroad? If so, where and when?
A:Undergraduate Summer 1987 - Short-term, faculty-led program to Germany & Austria; Summer 1988 - Short-term, faculty-led program to former Soviet Union, Estonia, Poland, Hungary, & former Czechoslovakia; AY 1988-89 Study abroad in Erlangen, former West Germany.  1998 - Present - program development/site visits/recruitment in Australia, Brazil, China, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, and Sweden.  Summer 2009 - family volunteer vacation in Belize.   Since 1987, I have studied, worked, volunteered or traveled in 33 countries on six continents... still looking for a way to get to Antarctica!

Q: Describe the most delicious food you have ever eaten while traveling.
A: There is so much delicious food out there, it is hard to say which I enjoy the most!  I do find the food in many Asian countries to be especially tasty.  Noodle and curry dishes are among my favorites.  The combination of spices used in cooking throughout Asia is absolutely fabulous.  On the sweeter side, few things beat a good gelato.  This Italian frozen dessert is the ultimate indulgence in my book.

Q: Have you ever had an unexpected travel experience that turned out to be the highlight of your trip?
A: In the spring of 1989, during my junior year abroad, I visited the host family I stayed with in Warsaw, Poland, the previous summer.  At that time, during the Cold War era, residents of Poland and other Eastern-bloc nations were restricted from travel to countries in the west, including West Germany.  At the end of the visit, I boarded an overnight train to return to West Berlin, a political island closely affiliated with West Germany and surrounded by East Berlin and East Germany.  From West Berlin I would catch a train back to Nuremberg in West Germany and then back to school to Erlangen.   

I waved goodbye to my host family from the window and found a seat in one of the crowded compartments.   Not too long into the journey and jovial conversation with my compartment-mates, I realized that I was in a car full of East German citizens, which meant that the car would be stopping in East Berlin in the middle of the night and disconnecting from cars further up on the train that would continue on to West Berlin.  I was in the wrong part of the train!  I worked my way up the train hallways to get to the cars that would be going on to West Berlin only to find the door to the first West Berlin-bound car locked.  Two other unfortunate souls, a West German businessman and a young man from Israel, joined me in pleading with an East German train official to help us solve our dilemma, but he would not oblige.  Determined not to find myself stranded in an East German train station in the middle of the night, I discreetly told the train official that I had U.S. dollars.  After a brief and silent transaction, the official led us to the front of the train to a private sleeper car.  The next morning we awoke in West Berlin.  

Bribing an East German official was probably not one of the wisest decisions made by this 20-year-old abroad, but it certainly made for an interesting story in the years to follow!  I will never forget that experience.
        

Q: Describe the most meaningful international or travel experience that you've had. 

A: By far my most meaningful international experiences were those during my undergraduate years when I was able to spend extended periods of time living abroad "like a local".  The year in Germany, in particular, was one of incredible growth and self-actualization.  It was a series of victories (empowering experiences) and defeats (confusing & humbling experiences) that combined to shape me into someone who not only had a better understanding of myself and my own culture, but also the culture of others.  

Q: What would you most like to say to students that are considering studying abroad?
A: Whether you go for two weeks or a whole year, the most important thing is to do it!  It will never be more affordable to go abroad than it is now when you have access to grants, scholarships, and financial aid, nor will you ever have more opportunities to do it than you do now as an undergraduate.  The benefits and impacts are numerous and last a lifetime.  It is one of the best investments you can make in yourself. 

Q: If a penguin walked through the door right now wearing a sombrero, tell me: 1) What would he say? 2) Why is he here?
A: He would say that he was in the Americas on holiday and is now returning to his home in Antarctica.  He is here because he understands that I have never been to Antarctica and wonders if I would like to join him!

You can find Donna in 101 Royce Hall or e-mail her at anderdon@uwplatt.edu!
Be sure to stop by the Markee to vote in our 2013 Photo Contest and check out Trivia Night from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at Pioneer Haus in the Markee!