             |
In April 2004, Janzen traveled to deep ocean vents on the East Pacific Rise, off the coast of Central America. He dove more than a mile to the bottom of the ocean in the submersible Alvin to study the chemistry of the unique ecosystem that exists there. -- E.M. Carole Sloan ’67 Pursell – SWITZERLANDI had a not-so-recent humorous international experience in 1970. As a senior I lived in Smith Hall next to the housemother. She had a very deep, hoarse voice (from smoking so much) that you could hear through the walls and was quite annoying. I graduated in 1967 and was happy not to hear that voice day and night anymore. In 1970, my husband and I spent three weeks traveling various countries in Europe. We were in a hotel in Geneva, Switzerland and suddenly I heard that same deep, hoarse voice in the lobby. I turned around and who was there but the housemother from Smith!
Carol Harris ’70 – SPAIN
Experience in living abroad has been the substance of my adult life. My first global experience away from home was my junior year abroad in Valencia, Spain. As a Spanish major, I always knew that if I ever intended to do something with the language I’d need a big, concentrated effort to raise my speaking abilities. You might say that I ended up taking my major to heart as a result of the experience. I have been living in Valencia, ever since 1970, the year of my graduation from SU. My husband, Vicente Celma and I and our three kids Paul, Marc and Diana are all still in Valencia. We are a family of studies abroad. My husband was an exchange student in high school. My kids have each had several stints abroad, and as a result each has made friendships from all over. People need to take interest, understand each other and communicate. This is our way of doing it. For the past two decades I’ve been working as coordinator for the University of Virginia Hispanic Studies Program in Valencia. As interest in study abroad has grown, I’ve had the pleasure of greeting several SU students to the Program. Being able to contribute to their experience abroad has continuously provided me with the rush of leaving a legacy, paying back a debt. An extra honor was being able to welcome President Jay Lemons and his daughter Maggie in November, 2004, when they paid us a visit while on a tour of programs in Europe. I don’t get back to SU very often; but in spite of distances, I have kept in continual contact with my friends from SU days—sometimes here, sometimes in the U.S., most times through correspondence. These are still among my most cherished friendships after so many years.
Jennifer Goodwin ’94 Saalinki – FINLAND
Finland is a country that I used to know nothing about. After 11 years of living here, I have learned to love the place and value the experiences it has to offer. I have come to treasure: the month-long holiday, midnight sun and bonfires in the summer; biking along the bike paths that run alongside all town roads; our twenty apple trees and the first taste of our own apple wine each winter; the 900-year-old castle and cathedral that I pass on the way to work; the sound of seagulls above the river that passes through the town; the overnight ferries to Sweden, filled with their Finnish tangos, karaoke bars and tax-free shopping; driving over the frozen sea to my summer house in the winter, and then skiing between the islands of the archipelago to the place where the sea is still unfrozen and restless; listening to my kids switch fluently from Finnish to English and back within seconds; hot saunas heated with birch and scented with pine; mushroom hunting and berry picking with friends; buying food in the open marketplace. These are just a few of the things that make Finland a place worth getting to know!
SIGMUND WEIS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS LONDON PROGRAM – UNITED KINGDOMFounded in 1995, the London Program immerses junior business students in global business environments. The semester-long program, in which approximately half of current business majors participate, mixes regular coursework with tours and presentations at British and other European companies. Bryan Rothfuss ’00 – AUSTRIABryan Rothfuss ’00 fell in love with Vienna during a semester abroad and moved there after graduation. The music performance alumnus now sings full-time with the Vienna Conservatory. “For a musician, Vienna is truly a holy city,” he says.
Michael Franken ’05 – NORWAYFranken spent six months in Europe last year, and offers the following as a “high point” of his travels: Going to the Western Fjords of Norway for two days of hiking in AMAZING scenery. Highlights include walking above the clouds, lying on the edge of a 3,400-foot drop, and standing on a boulder stuck in a crevice of a mountain, 3,400 feet in the air, where I was literally inches from death.
Dawn Konrady ’06 – ENGLAND, SPAINKonrady has traveled to 16 countries and studied abroad in both London and Spain. A double major in business and Spanish, she says, "Besides enjoying traveling to new places, I wanted to complement each major."
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
