A willingness to put aside the frills of tourism and an eagerness to get dirty and work might make study abroad more attainable for students.
Service learning programs are an inexpensive option for people seeking to study abroad. Students take a class on the issues, history and culture of their destination, then travel there for a few weeks at the end of the quarter. They live in the same conditions as community members while performing their service project.
“In service projects we are living and working side by side with our hosts, who are Nicaraguans and don’t speak English. That aspect, above every other aspect, is what students have found valuable,” said Katherine Borland, OSU Newark professor and faculty adviser for the trip.
The students take Comparative Studies 694N: Development Theory, which focuses on issues of social justice in third world countries. Students are able to face the same issues brought up in class and see the needs of impoverished countries, such as Nicaragua.
“We had a discussion group every night and tried to figure out if what we were doing was really what the people we were trying to help would actually need and if our service project was actually going to be effective in the long run,” said Meghan Hensley, a junior majoring in history.
Their project was to build a guest house that would accommodate other groups coming in to help the community. Despite grueling heat and limited water supply to mix cement, the group got much of the building completed.
Time wasn’t only spent working, though. One of the students brought 30 donated soccer balls. The group gave them to a local middle school girl’s soccer team, but only after challenging them to a game.
“Kids were running around – just chaos. We made teams and played like there was no tomorrow – most disorganized soccer team I’ve ever seen in my life. It was good to just do stuff and interact with people,” Borland said.
Simply connecting with people was the most rewarding part for Hensley. Language barriers did not keep students from interacting and developing relationships with the Nicaraguans.
Despite many rewarding experiences, the group still faced challenges. The stark contrast of living in a third world country and living in pampered living conditions proved to be a major adjustment.
“All you’re walking on is dirt floors and sleeping on cots, and you barely have enough water to brush your teeth and keep yourself hydrated. It was a huge adjustment, but at the same time, living without all those things, you realize what you do have and what you take for granted,” Barrington said.
The trip cost $1,040, and most students who went on the trip received grants from their colleges.
“Cost definitely was one of the reasons I was able to do it. I work and go to school too so if it were thousands of dollars I wouldn’t have been able to go,” Hensley said.
While service learning trips are generally less expensive, they are also notable shorter.
“Short-term was good, but bad in a way too because none of us really wanted to leave. We wished we could have stayed longer, but having a taste of that has made us want to do other study abroad or go back or visit other places,” Hensley said.
Lindsay Minnema can be reached at [email protected].
