Veteran Globe-Trotter Shares Her Study Abroad Experience

Megan Peters has studied abroad four times
in the past three years.  After Peters graduates she plans on
joining the Peace Corps. (Courtesy Photo)

By Caitlin Murad
November 14, 2012
courtesy of The Arkansas Traveler

Culture shock is not a term Megan Peters is familiar with. The senior industrial engineering major has studied abroad four times in the past three years. She has traveled to many countries across the globe, including Italy, Belize and Mozambique.
Peters first traveled to Europe in high school, where she first fell in love with traveling.

As a college student, Peters decided to study abroad in Italy. “I had not been to Italy and knew I wanted to go there,” Peters said.


“Honestly, I think it was mainly that I love history and Italian food, and the culture seemed fascinating.”  Peters contacted the UA Office of Study Abroad to discuss program options.

“I made an appointment with Laura Moix, and we talked about how I wanted to go to Italy,” Peters said. “I knew a girl who had done the AIFS Florence program and loved it.” Moix provided Peters with scholarship information to help finance her trip both through her major and through the study abroad office. Peters was awarded a scholarship from the study abroad office for her study in Italy.

She studied in Florence, Italy, for five weeks over the summer in 2010. She studied Italian I and Culture and Style in Italy at Piazza del Academia. Peters stayed in an apartment outside Piazza del Academia with three other students from the AIFS program.

Peters then went on the UA trip to Dangria, Belize, during the summer of 2011. She, along with several other UA students, worked in separate parts of the Dangria community, learning about the social and economical aspects of a developing country.

“I have always had a large sensitivity to others and been passionate about helping those less fortunate,” Peters said. “I wanted to see what real community development was like. Also, more selfishly, I wanted to travel to a developing country to see what it was like, and Belize is beautiful.”  Her experience in Dangria sparked her interest in water resource management, and Peters began researching this problem in developing countries with her department head when she returned to Fayetteville.

“I presented my research at the International Water Conference during the fall of 2011 with another student, who happened to be the president of Arkansas Engineers Abroad,” Peters said. “He told me about the group’s initiative to build a water tower for the small rural village of More Tomorrow.”

The group spent one week in More Tomorrow living in a mission and successfully built a tower fountain for the village. Peters and her group also did water testing and water perception interviews with locals, which aided her research.

Peters’ initial trip to Belize also played a factor in her next trip abroad to Mozambique. Dr. Amy Farmer, a UA faculty member who accompanied the students on the trip to Dangria, Belize, started a Mozambique program at the UA in summer 2012.

“I had always wanted to go to Africa, and it was the perfect opportunity,” Peters said.

Peters spent five weeks in Mozambique working for Novos Horizontes Poultry Company in Nampula.
“There are really no words to describe how insightful and valuable that experience (Novos Horizontes Poultry Company) was,” Peters said. “These people literally had nothing but were working so hard with hope and diligence to better their situations. They were so inspiring.”

Peters believes her study abroad experiences have affected her both academically and personally. She completed her sustainability minor capstone with her project in Dangriga and presented her work in Belize and Mozambique at the American Society for Engineering Management Conference.

“I met one of my best friends in Belize and made many others on both trips to that country,” Peters said. “I still keep in touch with a few friends I met in Italy, and the Mozambique group does ‘family outings.’”
Peters is currently a mentor for UA international students. After she graduates, Peters plans on going to graduate school and then into the Peace Corps.

Her advice to all students considering studying abroad is, “Embrace the opportunity to be able to gain a different perspective, and enjoy every minute of it, even when you just want a cheeseburger. You literally have nothing to lose.”

A Blog Post from Cambridge University --- Joshua Windsor

Cambridge is a beautiful place. In the morning, when I walk to lectures at the Faculty of History, I leave my room (which is over The Eagle – Watson’s and Crick’s favorite pub), hasten westward through the gates of King’s College, continue past the magnificent Chapel, and onward over the River Cam and through the College Backs. The lawns, meticulously kept and forbidden to the feet of ‘junior members’, glisten with dew, as do the fields which constitute the Backs, and on which are kept the fine white cattle of Corpus Christi College. The trees have now shed their red and golden leaves, and the sodden mass of them carpet the path along the river. It is cold and wet at this time of year, and none but the hardy head onto the river; but in the spring there will be punters a-plenty on the gentle Cam. It is a splendid walk to class.

There is a pleasant alchemy here of gentle natural beauty and the vibrant heritage of generations past. That unassuming natural beauty – Cambridge must be one of the few places where humans have improved upon nature – I have described above. But, if anything, the material remains of that ‘vibrant heritage’ are just as affecting. 

Concentrated along King’s Parade and Trumpington Street is one of the world’s great collections of architecture, a fact appreciated by the ever-present tourists that flock here in numbers second only to London. Across from King’s College Chapel, which is the preeminent example of Perpendicular Gothic, is Great St. Mary’s Church. 

A bit further down the road are the courts of St. John’s College and the iconic Round Church. Further south there is the grand façade of the Fitzwilliam Museum, and spanning the river are the beautiful Bridge of Sighs and the Mathematical Bridge. Much humbler, but of greater antiquity, is the church of St. Bene’t, right outside my window. Its foundations are just shy of a thousand years old, laid when Canute was king.

For the historically-minded, or for those that simply have a soft spot for old things, Cambridge is an intense thrill. Indeed, the persistence of the past here is nearly palpable. The college at which I’ve matriculated, The College of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary, was founded in 1352, and its Old Court, the oldest in Oxbridge, is still very much in use. 

A few weeks ago a thick, soupy fog moved in – ‘on little cat fee’, Sandburg would say – and obscured even the modest spires of the New Court. For a few hours the college seemed an island of timelessness, as if it had forgotten to change centuries with the rest of the world. 

That impression is in some ways confirmed by the survival of tradition; the customs seem almost as fixed as the foundations of St. Bene’t’s.  A Latin grace is still used at formal meals; academic gowns are still worn at formal occasions; the names of the original founders are still read out at the annual Commemoration Service. It is not affectation, but an ironic affection among the young; among the aged the irony is muted by memory. As many English (and Scottish and Welsh) students have told me, the university is a ‘throwback’ – a throwback which they enjoy immensely. And which, I might add, I too enjoy immensely.

Frequent Flyer

 Study Abroad Office Thanksgiving Holiday Hours
UA Summer Campus in Rome Info Meeting Nov 26^th and 27^th
UA Medieval England Info Meeting November 26^th
UA Business in Ireland Info Meeting November 27^th
UA Spanish in Puebla Info Meeting November 28^th
Honors Grant Scholarship Deadline November 28^th
UA Tibetans in Exile Today: India: Info Meeting December 4th

Study Abroad Office Thanksgiving Holiday Hours. The Office of Study Abroad will be closed November 22^nd and 23^rd for Thanksgiving.  Happy Thanksgiving!

UA Summer Campus in Rome Info Meeting Nov 26^th and 27^th. There are three opportunities for students to find out more about spending this summer at the UA Campus in Rome.  On Monday, Nov 26^th there will be a Rome Campus Table in front of the Union from 11am-1pm.  Also on Monday, there will be an info meeting in the Union Multi-Cultural Center Rm 404 from 3:30-4:30pm. If you miss those, you can swing by the info table again on Tuesday, Nov 27^th, from 11am-1pm in front of the Union.  For more information, check out http://studyabroad.uark.edu/romecampus.

UA Medieval England Info Meeting November 26^th The trip leaders for this summer’s Medieval England study abroad trip, Dr. Bill Quinn and Eric Larson, invite you to an informational meeting on the upcoming program on Monday, November 26, from 4:30-5:30pm in MAIN room 421.  For more information check out http://studyabroad.uark.edu/medievalengland. 

UA Business in Ireland Study Abroad Info Meeting November 27^th. Professor Charles Leflar from the Walton College invites you to an informational meeting on this summer’s business study trip to Ireland on Tuesday, November 27, from 6-7 pm in Walker Hall room 124.  For more information check out http://studyabroad.uark.edu/wcobireland.

UA Spanish in Puebla Info Meeting November 28th. Professor Steve Bell invites you to an info meeting on this summer’s Spanish language trip to Puebla, Mexico.  Puebla is one of the safest cities in Mexico as well as one of the most beautiful.  The meeting will be on Wednesday, November 28, from 4:30-5:30pm in Kimpel Hall room 201.  For more information check out http://studyabroad.uark.edu/puebla.

Honors Grant Scholarship Deadline November 28^th.  Don’t forget about the NEW deadline for proposals for Summer 2013, Fall 2013 and AY 2103-2014.  The application and more information are available online at http://honorscollege.uark.edu/108.php or at the Honors College Office ADMN 418.

UA Tibetans in Exile Today: India Info Meeting December 4th. Since 1959, when the Dalai Lama fled Tibet, the Tibetan community has settled around the globe, but it is in India that this ancient and highly developed culture has taken root and made its extraordinary contribution to the contemporary world. Now, under the personal guidance of Geshe Thupten Dorjee and Dr. Sidney Burris, students will be able to travel to India, gain access to monasteries seldom visited by Westerners, and participate in a ground‐breaking oral history project.  This info meeting will take place Tuesday, December 4, from 4-5pm in SCEN room 408.  For more information check out http://studyabroad.uark.edu/textindia.

Frequent Flyer

International Education Week: November 12-17

Panel Discussion: “Thinking Beyond Graduation: Take a Year to Teach Abroad” November 12

Walton College Study Abroad Fair November 14

UA Study Abroad Info Meeting for EUST & IREL Majors November 15

UA French in Besancon Study Abroad Info Meeting November 15

UA Classics in Greece and Turkey Study Abroad Info Meeting November 15

UA Business in India Study Abroad Info Meeting November 16

International Education Week: November 12-17. International Education Week is an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. This joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education is part of the efforts to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the United States. There are tons of great events happening on campus! For a full list of events, visit: http://iew.uark.edu

Panel Discussion: “Thinking Beyond Graduation: Take a Year to Teach Abroad” November 12. This is a great opportunity to hear about teaching abroad from those who have! The panel discussion will feature panelists with experience teaching English abroad in China, Georgia, Germany, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Ukraine. The panel discussion will take place on Monday, November 12, from 4:00pm-5:30pm in Giffels Auditorium in Old Main, and it will be facilitated by Chase Stoudenmire, Fulbright Alumni Ambassador and Recipient of an English Teaching Assistantship – Republic of Georgia.

Walton College Study Abroad Fair November 14. Walton College Study Abroad Fair will be held in the Atrium of Walker Hall on November 14 from 11:00am-1:00pm and is open to all students!  Learn about WCOB’s 8 faculty-led summer programs and 7 exchange programs, UA exchange/direct enrollment programs, and visit with students who have been on the programs. Also participating: UA’s foreign language programs, UA’s trial Mango language program, the Arkansas World Trade Center, the Model United Nations course, the BS in International Business major/minor options, ELAP/ISA International Internships for all majors and UA’s Study Abroad Office.

UA Study Abroad Info Meeting for EUST & IREL Majors November 15. The Office of Study Abroad will host a meeting for EUST and IREL students to find out more about completing their study abroad requirements, particularly through our UA Campus in Rome during the summer. The meeting is on Thursday, November 15, from 12:30-1:30pm in JBHT 147. For more information, please contact Laura Moix at lmoix@uark.edu or visithttp://studyabroad.uark.edu/romecampus

UA French in Besancon Study Abroad Info Meeting November 15. Discover la cancoillotte, le vin de paille, and the beauty of la Franche‐Comté by participating in the summer program in Besançon, the Venice of France! Come to this info meeting led by the faculty leader, Professor Kathy Comfort, and learn all about what the trip entails. The meeting is on Thursday, November 15, from 3:30-4:30pm in KIMP 210. For more information, visit:http://studyabroad.uark.edu/besancon

UA Classics in Greece and Turkey Study Abroad Info Meeting November 15. Do you want to immerse yourself in Greece and Turkey’s history, art, culture, cuisine, topography, language and literature? If so, this is the program for you! Professors Daniel Levine and George Paulson invite you to an informational meeting on this summer’s study tour to Greece and Turkey. The meeting will be held on Thursday, November 15, from 5:00-6:30pm in KIMP 416. For more information, visit: http://studyabroad.uark.edu/classicsingreece

UA Business in India Study Abroad Info Meeting November 16. Professors Vikas Anand and Alan Ellstrand from the Walton College invite you to an informational meeting on this summer’s business study trip to India. The India Study Abroad program provides students with the opportunity to explore and identify trends in the economic, business, political, and cultural environments in India, while gaining a better understanding of the economic relationship between the U.S. and India. The meeting will be held on Friday, November 16, from 11:30am-12:30pm in WCOB 401. For more information, visit: http://studyabroad.uark.edu/wcobindia

Travel and Politics

"It is only when you move, when you travel, that you find yourself.  You become free when you step outside your inner walls."  These words were written by Azouz Begag, a French writer and sociologist.  For me, this quote sums up why I think studying abroad is so vital for a good college education.

I studied abroad in France for a year, a country known for wine, cheese, and scarves.  I fell in love with goat cheese, as disgusting as that sounds.  I also wore scarves and sweaters – judge me if you’d like.  As for the wine, it was pretty darn good.

More importantly, my time abroad challenged my own beliefs, political and otherwise.  Indeed, my time abroad did influence my vote in this last election.  On a general level, I saw a system that worked, and it challenged me to think about how we may learn from other nations to fix our own system.  The United States does not have a monopoly on good ideas.  For example, I came face to face with a system of socialized medicine – the equivalent of the f-bomb in American politics – and I survived.  In fact, I walked away from the experience very pleased.  I did not have to wait in any long lines, my care was not rationed, and had I needed medicine it would have been readily available.  On top of that, I received basic insurance (social security) from the French government; around $350 covered me for the entire year. 

I also benefited from France’s great infrastructure, particularly their public transportation.  I relied heavily on trains, metros, trams, and buses to get from place to place.  I thrived without a car – and since I hate driving, I loved every minute of it.  The USA needs to step up its game; our infrastructure, particularly our public transportation system (or lack thereof), needs to be revitalized if we hope to remain competitive in a globalized economy.  Investment in infrastructure must be a priority.

Finally, some of my fundamental political beliefs were challenged.  France and the United States share a lot of the same beliefs.  But I do remember a particular instance in a class called campus soir.  It was a French language class for foreign students.  I was the only American present.  We had a debate on the role of the media in society.  I found myself alone in my unwavering support for the Freedom of the Press, one of the freedoms guaranteed by the first amendment of the Constitution.  My European friends were not as trusting of the media, and my friends from Yemen explicitly blamed a lot of the Arab Spring’s violence on the media.  I considered their opinions, but came back to my conviction that a free media is essential for a democracy.  (I’d like to think I persuaded some of them to think about the media a little differently, as well.)

Studying abroad made me step outside of my inner walls, and I came back with a greater sense of who I was and what I believed.  The purpose of studying abroad isn’t to make you more liberal or more conservative, but rather to challenge the beliefs you take for granted and show you different viewpoints.  It gives you perspective.  This perspective allows you to come to more informed opinions once you come back home.  Who knows?  In the end, it might even affect the way you see the world and how you vote.  It did for me. 

Mark Nabors, Political Science & French Major
Le Mans Exchange Program Year 11-12