Study abroad opportunities have steadily increased in recent years. With programs in Canada, Belize, Spain, China, Hong Kong and other countries around the globe, Union students learn not only to apply their education but do so in an intercultural setting.

Academics In Action
Catching a taxi seems like such an easy task for most Americans, but for three Union students in Thailand it turned out to be an adventure.

“We were trying to get to the Skytrain, an above-ground subway system,” recalls Jennifer Downing, a junior from Fort Worth, Texas, majoring in English as a Second Language (ESL). “We rode in the taxi for an hour-and-a-half trying to communicate with the driver about where we wanted to go. No matter how much we tried to blend in we were always sticking out.”

Downing traveled to Thailand during July with a group from the university that joined teachers from Georgia to conduct workshops. It was a unique opportunity for the group, according to Phillip Ryan, professor of teaching English as a second/other language, and trip coordinator.

Thailand is going through an important educational reform - a major thrust of which the teaching of English. Sri Patum University in Bangkok hosted the program in which 300 of the finest English teachers from all over Thailand came to be trained by American educators. The purpose of the visit was to help Thai teachers of English develop better strategies for teaching English as a foreign language.

Ryan and his students developed the framework of the program. Along with Downing, three other Union students, Rebekah Crane, Anita Kail and Art Wong, developed teaching techniques to share with the Thai teachers, helping them to develop active learning techniques and construct a more student-centered classroom.

Programs such as these offer students and faculty tremendous opportunities. As a result of the Thailand visit, the Union students, which all have career interests in ESL, gained valuable professional experience. The job opportunities to teach English as a foreign language in places such as Bangkok and Beijing are limitless and these students were offered teaching jobs on multiple occasions.

“This was the ultimate practicum experience,” says Ryan. “Each person received first-hand experience with real teachers that have a vast knowledge in language teaching.”

Gavin Richardson, professor of English at Union, also went on the trip to explore program development opportunities for the Department of English.

“It is difficult to put into words the cultural education we all gained from the trip,” says Richardson. “Sites such as the ancient city of Ayutthaya in Thailand, the floating market, China's Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and the Great Wall were highlights of the trip.”

For Downing the experience went beyond professional training. It reminded her that there are millions of people across the world with very different cultures and needs.

“I appreciate the beauty in the Buddhist culture,” says Downing. “The temples are beautiful and the people are so warm and friendly. But as a Christian it breaks my heart to realize that without Christ these wonderful people won’t be in heaven.”

It was through the Thailand experience that Downing confirmed her call to ESL education and the work that needs to be done across the globe. “I think about what we accomplished on the trip and realize how much we didn’t have time to do. I would go back right now – and I know if God calls me to Thailand, China or any other place, I am ready to go.”

Alison Pirsein, a senior Spanish major from Pickneyville, Ill., has also confirmed her call to a language vocation through a study abroad opportunity. During the spring 2002 semester, Pirsein studied in a program at the University of Alicante, Spain, that involved a series of language courses. The immersion into another culture was as valuable as the academic coursework according to Pirsein.

“It was an opportunity for personal and spiritual growth,” she explains. “The majority of people didn’t have a Christian background. The entire experience played a major role in my developing worldview.”

The World Right At Home
Although many Union students are traveling around the world through educational and mission-related trips, others are finding needs in their own back yard. This fall, a team of language and social work majors from Union will be working in a local elementary school assisting school administrators. The school has a large percentage of Spanish-speaking families with no school personnel fluent in the language.

The tasks they will perform seem like ordinary things. However, those simple tasks turn into obstacles when there is a language barrier. Translating conversations, helping parents fill out forms or finding classrooms are just a few examples of how these students are meeting a real need in the local community.

Study abroad programs and community projects are just two ways that Union students develop a Christian worldview through the combination of academics and experience.

“It can be scary, but it is definitely worth the effort,” says Pirsein. “You develop friendships with such diverse people and have the awesome opportunity to experience what you learn in the classroom.”