Study Abroad, a Woman's Perspective
Lara Eucalano
Issue date: 3/23/09 Section: News
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Quito, Ecuador.
Swansea, Wales.
While these locations may seem far-away and even exotic to some, several female students chose to call those cities home for a semester.
The Women Travelers Tea Day, hosted by the Women's Center, gave women interested in studying abroad the opportunity to talk with study-abroad veterans.
"This program involves worldly refreshments and good conversation in a comfortable environment to allow women the chance to talk about their experiences, fears, and concerns about studying or living abroad," says the women's center intern Margaret Deneen '10.
"What was it like to be a woman in those countries?" Caitlin Willems '10, women's center intern and program coordinator, asked.
The reactions to living abroad were astonishingly varied.
Deneen spent a semester in Quito, Ecuador.
She rode a crowded bus to and from classes every day, and shares, "Anything could be stolen without you even noticing."
Terra Alvarez '10, who generally views herself as an exuberant and outgoing student, also studied in Ecuador and says she became "more reserved".
Willems described receiving very "outspoken attention" from men while in Italy.
One student, who studied for a semester in England, assumed the relationships between British men and women wouldn't be that much different than the relationships between American men and women. To her surprise, British women were expected to be more passive when pursuing a relationship with a man.
She also observes that it took much longer to get to know people in England than it did in America.
Though, another student pointed out that the reason may be due to our Midwestern roots saying that Midwesterners are considered to be generally friendlier than their counterparts across the country and the world.
Conversation quickly turned to discussion regarding safety for woman traveling abroad.
Willems points out that when studying in a country where one is unfamiliar with the language, women should learn to say something a little more aggressive than "Hi, my name is…Where is the bathroom?" to ward off excessive male attention.
The general consensus? Women will be safer if they follow these tips:
• Stick together. Don't walk around alone, especially after dark.
• Carry a cell phone.
• Be aware of your surroundings.
Toward the end of the discussion, Willems posed the question: "What did you like about being a woman abroad?"
Czarnik-Neimeyer learned to be more "blunt".
Another student responded that as a woman in Italy, she felt "appreciated!"
Though all the women returned from their study abroad with different experiences, they did identify one common thread: living in a different country-if only temporarily-is the experience of a lifetime, and every woman should seize the chance to broaden her horizons.
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