Aden Hizkias
    Staff Writer

Last Tuesday Chancellor Franklin D. Gilliam welcomed returning study abroad students along with the arrival of the new international students in the Elliot University Center.

    “I’m really pleased that so many of you have come from all around the globe to be with us here in Greensboro,” Gilliam said. “This program is a testament to our commitment to international education: it’s part of our mission, part of our new strategic plan.”

    The chancellor stated that these experiences are transformative and noted that he has taught internationally at the University of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia among others. He believes study abroad experiences are important for students to become citizens of the world.

    Gilliam stated that it is important for UNC-Greensboro students to understand different cultures, political systems and environments and that it is equally important for international students to come to Greensboro and experience “southern charm” and a different cultural and educational experience.

    Students engaged with each other at a reception and discussed their favorite moments abroad and what they believed to be the most noteworthy differences. The event allowed many students to speak about the various countries they studied in and the countries they were able to visit while on their abroad trips.

“It’s been really busy; I like it so far,” Laura Erans, a sophomore business major from Wales, UK, said.

    Erans arrived just last week and said she was excited about the recent induction to UNCG and the start of classes. She wants to join clubs and organizations.

    “I learned to appreciate the differences and how they learn. I made a lot of new friends there and overall it was a really good experience,” Viki Han, a senior and Media Studies major who studied in Angers, France, said.

    Han talked about how French education differed in that it was not as structured through quizzes and tests but rather one major assignment or a portfolio. However she said that once she accepted their culture and ways of teaching, it became easier and she understood the education system.

    Other returning students talked about their experiences and how it differed from UNCG. One student noted that school was more intense here in the states than in England in terms of assignments and the amount of classes, and she missed being able to walk everywhere.

    “Being in England was like being in the gate city. At first, I was kind of rejecting that culture shock phase, but then I got used to it and learned to let myself immerse with the people,”  TK Williams, a senior and Psychology major who studied at Leicester, England, said.

    Living areas differed from UNCG’s dorms – -flats of four people, flats of ten, apartment styles and homestay areas are more popular.

    Traveling to classes and around the country was also different. Most students stated that not many cars were used. Instead, they walked, or used buses and trains.

    Senior Aziza Ward studied Spanish and International Business in Uruguay and said that it was like being in another world and that soccer was ‘life.”

    The returning students also mentioned that studying abroad, especially in Europe, allowed them the ease to travel and see more countries and cultures including Germany, Spain, Hong Kong, The Netherlands and the Philippines.

    Students talked about how study abroad experiences helped them understand cultures and phrases that differ in meaning.

    When asked how her study abroad experience in Lillie, France was, junior and Economics major Meredith Berher replied, “I would do it again in a heartbeat.”