Untraditionally Abroad

 Embarking on a semester abroad is challenging; however, going abroad to three different countries is even more challenging. This intensive, semester-long program - 16 academic credits, three developing contexts in the global south, cross-cultural learning, geographical differences, stark contrasts, and vast disparities in each context. How do we even dive into the complexities of each culture? Have I processed everything that has happened? Will I grasp what experiences we lived?

Vietnam is one of the most beautiful countries where tradition has seamlessly blended with modernity. Hanoi has influences from Chinese dynasties, French colonialism, and periods of Vietnamese dynastic rule. As a result, it is a diverse cultural tapestry, blending Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and elements of French culture. The hum of scooters creates a busy atmosphere while street foods of banh mi sandwiches, bowls of bun cha, and crispy spring rolls waft from street vendors, begging patrons to take a break and eat. Old temples stand as a reminder of the country's rich culture. There is no shortage of cafes or sites to visit as one navigates the labyrinthine streets of the Old Quarter, a maze of narrow alleys lined with colorful buildings, each specializing in unique trades and goods. Flower vendors adorn the streets as women in traditional clothing lines take photos of the scenery around them

South Africa brought about a new pace. The jewel of Africa, where the waves of the Atlantic Ocean meet a new wonder of the world, a growing city ready to be unveiled. The town, nestled at the southwestern tip of the African continent, is a breathtaking blend of natural wonders, rich history, and vibrant culture. Traveling through the vibrant V&A Waterfront, one will feel the breeze carried off from the sea with the wonderful smells of food all around. This bustling harbor precinct is not only a shopper's paradise but also a gateway to Robben Island, a poignant reminder of South Africa's history. The vibrant houses and cobblestone streets make for a photographer's dream as anyone can walk through the city's history at the District Six Museum, a poignant tribute to a community forcibly displaced during apartheid. A beautiful and complex place still learning how to heal.

Finally, the vibrancy of Buenos Aires, Argentina brings you to a new home you did not know about. The vibrant colors of La Boca, a neighborhood where art and culture collide. Stroll along Caminito, a street museum adorned with lively murals, street performers, and artisan markets. Don't forget to visit La Bombonera, the iconic stadium of Boca Juniors, a pilgrimage site for football enthusiasts. Make sure to not die when trying to get a glimpse of the Messiah himself, Messi. Please take a break in the many parks for merienda – a time to relax, drink yerba mate, and eat a sweet treat. Listen to the echoes of tango, the warmth of its people, and the timeless allure of a city where tradition and modernity seamlessly intertwine. Hasta luego, Buenos Aires – a place where every step is a dance, and every moment is a celebration of life. 

Embarking on a semester abroad in Vietnam, South Africa, and Argentina was a transformative odyssey that transcended academic boundaries. Immersed in the vibrant tapestry of Hanoi and the bustling heartbeat of Vietnam, I delved into the intricacies of health policy, social determinants, and cultural nuances. Transitioning to South Africa, the journey continued amid the kaleidoscope of Cape Town's landscapes, unraveling disparities and resilience in health systems. With its rhythmic tango, Buenos Aires unveiled the cultural dimensions of health. Outside classes, my peers and I took to late-night karaoke, academic nights, dancing the tango with strangers, motorbikes in Vietnam, and homestay after homestay – no words to describe the journey. I can only offer some blurbs about the places, knowing it does nothing to capture the whole sensation. 

- Kathlin Ai Chang

Would I suggest a study abroad?

         As someone who doesn’t come from a family or community of people that prioritize the same things that I do in life, completing a semester abroad as a part of my bachelors degree and graduating from university is a major deal. For the majority of my life, the people I’ve interacted with throughout my education don’t come from a similar background as mine (my family, who are immigrants, got me a passport as soon as possible, and I’ve been traveling all of my life). After graduating high school, I knew a classic or expected cookie-cutter education wasn’t for me. After completing a school year abroad in India, this only deepened.

        I changed my plans to study a general business degree to instead learn about international studies and later a dual major in finance. Knowing that I had to complete a semester abroad for me meant a semester that came with a high price tag that I personally felt I had to pay. I’m fortunate enough to receive a 95% scholarship to HPU so school has always been affordable for me, but because of my choice to study and travel, I had to learn about loans and going to banks for the best choice to fund my semester abroad. I feel like I truly invested in myself and my education, which, as expected, had me appreciate it more. I applied to scholarships that helped offset the cost of my semester, but because SIT didn’t have a partnership (only an association) with eHPU, I had to pay mostly out of pocket. I was able to essentially live in three different countries, and become a part of where I was. Some places felt familiar, others foreign. In every country I would (almost instinctively) adjust how I moved financially and socially. Going out and supporting local was entertaining, being pushed as a student was challenging but came with rewards. Now when I compare each city and what I experienced at each of them, I get lingering thoughts that I can reason through. I went through a rollercoaster of emotions and definitely experienced highs and lows, but again was supported throughout the entirety of the semester. 

        It wasn’t until midway through my time in Cape Town that I felt like I was abroad (I hadn’t felt this way the entire semester). On a drive back home we were running through the central business district (CBD) and Table Mountain could be seen for all its glory. I had a moment, my thoughts being “I’m not in Hawaii anymore, I’m not even in the United States”. I’ll never forget the feelings I was going through when it hit me that I was in South Africa and the third and last continent on my trip/semester. I guess that goes to show how well SIT was there for me and my classmates. I feel like every need was met, but like a double edge sword to accommodating groups, there was always somebody that had something to say, and I on the other hand listened and just went with how the program planned to move forward.

        I was just happy to be there.

        I remember having a blast engaging in conversations with people that I never thought I would ever again but were possible because I was a part of a school program. It had been a long time since I connected with individuals from different backgrounds and was able to find commonalities, no matter how different we were and still be so alike. 

        I  like to say that about things that people apply for: you’re going to meet similar minded people or at least someone with something in common even if it’s just one thing. 

        What I’m saying is I am super grateful for the opportunity I took, and like anything there were things that would have been better had things been different, but I think I did what I was supposed to and when I was supposed to. I highly encourage anyone to pursue something that they set their mind to, because the only results that come from doing so are achievements and being happy you did what you wanted to and that you said you would. 

        My semester abroad managed to host a year's worth of an education in just three months. There was so much that I experienced and learned. There were a lot of assignments that we were expected to accomplish and with communication and the expectation to be great from my professors, my peers, and myself, we completed that. I really hope post-Covid that more students take advantage of studying abroad and bring it back. I also feel really sad and disappointed for the class before me in international studies and expected to study abroad as well, but never got to because of the pandemic and life.

        As I complete this reflection, I realize I sound like Dr. Seuss.. but I definitely developed wisdom that can be used for the rest of my life and passed down to others after reading this back.

        I had one goal to record a minimum of one song in each country, and I’m happy to say that I did that! On the last days of my trip in Argentina I re-recorded one song from 2021, in Spain I recorded 3.5 new songs with beats that we made on the spot, and in South Africa I recorded a total of 13 new tracks! 

        After this week only three of us who were in my cohort have graduated (including myself). I’m very excited to see where the next year takes all of us. I met people that I know will make change in this world and that are already doing so. Lastly, I think that me being able to share all of this with you is an amazing thing and definitely not something to be humble about. 

        Thank you to Hawaii Pacific University, and the study abroad program for the opportunity to complete a semester abroad during my bachelors and higher education. I appreciate all that you did for me and continue to do.

To being a global citizen and trotter!

Sophia

SIT/IHP: Cities in the 21st Century: Buenos Aires, Argentina

 Buenos Aires: September - October, 2022

I couldn’t have asked for a better start to my study abroad experience than in the capital of Argentina. I was looking forward to being able (or even forced) to practice my first tongue, Spanish. Being in Spanish-speaking countries fills me with a deep pride and admiration for my background and culture. I grew up in a latin household but at times feel out of touch with my ethnicity because I was later raised in a predominantly white neighborhood. Argentina was good. It was interesting getting to know what was different about our host country for my classmates versus what I already had an inkling to. Some of my fellow classmates of color were shocked to find out that the country wasn’t brown, but more so the “Paris of Latin America”, or european. I am grateful for my time in Buenos Aires and its provinces; never having been in Europe before this trip, I got a fair glimpse of it within BA and thanks to the program leaders of the Buenos Aires leg, got to see people that reminded me of my family abroad in El Salvador and Dominican Republic. I got to see the city and got to know the country life with themes being introduced to us, like “quiet encroachment” and being “pushed to the peripheries” outside of the classroom and later supported in the classroom by lectures and scholars who wanted us to genuinely understand their country’s government and why its past and future have commonalities that have yet to change. I learned a lot more than I thought I could or would there. One quote that stayed with me by Isi Martinez, a local-turned-friend (very randomly but organically) who said to me, “this city has a lot more than meets the eye, huh?” It was easy to make friends and connections that I wanted to nurture. I even got to see Isi this past spring break when I went to Southern Florida.

Some things I learned while in Argentina...

•  Patagonia isn’t just a brand, but the tundra of southern Argentina... Major facepalm, but what else is travel good for other than to teach us? 

• It was surprisingly easy for me and my classmates to get away with our English and limited Spanish. 

• I would need more time to explore it. I want to see and get to know more of the country and not just its capital city. 

• The power of the people will [should] always be more powerful than the power of government

 

I would say the biggest concept that I was introduced to was collectivism and the power of a community coming together to defeat something bigger. During the four weeks that we were in Argentina, we met with so many different groups and figures. I got to know many gold-hearted individuals and women who have the hearts of a million soldiers. It was an interesting time being in a country whose economy and government are failing. My host-mom would have the news channels going on the TV all day and every night. My roommate for the month Kylie, my host-mom Alicia, and I would watch and discuss current local happenings as well as how the information was being portrayed over dinner, having political discourse and getting to know one another more. Before getting to know the nation for myself and through my own experiences, the only knowledge I had of Argentina was how proud they are of their nation and of their accent (which I learned is unique to Buenos Aires whose people are called porteño, or people of the port). I was looking forward to Argentina, because my mother would always mimic the porteño accent when I was growing up. After being there, I must say, she was pretty spot on! After some time I began to understand the pride. Throughout my first month abroad I never felt like I was in a foreign place although I also never felt completely settled. This being said, I really fell for Argentina. I felt a certain level of comfort being there because of similarities in cultures. It felt as if everyone I was able to have a conversation with was family and could have been a cousin of mine. Any country that survives a dictatorship and manages to work with their government better be proud as people. The program focus during BA was sustainability and how Argentine’s overcome adversity through collective action. 

         A program expectation was a small group of students introducing each city and country leading up to our departure for it. Some of the warnings of Argentina was the Latin culture of touch and using terms of endearment, even with strangers. For some of my classmates this was new, for me that was home! Buenos Aires was safe. I took public transportation everywhere and walked plenty as well. I really enjoyed that part of my travels– the walkability of where we were. 

        At the time I was there the conversion rate was one US dollar equalling around 140 Argentine pesos at the official rate, and 226 at the Western Union exchange rate. Today one USD is the same as 226 pesos officially and 446 with WU– scary. Had I not packed as much as I did for the three months, I would have probably bought a whole new wardrobe while there. The fashion in Buenos Aires was beautiful, and I definitely window shopped on my walks. 

        As I was budgeting and it was the first month of the trip, I didn’t spend much, but I’m happy to share that my father was able to send me some money through Western Union– he simply told them my name, birthday, pick up cit, and I was able to get money from any storefront (Monday-Friday) with my passport. The simplicity and convenience of it all even gave me thoughts that I could live there… lol! The food of Buenos Aires wasn’t extraordinary… Come to think of it, Argentina doesn’t have many staple foods or a palette outside of dishes like empanadas, yerba mate, milanesa, and parilla. It was a lot of fried food and minimal vegetables. I also ate a lot of sweets and meat!

         I used my time in Buenos Aires with friends and trying out the nightlife, understanding the flow of how my assignments would go during the program, and editing videos for my music career. In terms of how much of the countries we saw, I would say that we saw the most of Buenos Aires and Argentina because we traveled the furthest (and the most often) outside the city center, learned about peripheries, and were able to connect and speak to many interesting and unique individuals/organizations. Now I have plans to spend a minimum of three months in Argentina to explore the south and the natural islands, with a clause. I’ve been telling locals and friends that the next time I go to Buenos Aires it will be because I’m booked to perform a show. With this intention set in place I really wish to make it happen. Whenever I recall my time in BA I remember a smell, a climate, and a gentleness; with myself, the people around me, and from experiencing so many moments that made me think. I met amazing and interesting people in Argentina. People that I would love to see again. I appreciate how everything was established for us by the SIT team in Buenos Aires. They made sure we were adjusting well, were fed, and generally taken care of for any need. I’ll admit I missed a lot in Buenos Aires but I’m not allowing myself to feel regret or to view it as such. I think it’s a great thing to be able to say I stayed in the city for a whole month and very much plan on returning because of the people I got to know and the spaces I didn’t get to experience fully. Argentina is rightfully prideful, but it is a tragedy about the government and the corruption that it has seen for the last decade and beyond. 

        I’m so grateful that I even stepped foot in Argentina. I hope to someday return with my mother and get to introduce her to the places that I got to get familiar with and explore everywhere I never got to go to.