Student panel shares field-based study abroad experiences

Four Saint Michael’s students who participated in semester-long study abroad programs that focused on field-based research came together for a panel discussion on October 16 to share their experiences.

Saint Michael’s College offers study abroad programs in five categories: intensive language, 大学通识教育, community-engaged学习, 国际实习, 实地研究. These students all pursued field-based research in different study abroad locations that focused on climate, 社会公正或环境.

Swapnil Jhajharia ' 24, 伊丽莎·伯恩，24岁, 亨利·法拉利24年 and Ben Mogensen, 24岁 (图片来源:Peggy Imai)

Eliza Byrne ' 24(礼貌)

伊丽莎·伯恩，24岁 研究了气候变化和北极 Isafjorð你,冰岛这是她去年春季学期的课程. Byrne focused on climate change in the Arctic regions. She studied the geology and hydrology behind the global climate crisis and how people were adapting to these changes in a place that relies heavily on their 环境. Byrne also conducted her own research looking at glacial stream discharge and the adverse results of climate change.

“It gave me a glimpse into what it is like to be doing research on a daily basis and gave me the resources to talk with professionals within these fields,伯恩说.

Byrne’s days consisted of hikes to waterfalls or basalt rock canyons. On field days, she conducted soil quality research or attended guest lectures. 伯恩旅行时住在青年旅社里, but one of her most memorable experiences was staying with a host family for a month while she was visiting the Westfjords region of Iceland.

“They were so welcoming right off the bat,伯恩说. “During dinner they would tell me about their favorite pieces of their hometown and teach me Icelandic. My host brothers showed me the route up the side of the fjord to get the best view of the town.”

Seeing the Northern Lights was one of the biggest highlights for Byrne.

“It was an unreal experience and something that surpassed every expectation I had,伯恩说.

(图片来源:Peggy Imai)

亨利·法拉利24年 研究了人, 环境, and climate change in 巴塔哥尼亚和南极洲 during a semester abroad in 阿根廷乌斯怀亚.

法拉利的项目, 是用西班牙语教的吗, focused on the unique 环境s and biodiversity of Southern

巴塔哥尼亚和南极洲. It also examined the conservation challenges posed by the impacts of climate change and human behavior. 这个项目的大本营在乌斯怀亚, 世界上最南端的城市, 实地考察了比格尔海峡, 火地岛国家公园, 火地岛北部, 和智利. Participants were exposed to southern Patagonia’s biodiversity, 生态, 以及保护问题的第一手资料.

Students also took a 10-day expedition to the Antarctic Peninsula to explore one of the last pristine regions of the world.

Swapnil Jhajharia ' 24 studied social and 环境al change in Oceania during a semester abroad last spring in 阿皮亚、萨摩亚. Jhajharia also took excursions to Fiji and Hawai’i.

Jhajharia said his program focused on fostering a better understanding of the social changes that Oceania has been through with its history of migrations, 殖民, 和全球化. Jhajharia said he pursued the field-based study abroad program to develop his anthropological research skills.

Swapnil Jhajharia ' 24(提供)

在他去斐济旅行期间, he was exposed to the Fiji-Indian population and learned about the history of the slave trade and forced migration.

“Being from India, that was one of my greatest highlights,” Jhajharia said. “我也喜欢呆在家里 假的 on the island of Savai’i and watching some of the most beautiful sunsets on incredible beaches.”

Ben Mogensen, 24岁 studied the Himalayan 环境 and a society in transition during a semester abroad in 帕罗、不丹. Mogensen说过, 最初, 他努力适应，想要回家, but with love and support from his family and a good friend at school he “began to acclimate to a place and culture so incredibly different” than home. He said he stuck to a daily routine that included yoga, 冥想, journaling— things he struggled to incorporate into his lifestyle at home.

在接下来的100天里, I felt more like the person I want to be: growth-oriented, 病人, 和善良的,莫根森说.

有一天早上，他的印象尤其深刻. It was mid-April and a few members of his 20-person group woke up at 5 a.m. from an altitude of 13,000 feet and went for a walk. 

我们又吹了一个,000 feet to a sky burial site just in time for sunrise,法拉利说。. “我的新朋友们, 伊恩和萨维安, were well-prepared and wasted no time in lighting incense to appease the local deities.”

Surrounded by prayer flags and hundreds of years of religious tradition, Mogensen stood behind them as they watched the sun crest over the mountains in the east.

“Although it felt like I was on top of the world, I felt foreign and temporary,莫根森说. 时间似乎静止了. 有那么一会儿，我们谁也没说一句话. As we greeted the sun silently – in a place fit for eternity – I felt content.”

这个夜晚以莫根森所说的, “some pretty memorable moments from Bhutan” and he showed a short film he created from the experience.

To learn more about studying abroad at Saint Michael’s College, visit http://ngiw.vivendaoriente.com/academics/study-abroad/.