By Sarah Doiron and Nicole Hanson
QU301 education abroad is an opportunity for students to travel to different countries. The course is titled “The Global Community” and focuses on the different types of global issues in different countries. In certain sections of the course you can go on a trip to another country and become immersed in the culture. Here are some first hand experiences from students and professors that had the opportunity to travel to another country. To find more information about QU301 trips, contact the Director for Global Education Andrea Hogan.
The Dominican Republic
“The QU301 Dominican Republic course and service learning trip examines the basic human rights, as well as cultural, economic, political, justice, and religious issues surrounding the hundreds of thousands of Haitians living in very poor conditions in the bateyes (sugar cane villages) of the Dominican Republic. Specifically, QU301 DR students experience the stunning beauty of this country as well as develop deep personal relationships with the people of the bateyes, help to build homes for the poorest of the poor, assist in medical and educational programs, work on sustainability projects, and distribute food to the hungry. The QU301 students experience the stark contrasts in the DR – from the very poor living in the bateyes to the stunning beaches only a short drive away. Students are also immersed in the culture of Dominicans and Haitians living side-by-side, and overall have a life-changing experience,” John Powers, Adjunct professor for the School of Communications.
“It teaches you more than any class ever will. It makes you more aware of what’s going on in the world and you can read about things in books about the whole diversity thing that the QU series focuses on but it can’t really hit you and become real until you actually see it, which is much more impactful,” Billy Hammond, Senior.
Bali
“The theme of my class is ‘Can yoga change the world?’ It’s a course about going beyond what most people know as yoga. You learn about yoga and how to take care of yourself and be more a peace. So if you feel better about yourself that ripple will impact the world. I consider it a detox week where we stay in a sustainable little environment in the rice fields and we are well taken care of but we eat all vegetarian and everything we eat is completely fresh and prepared that day. We do a lot of walking and hiking and moving around the cultures along with yoga everyday. It is physical and students have to be prepared for that but it is a lot of fun,” Tami Reilly, QU301 Professor.
“When we were there we really had the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the culture by visiting a local school, riding elephants, playing with monkeys, practicing yoga and plenty of other adventures.We were also able to visit the Bumi Sehat birthing center, which provides a safe place for women to give birth. It was definitely a once in a lifetime adventure and I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” Alana Martin, Junior.
South Africa
“I wanted [the trips] to have meaning. I didn’t want people to just have a travel log. The trips that I do almost always have the opportunity to live with families. I don’t care if you don’t speak Spanish or whatever the language is, I want you to struggle with that. I think that that’s good learning. You need to get shocked a little bit by how people live in some countries in terms of poverty. And you need to appreciate the fact that the United States is not just the be-all and end-all. There’s a lot of people elsewhere that have good ideas,” David Ives, Executive Director of Albert Schweitzer Institute.
“We visited Robben Island which was the island that Nelson Mandela was imprisoned on. We attended a summit for the youth on global peace and we also had some down time that we spent at a safari. If I could do it all over again I would. It’s one of the best experiences I’ve had in my life and David Ives is one of the most understanding caring and intelligent people I’ve met and he made the trip that more enjoyable,” Jhordane McNab, Junior.
