THE MICHIGAN FRONTPAGE / Volume 4 – Issue 025 / October 22, 2004D4

By David C. ButtyCell phones, electronic messaging, video con-

ferencing. These afford us the means to commu-nicate with people around the world. Air travelhas enabled us to have breakfast in Detroit andsettle in for an evening of prime cut New Yorksteak on Florida Avenue in Buenos Aires. Do weunderstand the heritage, beliefs, lifestyles andtraditions, or the social, economic, political andeducational background of the people in thesefaraway places? What do we really know about theperson answering our call or at the computersome 3,000 plus miles away? Is it enough so thatwe do not unintentionally insult them or simplyconclude that they are ignorant because theydon’t comprehend us? Probably not.

Despite the advance in communication tech-nology and our ever-increasing globalization, wecontinue to be divided by the lack of understand-ing about cultures other than our own, along withbarriers created by language differences. We arestill worlds apart socially, politically, and cultur-ally. Education is the answer for bridging this gap.

This is why the Wayne County CommunityCollege District (WCCCD) has taken an educa-tional step to bridge the cultural divide throughits Study Abroad Program.

“Our students need to understand the currentissues and the events that shape world events,”said John Bolden, WCCCD’s vice chancellor forstudent services.

“They need to get an appreciation for othercultures and customs throughout the world,which, I believe, is one of the basics to being agood citizen and scholar.” Bolden’s office, in con-junction with the Office of Public Affairs, coordi-nates the Study Abroad Program.

Dr. Curtis L. Ivery, WCCCD chancellor, ispleased.

“Studying in another country is a life-changingexperience. It gives students a special perspectiveon the world beyond their own borders,” Iverysaid. “There is no better way to learn about anoth-er country’s people, language, history, economy,art and politics than being there and seeing foryourself.”

He added that WCCCD students who studyabroad are enriched academically and personallyand find later that today’s employers look favor-able on those who have broadened their perspec-tive of the world by studying overseas.

WCCCD’s Study Abroad Program, though new,has thus given students the rare opportunity tovisit two continents, Africa and Australia. Thefirst trip was in 2003, when 19 students spent 11days in Ghana. The trip to Australia in 2004,allowed 23 students to spent 13 days attendingclasses at the University of Sydney as well asexperiencing the mix of cultures. The richnessthat these trips added to the lives of those whowent is apparent when one listens to them sharetheir experiences.

Akawaaba, in the Akan language means “wel-come.” This is how the students were greeted asthey arrived at the Kotoka International Airport inAccra, Ghana.

For Ruth Opalewski of Dearborn Heights, thetrip was a an opportunity of a lifetime. “The trip toGhana changed my look on the world,” she said.“I now try to go beyond television images fromother countries to find the truth.”

Students visited the Ghana National Museum,the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum and Park, andthe Cape Coast Slave Castle. They will alwaysremember the Kakum National Park, whichallows one to walk through one of the remainingvestiges of the rainforest of Sub-Saharan Africa.The Canopy walk is not for the weak at heart, andeven the brave tend to scream a little prayer as themonkey bridge swings back and forth. The high-est point of the bridge is 123 feet in the air andone can see monkeys swinging in the tree topswhile the forest wilds go about their normal busi-ness as if nothing is happening.

The students toured the city of Kumasi, theMahhyia Palace and the National Cultural Center.They were participants in an ancient ritual asthey each were given their Ghanaian name bytheir hosts.

As some of the students were returning fromGhana, they spoke of how meaningful it was tohave finally made a direction connection theirAfrican heritage. For them it was like cominghome. Others commented on how disturbing itwas to personally encounter the level of povertyin some areas, bringing a deeper appreciation forhow fortunate they have been. At the same time,they noted that those who were living poorlyexuded dignity, hope and generosity.

None of the students who participated in this

Study Abroad will ever see themselves or theworld in the same way.

Anthony Farris, who keeps in touch with thosehe met on the trip, said, “The friendship will lastforever.”

Perhaps, April 1 wasn’t the best day for AlmaBradford to tell her husband that she would soonbe leaving for Australia to participate in the StudyAbroad Program. “He thought it was an AprilFool’s joke,” Bradford, a dental hygiene student,said. “He didn’t believe me. I had to tell him I wasserious. Then he got excited for me.”

Karen Blanchard almost let her single motherstatus stop her from taking the same trip as shedidn’t want to be away from her children for twoweeks. They made the decision and told her topack her bags for what became a “life-altering”experience.

“It broadened my opinion of my own life, see-ing how other people live theirs. It made me seehow much I lived in my own small world,” saidKaren, whose area of study is education.

While in Australia, the students explored thesocial, political, economic, cultural and educa-tional aspects of the country at the University ofSidney, with site visits to the Federal Capital ofCanberra.

Rhonda Collier, a student in the InformationTechnology Program, did not fall in love withAustralia’s technology, but with the old style ofarchitectural designs. “The attraction of the cityof Sydney is the design of the buildings, restau-rants and shops.”

She continued, “My insight on how differentcultures communicate in their day-to-day liveshas increased my yearning to learn about othercountries. To share in and understand the diver-sity of cultures and the multiculturalism of 200countries here is overwhelming. Their languages,religions and education enrich this great coun-try.”

Collier also hopes the trip helped erase falseAmerican stereotypes. “There’s more than oneinterpretation of how we do things here,” shesaid. “It’s all in the perception and changing it. Iwish a lot of people would experience what I expe-rienced. It was indescribable.”

Personal benefits ofstudying abroad

• It offers an enriching and an eye-openingadventure.

• Learning can extend to the world beyond thetraditional classroom walls.

• There is no substitute for living and studyingin a foreign country if you want to gain first-handexperience of another culture’s customs, peopleand language.

• Students often see it as an experience, whichmatured them personally and intellectually.

• They praise being exposed to new ways ofthinking and living, which encourages growth andindependence.

• They broaden their intellectual horizons anddeepen their knowledge and understanding ofinternational, political, and economic issues.

• It is almost certain that most return from theirsojourn abroad with a more informed perspectiveon world affairs.

• They gain first-hand knowledge of how anoth-er culture approaches the tasks and challenges ofeveryday life.

• They have a sense of how global the interna-tional culture has become, and an appreciation ofthe importance of international cooperation.

• They gain a broader understanding of, andappreciation for, life in the U.S. and perhaps, howothers view it and its world role.

Career enhancement • Study abroad does more than promote aca-demic enrichment and personal growth. It alsocan enhance one’s employment prospects, espe-cially in the fields of business, internationalaffairs and government service

• Employers increasingly seek employees whohave a sense of the world outside their ownboundaries.

• They know that students who have completedthe program are likely to possess internationalawareness and often second language skills.

David C. Butty is executive director of publicaffairs for the Wayne County Community CollegeDistrict.

Study abroad: The world awaits you

THE STUDENTS VISITED the W.E.B. (William Edward Brughardt) Dubois Center in Accra, Ghana.The center’s curator led them on a tour to highlight some of the achievement of one of the founders ofPan Afrricanism. Shown here is the grave site of Dubois.

AVA RIAL (left) andFateama Carr help localwomen in the village ofBonwire to pound dye at theAdinkra kente cloth process-ing factory.

A CULTURALDANCE troupeperformed dur-

ing a namingceremony in

Accra.

TERRI BROADENproudly displayedher certificate thatmakes herGhanaian nameofficial.

WCCCD STUDENTS took a picture with a monk at the Chua Phuoc Hue Buddhist Monastery inWetherill Park, in New South Wales.

STUDENTS LISTENED closely as Dr. Melissa Butcher discussed elements that make up a country’sculture, such as education, food, clothing, language, religion, etc.

THIS GROUP PHOTO of WCCCD students in Australia was taken from the rooftop of the AustralianParliament building in Canberra, the federal capital. In the foreground is the Australian War Memorial.Louis Beehag, project assistant from the Inside Australia Program,is third from left, front row.

ON THEIR FIRST DAY of class, WCCCD students took turns introducing themselves and talkingabout their disciplines of study.