Meet the Fall 2011 Classmates Connecting Cultures Bloggers
Kaitlin Christenson
Prague, Czech Republic
Greetings from Prague! My name is Kaitlin Christenson and I am a student at the University of South Dakota majoring in Contemporary Media and Journalism with a specialization in Public Relations and a minor in International Studies. Prague is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful cities in the world filled with so much culture. I chose Prague as my study abroad destination to challenge myself in a city that differs greatly from my hometown of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I am also very attracted to the adventures that lie in Eastern Europe so I can experience the rich culture of other countries like Hungary and Poland. I will be partnered with Andrea Michnik who is the Director of Public Relations and Social Media Marketing for ISA as well as a professor of a Public Relations class at St. Edwards University in Austin, TX. I feel very fortunate to be working with Andrea and her students so we can share and compare experiences from thousands of miles apart. I want others to see that studying abroad is a life changing experience and we have to be able to accept and enjoy other customs and traditions other than our own. I can hardly believe I am living in such an amazing city with so much history and I cannot wait to share my adventures with all of you!
Martin Childs
Sevilla, Spain
My name is Martin Childs and I was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Currently, I attend Florida A&M University where I am studying Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. I will be studying abroad in Sevilla, Spain. The reason being, I want to learn more about the Spanish culture and deepen my knowledge and understanding of their political and economic issues. This semester, I will be working with a 3rd grade class in Neidig Elementary School in Austin, TX. I want to encourage the students, at an early age, to not be afraid to explore the world and learn more about the world by traveling and studying abroad. In their class, they are learning about cultures, and I plan to blog about the Spanish culture and the differences and similarities between the American culture and Spanish culture. I hope that by me participating in this program, I will be able to influence the students to learn about other cultures and participate in programs that allow them to do so. I also hope that I will be more attentive to the events and occurrences happening in Spain so that I will be able to blog about them effectively
Tori Shover
Madrid, Spain
Hola! My name is Victoria, and I am spending the fall semester of 2011 to study Spanish in Madrid, Spain. At home in Kentucky, I am studying Elementary Education and Spanish at Georgetown College. Why Madrid? Why not? It’s a beautiful city, with a rich culture, that also offers excellent language courses. By studying here, I hope to become a well-rounded teacher who can better share my cultural knowledge and language skills with my future students. For this blog, I am sharing my experience with St. Patrick Elementary School of Louisville, Kentucky, because as a 2005 graduate, I feel it is a great way to give back to the school that has helped me to grow into the person I am today. I believe the students at St. Patrick’s could benefit from learning about another culture, particularly the culture of the language taught at their school. I am honored to be a representing member of the Classmates Connecting Culture program of ISA, and I hope my enthusiasm for Spain will inspire the students of St. Patrick’s to also explore the world!
Corey Campos
Barcelona, Spain
I am from Cincinnati, Ohio and attend The Ohio State University where I study Linguistics and Spanish. I decided to study in Barcelona because I was really excited about the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the city combined with the classic Spanish culture. Also, the close proximity to the Pyrenees Mountains was very appealing to me because I plan on visiting that area at least once. I am partnering with Anderson High School in Ohio because I went there and I still have very good connections with the Spanish department as my mom is a Spanish teacher. As a result it will be very easy to set up the blog corresponding to the syllabus of the students. I hope to, through the blog, record my most memorable experiences here in Spain along with the normal day-to-day life I will live. Also, I want to share my experiences with my family and friends and with other Spanish students who may be inspired to also study abroad and explore Spain and Spanish culture.
Salam Mustafa
Amman, Jordan
Hello, I am Salam Mustafa a 21 year young full time student at California State University, San Marcos. I am from San Bernardino, California and currently a senior in college. I am majoring in Political Science with a concentration in International relations and will possibly minor in Global Studies. I am currently studying abroad in Amman, Jordan to study Arabic and I chose to study here because it offers such a rich history, many natural wonders, and I have some family here. One of my goals of studying abroad was to educate myself as well as educate students at my home university about the Middle East since many taboos are present in the West. I chose to correspond with the students at my home university, specifically those in political science classes. I am studying abroad in a historical period during the Arab uprisings and that has brought awareness and attention to lifestyle, culture, and infrastructure of the Middle East. I hope that being a CCC correspondent will encourage students to study abroad in the Middle East or raise their interest in the region. I hope that they themselves will be able to assess the cultural and political gap between the West and Far East and see how that affects communication and political relations.
