DU Abroad

If you have been staying on top your study abroad to-do-list you have probably attended a general pre-departure orientation session by now! (If you have not please come to one ASAP- the last one will be April 29th and they are required!)

In these session we talk a lot about culture shock and how to prepare for it. What we don’t mention however, is what happens after the fact: reverse culture shock. Here is a blog entry from one of our study abroad peer advisors, Kelsey, on how reverse culture shock affected her after returning home from Russia.

And you thought going there was hard?!
Running around like a mad woman trying to pack up my life, heading out to D.C. for my orientation the next morning, I was ecstatic. This was going to be the time of my life and I was so ready to go abroad! I love to travel and experience new cultures, thus I already knew what was coming: culture shock. Plus, everyone had hammered it into me that I was going to suffer from culture shock when living abroad. So, with all of this running through my mind, I jumped in head first!

What I wasn’t ready for was setting foot on US soil again four months later. Not only was I devastated at leaving my home, family and friends in my little Russian town, but I was just blind-sighted with the blow of everyday life in America. Life here is just so different now. Why are we not riding the bus everyday or walking everywhere or sincerely asking how each other are, rather than using it as a superficial greeting? Why aren’t we shopping in big open air markets, daily talking with our neighbors and spending quality time with the ones we love? Why are we not internationally attune or even domestically astute? For all of these questions, I am still seeking answers. Continue reading “Did anyone ever tell you about reverse culture shock?” →

British photographer Daniel Meadows describes digital stories as “short, personal multimedia tales told from the heart.” Digital stories can be created by people everywhere, on any subject, and be shared electronically all over the world. Just like traditional storytelling, digital storytelling can focus on anything from recounting a personal tale or historic event to discussing the search for life in other corners of the universe and everything in between. However, as the name implies, digital storytelling enhances traditional stories through the use of recorded voice, still and moving images, and sound.

If you want to see some digital stories from your very own DU students simply click here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/uofdenver?feature=mhsn#p/c/1523F65736EE2FFC

The DU Study Abroad Office is offering the opportunity to create your very own digital story in order to reflect upon the time you spent abroad. By combining your photos, videos, journal entries, or e-mails you will be able to create a focused piece that will communicate a lesson learned, the value of relationship, or a change in yourself. As students, we all have hundreds of things going on in our lives and probably have little time to reflect on our amazing experiences abroad. Take advantage of this opportunity to create something that is meaningful and lasting

The FREE Digital Storytelling workshop can accommodate 10 participants. Participants must be present for the entire length of the workshop on both days in order to participate. The dates and times are:

Friday, April 29, 2-6pm

Saturday, April 30, 10am – 6pm

For more info please contact Nicole Hubbell at Nicole.hubbell@du.edu