Saturday, February 28, 2009

A Chinese-American Wedding in Bethany

About a week ago I mentioned Jorie and Gavin Zhao. They are a Chinese couple who ate dinner at our house last Sunday and Laurena taught them how to fry chicken a la Oklahoman. Today we went to their wedding. Except that they got married in China between semesters and then came back to SNU so Jorie could start her MBA studies. So, why another wedding? They have made so many friends in the U.S. that they wanted to share a U.S. wedding with them. So we got to share in their wedding today.

The wedding was a small and very touching ceremony held in a church's chapel. Gavin and Jorie wore simple, but elegant, Chinese clothing. Gavin and Jorie walked down separate aisles to join each other at the front. A young girl accompanied Gavin down the aisle and a young boy accompanied Jorie down the aisle. The boy and girl represented their family and friends. During the ceremony, a young American woman who grew up in China sang a love song in Chinese. Afterwards, there was a reception with typical American light snacks, weak punch and big wedding cake.

During the reception, we sat at a table where a young American woman, not the woman who sang, carried on a conversation in Chinese with a young Chinese woman. I looked around the room and realized that it included quite a mixture of international students from a variety of European countries as well as from Latina America and China. I stopped by one of the tables and spoke in Spanish to a couple of students from Honduras. My state of Oklahoma has changed a lot over the years. When I was in college some 30+ years ago, it would have been very unusual for a small university in the middle of Oklahoma to include such a fantastic mix of ethnic, linguistic and national backgrounds. Now, it's something we take for granted.

Something else interesting...Last week I learned that Jorie's undergraduate degree is in Chinese-English interpreting. She may have something of value to share with the students in our translation program. We'll have to check on that.

Friday, February 27, 2009

Getting past the gee whiz

In a recent Facebook note from Ecuador, Howard Culbertson wrote about how people in other countries get a distorted view of the U.S. from watching television programs that originate in the U.S. Specifically, Fox's "The Simpsons" is not a realistic picture of how most U.S. families function, although apparently some people in Ecuador believe that it is. Of course, we in the U.S. often have distorted views of other countries based on television or news programs. Sometimes we don't even know where other countries are. I remember when we moved to Costa Rica, some of my friends thought we were in Puerto Rico, and when we lived in Guatemala a very common perception among many stateside friends was that we spent pesos and Guatemalans wore wide brimmed sombreros a la Mexicana. (Guatemalans spend quetzales and the most common type of hat is the kind of cowboy hat that I see all over Oklahoma.) I'm not really coming down hard on anybody because I've had (and probably still have) a lot of ignorant assumptions about countries I've never visited.

So, one of the great things about international travel is that you get to test your assumptions against reality: Do they really dress that way? Do they really eat that? What's important to them? Why do they think like that? You can address some of the ignorance and untested assumptions through short trips of 10-14 days. However, for most of us that is really not long enough. For one thing, on a short trip I'm usually either spending most of my time in meetings (if it's a business trip) or snapping pictures and sampling all the different foods I can (if it's a pleasure trip). It takes a while to get past the initial gee whiz impressions and find time to explore how other people are, what they do and how they think. Perhaps one of the important distinctions between short trips and longer trips is that on the longer trips you have time to get past all the new and interesting sights and sounds and smells (the gee whiz) and get to the people, which to me is what the pleasure of international travel is all about.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Life changing experiences

Dennis Williams, a professor at Southern Nazarene University, shared an article with me that talked about the results of some research done on short study abroad trips, the kinds where a bunch of students and a professor travel together for 10-14 days. Most of us who are involved in international education haven't felt that trips like that really made much of a difference in students' lives. Perhaps we're wrong. According to the study, several years after graduation, students who took short term trips are just as likely to report that they were significantly influenced by their overseas trip as students who spent a semester overseas. I think that for many students, just the experience of being in a different culture and learning to see themselves through others' eyes opens their eyes in ways that no amount of classroom experience can.

I remember my first experience outside the U.S. When I was 16, I spent a month during the summer working as a volunteer in Mexico. That short experience made a tremendous impact on me that eventually led to living and working in Costa Rica, Guatemala and Canada. Quite often I still wish I were living in one of those locations or in some other country where I could learn and experience life among people who have life experiences and perspectives different than my own and that have so much to teach me about the big, wide world.

I thought about that because I am following Facebook posts by SNU students in Austria, Costa Rica and Ecuador. All of them sound like they are having a great time. I am glad for that, and I wonder what kind of life changing experiences they will have. Will they develop such a love for a particular place or people that they will end up back there studying or working? Will this experience just be the jumping off point for more overseas experiences? In fact, two of our students who are in Vienna studied in Russia a couple of semesters ago, so they might be becoming serial "study abroaders" (however, I know that at least one of them is entering law school next semester, so more study abroad will have to be postponed for a while). I don't know what changes these experiences will make in the lives of our students, but I have no doubt that there will be changes. I look forward to finding out more when they are back on campus in the fall.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Having too much fun in Ecuador

My morning routine is fairly invariable. I get up way too early, let the dog out, fix my bowl of cereal, get a cup of coffee, let the dog in and sit down to eat my cereal, drink my coffee and read the latest updates from the SNU gang in Ecuador. Four SNU students and one SNU professor are at the Nazarene International Language Institute (NILI) in Quito, Ecuador this semester. I've already commented a little about Dr. Culbertson's notes and the photos that Rachel, Lindsey, Abby and Mat are posting on Facebook. If you haven't checked them out yet, you really need to do so.

Dr. Culbertson's notes are basically a blog that he is keeping on Facebook. His observations and comments are always interesting. His cross-cultural background adds a depth to his posts that would be hard to get from anyone else. While Dr. Culbertson's posts make me think, the photos from and of the students make me laugh. They look like they are having way too much fun for the experience to be educational. They just got back from a trip to the Amazon jungle. You should see the look on Lindsey's face as a monkey climbs over her head or Rachel as she cuddles a monkey as if it were a baby. I even saw a picture of Dr. Culbertson doing his Tarzan imitation on some type of hanging contraption. Actually, I'm very happy that they're having fun because I know that they are also working hard and learning. I would be worried if all that they were doing was working hard. You have to balance the hard work with the enjoyment of new and strange sights, sounds, smells and adventures. It looks like they are doing a good balancing act. If you want to start your day off with a smile, check out SNU's NILI gang on Facebook.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Fried chicken, Oklahoma Chinese style

My thinking about going global has been sidetracked by great global experiences I've had on the local scene. I don't know what the international student population is at SNU, but there are quite a few international students on campus. Last semester I became acquainted with Jorie Zhao, a student from China. She was studying in SNU's Center for Applied Studies in English (ASEC). She finished up there, took advantage of Christmas break to go home and marry Gavin Zhao and then returned to SNU with Gavin so she could start her MBA studies. I've started meeting with Gavin once a week for coffee and conversation. Due to visa restrictions, he cannot enroll in ASEC. He already speaks a great deal of English, so he and I are able to communicate quite well and I'm able to give him some pointers. Yesterday, Jorie and Gavin joined Laurena and me for worship at First Baptist Church, OKC, and then went home with us for lunch. We usually don't make our dinner guests work, but in their case we gave them aprons and knives and set them to cutting up chickens, peeling and slicing potatoes and generally helping put the meal on the table. They said that they wanted to learn how to cook American food, so we (i.e., Laurena) taught them how to cook fried chicken and make mashed potatoes. As we sat around the table and ate, stuffed ourselves really, we were able to get better acquainted and find out a little bit about life in China. We're already looking forward to warmer weather so that we can fire up the grill and have a cookout with them.

One of the reasons that SNU is such a great place to go global is that it offers many opportunities to make friends with people from around the world. I'm sure that these opportunities on campus are going to grow because ASEC will attract more and more international students to campus. I'm looking forward to more fried chicken and getting acquainted with someone else from half-way around the globe.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Going global locally, part 3

When I started this blog almost two weeks ago, I had the idea of blogging every day. That obviously didn't happen this last week since it has been a week since I have written anything. It is not that there was nothing to share. I have lots to share, but it was a very busy week. Hopefully I'll be a little more regular with my blogging, but I bet there still will be some times when I disappear for a while.

With this evening's blog I want to give another example of how students at SNU can take advantage of what's available in the Oklahoma City area to go global locally. I received an e-mail about a Spanish film being shown at Oklahoma City University Sunday afternoon. I have not seen the film, but according to the blurb in the e-mail, it is one of the best, if not the best, Spanish films ever made. The details are in the following paragraph. If you get a chance, take advantage of what OKC offers and take in a Spanish film this Sunday afternoon.

The seventh film in the 27th Annual Oklahoma City University Film Series, This Sunday, February 22, 2009, 2 PM
Kerr McGee Auditorium, Meinders School of Business, Free and Open to the Public
Renowned as the Greatest Spanish Film
Victor Erices The Spirit of the Beehive, Spain, 1974, 95 min.
In a remote Castilian village after the Spanish Civil War, seven-year-old Ana emerges from a screening of Boris Karloffs Frankenstein full of dreams and fantasies. All the mystery and yearning of adult existence is distilled in the vision of this lovely, introverted child. Director Erice dissolves the barrier between reality and hallucination, investing everyday signs with a significance that resonates long after the film is over. Released in the final days of General Francos forty-year dictatorship, Beehive has established itself as the consummate masterpiece of Spanish cinema. One of the two most requested films on last years evaluation form.

-The Spirit of the Beehive is the best Spanish movie ever made and one of the two or three most haunting films about children ever made. NY Times

-Beehive is a graceful and potent lyric on children's vulnerable hunger, but it's also a sublime study on cinema's poetic capacity to reflect and hypercharge reality. Village Voice

-Ana Torrent gives perhaps the greatest child performance of all time. Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

Friday, February 13, 2009

What about life after graduation?

I hope we (i.e., faculty at SNU) do a good job of getting students excited about studying abroad, participating in international internships and going on overseas mission trips. However, at some point in time, students have to graduate. Then they're faced with the question, "Now what?" There are a lot of answers to that question. For some, the now what is getting a job with an international organization. David Ford Johnson is an example of that group. After graduation he went to work overseas with Feed the Children. For others, the now what is going on to graduate school. Kaitlyn Bell is a good example of that group. She's in graduate school in England in a Museum Studies M.A. program. For another group, the now what is getting more experience overseas through an intersnship. Sean Jones is finishing up an academic year as an intern in Costa Rica with the Latin America Studies Program.

Another option for post-graduation life for those interested in Spanish and Spain is the Cultural Ambassadors program sponsored by the Spanish Ministry of Education. I first heard about it a couple of years ago. It sounds like a great program. It is an 8-month program that places college juniors and seniors and recent graduates with K-12 schools throughout Spain. The Ambassadors serve as English-language teacher assistants in a variety of school settings. They receive a stipend and medical insurance during their time in Spain. For more information, go to http://www.mepsyd.es/exterior/usa/en/programs/us_assistants/default.shtml.

As far as I know, SNU has not had anyone apply to the Cultural Ambassadors program. I hope that in the next couple of years someone will give it a try and let us know how it is.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009


Going global locally, part 2

One great thing about studying at SNU is what happens on other campuses. Let's face it. SNU is a small school. There's nothing wrong with being a small school. By being the size we are, we can offer students much more personalized guidance and instruction. I tell prospective students that if they want to have large classes where they can hide and not be noticed by the profs, they should choose some other school. At SNU, you're going to be noticed by the profs and they are going to take an interest in you. (Some students might even say a little too much interest.) However, although SNU offers a lot, it cannot offer as much variety as larger schools can. That's where going global locally comes into play. Some really interesting things happen at campuses within easy reach of SNU and our students get to take advantage of those happenings. For instance, this Friday, February 13, the University of Oklahoma is sponsoring a half-day symposium on Cuba. It's an easy drive from SNU to OU, so students can go down Friday morning (get there early enough to take advantage of the continental breakfast) and then be back on campus by early Friday afternoon. You get to have your cake (small schol advantages) and eat it too (access to events sponsored by larger schools). In other words, you can go global locally due to SNU's great location.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

GoGlobalatSNU - What's it all about?

If you're reading this--Congratulations! You may be the first person to read this blog. This blog is new and is part of my effort to tie together our SNU global opportunities. You can think of it as one part of a threesome: a blog at GoGlobalatSNU.blogspot.com, a GoGlobalatSNU Facebook group (open to everybody) and a GoGlobalatSNU.net website. SNU has great opportunities for going global, ranging from our long-term involvement with the CCCU study abroad programs in several different countries (bestsemester.com) to our recent additions of NILI (studyinecuador.blogspot.com) and the IGE Vienna program (igeabroad.com/programs/vienna). One of the most exciting new endeavors is the Morningstar Institute, SNU's vehicle for getting students involved in global poverty alleviation. If I have it correct, Morningstar is preparing to send its first student interns overseas. If you want to check out Morningstar, visit morningstarinstitute.org. Each day I am going to try to add a little bit about SNU's different global opportunities with an occassional personal reflection on going global. Let's GoGlobalatSNU!

Monday, February 9, 2009

Going global locally

Sometimes going global just means opening yourself up to the world that comes to your door. There is a sizable Chin population in Oklahoma City. The Chin are an ethnic group from Myanmar. I believe the largest Christian community in Myanmar is among the Chin people. The Chin in Oklahoma City are refugees who fled Myanmar due to persecution by the government. First Baptist Church (FBC), Oklahoma City, has been working with Catholic Charities to help resettle and minister to the Chin people. On Sunday, more than fifty Chin Christians gathered to worship in a location provided by FBC. They started the worship service with the FBC congregation. After greetings were exchanged, the Chin people sang a song in Chin. Next, the Chin congregation was presented a rough hewn cross that had been made by one of the teachers who helps teach them English during the week. Then all the Chin marched out behind the cross to begin worshiping as a Chin congregation in their own language.

In a way, this was not all that special. All across Oklahoma different ethnolinguistic groups meet for worship. What is instructive to me about this situation is that FBC got to be a part of it simply because the congregation said yes to going global locally. The Chin group came to FBC after being asked to leave another church where they were meeting. Apparently the other church thought they were too much trouble. I also imagine the other church, an evangelical church, found it a little disturbing to be cooperating with Catholic Charities on ministering to the Chin. The Chin sought out FBC because they had heard that it welcomed people from other ethnic groups and languages.

I guess the lesson to me is that I better not get so wrapped up in going global someplace else that I forget that sometimes God might want me to go global locally.

dr.j.

More global SNU'ers on Facebook

I know the following students and alums are working or studying in other countries and posting on Facebook: Jessica Cory & Karen Flowers studying in Vienna; Rachel Regouby studying and Sean Jones working in Costa Rica; Kaitlyn Bell studying in England. Any others overseas and using Facebook to tell about what they're doing?

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Dr. Culbertson's posts from Ecuador

Check out Dr. Culbertson's posts on Facebook. He's spending his semester at NILI in Ecuador and using Facebook to post a daily blog. Once in a while he also makes a comment about the Spanish class he's taking, so you can give him a hard time about not studying enough, getting his homework done, etc. While you're at it, check out all the photos that Rachel, Abby, Lindsey and Mat are posting from Ecuador. I am so jealous!