ACROSS THE POND
By Joe Oliver
Guest columnist, Feb. 21, 2008
Hello, everyone! To those of you at Illinois Valley Community College I have been fortunate enough to be acquainted with, you may or may not know that I am studying abroad this semester in Salzburg, Austria. For those of you who do not know me, hopefully I can meet you some day!
Whether you are really interested in my affairs, or if you simply enjoy reading our splendid newspaper, thanks for listening.
Firstly, if you have never traveled by air before, you must try it. I had never flown before embarking upon my European journey, and my first experience flying was wonderful!
I cannot aptly describe here the sheer happiness and expectation which overwhelmed my entire being as I saw the city of Chicago from thousands of feet above. The flight was very smooth, I thought, and it really did not seem to be a lengthy trip.
As you can imagine, it was even more exciting to see the city of Frankfurt, Germany, beneath me (as if Europe was just waiting to be discovered). I must confess, I think I was a bit over-confident upon my arrival in Germany. I found this first when I was going through customs —trying to speak German — and then hearing fluent English spoken back to me.
No matter how prepared you feel you may be to travel, I can say with 99 percent certainty you will be experiencing “culture shock,” or better termed “cultural static,” in a new environment. In all honesty, I am not sure I have moved past that stage yet.
Even after two and a half weeks, everything still seems a bit surreal; I am unsure to what it can be compared to. Perhaps, it is like the boots I purchased for my trip. I knew they were good shoes, and they would eventually be very comfortable, but they are not my old, trusty Converse sneakers. Although both pairs of shoes are good and functional, I could not expect them to be the same.
Also, although there are some similarities in lifestyle and culture between America and Europe, they are vastly different. Neither one is good or bad; it is just a matter of adjusting to these changes and appreciating the differences.
Well friends, I must say farewell until next time. If you are interested, please visit salzburgjoe.blogspot.com for updates on my trip and a broader scope of my travels. Also, if you have any specific questions about what I have done so far, e-mail me at
ogj_88@yahoo.com.
Many thanks go out to the staff and instructors at IVCC for their helpful spirits and dedication to an excellent educational experience; special thanks to Ida Brown, Mike Pecherek, Julie Sherbeyn and Fran Brolley.
Also, thanks to Congress and the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship Program for making my pursuit of knowledge possible; visit www.iie.org/gilman for more information. Thanks for your interest, and good luck with mid-terms!
Auf wiedersehen!
Editor’s note: Joe Oliver is in Austria this semester as part of Study Abroad and will update students via the IV Leader. For information on how you can study in another country, contact campus coordinator Steve Alvin.