Impressions on studying abroad discussed

By Beth Warmerdam

A panel of students who are studying or who have studied abroad talked about their impressions and its value on Wednesday in the library.

The event was held as a part of the International Education Week. Librarian Diane Majors hosted the event, “Experiences Abroad – Wherever You Are,” which consisted of five foreign students studying at Fresno State and one American student who had previously studied in Spain.

All of the students were enthusiastic about their experiences and said they would recommend other people study elsewhere.

Sandro Maciel da Silva, a graduate student in the mass communication and journalism department, said someday he wants his kids to study abroad.

“ You don’t realize how important things at home are to you until you don't have them,” said Silva, originally from southern Brazil. “I lived in a beautiful city by a beautiful lake. I took it for granted.”

Sujay Jaladi, a computer science graduate student who came here from India, agreed with Silva.

“ After I went back home, I realized the value of things I had back home,” he said.

Modupe Omolayo has moved around a lot in her life. She lived in Nigeria, Australia and Fiji before moving to the United States with her family. She has been here for 10 years, except for one semester she spent in Spain.

“ Just learning how similar people are, it's amazing. They all want to be loved, be happy, be secure,” Omolayo said. “But also seeing how different people are is interesting.”

Amanda Serrano said that living outside of the United States helped her grow as a person.

She was born in the United States, but spent 11 years of her life in Germany. She also spent one year studying in Spain.

“ You have the opportunity to realize the whole world has bigger differences,” she said. “It gives you the opportunity to meet new people. You don’t know where it might take you in your life.”

There are plenty of adjustments to make when living in a foreign country.

Mibeka Tan Panza, who grew up in Congo and France, has still not gotten used to the lack of transportation and tall buildings in Fresno.

“ I expected to see high buildings,” she said. “Instead, there were flat, one-story houses made of wood. It was weird for me.”

Inga Lukaviciute, a mass communications graduate student from Lithuania, said she was not expecting it to be so hot in Fresno. She is also having trouble with the variety of showers in the United States.

“ In every house, you operate the shower a different way,” she said. “I get embarrassed to have to ask how to use the shower.”