Study-abroad students take library patrons ‘Around the World’

Students studying abroad, of course, take pictures. The best of them are currently on exhibition in “Around the World: UW–Madison Celebrates 2006 Year of Study Abroad” until Saturday, Sept. 30, at the Madison Public Library, 201 Mifflin St.

About 1,600 UW–Madison students take advantage of study-abroad programs every year. According to Gilles Bouquet, dean of the Division of International Studies, this show reflects the special opportunities that the programs afford students.

“The photos, from every region of the globe, are really quite remarkable,” he says. “They illustrate how study abroad experiences can expand students’ view of the world and promote a better understanding of other cultures, thereby educating young people for the challenges of an increasingly interconnected and multicultural world.”

Emily Kintzer, a senior from Madison majoring in education, will second that. She studied abroad in Chile, and says it gave her great perspective on what it means to be an American, and also what it means to be new to a place.

“This was a great experience to see what it’s like to be in a strange culture,” she says. Her photo of the Atacama Desert reflects the discombobulation she initially felt there, she says. “It’s not easy to keep up when you don’t understand the culture perfectly. It’s not easy to recognize those if you’ve never been in that situation. I plan to teach middle school, and I think it will help me a great deal when I have students who are new to our culture and don’t speak fluent English.”

The exhibition showcases 24 photos from virtually every corner of the world (except Antarctica). For additional information on the exhibition or UW–Madison’s study-abroad programs, visit http://www.studyabroad.wisc.edu/.