Students learn from study abroad

Ciara Miller and Ray Johnson traveled to Jamaica with the Multiculatural Center 2020 spring break trip. For both students, one of their biggest takeaways was appreciating a country for every aspect of its culture, not just the tourist attractions that are often displayed by the media. Ciara and Ray were interested in two different elements of the trip to Jamaica, and they interviewed Jamaican citizens to learn about different aspects of the culture. They interviewed a student they met at a local high school, a service worker, fifth grade students from a local elementary school, and a reverend at a church.   

Ciara is a engineering major. She expected something totally different from what she experienced. She had never been out of the country before and didn’t expect for there to be as many differences between Jamaica and the United States. She found herself most engaged in conversation with a citizen she met while on an excursion to a local high school. She was very interested in the setup of the school system. Through this interview, she was able to compare their school experiences and gave advice about picking a major.  

Ray is biological sciences pre-med student. An observation she made was that experiences of locals versus those of tourists are so different that it seems as if they are living in two different worlds. She believed that “being able to interact with the locals can bring awareness to what goes on in that location and how the community is trying to help it.” Ray was most interested in health services offered in Jamaica. She was impressed and pleased that the hospital covered expenses for patients who could not afford health care.  

Outside of the interviews they conducted, they spent time learning about other aspects of Jamaican culture. They enjoyed the native foods, music, and hospitality. They both challenge tourists to explore different aspects of another culture when traveling abroad.  

For information about the Undergraduate Experiential Learning Award, visit the Undergraduate Experiential Learning office’s funding page or contact experiential.learning@ohio.edu.