Katya said “When I just arrived to Arkansas I said to myself all the time, ‘hmm, it’s all so weird, why on earth do they do this or that?’… But upon coming back to Russia, I said the same about everything in my city.”

Katya Romanova was a visiting student during the 2010-2011 academic year. As I posted the blog article by Stevan, I got to learn Katya was trying to organize a Human Library Program in Russia. Here’s an article from her regarding her project and also her experience in Fayetteville. This is very inspiring and such a great example of your study abroad experience will continue even after going back home.

Here we go:

I miss Fayetteville a lot. Its comfy atmosphere, my work at ‘CAT’ (Community Access Television), our creative proactive team of international students, Thai food (I’m an addict;), countless trips and adventures, residents of Hillcrest Tower and watching a sunset on the second floor of Public Library… And you can probably never imagine what it means for a Russian girl to be able to bike the whole year round or walk barefoot in January! That was the best winter in my life indeed!

I came back home with depression and a textbook with ideas of projects I was eager to organize in Nizhny Novgorod. So, a couple of months later, I ‘embarked’ on preparation of Human Library with my friends.

I took part in this project as a “reader” and a “human book” at University of Arkansas, and the program impressed me a lot with its unusual form. I loved the idea of bringing such diverse people together and raise awareness about social issues in quite an entertaining and informal way.

Human Library in Nizhny Novgorod turned out to be a big success – it attracted about 200 participants who came to talk with human books, 18 books in total. Books were a hitchhiker, gay, family with adopted children, orphan, transsexual, HIV positive, Muslim woman and social worker.

I often got frustrated while working on the project but what made me keep going is support of my friends worldwide and inspiration from their great projects. By the way, this project was quite an international one because our designer was from Canada and web-designers was from Moscow, plus, we consulted organizers of Human Libraries from everywhere. I think that my experience of studying and living abroad changed my perception of the world – I somehow feel that everything is so interconnected and you can do so many things together as a team, that was part of motivations for me to make the Human Library Program here successful!

Thank you, Fayetteville and friends I met there.

Love from Russia.

By Katya Romanova, IREX Student 2010-2011

Photos by Alyona Antsygina

When I heard about this project, Human Library Program, for the first time, I was very intrigued. The Balkans was always a region misrepresented by the media, and I found a chance to tell my story about the Balkans (focusing on ex Yugoslavia) and how I view the whole social and political situation during the 1990’s and 2000’s.

At first I was quite nervous- what should I talk about? What would be an appealing topic? What if nobody cares about this? After thinking about it for a couple of days, I decided to tell the story about the Balkans during Yugoslav wars in the 90s, bombing of Serbia in 1999, overthrowing our president Slobodan Milosevic, and how it reflects today’s youth in ex Yugoslav countries. Since I am of mixed heritage, Croatian and Serbian, two of the biggest conflicted sides during the war, I believed I could provide a unique input to this whole social and historical situation.

After applying for time slots, I did some research on the factual history of the wars. This research gave me a deeper understanding of the topic I chose to discuss. I tried to be as unbiased as possible, and I hope I succeeded in it.

As days went by, I noticed that slowly my time slots started getting reserved- it was incredibly exciting! Three people decided to “read” my book, to gain a deeper knowledge about my region and my culture. It was an incredible feeling!

When the day of my actual readings came, I was very nervous. What if they don’t like me? What if I don’t know enough info to correctly portray the situation? What if, what if, what if… I came to Holcombe, checked in and sat down. I saw a familiar face approaching me! I was really relieved that someone I knew was my first reader. She had a really good background about Serbia and the Balkans (thanks to FORECAST 2010/2011 students Anja and Nikola; you two rock!), so it was rather easy to get into the discussion. The other two readers were also knowledgeable about the region, I was really positively impressed!

All three of my readers had different motives of hearing about this topic, all had different questions and different points of view- I was really grateful for that because it made me view my region from different perspectives, ones that I hadn’t paid attention until then. We got into different discussions, comparing the Balkan to the Rwandan situation, talking about how media represented Balkans during the wars, and even about what the youth are doing to connect to each other and overcome the fabricated differences and learned hatred.

I am very grateful for this project. I got to share my personal views, have a discussion with three very smart and opinionated individuals and got to look at this topic from a new perspective gained by listening to my readers. I am taking this chance to thank Ms. Jessica Pope (Graduate Assistant in the Ombuds Office), Ms. Sue Theiss (Director in the Ombuds Office) and ISS for organizing this event. I am looking forward to participating in this project next semester, hopefully with an even more interesting topic!

By Stevan Perovic

What is Human Library? You, as a book, tell your original story to a reader. This is a collaborative effort by Ombuds Office, University Library & ISS. Human Library deals with various topics and it is a great way to explore diversity in the Fayetteville community. Human Library is held in Holcombe Hall and the program normally looks like this in this photo. Holcombe Living Room is such a cozy environment and a book and a reader can enjoy 1 on 1 conversations.

 

 

Stevan was such an interesting “book”!! (Yes, I was a reader ;))  I would recommend you to be part of this program either as a reader or book! Keep your eyes open for the announcement for the Spring 2012! — Nami

I was already excited about the Friendship Family Program offered by International Students & Scholars even before coming to the United States. Friendship Family was one of the things I was looking for since my friend who was studying at the University of Arkansas told me how much this program assisted her to adjust to the culture here and overcome homesickness.  She also said that the program helped her to get connected closer to the culture and life in Fayetteville.

My Friendship Family is Ms. Courtney Osborn, a young lady with a cheerful personality. She has been my great host and I feel she has been my true friend as well. Besides that, I can truly say the Friendship Family Program Coordinator, Ms. Casie Shreve, and her team are very caring and I really appreciate their events and programs that they organize to provide the students and their families with opportunities to see each other.

One great event that was organized by ISS was a picnic to the Lake Fort Smith State Park. It was one of the best days since I came to the United State. The weather was amazing on that day and the landscapes at the park were amazing. I was impressed by the magnificent colors of the autumn and the beautiful scenery made me understand why people call Arkansas as the Natural State. When we arrived there, we found the Friendship Family Program team setting up a huge lunch that all families prepared together! The food was of course delicious, and it was simply amazing to sit in the beautiful nature next to the lake and be surrounded by mountains. After a while, we went to the lake to do canoeing, pedal boats. It was wonderful to share those moments with my Friendship Family and other families.

By the end of the day, I felt that being part of the Friendship Family is not only about having a family that hosts you, but also about having truly caring people who support you in your hard times and share your best moments with you during the time of study abroad. I am glad to be a member of the big family called Friendship Family Program at the University of Arkansas.

By Emna Ghariani

Emna is from Tunisia. She’s very energetic and always willing to take part in different programs. I was impressed that she contributed to the community as an an emcee (even during her first semester!) at the Taste of Africa Event by African Student Organization. I admire her love and passion about her country and also her pride as an African. This led her to present at the Holcombe Geography Series as well. Please keep sharing your culture and enjoy the U.S. culture with friends and the Friendship Family! — Nami

West Side Story was performed at the Walton Arts Center a few weeks ago. I gladly signed up for the special event with the UofA Visiting Student Program as I believe it is a great way of experiencing and exploring the U.S. culture to watch a Broadway show. This program allowed me to have an opportunity to enjoy the second Broadway show experience in my life. I had seen Mamma Mia! five years ago in Korea and this musical definitely became my favorite. All of the songs were beautiful and the story was very interesting. So I was really looking forward to watching West Side Story.

Although West Side Story is a very famous classic piece, I did not know much about it unfortunately. I had never watched a movie before either. So, I asked my friend about its storyline. She said it was similar to the story of Romeo and Juliet. (This explanation helped me to understand the show so much more easily!) She also told me that it was a story about two gangs of different ethnic groups: one group is White Americans and the other group is Puerto Ricans. I learned that the heroine would speak Spanish and some other parts during the show would be also in Spanish. So, I was nervous and worried if I would be able to fully understand the story.

Despite my concerns, West Side Story was interesting and very entertaining! Performance was very well organized and all the dancers were wonderful. The voices of two main characters were beautiful. One of my favorites was the song called, Tonight (Youtube link). It was such a sweet song and the lyrics –Tonight, tonight, it all began tonight. I saw you, and the world went away.– showed their real love regardless of their background differences. The musical was wonderful except one last part; the way the show ended was different from what I expected and it made me sad! However, I truly enjoyed this Broadway musical experience at the Walton Arts Center.

Since I came to Fayetteville, I have already visited Walton Arts Center several times to watch and enjoy musicals, concerts and plays. It has been one of my favorite things to do in Fayetteville. I like how convenient the location is by being close to the UofA campus. It is a great facility to enjoy arts. I would love to visit Walton Arts Center again in near future. If you have not been to the Walton Arts Center or have not watched musicals or shows, I strongly recommend you to utilize there to enjoy arts and cultural activities there!

By Bo Kyung Shin

Bo Kyung has been exploring the U.S. culture and sharing her own culture with the community actively since she came to Fayetteville as a visiting student. We are happy to know that Walton Arts Center has offered various activities outside of classrooms to maximize her study abroad experience!

Eureka Springs offers beautiful fall. I am glad I visited there with ISS. I had no idea how beautiful and fun Eureka Springs could be until I went there. I love traveling and visiting different places, yet, to be honest, I was not expecting a lot because I assumed it would be a small town in Arkansas that may be similar to Fyaetteville. However, I found this little town such a charming place to visit!

On the field trip day, we stopped by the Thorn Crown Chapel on the way to the Eureka Springs Downtown. It is a beautiful and relaxing chapel which is surrounded by beautiful trees in the Ozark Mountains. As we sat in the chapel and enjoyed the beautiful building, there was a person who gave us a quick lecture about the chapel. We learned about quick facts, its history, how it was built, who uses it nowadays and such. It was designed by E. Fay Jones, who was a professor at the University of Arkansas. Jim Reed proposed the idea to Dr. Jones and they constructed their dream chapel in 1980. It is a beautiful glass chapel which is 48 feet tall with 425 windows. I was very surprised to know how much it costs to clean those windows! Additionally, I was very impressed by the fact that it was chosen as the 4th on the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) top designs of the 20th century. The Chapel is often used for weddings. I learned that many happy couples from all around world come to this beautiful place to get married. If I could get married in this beautiful chapel, I would be really happy on my special day! I envy couples who plan their weddings in that location!

The next spot was the Eureka Springs Downtown. It is indeed a cute town in the Ozarks Mountains of Arkansas. Eureka Springs became famous for its hot spring. The first impression of the town was picturesque! The scenery somehow reminded me of small towns in Europe. We stayed there for about 3 hours for lunch and a walk. The downtown has steep winding streets filled with Victorian-style buildings. And there are many shops, boutiques, fine art galleries, craft emporiums, and restaurants along those streets. We had great time looking around and taking pictures in the downtown area. If I had had more time, I would have tried to ride on a trolley car, which I thought was very unique in this town! Later on, I also learned that Eureka Springs has been selected one of 100 towns to be in Great Towns of America and I completely agree to it because of its unique history, beautiful scenery and atmosphere.

Finally, we went to Turpentine Creek. Before I visited there, I was imagining a fancy zoo in my head; but I was wrong. As its full name -Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge- shows, it is the shelter and home for Big Cats (tigers, cougars, leopards, and lions), bears, and other animals. We had a knowledgeable tour guide and we were able to see those animals at close range. The tour guide led us and showed us around the facility, from one cage to another, and explained those animals’ individual stories. Most of them were not pleasant stories: They were abused and abandoned. For example, the guide told us that one female bobcat was forced to live in the basement and she lost her sight because of the dark environment. After the tour, we were able to observe their feeding time, which was very exciting. I hope Turpentine Creek will keep providing a comfortable place for those animals to stay in.

In conclusion, the ISS Eureka Springs trip gave me a great educational opportunity to learn something new about the region and also such a relaxing time while having busy school schedules. I had fun with my friends and got so much closer to each other by spending a half day together. I recommend international students to visit the Thorn Crown Chapel, Eureka Springs Downtown, and Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge if you have a chance! 

By Eun Hye Chang

 

Working as a volunteer in the Fayetteville community has been a wonderful experience. I decided to volunteer at the Fayetteville Public Library because I had heard a lot of good things about the library. I searched an opportunity online. As soon as I found their contact information, I approached the library to inquire regarding volunteer positions. They quickly responded to me and set up an interview schedule. When I visited the library for the first time, I was very excited to see the facility of the library and learn more regarding the opportunity. I liked the welcoming atmosphere. We had an interview and they kindly offered me a chance to volunteer at the library.

On my first day to start working, my supervisor explained me tasks and genuinely taught me various responsibilities as a librarian. I learned that my duty was to reorganize DVDs and CDs for the children’s section. She introduced me to her colleagues and I could learn more about the work environment at the Fayetteville Public Library. It was a friendly workplace, but also a highly professional work environment. All staff members I met were very helpful, and I felt very welcomed by them. My time to volunteer was only 10 hours but I learnt a lot from those hours; being efficient, being punctual, communicating well with other staff and, of course, the meaning of community service.

It was a wonderful experience to volunteer in the library, a very educational setting in the community. Through the 10 hours community service, I experienced a little bit of working atmosphere in the United State. I observed their commitment and dedication of the library team to the education in the Fayetteville community and it inspired me to implement what I learned when I go back to Pakistan.

by Sonia Sadaf

Sonia has been actively exploring the U.S. culture with her friends and Friendship Family. Community service projects and volunteer activities will definitely enrich your experience and help your understanding about the culture from a different perspective. I would love to encourage all visiting students to join hands-on volunteer projects since there are so many things, such as values, work ethics and so on, that you cannot gain by just studying in classes. Check the Volunteer Action Center website and you’ll find various opportunities in Fayetteville!  — Nami

I did not know what to expect when I attended Holcombe Geography Series as a guest for the first time, when Morocco presented in early September. I was genuinely surprised by how interactive and informative their presentation was. We, as guests, had the chance to learn first-hand facts and interesting topics, which cannot be easily found on the internet and which are easy to remember when presented in such a free-hearted manner.

When I was asked to give a presentation myself, together with the other two Bulgarian students at the U of A, I got very excited and anxious at the same time. This opportunity meant that we were going to have the chance to present our country and make a valuable contribution to the U of A community by sharing our own culture. On the other hand, I was aware that it was also a huge responsibility, because this presentation may be the first, or one of a few, exposures to the Bulgarian culture for some people and our presentation will be a big part of what they think of Bulgaria as a country.

Another challenging part for me was the process of finding cultural items and supplies which we could use during the presentation and ingredients to cook Bulgarian food for our lovely guests! Unfortunately, we did not have many cultural items or ingredients, so we needed to be creative. We contacted some people from Bulgaria in the Fayetteville community and they contributed things they had. For me, it was such a pleasant experience. One person even drove from Bentonville to bring us a Bulgarian meal and beautiful table cloth! It was amazing to have all the help and support from the community.

The presentation day itself was very hectic – I was running between classes and studying for a test while cooking the cold yogurt soup in Holcombe Hall. However, after all, when I entered the Holcombe living room before the presentation, I smelled the smell of Bulgarian food and heard Bulgarian music while being surrounded by people from all over the world. At that very moment, I knew that every effort we made was worth it. I felt so comfortable to present together with Teodor and Teodora while supporting each other. I guess that was one of reasons why it went so smoothly. Also, the audience was all interested, engaging and supportive, that made me feel inspired and rewarded at the end of this program. It turned out that being a presenter at Holcombe Geography Series became one of the most rewarding experiences for me as international student at the U of A.

 

by Kalina Bozhkova

 

When I arrived in Fayetteville, the first impression about this city was “small and quiet.” I was pretty sure that my life in Fayetteville would be silent. Growing up in a big city, I always wanted to live in a smaller town that offers beautiful nature such as forest or extensive yards. In a way, my life in Fayetteville is what I have been looking for: There are horses, cows, big trees, and yards everywhere. There are not tall buildings, which I got used to being surrounded by, near the U of A campus. However, I had already started to feel a little bit bored and miss the busy city life in Seoul only after a few weeks.

Meanwhile, one of my friends told me “Minjun, you will be able to see a lot of bikes during the BBB festival.” I learned that Bikes, Blues and Barbeque (BBB) was an annual festival held in Fayetteville every fall and a lot of bikers gather here from all parts of the country to celebrate their passion about bikes and share their enthusiasm. Yet, I could not imagine thousands of bikers riding their motorcycles and all the streets near the campus and Dickson Street would be filled with them in this town.

My friend was right! We started to hear all those noises on streets in Fayetteville! BBB was a perfect opportunity since I was looking for something exciting, interesting and fun that would help me to feel refreshed and energized! I ended up visiting BBB on Dickson Street three days in a row! I absolutely enjoyed it!

I am pretty sure that many of us, especially male students, have dreamed about riding a fabulous motorcycle. Although most of the bikers at the BBB festival were not in our age, they seemed to be enjoying their lives with cool looking motorcycles.  I also noticed that there were a lot of older couples enjoying riding motorcycles together. Another thing I realized was that they came from Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and many other places, which are far from Fayetteville! I was simply impressed by that they were enjoying their lives.

At the BBB event, I enjoyed not only watching different kinds of motorcycles, but also a lot of food vendors. They were selling barbeque, desserts, turkey legs, ribs, hotdogs and hamburgers! All of them looked great, and I decided to try a big turkey leg which is as big as my face. Delicious! While I was enjoying the turkey leg, I also saw many people holding something delicious. It looks like bread somehow with a lot of sugar powder on it… At first, I did not know what it was… I asked and finally figured it out: It was funnel cake! Funnel cakes are named because of its shape. Dough is fried in oil after it gets through the funnel. It was sweet! I strongly recommend you to try it if you have not tasted it before!

To be honest, I had not expected to have such a huge event in Fayetteville because, as I said, I thought Fayetteville was a very small town. However, I was really impressed by that many people around the states came to Fayetteville to enjoy the festival. I strongly believe that enjoying any kinds of festival makes us feel refreshed. BBB was definitely the event that gave me so much energy to enjoy the life at UofA. It has become part of my unforgettable memory Fayetteville. Once again, I recommend you to enjoy BBB every fall in Dickson Street! Please try barbeque and funnel cakes!

By Minjun Park

Einstein once said “Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.”  I have never thought that understanding other human beings can also be reached through sharing our differences with each other. Differences in our culture, our backgrounds, our language, our food, and the way we see the world around us were the first things we had to share in Holcombe Hall, and by breaking these borders, we found ourselves getting closer and closer to each other.

Each one’s experience has been changing to become part of our overall experience day by day. We started to find the common things we share, which helped us to go through our differences and give us also a chance to learn how to be tolerant with each other’s mistakes.

One of the events that enriched my experience here the most is the “International Day of Peace” event that was held in Holcombe Hall three weeks ago. This day was an opportunity for everyone to express and share their experiences about peace.

An unforgettable reflection on 9/11 was presented by one of Holcombe Hall residents Elijah Garcia. He talked about his experience as a child and how his thoughts and ideas about this day changed since then. He said that living in an international environment gave him a different way of thinking about Arabs and Islam. He believes that he used to have a negative stereotype about them, but after meeting people from Arab countries and living with them in the same place, his image about them became a positive one.

Furthermore, we had the opportunity to listen to other students from all over the world reflect about their experiences during 9/11. Emna Ghariani from Tunisia shared her story as an Arab. She said that she sympathizes with those families who lost their children, siblings, fathers, mothers, or husbands. She also added that her opinion about World Peace as a child has changed after she visited The States two years ago. For her, treating other people should be based on seeing them as human beings, regardless of their background, culture, or religion. These ideas might help us in raising the sense of humanity and spread World Peace.

For me, World Peace can be spread only by seeing and treating other people as you see and treat yourself. To feel with them, live their lives, be tolerant, and to learn how to forgive their mistakes is what we should think about to live in peace within ourselves and to spread it all over the world.

By Ramz Shalbak

During the Little Rock Trip organized by the International Students and Scholars (ISS) office, I learned about the story of real heroes, the Little Rock Nine. Little Rock Central High School is the high school that attempted the integration of public schools in 1957 and nine African American students enrolled. People called them Little Rock Nine. Only nine of them had a chance in the first year, but it was a remarkable event in the history of American civil rights movement.

This trip reminded me of one movie, the Great Debaters. Two years ago, I watched it for my speech class in Korea. This film was about a story of African American students in a college debate team. They participated in the national college debate competition when the Jim Crow laws were still common. One of the lines that I really liked in the movie was this: “The time for justice, the time for freedom, and the time for equality is always, always right now.” I was so moved by the movie, which is based on a true story, yet, I still could not imagine how hard it was for African American students to get in schools at that time and seek for equal rights.

One of highlights on this trip was visiting Little Rock Central High School. The visitor center was located near the school and we could see the pictures, diaries and articles of the Little Rock Nine regarding their hardship, struggles and hope. What I really liked about this museum was they offered me an opportunity of thinking about the issues that I have been curious and worried about: multiculturalism in the United States because one of concerns I had was what my experience would be like here as an Asian student, who would be considered as one of minority groups.

Although there are a lot of great stories and historical movies and books on this matter, issues around racism still exist in this country. Before coming to the United States, I was a little bit worried about my experience. However, stories I learned at the Little Rock Central High School Visitors Center are powerful and their efforts that Little Rock Nine made in the past were inspiring. Those African American students did not give up until they accomplished their goals, and a lot of people around them supported and helped them to flight for the better future.

Today, they have a museum of its history that keeps telling stories to the next generation. Those stories encouraged me to reconsider concerns about my study abroad experience. I want to know and learn more about American history and culture, and also experience “America” as much as I can while studying at the U of A.

Two postcards, that had Little Rock Central High School pictures, were sent to my younger sister and brother in Korea. I wish they could share my experiences here, too. I really appreciate ISS for offering such a good opportunity in my first year in the United States. I sincerely look forward to the next trip.

By Hanna Lee, Visiting Student