WVU Study Abroad Club

West Virginia University's Study Abroad Club is helping students reach their dreams of learning different languages and cultures. The Study Abroad Club officially began in August 2009 but was organized two years before. The club is made up of students who have studied abroad or wish to in the future, plus current and former exchange students at WVU. The study abroad club aims to bridge cultural gaps at WVU. The students get to meet up and hang with people from all over the world and learn about up coming trips. The group meets every other Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Mountainlair. "I think that it's a great opportunity to reach out to the exchange students, and you also become more sensitive to intercultural issues," Devan Smith, member and business major, said. The members wants to allow students to have the opportunity to talk to current exchange students, to find out about their home institutions and what they can offer WVU students. The Study Abroad Club also provides information about scholarship opportunities and a chance for students to practice speaking in foreign languages. Recently the number of students studying abroad has increased  the club likes to think that they had something to do with the numbers. "There's some degree programs that are requiring students to study abroad, some are encouraging it more, and I think there's just a general knowledge of the world that students didn't have before," said Tara George-Jones, study abroad program coordinator for the WVU Office of International Programs. Some students like Michelle Kinslev study abroad to a multiple places not just one. Michelle Kinslev studied at Otto-Friedrich-Universität (WVU's Exchange partner) in Bamberg, Germany during 2002-2003. After taking a few years off to live and work in Bamberg, she returned to WVU in 2006 then participated in the ten-week faculty-led study/internship program to Fulda, Germany during summer 2006. During summer 2007, she studied a month in Florence, Italy at the Lorenzo de'Medici school. Michelle will be returned to Italy for Spring Break and may start learning Turkish this summer for two months in Turkey. I am giving studying abroad a try this summer. I am going to Osaka, Japan for a faculty led trip with my Japanese language instructor Asaka Noo. It will be a  4 week trip to learn the Japanese Culture. I will be receiving 6 credit hours in the process. Also for one of the four weeks we will be traveling to a bunch of different places in Japan like Tokyo and we will visit shrines. I am very excited that I get to experience this thanks to WVU.