September 2013 ticks in and here we are again, starting a brand new school year with amazing study abroad stories our returnees brought back, as well as great events taking place on campus in regards to students’ post-study abroad experiences. The events calendar of the Study Abroad office is as busy and rich as it has always been, filled with returnee luncheons, workshops and conferences.
As an experienced “studied-abroad” student myself (Perspectives on Globalization, the Hague, Netherlands) I cannot express enough how much of a help it can be to get together with advisors and peers, who can fully relate to you in terms of transitioning back to Macalester life, after spending months in somewhere completely different. After a few conversations around campus, I knew I was not alone in that I am just adjusting to the GMT+8, and that my inner voice kept murmuring “it is crazy to be back - I am happy - but it is weird”, and trust me, knowing that you are not the only confused one does help.
For those who have recently discovered our returnee blog, and those who are revisiting after taking a summer break, I am Ceren Kaysadi (Istanbul, ‘14), the new Study Abroad Program Assistant and Peer advisor and the blogger for the Vagabond Scholar for the 2013-2014 Academic Year. Throughout this year, I will be actively blogging here, writing about your study abroad experiences, announcing the events of the year, sharing news and updating any relevant links I can find about Studying Abroad and the post-adjustment process.
Having said that, I am thrilled to announce two major events happening in September, both which are unique opportunities to start transforming post-study abroad confusion into building inspirations for new life plans and potential future career options.
The first big event of the year is our Welcome Back Luncheon for the Spring 2013 Study Abroad Returnees on September 19, 2013. The event will be taking place in the Weyerhauser Conference Room at 11:30am-1:00pm. The event could pretty much be described as an information capsule, that which you can easily swallow in less than two hours, about everything you practically need to know about the ‘adjusting back to campus life’ process. So come! Also, amazing food, as usual.
The second big event is the 7th Annual MN Study Abroad Returnee Conference on September 28, 2013 (Saturday), which I am very excited to announce, will be taking place on our campus this year! Held each fall in a partnership with numerous institutions from across the state of Minnesota, the conference is designed to “fit the unique needs of recent study abroad returnees” by offering various sessions about transitioning back and planning for the future .
Here is the list of sessions that will be offered during the conference:
Go Abroad Again: Teaching and Short-Term Work
Go Abroad Again: Teaching and Short-Term Work
There is a small registration fee ($10) which you should pay in advance (the deadline is September 21!), and the event will be from 1pm to 5pm on campus.
Additionally, I would like to tell you once again that this blog is for you and about you (!), dear Study Abroad Returnee. There is a good chance that I will contact you sometime in the future and beg you to be my next Q&A interviewee about your experiences back in that country of X, Y, Z. Otherwise, you can always be generous enough to offer it yourself, or even write up your own stories, or share anything you desire, that which you think fits in the Returnee experience. I can almost guarantee it is going to be published on the blog. FYI.
See you all on Thursday at the Luncheon!
Ceren Kaysadi
Study Abroad Program Assistant and Peer Advisor
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