ssues & ideas EDITOR RUMANA DSOUZA THE VOICE, THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2016 7 Around the world in eighty ways Pam F at = LANGARA COLLEGE submitted photos Clockwise: Langara College instructor Kenneth Wong with students at a souvenir shop in Guangzhou; Langara student Shawn Heeren with Wushu champion Master Tian; students at the Dapeng Fortress in Shenzhen for the China field studies program. Field studies offer contact with culture Students at Langara College are eligible to choose from a variety of destinations to study abroad COURSE destinations THE CARIBBEAN Barbados, Dominica and Saint Lucia CHINA Wuzhen, Beijing and Shenzhen JAPAN Tokyo, Kamakura and Kyoto UNITED KINGDOM London, Whitby, Edinburgh, York and Manchester Source: Langara College By REUBEN DONGALEN JR. avigating world cultures, learn- ing new languages and improv- ing future job prospects are some of the reasons why study abroad programs are popular, some Langara students say. At Langara College, students are opting for study abroad field schools in China, the Caribbean, Japan, Europe and other destinations. Kenneth Wong, an instructor in the Langara School of Management, said students have a lot to gain from study- ing abroad. “There’s a Chinese saying that says—you learn more by travelling 10,000 than reading 10,000 books,” Wong said. According to a 2014 study by Univer- sities Canada, 97 per cent of post-sec- ondary institutions in Canada offer overseas experiences, but only 3.1 per cent of Canadian undergraduates on average studied abroad. The greatest obstacles, unsurprisingly, are cost and language. Wong, who leads the China field studies program, said the study abroad field schools provide hands-on experi- ence for students, especially those who have never stepped outside of North America. “Most of the students will actually come back and say that was the best part of the program because they got to know local people, who they contin- ue to keep in touch with,” Wong said. Emma Macmillan, a general studies student at Langara, said that being part of the art history study abroad program in Europe for three months was a great way for her to start her col- lege experience. “Tt was amazing. Unreal. Europe it- self is such an incredible place, and so different from here too. I would never have learned as much if I just went to those places on my own,” she said. Malcolm McLeod, a creative writing student at Langara, attended a theatre study tour in New York two years ago that involved walking tours, Broadway plays and filmmaking courses. “Thad been to New York in the past, but got to learn more about it then I ever would have known otherwise,” McLeod said. McLeod estimated the total cost of his trip at $4,500, excluding the airfare, but said he spent less on the study tour to New York than he would have going on his own. “Without a doubt, it was worth it,” he said. A way out for students through global scholarships Scholarships worth $1,000- $3,500 are available to stu- dents to fund field schools By VERONNICA MACKILLOP to study abroad have an effective solution for high travel expenses— international scholarships with student loans. Studying abroad can turn out to be an expensive endeavour with students paying for tuition, study materials, flight tickets, accommodation and food. One World International Scholar- ship recipient Veni de Guzman said her semester in Europe was well worth the high cost. “If I didn’t get the award, I would have pulled out of the program since I wouldn’t be able to afford it,” she said. Les College students planning coupled De Guzman, who is studying art his- tory at Langara College, said her se- mester abroad also helped with her studies. “T wanted to go see the actual art- work and architec- ture rather than just looking at pic- tures,” de Guzman said. Excluding meals, the cost for de Guzman’s trip came up to about $10,000. The schol- arship, offered by The Irving K. Bar- ber British Colum- bia Scholarship Society, was worth $2,000. Rory Grewar, program director at the society, said they provide the funds for international scholarships, which VENI DE GUZMAN One World Inter- national Scholar- ship recipient are then administered by different in- stitutions. “Tn 2015, the society granted 17 inter- national scholarships to Langara stu- dents to study abroad,” Grewar said. Grewar added that students who ap- ply might also be considered for the Premier’s International Scholarships which are offered by the society, too. Laura Vail, assistant registrar for fi- nancial aid and awards at Langara, urged students to apply for the study abroad scholarships. “We have almost $30,000 [in scholar- ship money],” Vail said, referring to the One World International Scholar- ship. The criteria to receive this schol- arship includes academic merit and community involvement. “In a perfect world, all students would have the opportunity to study abroad. It’s just not always financially possible,” Vail said. 66 In a perfect world, all students would have the opportuni- ty to study abroad LAURA VAIL ASSISTANT REGISTRAR, FINANCIAL AID velop taste for speaking In dif- ferent tongues From Czech to Japanese, world languages are gain- ing steam at Langara By LUIS MINA ra College are opening up new doors for curious students. Langara’s world languages and cul- ture program offers non-credit classes in nine different languages, including Russian, Cantonese, Czech and Kore- an. The classes are heavily focused on conversation skills, and students en- rolled in the program range in age from 20 to 60 years old. “T wanted to be an English teacher in Korea but because I’m not doing that until a year later, I thought I might as well learn the language,” said Alisa Yung, a student learning Korean in the program. But that’s not the only reason why Yung opted to learn Korean. Her fasci- nation with Korean culture goes back as far as she can remember. “Tve been interested in it ever since I was young, so I don’t really know what exactly it is. But ’ve always been inter- ested in their music, their culture, their food,” she said. In the continuing studies program, students are introduced to basic struc- tures, vocabularies and expressions for daily use and are encouraged to speak conversationally. Naomi Cheng said she decided to learn Japanese because people always assume she is Japanese. Cheng moved to Canada from Hong Kong when she was two. “T was introduced to Japan field studies and I was able to travel to Ja- pan for a month. I was able to learn a lot of the culture and meet a lot of new friends,” Cheng said. Cheng is now the vice president of the Langara Japan Club. According to the program overview on the website, language instructors in the program are native speakers skilled in second language teaching. Christine Wong, who teaches Can- tonese in the program, said she has no- ticed her students benefit from the so- cial atmosphere of the class. “T find that they feel very happy after each class,” Wong said. She added that another benefit for the students learning a foreign lan- guage is that they can build an addi- tional social network. “That means they can make new friends from different environments,” she said. Fes language courses at Langa- LUIS MINA photo Students learn Cantonese in the continuing studies program.