ISA’s Custom Programs division is celebrating its 15th year in service to U.S. universities for their faculty-led and partnerships study abroad programming. Join us for this series of 15 things as you imagine, develop, and implement your own custom programs abroad.
6. ISA Brussels – Pauline LeFloch & Matilda Talvio
- ISA Brussels Resident Director & Student Service Coordinator, Pauline LeFloch & Matilda Talvio
What is your favorite cultural site or activity you most enjoy sharing with students?
We love the excursion to The Netherlands. As it’s a bus trip and we visit lots of places, it gives us a chance to spend time with the students and for everyone to bond. Also, the itinerary is great: we see wonderful art museums, visit the International Court of Justice, learn about European and Dutch history and spend time outdoors, biking at a UNESCO heritage site and visiting the Scheveningen beach in The Hague.
What has been the most interesting academic visit or guest lecture you have been a part of for a custom program?
In March 2013, we organized a roundtable discussion with several health care professionals and professors for the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown healthcare and social work program. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn about the Belgian health care system and share an interesting discussion with the students and the panel.
What advice do you have for future faculty leaders?
Make sure you work with your CP Manager to understand the practical limitations and possible issues that may arise in your itinerary. Make sure the students are also aware of these practical points, such as weather conditions, how much walking there will be (with luggage and without) and in what conditions (cobble stones, hills, public transport, etc). Finally, if you have any unclear points or any questions at all about how the program will work or what is provided and what you need to remember, please don’t hesitate to ask clarifications prior to departure, no matter how small a detail it may be!
7. ISA Costa Rica – Ania Chaves
What is your favorite cultural site or activity you most enjoy sharing with students?
The three-in-one tour to Poaz Volcano, La Paz Waterfall, and Doka coffee estate: in one day, the students get to visit a coffee plantation, which is one of the most important economic activities in Costa Rica, visit an active volcano with the possibility of walking to the edge of the crater, and finish up the trip visiting one of the most beautiful sites in Costa Rica, surrounded by toucans, monkeys, hummingbirds and other animals normally not seen up-close.
What has been the most interesting academic visit or guest lecture you have been a part of for a custom program?
We organized an “alternative medicine” lecture last May. This was a workshop that we did with a member of a Grammy-winning band from Costa Rica, called EDITUS. He taught us how he uses music, meditation, and the power of the body’s energy to help stop illnesses and medical problems untreatable by more traditional means. It was especially interesting, as the students were studying nursing and were interested to understand how alternative means can help alleviate their patients’ problems.
What advice do you have for faculty leaders?
The most important point to having a good experience is to come with a positive attitude! We are the Pura Vida country, and enjoy one another. Be prepared for good, but traditional and sometimes repetitive food: lots of rice and beans everyday, and for the tropical climate!
8. ISA London – Marina Kozhuharova
What is your favorite cultural site or activity you most enjoy sharing with students?
We often include theatre performances in programs, and it’s so fun to get to go see a play myself, as well as discuss the history of London Theatre with students after the experience.
What has been the most interesting academic visit or guest lecture you have been a part of for a custom program?
Being a law student at King’s College myself, my favourite lecture is a part of the Chadron State Justice Studies Program. We have contracted with Professor Thomas MacManus of King’s College for the last couple of years, and he leads a discussion on case law, legislation and E.U. Law, the role of the Queen, noticeable differences with justice system here and U.S., etc.
What advice do you have for faculty leaders?
You can trust ISA and focus completely on your program and students; we will work hard to make your time here most enjoyable and stress-free!
9. ISA Meknes – Daniel Ostad & Iman Essamati
What is your favorite cultural site or activity you most enjoy sharing with students?
DO: In Morocco, the most impressive excursion would have to be the Sahara! The feeling of being in the desert is an indescribable sensation; to be entrusted with the “task” of presenting students to the Sahara is very rewarding. There the space, the silence, and the elements all seem to be enhanced somehow. With every trip we make to the desert we are able to experience it through the students as if it were our very first time there.
IE: In addition to the Sahara, I love seeing the students experience a traditional hammam for the first time! They clearly feel very awkward at first, but once inside they observe that it is a normal thing in our culture, and that everyone is paying attention to their own business rather than anyone else’s. At the end of the experience, they always leave with huge smiles, a bounce in their steps, and a memory they won’t forget.
What has been the most interesting academic visit or guest lecture you have been a part of for a custom program?
As part of a the ASU Sustainability CP, we explore energy, sustainability, and development and have various meetings and visits. One of the governmental agencies in Rabat hosts a discussion in order to learn more about the impact of the massive solar energy project being developed in Morocco. The students’ questions and professionalism was outstanding and provoked some very interesting dialog with the authorities!
What advice do you have for faculty leaders?
Faculty leaders are experienced educators, so I would probably enjoy receiving advice from them! But our best advice for professors leading a trip to a country in Latin America or Africa is to be flexible and patient for unpunctuality or unexpected change in the plans.
10. ISA Salamanca – Carmen Abanades Cruz
What is your favorite cultural site or activity you most enjoy sharing with students?
In my 14 years of working with ISA, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in so many cultural visits and tours with the students to show them the city that I live in, and I’ve always enjoyed explaining the different monuments within the city to the students; the students in turn love to discover these things and hear their histories, which often you cannot find in a book, and they are always surprised with Salamanca.
What has been the most interesting academic visit or guest lecture you have been a part of for a custom program?
I remember one special lecture about Dali and Surrealism that was instructed by a History of Art professor through the Universidad de Salamanca, and another about Santa Teresa de Jésus that was taught by a very well-know literature professor within the Universidad de Salamanca. It’s amazing to be able to rely on such a great number of professors and historians that develop their academic activities through the Universidad de Salamanca, because it’s so popular and prestigious.
What advice do you have for faculty leaders?
I think that the professors that accompany a CP should feel calm and assured, and they should be able to enjoy the experience just as much (if not more) than the students, because all of their needs will be covered. Also, I would have to encourage you to come to Salamanca for your CP – we have the prestige, the experience, and the infrastructure to support your program. Plus, we were the first program created by ISA in 1987, and since then we’ve had thousands of students pass through our beloved city!
Melissa Stone is a Program Manager for ISA Custom Programs. Melissa works with programs in Belgium, the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, France, and Jordan.
