International flair

The national flags of 27 countries, representing the home countries of foreign students studying this semester at California Lutheran University, were paraded at a special chapel service Wednesday to mark International Education Week.

"It's really an opportunity for our campus community to acknowledge our international students and our study-abroad students, and it gives the students a chance to share something of their experiences with us," said Angela Rowley of the university's Multicultural Programs Office, which organized the event.

Edward Nanyaro, an economics major from the east African country of Tanzania, decided to attend the university in Thousand Oaks after meeting an American student from CLU who spent some time studying in his country as part of the study-abroad program.

"The most frequent question I am asked by kids is, Are there lions in your country and do they eat people?'" he said, raising a laugh from the audience Wednesday. "I tell them lions eat zebras."

It's simple questions like that, Nanyaro said, that help people learn about other cultures.

Lisa Loberg, CLU's study-abroad director, said the university encourages students to spend a semester in another country because "when you travel, you learn about others and you learn about yourself."

CLU junior Blythe Cherney spoke about her experiences last spring when she spent four months in Thailand. She described it as "the hardest and the best experience of my life," saying it taught her to be strong and independent.

She lived with a Thai family, explored the country in the company of several other American students and spent 10 weeks teaching English to a group of Buddhist monks, whom she described as "the most genuine and kind people I have ever met."

Senior Melissa Anderson, 20, shared her experience of studying in Tanzania for almost six months. Despite a bout of "extreme culture shock," she looks back on her time in Africa with a sense of accomplishment. "I have a better sense of where I fit in the bigger picture," she said.

Penny Cefola, an associate professor of English, recalled coming to the United States 34 years ago from Thailand to study at Georgetown University. She encouraged the international students at CLU and those thinking of going abroad to make the most of the opportunities that come their way.

"Use that time in your life to make a difference in the lives of the people you meet, and make them miss you when you go," she said.

--- Published Nov. 15, 2007, in the Ventura County Star