The Omnibus

Issue date: 12/7/07 Section: In the Spotlight

Media Credit: Woodfill Seniors Karena Blaes (far right) and Stephanie Woodfill (middle right) pose with their roommates in front of the Taj Mahal. Blaes and Woodfill spent six months studying abroad in South Asia as a part of their degree program for Intercultural Studies. While there, they studied the language and culture as well as teaching English to nationals.

Seniors Stephanie Woodfill and Karena Blaes returned to the States late November from their experience studying abroad in South Asia. The team spent six months studying the language and the culture and teaching English to university students. The experience was a part of their degree program for Intercultural Studies.
For the first month, Woodfill and Blaes suffered weather of 120 degrees in an unair-conditioned apartment, living with a widow and her servant. After living a month with the widow, Woodfill and Blaes moved into their own apartment with two other girls who were also working with their supervisor.
Woodfill and Blaes were able to experience many aspects of the culture of South Asia during their stay including attending an engagement ceremony, riding elephants and camels, eating spicy food and participating in religious celebrations of the culture.
Woodfill and Blaes were able to take a trip to see the Taj Mahal while in South Asia. After leaving the Taj Mahal, they traveled by train. The train was delayed for four hours, and when the train arrived, it was so crowded that people were hanging on the outside of the train.
"We squeezed ourselves onto the train and sat in the seats we bought," said Woodfill. "We had to sit on each other's laps surrounded by Indian men and women."
The team also got some sightseeing in where they were able to ride camels and elephants.
"The elephant ride was scary because I felt like I was going to fall off," said Woodfill. "And we were riding up a hill to a palace. A camel ride is only scary when the camel stands up because they stand up with their back legs first and then their front. I like camels though."
During this sightseeing trip, they saw monkeys, goats, pigs, donkeys and cows running wild on the streets.

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