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July 5 2020 · Participant Experiences

Travel at Home: Revisiting Exchange Alumni Experiences 

Documenting travel provides an opportunity to both record memories and to chronicle our paths for others. These records allow others to follow the unique twists and turns of travel from the comfort of their homes. There are wonderful travel resources — books, articles, TV shows — with which to discover the world.  Lucky for us at Cultural Vistas, we can travel vicariously through our participants by reading their stories of impact and adventure. Here are some great examples to share, which may serve as an inspiration for a time when we are able to travel again. Revisiting the United States…

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November 28 2018 · Alumni Spotlight

Year in Germany Helps Bosch Alumna Become Successful Artist

Sheryl Oring’s installation art piece “Writer’s Block” had been in storage for over a decade when a professor from University of Virginia called her to ask to show it on campus. Created while Sheryl was living in Germany, the piece features 600 antique typewriters in cages of old rebar. It is a commentary on Nazi censorship that has become socially relevant again in recent years. The piece was displayed on campus just a few months after the events surrounding the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville which resulted in the death of a young woman.

August 3 2016 · Exchange Tips

How To Dress Like a Berliner

Before leaving for Berlin on the Cultural Vistas Fellowship, I got a lot of advice about how to dress, ranging from “100% black” to “skinny jeans” to “never smiling.” As someone equally terrified of airline weight restrictions and looking like a tourist, packing for this summer was an exercise in anxiety. I’ve outlined some of the major points for how to dress like a Berliner that I’ve picked up throughout the summer below.

July 28 2016 · Alumni Spotlight, Features

8 Stories to Celebrate the International Day of Friendship

When traveling abroad, one of the most fulfilling experiences is developing friendships. But the friendships you form abroad can look different from what you expect. In 2011, the United Nations proclaimed July 30th as “International Day of Friendship.” The resolution emphasizes the involvement of young people as leaders to help promote friendships between countries, people, and individuals as a means to “inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities.” That sounds a lot like our work at Cultural Vistas… In honor of the five-year anniversary of this resolution, I sought out stories of friendship from our own exchange program alumni. Below are…

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May 5 2016 · Exchange Tips

How Living Abroad and Parenthood Are Basically the Same

You’re in a new place. This person is yelling at you in a language you don’t understand. None of his gestures make any sense. You’re beyond tired already. Your diet’s completely changed. You’re achy from carrying the extra weight of your luggage. Finding accessible public transportation is a never-ending challenge. People from home keep asking “How’s it going?” but you know they’d just rather see an Instagram snap of your experience than hear about it. The shock sets in. This just got REAL. Your life will probably never be the same. Am I talking about international travel or the first few…

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