Catch the travel bug: USU students have opportunities to see the world

By Jennifer Brady

March 6, 2006 | Utah: one of those places you either love or hate. People either want to live here the rest of their lives, or get out as soon as possible. Regardless of whether or not one loves Utah, people find it is nice to get out every once in a while.

Students across Utah are given many opportunities to explore the outside world. Some serve in the military, others for their church. Some join the study abroad program, others become nannies. Some travel to do service, and some people just leave to have a good time. What is it that compels them to do such things? Why would anyone step into the unknown? How can you become one of the many world travelers?

"I wanted to get out of this bubble and see the world." says Kristin Galbraith. In 2003, Galbraith decided to take a semester off of school, pack her bags and move to England. She didn't know where she would live, what she would do or even how she'd survive. She just knew it was time to "get out" for at least a little while.

Upon arriving in England, she toured London for a little bit until it came time to settle down and mingle with the people. She needed to find a job. It may sound simple, but it took some preparation. Before leaving the United States, she joined a student work-abroad program on the Internet: BUNAC. BUNAC specializes in aquiring working visas in countries like Great Britain, Australia, Ireland, Canada, and New Zealand. If one is interested in the program, he or she must fill out an application, pay the designated fees, and wait for his or her visa to arrive via snail mail.

"It is probably one of the easiest ways to get a working visa," says Galbraith. The only requirement is that the applicant must have been a full-time student within one semester of joining the program.

Once the members arrive in their designated countries, BUNAC assists them in finding jobs. Students find jobs as servers, retailers and office assistants. The majority of the members find a job within a week of living in the country.

During her three months in England, Galbraith worked as a waitress in a college for firefighters.

"It was fantastic! I lived in the dorms with all my coworkers and the firemen," she says. The British culture took some time to get used to, but she grew to love it and now says she misses the friends she made there

Working in another country isn't the only way to get out of town and make some money at the same time. Some choose to be nannies here in the United States.

"I love children and thought it would be cool to live in another state," says Annie Merrell. She has nannied in Ohio and San Francisco. "I got to be really close to the kids and it was nice to make some friends outside of Utah," she says.

In 2003, Merrell took care of a boy and a girl in Ohio. Her basic duties included doing laundry, cooking, running errands with the children, helping with homework and playing at the park. It wasn't all work either. While taking care of the Danner family, she had the chance to go with them on a cruise with all expenses paid. In 2004, she took off for San Francisco: the city she always dreamed of living in. There, she nannied two girls. She also became great friends with the cable car drivers (which got her free rides) and explored one of the most popular cities in the world.

Others who don't fancy being a nanny, but love kids chose to work as camp counselors. Jaylene Dalley, a dietetics major at USU did just that. She worked as the sports director at Clara Barton Camp, a camp for young girls with diabetes.

"It was great to use the knowledge I had gained through my classes at Utah State and make a difference in the lives of children at the same time," she says. Each day she planned sporting activities for the children, helped the children learn how to manage their diabetes and encouraged them to get out of their comfort zones. Every other weekend, she spent time touring the East Coast. She traveled to places such as Boston, Providence and New York City.

"I got to meet people from all over the world. I enjoyed learning about the various cultures that surrounded me," says Dalley.

For the more studious pupils, who are interested in exploring while pursuing an education, study abroad is the answer. Students from Utah State and all over the country uproot themselves from the place they call home to endeavor in a unique learning experience.

USU students have the opportunity to continue their education in Chile, France, Germany, and many other countries. It can get to be a little expensive for those who are trying to get out of student loan debt. However, the students who choose to go experience something only fellow study-abroad students can understand.

Now working and studying can be a good time if you find the right subject to submerge yourself into. However, some may find that philanthropy is more rewarding for them. Sharen Brady, a nursing professor at Weber State University has had the opportunity to serve people in various countries throughout the world. She has taken nursing students to rural areas of Guatemala to do health teaching with CHOICE twice. She has also had opportunities to travel to the Ukraine and Ghana with her colleagues at Weber State. This summer she is taking her students to Ecuador to assist in some oral surgery with the Charity Anywhere Foundation.

Brady finds this kind of traveling to be the most rewarding. "Traveling for pleasure can get to be tiresome and monotonous, but when you travel with a humanitarian purpose, you grow to appreciate the culture, the people and the experience," she says.

There are many humanitarian groups like CHOICE and Charity Anywhere that need volunteers to build window wells, teach school and work in hospitals. Most of the time, the volunteers don't even have to be experts in a field. They just need to have a strong desire to reach out to the less-fortunate.

So regardless of the reason, students, teachers, and other Utah citizens can find the joy in leaving the Beehive state. Whether they choose to work, serve, study, or whatever, spending a little time in a foreign land (from California to China) can be one of the most rewarding experiences of their lives.

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