Wanting to Travel Abroad AGAIN.

Photo: Left-A picture of Silver Lake, the lake I visit every summer in Michigan.

Right- A picture of me.

By Katylee Strange

The reason I would like to do the Puerto Rico Travel Writing Program is because it seems like a very interesting place in a part of the world that I love. I traveled to Puerto Rico when I was younger and fell in love with the country. It is mix of both tropical and metropolitan areas. In Puerto Rico a person can get the best of both worlds. I plan on graduating in May from the University of Oklahoma and in order to do so I think the six hours credit that the course offers would be a great way for me to graduate on time while doing something I enjoy which is traveling. I was lucky to get to participate in the British Media Study Abroad in the spring of 2010 and enjoyed every minute of it. While on that study abroad I learned a lot about my personal limits and myself. I really enjoy new adventures and I think the Puerto Rico trip will be very educational and adventurous. I love traveling and with the trip to Puerto Rico I would be able to travel and get class credit as well. That is the main reason why I want to participate in the Puerto Rico Travel Writing Program. I think it will be a different experience but fascinating at the same time. I feel like being a participant in this trip would make me a worldly, well-rounded person. A few of the skills that I have that I can contribute to the class is my past experience with traveling as well as my enthusiasm for meeting new people and learning about different cultures. I am also very organized and level headed when it comes to schoolwork, which is another thing I can add to the class. Overall I am excited about the trip to Puerto Rico.

Let the Adventures Begin!

I come from a long family line of teachers, so I have grown up traveling often for the purpose of learning. My mother has taken me to many museums around the country that have often been relevant to the lessons I am learning in class, for example the Holocaust Museum in eighth grade because we were studying that unit and my uncle lives in the District of Colombia. During my junior year of high school, I had the opportunity to go see my uncle in China where he was living for six months on government orders. China, obviously, is a vastly different experience than the trips to Mexico I had taken with my aunt in previous years. I was not sure what to expect in China, but gained a world of value from their culture. I feel that these two countries have greatly impacted me because they are both countries that place a strong value on their culture rather than the individual. These experiences have given me a love for traveling and learning about other cultures and I could not have done most of them without my aunts and uncles.
I have always had a love for the Hispanic culture because we began learning Spanish in the fourth grade. I continued this language through middle school and high school until I declared a Spanish minor at OU. Recently, I had to sadly drop my Spanish minor so that I may graduate in May due to a potential job opportunity coming up in June. I have always wanted to study in Spain to practice my linguistic skills and be fully immersed in the culture of the language to eventually become bilingual. There was never that one perfect semester or any financial aid to allow for this opportunity, so Travel Writing in Puerto Rico is finally the perfect opportunity to study abroad and finish extra class credits needed to accomplish a May graduation date, and most importantly continue my Spanish.
I have a passion for learning, meeting diverse people, and exploring new places and ideas. Alongside my passion, I can bring to this class a knowledge of the Puerto Rican culture, the Spanish language, and excitement for learning how to write while traveling. The one thing I wish I had time for before graduation besides traveling abroad is increasing my writing skills through writing specific courses. Writing can guide people miles through life, and unfortunately it is a skill that I have lacked to greatly develop and I am truly regretful as I continue on my professional development path. This is an experience that has potential to end my senior year on a great note!

One Small Step Off a Plane, One Large Step to Graduation

By: Kathryn Collins

As I took my usual route up the stairs and through the halls of Gaylord (my second home), something caught my eye. There was an opportunity to study abroad in Puerto Rico. My eyes lit up and my imagination ran wild as I saw that my two passions were colliding together: writing and traveling.

Excitement flows through my veins when I am able to step off a plane into an unknown land to meet new people, see different things and experience unexplainable adventures. I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to travel abroad to Brazil, Africa and Nicaragua for mission trips. The experiences I had in those foreign lands were unlike anything I could have ever imagined. The bubble I had lived in my whole life had finally burst as I emerged myself into new cultures. The people, the food, the land and the history of those countries have all contributed to the views I have on the world today. My past experiences with traveling have encouraged me to continue to explore other places. Beyond that, I have always wanted to study abroad before I graduate. I feel that studying abroad can teach me much more than a normal classroom.

This program will not only contribute to my personal growth, but it is also practical to my academic career in allowing me to graduate on time. I know that programs like these are made to teach students, but I also feel that I have qualities to offer to a program like this such as: my outgoing personality, my dedication to schoolwork, and my personable attitude. I hope to have the chance to study abroad in Puerto Rico to further my personal and academic goals.

E is for Excited

My favorite part of any fashion magazine has always been the travel articles. The new and exotic places the author wrote of always intrigued me because I am such a devout world traveler. I have been to eleven countries in Europe and South America, and I am always so excited to visit new places. I am the child of two retired military parents who each have travelled all over the world. I was fortunate that they gave me the same opportunity my freshman year of high school. Heidelberg, Germany is the place I called home for over two and a half years, and to this day I still refer to it as my hometown. This study abroad trip to Puerto Rico is not only exciting, but very practical in costs, duration and will be very academically rewarding. I made journalism my major because I believe it eencourages you to get out, explore and interact with others. Though I am not sure what career path I want to take just yet, I know that courses such as Culture and Theory and Travel Writing Genres can open my mind to various possibilities and aspects of journalism. Gaylord has already exposed me to new places and amazing people. If given the opportunity to take this trip, I hope to find a better way to observe the places I visit, and to record my experiences in new, innovative ways. After learning travel writing techniques from these classes, I would love to take what I learned in the classroom and start a travel blog for friends, family and other enthusiastic travelers after the classes are over. So far, Puerto Rico is not only beautiful, but rich; rich in history, culture, and most importantly food!

Our adventure is about to begin! Students will learn how to write for the travel industry through interviews, learning to identify markets and hone their skills while experiencing the varied culture and people of beautiful Puerto Rico. An intense travel experience that will bring rewards and memories of a lifetime. Write on! --Jocelyn Pedersen

The 2010-2011 Class Experience Begins Here!

It's a new year and a new class experience for our group of travel writers to Puerto Rico. This year, Dr. Meta G. Carstarphen, course director, and Ms. Jocelyn Pedersen, guest lecturer, are leading this year's class members. Our preparation so far have included some field trips in Oklahoma and Texas to explore the ways in which different locales "communicate" their culture--through geography, monuments, signs, art, food, music and more. Our next stages include a fast-paced, immersion experience in Puerto Rico. For seven days, we will travel the Island to places such as San Juan, Fajardo, Luquillo, Loiza, Ponce, Vieques and points in-between. We are reading When I was Puerto Rican by Esmerelda Santiago, a wonderful memoir that will guide some of our own reflections on our Island experience. Along the way, the students will be developing their own stories which they are going to pitch to editors for potential publication. Their final group project will result in a multimedia display of some of their work. Follow our students' adventures, read their reflections and share your comments!

About the 2009-2010 class: Why we were there, and why we will return

Created by Dr. Meta G. Carstarphen of the University of Oklahoma, Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, this class offers six(6) credit hours through an intensive immersion experience in Puerto Rico. Students from multiple majors learn to use the professional tools of journalism--research, interviewing and writing--to report on their experiences with diversity, culture and travel.
The 2009-2010 class is the 4th installment of this course and this blog reflects student experiences from their travels between December 29, 2009 through January 11, 2010. Dr. Carstarphen (Dr. C) and Guest Lecturer, Dr. Federico Subervi (Dr. S) from Texas State University in San Marcos, TX led this year's exciting class. Dr. Subervi is a "native son" of Puerto Rico and has brought a great deal of enthusiasm, insider perspectives and just plain fun to our class adventures. Who knew he was such a good cook?
Our intrepid graduate assistant was Ms. Jocelyn Pedersen, who is finishing her Masters degree in Professional Writing from OU and is a contributing writer for The Norman Transcript newspaper in Norman, OK.
Last but not least, the logistics of this rigorous, challenging but enjoyable schedule of activities were coordinated by Mr. Pablo Espada of Logistics PR (http://www.logisticspr.com/).