Have you ever wanted a peek into someone else’s study abroad experience? It’s hard to predict which aspects of a foreign country will be most memorable. Sometimes, an architectural masterpiece becomes emblematic of time spent in a country. Or maybe it’s a simple moment that sticks out, something experienced in passing: a crowded commute on the Tokyo subway or a woman and child seen every day on the walk to school. Whether it’s Prague, Tokyo, or anywhere in between that’s pulled at your heartstrings from afar, we invite you to live vicariously through Smith students who have captured some of these exquisite moments from their time abroad s on camera, and been generous enough to share them with us.
For Yuka Oiwa, class of 2016, it was the majestic beauty of Floating Gate, a Shinto shrine, that stayed with her after leaving Kyoto, Japan. “During a weekend trip, my study abroad group spent a night on the holy island of Miyajima,” Oiwa recalls. The day she visited, tshe tide was low and she was free to walk through the orange gates that were usually waist-deep in water. “As the sun started to set I took this shot looking out to the mountains and at the last ferry boat coming towards the island.”
Anna Carroll, class of 2016, was studying abroad in Denmark when she took this photograph in the Danish Royal family’s private stables. Carroll was mesmerized by the centuries-old, marble-adorned stables of Christiansborg Palace. A self-described equestrian with a passion for horses, she treasured this grand stable, which she could stop by on her way to class. Rich in history, it’s the last remnant of an entire castle that was burned to the ground. In all the grandeur surrounding her, what struck her was the contrast of seeing this little boy and horse communing with one another. “Inside the stables’ chilly and impressive walls, I spotted this simple moment between an equally curious young Danish boy and a royal steed,” Carroll remembers fondly.
Tziona Breitbart, class of 2016, spent a semester in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. In this photo, she captured Cesky Krumlov, “a medieval town in the Czech Republic that survived multiple wars and communism.” The peaceful appearance of the town that is expressed in this photo doesn’t hint at its tumultuous history. “It represents where the identity of the country comes from, as it was one of the only cities that had Jews living in peace with Czechs during the 13th century.”
Sometimes it is the simple, human moments that linger with us. Elana Brooks, class of 2016, took this photo while studying abroad in India. “I frequently passed this family while leaving my host family’s home for school. The blue and orange colored walls, with the embellishments of gold chains on the child and woman, complimented with the touch of the woman’s hand on the child, was an emblematic tableau of daily life.
Chloe Beckman, class of 2017, shared with us a similar snapshot of one of the more quotidian parts of life: her commute from the Saitama prefecture on her way to school in Tokyo, Japan. Most memorable was the intimacy of spending so much of her day in such close quarters. “Taken on the train into Tokyo on my daily commute, this photo reminds me of the feeling you get when the train is so packed that you don’t need to hold onto anything but your bag. But more than that, it reminds me of that moment when you finally push out of the crowd and onto the platform, knowing all the while that at the end of the day, the ritual will repeat.” The journey especially made her reflect on time.
Travelling means something different to every individual. For some, it will be the intimacy of a subway ride that will linger on in our memories and for others, it will be the satisfaction of witnessing a historical monument up close. Regardless of how going abroad affects you, the most important aspect is how it expands your mind and your perception of the world . Seeing a woman and child on your walk to school every day, even if you never speak to them, or walking beneath the colorful gates of a shrine, offer insights into a culture that only being there in the country can expose you to. Whether you have had the good fortune to spend much time abroad, we hope that in reading this issue, you can get a glimpse of the vastness and complexity of the world through photos, and through essays about those photos.
Isabelle Fitzpatrick is a sophomore currently majoring in Mathematics and Statistics as well as French Studies. A lifelong world traveller and binational of France and the United States, she spends her summers and winter breaks visiting her parents and younger brother in Shanghai, China. She aspires to combine her love of languages and travel with her studies in math to eventually work for an international organization as a statistician.
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