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UST Psychology Students Study Abroad in Singapore
7/17/2009
 When Travis Wedeking traveled with 12 University of St. Thomas students on a Singapore study abroad program, it was not only his first trip overseas, but his first airline flight.
The life-changing experience was well worth conquering the fear of heights and flying for the 21-year-old student from Waller, Texas. And Wedeking can't wait to travel again.
Through its nationally recognized Study Abroad Program, UST continually provides opportunities for students like Wedeking – many of whom have never left the country – to develop a global perspective.
Knowledge of different peoples and cultures through study and internships in foreign countries is valuable preparation for participating in the emerging global economy and culture.
The 10-day trip to Singapore held from May 30 to June 11, a course in Cross-Cultural Psychology, was led by Dr. Elizabeth Maynard, assistant professor of psychology. This is the first time Maynard has led a study abroad program, but she had a personal interest in taking students to Southeast Asia because she lived in Indonesia during high school.
“I really love that part of the world,” she said.
Singapore was chosen, she explained, because East and West meet in Singapore, an island nation home to citizens of Chinese, Malaysian, Indian, and English ancestry. While it's predominantly an Asian society, it's a multicultural city of 4 million people. Singapore’s population is also with an ethnically and linguistically diverse. Though the main language is English, the Mandarin Chinese, Tamil, Urdu and Malaysian languages are also spoken.
Ten of the 12 students are psychology majors or minors, and two were international studies majors or minors, Maynard said. The group paid particular attention to individual and family life, and intergroup and intercultural relations. We will also explore the history and politics of Singapore, immigration and acculturation issues, and the expatriate experience.
 Studying and traveling abroad are important parts of a UST education. It has one of the top ranked study abroad programs in the nation. The Institute of International Education named the University of St. Thomas as one of the top 20 master’s schools in the United States for study abroad programs. This year, UST ranked 16th out of 169 participating master’s institutions. Ten percent of UST students study in other countries compared to a national rate of 2 percent.
“It was fantastic; the experience was amazing – the food, the culture, the people – everything was beautiful,” said Shermeen Abdullah, a 20-year-old junior.
Abdullah traveled to London on another study abroad trip and has traveled to Spain and Pakistan. But Singapore “opened her eyes a lot,” she said.
The city was much different from other places she has visited. It's more of a mix, and everyone seems to work and interact well with each other, she observed. Abdullah hopes to focus on the business side of psychology and believes exploring Singapore will add an Asian perspective to her world view.
“The business market these days is so international,” she said. “It's true of almost every company.”
Highlights of the trip included a World Vision event with 1,000 students from Singapore. UST students were asked to build a shelter out of paper and cardboard, on a tennis court in 100 degree weather, Maynard said. They also learned about relations between the U.S. and Singapore at the U.S. Embassy, visited schools to study the educational system, took a cross-cultural workshop and visited Caritas Singapore to hear about the challenges faced by the Roman Catholic Church in Singapore.
On the cultural side, the group visited a church, mosque, Hindu and Buddhist temples. They used public transportation, and explored Chinatown, Little India and the predominantly Muslim part of the city, as well as the colonial area.
Wedeking was impressed with the quiet and polite behavior Singapore citizens showed on public transportation, as well as the respect and care the community gives the elderly.
 His most unique cultural experience was a fish pedicure, an adventure Maynard also tried.
“You clean your feet and put them in fish tanks where the fish eat your dead skin off. I have never seen so many guys giggling.” Maynard said. “It's one of those things you try one time, but never again.”
Kailey Posterick, a 20-year-old junior with a joint major in theology/psychology, is interested in youth ministry, but dreams of doing missionary work in other countries.
“I thought I was being overly ambitious, but after my study abroad trip it seems a lot more plausible now,” Posterick said.
To learn more, View the UST Study Abroad Program Web site or contact Diana Garcia at garciad@stthom.edu.
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