Experience learning
Candi spent nearly four weeks in Romania the summer of 2005 as part of a study abroad course with a service-learning component. In December 2006, she traveled to Oman with a group of students and sociology professor Dr. Scott Monsma to learn about Islam, the Arab world and Omani culture. During fall 2007, she was one of the first participants in Northwestern’s new Romania Semester program. In addition to her major, Candi is also pursuing a cultural studies minor.

World aware
“Studying abroad was a good opportunity to see the world from a different perspective. I was able to step out of my comfort zone and view my way of life through another’s eyes. I was also exposed to life and events outside of the U.S. Now I’m more attuned to the different things going on in other countries, and I make an effort to learn about world events.”

Getting out of class
“I really love to travel and learn about different cultures. You can only learn so much about other cultures by sitting in a classroom here in the U.S. It’s when you actually immerse yourself in another culture that you actually start to understand that culture. Summer study abroad in Romania also allowed me to earn credit hours—what better way to fulfill my cross-cultural education requirement?”

Hard lessons
“The most challenging part of the program for me was realizing how much I take for granted in my life. The things I own, the opportunities I have, the choices I have the right to make—I take all these things for granted. Then I wrestled with my need for more things, for the opportunities I choose not to take, and the wrong choices I make.”

Strong insight
“While in Romania, God revealed to me what my strengths are. There were many different things I thought I could not handle, but God showed me that together we could work through everything, and of course, I came out of these experiences feeling both very humbled and blessed.”

Inspired
“I was inspired by my host sister, Roxi. She became a Christian because of the organization we worked with. However, her family is not religious at all, and they don’t understand her newfound faith. They think she’s throwing away her life on all this ‘crazy talk.’ She has a Bible someone gave her, and she likes to journal her prayers—but she can’t leave them anywhere because her parents will throw away the Bible and read her journal, then mock her for what she has written. She is persecuted in her own home, yet through this all, she loves her family and continues to pray for their salvation. I was convicted about my own lack of zealous spiritual fervor. I met someone who yearns for Christian fellowship, and I was inspired by her story. I was inspired to put an end to my mediocre, lukewarm faith and really be passionate about God, about learning more about God, and about serving him.”

Priceless
“The experience I had in Romania was priceless. Sure, we paid to go over there to learn and serve, but the blessings I had a part in—as well as received—have no earthly price tag. Getting out of your comfort zone, seeing the world through others’ eyes, obtaining a different perspective and gaining an understanding of another culture are all things I think everyone should experience at least once in his or her life. Why not do it here, in a context that integrates both faith and learning, with the opportunities we have at Northwestern College?”