The Odyssey Office in Buhler Hall is proud to present “Images from Abroad: Student Perspectives.” This photographic display features images from 15 different countries on five continents. In the fall of 2005, Thomas Christie received one of the first Odyssey Grants to support his project. He organized, printed, and custom matted each image. The exhibit also includes a statement from each student about his or her time abroad. This display brings the Odyssey Program to life for those who visit the Odyssey Gallery.

Web visitors are invited to view the pictures and read each student’s reflection. These images appear in approximately the same order as they are hung in the Odyssey Gallery.

Judson Taylor
Untitled
Yang Ming Shan National Park, Taiwan

Mt. Qi Xing in Yang Ming Shan National Park, Taiwan is the location of this gnarled grove. A dense forest of arrow bamboo (Pseudosasa japonica) sprouts beneath the distinctive trees. Arrow bamboo purportedly blossoms once every sixty years. Unfortunately, no efflorescence extended a welcome upon this visit.

Thomas Christie
Moonscape
Cappadocia, Turkey

I studied in Graz, Austria last year and used my winter break to visit Turkey for three unforgettable weeks. I went with a friend, and we traveled about 2,000 miles by bus and ferry. We arrived in Istanbul about the same time pilgrims were returning from the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, so at the airport were hundreds of cheering relatives in religious dress quite a surprise! In central Turkey there are formations created by compacted volcanic ash that generations of Christian monks carved out and used as homes. They are multi-level structures and are called ferry chimneys by the locals.

Jessica Bridges
Small church in Machuca
Machuca, Atacama Desert, Chile

After my semester of study in the central Chilean, coastal city of Valpara, I got to travel in the northern part of the country, which is mainly desert. One day, we left out at 4am to venture from 2,000 meters to 4,000 meters above sea level, at 40 degrees below 0 Celsius, to watch the geysers awaken. On our way down, we stopped by the small town of Machuca (pop. 8 in the winter, due to the severe temperatures) for some sopaipillas and coffee, and to see the little bit of the town that exists, including this quaint church.

Nathan Thompson
On Avenida Cordoba
Buenos Aires, Argentina

One of the joys of city life is people watching. I accidentally took this picture while crossing the street near the facultad one day. Buenos Aires is a huge city, and this picture seems to capture a bit of its pace- one of the ubiquitous cabs rushes across the street as a stylish portena woman impatiently gestures while talking on her mobile phone.

Margi Ault-Duell
What color is your boat?
Riomaggiore, Italy

Colorful buildings clinging to the hillsides, vibrant boats piled on the dock, precarious trails winding up through the lush vineyards and gardens, the startlingly blue waters of the Mediterranean...the beauty and simplicity of Cinque Terre, far removed from the bustle of urban life, captured my imagination. I felt that it would be the perfect place to live if I ever want to write a book or become an artist.

Alvin Grissom
ElectricTown
Akihabara "Electric Town" Shopping District, Tokyo, Japan

Akihabara, a prolific shopping district in Tokyo, is an unfathomably busy locus of electronics. I traveled here with a friend after having attended the Tokyo Game Show. Though exhausted, the exhilarating luminescence of the lights kept our attention until we returned to Osaka later that night.

Alvin Grissom
TokyoGame Show 2004 Entrance
Tokyo, Japan

The Tokyo Game Show is a multi-day, bi-yearly event during which most of the major videogame companies unveil their new products. The attendance was in excess of 160,000 people, as Japan's gaming culture is quite large. A gamer myself, attending this was a dream come true, and made me the envy of my geeky friends.

Sam Henry
Elegant Contrast
Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku-ji) in Kyoto, Japan

The name of the building is quite literal, the exterior is actually covered in gold leaf and laquer. To me, this picture is a representation of the elegant, yet contrasting appearance of Kyoto. Contemporary buildings, ancient buildings, and nature contrast, but there they flow together almost seamlessly.

Judson Taylor
Untitled
Gao Xiong County, Taiwan

This photo depicts a tonsure ceremony at Fo Guang Shan Monastery, Gao Xiong County, Taiwan in which participants were inducted into monastic life for one week. Tonsuring involves ritual shaving of ones head as a sign of spiritual dedication. Since the program only lasted for one week, the monastery did not require female participants to undergo the actual procedure; males received no such exemption. Not surprisingly, the ratio of female-to-male participants was somewhere around 4-to-1.

Thomas Christie
Inside
The Blue Mosque, in Istanbul, Turkey

The Blue Mosque, named for the 20,000 hand painted tiles decorating the interior, is probably the most beautiful and enchanting building I have ever seen. It has three design elements that are common to almost all Muslim architecture geometric patterns, calligraphy and arabesque. I stayed in a hotel nearby and could see the tall minarettes from the window, and could hear the call to prayer every morning shortly before sunrise.

Molly Housh
Bending Light
St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland

As a student of Religion, I resonate with the image of the religions of the world as different stained glass windows in a cathedral. Each window may depict an entirely different image and throw an extremely unique color pattern on the wall, yet each window is bending and interpreting the same light, and each adds new beauty to the reverent space of the cathedral. It was a joy to me to visit places of worship all over Europe and witness the wonderfully varied refractions of light.

Megan Kennedy
Untitled
Oxford, England

This statue was outside of the History of Science Museum, which I passed every week going to my tutorial. It symbolizes, to me, the timelessness of Oxford. It's a city where tradition and history mix with modernization and technology everyday. It helped me realize that it is only with an appreciation of the past that we can move forward into the future.

Nathan Thompson
Avenida Rivadavia
Buenos Aires, Argentina

It's cliché to say of Buenos Aires that it's reminiscent of Europe, but it's true. This is a street scene on Avenida Rivadavia, near Congreso (in the background) - it's a great old street packed with all sorts of turn-of-the-city architecture from the days when Argentina was one of the wealthiest nations in the world. I took the picture in June, in the dead of winter in Argentina, and the many trees that line the streets give the area a completely different look when naked of their leaves. Fans of Borges might remember that Rivadavia is the street that divides North from South in the city, as mentioned in his short story El Sur.

Eric Schirtzinger
Prague
Prague, Czech Republic

Last year I studied in Austria and arranged to meet friends in Prague for New Years. We had a wonderful time the entire city was a giant party, with fireworks exploding throughout the city streets. The next day the city was dirty but calm, and in the evening I went to the Prague Castle. This is a view of the city from the castle.

Eric Schirtzinger
Minarette
Istanbul, Turkey

Turkey is the most foreign place I have ever been. The architecture was fascinating, because it's unlike anything in the U.S. or Europe. The minarette used to be where the call to prayer was sung five times a day, but today they use loudspeakers that sound artificial. Still, it's moving to hear the call sung simultaneously from mosques all over the city.

James Szenher
Neogothic Perspective
Fisherman's Bastion, Budapest, Hungary

This place was built at the turn of the last century along the walls of Castle Hill on the Buda bank of the Danube. It is named after the guild of fishermen who guarded this part of the wall. I walked along the Bastion for a while before I finally found a good place to try and get all three spires in one shot (I was low on film).

Benji Hardy
Yonso
Yonso, Ashanti Region, Ghana

I was a guest in Yonso for about one week. Do you want to know the most amazing thing about this village, and the hardest thing for me to come to terms with? It's this -- people live there; real people. They chat, gossip, work, eat, watch TV, get drunk, get sick, build homes, go to church, go to school, move away, move back, disagree over musical tastes, fall in love, hate each other, complain about the government and the weather, covet their neighbors' cell phone or livestock, give to the poor or weak, steal from the poor or weak, develop time-saving methods for daily routines, become annoyed with their significant others' minor flaws, give meaningful gifts of varying size to guests, children, friends, family.

Leah Card
Rua Reidh lighthouse
Near Gairloch, Scotland, U.K.

This picture was taken on the northwestern coast of Scotland. The lighthouse had been converted into a B & B in which my parents and I stayed for a few nights. Although it was extremely windy and "in the middle of nowhere," it was very satisfying to see the flashing of the light, the waves crashing against the cliffs and to turn around and look a lone sheep in the eye.

Simira Nazir
Last Look
Cradle Mountain, Tasmania, Australia

After completing a half day hike to Marion's Lookout to see the baby in Cradle Mountain, my group saw nothing but white fog surrounding us. Then, once we spent the second half of the day hiking down and heading towards our bus, this gorgeous moment appeared. Cradle Mountain was the high point of my trip to the little island under the Down Under.

Leah Card
Town and castle
Conwy, Wales, U.K.

This picture was taken from the top of the walls surrounding the fortified Welssh city of Conwy. Located on the northern coast of Wales, Conwy appears much like it did many centuries ago; the majestic castle in the corner, small homes (Conwy boasts the smallest house in the U.K.) and a town center market. Visitors are able to walk on top of the walls above and around the town which offered this spectacular view of the town and castle.

Simira Nazir
Divine Beauty
The Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia

The 12 Apostles are the highlight of the 400 kilometer Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia. These limestone rocks were worn away by the ocean, making arches that eventually broke to create these pillars of stone. Only 9 of the 12 could be seen the day I went because they were worn away, or they had collapsed. A couple of weeks before I left to come back home, one of the small pillars in my picture collapsed, so I cherish this photo a lot.

Ben Mire
Maori Culture
WhakarewarewaVillage, Rotorua, New Zealand

My experience abroad in the south Pacific was the most amazing time of my life. The native cultural influences were uplifting and inspiring, especially the Maoris. I one day hope that ot her countries will follow the example of New Zealand by creating a strong relationship between the settler culture and the native culture.

Benji Hardy
Kwabena Danso and Benji Hardy
Yonso, Ashanti Region, Ghana

I am a college student born to a middle-class family in the most powerful country in the world; I am majoring in International Relations because I think there are huge problems with the world. When such problems depress me, I think, "one day, one day I will do something." My friend in this photo, Kwabena Danso, was raised by his elderly grandmother, a subsistence farmer, in a tiny house with no electricity or running water; his scholarships have landed him in the psychology program at the University of Ghana, where he single-handedly started a nonprofit student organization that now coordinates the provision of financial assistance to the poorest elementary school students in his home village. While I was in Ghana, we visited the U.S. Embassy together, where Danso was denied a visitation visa because of his family's lack of assets.

James Szenher
A quick peek
Krakow, Poland

This was the best hostel I stayed in during my entire time in Europe. The people were friendly and it was by far the cleanest, and one of the cheapest. What really set it apart, though, was the free food that was available all day long. Granted it was just bread and spreads, but I pretty much lived off of milk, toast and Nutella for a few days, and made friends with a group of travelers from Argentina.

Jessica Bridges
Adriana on the porch of the parcela
Near Santiago, Chile

I spent two months in Santiago, Chile, as a live-in babysitter at a group home for adults with developmental disabilities. My first week there, we took a trip out to the country to enjoy some fresh air. We spent most of our time out on the porch of our little parcela (cabin), and this is one of those moments with Adriana.