STORIES FROM THE FIELD

Every year, Oberlin Shansi Fellows write about their experiences abroad including their challenges, their new adventures, and new explorations. Read the following pieces about learning discoveries, language difficulties, and personal growth experienced by our Fellows.

CHINA

INDIA

INDONESIA

JAPAN

CHINA 

2020

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• Mackenzie Lew '19: Authenticity as a Chinese-American

2019

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• Andrew Boor '18: Maneuvering Through the Constants and Shifting Landscapes: What Did this Year Change?

• Radia Lahlou '18: In Spring We Bloom!: the Ups and Downs of Moving Overseas 

• Brendan Nuse '17: What Am I Doing with My Life?

2018

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• Brendan Nuse '17: 我喜欢唱KTV

• Louise Edwards '16: The Art of Being Queer

• Lyric Grimes '17: Living and Learning in Beijing

2017

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• Maisy Byerly '15: Life in Taigu: Comic Contest! 

• Louise Edwards '16: Stories of My Grandmother

• Liam Leslie '15: "Alcoholism Doesn't Exist in China"

INDIA

2019

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• Austin Cope '15: The Simplicity and Complexity of Countless Cups of Tea

• Olivia Hay '17: A Town Called Madurai

• Aliya Tuzhilin '17: Pahadi Ecosystems

2018

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• Olivia Hay '17: Something to Write Home About

• Aliya Tuzhilin '17: Thoughts on Farming, Mustard, & Self-Sufficiency

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2017

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• Vanessa Champagne '13: From Hands to Chopsticks

• Emmanuel Greenberg '15: There is a Continent Outside My Window: Seven Observations from the Outside Looking In 

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2016

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• Vanessa Champagne '13: A Little Bit of Madurai In My Life 

• Emmanuel Greenberg '14: “A More Onerous Citizenship”: Exploring Health, Community, and Sickness in Rural India 

• Christian James '14: Mountains Beyond Music and the Etymology of Belonging

INDONESIA

2019

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• Sydney Garvis '18: Shansi Mythology

• Nikaio "Niko" Thomashow '19: Mau Ke Mana?

• Peter D'Auria '14: Finding Solid Ground

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2020

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• Emily Peterson '19: Navigating Banda Aceh

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2018

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• Eli Fisher '16: An Indonesian Passover

• Julia Skrovan '15: Pintu Aceh

• Hyacinth Parker '17: Indonesia hasn't broken me... yet

• Peter D'Auria '14: A Butterfly Entering Your House

2017

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• Eli Fisher '16: Reflections on a First Year in Yogyakarta

• Patrick Gilfether '15: Where Are You Coming From?

• Julia Skrovan '15: Kak Bule

• Teresa Tippens '15: Indonesia, With Love

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JAPAN

2020

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• Sarah Chang '19: If I'm Not Changing, I'm Decaying

• Leah Wood '16: Comfort Food

• Emily Eisenstein '19: Getting Comfortable with Discomfort

• Jenny Xin Luan '18: Where To Go After Hiroshima

2018

• Kayla Johnston-Mitchell '17: Three Steps to Becoming an "Osshare Sensei"

• Franklin Sussman '17: Pride

• Henry Aberle '16: Finding My People

• Annelise Giseburt '16: An American Hiroshima-jin's 2017 (And After) 

2019

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• Jingyi "Laura" Li '17: Story on Set

• Xin "Jenny" Luan '17: What I Do in Hiroshima

• Kayla Johnston-Mitchell '17: Steps to Do the Splits

• Franklin Sussman '17: Osewa Ni Narimashita: Ten Places I Will Miss

• Leah Aki Wood '16: 1,092 Hours on Pubic Transportation

2017

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• Henry Aberle '16: Getting Centered

• Annelise Giseburt '16: A Familiar Town

• Chul Kim '15: Job Hunting in Japan and My Path to Employment 

• Chris Nguyen '15: Language More as a Means to an End​

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