International Studies

On March 10^th registration will open for Summer 2015 courses.  Take note of summer course offerings which can be applied toward the International Studies major:

http://internationalstudies.cofc.edu/documents/summer-courses

If you are planning to study abroad this summer with CofC, the deadline is March 15.

In just one month (beginning March 26) registration will open for the Fall 2015 term.  Now is the time to start planning your classes and to make an appointment to come in for advising.

From the College Today (25 February 2015 | 11:57 amBy: Melissa Whetzel)

Phillip Hall ’09 gets paid to be on vacation. He spends his days surfing in Costa Rica, traveling the country and capturing it all in photos and video. He’s the owner of a Costa Rican surf/travel company.

When the hospitality and tourism management major graduated from the College of Charleston, he sold everything he owned, and moved 1,600 miles away to start a company – based on papers and plans he wrote in his business classes.

Q: How would you describe your job?

A: I’m the owner of Surf The Earth Costa Rica. My job is to give people the best vacation they can possibly have from the time I pick them to the time I drag them back to the airport wishing they had more time. I am a full service tour guide offering my guide to the best accommodations, transportation, tours, photography of your trip, and surfing of course.

READ: “Water Bound” in College of Charleston Magazine.

Q: Why Costa Rica?

A: I knew I wanted to live in Costa Rica because of their laid back way of life. I had visited Costa Rica every year since my first trip at the age of 18, and sometimes twice a year. In my mind I already knew that’s where I was going to live.

EXPLORE: Check out study abroad opportunities at the College of Charleston.

They have a saying here called “Pura Vida,” its kind of like Aloha. Costa Rica is also very safe compared to other countries and has better infrastructure as well as a constant tourism flow.

Q: Why Surf The Earth?

A: My company is an offshoot of a surf shop I worked for in Pawleys Island, S.C. I worked there since I was 14 and always planned to grow their name and their way of providing top-notch surf hospitality.

I wrote all of my college papers based on business ideas I had for Costa Rica. After college I sold everything I had and moved to Costa Rica to slowly start making my dreams come true.

Q: How did you get started in Costa Rica?

A: Once I finally made my plans for Costa Rica, my boss was very excited for me to start the CR side of the business. I built a website and started a large Facebook campaign for my business. Right when I got to Costa Rica I already had business flowing in.

WATCH: See video from some of Phillip Hall’s recent trips.

Later, I bought a video camera and started capturing all of my adventures around Costa Rica and posted them on Facebook. This bloomed a whole new side of my business with photography and filming. Capturing my client’s vacation and posting them on Facebook just brought more and more business. So I guess I started small and it has just been slowly getting bigger.

Q: What is the coolest thing you have done?

A: I got the chance to provide a bucket list experience for someone who was dying of cancer. The trip had always been a dream for him and I felt honored to be able to give him some joy at the end of his days.

Q: How did the College prepare you for starting a business in Costa Rica?

A: Dr. (Robert) Frash’s final college essay (that was required to graduate) forced me to make a plan. I wrote a 30-page business plan on developing a hotel in the jungles of Costa Rica. The essay had to be good enough to give to a potential investor or bank for a loan. The essay taught me how much it really takes to start a business the right way and make a proper plan.

LEARN: Read about the hospitality and tourism management major.

Q: What is your big career goal?

A: My big goal for Costa Rica is finally coming true right now. I just started building a 10-bedroom eco-container house 100-feet from the beach. I will use this to live out of and rent to clients and large groups. The structure will be completely made out of shipping containers but covered inside and out to hide the industrial look of the container. This is the final piece to my puzzle because I have not had my own place to accommodate people with the full hospitality that I would bring.

Q: What is your advice to current students?

A: FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS, you never know where they will take you.

This story is republished from the original College Today article.

17 February 2015 | 1:26 pm
By: Ron Menchaca
Contact: Weishen Wang, professor and chair, Department of Finance, 843.953.0887

Chinese New Year begins Feb. 19, 2015. Originally based on the Chinese lunar-solar calendar, the holiday is celebrated in many Asian countries over several days.

The holiday, also known as Spring Festival, is traditionally celebrated by families coming together to renew ties.

Each Chinese New Year is assigned to one of 12 zodiacal animals, with 2015 being the Year of the Sheep.

“It is a great family time, similar to Christmas here in the USA,” says Weishen Wang, professor and chair of the Department of Finance in the School of Business. “We will have great food, in particular, dumplings, and performance. Usually people put on new and beautiful clothes. Grown-ups give kids lucky money.”

Millions of people will travel from major Chinese cities to celebrate the holiday with their families.

LINK: View a heat map showing the massive amount of travel that occurs during Chinese New Year.

As president for the Chinese Association in Greater Charleston, Wang is helping to organize the association’s Spring Festival. The event takes place Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015, from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the James Island Community Education Center, 1000 Fort Johnson Rd., Charleston.

The event will feature traditional Chinese music, dances and singing followed with a banquet of delicious Chinese foods, door prizes and more. For more information and to pre-register for the event, visit http://www.cagcsc.org/springfestival.html

Association members receive free admission. Admission for non-members is $15, students – $10, children ages 6-12 – $5, children 5 and under – free.

EXPLORE: Study the Chinese language at the College.

Spending a semester in Chile 15 years ago changed Lauren Stevens ’03 life. The communication major (and Spanish minor) is living in Chile, translating one of the country’s luxury magazines from Spanish to English.

Q: What is your job title and how would you describe your job?

A: As translator for Chile Deluxe, I am given texts in Spanish and I’m in charge of translating and editing into English to appear in the quarterly luxury travel magazine.

The hardest part of my job is figuring out how to translate some concepts that are not common in both languages. The famous “lost in translation” issue is always a challenge.

Q: What do you love most about your job?

A: My favorite part is seeing the finished product: the magazine. Flipping through it and seeing my work published is a real thrill. Another fun part is getting to be the first to read about all the new hotels, offers, and tourist destinations in Chile.

Q: Why did you decide to move to Chile?

A: I took part in the College’s semester abroad in Santiago, Chile in 2001. After I graduated, I spent a year working in the U.S. and then decided I wanted to go back to Chile. I already knew my way around the country and had some friends thanks to the study abroad semester.

GO: Learn more about the College’s study abroad program in Santiago, Chile.

I moved there without a job, but was able to teach English to adults and as my Spanish improved, I started translating small documents into English (mostly my student’s resumes). Little by little, I started translating marketing texts and reports for my students who worked for international companies and had to communicate often in English.

A friend from the College who studied abroad with me had also moved to Chile and offered to help me get into translating. From there, one thing led to another.

Q: What was the hardest part about moving abroad?

A: The hardest part was immersing myself and learning how to operate in a different country that has a totally different system and way of doing things.  Things you do daily such as going to the grocery store, stopping by the bank, talking to a neighbor, or even ordering pizza can be a challenge at first!  It takes some getting used to and in the end either you learn to always be prepared or you learn how to improvise really fast.

Q: What is your big career goal or dream?

A: I’d like to continue translating and possibly work for some international publications.

Q: How did your experience at the College prepare you for your career?

A: Studying abroad really changed my life as it was the first time I had ever actually “lived” in another country. It opened my eyes to a totally different culture and gave me a new view of the world.

For my line of work, I would definitely say that the English and writing composition classes at the College really helped me improve my research and communication skills. Of course, Spanish classes and Latin culture and history courses were useful, too.

EXPLORE: Check out the College’s communication major.

Q: What advice would you offer current students?

A: Do what you love and don’t worry about the money.  That will eventually come, but it takes time. Meanwhile, let your enthusiasm for what you do show and people will take note. Later they will call on you when a good opportunity presents itself.

From: http://today.cofc.edu/2015/02/11/want-job-translator-luxury-chile-magazine/

Live and work overseas! We offer 27-month programs in over 65 countries around the world.
All your travel, training, medical, dental and living expenses are paid for. Many benefits such as
student loan deferment and graduate school assistance are available as well.
Around the globe, Peace Corps Volunteers are making a difference by helping communities
take action to improve lives.

All majors welcome!

ATTEND ONE OF THESE EVENTS ON YOUR CAMPUS FOR MORE INFO:
College of Charleston
Info Table | Stern Student Center
Wed. February 11th | 12:00- 3:00 PM (stop by anytime. No appointment needed)

Info Session | Stern Center Room 206
Wed. February 11th | 4:00 – 5:00 PM
Can’t make it in person? Contact South Carolina Regional Recruiter Charles Portney at
cportney@peacecorps.gov for information about Virtual events