While the band witnessed a revolution in Egypt, other Augustana students were busy traveling home from 21 other countries on six continents.

A total of 175 students studied abroad this Interim. Now, back on campus for spring semester, many of them are reflecting on the real-world knowledge they garnered under the guise of academia.

On a trip across India with journalism professor Janet Blank-Libra and English professor Sandra Looney, sophomore Thad Titze saw the Dalai Lama and attended the Jaipur Literature Festival, while exploring an unconventional study abroad location.

"There are some places in the world where you can show up with a reasonably good guide book and see what you want to see.  India is not one of those places," Titze said. "You need professors to take you there and show you the culture and the people."

The technical academic aspects of the trip sprung from visiting Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist pilgrimage sites, but the students absorbed additional knowledge from just observing the country.

"India might be developing quickly, but it still has major, fundamental issues to deal with concerning its people, infrastructure and the general state of living before it can move ahead," Titze said.

Junior Leah Roghair, who studied the global economy in Australia with professors Reynold Nesiba and Shelly Gardner, gained insights about herself while learning about the economy, higher education, wine, mining and tourism industries of Australia.

"Studying abroad has made me more independent, more outgoing, and more willing to try new things," Rodhair said. "It also taught me to enjoy life and not stress - the Australian motto of ‘no worries' should be one that everyone lives by."

Most of the students, such as senior Holly Timmons who traveled to Ecuador with a nursing leadership course taught by Vickie Rieff, highlight a state of "culture shock" that comes from  going abroad.

"It was a shock to be in this new place where I was the one who looked different, everyone stared at me," Timmons said.

Fourteen professors from Augustana led trips abroad this Interim, and students often appreciate having familiar professors around.

The professors and students get to know each other beyond academic formalities.

"It was fun to interact with them outside of a normal classroom environment," Roghair said. "Professors are people, too - they have hobbies, quirks and personalities that students sometimes look past or forget about."

Departing in early January, students are gone for almost a month, allowing them the time to immerse in a new culture.

"It was important to me to experience another culture so that I could be culturally sensitive while working as a nurse in the future," Timmons said. "I can potentially interact with all sorts of people."

And that's what students are really after with J-Term abroad courses: the chance to broaden their understanding of the world beyond the printed words on a page or the glossy pictures in a textbook.

"Culturally, India is incredibly rich whether it is literature, music, the oral telling of their epic stories, or in their religious practices, which permeate every aspect of their lives," Titze said. "Seeing all of that was my favorite part of the trip."