Alums Abroad
by Jennifer Gennari Shepherd

uite simply, living in Spain was one of the best experiences, both personally and professionally, that I have ever had,” said Jesse Lee Rozycki ’84, who has returned after two years in Pamplona as finance director for Bosch Siemens and Fedders International air conditioning. By exchanging a Glassboro address for an international one, many Rowan alumni gain a global perspective. Some of the following six alumni will be in a foreign country for a brief chapter in their lives; others have made a long-term commitment. For all of them, the rewards are many. Kathryn Mossman Mason ’94 finds that living in Japan gives her hope for humanity. “The Japanese place an emphasis on the ‘we’ instead of the ‘I’ and the importance of co-existing peacefully and respectfully,” she said. “It’s a lesson I dearly wish we could bring home and teach to all.”

Greetings from China


have always had this sort of infatuation with China,” said Karina Rehavia ’01. “It has always been a mystery and a place I wanted to try to understand.” Rehavia is experiencing the wonder of China firsthand as a teacher in Shanghai.
   A native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Rehavia has loved to travel ever since she was a 15-year-old exchange student in Wisconsin. “The world had opened up to me in such a way that, upon my return to Brazil after Wisconsin, I already knew that I was going to leave again,” she said.
   Rehavia has studied eight languages. Her native tongue is Portuguese and she is fluent in English and Hebrew. In high school and college, she studied Spanish, Italian, French and Czech, but not Mandarin. “I first began to learn the language about two hours before boarding the plane,” she recalled. In Shanghai, she teaches English to about 40 students at a boarding school.
   Rehavia decided to go to China during her senior year at Rowan, and she is grateful to those who encouraged her, especially Sociology Professor Jay Chaskes, her mentor, Professor Joseph Bierman and administrator Dennis Blow. Her Shanghai living arrangements remind her of college. “When I lived in Triad Apartments, I thought that would be as small as it would get,” said Rehavia. Now she lives in a square room with a desk, nightstand and bed and an adjoining kitchen.
   As a foreigner, Rehavia has some advantages. During the Chinese National Day celebration, she and her friends were able to use a hotel lounge to escape the crowds without proof that they were guests. She has experienced no disadvantages, other than missing Honey Nut Cheerios and Golden Grahams, her favorite cereals. “Foreigners are very welcome in Shanghai,” she said.
   When her teaching contract ends in July, Rehavia plans to tour the country for six months and work on a documentary she is making about the changes in China. She has not had a chance to even visit the Great Wall. “I feel more like a person who lives here as opposed to somebody just passing by,” she said. She takes the metro every day, buys fresh fruit and vegetables at the market on Sunday, and drinks tea. “I am even getting really professional with chopsticks!”

Greetings from Germany


or Eli Hull ’83, ’93, living in Germany is a permanent decision. His wife, Claudia Preuss, is a native of Germany, and they have two daughters, Inga, 4, and Clara, 1. The family lives near Leipzig where Hull works as a copywriter and marketing consultant.
   A native of Matawan, Hull met his wife while he was vacationing in London. He hasn’t been back to the U.S. since 1998. “I think I miss convenience stores most,” he added. He knows his children, like many European kids, will probably someday like to live part of their young adult life in the States. His daughters have the advantage of dual citizenship.
   At Rowan, Hull took to heart the advice of communication pros Michael Donovan, Allen Miller and Frank Hogan, who said, “Wherever you are planted, get into the culture and let that voice filter through you.” Hull has done that. “I worked hard in the first few weeks and months of being here to thrive on the ‘fish-out-of-water’ feeling, balanced with respect for the people and the culture,” he said.
   Hull’s German is quite good, although he’s always looking to improve. He works in the area of digital or new media, and his typical clients range from an airport to a husband-wife public relations agency to a city tourism board. He also teaches English on the side.
   The family lives in a doppelhaus in the countryside. With Germany’s economy booming, he says his home doesn’t look any different than those in the U.S. “You can bet our house has just as many remote controls, tiny glowing status lights and gentle beeping sounds,” he said. From his window, Hull can see sunsets over farm fields, a scene not that different from South Jersey, except for the steeple of a centuries-old village church.
   Hull lives in Germany with ease. He takes his children to the movies and to the pediatrician, and swaps stories with other parents in the park. “I know where to take the kids on a rainy afternoon, so I guess I really pass as a local,” he said. After six years, “It’s not abroad anymore—it’s home.”

Greetings from France


s president of Rowan’s Student Government Association during his junior and senior years, Jason Levin ’97 perfected his public speaking skills in English. He never imagined that four years later he would give a speech in French to 700 managers at a Paris conference.
   Levin, who was an intern in the U.S. Embassy in Paris in 1996, won a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship in 1999. Now he is president of the Rotary Foundation Alumni Association. “The Rotary scholarship talks about international understanding and being an ‘ambassador of goodwill.’ I take that seriously,” he said. “I will continue my efforts to understand cultures and religions that are different than my own.”
   Levin started studying French in eighth grade. He is grateful to Professor Sonia Spencer, who encouraged him to go abroad. Once in France, he did a month of language study and now considers himself fluent. “Once I started working for a French consulting firm, my French got much better,” he said. “I was able to use French expressions and present in French.” Levin currently works as an independent consultant in the area of e-business.
   He lives in a one-bedroom, fifth floor apartment in the ninth arrondisement in Paris. Centrally located near shops and restaurants, he is 15 minutes from the Champs-Elysées and likes to visit Sacre Coeur and Notre Dame. “I am lucky to have a little balcony,” he said. “The view from my apartment is lovely.”
   Although Levin misses New York delis and Jersey diners (especially a burger and fries with a milkshake), he loves eating in France. “Food is a conversation here,” he said. “Steak in a béarnaise sauce is awesome and I love croissants, pain au chocolat and crepes.” He frequently dines at a cheese restaurant near his apartment, and at bistros during the week.
   Living in Paris fulfills all of Levin’s expectations. “For me, there is nothing more interesting than diving into a new culture and language,” he said. “You learn a great deal about yourself and you realize the American way is not the only way.”

Greetings from Turkey


or Umut Urfali ’96, his Rowan years were the ones that were “abroad.” Now he lives again in his native Turkey. “It was a tough decision to move back to Turkey,” Urfali said. Turkey has struggled to become a more free and democratic country, and living standards are higher in the U.S. Yet friends and family called him back home.
   Urfali and his wife, Melike Kuli, live in a new apartment building in Istanbul with a gym, pool and tennis courts. “The apartment complex is designed to make you feel like you are at your summer house,” he said. In the warm months, the residents gather for drinks by the pool.
   Urfali is a specialist in the strategy and business development department at Efes Pilsen, a beverage company that produces Coca-Cola and Miller beer. He appreciates that his workday is comparatively shorter than his American friends’. “We work late sometimes but I still have a chance to be with my wife and family friends and go to Rotary club meetings once a week,” he said.
   Urfali, who lived in Germany as a child, started learning English during high school. Nevertheless, the transition to New Jersey took time. “When I first arrived in the U.S. I could not speak a word for a couple of days,” he said. His first encounter with a fast-talking McDonald’s employee (“for here or to go?”) left him stumped.
   Urfali studied hard and graduated magna cum laude but he also took time to visit Philadelphia and New York. “I feel more at home at New York than I do in Istanbul,” he said. Urfali misses watching sitcoms and NBA games, especially the 76ers, which he now views on NBA.com TV. He also misses Taco Bell, Philly cheesesteaks and mozzarella sticks.
   Urfali recalls fondly the support of Rowan’s ESL Professor Joann Bouson and German Professor Edward Smith, who provided international perspectives. “Smith’s classes were a great platform to experience the richness of diversity,” he said. “I learned from him that the more people and cultures we meet, the more we learn about ourselves.”
   The Rowan years gave Urfali many happy memories, but he is glad to be home. “Although I was more comfortable and enjoyed the advantages of living in a well-civilized, rich country,” he said, “I am 100 percent happier here.”

Greetings from Thailand


here is so much to do in Bangkok, you could never be bored,” said Kathleen Kennedy Carden ’71. She doesn’t let the heat or rains stop her. She loves traveling up and down the Phraya River. “I am amazed at every turn by the floating market, the temples, the river taxis filled with saffron-clothed monks,” she said.
   Carden is an old hand at living abroad. After teaching for many years in Deptford Township and Glassboro, she and her husband, Donald, decided to move to London in 1988. In 1990, they moved to Indonesia for a decade, but were evacuated during the downfall of the presidency.
   Since 2000, Bangkok has been their home. They live on the 30th floor of a high-rise apartment. “The view is spectacular. At night you could be in any major city in the world,” she said. “During the day you know it’s Bangkok, with the palm trees, the smells of the food stalls, and seeing the wats (temples) in the distance.”
   Carden enjoys the challenge of shopping in Bangkok. The international city offers everything, and the “wet” markets sell fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers. She has learned to bargain, with her calculator and smile handy. “One of the benefits of living in Thailand is that we have a housekeeper who cooks for us,” Carden said. “She makes wonderful, spicy Thai food.”
   Carden, who has two grown daughters, Jane and Kate, at Florida State University, misses her family in the U.S. “When someone is ill you realize how far away you are,” she said. “The fastest you can get home is twenty-four hours.” She is grateful for the Internet, which helps keep her in touch with family and friends. Even her 79-year-old mother has learned to use the computer for e-mail chats.
   At Rowan, Carden, who earned a degree in elementary education, fondly remembers taking geography with Professor Michael Creamer. “I enjoyed learning about different places and hearing his adventures,” she said.
   Carden began taking classes in February to learn Thai. She is also active with the International Women’s Club, which has monthly activities and raises money for student scholarships. “I have enjoyed every moment of my time abroad,” she said. “I hope that it continues until retirement.”

Greetings from Russia


aura Mitchell became enchanted with Russia as a Peace Corps business volunteer. “It’s always been a little mysterious and different,” she said. She welcomed the chance to learn a challenging language and to develop her international marketing skills.
   A professor of business and communications at Moscow University Touro, Mitchell teaches three classes each semester with 40 to 60 students in each class. “My students are very different and at the same time very similar to American students,” she said. “They watch MTV and spend a lot of time on the Internet.”
   Mitchell, who has lived in Russia since August 1999, has had to make some adjustments in lifestyle. She lives on the 5th floor of a Kruschev-era building with temperamental utilities. “We’ve gone without heat, electricity and water for days to two weeks at a time,” she said. She still doesn’t have a telephone in her apartment; she relies on a mobile phone instead.
   To learn the language, Mitchell completed the Peace Corps total immersion language training. “I can understand more than I can express myself,” she said. “I know quite a bit of slang, which helps when my students slip into Russian during class.”
   Mitchell has not had a chance to visit many tourist attractions, like the Bolshoi. Her day is filled with work, commuting on public transportation and learning to walk on snow and ice without falling. “I try to blend in as much as possible. I shop for food and things at the outdoor renoks, which is how the average Russian shops,” she said. “And I have learned to like borscht!”
   Mitchell, who is originally from Millville, misses clean streets and sidewalks, reliable electricity, gas and water, and Taco Bell. News and photos via e-mail keep her in touch with family and friends from home. “Being able to connect on the Internet is a little piece of sanity,” she said.
   However Mitchell plans to stay another year or so. She wouldn’t trade her experience in Russia for anything. “I recommend everyone leaves the U.S. for a period of time and live like a native somewhere else,” she said. “It makes you appreciate what you have at home but it also gives you a perspective on how other countries and people view the U.S.” Living in Russia, she adds, is “a new adventure every day.”

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Jennifer Gennari Shepherd is a freelance writer living in California and the associate editor for Rowan Magazine. She lived in Japan as a child and has traveled extensively. This story was made possible by the Internet, which reminds us of our interconnectedness in this global village.