Summers spent all across the globe, from as far away as Thailand to as close as Detroit, came together yesterday afternoon in the Michigan League ballroom as the Global Intercultural Experience for Undergraduates celebrated its 2003 symposium.

"We try and bring Michigan learning into the world and try and bring the world into Ann Arbor. People say that college isn't part of 'the real world,' but we're really trying to make it a part," said A.T. Miller, the program's coordinator.

The GIEU summer program, founded two years ago, encourages University faculty to propose a trip anywhere in the world and to design a matching academic program that incorporates anything from the natural sciences to local history to womens' studies.

These programs are submitted in October, and students must apply to the program in November before they are matched up with the specific trip of their choice in December.

This year some of the 12 GIEU trips traveled overseas to countries like India, Mexico and Ghana while two GIEU trips stayed in North America, one going to Toronto and one to Detroit.

"Intercultural doesn't have to mean international," Miller added.

LSA junior Chris March remembered how he spent last summer on the GIEU program in Thailand.

"(On) my first day working in a Thai middle school I had to get up in front up of about 1,200 Thai kids and introduce myself in Thai. It was pretty awesome. Working there was so rewarding, my host family opened their home to me and the kids in school were so eager to learn English," March said.

Each of the programs has intentionally small numbers, both to maximize interaction among the group and between the students and the local people.

"Intercultural learning happens between students as well. We'll draw students from across all the colleges and we can keep the numbers small so they really get to learn from each other," Miller said.

Senior Vice Provost Lester Monts addressed the crowd gathered for the symposium.

"A problem in the West is that we expect the world to come to us. With this program we can get out into the world ourselves," Monts said.

Nursing Prof. Jody Lori proposed and designed one of the summer trips to Oaxaca, Mexico.

"Successful international programs really help the University itself and the University experience for students," Lori said.

Because the GIEU emphasizes interaction with the local community, small group sizes and homestays, both students and faculty members said they view GIEU programs differently than traditional school terms abroad.

RC junior Lauren Heidtke said her trip to Mexico was not comparable to the other types of foreign learning experiences she's heard about.

"It's not like the typical trip to a college in Europe. Our program featured lots of discussions within our own group and in the community," Heidtke said.

"Our work took us into the community - it was more personal, we weren't with our group for most of our time. I felt like a minority for the first time in my life," she added.

LSA junior Noelle Carampatan said her trip to Maui offered something other types of trips lack.

"We got to see a side of Maui that isn't all beaches and resorts," Carampatan said. "We got really involved in the community. On other kinds of trips you wouldn't make as many intercultural contacts."

Program coordinator Edith Fernandez said the administrators of the program especially want students with no international experience to apply for a program.

"We want to attract freshman and sophomores without any international learning, or any other student who may not have any other chance to travel abroad," Fernandez said.

LSA sophomore Reed Swier was unabashed about his feelings for the program and his trip to Honduras.

"It was by far the best thing I've done at the University so far," Swier said.