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St. Cloud State University
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Summer in Serbia educates SCSU student
By Nyssa Dalberg
Published:
Thursday, September 16, 2004
While some students basked in the sun or worked during their summer vacations, Jill Schoepf took the time off from books to travel overseas.
Schoepf traveled with other SCSU students to Europe with Campus Crusade for Christ. During their stay, the group learned about Serbian culture and shared American culture with their European contacts.
"I wanted to do something with my summer instead of just going to the beach," Schoepf said, "I didn't know much about Serbia before but the more I looked into it, the more I thought 'wow, I can make a difference in these people's lives.'"
Schoepf's group stayed on the top floor of a hostel in Belgrade, Serbia's capitol. The facility is used for a high school dormitory in winter and as an international dormitory for mission's trips and travelers in the summer. Schoepf said her room had no screens so it was easy for animals to get inside.
"There was this one morning where I woke up and turned my head around and there was this pigeon right by my head. Random things were always flying in. We had a bat in our room one night," Schoepf said.
Her temporary home had no fans or air conditioning. Schoepf said when the weather became hot students had no choice but to grin and bear it.
"There was this one day where the heat index was 115 degrees Fahrenheit and we would just lie there in a pool of sweat," Schoepf said. "There were definitely sometimes when I almost fainted."
One of the first things the group did when they arrived in Belgrade was attend a seminar about the history of Serbia.
"NATO bombed them in 1999 and they are still rebuilding their economy. They want to be a part of the European Union but they can't for at least another 10 or 20 years," Schoepf said.
"There are still bombed out buildings and a lot of poverty. There are a lot of gypsies and homeless people on the street," she said.
After learning Serbian history, the next step was to connect with the people and ask them about what they think about things like America.
"We went to this restaurant and the waiter asked us where we were from and we said America, and the last thing he said to us before he left was 'America is my dream,'" Schoepf said. "Being over there makes me appreciate what I have so much more for sure."
Schoepf and Campus Crusade for Christ also talked to the Serbian people about their religion.
"Everyone (in Serbia) basically grows up Orthodox. You're born into the religion," Schoepf said. "If you would ask someone on the street, 'Are you Orthodox or are you Christian?', they would say, 'yeah, I was born here' (I'm Orthodox). Whereas in America you can believe whatever you want to."
One difference Schoepf noticed between Serbia and the United States is that Serbians seem to value friendship above everything else.
"They put so much value on friendship. They were really open and cared about what you had to say," she said. "We would meet people over there for the first time ever and they would speak with us and all of a sudden they would be inviting us over for dinner."
Campus Crusade offers a missions trip every year and students are encouraged to attend.
"Your mind and your thoughts will be shaken up. There is no way you can go to a place like that and come back exactly the same," Schoepf said. "It changed the way I think about God and America and what is important to people both in America and half way around the world."
