International Sojourning in the U.S.

Abstract

The experiences of visiting university faculty have been documented in the literature, yet, there appears to be a dearth of studies concerning the impact of sojourning abroad on children of visiting scholars who join a parent for an extended visit to a host country. This article will present a case study that qualitatively examined the perceptions, expectations and reflections of two young Koreans who accompanied their father during his 10-month sabbatical at a large, public university in the South East United States. Specifically, data collected by the researchers through a series of interviews investigated socio-cultural and situational experiences and challenges reported by the participants who were living in a host country. The results of this study suggest that in order to have a successful international sojourn experience, prior to their departure, both visiting scholars and their accompanying family members should have a certain level of cultural competence and linguistic proficiency of the language of the host country, and be open to new life experiences and challenges that they will encounter abroad.