Although this photograph might not catch your attention at first glance, the story behind the image will intrigue you. Bowdoin College student Andi Noble took this photograph as she studied abroad in Peru. Her inscription next to her photograph reads, “Despite the desert heat [of Peru], I continue to wear long pants to avoid calling unwanted attention to myself in the form of piropos [or catcalls from men]. …I have never experienced living in a society where women such as myself are so blatantly objectified, and it just doesn’t feel right.”
This image is part of an amazing collection of photographs entitled Exposure that Bowdoin College students have created to reflect on their study abroad experiences. Exposure is a photo-journaling project made up of 62 images, taken in 15 different countries by 22 Bowdoin students during study abroad trips in 2012 and 2013. It is currently on display in Smith Union’s Lamarche Gallery at Bowdoin College until Feb. 28.
Bowdoin’s International Programs and Off-Campus Study directors created Exposure to help students find new ways to reflect on their time spent studying abroad and share their stories with the Bowdoin community. Throughout the past eighteen months, students studying abroad received email prompts to help them reflect throughout their semester. Prompts focused on first impressions, everyday routines, feelings of discomfort and reflections.
Bowdoin student Lizzy Hamilton describes a portrait of her in a Peruvian kitchen with a little boy, “In my family [in Peru], I live with an older woman, and her grandson is often in the house. We play board games together and I taught him how to bake chocolate chip cookies.”
The article reported dozens of photos poured in from around the world. Portraits and selfies, composed scenes, candids, color and black & white. Students used SLR cameras and flip phones. Some photos were blurry and some incredibly real. Some photos followed the prompt, and others interpreted it differently.
“It is important to find ways of sharing the small things, because study abroad can’t be summed up in one story or one image,” Curator Abigail Geringer said.
One of Bowdoin’s International Programs and Off-Campus Study directors said she was struck by the relatively small moments she viewed in some of the photographs. “When you think everything about a study abroad trip is so big,” she said, “it’s interesting to see the normalcy in the photos.”
It’s the stories that make these photographs come alive. Watch the video made about Exposure to hear amazing stories from 22 students who studied abroad across the world. How can you find ways to reflect on your study abroad experience?
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