At Oklahoma State University, faculty leading a study abroad course have the option to bring a “support companion.” They must pay for their airfare, any hotel differential, food, any activities they plan to join, and OSU’s approved travel insurance for the trip. For our course in Milan, we had three official faculty leaders each with their companion, our on the ground liaison and 23 students.
Not only is it great to be able to share these experiences with someone you care about but also they really do provide valuable support. While a fun experience for everyone, these are work trips for the faculty. We are managing a large group made up of many first-time travelers, navigating a foreign city and teaching a university course along the way.
It’s nice to decompress with your person and have someone to keep you company during the students’ free time. It’s also great to have a few extra chaperones, even if they are serving in an unofficial capacity. With a group of 23 students, we tended to keep one couple in front leading the way, a second couple midway to keep the group together, and the last couple at the back to ensure no one got separated. We were navigating busy streets, hopping metros and making train changes. We needed all hands on deck.
This was John’s second time to join me on a study abroad, and he really found his groove and enjoyed his role. I describe his job as being open to chats and an occasional question and standing by being vaguely dad-shaped when needed. With 23 young women in a foreign country, it is surprisingly handy to simply have a couple large men stand with you.
Around the second day, we were breaking up into groups and some of the students announced, “We’re going with Bonnie and… um… Mr. Bonnie.” We had a chuckle, I introduced John to the group, but the nickname stuck and honestly it seemed to be a term of endearment. Even students who knew him called him Mr. Bonnie and by the end of the day he was answering to it without even thinking.
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