Students abroad following team

It was 10 years ago this month that Kirkwood Avenue and Showalter Fountain last heard the hoots and hollers of the Final Four-bound IU faithful. A short walk through campus reveals a sense of pride that has been restored here in Bloomington. \n"This is a really exciting time for students to be at IU. I think it's just great," Telecommunications lecturer and Public Information Director of WTIU, Suzann Mitten Owen said.\nThere are many IU students that are studying abroad while Hoosiers celebrate in Bloomington. They have been following the tournament with people that don't even know what the Final Four is, using entirely different media. Students in parts of Europe must stay awake all hours of the night to tune in. In Australia, it's the next morning.\nJeff Birch is currently studying international business in Maastricht, Netherlands in a program offered through the Kelley School of Business. Birch, a junior, said that he must commute to Amsterdam to watch the games on television. There are only one or two establishments showing the game, he said. \n"A lot of us called home to get periodic updates on the games and to celebrate. A group of guys had a party while listening to the Kent State game on the Internet," Birch said. "No one around here knows what we're talking about, let alone cares. It's definitely frustrating."\nBirch said while he loves being in Europe, he sometimes wishes he was here partying with his friends. He doesn't miss the constant scrutiny of Bloomington law enforcement, however.\n"I wish I could be there to celebrate with the campus, but by no means am I sad," he said. "I'm chilling with my buds in the Netherlands and the Hoosiers are in the Final Four."\nJunior Rich Reising, who is studying in Seville, Spain also had to follow the games on the Internet. Reising said that there are many Americans in Seville. \n"It's a different world here and an even more distinct way of life. As long as you're not hurting anyone else, no one cares what you're doing," he said. "We party at night in the plazas in groups of hundreds on the weekends."\nReising admits that he would rather be back in Bloomington for the celebrations, however. He noted that in the U.S. we take watching the games on big screen televisions for granted.\nThere is a six-hour time difference between Bloomington and both the Netherlands and Seville. The game will start at 6:07 EST, according to CBS. Birch and Reising will be tuning in just after midnight in their respective locations.\nSenior Paul Leland will follow the game while he eats breakfast. Sydney, Australia is 16 hours ahead of Bloomington. Leland said he does not have access to a television and even if he did, the games aren't on in Australia. He works during the day, so he must rely on ESPN.com and refresh it every couple seconds.\n"I was really surprised to come back from lunch when IU was down by more than a handful, to see them up by three with time winding down. I had to try to explain the magnitude of IU beating Duke because only one other person in the office even knew about the NCAA tournament and what it involved," Leland said.\nLeland is in a program through Boston University that he learned about through IU's overseas programs. The internship consists of six weeks of class followed by an eight-week internship with one class twice a week. He works for Chubb Insurance in the accounting department on the 37th floor overlooking the Sydney Harbor.\n"I called my roommates from my office as soon as IU beat Duke, but no one was home," Leland said. "I have been reading the IDS online and reading the IUPD blotter to see what activities have been going on."\nLeland, like Birch and Reising, wishes he could be in Bloomington for the celebrations. \n"As amazing and beautiful as Australia is, there's a part of me that wishes I could be back on campus with all my friends"