On Tuesday, the new king of Holland was crowned and naturally, we were there to celebrate. 6:30am in the car on the way for the biggest party in Europe. Its traditional to wear orange.. lots of orange. I bought 3 euro bright orange leggings at the midi market last week that worked out perfectly. We got a hotel next to the airport for super cheap (the rates were sky high due to the festivities in the city). We took a shuttle to the airport from the hotel and caught the train into the city for 8 euro round trip. The train was a short 20 minute trip right in to the center of the city. THERE WERE SO MANY PEOPLE. People of all ages, speaking all different languages, and clearly from all different backgrounds. There was singing and dancing outside every bar and vendors selling everything orange, glasses, hates, shirts, etc. ...continue reading "Queen’s Day"
Month: May 2013
Stop and smell the olive trees
By Adar
One of the things that continues to stun me about Israel is its geographical diversity. Whereas a couple of months ago we were trekking through the Negev desert, this weekend the international school organized a hiking trip to the Golan Heights and Galilee. Both are valleys and hills, covered in forests and brooks. Yesterday's hike brought me back home to Northern California, with its woodsy feel and endless rolling hills. The trail started at an ancient mill, which was not in use anymore but we talked about how the economy of the 14th and 15th century operated under the Ottomans. We stopped in a stream and futzed around for a little bit, then continued up and up to the end of the trail. We camped somewhere near the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) though I'm not quite sure where, and just had the evening to enjoy the sunset, and cook dinner together. A few of us sang songs for Kabbalat Shabbat (friday evening services) at a picnic table that was perched on top of a stream, and we roasted marshmallows after dinner. The marshmallows here are awful, but I'll get to that later. We spread our sleeping bags out and joined more than a few mosquitoes and spiders for a night under the stars, laying on the grass. ...continue reading "Stop and smell the olive trees"
Female Premarital Sexuality in Morocco: Social Stigmatization and Sexual Health
By ahblackwell
For the past month, I have been conducting primary and secondary research on the effects of social attitudes towards female premarital sexuality on adolescent reproductive health in Morocco. In order to obtain my research, I interviewed several young Moroccan women about relationship practices and sexual norms among Moroccan youth, I met with representatives of two sexual health-centered NGOs, and I met with an Islamic scholar who specializes in sexuality in Islam. My project advisor, Dr. Abdessamad Dialmy, is also the premier scholar on Islam and Sexuality in Morocco. The project itself was eye-opening, but I think the part of the project that I learned from the most was collecting primary research in Morocco. This morning, I submitted my 37-page document to my program coordinator, and on Tuesday I will give a 20-minute presentation on my project to our academic directors, my project advisor, and about half of my classmates. I feel relieved that the project is over, but also incredibly proud of myself for accomplishing such an academic feat. Who knew, when I talked to college admissions counselors in my senior year of high school about my desire to study Arabic, go to the Middle East, and work with women on matters of women's health, that I would actually be able to accomplish such a task. I have truly accomplished a life goal, and I plan to do a lot more in my future regarding similar research and service. ...continue reading "Female Premarital Sexuality in Morocco: Social Stigmatization and Sexual Health"
Asado
Chilean BBQs are used to bring family and friends together. My host family's favorite tradition is to host an "asado" after church every Sunday. The food is amazing and the company even better!
¡Hasta Luego!
I can’t believe my semester with Doctora Ana has come to an end! The opportunity to accompany her in the operating room and follow the progress of her patients has been incredible. Although waking up at 6:30am twice a week in addition to a full schedule of classes wasn’t always easy, I am so grateful to have had this opportunity and all that I’ve learned along the way. Ana has been an incredible person to shadow – she’s an amazing woman and her patients truly love and respect her. Thanks to Ana’s teachings and spending 11 hours a week in the hospital, my medical vocabulary has improved tremendously and my speaking and comprehension has certainly improved as well. It has also been rewarding to come home and share my experiences with my host family. In my time here, Ana and her patients have appeared on two news programs, which I’ve felt so lucky to be able to watch with my host family and know that I was a part of something special. Other students in my program have also taken an interest in my work with Ana, and it’s always exciting in class when someone asks me what I saw in the operating room on that day. I believe that the personal stories about my experiences that I have been able to share with friends and family (Spaniards and Americans) have made a difference by opening their eyes to the miracles of medicine and the importance of health care. While nothing will replace this experience, I look forward to continuing this work by participating on a medical volunteer trip to South America this winter. ...continue reading "¡Hasta Luego!"
Semester Break Adventures Episode 2: Romania!
By jadoerge
After a long day of sight seeing in Budapest that I described in my last post, Morgan and I were quite happy to be getting on our overnight train around 8pm with plenty of food for the road. Having taken a very nice (and fast) German ICE train down to Hungary, this next train, while nice, looked about three decades older. Despite its age, however, the two beds and bathroom that we got in our sleeping car were more than adequate and the journey was fairly uneventful and we woke up quite refreshed as we pulled into the main train station in Bucharest, Romania! ...continue reading "Semester Break Adventures Episode 2: Romania!"
Markets!
Around Brussels there large squares in the center of different parts of town. These squares were formally areas where people of the different districts would do their shopping and get groceries. The different districts in Brussels are fairly spread out so the squares are quite large to support many people.
The trading industry in these squares still continue today. On the weekend and some weekdays, certain markets are open filled with a variety of goods. There are two markets I am personally familiar with only two, though there are many more.
This morning we went to a market at Gare du Midi. It is where the central train station is in an ‘interesting’ part of town. I went with a suitemate who had been before so it was very easy to get around. When we got out of the metro, there were hoards of people out on the streets. I was beautiful outside and already around noon so I guess that should have been expected. ...continue reading "Markets!"
Then you have no problems! Where’d they go?
Tomorrow morning I will leave for my spring break and the largest stretch of traveling I will be able to do while in Europe. While nobody is exactly sure why our two weeks of spring break come in the last month of our semester (see: two weeks of break and then two weeks of finals) it's an excellent chance to explore the continent when the weather is finally nice. I finished arranging my travel plans approximately 5 hours ago, and though I'm excited for impending travels everything seems to have come together very last minute. While I love the idea of an organized-in-advance vacation - for example, one where I do not realize the night before that I don't have train tickets for the first leg of my journey - I know that this is hardly my strength. Whatever happens for the next two weeks I'll roll with and will have to assume that all is well. While I'm excited for the destinations (Marseille, Lake Como, Florence, and Prague) it's the traveling I love. I assume I'll feel differently after my eighth hour on a bus through European farmland, but it's hard to ignore the sense of adventure. ...continue reading "Then you have no problems! Where’d they go?"