October 2013 – Page 2 – GW Blogs from Abroad

Injuries abroad and universal health care

AdminOctober 17, 2013December 14, 2018

Well I’ve had quite an interesting last week, and not in a good way. It involved an aspect of my host country that most exchanges never experience or know much about: healthcare. And no, I’m not talking about politics here. While most exchange students go through their time without any medical glitches, I knew I had one coming eventually. I think the last time I went more than a year between hospital visits was when I was ten, and considering I am here for a year, something was bound to happen. I made it a grand total of 9 months this time.

Basically, I fell on my hand and the next day it was super swollen and painful. By the time I decided it was worth getting checked out, it was after 5 on Friday and due to a public holiday on Monday the earliest time I would be able to see a doctor would be Tuesday at least. So it was off to emergency at the hospital we went.

Long story short, I am currently writing this (very slowly with one hand) one week after the injury and I still have no idea if anything is wrong with my hand or not, despite already spending 10 hours in hospitals and doctors’ offices mostly waiting around. The upside of Australian healthcare is that it is free, when you pay $600 a year as an international student to buy into the system. However, although our overseas student health coverage gets us basically everything free, it also means having to initially pay quite a bit upfront and then make a claim through the insurance to get a refund. The downside is lots of bureaucracy and waiting.

My lasting piece of advice is this: If you go to another country, just don’t get hurt. Actually though, just don’t do it. It’s a waste of time, money, and frustration, and you never know exactly how the system will end up working out. Know about the healthcare in the country you are headed to before you get there so you know what it will be like, especially if headed to a non-western country. Getting sick or hurt is usually one of those things that we forget is a possibility and can play an important role in our lives. When we do remember it is a thing, we just hope for the best and pray nothing happens then go on with our lives. In another country, make sure you know what you are getting into at first. With another system, something as simple as hurting my hand could have cost thousands of dollars, or in some countries things could have been worse. Upon coming to Australia I was never too scared of the millions upon billions of poisonous snakes and spiders due to the knowledge that there are antidotes for all bites available at every hospital, but what if their weren't? In Australia I’m fairly safe (assuming I could make it to a hospital before dying), but this injury has, like all the other injuries I sustain, simply reminded me that nothing is guaranteed, especially when it comes to personal health.

All I’m saying is stay safe, especially when you don’t know the system. I would write about something else at this point, but that has literally been my life for the last week. Oh, and don’t expect this to change anything…I’ll still do just as much crazy and dangerous stuff as I always have 

How much telly is too much telly?

AdminOctober 14, 2013December 14, 2018

By kathleenmccarthy1

As a college student, I don’t really get much time to watch TV. When I do, it’s usually in the form of binge watching on Netflix or sitting down to watch a show that I regularly follow when it comes on every week. It has been a really long time since I just sat and watched television because there was nothing else to do or turned on the TV and actively looked for something to watch. In Ireland, however, most people turn on the TV as soon as they come home and turn off the TV right before they go to bed. The TV is almost always on in every Irish living room and most conversations are held with the TV on. At first, I had a hard time adjusting to this. In the US, it’s considered rude to be talking to someone and watching TV at the same time. Over time, I’ve actually gotten really used to the TV (or as they say here, the telly) being on all the time and it even feels a little weird when it’s not on. If there doesn’t happen to be anything particularly good on at any given time, my roommates and I will typically put on Starz, which is a music channel that will just play the most popular current songs on repeat. This has led me to unofficially rename our apartment “Club 36” because we have pop music playing all the time. Coming in from class to see music videos playing kind of takes me back to when I was in middle school and I would watch TRL after school, so my experience has been nostalgic in a weird way. Another thing that I find nostalgic about the television culture here is the commercials. In the US, commercials have changed a lot on the past few years. A lot of them now are really subtle and infused with indie music. The commercials in Ireland, however, are mostly geared and making people laugh at feature a lot of slapstick humor, sort of like the ones I used to see in the US when I was younger. You will often hear Irish people talking about what commercials they think are funny or asking their friends if they’ve seen the new commercial for something. Also, many Irish people have told me that a good way of coming to understand their culture is through watching a show called Father Ted. Father Ted is basically the Full House of Ireland because it was a show that aired in the 90s and has since been cancelled. However, absolutely everyone has seen mostly every episode and still makes jokes from it. shortly after we arrived, my Irish roommate actually showed us an episode on Youtube so that we could get what everyone is talking about. I also attended a kayak club meeting where they showed us an episode of Father Ted so that the visiting students would pick up on some of the jokes that the club makes. As nice as it has been to get well acclimated to Ireland’s TV-watching culture, one of the things that worries me now about going back to the US is all of the time I’m probably going to spend with the TV on when I get home.

Staying Healthy

AdminOctober 13, 2013December 14, 2018

By mtumasz

Hey guys, it’s Merideth again!

No matter what country you visit, or where you’re from, everyone is susceptible to getting sick. Whether it’s the common cold, the flu, allergies, injury, or something more serious, there’s always a chance for us to start feeling a little under the weather.

I’m not a doctor so please don’t take what I say as accurate medical advice; I’m just speaking from personal experience and what my friends have had to go through as well.

About a week after I got to New Zealand, I got acute tendonitis in my left foot, which means I was constantly at the doctor’s. I was at student health, a blood work office, and a Radiology office all within the same week. Luckily, for international students studying in New Zealand, student insurance covered almost every procedure I had to get. Don’t rely on this though. Check the specifics before you get wherever you are studying abroad. I had to pay upfront for my ultrasound and then get reimbursed, but all my medications were free!

On another note, getting sick with the common cold while you’re studying abroad definitely puts a damper on things. As obvious as it may sound, take proper precaution when cold and flu season starts to approach in your foreign country. Have plenty of orange juice and vitamin C around, keep tissues and hand sanitizer handy, and try your best to get plenty of sleep. You won’t be up for a hike or that awesome weekend adventure if you can’t breathe and your throat is on fire!

Doctor’s procedures and appointments might work differently than you’re used to, so don’t freak out if something seems out of the ordinary and just trust the employees. They are there to help you and if you’re polite and ask questions, they aren’t going to get irritated.

Hope this helps everyone who is thinking of studying abroad! Stay healthy!

Redefining Patriotism

AdminOctober 13, 2013December 14, 2018

By maxikaplan

What has made my second week in London better than my first is a general feeling of comfort that I didn’t have my first few days here. Although I still manage to lose my way at least once a day, I think I have more or less “settled in”. With this mindset, I was able to enjoy myself a bit more before class work begins to take on a much bigger chunk of my free time.

Although a lot has gone on throughout the past week, and I could undoubtedly write many pages on my experiences, my favorite was a trip to the Globe Theater for a showing of Macbeth. It certainly helped my wallet that GW put the trip together and paid for it, but it was nonetheless incredible to see the play and understand that part of London theater that people so obsess over. The only downside to seeing a play at the Globe in the middle of October is the cold weather, since the theater is in open air. Wrapped in many layers though, I can hardly complain myself considering the actors on stage (many of which were quite famous) were wearing next to nothing, and acting as well. As I sat with the other 10 or so GW students who attended, I wondered for how long the Globe theater can stay open throughout the Autumn/Winter season. Probably the best way for me to find out is to book another show to see, since Macbeth was simply incredible.

In my previous post I mentioned how in London it does not quite feel like home is too far away, and I was reminded of this on Saturday when I went to a USA barbecue organized by the USA society at LSE. What helped make the event feel even more at home was the sunny weather, which took me by surprise, but the rain is never far away in London, and it poured later that night. Societies like the USA society are ubiquitous around campus, and come off to me at first as more of an irony than a real society, but each of them organize real events and are serious about their role as an organization on campus. I remember listening to the president of the club reminding members about an upcoming debate on the US constitution that they would be holding, but this was seen as a chance to practice a real debate, and not a form of mockery. The LSE consistently impresses me in this way.

With home apparently never too far, I was lucky enough to get dinner tonight with my friend from GW, who also goes to LSE, and his family who are visiting until next week. Events like this seem to pop up on occasion here, and I make sure to never take them for granted, especially considering that I will probably not be enjoying a cooked fish as good as tonight’s for a while longer. This is all I have to report for now, and I can only hope that next week will be as exciting as this past one was, as I stare at my coursework waiting to be finished.

The Wall

AdminOctober 13, 2013

Street art in Aida Camp depicts the community's plight.

As a few friends and I walked strolled past the separation wall in Bethlehem, a voice called at us from across the street. A middle aged Palestinian man was standing in the lot of an old gas station, and the credentials around his neck revealed that he was a tour guide at the Church of the Nativity, where we had just been an hour before. He must have recognized us.

"What do you see in the wall?" he asked.

Confused, I said "The art? Or the wall itself?"

"How do you feel about it being there?"

"Disappointment. Frustration. But I'm not Palestinian, so--"

"We are like caged animals. It is like a prison," he said.

I'm kind of glad he interrupted me, because wasn't really sure what I was going to say. I'm disappointed that such a blatant restriction to freedom exists, that trepidation persists despite all the diplomatic processes put in place to create justice in a tumultuous region. I'm frustrated at my basic understanding of the issue, and even less about what I can do to contribute to the peace process.

As I walked along the separation wall today, I saw graffiti reflecting an air of oppression and the need for drastic change, which was reflected in the words of the locals I spoke to as well. I felt like as a GW student I was supposed to respond with what the worlds' leaders should do about it. I'm still working on that response, but the road to a deep understanding of complex international issue is long. But there's only one way to complete long journeys-- step by step. And after today I'm one step closer.

Reading, Writing, Studying, and Living

AdminOctober 13, 2013December 14, 2018

By tinavisc

As the end of the semester is approaching at the University of Cape Town, I've been reflecting on my time studying over the last 3 months. One of the biggest surprises I encountered when I first arrived in Cape Town was the academic culture of UCT. At first I was inspired by my world-renowned professors at the top of their respected fields in Southern Africa. Each professor was truly passionate about their research and sharing their knowledge with us young minds. After the first week, however, their projected tasks for the semester grew daunting.

My study abroad program, CIEE, explicitly warned us of the work load we would encounter at UCT. Often times Americans come in expecting a sort of working holiday while abroad. To succeed at UCT, however, only those on top of their game from day one will survive. The structure of courses is as follows: There are, on average, 2 essays assigned for the entire semester, perhaps a mid semester test, and finally, a final test worth 40-60% of your grade. And that's all. On first glance, this set up sounds like it leaves a lot of wiggle room, but in reality the greatest amount of your final grade is based on how much work you put in throughout the semester, teaching yourself the material and reading ~3 academic papers per class per week.
Much more emphasis is placed on the students -we're expected to put in a lot more work on our own than we're used to at home.

Navigating through this system was tough for me, as it was for many of us abroaders, because I was constantly tempted by the thrills of Cape Town as a city. I glanced at the syllabus, realized I had only a couple of essays and a test, and happily pushed off putting in the work in the beginning. Catching up has been extremely difficult, but my final exams are only in 2 short weeks.

Because I've had a difficult time balancing abroad life with academics, I have some very important advice for future study abraders: Stay on top of your readings from the first day you arrive in your host country. There will be plenty of time to do everything your heart desires if you maintain a manageable amount of work throughout the week. Getting behind may give you an extra day to explore the city in the beginning, but will have you reeling to catch up at the end, when you want to spend more time outside of the library to take advantage of your last few weeks before you arrive back at home (it'll be over before you know it!). Never forget to enjoy your free time abroad, but balance is key!

Pizza, Pasta and Things

AdminOctober 12, 2013December 14, 2018

By stlake

Bad News: My trip to Rome was nothing like the Lizzie McGuire Movie. I did not impersonate an Italian superstar, ride a Vespa nor did my best guy friend FINALLY confess his love to me. And at 5, I was not served the cookies (If you don’t know that reference, you need to watch the movie again ASAP).

Good News: My trip to Rome was just like Eat, Pray, Love…minus the praying, loving and Julia Roberts whining that her privileged white-American life is just so awful (don’t get me started with that book/movie). So right now, I’m gonna take the time to brag about everything I ate and you all are going to hate me for it, but I don’t care #sorrynotsorry

Day 1:

Well technically I was only there Monday night thanks to a delayed flight, lost and found luggage and getting lost walking from the Trastevere train station to my wonderful friend Carolyn’s apartment. But let’s get back to the meal. We went to Il Spaghetti, and I had pasta Carbonara, which is a tomato-based cream sauce with bacon. I also tried these fried balls of risotto with cheese and tomato sauce, which were so good. Then we went to a local homemade gelato place where I had the Madagascar chocolate and blackberry flavors. By far the best gelato I’ve had in my life.

Day 2:

-A salad at Nero Café, which is right by Carolyn’s school. Not that exciting, but they have balsamic vinegar in Rome, which they don’t have in Spain, and I definitely was missing that.

-Frigidarium gelato where I had the house flavor, which was a combination of cookie, chocolate and caramel. Divine recommendation by other Greenwich Academy friend, Christine.

-Went to Tony’s, Carolyn’s favorite restaurant. Just a fun, classic Italian restaurant, where the owner Tony kisses every girl on the cheek as they walk in the door. I had penne a la vodka-the sauce was perfect and I soaked up every last drop of it up with their bomb.com bread.

Day 3:

-Another salad at Nero Café.

-Gelato #3-by the pantheon, not really note-worthy

-My second romantic dinner date with Carolyn. Took a break from pasta and had a veal burger with eggplant, tomato and cheese. As far as burgers go, nothing beats my burger in Barcelona (reference post #3) but it was really good. And of course, had to have hot flatbread covered in oil, vinegar, rosemary and thyme. And for dessert, this homemade Nutella flavored mousse/ice cream. What this desert actually was is kind of unclear, but my obsession with it definitely is not.

Day 4:

-Grilled Turkey Salad and pizza bread. Definitely the best salad of my trip

-Gelato #4-chocolate and pomegranate flavor. The chocolate was alright but the pomegranate was absolutely delicious. And yes, you read right-I had gelato everyday of my trip. Zero regrets.

- DAR POETA. This was the second recommendation from Christine. Carolyn, her friend Eliza and I were definitely are the verge of starvation and our waitresses definitely hated us and, I’m just gonna be blunt-she sucked (sorry Mom, I know you hate that word but it’s the god’s honest truth.). But this meal did not. We started out with tomato bruschetta and then I got the best pizza of my life. It was pesto, mozzarella, tomatoes and wait for it…potatoes. Sounds kind of strange, but I definitely was having a relationship with this pizza (The only line from Eat, Pray, Love I like. God Julia really let me down with that one, but I digress.) And then for the grand finale, we shared a Nutella calzone. No words can describe it.

So when I wasn’t stuffing my face with pizza, pasta and things, I walk all around rainy Roma. I saw all the classic touristy things except the Sistine Chapel, and I didn’t get the typical throwing the coin into the Trevi Fountain pic. Ugh, guess I’ll just have to come back to Rome sometime in my life 😉 My favorite sight was St. Peter’s Basilica. Just the details in the walls, the color, the smell-I’m not a religious person by any means, but the churches in Rome, especially this one, definitely bring you to a different place. And waiting in line to get into the Vatican City, it poured so as I entered the church, I was cold and wet with curly hair. But no bad moods even though I looked like a damp poodle; the church was just everything and more. The #YOLO moment was definitely karaoke at Scholar’s. My other high school friend Desiree brought me with her friends from her program. At first, I wasn’t going to do it but then her friends asked me if I knew all the words to Gold digger by Kanye West. Obviously I can’t turn down a moment to sing a classic Yeezus jam, so I decided to help them out. But when we got up there, Ignition Remix came on. Luckily, I know all the words to that one too. According to Des, I killed it. It was just so much fun!

I’m writing this from the Italian high-speed train to Florence to visit my best friend, princess KC. The countryside is absolutely beautiful. OMG, I just saw a sheep. We ain’t in Kansas anymore. Until next time GW students, family, lovers and friends (Yes dad, I said “lovers” again).

Nacedero del río Urederra

AdminOctober 11, 2013December 14, 2018

By meaggymurphy

I'm learning that hidden gems are the best part of living in this region of Spain. I often get the feeling that people overlook northern Spain... It's not bustling Madrid, international Barcelona, or sunny Seville. However, I've been pleasantly surprised by how much Navarra has to offer. One small example of a hidden gem I recently uncovered is called the Necedero del río Urederra in the Parque Natural Urbasa Andía.

644134_10201048413547275_1410809384_n — The Necedero del río Urederra in the Parque Natural Urbasa Andía

One of my friends recent ly acquired a car, which opens up a whole range of possibilities as far as traveling around the region goes. Along with another friend, we decided to take the 40 minute drive to this national park that allegedly had a beautiful, crystal-clear river called Urederra. It felt nice to drive into the mountains (but not so nice once we started climbing the winding roads and I realized I had the misfortune of being in the backseat, a.k.a. the whiplash seat). Once we arrived, it was a short walk through a little, mountainside town of about 20 adobe houses to arrive at the park entrance. At this point, we were joking nervously about how the weather looked like it was about to change for the worst and we were stuck without an umbrella. We decided to chance it, and I'm glad we did.

The walk consisted of a dirt pathway winding through the trees, with sweeping views of mountains and valleys before the forest became more dense. Soon the trees broke and we were looking down upon the most breathtaking river I've ever seen. It was a shade of blue, luminescent and clear, that I didn't know existed outside of the Caribbean. As if the color wasn't enough, there was also a waterfall cascading over the rocks. At first, myself and the two other girls were speechless; as soon as we could talk, we couldn't stop gushing over how beautiful it was!

Continuing on, every view of the river Urederra was more picturesque than the last. Trees growing on the riverbanks extended their roots into the turquoise water, and we could see clearly the rock formations arranged under the crystal cover of water. We stopped and had a picnic (my friends had packed me an extra sandwich, which I thought was really sweet!) and took it all in. Places like the Nacedero del Urederro, which are so unexpectedly and naturally beautiful, kind of temporarily stun you by how perfect they are.

I joked that I would build myself a little cabin right next to the river, and I was only half kidding because I can't think of a better view to wake up to every morning! After a couple hours of continuing down this path (and encountering surprisingly few other visitors), we reluctantly decided to head back to the car. In almost no time, I was back at my apartment, still in shock over the beauty of everything we'd seen.

This day trip was definitely my favorite that I've taken so far here in Spain; I got to see a place that exceeded all of my expectations with great company, and in the end it didn't even rain! I left Urederra feeling extremely lucky. I felt lucky to have found this hidden gem, lucky to have found good friends to share these experiences with, and, most of all, lucky to live here in Navarra!

Getting Around, Abroad

AdminOctober 10, 2013December 14, 2018

By mfretes93

I'm used to public transportation ruling my life. As a life-long city girl, I'm one of those people that gets raised eyebrows from people when I tell them that I don't know how to drive a car, and that I'm fluent in all things subway (or metro, when I'm in D.C.)

In any case, my reliance on public transportation everywhere in the States translates to an equal, if not even bigger, reliance on public transportation abroad. After all, as someone with an incredibly limited amount of funds, I'm not able to take a cab everywhere I want to go, and as I've stated, I'm about as adept at driving as I am at speaking Chinese.

Luckily, over the past couple of months, I've come to realize that Rio de Janeiro has a surprisingly useful system of public transportation that allows me to get from Point A (usually my couch) to Point B (usually food), even if it took some getting used to at first.

First of all, Rio de Janeiro is far more vast of a city than I originally imagined. It's one of those cities that you can travel around in for more than hour, maybe even two, and still really have gone nowhere. There are entire zones of the city that I still haven't stepped foot into, not because they're of no interest to me, but because they're on what is essentially the other side of the planet.

That being said, the transportation system in Rio de Janeiro does a good job of making the city seem less expansive than it actually is. It's comprised of a Metro--which, while fairly fast and clean, only has two lines that don't cover much ground as it should--and a lot of bus lines. And by a lot of bus lines, I mean over 400 of them. So even though the metro is much faster than buses, I usually end up on a bus because it'll take me exactly where I want to go.

I'm usually wary of buses because if I don't know exactly where I'm going, I spend the entire ride freaking out about missing my stop before, inevitably, missing my stop. And at first, I was scared of Rio's bus system given how many lines there are, and the endless number of places--all unknown to me--that the bus can take you. And I can't exactly ask for directions very easily, given my limited skills in communicating effectively in Portuguese.

But for what is essentially just over US$1, I can go just about anywhere in the city. Yes, you have to do some asking to make sure you're getting on the right bus, but there are signs at every bus stop that label the neighborhoods that each bus that passes by that stop drives through.

The hard part about riding the buses, however, isn't figuring out which bus you need to take: it's riding the buses themselves. Rio has a very unique system for paying for bus rides, in that there are two workers on every bus. There's the driver, of course, but then there's also someone sitting behind the driver to collect money from every passenger. Once you've paid your fare, you then pass through a turnstile onto the seating-portion of the bus.

Keep in mind that this--searching for fare, handing it to the worker, receiving change from said worker, and passing through the turnstile--all happens while the bus is in motion. So you will literally be thrown around the bus, from window to wall, at least four times before you even make it near a seat.

If you don't get a seat, at this point, you'll be thrown around the bus for however long it takes for you to reach your destination. After all, drivers around here have no respect for traffic laws, so bus drivers will weave between lanes and cars at breakneck speeds, with absolutely no regard for the laws of physics, until someone requests a stop, in which case, they apparently only use the emergency break.

And even if you do get a seat, well, you're still not safe from the manic driving that will undoubtedly occur for the duration of your ride. Your face may hit the window, you may fall out into the aisle. Who really knows?

That being said, the newest fleet of Rio's buses are not only clean, but they're also equipped with television sets that show the latest news and weather reports, in addition to short recipes, fun facts, trivia questions and yes, the latest Brazilian entertainment gossip. So at least you'll be able to distract yourself from the pain of your broken hip when you're sent flying halfway across the bus.

So while it's sometimes painful and confusing, I still believe that buses are the optimal way to get around Rio de Janeiro, especially since, in its current state, the metro simply doesn't go everywhere you need to go. It may be a long ride, depending on where you want to go, but for what it costs--just about nothing--it's efficient. Buses come often, seven days a week, and are relatively safe. Traffic can be annoying sometimes, but while you're on the bus, you not only have the great sights of Rio outside the window to look at, but informative television. What more could you ask for?

So as a lover of public transportation domestically and abroad, I'll highly recommend that you try out the public transport wherever you end up going, for the convenience and the cost-effectiveness, even if it costs you some pain in your tailbone.

And who knows, maybe you'll even learn something. Thanks to Rio's buses, I now know how to make strawberry jam. Que legal!

London: Better Late Than Never

AdminOctober 8, 2013December 14, 2018

By maxikaplan

Since arriving in London this past Saturday, it still seems unreal that I have the opportunity to call this city home until June 2014. At London School of Economics (LSE), like many other programs, the first week here is the school’s orientation with no classes, giving me the chance to meet new people, explore new places, and, my personal favorite, eat more Indian food than ever before. Unfortunately, nothing is ever free, and London will go out of its way to remind you.

After checking into my dorm, I was promptly handed a schedule of events that the LSE Student Union had put together for the students for orientation week. This schedule acted as a bible to my friends and I at night for many of our outings, with our days interspersed by LSE meetings with professors, deans, and academic advisors. There is, to the dismay of many, no hand holding when it comes to these events: make your own schedule, be on time for your meetings, and take advantage of everything that’s offered. I thought this theme contrasted nicely to the attitude of schools in the U.S., and it reaches farther than just LSE. I was happy to learn that this would be the extent of my culture “shock”—it could be worse, I thought. In many ways London reminds me of New York, and it has been easier getting assimilated here than I expected. With my first day of classes this coming Monday, I am in for a surprise after not sitting in a lecture hall since the beginning of May.

As I spent hardly any time worrying about my class schedule in this first week and worried more about where to eat and explore London, I was able to get a good feel for the geography of the city. Walking more than my body liked proved to be the best way to understand the city, though I wouldn’t quite call it an “understanding” after I gave a passerby some of the world’s worst directions to Covent Gardens this Sunday. After this week surpassed all my expectations of the LSE and London, it is hard to say what I am most looking forward to in the coming weeks while my brain slowly adjusts. But remembering that this is only the first week of 40 in my experience here is reassuring that there is much more ahead.

With the week finally coming to a close, I was able to meet on Friday night a family friend at a pub who currently works in London. It was an interesting experience to see someone who I know from home in a different country with me, but it was comforting as well to know that home is not too far. With around 15 other GW students in the LSE’s study abroad program, it’s been easier than I thought it would be to try and make LSE feel like a second home.