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Month: November 2013

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By meaggymurphy

The border between France and Spain is less than an hour from Pamplona, so I knew I wouldn't be able to leave without taking at least one trip there. I got my chance last weekend, and it definitely expanded my view of Spain and the region I live in.
The friends who I went with thought it was the funniest thing ever that I had brought my passport to cross the border... How was I supposed to know that there is zero border control to enter France from Spain?! The ease at which people can move between the two countries surprised me, but it explains the influence that France has had on northern Spain, as well as that of Spain on southern France.
Upon arrival in Biarritz, France, everyone seemed to speak both French and Spanish. The city itself is a picturesque town situated by the ocean, and reminded me of San Sebastian (in northern Spain) for its architecture and vacation-y feel. The restaurant we stopped in for lunch was serving gazpacho and paella, which are definitely Spanish inventions. The second city we visited, Saint Jean de Luz, was similar in that it was a sunny, charming resort town by the beach.
Despite the similarities I saw between this region of southern France and Spain, I was still able to have my French experience. We stopped for crepes, and I refused to reenter Spain without first buying real French macaroons (this caused us a bit of a detour, but our persistence in the search of macaroons was not in vain, and I returned to Pamplona with a bag of the bright, multi-colored sweets). One of my friends speaks French, so she was appointed Designated Translator and I was able to ask her what everything meant. At one point, we were sitting in a square and realized how quiet it was, despite being full of people. Looking around, everyone was sitting at little cafe tables, contentedly having an espresso or leisurely reading a newspaper or eating a crepe. One guy was even wearing a beret! I don't think I've ever seen a scene so stereotypically French in my life. It was nice to sit there in the midst of so much Frenchness and walk away from it hoping to have soaked up some of the calm classiness of it all.
We spent the day strolling around the streets, window shopping and walking by the water. We stumbled upon a wedding party outside of a church, an outdoor concert, and little parks and monuments throughout both cities. It was a very relaxing day of exploring, and I was glad to have gone not at the height of tourist season. It was beautiful, and seeing how close Pamplona and France really are helped me to understand a bit more about the French influences in northern Spain. At the end of the day, I got to check off "Go to France" from my bucket list, although I hope that it won't be my first and only visit!

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By kathleenmccarthy1

Last weekend, I made my first trip outside of the Republic of Ireland since arriving at the end of August. I was in London from Thursday to Sunday visiting my friend studying at King’s College. It was also the first time I made a trip by myself within Europe so I was a little on the nervous side. Since London can be very confusing, I insisted that my friend pick me up from Heathrow Airport. The trip from the airport to his apartment was almost two hours long since we had to take the tube and then an additional bus. This meant that my travel time from Heathrow Airport to my friend’s apartment was roughly the same as the travel time between my apartment and the Shannon Airport, which is the airport that I flew out of. The crazy thing about this is that my apartment is 85 kilometers away from the Shannon Airport whereas my friend’s apartment is only 28 kilometers away from Heathrow. Living in Ireland, I had become accustomed to needing to travel for a long period of time to get places, but those were cases in which I was traveling across long distances. I had forgotten how time consuming travelling within a city can be since it never takes more than 15 minutes to get anywhere in Galway.

My visit to London also marked the first time I has ever been overwhelmed upon entering a new city. Before I came to GW, I lived in Philadelphia for my whole life and I’ve been to pretty much every major city in the US. I think that if I had just gone to London on a trip while living back in the states, it might not have been so overwhelming, but going to London from Galway made me feel completely out of my element. I have to say, there was a number of times this weekend that I was sick of going from place to place and just wanted to be back in Galway. That being said, it was nice to see so many new things and visit with my friend, who is the first person I know from the states that I’ve seen while abroad. I also found the living situation at King’s College to be a bit of a culture shock. My friend lives in a first-year hall (equivalent to a freshman dorm in the states) that is composed entirely of single rooms with a shared kitchen and bathroom on each floor.  The kitchen serves as a common area where kids will not just cook and eat, but also hang out and socialize. The students keep very little food in their rooms so pretty much every time they want a snack, they must go to the common room, which is what makes it such a popular hangout. This is a very stark contrast from the living situation in Gort na Coiribe Student Village, which is where I have been staying in Galway. Gort is a large village of townhouses comprised of private apartments within each. These apartments all have kitchens, living rooms and bathrooms and house a varying number of students between apartments. I live in a three-person apartment with one bathroom. Myself and another American girl share one bedroom while our Irish roommate has her own. We don’t really interact with our neighbors because there really isn’t any need to. Most of the people we’ve met in Gort have been through our roommate and the other Americans in the Arcadia program. Even though our living situation doesn’t really give us access to as many people as a traditional college living situation would, I think that this has allowed us to form a much stronger bond with our roommate. Irish culture is very home-centered and you can see that both in the fact that Irish college students will typically go home on the weekends and in how student housing is set up. As soon as they get to college, Irish students will eat and live together much like the way a family does. They have a dining room table where they share meals and when you look in the windows in student villages you will see the kids watching TV together on the couch like a family.  As nice as the personal space that my friend enjoys in his dorm at King’s College, I’m very grateful for the experience that I’ve been able to have with student housing in Ireland. I really enjoyed my weekend in London and I am so happy that I had the opportunity to see a place that so many people dream of going to. However, the best part, for me, was realizing just how much I missed Galway and just how at home I feel here now.

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By arosema93

Celebrating the holidays away from home can be tough, especially coming from a tight-knit family. Being in DC for the last few years has helped to prepared me for celebrating on the other side of the world. However, Australia makes it easy on us Americans by not celebrating some of the best holidays and generally ignoring their existence. As everyone already knows, this week was Halloween, but, of course, its not celebrated here. Thankfully I have some American friends here and enough keen exchange students to still throw a party. But all I can help thinking is, “What about the children? Where is the sugar rush that allows every elementary student to make it through the month of November?” Although sad for children everywhere, I’m sure they will survive. Thanksgiving is also a tough one to be away from home for, but many Australians don’t even realize it exists, which makes my job of ignoring it quite a bit easier. Unfortunately, however, without Thanksgiving, Australians have failed to place any restrictions on when it is acceptable to begin stocking stores with Christmas decoration and playing Christmas music on the radios. Christmas will definitely be the hardest to spend away from home though, and will be made even more confusing by the reversed seasons. I wonder if the Salvation Army Santas will still ring bells in full Santa outfit when it is 90 degrees outside. Fortunately, my friends here are like family to me and many have offered to have me come celebrate Christmas with them. And besides, this gives me the perfect opportunity to teach others about American holidays and learn about ones from other cultures. For example, Canberra even has a public holiday that everyone gets off of school for “Family and Community Day”. Sounds ridiculous but I’m not going to complain. While it can be sad to be away from family during the holidays, I think one of my favourite parts of living in a foreign country is the opportunity to celebrate twice as many holidays.

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By nmbutler3

I've written a lot about the new experiences and opportunities I've had thus far, which are definitely the more exciting and interesting aspects of the study abroad experience. Admittedly though, they don’t include the majority of what I've actually been doing while abroad. When people think of studying abroad, they usually imagine tasty foods and exotic places, lots of travelling and unique experiences, but that doesn't really capture the “real” abroad experience. So, in honor of the first relaxed weekend I've had since arriving in Edinburgh, I figured I would write about the day-to-day life of studying abroad.

First thing’s first, as I've mentioned in other posts, studying abroad actually involves a lot of well, studying. So naturally, most of my day is occupied by studying and course work. I’m taking four upper-level classes here, all ecology or plant biology focused, which take up quite a bit of time. I usually start the day fairly early in the morning with classes, which are about a half hour walk from my dorm, and am occupied with lectures, labs and coursework until mid-afternoon or early evening. The nice thing about the studying culture here is that while it is common, and almost standard, to study during the day and between classes, studying during the evenings is not usually the norm. So, most afternoons are occupied by study sessions in the library or a nearby café, leaving the evenings generally study-free.  Instead, evenings are usually spent at meetings or outings with various student organizations. Personally, I have joined the Hill Walking Club, which is actually a hiking/mountaineering club, and the Beer and Cider Society for the semester. As an exchange student, societies (student organizations) are definitely the best way to meet people, and fortunately, the societies here are all very active and usually meet three to four times a week. Other weekday evening activities typically include the weekly flat mate dinner, a quick swing by the pub, a trip to the gym and other regular errands. As you can probably guess, it’s really not the most exciting of times, but nonetheless, it all manages to keep you busy and active throughout the week.

Luckily, the weekends tend to make up for the normalcy of the weeks and remind you that you are actually in a new country surrounded by a different culture and exciting opportunities. Even quiet or relaxed weekend can be a refreshing reminder of how exciting the experience you’re having is. Take for example this past weekend. I mentioned it was my first relaxed weekend, no trips or excursions out of the city or country, just a trip to the local Portobello beach and a few café study sessions. It all sounds fairly boring, but in addition to just giving myself a chance to recharge, it was a pleasant reminder of the fact that even the small, seemingly insignificant features around you, such as a short beach strip and pier, the local pub, or a small café, are part of a unique and exciting new culture and landscape that you can constantly be soaking in.

 

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By mfretes93

One of my biggest fears about going abroad was getting sick. I dread getting sick at home: I get chills and sweats sitting in doctor's offices and always expect the worst if I ever so much as cough a little strangely. Needless to say, getting sick abroad was never even an option for me. Yes, I have insurance, and yes, GW also provides insurance, but in a foreign country where I barely speak the language, "needing immediate medical attention" is one of the scarier things that can happen to someone. When I arrived in Brazil, I made sure to take extra precautions--applying insane amounts of insect repellent  looking both ways before crossing the street, eating more Vitamin C than should be humanly possible. But of course, it's just about impossible to 100% prevent illness. And in a given semester, getting sick at least once is almost inevitable.

During a trip to Salvador, a city in the northern part of Brazil, I was essentially demolished by mosquito bites. I had brought a bottle of what is apparently the weakest repellent on the market, which did nothing to protect me from the legions of mosquitoes that make their home in the northeast of Brazil. I actually lost count of how many bites I got, but shrugged it off before my return to Rio de Janeiro.

A couple of days later, however, I started having pain in my joints, especially in my feet. I thought I was just sleeping in weird positions, and that was what was causing the pain, but about a couple of days after that, I noticed that my feet had swollen up, as had my left hand and elbow, and a few fingers on my right hand. Then some red spots showed up on my feet, and they had swollen so much that I could barely walk. Some drugstore-bought anti-histamines brought most of the swelling down, but my feet were still problematic. I essentially had elephant's feet, which were not only uncomfortable and painful, but incredibly unsightly.

Of course, I was scared out of my mind. How bad was my predicament? What if it got worse? What if it was serious? How would I communicate my symptoms to a doctor given my limited Portuguese skills? What if I told the doctors the wrong symptoms? What if I was going to need surgery or something, and have to be airlifted out of Brazil on a helicopter? For the time being, I thought, I'll see if it gets better on its own.

I panicked for a bit, and after my feet got bigger and more painful, I decided it was time to see someone.

I had heard a lot of things about the healthcare system in Brazil. Here, there are public hospitals and clinics--which are free--and private hospitals, which can be costly. Typically, public hospitals are plagued by long waits and overworked staffs, and are generally perceived to provide a lesser quality of care than their pricier, private alternatives. A friend of mine who went to a public clinic when she was feeling ill said she waited a few hours, but was prescribed good medicine and felt better in a couple days. But other friends of mine who also attended public clinics told me that they waited a long time for a doctor to barely do anything for them, and wished they had just gone to a private hospital in the first place. Another one of my friends also had good things to say about private hospitals: after he dislocated his knee in a freak samba accident (really), a public clinic told him he would need to go to a private hospital to get an MRI and an X-ray, because they lacked the resources to do that themselves. After going to said private hospital, he received his MRI, had a doctor look at it, and got a diagnosis and treatment, all within 45 minutes.

After weighing my options, and realizing I didn't have enough money to even pay for private care, which I thought would be unnecessary in the first place seeing as I wasn't dying or anything, I decided to bite the bullet and go to a public clinic.

I walked into a small building in the heart of a suburban neighborhood, the lobby filled with sad-looking sick people and even sadder-looking babies. My temperature and blood pressure were taken, I gave them my ID, and then I was told to sit and wait. This initial impression led me to believe that not only would I be waiting for three or four hours, but that I would also be tended to by an overworked, tired doctor. At this point, it's also important to note that all of my medical knowledge comes from House, M.D., so I expect every doctor to miss one of my symptoms until I'm near death and finally tended to and saved by a genius diagnostician.

But in fact, I was pleasantly surprised. I only had to wait about 30 minutes, and the doctor that saw me was a nice woman who looked at my feet, typed some things on her computer, and gave me a prescription. All in all, I was at the clinic for less than an hour total, and it cost me exactly nothing to get treated.

So, here's my advice for future study abroad-ers: getting sick is just about inevitable. And sometimes, you might get really sick, or be involved in some kind of freak accident. Either way, don't be afraid of your host country's medical services. Yes, even if there's a language barrier, and you don't know the word for "inflammation." Because when it comes down to it, you're dealing with doctors. And doctors are doctors worldwide, meaning their job is to make sure you don't die.

As for me, I'm getting better after being prescribed an anti-inflammatory. But more than getting over my fear of hospitals abroad, I now know to take extra, extra precautions regarding bugs and bug bites when I travel. It's one of the only downsides, I guess, of traveling to a tropical paradise.

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By dpmitchel

Sanibona from South Africa!

As our program is nearing the beginning of our ISP period, we are ending the classroom academics and preparing to go out into our various research endeavors.  We finished our Zulu course, have heard many lectures on community health and policy, and have completed 3 homestays.  We spent a week travelling to two rural homestays, Impendle and UMthwalume, which were wonderful experiences to help us gain perspective on health issues from a more rural point of view. We finished our main 5-week homestay in Cato Manor, and it was sad to say goodbye to our families!

Currently, all of us are currently busy trying to make last-minute changes to our research projects.  Although I was investigating the topic of emergency care in South Africa, I started toying with the idea of doing a hospital shadowing for my ISP.  We went on an excursion to Chatsworth, a predominantly Indian township near Durban, and visited a hospital there, which piqued my interest.  What cemented my decision was a recent visit to St. Mary’s hospital, a Catholic non-profit District Hospital that is both privately and publicly funded.

When we visited, we had the chance to see their maternity ward, antenatal clinic, and labor and delivery ward, and that reminded me just how much I loved my original topic of research! I originally wanted to compare the rates of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in public versus private clinics. After spending time in South Africa, I know that would be near impossible to investigate in the small 3-week research window we are given, but I think I have found a way to adapt my original topic.

We (as undergraduates) are not allowed to conduct research in a hospital setting in South Africa. So instead of doing research, I will be completing a Learnership, which will is purely observational and non-publishable. For my Learnership, I’ll be observing prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) protocols at various stages in pregnancy at St. Mary’s Hospital. Hopefully I’ll get to shadow in the antenatal clinic, the maternity in-patient ward, the nursery in-patient ward, and the midwifery and obstetrics unit.  This way, I can get a complete understanding of the PMTCT process from counseling newly pregnant women to testing newborns for HIV. What makes this topic so relevant to the community is that HIV is a potent reality for a sizeable portion of KwaZulu-Natal, the province we are studying in.

I’m all set up to start November 1st, and I can’t wait to start shadowing!

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By nharnish

As the Semester keeps going my research has expanded and taken a new form in Jordan. The past month has been a real eye opener for my topic and the route I want to take with this research.

My original research topic was directed towards the Jordan river and how Jordan utilizes it with its water scarcity issues. However, after some travel and eye opening interviews I've decided to tweak it. I spent my october break seeing the other side of the Jordan River Valley, the West Bank and Israel. Apart from an amazing adventure and great scenery, the experience was crucial fro my research and offered a lot of knowledge. I was astonished a the differences 50 kilometers could make. Not only is the West Bank and Israel much greener, but they actually have still bodies of water int he landscape! I spent a lot of time looking and asking questions about the water issues and Israel and the West bank, and the outlook look a lot better then Jordan to say the least. Israel's direct access to the Tiberius River, and their three very successful sanitization projects contribute a lot to this. The West bank is a different story, they rely on a quota from Israel for their water, and underground reserves as well. Even so, their farming capacity and water availability still outstrip Jordan's.

After witnessing and learning about Jordan's neighbors, I've decided to look more at the relationship between Jordan and Israel over the water within the region. With this in mind, my most important source will be the peace treaty between the two nations. After a first glance, the treaty calls for an annual tribute of 50 cubic meters of water to be given to Jordan from Israel's supplies. However, many of my sources have told me that in times of stress between the two nations Israel has been known to give Jordan 50 cubic meters of sewage water, as the treaty does no specify the quality of the water or its source. Aspects like these are worth looking into, and I will explore them further as my research develops.

With my question in mind, I will spend the next month visiting popular water and development sites while I continue to work with the Ministry of Water and Irrigation while I intern with the USAID. My internship is my best door to find potential and valuable sources for the research, and I've already lined up some great interviews. This saturday I will be visiting the Northern Border facilities for a water conference, which I'm hoping will shed some valuable light on the subject.

For now, my main question are as followed:

What is the future of the water treaty between the two nations? How will water politics influence the future of Israeli and Jordanian relations? and lastly, can Israel be a key player in heling Jordan overcome it's water scarcity issues?

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By stlake

parablogSo I’ve been majorly slacking on the blog posts as of late, so I’m going try to catch everyone up in a organized fashion. For those of you who know me well, you know I am the queen of post-it notes and to-do lists. Now I know laundry lists aren't the most interesting things to read but I promise to try to keep some humor. The extreme wit will return this week, I promise. So List #1: Things I’ve neglected to write about/probably should have gotten their own post but didn’t.

  1. My trip  eg of my fall break. I got to see one of my high school best friends KC and we spent plenty of time catching up, eating AMAZING food and sight-seeing. I would define our tourism however as lazy, which can be defined as people watching and going to more local spots than museums. But it was still a beautiful city nonetheless.
  2. My 21st Birthday- It was really cool that I got to spend my 21st abroad. So, while I might not have had the typical “American” experience, I was on the beach on October 14th, hanging out with some the coolest people I have ever met.
  3. The Education Strike here in Spain- About two weeks ago now, the Spanish government made huge budget and scholarship cuts to the education system, which caused the students and families at the University to go on strike and protest in the streets. The entire thing fascinated me, and being the political nerd I am, I looked more into the political systems here. I’m feeling quite inspired about this topic, so stay tuned for a individual post!
  4. Halloween Spanish style- While a few years ago, Halloween might have not been popular, with the growing number of abroad students here in Alicante as well as the increasing popularity of American pop culture, Halloween has definitely found it’s niche. I pulled a typical American girl move and dressed up as a black cat, while the Spanish people went for more a scary, scratch that, TERRIFYING approach to Halloween. I had an absolute blast with the all my friends. I'm definitely starting to think about how fast time is going by and cherishing every moment with my new friends.parablog2

This weekend, the entire CIEE crew went to Sevilla, Spain for a weekend trip. I had such a great time, which leads me to List #2: The best things about Sevilla

1.    It’s the perfect place for artsy photos. Here are a few examples, kudos of Chloe-the candid photo master. Everything was just so beautiful, I just had to show you guys.

2.    The architecture was just perfect. It is extremely influenced by the Muslims, who ruled the city for a very long time. The Cathedral, which is the largest Gothic cathedral and 3rd largest church in the world was beautiful. But my favorite building by far was the Plaza de España. Fun fact, Star Wars Attack of Clones was filmed there!

3.    Flamenco Dance- I have seen Flamenco Dance before, about 5 years ago but it definitely stuck with me more this time around. I am extremely fascinated by this dance. The guitar is extremely complex and beautiful. The dancers are so strong and powerful, yet it is extremely beautiful and tells such a sweet love story. The guttural singing kind of caught me by surprise but it adds to the passion of the whole art form.

I promise to continue to write weekly (maybe even bi-weekly if I get inspired) for my last 5 weeks here in Alicante. Thank you for all the continued support and love you all have given me throughout my Alicante Adventure. I hope to finish strong!

Paz, Amor y Beyoncé.

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Search and Rescue 4x4

 

 

 

Hi Again!

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SAR Cochabamba main dispatch center and duty office.

This past week has been filled with project related activities! two Fridays ago  I spent the evening with SAR Bolivia as i have for the past few weeks and finally got my first call! Though simple and relatively uneventful i was happy to get on the ambulance and assist with things instead of just sitting in the office like i had for the two previous weeks. The call was for a potential cardiac issue in the center of town at about 9:45pm, just when the night-time traffic was picking up. The ambulance that we took to the call does not have lights and the sirens that it does possess are often not respected by the other divers on the street which made getting to the call a tad more difficult than i was used to. Upon arriving we found a 30 something male semi conscience on the exterior steps of an apartment building complaining of severe chest pain. After examining the patient and checking his vitals we transferred him to the ambulance and transported to a nearby military hospital. Though very little treatments were provided to the patient while in route to the hospital it was obvious that the patient and his friend who was riding up front were very grateful for the free volunteer run services that they were being provided.

This past Friday I was at SAR as usual but this time specifically to attend the bi-weekly Quechua class that SAR provides for its members. Quechua is the primary indigenous language in Cochabamba and the surrounding areas and there are many  do not speak Spanish and are only able to community in Quechua. This class is part of an effort by SAR to be able to provide comprehensive healthcare to all residents of the Cochabamba area not just to the patients who speak Spanish. Though i was lost for most of the class i was able to pick up on some vocabulary words as well as learn that Quechua has to different verb conjugations for the first person plural, one that is you, me and everyone and a second that is me and everyone but not you. Though this class was very educational i think I'm going to stick with learning Spanish for the moment.

My final EMS related experience this week was early sunday morning at a splinting class for medical students at the university of San Simon, Cochabamba's largest public university. The students arrived by 8 am equipped with string, torn up table clothes and sheets and a whole lot of cardboard. With these few tools they constructed splints , slings and supports for every imaginable injury while the professors wandered through the group of students offering tips and constructive criticism.  I found the ingenuity and creativity of these students and their professor amazing and learned so much about how to easily support and secure injuries when the official equipment was not at hand.

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Hand splint made out of a rubber glove

I am spending the next two weeks designing a research project around what i have learned so far and preparing to move to another city to continue to study EMS issues in Bolivia.

Until next time!

~Kai

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By tinavisc

Americans in Cape Town have a knack for finding neighborhood markets. While a good portion of foreigners do infest the myriad craft/clothing/food markets scattered around Cape Town, a large population of Cape Townians themselves integrate market living into their weekly lives. I thought I’d share some of my favorite markets and why they’re so special.

The City Bowl Market is the smallest one I’ve been to, but has the most loveliness to offer. Situated in the trendy Gardens neighborhood of Cape Town, City Bowl is organized in a small community center and attended by 20-somethings and families alike. Various vendors selling Indian street food, gluten-free baked goods, jewelry, wine, and veggies ensure that everyone can take something of value away from the market. The broody solo guitarist may get you down on occasion, but the wine tastings remind you that market-chilling is the way to build some great community spirit.

The Old Biscuit Mill, which did in fact manufacture biscuits once-upon-a-time, has turned into the place to be on Saturday mornings. Hundreds of people swarm the market to wander around a vast array of prepared foods, quality which is ever elusive everywhere outside of the market itself. This past Saturday, a ‘gypsy jazz’ band local to Cape Town, Manouche, serenaded market goers with a bluesy singer, accordion, bass, guitar, and fiddle. My personal favorite moment of the morning was enjoying my freshly squeezed spinach and kale juice while listening to the band jam out to Summertime.

The Cape Town Crafts Market, located right off the V & A Waterfront, offers the best choices for those looking to bring back gifts from abroad. While this market, yes, does cater mostly to tourists, the products sold are ones of quality and charm. My favorite vendor sells jewelry all made by him, cut from colored clay. A couple of my friends even splurged on an African drum to add some spice to our American bubble lives back in student housing.

Visiting neighborhood markets has been the most fun and interesting way to integrate Cape Town culture into our student lives. I highly suggest checking out the local markets wherever one might decide to travel, in the very least you’ll get a great souvenir for home; best case scenario: you learn more than you’d ever imagine about the daily lives of locals.

Unless otherwise indicated, the content and opinions expressed on this web site are those of the author(s). They are not endorsed by and do not necessarily reflect the views of the George Washington University.
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