January 2014 – Page 3 – GW Blogs from Abroad

My Final ago

AdminJanuary 31, 2014December 14, 2018

There is good news and there is bad news. I'll start with the bad: this is my last blog post. But, the good news is that I will be writing a second blog through GW for my next semester at LSE as well. I am thankful that I don't have to say goodbye to you all yet, and that as I write this from Paris that I can continue to give my readers the inside scoop of study abroad. This isn't a post about how fabulous study abroad is and how it has changed my life, but since I have the chance to I thought I would say a few words about the small things I've learned over the past few months.

First, and probably most important to me, is the idea of getting out of your comfort zone. Whether in class, in school, or at an internship, getting uncomfortable provides opportunities for me that l would have never known existed. Coming to LSE for a year was something I knew would put me out of my comfort zone, and so far so good. No harm done.

Second, I don't know where I would be in my study abroad experience and life in general if I hadn't learned to accept and always meet new people. I generally find two types of people when it comes to this though; there are those who willingly put themselves out there to seek new friends, and those who stay on the sidelines and make excuses not to go out, talk to the student next to you, etc. I personally have seen both sides of this coin myself, and I can tell you that being the former person and not the latter will help you in ways you can't imagine.

My time in Paris thus far might be what has me worked up about all of this, but since I am on vacation I think these ideas are really just beginning to hit me. I hope they one day hit you too. For now, that is all, readers, and I will get back to you in January when I start writing again. Happy New Year!

Its Over!!!

AdminJanuary 31, 2014December 14, 2018

By kneander

Well its over, after a month of interviews, shifts, and EMS courses and conferences i have finally completed my Independent Study Project. The final product was a 44 page research paper in Spanish detailing the structures, strengths weaknesses and challenges of the Emergency Response System in Santa Cruz de la Sierra in addition to an overview and introduction to the system the paper also included documented the three various systems: public, private and governmental as well as descriptions of normal shifts with organizations in each of these sectors.

Though i am incredibly happy and proud to have completed this project, there are still things that I wish had been covered that unfortunately were not. In the majority of my interviews and shifts with various organizations I heard about a plan for mutual aid system as well as a movement to create a 911 like unified dispatch system for the city. Though these two important development projects were mentioned frequently it was impossible for me to get any concrete information on the topics. Other than being able to get substantial information about these two projects my only other significant research challenge was getting meaning full time with patients and their families to ask about their impressions and experiences of the system as a whole. This was challenging for me for two reasons, firstly the nature of the emergency health system in Bolivia limits provider patient contact much more than the American system and secondly because of the very limited number of people who utilize the emergency response system instead of transporting themselves to a clinic or hospital. I overcame these two research challenges my modifying my research question and focusing instead on the structure of the current emergency response system. By only exploring the structural strengths and weaknesses of the emergency response system I was able to write a comprehensive research paper about one component of the system instead of a being forced to omit important opinions, experiences and developments that I would not have been able to gather in the limited time I had.

Over all this project was an incredible experience, living and working independently in Santa Cruz was a highlight of my semester and i look forward to bringing the knowledge and experiences I gained through this research project back to my community. I hope that my paper and presence in Santa Cruz over the past month will help the organizations I worked with and look forward to continuing to assist them in any way I can upon my return to the states.

Two Weeks In, Two Weeks Left.

AdminJanuary 31, 2014December 14, 2018

By kneander

Hello All!

I'm writing to you today from Santa Cruz de la Sierra two weeks into a month of independant research. Its been two weeks packed with meetings, overnight ambulance shifts and medical conferences. Working, researching and living independently in a new city has been a challenging and exciting experience. Santa Cruz, Bolivia's largest city and the economic hub of the country is located on the edge of the Amazon basin in a climate much more tropical than that of Cochabamba.

Over the past two weeks I've met with various different emergency response organizations including aeronautical firefighters, the national police firefighting and ambulance unit as well as various different private and volunteer ambulance and fire fighting organizations. Generally these organizations have been really receptive to my inquiries for interviews or to tag along for shifts, though these various experiences I have begun to get a sense of the emergency response system with in the Santa Cruz metropolitan area. Over this next week I will wrap up my interviews and ride alongs and begin composing my paper, summarizing my findings about the system as a whole through stories about the various different organizations with whom I have interacted.

Its crazy to think that there are only 16 days left of this program and that between now and December 7th, when i am scheduled to return to Cochabamba, I need to complete my research, my paper and provide the published the document to the organizations that i have met and worked with over the past few weeks. I am anxious and excited to see what the next two weeks of research hold for me and look forward to sharing the stories with you in my next post.

Until next time!

The End (of LBV)

AdminJanuary 30, 2014December 14, 2018

By DandyLion

The volunteer work I did over the course of the Fall 2013 semester was perhaps the most rewarding experience of my entire first six months abroad. I did so much at La Bicicleta Verde - from getting to know the company, I learned about the city inside and out, which taught me more than I am sure I am still aware of. I know so much about Santiago from the tours that I gave and observed during my time at LBV, and I couldn't be more grateful to have learned it all - especially considering Santiago, Chile is a place I would be absolutely willing to move back to, and in fact am for the Spring 2014 semester! I worked in the office as well, doing research for the company, as well as scheduling, emailing and other various office tasks. During my time, I also was given the opportunity to walk the city by foot, going from hotel to hotel, maintaining our good relationships with the local lodging facilities in efforts to encourage them to send tourists our way.

The major challenges I faced were initially the language barrier, which was quickly overcome due to time and practice, and the lack of information, which was superseded by the same methodology. I am extremely proud of my now fluent understanding and grasp of the Spanish language - but more so than Spanish, than what is practically known as the Chilean dialect, which is extraordinarily difficult to comprehend and communicate in. They say that if you can speak Chilean, you can speak any time of Spanish - and I now speak Chilean!

I absolutely feel like I made a difference in my community. Apart from the good relationships maintained with other local businesses, office work in helping the small tour company to stay on its feet without excessive expenditures, and green tourism, I felt as though I was able to perpetuate a positive view of Santiago, Chile to the tourists of the rest of the world who came to visit, which I am especially proud of as I believe that many US Americans do not have a particularly fond view of Chile and perhaps other Latin American countries due to unknown reasons, stereotypical or otherwise. This enhanced my time abroad exponentially; it gave me a very real reason to feel happy and helpful in my community, and the people who I worked with were phenomenal. It was wonderful to go to work.

Now that I am done with my Fall 2014 study abroad program in Chile, I plan to continue it going into the next semester! I had such an outstanding time that I decided to prolong my graduation and spend a bit more time in the city that stole my heart. If I don't choose to continue at LBV, I may consider more strongly teaching English as another volunteer opportunity, which has proven to quite a few of my acquaintances to be rather rewarding itself. When I come back to GWU within the next year, we can only wait and see what happens, but if I can find a way to do green tourism there, I would be delighted! ¡Hasta luego, gracias y ciao!

Goodbye Galway!

AdminJanuary 30, 2014December 14, 2018

By kathleenmccarthy1

I can’t believe that I’ve already reached this point, but my semester in Galway has come to an end. My last week in Ireland was probably the hardest for me because it consisted of a long, drawn out series of goodbyes. I also had exams up until the morning before I left so I faced the challenge of making the most out of my last few days in Ireland while also studying and packing. During my last full week, I made two trips out of Galway. The first was to Cork, one of Ireland’s largest cities, which is located in the far south of Ireland. My second trip was to my Irish roommate Laura’s home in Offaly. Although the trip to Cork was thrown together at the last minute with two of my American friends, it actually ended up being one of my favorite places in Ireland. Our first stop in Cork was the Crawford Municipal Gallery, which we went to mostly because there was no admission fee. This spot ended up being a great find because not only did they have works from artists like Salvador Dali on display, but they also had a temporary exhibit on Michael Farrell, arguably Ireland’s most celebrated artist. We enjoyed the Michael Farrell exhibit so much that we decided to take advantage of the lecture on Farrell’s work that was being given in the museum’s auditorium by Robert Ballagh, another well-renowned Irish artist. Even though we were hesitant to take advantage of the opportunity because we thought we would lose too much time, we actually ended up learning a great deal about what it means to be an artist in Ireland and about what was behind a lot of the Irish art that was produced in the 20^th century. Going to the gallery ended up being the best spot that we hit in Cork, and we didn’t even have to pay for it!

Two days later, my American roommate and I went to visit Laura in Offaly. Laura had gone home because there was a space of over a week between two of her exams so she didn’t see the need to stay in Galway. Laura picked the two of us up in her car from the train station and gave us a tour of the biggest town in Offaly and then of the smaller town where she lives. She also showed us the place where she has worked the past two summers, Bord na Mona. Bord na Mona is a peat harvesting company that extracts turf from the boglands that it sits on. Several years ago, a sculpture garden with pieces inspired by Offaly’s unique landscape was built on the boglands as well. In the midland of the park is a sculpture that features a large stone brought from Ellis Island surrounded by four large stones representing the four provinces of Ireland. This sculpture is meant to represent and celebrate the Irish presence abroad as well as Ireland’s role as a homeland. After hearing about Offaly so much from Laura throughout the semester, I couldn’t believe that I was finally seeing all the places that she had told us about in person. It was actually kind of a surreal experience to ride around in Laura’s car listening to the radio like I would with my friends back home. It was then that I really became awestruck at how comfortable I had become in Ireland.

Another thing that I made sure that I did during my last week in Ireland was say goodbye to my family that lives in Ireland. Because some of my cousins live in Galway, I was able to spend a good deal of time with them while I was abroad. This really enhanced my experience because it was a lot like having a host family whenever I needed one and helped me to get way more immersed in the culture than I would have had otherwise. Before I came to Ireland, I had been hesitant about studying abroad in a place where I had family because I felt like I would be staying in my comfort zone too much. However, if I hadn’t come to Galway for the semester, I wouldn’t have formed the relationship with my family in Ireland that I have now. At the beginning of the semester, I thought that I would only get to meet members of my extended family in Ireland. Instead, I was actually able to get to know them and now they really feel like family.

Saying goodbye to Galway was an experience with many layers. It involved saying goodbye to my family, saying goodbye to my Irish friends from college, saying goodbye to my roommates and finally, saying goodbye to the Americans on my program that had been with me this whole semester. There was also the matter of saying goodbye to NUIG and Galway itself. By the time that I got on the bus to Dublin, I fell asleep immediately because I was so exhausted from everything that was going on in the preceding days. I also had a bit of misfortune with my flight back to the states. Because the plane was fully booked, all of the overhead compartments were full by the time I was barding and I had to surrender one of my carry-on items to be checked beneath the plane. As I made my way back to my seat, I was stopped by a stewardess who told me that my remaining carry-on bag would need to be stowed below as well. I frantically tried to remove my personal items from this bag because departure time had already passed and I was one of very few passengers not seated yet. The anxiety of surrendering my bags to the staff at such shot notice and making sure that they were tagged while holding up the flight as little as possible must have really sent me over the edge because when I finally made it to my seat I just began sobbing uncontrollably. I must say, however, that I don’t think my emotional outburst was simply the result of this baggage nightmare but rather an expression of how overwhelmed I was at the idea of leaving Ireland. I had become an entirely new person in Galway. I had met the Taoiseach, learned how to play Irish sports, kayaked between classes, met and got to know my family, took my grandmother back to her home, completed group projects with people who had never been to the United States and learned how to live on my own in a foreign country. The people sitting next to me on the plane probably just thought I was upset at having my luggage taken away from me when, in reality, I was leaving home in a way that was far more complicated than the type of leaving home that I had done in August.

Goodbye Galway! #GWAbroad #GWU

Becoming a Better Baker

AdminJanuary 30, 2014December 14, 2018

By kathleenmccarthy1

One of the best things about my apartment in Galway is the kitchen. When we moved in, it was already stocked with all the necessary cooking supplies for pretty much anything we might need to cook. My roommate and I started cooking very early on in the semester in part because we are both cooking enthusiasts and in part because we didn’t have very much to do back then. Much like back home, my go-to dish has been pasta this semester, but in the spirit of being in a new place I have been trying new things with it and am quite proud of the results. Having a kitchen is really beneficial when studying abroad because you can save a lot of money on food and manage to eat food that is relatively healthy. Even though I indulge myself pretty often in Ireland because there is so much good food to be eaten, I still try to prepare healthy meals regularly so that I can keep my energy up and avoid getting sick, something that gets overlooked by a number of people who study abroad. It also works out because I can make enough of something to last for a few days and when I come home at the end of the day my dinner is already finished and just needs to be heated up. Cooking is a very big part of Irish life. Student housing in Ireland is very different from student housing in the U.S. in that there is no meal plan or dining halls. Students who do not live at home cook all of their meals in the kitchens in their apartments. Some students choose to live in “the digs” which are apartments in Irish homes where the owner of the house will provide meals as a part of the students’ rent. The landlords in the digs usually make the students’ lunches every day and send them off to school with them. There is a café on the college campus at NUIG but a large number of students simply bring their own lunch. My Irish roommate goes home every weekend, as do most Irish students, and when she comes back, she usually brings leftovers from something her mom has made over the weekend, which makes my American roommate and I very happy. For many Americans, it may seem unrealistic that Irish students would be able to cook all of their meals for themselves as soon as they get to college, but many of them have been responsible for cooking meals at home for some time. It is a very interesting contrast with American college life, which is so dominated by on-campus eating options. Another great thing that has come out of having my own kitchen is that I have gotten really into baking things like cakes, cookies and pies. It all started when the woman that hosted us for our homestay early in the semester gave us some recipes for the apple tart she made while we were there. I tried replicated it when I got back to Galway and when it turned out well, I started baking more stuff. I was never really much of a baker back home but now, one of the things I am most excited to do when I get home is show off my new, amazing baking skills. My roommates and I have spent many hours together in the kitchen baking amazing desserts and it has almost been the cornerstone of our bond as roommates. Ireland has definitely taught me, among countless other things, the magic of making my own food.

Becoming a Better Baker #GWU #GWAbroad

AdminJanuary 30, 2014

As I have mentioned in past posts, during my time in the Dominican Republic I have been working with a community school associated with a local organization called Oné Respe. The topic of my research was the causes and consequences of the violence within the children of the third grade class. I found that the more violent children tend to have siblings, receive hits from their parents as punishment (not necessarily hard or rough ones), and have had problems of violence in their families at rates slightly higher than the less violent children. I also found that the parents of the more violent children talk to their children about violence slightly less than the parents of the less violent children. In learning about the feelings of the children about the issue, I found that all of them, violent and non-violent feel sad and bad about the violence that goes on in their class. They all know the difference between right and wrong and that they should treat their classmates well and with respect, even the ones who choose not to at times.

There were a number of challenges to face this semester, many having to do with everything being in Spanish while it is a language I am still learning. The greatest challenge; however, was simply disciplining myself to get everything done—in terms of my research, my project, and other school assignments—while not having much free time, and still enjoying this country. This challenge never disappeared but I tried my best to face it by setting time frames to get certain tasks done and incentivizing myself with little things such as trips to the local frozen yogurt shop or a day or weekend trip to the beach.

It is hard to say that that I feel like I have made such a difference in my community because I feel that through service-learning, the student volunteering often ends up learning a lot more from their community than what they give to the community. Of course, I do hope that I made a difference. I hope that through my research, the school will have a better idea of how to combat school violence, so that the children feel safer, are able to learn better, and can grow up stopping the cycles of violence within their communities.

The time spent with my community and the research that I have done shaped my study abroad experience in a great way. It gave me the special chance to get to know real people and real life in a community, opposed to only experiencing the country on a more typical study abroad level. I must also say that, although I am an American, a foreigner, it was such a unique experience not having my skin bring any extra attention to me. It has been pretty special to complete a significant part of my higher education in a country where so many people resemble my family and me, as I am used to furthering my education surrounded by mainly white faces with whom I am always a part of the minority (proudly a racial minority! but this experience was still special in that respect).

When I return to GW, I absolutely plan on continuing my commitment to community. Majoring in Human Services gives me plenty of great opportunities participate in service-learning courses, and I am looking forward to the two that I will be taking next semester. I do not know where I will be working at the moment, but I would love to work with Spanish speaking teens so that I can continue practicing my Spanish and work with a different age group, but one that I still feel I can relate to very well. Wherever I work and with whomever, I am excited to learn more and keep gaining tools to become a stronger, smarter, and more useful person in this world. My study abroad experience helped me with this, but it will only matter if I make sure that I keep growing.

My study abroad experience in the DR has come to a close! What did I learn, what was special about my experience, and what will I do next? Check it out! #GWU #GWAbroad

Last post on research

AdminJanuary 30, 2014December 14, 2018

By nharnish

WEll, it's been a fun journey in Jordan. My research has come a long way in the last months and I'm happy to say I'm leaving this country with so much more knowledge then I had before. My argument is much different then I thought it would be coming into this semester, but I know that this reflects the difference in how much I know about water scarcity and water development int he region.

I've finished my paper, and the argument revolves around the concept that Jordan must work with it's neighbors to tackle the growing water issues. In particular, I believe that Israel offers the best choice in this endeavor. Not only would both nations benefit from mutual water projects and policy, but they could accomplish so much more then being on their own. Projects like the Red to Dead canal are perfect chances for Israel and Jordan to establish political networks and methods in which coordination between he two could be improved. Without efficient coordination, the Red to Dead will fail and be a complete waste of money and time. A successful system of communication would guarantee success and allow similar projects to begin. I also make arguments for projects that revitalize the Jordan River Valley, and looking into the possibility of a Med to Dead canal.

Many of the things necessary for greater water sharing is dependent on Israel's ability to open up and make concessions. For instance, revitalizing the Jordan River Valley would mean the Stat of Israel letting water flow into Jordan once again, taking water from the Sea of Galilee. The benefits of such action far outweigh the loss, not only would Israel be working with Jordan to save the Dead Sea (which maintains a 600 million dollar industry for both nations), but it would push jordan to share its water resources in the south and provide water for the central locations in both countries.

I've had an a amazing time learning more about a subject I love. While I faced a lot of challenges, especially in the interview process and getting officials to be blunt with me, I overcame many of them and certainly learned more about research. Additionally, I plan on continuing my research in the water field, and combining what I've done here with previous work I've done in Egypt. I know I will return in the future, water development has become such a huge part of my academic career that I can't avoid it.

So, farewell Jordan, masalama!

The final countdown!

AdminJanuary 30, 2014December 14, 2018

By fdecristofaro

At this moment I have finished my sample collection and also completed the analysis of the water samples. The process has not progressed as smoothly as I expected however this is something that one must expect to encounter both in the field of science and in the culture of Zanzibar. Working with the Institute of Marine Science on Zanzibar, which is a part of the University of Dar Es Salaam, there are many interesting professors and I have had the opportunity to access their wonderful resources but there are also factors that must be considered, such as IMS being closed over the weekend and Fridays are half days so that the faculty can attend prayer. These factors have made the past week go by slowly but I am happy to have finished. Now I am focusing on background research of Sugar Cane and its effect on the environment as well as finishing my paper on the work I have been doing. That aspect of my project has also changed; I do not have as much access to the factory as I originally hoped for, however after speaking with the management I know that they have implemented some changes in line with new regulations. I hope to reach out to a law professor we had a lecture from in Dar Es Salaam and find out how much environmental laws have changed in the past 10 years, especially as they relate to industry and pollution.

An interesting local development concerning the sugar cane factory came up right before I went to collect my first samples at the factory. A few acres were burned during the night by members of the community who are upset with the factory. This did concern me but after talking with advisors I got a guide to lead me to my collection samples. This makes what I am hoping to do more pertinent to the community. I think by showing the improvements that I have discussed with the management of the factory there are huge improvements. I am not sure that the community will appreciate this and obviously they have other qualms with the sugar cane factory and its impact. I do not think I have the ability to mend the rift between the factory and the community but I hope to emphasize the huge steps that have been taken to mitigate the negative effects of sugar cane and its industry. Future studies by students at SIT can also continue my work and keep sampling the rivers and do other sorts of environmental surveys to continue to monitor the factory and the healthiness of the surrounding ecosystem. I believe if I do a very good job on my paper I can continue this project far into the future by encouraging future SIT students to continue this which will benefit the project and the community.

Collected samples after sugar was raided and burned, finished lab analysis, and beginning the final paper. #almost there #3weeksleft

The Adventure

AdminJanuary 30, 2014December 14, 2018

By meaggymurphy

This last post from Spain was written from a bus between Pamplona and Madrid. I decided to spend the weekend getting a little more familiar with the capital, since I was only there for less than 24 hours the first day I arrived.

I think it's fitting to take the time to look back on the most important thing I learned during my very short 4 months away from GW. Of course, I learned a lot about how Spain operates, it's culture, it's language-the usual things that I'll be able to cite for family and friends when they ask how Pamplona is different from the U.S.

Those things are important, but not THE most important. My biggest "life lesson" has been to always chose the adventure over what you know. What you know will most likely be there when you come back, so why miss out? If you surround yourself on your adventure with people who truly care and have your best interest, there's no reason to second guess your decisions. I have been so lucky, literally from day 1, to have found "guardian angels" in the people that have surrounded me throughout my experiences. People who have opened up their homes, or patiently explained the way things work, or were simply there for me as friends. I think the biggest reason I'm not afraid to take opportunities or have new experiences is because I know I have great people to fall back on if/when I need them.

In the end, studying in Spain has been everything I wanted, and then some. I chose the adventure and I feel content that I'll go home knowing it was a success. It's a little strange to say, but I feel proud of myself. I didn't break down and go running home (it would have been a long run) or waste a single minute missing the safety and comfort of GW. I packed a lot of adventure into this semester, and lived every second of it. Lesson learned!