Skip to content

Month: May 2014

Published on

By msotomayor12

I knew that the final week in Madrid would be bittersweet. However, there has yet to be a moment in my life where the end of a chapter is in plain sight. Not only will leaving this grand city mark the beginning of my last summer as a student, but also my final year in college.

Looking back on my study abroad experience, I have really seen myself grow in the classroom. Studying in a different country gives you a natural impulse to explain and compare your knowledge about U.S. affairs with professors who are trying to relay similar information about their country. In this way, I have become a more active participant in class because everyone is interested in understanding new points of view.

Learning, and most importantly, respecting the political and social views of Spanish citizens has increased my desire to know more about other societies and why they act like they do. Studying in Europe gives one to the opportunity to discover various cultures, which are all neighboring each other. It’s amazing to see how one morning you are surrounded by people speaking French and after a short two hours plane ride, you have to remind yourself to speak Spanish with the locals.

It has also been an enlightening experience seeing U.S. politics develop from a different point of view, whether it’s from a Spanish narrative on a newscast or opinions shared at the dinner table. My exposure to all this has made me more confident in explaining my opinions, something that was a little shaky before.

It is in these last stages of studying abroad that I find myself reflecting…and preparing for finals. Surprisingly, I feel the same pressure to do well just as if I were at GW. Even though I have a rough week ahead of me, I know that my grades on these exams will not matter in the long run. The little nuggets of wisdom, learning by experiencing, and the pursuit to immerse myself in various cultures has taught me the most about the world and also, myself.

Published on

By zamorse

There is a ceremony on campus tonight (and all around the country) for Holocaust Remembrance Day and I thought this would be a good time to talk a little about all of the different holidays going on recently here in Israel. We are right now in the middle of the holiday season in Judaism and in Israeli culture, with at least five holidays in a three week period. Its nuts.

Last week was Passover, made famous by Matza or the unleavened bread that Jews eat for eight days. My parents came to visit, we had a nice banquet on the night of the holiday, and it was like spring break all over Israel.

Tonight is the Holocaust Remembrance Day, called Yom Hashoah (יום השואה) in Hebrew. It is Israel's remembrance day for the 6 million Jews that perished in the Holocaust. It is a day of mourning and reflection. Places of entertainment, like movie theaters, will be closed by law tonight. Flags are lowered to half-mast and it is customary to wear white.

Next Monday night is Israel's Memorial Day called Yom Hazikaron (יום הזיכרון) in Hebrew. The day is dedicated to Israel's fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism. It is also a very somber day in Israel. A siren is sounded all over the country at which point Israel's stop whatever they're doing (including driving) and stand in silence.

Yom Hazikaron is immediately followed the next day by Yom Haatzmaut (יום העצמאות), or Israel's Independence Day. It is not on May 14 (when Ben Gurion declared the State of Israel in 1948) because it follows the Jewish calender, which is a lunar calendar, and changes dates every year. This, of course, is one of the happiest days on the Jewish and Israeli calendar. Ceremonies are held all over the country, especially the capital Jerusalem. More than ceremonies, there are huge parties held all over the country. There are Israeli flags everywhere in Israel right now on the streets getting ready for this outpouring of patriotism.

There is another holiday, Lag Ba'Omer int he middle of May. There is also one ongoing right now, called Sefirah (Counting of the Omer), counting the days between Passover and Shavuot (a harvest festival in June).

So to say that it is a hectic time in Judaism and here in Israel is an understatement. There is a lot going on, but I think it really speaks to how Israeli culture operates. One day is Memorial Day, one of the saddest days of the year, and the very next day is Independence Day, by far the happiest day of the year. So we'll see what happens.

Published on

By juliaraewagner

During this past year abroad, I've had to navigate a solid lifetime's worth of awkward conversations with host families as well as other people who I've met regarding my perceptions of their countries. When this question rolls into conversation, I usually respond with some iteration of the following:

"Oh I just love the people here in [insert country name here]. And the [insert popular national dish here] is so great too!"

It's not for lack of wonderful things in each country that propels me to give this bland response; it's just that developing an understanding for a place takes a lot of time and reflection. I was talking to my homestay brother the other day, however, and he called me out on my typical PC response, saying, "No, really. Why do you even like it here in Buenos Aires?"

I stuttered for a moment, collecting my thoughts. I had never really been forced to articulate what I find so magical about this city, but I'm glad that my host brother prodded me. The following was my response:

"I love the way that every woman here whether 16 or 76 commits to wearing platform shoes because she is not afraid of expressing herself.

I love the pink light that shines on the city in the late afternoon and how it makes the buildings pop in contrast with one another.

I love that while the city is always bustling, people always take enough time to  sit down in a cafe to drink their cup of coffee, rather than carrying it out into the street.

I love how everyone grows gardens on their balconies.

I love how people will take their 3 year olds out to dinner at midnight.

I love how people protest in the streets every single day, if for no other reason than just because they have the political freedom to do so.

I love how graffiti is legal and how every spare wall is painted with a beautiful mural.

I love that, if you look hard enough, you can find an immigrant from almost any country in the world.

I love that the city is devoted to its artists and even subsidizes many cultural events, making them easily accessible with my student budget.

I love that of all the traditions that they've stolen from their Italian immigrant population, they've really managed to get gelato right.

I love that everyone from the Pope to the President addresses people with the word 'che'."

If it had been any other person, I think my response would have been too much information, but as an Argentine, my host brother had a poetic appreciation for it. He smiled and said, "that's the answer I was looking for."

After this yearlong adventure, I am booked to return home in exactly one week from today. In addition to a suitcase full of souvenirs, an SD card of photos, and a year's worth of memories, I hope to carry with me the small beauties of Buenos Aires. I only hope that I can integrate their obsession for art, their staunch insistence for expression, and their appreciation for taking time for small moments of the day.

 

Published on

By Dominique Bonessi

They were waiting for three hours.

In Mafraq, just a 12 minute drive from the Syrian border, sitting in crowded oven-like room refugees--women, men, and children—needed clothes.

One-by-one they were escorted by a volunteer to the tables piled with lightly used pants, skirts, hijabs, shirts, shoes, and anything else the volunteers had collected.  The flee market was an organized system with a section for men, women, boys, girls, shoes, and bed sheets.  Many of the refugees were women picking up clothes for a family of two girls and two boys with a baby on the way.

I was working the hijab table, unfortunately, it was the smallest table in the flea market of clothes.  Each woman in the family was able to select a scarf, but we only had one box and a bag of hijabs.  After an hour we had to start turning women away looking for scarves.  Eventually, I gained the confidence to escort a few women to find clothing for their children and husbands.  Many of them just needed the essentials, which made me really rethink the amount of clothes and extra things I don’t need on a daily basis.

After two hours crowds were restless and started pushing on the makeshift barrier between the flea market and the waiting area for the refugees.  Women and men entered the store clenching small blue books given to them by the UN.  One volunteer explained to me that these books were to receive help and services by the local governorate of Jordan.

My volunteer experience was with a group of 50 engineering students from the University of Jordan devoting their labor day to serving the fellow Arabs.  These young college students from Amman who have everything at their finger-tips realize how fortunate they are with the ability to attend a university, have a roof over their heads, and clothes on their back.

Whoever said Arab pride and nationalism were dead has never seen a well-oiled machine quiet like this one.  The truth is, any day the shoe could be on the other foot—no pun intended—and it may be Syrians reaching out to Jordanians to supply clothes, food, or clean drinking water.  Syrians, Jordanians, Palestinians may be the places they comes from, but at heart they have a greater common denominator as Arabs.

Published on

By pw916

“Você não é brasileiro.”

Having been colonized by the Portuguese and chosen as a destination for European emigrants, Brazil has a decently sized white population. So, although my light hair and green eyes may make me stick out a tad, it certainly wouldn’t exclude me from “looking Brazilian.” But, whenever I open my mouth, the obvious becomes, well, obvious: I’m not Brazilian. ...continue reading "You Aren’t Brazilian"

Published on

By msotomayor12

As a well-known pesto, stuffed pasta, and ice cream enthusiast it made complete sense to spend my spring break travelling through Italy. Visiting the boot of Europe was number one on my bucket list and I spent my eleven-day vacation taking full advantage of savoring every bit of its culture. Even though my range of Italian vocabulary consisted of “Ciao” and “Prego” (plus the name of every type of spaghetti and sauce) I managed to order my entrees correctly and find my way back to my hostel, which is quite the achievement in any foreign country. Traveling through seven cities takes a lot of planning and stamina, so I’ll present to you my “must-dos” and “biggest regrets” so you can enjoy your future trip.

Pisa

Must-Do: Instead of this being a must-do, the only thing you can really do in Pisa is take a touristy picture of yourself sustaining the famous Leaning Tower. The city is incredibly small and quiet outside of the tourist square so spending an hour walking around is suggested.

Biggest regret: Not climbing to the top. The Tower has recently opened its doors again to the public after years of restoration and tourists say that the view is definitely worth the 294-step climb.

Bonus Fun Fact: The Tower is not as tall as I imagined it to be.

 

Venice/Venezia

Must-Do: Ride in a gondola, Vaporetto (public transportation boat), or water taxi.

In other words, the best way to see Venice is from the water. To be honest, I felt like I was on a Disney boat ride half of the time because the city is so unreal. People actually live navigating through the waters to get to their homes, the market, or restaurants. It’s really an escape from normalacy.

Biggest regret: Stay in a hotel. Since Venice is so tiny, hostel options are extremely limited and they are not pleasant to stay in.

Burano

Must-Do: Simply visit it.

This vibrant city literally lights up your walk. Each house is painted in a bright color ranging from pink and yellow. Citizens cannot change their house’s color unless it falls under the city approved color scheme. Back in the day, citizens started doing this so that fishermen knew which was their house when they returned at nighttime. The city is so tiny that it only takes 45 minutes to walk through. However, I suggest buying some hand-made lace and drinking orange spritz, which are all unique to the island.

Biggest regret: Not buying a beautiful handmade lace scarf. One can find them throughout Italy, but they’re much more expensive.

Florence/Firenze

Must-Do: Visit David, Il Duomo, and seek out family-run restaurants.

I do not think that anyone can really understand why Michelangelo’s Statue of David is so famous until you see it. Standing at 17 feet tall, the statue is so incredibly lifelike that at one point, I thought I saw his chest rising up and down as if he were breathing. One can easily spend 30 minutes marveling at its physique.

Il Duomo, also known as The Cathedral of Santa de Maria del Fiore, is Florence’s oldest and largest cathedral. It is definitely hard to miss since its famous Dome grazes over the skyline and its architecture paints the building in red, green, and white images. Going into the cathedral is free and worthwhile since you can visit the remains of the original church dating back to 408 A.D. I also recommend climbing to the top of the Dome (depending on the temperature, see below) because the landscape is beautiful.

Lastly, I ate the best meals in Florence because my roommate and I found several family establishments. The food was exquisite! The mixture of flavors was so fresh and savory I would return to Florence just to eat more pesto sauce, tortellini, and crostini.

Biggest regret: Not visiting the Uffizi museum, which hoards Italian Renaissance masterpieces. Also, standing two hours in any line with vicious winds is not worth getting a cold.

Bonus Fun Fact: The best night to go out in the city isn’t on the weekend, but on Monday.

Rome/ Roma

Must-Do: Visit Ancient Rome and eat gelato from Frigidarium.

If you go to Rome and somehow do not run into The Ancient City, I’m not exactly sure where you’re walking around. Ruins are everywhere and you can touch all the old (we’re talking 8 B.C. old), which is incredible. Definitely must visit the Coliseum because…it’s the Coliseum, no questions asked.

The most delicious gelato I had during my trip was at Frigidarium. We casually ran into the best family-run gelato shop in all of Rome while walking near Piazza Navona. I suggest the house flavor of the same name; it’s a light caramel, chocolate swirl, and cookie crumble scoop of delight.

Biggest regret: Unfortunately my trip to Rome did not play out like the Lizzie McGuire movie. I did not become an international superstar upon stepping into the Coliseum and missed the opportunity to ride a Vespa after meeting an Italian singer at the Trevi Fountain. Le sigh.

Vatican City 

Must-Do: Pay for a private tour guide to take you around the city and avoid a 2-4 hour wait in line.

Whether you’re a Catholic or not, Vatican City is worth a visit. The museums on the Basilica grounds are filled with Egyptian, Renaissance, and private art collections of former popes. Not to mention that you can visit Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, which is a once and a lifetime experience.

Biggest Regret: All the restaurants in the city are ridiculously expensive since they are all tourist traps. Simply walk over the bridge to Rome and be amazed when prices suddenly decrease by ten or more euros.

Pompeii/Pompei

Must-Do: Grab a map or buy a tour book that explains each structure in the city.

Pompeii made my 6th grade history nerd run wild. After learning about it then, I made it my goal to visit it because I was obsessed with their culture and unfortunate demise. The visit solidified my understanding of how people lived starting from the 2nd century B.C. Surprisingly, it is not drastically different from how we do today. One can visit the remains of several gyms, baths, amphitheaters, bakeries, and markets. Mosaics and frescos still adorn some homes, while the plaster casts of residents are on display in their permanent resting state.

Biggest Regret: Not grabbing a map before entering, which left us having to eavesdrop on tours to realize the purpose of some ancient ruins.

Published on

By anishag22

A week ago today, I finally returned back to Bristol after a month of traveling. Ironically, even after seeing so many beautiful places throughout Europe, this past week in Bristol has been my favorite week yet. The reason is simple: Returning to Bristol felt like I was returning home. I've seen six countries and 10 cities in 30 days, but Bristol is still my favorite of them all. I suppose it's a cliche, because almost everyone I know who studies abroad ends up loving wherever they go. But strolling in the sun along the harborside this weekend made me realize just how livable this city really is.

I'm absolutely emotionally attached to Bristol - but mostly because of its people. My flatmates have become family to me, and I've truly met some of the kindest people in my life here. There's a communal friendliness in the air that's unlike anything I've ever experienced. Bristol also has such a distinct culture: it's Banksy's hometown, of course, but the street art is just one example of a general laid-back, cool vibe pulsing through the city's veins.

The truth is that since I've been traveling so much recently, I haven't really had the time to properly explore Bristol like I want to. We are too often caught in the trap of school to gym to dorm and back again without making it a point to see all there is to see. That's why I am so looking forward to the end of exams:  May 30th. I get two whole weeks of leisure before heading back to California on June 14th, and I intend to do a whole lot of local sightseeing before I get on that plane to America. Even thinking about leaving Bristol so soon is devastating because I know that if I had the option to stay another semester I would do it in a heartbeat, but I just have too much to attend to stateside, academically and otherwise. Before I left America, I remember people telling me about how sometimes a semester abroad is too short - how people get attached and wish they did a whole year abroad. Well, add me to the list. My advice for prospective study abroad students is this: If you can make a year abroad fit into your academic requirements, jump in with both feet and just go for it. I promise you won't regret it.

 

Until next time-

Xx, Anisha

Published on

By maxikaplan

This weekend will be my second go at bungee jumping here in the UK, where the weather has a tendency to cancel your first bungee attempt. I can’t think of a better way than jumping from a cliff to blow off stress while I get through this study period. Anyway, in my last blog I think that I wrote all there is to say about my study party here, so I’ll try to avoid it all together. It will do everyone some good to just not think about it, right? It will suffice to say that it is hard.

I’m reminded of how lucky I am to have gotten the chance to stay here for a year as I say goodbye to my friends who arrived for study abroad in January and are now leaving before I am. It is a really weird feeling because these are my friends from home home (New Jersey), and it is as if I am living here and they are just visiting, when in reality I leave in under a month. That is definitely weird, but what’s even weirder to me is when I take a day off to explore and find more and more places that I never knew existed in my nine months here. If anything, this is a lesson to myself to never stop exploring the city that you live in, because there is almost always something new that you haven’t seen before. London has old alleyways lined with pubs and townhouses in the way that Washington tries to have old alleyways, except the ones here are actually breathtaking. When I say that I explored a new area, it could be something as simple as a couple blocks that happen to have great food and great scenery. Many of the townhouses in London will have blue plaques on them indicating that a famous person once lived there. Around the corner from me last weekend I found the old residence of “Monty Python”—I didn’t even know that Monty Python was a real person.

I think that the perfect definition of how I feel about leaving London is undoubtedly bittersweet. I am past ready to leave this prison cell of a room that I currently occupy—while on a trip to Dublin my friends and I visited an old prison, and upon walking into a cell we quickly realized that it was just about the size of our bedrooms at LSE. I am definitely not ready to leave my friends here though, with whom I’ve spent my entire junior year. That is 1/20th of my life, to be dramatic. I have so much to look forward to when I get back (like returning to GW) that I really feel a combination of bittersweet and conflicted. Either way, I am excited for what lies ahead.

Published on

By catrionaschwartz

I’m almost near the end of my time here in Rome. On the one hand I’m excited to go home—I’ve been studying abroad for a year now and there are so many things I miss—but at the same time I’m not ready to leave. Living in Rome has been an adventure. Being able to travel every weekend and to constantly see new things is something I don’t think I’d ever get tired of. Being able to return to a sunny apartment in Rome made the experience even better.

One thing that has been a surprising joy is standing at a bar, drinking a cappuccino in the mornings. It was something I was a bit confused by when I first arrived here. One, that what we would call cafes are called bars, and two, that there are often very few seats in these cafes. Instead you see people lined up at the bar, sipping at on their espressos and macchiato, bags leant against their legs, looking for all intents and purposes completely settled there.

Taking a coffee to go will garner you some odd looks—certainly you’ve clearly marked yourself as a foreigner—because very few Italians drink their coffees outside the bar. For a dyed in the wool Starbucks patron, where almost everyone gets their drinks in paper and plastic to go cups, it all seemed a bit off-putting.

I gave it a try though. Standing by myself, my bag leant against my leg, in comfortable silence with strangers doing the same on either side of me, I realized it wasn’t so bad. And coffee tastes worlds better when it’s not coming out of a paper cup. It’s a way to relax a bit as well, after a stressful morning commute (and public transport in Rome, during rush hour is a trial, a trial of wills, patience, and balance).

It’s such a small thing, but it has made me enjoy coffee in a different, if equally ritualized way. Before living in Rome, coffee meant a to-go iced latte or chai from Starbucks, taken to class, or to drink while studying. It was a way to supplement an experience, or to make it more palatable. In Rome, coffee is the experience, and it’s one I’ve come to love.

 

 

 

Published on

By iobrien1093

After returning from an amazing week on Spring Break, traveling along South Africa’s Garden Route it was time to get serious about my capstone research project; to stop planning and start doing. I met with my capstone supervisor earlier this week to discuss how I wanted my final two months of service to look. I decided that going to New Chapter’s office once a week was not an efficient use of time, as there is no internet or phone connection, and that I would rather spend my service time at the Phumlani Village Day-care, working hands-on with the four and five year old children. There has been some tension and frustration recently in CIEE's partnership with New Chapter Foundation, and as a result the service learners and CIEE coordinators have decided to separate from New Chapter, while still keeping the relationship with Phumlani Village. So rather than implement a literacy program into New Chapter’s after school club I am now working with Phumlani Day-care to create a curriculum meant to prepare pre-primary school children for primary school. I was initially discouraged from working with this age group by New Chapter, with the reasoning that children in Phumlani do not typically begin learning English in school until third grade. It was suggested that I work with the fourth graders to catch them up to the appropriate reading level. I, on the other hand, felt that it would be beneficial to create the foundation for English learning at a younger age rather than to play catch up later. I could only see the benefit in helping the younger children, especially disadvantaged younger children who lack educational support, get a step ahead in learning English when they will all have to learn it eventually anyway.

I began working at the day care on Tuesday morning and it seemed that Mama Verda, the day care director, was happy to have a pair of extra hands. There are around 80 children at the day care, from ages 1-5. The five year old children were on a field trip so I began working with six four year olds on some alphabet activities. It was very hectic on that first day, because there wasn’t a separate room for me to take my group into. When any of the other children saw that I had brought crayons and paper they all wanted to be part of the activity, especially the three year olds, who do not have the maturity to sit still for a lesson. Of the six kids I was working with, only two of them were engaged in the activity, but the two did an amazing job and you could see how proud of themselves they were when they finished their worksheets. I wasn’t surprised that so few of them remained interested, as they are so young and haven’t had a structured schooling environment before. I was just excited that I could see some interest, even if it was only from a few of them. If I could get even two of the six ready for primary school, I would still consider that a success. Every child counts. The language barrier was not as much of a problem as I was told it would be, as many of the children are exposed to English out in public or on television. What I really struggled with was getting the children to stop climbing on the tables. I had to keep shouting Hlala! Hlala! which means Sit! in Xhosa. But, that was okay because now the children think I speak Xhosa fluently and they’re scared to say anything rude. It’s scary how many insults and gestures these kids, even the three year olds, use with one another.

This week was definitely trial and error.I wasn’t able to test individual knowledge of the alphabet or phonemes since the five year olds were away and they are my target group. I’ve realized that the four year old age group may even be too young, although like I said there were a few that were really trying. It’s going to be a struggle to keep the ones who want to learn engaged while there are others the same age bouncing off the tables and being disruptive. But, ultimately the point of these workshops is to find activities that can keep all personality types engaged. Now that we have separated from New Chapter, I am worried about the sustainability of my project. There are volunteers coming this summer from a program called The World Race who could pick up my project and continue with it, but it’s not certain whether this will happen. The coordinators at CIEE will also pair the service-learning students coming this summer with Phumlani and suggest they continue with my project, but again that’s not certain. Since Phumlani is such an impoverished township, programs like mine are difficult to maintain. It’s more important to spend time finding food for the children than it is to spend time giving English lessons. At least my curriculum will serve as a template for a pre-primary program if volunteers choose to go in that direction.

It's been extremely frustrating these past few weeks, but hopefully now that we've changed our relationship with New Chapter and I'm getting to work hands on with the children instead of sitting in an office, I'll make some progress.

-Isabel

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.
Privacy Notice
Viewing Message: 1 of 1.
 Notice

This site uses cookies to offer you a better browsing experience. Visit GW’s Website Privacy Notice to learn more about how GW uses cookies.