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Month: August 2014

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By rbhargava

I’ve been in South Africa for almost a month now…which makes me worry that the next few months will go faster than this one. The good news I’ve been able to knock off all kinds of things from my bucket list so far, and this week was one of the best in that sense. I had several memorable moments, including a tough class with the 7 graders I teach at Lynedoch Primary School on Monday, a tour of Cape Town with a geographer on Wednesday, a visit to a nearby informal settlement (Enkanini) and hike at the nearby Jonkershoek Nature Reserve on Thursday, and a trip to Cape Town on Saturday in which I ran into a massive pro-Palestine protest, went to the famous District 6 Museum, and did the very popular Full Moon Lion’s Head hike in the evening. All were amazing experiences and I would be happy to speak at length about any of them, but I want to focus this week’s blog post on something different altogether – life at my residence hall Metanoia.

I talked about Metanoia a bit in my Week 2 post, but to revisit – Metanoia is the largest university residence with about 500 students. Of those 500 students, there are 9 non-degree seeking international students – 5 Americans, 3 Germans, and 1 Swede. What that means is we are few and far between, and get to experience South African university life like few others. There a few hundred international students here for the semester, but only the nine of us are living in a completely integrated dorm with South African students. The past few weeks have made me greatly appreciate my situation, as most of the other international students are living with one another in buildings specifically for international students, or living in private residences. Two weeks ago the residence had a week-long celebration with all kinds of events from a Game Night, to a Seniors Night, to a massive party in its Quad on Friday, and even a wine tasting on Saturday. This type of community within a dorm is something I never experienced at GW, and is something I best experienced this past Monday when the dorm held its elections for Primarius and onder-Primarius (essentially President and Vice President of the dorm).

The election began around 7pm on Monday, and all students were required to attend, so the cafeteria on the ground floor of the building was transformed into an auditorium as 500 students crowded the room. Each candidate was given 5 minutes to speak, followed by a 5 minutes question period. Many of the questions were quite controversial and direct, and most students were very invested in the election – for reasons I’ll begin to explain later. The elections ended up taking over 3 hours, and we were forced to stay the entire time. Elections for onder-Prim actually ended up spilling over into the next few days as a run-off was needed. The entire election process made Metanoia seem like a cross between a fraternity, a dorm, and student government – which it practically is.

To get a better sense of why there is such a strong sense of community here, let me tell you more about the structure of Metanoia. Although every room is a single, hallways are grouped into sections…which meet once a week and are named – my section is Enkidu’s Kloof while others are more excitingly named such as Norrisville and Helms Deep. Sections meet once a week and typically share communal bathrooms. Because there are no kitchens in the dorm, many students are forced to eat their meals in the dining hall on the ground fall (which is a complete mess, but that story is for another time). This means lots of residents see each other constantly in the cafeteria as meals are served only during a one hour period.

Stellenbosch is also currently in the middle of acapella season, and Metanoia has both guys and girls acapella groups. They both had concerts this week, and in the past few weeks both groups performed multiple times for the entire dorm in the dining hall. Every now and then, an announcement over the loudspeakers will let all residents know that the guys or girls group will be performing in 5 minutes…and everyone runs down to have a listen. It’s a great opportunity to meet students and enjoy all that university life here at Stellie has to offer. What I can say for sure is residential life here is much much richer than that at GW, and I can only wish that schools in the US could learn something from Stellenbosch.

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By bevvy2212

The Angst. The Angst.

I’m supposed to be flying to Paris in two days. I still have yet to receive my visa. Hence, the angst.

Traveling angst probably is common for a lot of people, but it is a pretty new feeling to me. I first went abroad by myself when I was ten. My parents found me a home stay family in New Zealand during winter break and popped me on a plane down to the southern hemisphere. It might look terrifying now, but back then, I was happy as a bird. Things like the language barrier and how on earth would I be able to manage the bus system in Auckland did not even cross my mind. Indeed, I was a fearless, brainless, ten-year-old. I did not over think things, like I do now.

I realized that as I grew older, the feeling of traveling angst becomes more pronounce each time. I think I’m loosing my sense of “winging-it” as I am growing up. I need to have everything planned, but as we all know, traveling rarely goes according to plan, at least in my case. There are only so many things that are under human control, the rest is left to fate, as my mom would proclaim. Like that plane that got shot down flying over Ukraine? Can’t really plan around that.

I have heard mixed reviews on the safety of Paris. My friend just told me yesterday how a friend of his got robbed in the metro under broad daylight.

--My god, I thought to myself, do I need pepper spray?

--I’m really loosing my marbles, how is pepper spray going to help me in the case of robbery? “Stop! Or I’ll blind you?!”

--Should I take up karate lessons then?

--Really Bev, you’re gonna kung-fu fight someone in the Paris metro?

I have to admit that after I have thought it through, it seems quite silly. Paris is just going to be like any big city in the world. It has its problems, and we will just have to deal with it. I mean, we get emails from GW warning about robberies  all the time. Why would Paris be any different? (Who knows, Parisian robbers might be classier because they are French. “Mademoiselle, please let me grab your bag or I will jab this knife into your appendix.”) Traveling angst, it happens. As sad as I would like to admit, my life isn’t nearly as exciting as the movies and I will probably have to save my kung-fu fighting skills for some talent shows instead of fighting criminals in the metro.

Hopefully by this time next week, I’ll be in Paris already, safe and sound. (Visa, please hurry along.)

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By mcbitter

As I prepare for my upcoming semester abroad in Paris (fourteen days and counting!), the number one thing on my mind is simple: fit in, fit in, fit in.

Why do I want to blend in with the Parisians, you might ask? Surely such a task is impossible - after all, they are widely regarded as the most chic creatures under the sun. (I’m not sure how they pull off wearing leather so well, but I’m not going to push it. Or try it for that matter.) Ultimately, I am pursuing this goal in an attempt to avoid those awkward stares from the locals (mon dieu, another American tourist). Indeed, there exist certain attitudes that Americans seem to associate with Parisians - that they are not always welcoming, or that they accept us begrudgingly, when we visit the famed City of Lights. While I have not experienced this treatment myself (in fact, all of the Parisians I have encountered in the past were nothing but gracious!), I am still anxious to avoid attracting it. If such an attitude is true, anyway, I would imagine that the Parisians are not entirely at fault - similarly prevalent are stereotypes of tourists ignoring foreign customs and the very culture that draws us to them in the first place.

In an effort to understand and embrace these customs, especially those that are regarded as common courtesy, I have taken to several books, one of which I especially recommend. “The Sweet Life of Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World’s Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City,” is written by David Lebovitz, and it provides an insider’s look into an American’s Paris - what to do (greet shopkeepers with a Bonjour Monsieur/Madame), what not to do (don’t leave the house in comfy clothes and flip flops, for one!), and what to eat (all of the mousse au chocolat, in my case).

By the end of my time in Paris, I hope that I will be able to say that I have had an authentically Parisian experience - and maybe, just maybe, I’ll have tricked some of the locals into thinking I was one of them!

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By Jess Yacovelle

GW offers a litany of different countries that you can study abroad in on every continent in the world, save for the frozen one. There are literally opportunities to suite any desire that you may have.

 

So why am I going to London? After all, it's a rather expansive world out there, so what was it about London that intrigued me? There's a myriad of reasons, truth be told, but I won't bore you with them all. In summation, there were two deciding factors: the language and the culture.

 

I'm not going to lie, the fact that England is an English-speaking country drew me towards it. It's not that I don't want to learn a second language - quite the contrary, actually - I just possess a knack for utterly butchering any foreign language I attempt to speak. French, Spanish, you name it and I can't speak it. No joke, I was literally told by my GW Spanish 4 professor that I write as though I'm in an advanced Spanish class but I speak as though I'm in Spanish 101. I figured I'd best stick to English-speaking countries, lest I accidentally wander into a restricted area because I can't understand what local law enforcement is saying.

 

The overwhelming reason I chose London, however, has to do with the literary culture. I'm an English major; nothing gets me hotter than curling up with a cup of coffee and reading Thomas Hardy or James Joyce. Though there are some profound American writers that I enjoy, it's the writers from the United Kingdom that truly peak my interest. The world has changed tremendously since Beckett or Dickens last published their work, yet I still feel as though I need to walk in their shoes and experience the progression of their cultures. I want to be able to discern between the cultural differences of those from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. I want the ability to pick out a Yorkshire accent from a UK line-up. I want to learn about the culture and the history of the writers who inspire my own writing.

 

In truth, my journey to London begins with one part ineptitude, two parts curiosity. Though I don't expect my own failings with enunciating in Spanish to be assuaged anytime soon, I hope this utter chance of a lifetime will somewhat satisfy my curiosity. I doubt it, though; I bet no matter how much of London I see, it will never be enough. But such is life, eh?

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By rbhargava

With my second week in class over, I’ve finally settled down into university life here at Stellenbosch. Having gone to school in DC for the past two years, it’s a refreshing experience to be studying in a “college town.” It only took me a few thousand miles, but it’s great to be at a school where you actually feel like a college kid rather than a pre-professional living in a big city. This week, I want to focus on three separate events – teaching at Lynedoch for the first time on Monday, visiting the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden and hiking up Table Mountain on Tuesday, and hiking up Stellenbosch mountain twice.

As I mentioned in my post last week – as part of the LSCE (Learning, Sustainability, and Community Engagement) class I am in, I have the chance to teach 7th grade boys at a local school once a week. Monday was my first time interacting with the kids, along with my co-teaching partner Brandon (who also happens to be from northern NJ). In our first class with the students, we showed them pictures of our families, NJ, NYC, and our schools to give them a better understanding of our backgrounds. To get to know the kids better, we then went on to play several different games including 7Up, Four Corners, and Charades. From what we’ve been told, the majority of our students have ADD or fetal alcohol syndrome, making teaching and even playing simple games like Four Corners a difficult task. On a lighter note, I did get a chance to play some soccer with the students during a 20 minutes break, in which I was extremely surprised by how talented they all were and how well they worked as a team. I’m 100% confident they would beat 99% of the teams I played when I was their age in the US. Their talents on the field and struggles in the classroom point towards a background in which playing outside with a soccer ball is much more common than having a book to read at home. Looking back on the students thus far, they are almost identical to the middle school students I taught in India a few summers ago. The students here behaved, acted like, and were interested in the same things as my students in India, and it will definitely be interesting to continue to notice those similarities over the next several weeks.

Moving on, last Tuesday I went with some friends to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden near Cape Town. The grounds were beautifully kept and we spent much of the morning walking around the garden and enjoying a rare sunny and warm day. The highlight by far though was a hike up the backside of Table Mountain on the Skeleton Gorge Trail. The strenuous hike took us above the clouds through a never-ending path of log steps, ladders, and climbing a waterfall. The top was well worth the effort though, as we looked down at the clouds below and came across a reservoir with bright white sand. It was quite surreal climbing up so high, above the clouds, and coming across a nice little beach. We took a different route back down – Nursary Ravine – which was anything but easy. Luckily, our walk down coincided with the clouds moving out of the area, so we were able to hike down and slowly begin to see the land below. The hike took several hours, but was probably the most rewarding hike I’ve gone on.

Of course after such a great hike I was eager for more, so on Thursday I hiked up Stellenbosch Mountain with a friend. The hike was much less intense, but offered equally stunning views of Stellenbosch and the surrounding areas. It was clear enough to see Table Mountain and Lion’s Head directly west, and the ocean just south of the mountain. The mountain is just behind my residence, so I returned again to do the hike with some more friends on Sunday. It seems like hiking up the mountain may become a weekly activity for me!

 

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By kcampbell94

“The Africa Trip”

 

Typhoid pills, malaria pills, anti-diarrheal pills, Novalog, Lantus, needles, and test strips. Flipping through my seven prescriptions, the pharmacist said, “Do you think you could postpone your trip? You know, with everything that’s going on in the world right now?” That was the last thing my mother needed to hear. The “trip” is in reference to my studying abroad this semester through SIT’s Rwanda: Post Genocide and Peace Building. Ever since my mom had called me in March and said, “I googled Africa, and it’s dangerous, honey. I think you need to pick somewhere else,” my mom had deemed my upcoming semester, “The Africa Trip”, which makes me think of a fifth grade field trip to the art museum. From getting accepted into the program alongside my friend, Kelsey (with whom I also went to high school) to submitting endless paperwork and battling with many a fax machine to handling the range of reactions I’ve gotten when asked, “Where are you studying abroad?”, I can’t believe the journey it’s been and I haven’t even gone anywhere. Many of those reactions were similar to the pharmacist’s. My uncle had shaken his head and told me there was no reason for me to go to a place like that. Friends have laughed and said, “Classic Kara”. The cashier at Party City, who had somehow gotten into a conversation with my sister about where I was going, told her to do everything possible to dissuade me. Everyone seems to have an opinion: relatives, parents, friends, cashiers, relators, the hairdresser. What many people don’t understand is that Rwanda is a country that is so much more than what happened twenty years ago, and Africa is so much more than a generalized continent, a horror story on the news, which is precisely why I am studying there. I know I will learn more in this semester than I could ever expect. I know that this may be one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, especially as a fairly recently diagnosed Type 1 Diabetic (i.e. Novalog, Lantus, needles, and test strips). I also know I will miss eating Chipotle more than I may miss some people. Most importantly, I know I have never been more excited for anything in my entire life. With my departure about two weeks away, I have been thinking a lot of my expectations, fears, anxieties, for which I have compiled 5 lists, each with 5 things.

 

5 Of The Most Common Reactions I Have Gotten When I Tell People Where I Am Studying:

1. “Don’t get Ebola."
2. “Where is Rwanda?”
3. “Have you seen Hotel Rwanda?”
4. “Why?”
5. “My best friend’s cousin’s ex-daughter-in-law has a neighbor who has been there.”

5 Things From The U.S. I Anticipate I Will Miss:

1. Chipotle
2. One of my dogs
3. Friends and Family (of course)
4. Thanksgiving
5. Nutella

5 Things From The U.S. I Anticipate I Will NOT Miss:

1. Being on my phone
2. The other dog
3. The first cold days of November
4. Taking Chemistry
5. The revolving Gelman Library doors that always give me anxiety

5 Things I Am Most Anxious About:

1. Diabetes problems
2. Mastering the art of bucket showering
3. Coming off as an ignorant American (even worse, an ignorant New Jersey-ian)
4. My directional skills (or lack thereof)
5. The long plane ride

5 Things I Am Most Excited For:

1. Living with my homestay family
2. The research component of my program
3. Being immersed in the culture
4. Being present
5. Meeting both people in Rwanda and the people in my program

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By rbhargava

I’ve been in South Africa for over two weeks now, and now am settled into life at Stellenbosch. There’s much I could review and discuss about my past week, so I’ll try my best to highlight the most important and interesting aspects of the past several days.

Last Sunday, I was able to move into my dorm from the Sustainability Institute. My dorm, Metanoia, is the largest residence on campus with about 500 students. There are very few international students here, I’ve met 9 so far, so living here is a fantastic opportunity to meet South African students and fully integrate into the university life here. I’ve already made many friends here, unlike most of the 400 or so international students here for the semester who are living either in private residences or in a university complex that is for international students only. The upcoming week is Metanoia Week, a celebration of the residence, and should be full of many more fun times with local students. I’m very lucky to be living here as I understand many people have study abroad experiences that leave them with few friends from the area they are studying in.

Last week was also the first week of classes. This semester I’m taking three classes – Learning, Sustainability, and Community Engagement (LSCE); Cities, Sustainability and Community, and Transitional Justice in Africa. The LSCE is an innovative 9 credit course that meets Mondays and Fridays at an elementary school outside Stellenbosch. On Mondays, we teach students…I’ve been lucky enough to be placed with 7th graders. Having taught 7th graders previously in India, it will be exciting to compare the two groups. On Fridays, the class returns to the school for an entire day of theory on sustainable community engagement. I’ll most likely be posting entire posts just on this program as it will certainly consume much of my time here. The Cities, Sustainability, and Community course is the one I am taking as part of my CIEE program and began last week with the praxis week at the Sustainability Institute. Lastly, the Transitional Justice in Africa course is one offered at Stellenbosch specifically for international students. I have yet to take an Africa-specific course at GW, and the first lecture of the class seemed very promising and insightful on post-conflict justice in various countries across the continent.

The highlight of the week though was, of course, was getting more exposure to Stellenbosch and South African culture. Students here are extremely friendly and I’ve been able to converse with a few South Africans about what it means to be a South African, specifically post-apartheid. I’ve noticed that while the issues of apartheid are still very apparent and racism still can be found almost everywhere, the students I’ve met at Stellenbosch have little interest in the policies of the past and give hope to a much brighter future. However, that being said, the lack of opportunities in South Africa cause many of the brightest students here to leave the country for better opportunities elsewhere.

I want to end with one specific story that I hope will give a better understanding of what South Africa is like today. Last weekend, I planned a trip to visit Cape Town with a few friends. Over the course of the week, I asked as many people as possible how they got to Cape Town, what means of transportation they recommended, etc. I asked specifically about taking a train there, which was the cheapest and easiest option. To give some background on the train system here, trains are traditionally only used by blacks and coloreds, and therefore have a certain reputation. Some students told me to avoid the train at all costs, while others told me to only take first-class during rush hour, and others had told me to go in a large group. On the other hand, one white South African girl told me she had traveled alone on the train once and was fine. My friends and I ended up taking the train to Cape Town and back and had no problems, although we definitely didn’t feel completely safe on it. The lesson here though is the remnants of apartheid are evident in everyday life. Trains are still “for the blacks”, and white South Africans will rarely use them. From what I’ve been told, no one has been murdered on the train system we used, but the decades old reputation of the train system persists. “Blacks use the trains…and therefore its dangerous.” Too many people here are isolated from other racial groups and relatively content with what is going on, and that only perpetuates the problems of apartheid.

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By rosessupposes

Preparing for a semester across the Atlantic would be a cause for both excitement and nervousness regardless of which country I'd chosen. That I'm going to Senegal, in Western Africa, makes this all the more true. My parents would have been worried about their youngest child going this distance even without the risks of visiting an underdeveloped country, or the risks of a certain well-publicized outbreak being in the approximate region of my destination.

But the risk of ebola and general exposure of being in Sub-Saharan Africa is not what has been preying at my mind. No, what I find myself most concerned with is what kind of knowledge I'll be bringing back in December. Hopefully, it will be the knowledge that yes, I can function and flourish in a country and culture dramatically different than my own, and in addition, a better knowledge of what exactly development means to those whose countries are the focus of this area of study.

My worries at this moment in time, just 13 days before I depart, are concerned with my ability to acclimate to the culture there. Will I be able to communicate with my family? Will I be able to find my way around the city? And, as a proven introvert, will I be able to fully experience life in Dakar without clamming up?

I know these worries can only be answered in time, and I am striving to stay optimistic as I compile and endless-seeming checklist. But whether or not this experience is one I'll want to repeat, I know that it will most definitely be enlightening.

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By anuhyabobba

Buenos Aires has been beautiful thus far. The city can be best described as eclectic. The study abroad center is located centrally on what is called the “widest avenue in the world” and so is close to a lot of the places I hope to explore. The architecture here has a heavy European influence, which makes for the best of walks.

I live in a home stay with my host mom, her daughter, her daughter’s husband, and her three grandchildren. It is a rather big household, but I am loving every moment of it -- growing up as an only child makes me appreciate this more and more. My host mom spoke to me in English the first week in Buenos Aires, but has now been speaking in Spanish mainly so I can gain a better grasp of the language.

I love city life tremendously; I enjoy stepping outside the apartment complex door and being surrounded by this great energy. Buenos Aires has more than I could ask for. The coffee culture here is incredible, but there are not that many to-go coffee places. Even if I am living in such a big city, time still goes slow here. People are not in this rush, so sitting down in a cafe or what have you by yourself or with your friend and having a pleasant conversation over coffee is commonplace even in the busiest of days. It helps in appreciating each day more than the last.

As my days here grow and grow, I am diving deeper into the country’s history through coursework and exploring. Before coming, I read up on Argentina as much as I could. But being here helps in making what textbooks and articles taught me into a larger reality. My program organized a city tour for the students, and on it, we visited Plaza de Mayo. During the 1970s, Argentina experienced what is known as the Dirty War. Thousands of people “disappeared” or were abducted and killed, because they were considered to be political dissidents by the military dictatorship at the time. The mothers of the “disappeared” took to the Plaza de Mayo demanding the whereabouts of their children. Standing there overwhelmed me to say the least, but it provided this deeper sense of understanding for Argentina and its people.

I have a lot more to learn, and I cannot wait for this city has to bring in the future.

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travel book
Travel book from my sister's in Delta Phi Epsilon

My sorority has a tradition for all girls going abroad. At the end of the last meeting of the spring semester, each girl is given a guidebook for the country they are traveling to. The best part of the gift is the collection of scattered comments left by sisters throughout the pages. For my book, there was advice from younger girls about the best cafes they visited in Madrid and forewarnings from older sisters who studied abroad in Barcelona about streets to avoid. Each chapter included scribbles in Spanish and warm wishes for an adventure they would live vicariously through me.
In May, I flew to Colombia to start a summer intern program and spent multiple flights jotting down notes from each section of the book. I slowly built a bucket list. I’d catch a Real Madrid match, then take a train to Grenada, see Barcelona at dawn, and find a rooftop restaurant in Seville. There was also a less romantic, yet more realistic list mounting. I needed to get a visa, practice my Spanish, book flights, see my doctor, and much more. For an avid procrastinator, the latter list was intimidating not only by its length but by its hard deadline. I am going to Spain. I can’t get an extension on visa appointments and the reality of my future has set in and taught me so much already.
All in all, I can’t wait to return to life in Europe and to get to explore Spain with fellow GWU students. At first the idea of a program for only GWU students alarmed me, but after spending the summer in Colombia with students from all over the hemisphere, I found comfort in the idea of studying my university peers in Madrid. As I looked through my guidebook waiting for my appointment at the Spanish consulate, I realized that there’s something inspiring about always keeping a little bit of home with you wherever you go. ¡Hala Madrid!

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