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Month: March 2015

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By LizGoodwin04

My program here in Thailand consists of five two-week academic units that we complete before beginning our research at the end of the semester. The first week is spent attending lectures, doing readings and participating in activities surrounding our topic. Then, for the last week we travel to a village in Thailand to live with a host family and participate in exchanges with different organizations. The units we will be studying this semester include Agriculture, Thai Politics, Chang Mai (a province in Thailand), Land Use/Forests, and Mining and Development. After spending the first month taking intensive Thai classes and immersing ourselves in Thai culture and history, we began our first unit on agriculture.

At the end of this unit, we stayed in a homestay in Yasothon province, where we lived with organic farmers. In Yasothon, we learned firsthand about the differences between organic and chemical farming and compared both the Thai and American agricultural systems. One thing I really enjoyed about the unit was learning about Thai perspectives on American agriculture.

On the last day of our stay in Yasothon, our group met with P. Ubon, the coordinator of the Alternative Agriculture Network in Thailand. The Alternative Agriculture Network is an organization that works with the Thai government and various NGOs to empower communities and farmers to move away from chemical-intensive monocropping.

Throughout the exchange with P. Ubon, we asked him a lot of questions about the future of Thailand’s agricultural system and the problems with the system as it is. In a lot of cases, he blamed the United States for the direction the Thai agricultural system is heading. He explained that because Thailand is developing so fast, the number of small-scale farms is decreasing and technology-based farming, like what is common in the U.S., is increasing. According to P. Ubon, this poses a large threat to the well being of the Thai people because it means there will be more health problems, debt and environmental degradation in Thailand. However, when we asked P. Ubon about how Thailand plans to address this shift in agricultural practices, he said it was the responsibility of the United States to solve.

P. Ubon’s answer really surprised me. While the United States may be able to reform the agricultural system of the U.S., it was difficult to understand how the U.S. would be able to change the future of Thailand’s farming practices. Though we ran out of time with P. Ubon, I would love to visit the province later in the semester and talk to him more about how the United States could help Thailand or why the United States might be interested in helping to preserve Thai farming practices.

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By Ashlyn

DIS (my study abroad program) offers several different types of housing, including "Living-Learning Communities." These communities place students who are interested in learning a particular skill in the same housing facility. I was placed in the "Culinary House," an LLC dedicated to teaching its inhabitants about Danish food culture through hands-on lessons, visits, and tastings.

As a member of the Culinary House for the past month and a half, I have cooked (and eaten) quite a lot of Danish food. Though I feel like I have only scratched the surface of Danish cuisine, I already have picked out a few favorites among those dishes that I have eaten. The following is a list of my five favorite Danish foods… at the moment. (Subject to change.)

  1. Smørrebrød

These open-faced sandwiches are possibly the most popular food in Denmark and are typically eaten for lunch. Start with a piece of nutty, grainy rugbrød, which is a special dark rye bread. Next, and a slew of ingredients and condiments. Each type of smørrebrød has a particular list of ingredients that it must include. My favorite smørrebrød types are prawn - made with mayonnaise, small prawns, hard-boiled eggs, and lemon - and tartare - seasoned with salt and pepper and topped with raw onion, egg, and horseradish.

  1. Wienerbrød

Wienerbrød is what Americans would typically call a Danish pastry, but in Denmark the name literally translates to "Viennese bread." This is because the recipe for a Danish pastry comes from an adaptation of the Viennese treat Plundergebäck. The Danish version of this pastry comes in many different shapes, sizes, and flavors. My favorite version is known as overskåret and is flat with stripes of white frosting, warm yellow custard, and melted chocolate.

  1. Fransk Hotdog

Hot dog carts are as common on the streets of Copenhagen as they are on the streets of New York. However, instead of your average frankfurters, the hot dog carts here in Denmark sell long, meaty sausages called pølse. One of the more popular ways to eat pølse on the go is in the form of a Fransk Hotdog ("French hot dog"). A hollowed-out baguette (closed on one side) is filled with creamy French dressing and then a sausage is inserted from the top. The salty, grilled hot dog goes very well with the crisp baguette and the rich dressing.  The Danes call it hangover food - whatever it is, it's definitely a guilty pleasure.

  1. Brunsviger

This Danish cake is sometimes served for birthdays, though it can also be served as a coffee cake. It tastes like a cinnamon bun, and is made of delicious, fluffy dough topped with a thick layer of caramelized butter and brown sugar. It should be eaten warm, but in my opinion, it can be eaten cold, or lukewarm, or half warm and half cold, or upside down, or with sunglasses on. This cake is dangerous, dangerous stuff.

  1. Flødebøller

Ah, flødebøller. In the past few weeks I’ve gotten to know this little Danish treat very well. The average flødebøller is a simple mixture of marshmallowy meringue, piped onto a wafer and dipped in tempered chocolate. But it is so much more than that. I have eaten approximately 200 flødebøller (give or take a hundred and fifty) since I’ve been in Copenhagen and I expect to eat at least 200 more before I leave to return home. It doesn’t matter whether they are simple or fancy – some chocolate shops make them with marzipan, or put dried raspberries in the meringue, or use white chocolate on the exterior – they are all delicious. They are also not too rich or too filling. They are the perfect after-dinner treat!

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So fresh and so local, the food from my agrarian homestay.
So fresh and so local, the food from my agrarian homestay.

“Arroi maak, ka!” “Chan im maak ka!” I must have said these two Thai phrases hundreds of time this past week.

I was living in a MooBan (village) in Yosothon Province, about three hours northeast of where I am in Khon Kaen, learning about the agrarian life in Thailand. We lived with farming families, and had what CIEE calls ‘exchanges’ each day. Exchanges are essentially meetings where different groups will share their experiences and knowledge, and we will share a bit of our own. We met with groups like organic farmers, farmers who sell at a green market, chemical farmers, and contract farmers. We also visited a rice mill and a sugar plantation. However all these exchanges were far from the highlight of my time away from Khon Kaen. My highlight, you ask? It was the experiences that prompted me to exclaim “Arroi maak” and “Chan im maak.” (Very delicious, and I’m VERY full.)

The food. My Meh in this family was an organic farmer. When rice is in season she grows organic rice, and in the off-season (which is right now) she grows a wide variety cover crops that nourish the soil for the next rice season. The crops included an assortment of vegetables, watermelon, and corn. There were also a number of chickens that roamed the back yard and offered us fresh eggs each day. Everything that was placed before us to eat was fresh, organic, and grown by my Meh herself or by one of our neighbors.

There was an abundance of stir fried vegetables, fish, som tham (green papaya salad), and sticky rice (SO MUCH sticky rice!).

My two favorite dishes were a local Isaan variety of black sticky rice (cow neow see dam), soaked in coconut milk and topped with sweet egg and fresh coconut meat that came from the coconuts plucked from the trees in our yard. I had to slurp down the coconut water first before I could eat the meat of the fruit with our sticky rice. My second favorite was a dish of caramelized onions and whole cloves of garlic paired with boiled eggs that had then been fried so the outside was a little crispy. I dipped my sticky rice (plain white this time) in the sauce, scooping out caramelized onions and garlic, to eat with my bite of boiled/fried egg. A perfect blend of savory and sweet. My mouth waters as I write and reminisce. Arroi MAAK, ka.

Eating from such an intensely local food system was an incredible experience. The food was probably the best I will have in Thailand.

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By kennatim

I have been eating a lot more fish here in Dublin. I have also been trying to do more swim workouts than usual. One of my goals in my study abroad experience has been to try new things and forge new habits. Most of the time, that involves immersing myself in some type of Irish culture. Swimming and fish are not exactly tied to Gaelic history, but nevertheless, engaging in different activities is overall what I came here for. That is why, when I received an out-of-the-blue, random email inviting me to teach retirees how to use computers, I was immediately interested.

The “Intergenerational Learning Programme” here at Dublin City University is a program that invites retirees (or “pensioners”) from the area to come to campus and receive free tutoring from students in anything from the basics of using a computer to how to trace your genealogy or write music using one. The program is sponsored by the Irish government and originated as a scheme to get older people to complete government services using the Internet.

I attended a short training session in our cozy classroom of nine PCs, which explained how many learners are on different levels of Internet proficiency. The volunteer coordinator established a schedule and explained the process. I have volunteer experience working with children, but never with adults. I was eager and a little nervous for the opportunity.

On our first day, we were matched with either one or two learners for the next four weeks. I was paired with two very nice ladies named Maura and Marie. They were friendly and eager to learn. Throughout our two hours, I taught them the bare basics: from turning the computer on, all the way to how to Google, use multiple tabs in Google Chrome, and save a Word document. Throughout the session, it was great to frequently hear them exclaim, “Oh, I always wanted to do that but didn’t know how!”

We talked about America and they gave me their recommendations on what to do while in Ireland. It amazed me how much we take for granted when using a computer: for example, when I asked them to go to the start menu, they asked where it was. They were here to learn, and I realized only someone who grew up on computers could know these things like second nature. It was a great practice of patience and understanding.

After leading a quick final review session, I promised we could work on using their personal laptops next week. They had very kind words about me for the volunteer coordinator, and remained very appreciative and eager to learn until the end. I knew it would feel good to help people out, but I had no idea that, as they say in Ireland, it would be such great craic (fun). I am happy that I continue to take the leap into trying new things because I have not had one regrettable experience yet. I am looking forward to my next seven sessions with Maura and Marie and watching them progress into computer wizards!

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By jdippel529

It’s no secret that while studying abroad, your course load is generally easier. The more relaxed academic setting during study abroad is great because it gives students more time to focus on experiencing the culture of their host country, or to travel to other places. The down side to this no-stress atmosphere is that when midterms or finals week rolls around, we don’t remember how to cope. Even though most of us are juniors in college, being abroad leads you to suddenly forgot how to handle a couple of exams and papers that are all due during the same week. So, here are 3 extremely useful tips that I am sure will help those trying to cope with studying for midterms or finals abroad:

Find a place to study. This may seem like an obvious tip, but remember that most students who are studying abroad don’t live on campus, where finding a quiet place to student is much easier. Before midterms week, I thought that studying at home would the answer. But, the weekend before midterms my host mom had all of her childhood friends over, and I’m sure you can imagine how loud that got. Moral of the story is, find a quiet place to study beforehand. Studying abroad isn’t like at GW where you can always study in your own place, or set up camp in Gelman. Look up any public libraries that may be around, or cool cafes that offer free Wi-Fi. Just make sure you have a place to focus before the last minute; I learned this the hard way.

Keep in contact with your professors. This is especially easy for students studying abroad through a GW program. Since the class sizes are so small, it is easy to develop a close relationship with any one of your professors. At GW, however, lectures tend to scare students away from asking too many questions or going to their professor for help. But, during midterms week, my classmates and I asked any and every question we could about what topics to focus on while studying. What we found was that all of our professors genuinely wanted us to do well, and gave us a tremendous amount of helpful tips. Study abroad allows students to develop a unique and close relationship with their professors that we should all take advantage of when midterms and finals roll around.

Plan accordingly. As I’ve said in my other blogs, it feels like there aren’t nearly enough weekends to travel while studying abroad. As a result, students may make the mistake of booking a trip the weekend before midterms, or even during them. This is why I strongly suggest having all of your syllabi spread out before you whenever you go to plan a trip. I almost planned a trip to London the weekend before midterms, but thankfully thought to check my school calendar beforehand!

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By LizGoodwin04

Thailand is certainly very different from the United States and having been here three weeks now I’m picking up more and more on all of the little nuances and differences that make Thailand so unique. Below are three small, but significant observations about Thai culture.

  • They ride motorcycles, or as the Thais call them “morcyes,” everywhere. Walking anywhere in Thailand is extremely difficult. There are no sidewalks and when there are sidewalks they are completely uneven with huge drop offs. Also, there are giant holes on the side of the road that I’ve heard people do occasionally fall into. So it’s no surprise that Thais prefer to ride their motorcycles everywhere, even if it’s just down the street less than a quarter of a mile away to the local 7-11 or around the corner to the closest breakfast place which is only a two minute walk (something my Thai roommate does quite often).
  • The Thais love to take selfies and it seems there is never an inappropriate time to take a selfie. There is no such thing as “selfie-shame” in this country. In Thailand if you are at a coffee shop, the first thing you do is take a selfie with the coffee. If you go out with friends to the bar, the first thing you do is take a selfie. If you’re at the mall, you take a selfie. There isn’t really anywhere you wouldn’t take a selfie in Thailand.
  • Bagged drinks. If you order any type of drink in Thailand, you will receive the drink in a plastic bag with a straw. At first, I thought drinking out of a bag was extremely weird. It was hard to balance and I never knew how to set the drink on the table. However, once I figured out how to hold the bag properly and set it down, I realized that plastic bags make way more sense and are more convenient than to go cups. With bagged drinks, you can carry them on your wrists, thus freeing up your hands to carry other things. In addition, nothing spills out the top of a plastic bag and sloshes all over your hands the way overly filled cups do. Finally, the handles of the bag keep your hands from getting all wet and cold from the condensation that cold drinks produce. In my opinion, this is definitely a practice the United States should consider adopting.

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By sjm510

From my time here, I’ve realized there’s a lot that the Irish and Americans can learn from one another. To begin, the US could most certainly learn from Ireland’s advanced recycling system. I’m still amazed that plastic film, plastic bags, styrofoam, and more can all be recycled together here. My involvement with Green GW inspired me to get involved here with UCD’s Environmental Society, Eco Soc. Eco Soc is only a year old, possibly because there are already such good environmental practices in place and not as much demand for an advocacy group like there was at GW. Green GW is 9 years old in comparison. Eco Soc has some really strong goals in place such as to participate in the Green Campus Programme, which encourages a partnership approach to environmental education, management, and action in third level institutions. While brainstorming ideas of how to bring sustainability to campus, they were very receptive to hearing about what worked with Green GW, such as encouraging students to sell and trade used items, trashion show, online surveys, working with administrators, etc. I look forward to staying involved with this group and hopefully helping them to implement strategies that worked well at GW.

I also recently got involved with UCD’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders. I’ve been involved with EWB at GW for the past year and find the differences between the two chapters interesting. At GW, most of what EWB does is in preparation for our compost latrine project in El Salvador. At UCD, they hope to soon set up a similar project. For now, however, they are focused on hosting workshops and volunteering events as a way to get students interested in sustainable development. I participated in their 3D printing workshop as well as a workshop held by Concern Worldwide. I look forward to imparting some ideas that worked well at GW onto UCD’s chapter and continuing to learn from them as well.

Finally, I also participated in a “soup run” this past week where a group of UCD students got together and walked around the streets of Dublin, offering food and tea to the homeless. I’ve never participated in something like it before, but it was an eye opening experience. Towards the end of the night, most of the homeless we approached let us know that we were the fourth or fifth soup run that had come through just that night. I know similar organizations exist in the United States, but I think it’s yet another show of the friendly nature and kind heartedness of the Irish people to see 20+ students in just our group alone giving up three hours of their night nearly every night to help others.

I’m excited to keep learning from the Irish as well as share some ideas of my own from back home. It’s a really unique opportunity to experience first hand the differences in student organizations at the two schools and I’m lucky to be in a position where I can offer guidance both to UCD organizations based on what has worked well at GW and to once I return home, to GW organizations based on what worked well at UCD.

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By Shannon McKeown

1. Ulster Museum

The Ulster Museum, located within the beautiful Botanic Gardens, is the perfect afternoon activity that doesn’t cost a dime. Founded in 1821, it is currently Northern Ireland’s oldest museum and features displays in art, local history, treasures from the Spanish Armada, botany, and geology. For anyone unfamiliar with the area, the museum offers a large range of information regarding local history and the history of the unionist & nationalist conflict. The museum also has collection called “Art of the Troubles,” which includes work by artists in response to the Troubles, the time period of the city’s heightened violence that began in the 1960s.

2. Black Taxi Tours

In Belfast, Black Taxi Tours are a main attraction. These tours will take you to different areas of the city, but the most well known tour is of the political murals of the Falls and Shankill. These areas are either unionist/protestant or nationalist/catholic and are completely segregated. The most famous ‘peace line’ in Belfast lies between these two neighborhoods. While many believe that the Troubles are completely over, this wall, taller than the Berlin Wall in most areas, is a reminder of the segregation that still exists. Furthermore, both neighborhoods (as well as sections of the wall) feature an array of political murals, some highlighting their own history and others focusing on international issues.

3. The Giant’s Ring

The Giant’s Ring is a henge monument located just outside of Belfast. It is a man-built circular enclosure that dates back to around 2700BC, predating the Egyptian Pyramids. While the activities that took place inside the mound can only be speculated upon, it is thought that it served as a meeting place or as a memorial to the dead. Just east of the center of the circle is a five stone tomb. Furthermore, a ritual site was excavated in the area adjacent to the site in the early 1990s. These days, the ring is part of a series of paths near the River Lagan and is a beautiful rural site for those who want to escape the urban environment for an afternoon.

4. Friar’s Bush Cemetery

Friar’s Bush is Belfast’s oldest Christian burial ground, with some graves dating back to the early mediaeval period. There is a legend that St. Patrick built a church on the grounds, while it is also said that an order of friars established on the land. This site can be found on a map dating back to as early as the 1500s. Furthermore, throughout the penal laws that discriminated against Catholics practicing their religion in the 1600s, Catholics would often meet in secret for mass at this site. It is also a burial site for many victims of the Great Irish Famine of 1845-51. Taking a tour of this site is a great way to spend an afternoon and learn more about Belfast’s complex history.

5. St. George’s Market

St. George’s Market emerged as long ago as the 1600s, and the present award-winning market was built between 1890 and 1896. Friday includes a variety market, with products ranging from antiques to fresh produce and coffee. On Saturdays, you can enjoy the ‘city food,’ and the craft and garden market, while Sundays include food, crafts, and antiques. It was voted the UK’s Best Large Indoor Market in 2015 and is a great way to get a taste of Belfast’s food and culture.

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By LizGoodwin04

As part of my study abroad program, we stay with 6 different host families in various rural villages for a week each over the course of the semester. This past week, we stayed with a host family here in Khon Kaen, just 15 minutes away from where we are taking classes. While we spent the evenings and mornings with our families, we spent the day at classes here on campus. Though it wasn’t a complete immersion, this homestay was like a test-run to get us acclimated to staying with a family and improving our Thai.

I was paired with another American student in my program to stay with our host family, who lived in a neighborhood called the “4 Region Slum,” for four days. My family was huge and we spent most of the time trying to figure out just exactly how everyone was related. The other part of our time was spent desperately trying to understand what was going on. I thought I could understand basic Thai phrases until I realized I couldn’t even understand when our Meh (host mom) asked us “Chao mai?” (Early, no?). I just stared and went to my go to answer “Ka!” (Yes!); hoping of course it was an appropriate answer to respond yes to. In another embarrassing instance our Meh spent 10 minutes telling us to “Nang!” or in other words, sit down. Whereas, we spent those 10 minutes walking around the room asking “Nang?” while pointing at the garbage then “Nang?” while pointing at the food and finally after walking outside and noticing the bench “Oh, nang!”

On the last day of our homestay, the program arranged for an exchange with the students and our host families. There was a translator at the exchange so we could tell the families everything we had wanted to say, but didn’t know how and also so we could ask them questions about their community. During the exchange we were able to learn more in depth about how the community was founded, as well as how the community will progress into the future. Right now, a railroad track runs along side the community and during the exchange we learned that there are plans to expand these tracks 20 meters on either side to build a high-speed railway. By expanding the railway, every family in this community would be displaced and would lose everything they ever worked so hard to achieve. During our stay our family was so generous and kind. They had patience with us when we couldn’t understand anything they were saying, they took us to the market with them at 4 am and had a monk bless us, and then even invited us back to stay with them later in the semester. Although it was heartbreaking to learn that this development project could displace them in only a few months, it was inspiring to learn that they are currently in the process of organizing to send a representative to the Department of Transportation in Bangkok to fight and stop the expansion of the railroad.

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By kaandle

Germany has been in a debate about the ethics of male circumcision. This discussion began when a procedure in Cologne, Germany in 2012 experienced complications and the parents of the effected child sued the doctor and ignited a state-wide controversy. At first, the Cologne courts ruled all male circumcision illegal - regardless of religious importance. This was eventually overturned by the German Bundestag (legislative branch of the German government) which made male circumcision legal for religious purposes before the child ages six months.

Now I'm sure you're wondering why I just made you read an entire paragraph about the German politics of circumcision. I spent my Friday perusing an exhibit at the Jewish Museum Berlin, titled "Snip/it!: Stances on/Ritual/Circumcision", because few things align so perfectly with a course called Politics of Gender. It guides visitors through the Jewish, Christian and Islamic history and significance of the procedure, as well as demonstrates global trends and representation in media. Although this particular topic wouldn't normally draw me in, it was fascinating to start my experience with this class in the middle of an ongoing political controversy.

On the one hand, this topic is affecting the community around me as the restrictions most directly affect people of minority religious affiliation - Judaism and Islam. The outcry from these communities is what caused the initial restructuring of the law, but it still hinders their traditions. For example, in the Islamic tradition circumcision can occur as late as a male's early teen years. It is a sign of a boy becoming a man and in all religious affiliated traditions it is a sign of a connection to God. Especially with protests surrounding immigration (mostly aimed towards people from the Middle East) the idea of restricting religious practices is definitely a sensitive topic.

On a personal level, my experience abroad is being enhanced by the vocal discussion of this issue. I am learning about ongoing German politics, current affairs are being used as a discussion base and learning tool in class and I feel as though I am enhancing my connection to this country by knowing what is going on within it.

Tidbit for future tourists: Since the circumcision exhibit closes March 1, 2015 there's no need to go avoiding this amazing museum. The permanent exhibit masterfully utilizes the architecture of the building to create a unique and impactful commentary on German Jewish history. Definitely a must see.

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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