January 2017 – Page 2 – GW Blogs from Abroad

DuBAI America…

AdminJanuary 27, 2017December 14, 2018

As I sit in the gate of my connecting flight in Dubai, UAE, I cannot believe that I am one step closer to arriving in the city of Cape Town. I have never seen an airport this extravagant and beautiful. I can't wait until I get to spend a couple of days here in May after my program culminates! A couple of weeks ago I connected with another girl, Adeline, who is also from Massachusetts and in my program. Luckily, we had each other to figure out how to get around the bustling Dubai airport! Having her by my side has really been invaluable.

Without a doubt, my biggest fear has been the long flights to both cities (13 hrs to Dubai, 10 to Cape Town). However, with the help of feel-good movies, delicious food, and lots of shut-eye, the flight was incredible and exceeded my expectations. It was over before I knew it. It also didn't hurt that complimentary wi-fi was provided. I sat next to an awesome couple on their way to Mumbai; they gave me tips and tricks on how to conquer international flights, which as an inexperienced world traveler, I was grateful for.

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The Real Debate: Soccer or Football?

AdminJanuary 26, 2017December 14, 2018

By bmlee18

Recently, I joined my college's soccer team, and quickly realized a few things:

My body has rusted after years of limited physical exercise, mostly contained to short, breathless sprints to lectures and heavy lifting of groceries. This probably explains the soreness that permeated my body and the injury to my ankle that I sustained after the very first match.
Despite this, the pure joy of challenging my stamina, celebrating the spirit of teamwork, and participating in what may very well be the greatest game ever invented.
The ample differences between British and American terminologies regarding the game, which I explain below.

Football vs. Soccer

Undoubtedly, the most conspicuous difference between the American and British understanding of the sport would be what constitutes its legitimate name. Is it soccer? Or is it football? I would have to say that the latter probably makes more sense, given that the entirety of the world knows the sport to be football. And as someone originally from outside of the US and the UK and fully cognisant of what makes sense when learning English as a second language, putting "foot" and "ball" together far outweighs "soccer" in simplicity and logic. Ironically, you can't really blame the Americans for refusing to call the game anything other than soccer, since the origins of the word points to the Brits as the perpetrators. The Brits had coined the term "association rules football" (which evolved to be "soccer") to distinguish from other forms of the game such as "rugby rules football." They later abandoned the term as it became too "American," and now the Americans think of football as a game requiring heavy padding and bulgy helmets, and an essential element to making legendary movies like Remember the Titans and The Blindside.

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Meanwhile in Des Moines, Iowa…

AdminJanuary 26, 2017December 14, 2018

By KMorris117

Hey there!

You are reading Kelly Morris’ Study Abroad Blog. If you meant to click on someone else’s and your computer has now frozen on mine-welcome! Every week, I will write a short post about my time and experiences in St. Petersburg, Russia. I will be participating in CIEE’s Russian Area Studies program, living with a host family, and learning loads about the Russian language and culture.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot to contribute right now because I am still in the States! My program does not begin until February 2^nd, but until then I will be preparing for my semester abroad.

Since I have had a longer break than most and still have some more time before I leave, I have had the chance to do a bit more preparation. This has included listening to a children’s song of the Russian alphabet on repeat and watching YouTube videos on how to say simple phrases such as “Hello”, “Thank you”, and “Do you speak English?”

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My Initial Observations

AdminJanuary 26, 2017December 14, 2018

By bmlee18

Right now, I find myself over at Cambridge, a quaint college town with breathtaking architecture, a deep history, and a multitude of traditions that date back to hundreds of years ago. And during my very short time here thus far, I thought that I could relay some of the observations that I made.

1. The magical world of Hogwarts may very well exist. This place makes me feel like a muggle who has somehow been miraculously transported to the magical world of Harry Potter. It's almost as if the train that I took from London King's Cross Station was like hopping on the Hogwarts Express from Platform 9 3/4. Perhaps last night was the best reflection of this sentiment. I attended a beautiful candlelit dinner at my college's dining hall, donning a black cocktail dress and a black robe that all students are required to wear. The only thing we were missing were our wands. We were served a delicious three course dinner, with a palate cleanser between our appetiser and main course, as well as drinks. The night was marked with a few quirky traditions unique to this experience, and I have to say that I fully enjoyed the excellent meal and the lively environment, surrounded by good company.

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Packing for Amman

AdminJanuary 26, 2017December 14, 2018

By amberherrle

I leave for Jordan in just a few days - as excited as I am there are still so many errands I need to get done before I leave. I just returned from a 3 week road trip in South Africa so with jetlag + moving to another country this week is a little crazy. In an effort to help myself and help anyone studying abroad in the future - here's what I'm packing.

When I found out I was going to Jordan, I searched far and wide for a comprehensive packing list of what to wear/bring with me and I couldn't find one. This list is a combination of what I've found online + what I've found to be useful in my other travels. I hope someone else finds it useful too! I will be rewriting this list later to see what I wish I had brought with me.

1. Backpack - having the right pack can make or break your trip (and potentially your sanity when you are a hostel dweller). I have an Osprey Farpoint 55L. For me, 55 liters is just enough to hold what I want and not too big as to overpack. I find that no matter how big a piece of luggage is, I always manage to fill it up. Osprey has a lifetime warranty which is great. The bag is perfect because it has a detachable daypack and can be zipped up into a duffel.
2. A pack inside a pack - when I move abroad I always bring a large duffel tucked into my bag so that I can buy items abroad to bring home. This takes up a lot of room on the way there but is always worth it when I want to bring gifts back. Also, my style has always changed abroad so it's nice to have room to bring back new clothes.
3. Camera - GoPro + CLEARED STORAGE ON MY iPHONE. In all caps to emphasize that it's worth it.

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Five hours left

AdminJanuary 26, 2017December 14, 2018

By emilycreighton

Well, this is it. I have five hours before my flight to Greece. Two hours before I leave for the airport. And every single minute freaking out. When I looked around my bedroom after sealing the final zipper there is one and only one thing left to do- make my bed.

But instead I crawled under the covers and wrote this blog post. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel exactly. Everyone keeps asking me if I'm excited (and of course I am) but all I can think about is the language I don't know, the people I don't know, the holidays and weekends I'll miss spending time with my family. It's very- overwhelming.

Not to mention the horrible week I had before my departure. Let's just say it included Norovirus and a sprained ankle- I'll save you the gory details. But I just kept thinking, "Don't they say if the play has a bad dress rehearsal, the opening night will be perfect?" That's how I'm hoping my semester abroad goes.

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Anticipation

AdminJanuary 18, 2017December 14, 2018

By riakkim

For me, there's always a certain magic about being home. The towering mountains, a reassuring presence in the west, and the laid back people, a community that thrives a little differently than those back in DC. I realize here my time in Denver is short, and to treasure the little time I have with my family. And being back home gives me the environment to think and be introspective, because this is the place that has largely shaped who I am, and sent me off to be more finely detailed and polished in DC.

In preparation for study abroad, one of the most important things for me was to come home and reevaluate myself- my values, my relationships, and my goals. The process of self-realization has been a little painful, just as growing pains are in nature, but being sure in myself and having confidence in my person is something that I see as essential to making the most of my study abroad- to push myself and learn, change and improve for the better, but also never forgetting where I come from. Even now, I feel that back home I am a bit of a different person than who I am at GW, but embracing those realities and understanding why is important for me to also learn and prepare myself for how I may change in Korea.

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“If you’re the best one in the room, you’re in the wrong room.”

AdminJanuary 18, 2017December 14, 2018

By jcapobia

There's a great quote I once heard: “If you're the best one in the room, you’re in the wrong room.” I think this quote is a call to challenge oneself and get out of one’s comfort zone. A lot of times people miss out on opportunities because they are too scared of the consequences. They hesitate even though they know that they will miss an opportunity for something they will ultimately enjoy.

Let me give you an example:

It's a beautiful day outside and you and your friends go to a pool. You disrobe, put on the sunscreen, and fold your towel neatly on the chair. As you head towards the pool, a feeling of anxiety washes over you and you take a second, hesitating before you jump in the pool. It may be a moment's hesitation or a couple minutes hesitation because you know that when you go in, there will be a shock as the cold water rushes over you. For a few seconds after you jump, (which feel like forever for you), you will feel uncomfortable and cold. However, you know, even before you take that jump, that you will be fine afterwords, the cold and uncomfortableness will go away eventually.

When I chose to study abroad, I hesitated. That is why I have chosen to go so late during my Junior year, I knew my first few days would be a challenge and, true to my imagination, countless times during my first week and a half here in Spain, I have been challenged like never before, in ways I couldn’t imagine.

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Going Home (see: WHAT??)

AdminJanuary 10, 2017December 14, 2018

By ldanielowski18

Right now, I am getting cozy in a Moscow airport for my last layover before returning home. I have officially joined the flocks of sunburnt tourists sporting t-shirts and sandals, wincing at the biting chill of the airplane’s AC in preparation for the winter awaiting us at home. My final blog post seems as good a place as any to reflect on just some of what I’ve learned about traveling/generally being in the world.

Before going abroad, I often found myself hesitant to ask questions for fear of coming off as uninformed. However, living in India and traveling independently, you have no other choice but to admit that you do not know a lot of things (and believe me I did not and still do not know A LOT of things about living abroad) and ask the people around you about how you interact with new spaces (i.e. how/why spaces may be gendered, or even simply the unspoken etiquette for things like crossing the street or eating).

Over the course of this semester and my post program travel I have learned to be more comfortable asking questions and engaging with more people. This is a skill I would also like to translate over when participating in discussions surrounding socially relevant and significant topics such as inequalities/injustices and cultural differences.

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