February 2017 – Page 2 – GW Blogs from Abroad

Visiting Cambridge? Try these things.

AdminFebruary 24, 2017December 14, 2018

Last week, I had a friend take the morning Eurostar train from Paris to visit me for the day at Cambridge. It still baffles me how easy and painless traveling from one country to another can be here. Within 2 to 3 hours, you can find yourself picking up a baguette and a cup of coffee at a Parisian boulangerie to being served a steaming pot of aromatic tea and buttery scones with clotted cream and raspberry jam at a London cafe (add another hour to your journey, and you can find yourself at Cambridge).

Together, my friend and I were able to explore and visit the main attractions of Cambridge, and I thought that I would relay some of what we did that largely exemplifies what one should do when visiting this historic college town.

1. Grab a Chelsea bun and a cup of cappuccino at Fitzbillies. The signature pastry at this famous cafe would certainly be the Chelsea bun, which basically tastes and looks like a fancier version of a cinnamon roll. Who doesn't love a hot cinnamon roll to start off the morning? If you're wanting something less sweet, go for a scone, which couples very nicely with the cafe's excellent and rich cappuccino and/or latte. If you come later in the day, why not think about going through the whole ritual of afternoon tea (tea, scones, cakes, and finger sandwiches galore)?

2. Get lost at the Fitzwilliam Museum. This museum has a fantastic collection of art, ranging anywhere from ancient Egyptian and Roman sculptures to medieval European paintings to contemporary antiquities. In addition, my friend and I visited the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, which similarly had a very fascinating and wide array of artefacts from all around the world. What I thought was really unique was how numerous faculties had their own museums to exhibit research conducted and discoveries made thus far.

3. Marvel at the King's College Chapel. The chapel can easily be called one of the finest examples of Gothic English architecture and a symbol of the city of Cambridge. It's truly amazing to think of how the chapel continues to be a place of worship to this day, having been constructed approximately 500 years ago. While we were unable to attend King's Evensong, a sung chapel service particularly famous for its renowned choir, we were nevertheless lost for words as we walked around and marvelled at the beautiful architecture.

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Over-Caffeinated and Under-budget.

AdminFebruary 24, 2017

Recently, I was told that Vietnam was the second largest coffee exporter in the world behind Brazil. I knew that coffee was definitely very popular in Vietnam, but I did not realize the significant culture around it. When I say that there is a cafe on every corner, I am not exaggerating. I know that you’re probably thinking, “Haha, okay Dylan. Whatever you say.” But, really, they are everywhere. My roommate told me that his and his friends version of a “fun” weekend night is to hang out the coffee shop until it closes.

For someone like me, this has become incredibly convenient. For those that don’t know, I used to be an employee at GW's finest java joint, “Gelbucks” and, as such, I am accustomed to consuming enough caffeine to stop a weak man’s heart. That being said, this lifestyle of getting coffee for 30,000 dong has been a dream. (For reference, 30,000 Vietnamese dong is roughly $1.30—and that’s a coffee from a nice establishment.)

So far, I have explored only a fraction of the coffee places in Ho Chi Minh and I am making it a personal goal to see as many as possible. A popular style is coffee with sweetened condensed milk, or cà phê sữa. Equally parts strong and delicious.

The following establishments are, so far, my favorite places to hunker down, connect to wifi, and enjoy my favorite beverage. Or, when I’m not in the mood for coffee, they also serve some of the best smoothies I’ve ever had.

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Cumpleaños Feliz!

AdminFebruary 22, 2017December 14, 2018

By rmattiola

I turned 21 three days before leaving for Chile. I had a blast. At the end of the night, in a tapas bar, a small Hispanic man came out from the kitchen and presented me with a decadent flourless chocolate cake and a candle. The bar tenders called out, “Con Permiso! Atención!”

The small man who may have been 40 or 70 years old began serenading me with a beautiful Spanish song. I listened intently and was able to understand many of the lyrics. The song was sentimental and commemorative. He sang these romantic words to me as if he was a dear family friend. The next day, I recalled a lovely line from the song translated, “you were born with all the flowers”--ironic since my parents’ family and friends were sure to bring roses for the new baby Rosalie on the day I was born.

After the song ended we exchanged hugs and a sincere “muchisimo gracias”. Then the music restarted and my feet started stomping and I dreamt of the fun I’ll have in Arica.

I keep learning more and more about Arica, the Atacama Desert and Chile in general. For example, the Atacama desert is home to the world’s largest telescope. The nearly cloudless skies and minimal light pollution supposedly create the optimum star gazing experience. This news is super exciting since I will be living close by. I also read about an ancient anthropomorphic geoglyph called the Atacama Giant, thought to represent a diety of the Inca or Tiwanaku. This massive work of art is dug into the side of a mountain in the desert about 3 hours south of Arica. Hopefully, I will get down there to see it myself.

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What it’s like to have class at the Acropolis

AdminFebruary 22, 2017December 14, 2018

By emilycreighton

I knew that studying in Greece would bring immense beauty of ancient ruins and artifacts. I knew that living next door to the first modern Olympic stadium would never get old. But I had no idea how incredible and amazing having class every Monday and Wednesday at the Acropolis would be.

First, some history. The Acropolis literally means "highest city". It's comprised of several ancient ruins on a large hill overlooking Athens. The first and most famous being the Parthenon. The structure was an old temple dedicated to the goddess Athena, for which Athens is named after. It's considered one of the most important buildings in ancient Greek architecture with ornate decorations and complicated designs.

Next we have the Temple of Athena Nike. Nike means "victory" in Greek, which is exactly how Athena was worshiped- the goddess of war and wisdom. In this very temple, citizens prayed for an end to the Peloponnesian War.

Other structures include the Propylaia, a gateway, and the Erectheion, a temple dedicated to Athena and Poseidon.

I've visited the Acropolis once before having class there so I semi-knew what to expect. But this trip was filled with behind-the-scenes-looks, roping jumping, and talks in offices.

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The First Week

AdminFebruary 22, 2017December 14, 2018

By juliareinholdgw

The first week in a new place is always exciting, hectic, and even a little scary. I have been in China for 10 days now, and it's been a complete whirlwind. Because classes for my program have yet to start, me and some other study abroad mates have spent countless tireless but amazing days checking out this new place.

So far, we have spent time in two cities, Nanjing and Shanghai. Both of these cities are located midway down China's east coast and therefore have their own unique food, culture, history, and people. Nanjing has two very unique historical elements to it. First, the city has a lot of beautiful Ming dynasty architecture, palaces, tombs, and gardens. There are many of these sites scattered around the city, including a large city wall, Gu Lou temple, an old palace, and most famously, the Ming Tombs. The Ming Tombs are located on this mountain in the middle of Nanjing, and it is said an old Ming emperor and his wife are buried underneath the tombs with hoards of treasure, although no one has ever found them.

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First Days

AdminFebruary 22, 2017December 14, 2018

By riakkim

I've been fortunate enough to have spent the last three and a half days in Tokyo, where I flew into before I head to Seoul tomorrow morning. Given that I had such a large winter break (Korea's semester begins March 1), learning to adapt while traveling and maintaining an open mind has been crucial for my learning experience.

Tokyo is a huge city. I've found that it can be easy to lose yourself in the business and bustle, or feel just as overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things to do. Although I may be a tourist now, if I'm not learning from my travels, I think they're honestly pointless, because I believe the purpose of travel is to learn more about the human experience, both yours and of the people of that place.

Subtle things, like different cultural mannerisms, ways of speaking, and habits are important to notice and learn from- for example, something I constantly forgot was that the Japanese drive on the left side of the road (the opposite of the US), and those habits translate to walking on streets, waiting on escalators, and moving to the side for incoming people. The Japanese also have mannerisms that are generally quite respectful- always greeting a customer while entering and exiting, the whole staff in an area thanking a customer when they leave or enter a restaurant, handing things with two hands, and bowing heads during an exchange- they're all quite familiar to me, who grew up a Korean-American with many similar habits, but could be strange and perhaps annoying to someone who doesn't understand a social hierarchy held up by motions of respect.

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Sleeping at the Palace

AdminFebruary 22, 2017December 14, 2018

By amberherrle

SIT programs provide students with educational excursions relevant to the topic of their study abroad program. Our educational excursion is a trip to the United Arab Emirates. As a Middle East Studies major, I've learned a lot about the unique state and I was extremely excited to come here. To be fair - I wasn't expecting much but was looking forward to seeing everything I learned in my classes in real life. The United Arab Emirates has surpassed my expectations on so many levels and I am so happy to be here.

A little bit of history/context about the emirates: The United Arab Emirates consists of 7 Emirates which came together in 1971. Each Emirate has a strong national identity, a royal family and a variety of laws and traditions that separate it from the others. For instance, while drinking alcohol might be legal and a commonplace in Dubai, alcohol is illegal in Sharjah. Further, the age of legal consumption varies from emirate to emirate.

Another example is the style of dress - the traditional garb varies from Emirate to emirate. While these two examples are extremely simple and relatively small, it gives you an idea of the range in differences between the emirates. Interestingly, when Emiratis introduce themselves, they are known for introducing themselves as "state-ian, Emirati", rather than "Emirati, from X state". This small tidbit of knowledge provides great context into national identity in the UAE.

One of the best parts about SIT in Jordan is that the program has a variety of connections throughout the country. These connections mean that our lectures are given by former minsters and heads of state and here in the UAE we were hosted by the sheikh (like a prince) for a few days. The Sheikh is a part of the royal family of Ajman, an emirate about 50 minutes from Dubai.

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"I’m Tryin to Raise the Bar High, Whose Tryin to Jump and Get It?"

AdminFebruary 22, 2017December 14, 2018

By jcapobia

Following up on my last blog post, I attempted to put words into action and completely immerse myself in the language and culture. Starting on Monday of last week, I attempted to fully and unequivocally surround myself in Spanish culture and language. This consisted of only reading, speaking, writing, listening to music, and, most importantly, thinking in Spanish all day for a week. I was going to immerse myself fully in Spanish culture and language, completely shutting the American culture and English language out for an entire week.

And what a week it was. I don’t think I can overemphasize the amount I learned and the level of immersion I felt. While I’ll admit that I failed in my goal to only do Spanish things for a week (as you can probably tell because this blog is written in English), it was still a pretty cool experience.

Immediately I saw benefits:

When I couldn’t think of a way to express something in Spanish in my head or I didn’t understand a word in the novel I’m reading, La Torre Herida Por El Rayo, I looked it up on the SpanishDictonary app on my phone. This vastly increased my vocabulary.
Orally, I found myself more fluent in the sense that I didn’t need to change languages every second. Whenever I heard or read Spanish, since I had been thinking in it all day, I didn’t need to translate it in my head. In a weird way it was received by my brain in the same way I naturally receive and understand English.
And most important of all, I felt more like a true Madrileño, a feeling I won’t try to put into words because it was surreal and I’m not really sure how to express it.

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One week down.

AdminFebruary 22, 2017

It’s been one week since I boarded my flight out of Newark bound towards the great unknown (Hong Kong). Unsurprisingly, the week has really flown by. After finally meeting the other participants on the program, both US and Vietnamese students, it has definitely made the experience more enjoyable and exciting.

One feature about my program that is surprising, but not unwelcome, is the size. There are four participants from the states, myself included. The other three are all from Clark University in Worcester, MA. We each have a local roommate that studies at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities which is a subset of the Vietnam National University. They joined us about 3 days ago and so far they have been the highlight of the experience. They are fascinated hearing about America and I have been asked questions ranging from, “Do you own a gun?” to “Don’t you think Beyoncé deserved the Grammy?” Truthfully, I didn’t expect them to know so much about politics or popular culture, but I’ve been proven wrong.

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Arriving and Working towards "Thriving"

AdminFebruary 22, 2017December 14, 2018

By vgosalvez11

I have now officially been in Chile for four days and have been trying to soak up as much of the country and the city of Santiago as possible.

Things are of course a bit overwhelming. Minutes after arriving after arriving into the busy Santiago airport, I was met with the challenge of navigating the busy terminals with (admittedly a bit too much) luggage. I then spent two days on my own settling and exploring before our four day group orientation. This short time spent wandering the city gave me the time to notice my surroundings and begin and catalog my thoughts on the new city.

My observations so far

1. Chilean Spanish is a language in and of itself - I was warned this was going to be the case, but I had no concept how “foreign” it would be. I was raised around many Spanish speakers (as in Spanish from Spain) and while wasn't really fluent I always understood the vast majority. In addition to this, I spent a semester in Madrid for and became more comfortable with Spanish. However, Chileans speak a Spanish that is incredibly different; their dialect is full of slang words and colloquialisms that I am not familiar with. Furthermore, their accent is distinct and unique from others I have heard. While this is a challenge, I think I am catching on pretty quickly, and hopefully I eventually won't notice the difference. I am pretty sure the on "Chileanismos" given to us by our group leader is going to become my new bible.

2. Chileans are NOT shy about PDA - Our hotel is near a grassy little park type area and you cannot walk 10 feet without seeing a couple lying in the grass “canoodling” (as my mother would say). It would be enough to make many Americans blush or complain. For my part, I really don't mind and find it rather sweet.

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