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Month: February 2017

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By rmattiola

In my application essay I explained how I could count 15 of my favorite places in DC. I gave the details about one and said to check back for the other 14. Well, here they are:

  • The residential streets of Georgetown between 27th and R and Wisconsin.
  • Dumbarton Oaks Estate and Park
  • The Gardens of The Smithsonian Castle
  • Boulder Bridge Loop at Rock Creek Park
  • Jefferson Memorial and River Run
  • St. John’s Yellow Church
  • National Cathedral
  • Residencies around the Palisades
  • The Pond on the Mall
  • The WWI Rotunda on the Mall
  • Renwick Art Gallery
  • Impressionism Wing of National Gallery of Art
  • Teddy Roosevelt Island
  • On top of the old grafitied dock house looking over the Potomac off of the canal path

I’m going to be honest: I’m new to this whole blog thing. I don’t really even keep a journal. I do however, at any given moment in time, posses a collection of scraps of paper, torn notebook sheets, and sticky notes upon which I jot the most important thoughts racing through my mind. These are fun facts, things to remember, song lyrics, Spanish vocab, short essays, etc. So now I will attempt to accumulate my fragmented sticky-note-thoughts into complete sentences for this travel blog.

...continue reading "What if…"

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By jcapobia

Joe 2/13-1

When I was in Lisboa, one of our tour guides told us about a Portuguese word that has no equivalent in English or Spanish. The word is Saudade, a word which describes the feeling of depression that one feels when they think about the “good old days;” the longing for something that cannot exist. Our tour guide described it as the feeling you get when you see your Ex walk by and you remember the old days, but simultaneously realize your life can never be like that again and that you may never feel that same happiness. (In Portugal, they express this sadness through music, most notably in the melancholy music of Fado)

This encounter made me think of a linguistic hypothesis I heard a couple months ago in a movie. The hypothesis, recently popularized by the movie Arrival,  is called the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. This hypothesis holds that as someone’s language influences their thoughts and decisions. In other words, the limits of your language, all the way down to the grammatical structure, determines the way you perceive the world. Although I haven't thought about it much before this week, as I learn more and more and become immersed in this culture and language, I am learning the subtle differences that Spanish and English (And the two Portuguese words I know) have and the subsequent effects of these language peculiarities.

...continue reading "My Language Limits This Title"

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By bmlee18

Stonehenge

This past weekend, I took a short day trip to the city of Salisbury, and from there, visited the world famous prehistoric monument we all know as Stonehenge.

Prior to embarking on this little adventure, many past visitors whom I'd spoken to had expressed mixed feelings about Stonehenge - that their actual visit fell short of their high expectations. Despite these reservations, I have to say that my trip to Salisbury and Stonehenge was very gratifying and would recommend to all as definitely worth taking. Stonehenge has been regarded as an amazing feat for our Neolithic ancestors, and I was undoubtedly fascinated by how they were able to so masterfully transport enormous stones and erect such site of worship and burial.

Aside from Stonehenge, the city of Salisbury has much to offer, from Old Sarum (the earliest settlement of Salisbury) to Salisbury Cathedral (which houses one of four original copies of the Magna Carta and features England's tallest spire). If Stonehenge alone does not excite you, then Old Sarum and Salisbury Cathedral should be convincing enough for you to plan your next trip there!

To guide your next outing away from the hustle and bustle of London, or wherever you call home, I'll be providing a few tips on how to get there and what to do, all within a modest budget (at least according to UK standards). As I did not get to visit places other than Stonehenge due to time constraints, I will be focusing on how to get to Stonehenge and what you should do at this iconic landmark.

...continue reading "Visiting Stonehenge"

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By msparks714

6 Jan 2017•

It’s 5am and I hear something. It’s soft and in the distance but with the winter fully encompassing this city, it’s dark and I can’t see it. Exactly seven months ago today, I was laying here, on the same couch–just awoken by a different part of nature. It was the summer and the sun beamed into the window and the soft clanging of tracks of the Sbahn were so exciting I couldn’t sleep. Today, the excitement is different and reflective, it’s like the seasons are on my side in terms of emotions because as I get up and walk to the window, I open it to a field of white snow and the light pattering of fresh flakes hitting the ground. I’ve come full circle on this part of my life. It’s the sixth of January 2017 and this is the last day of the segment of my time here. It is also the first day of the new piece of my life and I couldn’t feel more complete. ...continue reading "zu Mitnehmen"

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By jcapobia

There’s a commercial that I’ve always thought was pretty dumb, but it bears some relevance here. The commercial involves two friends talking about things they can do with their phones and one keeps telling the other friend, “oh there’s an app for that,” referring to the sheer prevalence and variety of applications for mobile phones and tablets. This week I had a certain, “There’s an app for that” experience, or put more simply, “They have that here.”

JoeC-2/6

If on Monday you would of told me that I’d play basketball for La Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Basketball team or that I’d perform two songs at a Madrid jazz club, I would call you crazy. However, both of these things did happen, and yes I am still surprised by what I accomplished this week. If you have been reading this blog in the hope of hearing about something interesting happening to me, your hope has finally paid off.

...continue reading "Cool Stuff I Did This Week"

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By bmlee18

Waking up at 6 o'clock in the morning... you could definitely call that a challenge. After futilely trying to dismiss the notion that my clock actually displayed "6:00," I pulled myself out of bed to get ready for the day. I hurriedly put on my long-sleeved training clothes, slipped on my green sneakers, and grabbed a banana to munch on for breakfast on my way to the boathouse.

This was my first day of rowing (crew) - a sport that seems to be a quintessential part of Cambridge. I had never done anything remotely close to rowing, never used an ergometer (rowing machine), and never personally witnessed a rowing race. But given the overwhelming popularity of the sport here (rowing seemed to be the focus of perhaps half of the conversations British students had), as well as my desire to experience something new and understand Cambridge's culture better, I signed myself up and somehow found myself walking through eerie alleys and splashing through muddy puddles at an ungodly hour of the morning.

The town was still deep asleep, shrouded by a pitch black veil. I trekked to the boathouse for a good 30 minutes, accompanied by my friend (another GW student), who was an experienced rower and thankfully gifted with an excellent sense of direction that guided us to the boathouse.

Soon after our arrival, we spent the next half an hour or so trying the ergs (short for ergometers), which was possibly the most confusing thing. You apparently needed to separate the movement of your arms, back, and legs to properly row, and consciously thinking about how my body should move only made me look all the more clumsy and awkward. "Legs, back, arms. Arms, back, legs. Now repeat. Ok... Why is my brain thinking one thing and my body doing another?"

...continue reading ""Row, row, row your boat, gently down the Cam…""

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By amberherrle

I wanted to take some time to provide a list of resources for Arabic learners that I can go back to the first time and also hopefully provide you with some free tools to use while you're on campus learning Arabic or preparing to go abroad.

Arabic is so tough. One of my professor's who is by all means, fluent in Arabic said it best "Can I have conversations in Arabic? Yes. Can I read the newspaper in Arabic? Yes. Do I feel comfortable doing either of those things? No." Feeling comfortable speaking Arabic is equally as tough as learning the language. For me, it's tough to feel comfortable in Arabic because Arabic is so far from English. The idioms lack English translations, the verb forms similarly don't always have English translations or anything close to a translation so it can be hard for me to find my footing in this language. Nevertheless - Arabic is a spectacular language and my dedication for the language has only increased since arriving in Jordan.

Language Resources (or: "beyond Al Kitaab!")
Virtual Language Exchange Partners - Having a language exchange partner is a great way to train your ear. This is especially important in Arabic as what you hear on the news (and in Arabic class) is very different than what you hear in someone's home or on the street. A great place to start is italki.com

American Embassy's in country - In Amman there is a great language exchange once a week. Contact the American embassy if you are in an Arabic speaking country and see if they put on a language exchange program.

...continue reading "Beyond Al Kitaab"

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By lrich522

It has now been two full weeks since I arrived in Dakar, and my self perception has evolved only in the sense that my “identity” abroad has become much more complex and difficult to reconcile.

In almost everything I do I wonder how Senegalese nationals perceive me and my actions, as well as how that may reflect on the United States. Given the current political climate in the US, it is extremely common to hear something along the lines of, “Hey, what does Donald Trump think he’s doing??” as soon as people learn I am American. Living with a Muslim family in a country where 95% of people practice Islam, it’s difficult to discuss Trump’s policies, specifically his executive order barring travel from 7 predominantly Muslim countries.

When I was eating lunch with a friend at the study center last week, a local student approached us and asked us why Americans have the right to travel wherever they want then ban people on the basis of religion. As an American fortunate enough to go abroad to a country where I have been accepted and welcomed with open arms, I had no answer for him. Since the executive order was put in place, I have noticed that I am asked about who I voted for much more frequently.

My homestay family has the news on everyday, and we had a very in depth conversation about their feelings on the ban. I have always known that America’s actions affect the world, but I don’t think I was as cognizant of just how influential these policies are beyond the affected countries, even if just in changing the course of day to day conversation.

...continue reading "Student?? Guest??? TOURIST???? AMERICAN!!"

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By juliareinholdgw

2017 had been pretty rough. America fell apart and my visa for China had countless issues prompting a cancellation of a backpacking trip. However, this turned out to be a gift because I was able to stay home and watch my football team, the Patriots, win the Super Bowl in a historic, gut-wrenching win. Now I am excited. So excited for this upcoming adventure in China.

China is a wonderful place, but very different from the United States. Having spent some time in China previously, there were a couple of things I learned to do before traveling to this wonderful country.

Here is a list of them.

  1. Order a Gas Mask. China is one of the most polluted countries in the world. Many cities in China, especially in the winter, boast a superb "Hazardous" on their local air quality monitors. Spending long periods of time in these cities will be detrimental to the ability for you to maintain healthy lungs. The minute you step out of the airport you will feel yourself breathe in the pollutants. Don't go halfway, don't buy one of those pieces of paper that you tie around your face. Go straight to amazon and order a gas mask complete with an air filter and oxygen tank. This is a bit of an exaggeration, but seriously, make sure you have some sort of mask, especially if you plan on being in Beijing for longer than two weeks.
  2. Buy Protein Bars. Protein is not as widespread in China as it is in the US. You can not go to South Block after working out and get an acai bowl. There is not a ready supply of breakfast bars, protein bars, protein shakes, or smoothies that you can find at most grocery stores in the US. The Chinese don't really worship medium rare steaks like Americans do. If you are a workout fanatic like me, make sure you bring some protein bars - at least as a comfort food until you get used to eating 5 bowls of rice everyday.
  3. Go to CVS. China does not have Western pharmacies on every block. I don't even know if you can get bandaids in most Chinese supermarkets. You definitely can't get Advil. Make sure you stock up on hygiene products (you can't get tampons in China. Anywhere.), painkillers, contact lens solution, and anything else you deem necessary to survive.

...continue reading "Getting Ready for China"

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By hjensen95

I’ve now been in the Czech Republic for two weeks and I have gathered a few of my favorite spots here in Prague. One thing I love about Prague is the cafe culture. Czechs love their cafes because it’s a good place to meet friends, read or take a break from the day. My favorite coffee shop is literally called “Coffee Room,” and it’s only a couple blocks away from my apartment. It has “Brooklyn” vibes offering avocado toast and artisanal coffee drinks. The baristas started to recognize me and I know have incorporated it into my morning routine. The baristas been helping me practice my Czech while I order my coffee and they correct me if I make any mistakes.

Another one of my favorite spots in Prague is a building called “The Dancing House” (In Czech Tančící dům). The building is known for its unique architecture and many think the building looks like a man and a woman dancing together, hence the name, “the Dancing House.” The building was designed by a Czech/Croatian architect in 1992, and it was completed in 1996. Apparently, the building's design was very controversial when it was being built because it starkly contrasted the Baroque/Gothic architecture of the rest of the city.

One of my favorite things to do at night here is to go to a music bar called Lucerne in the Old Town of Prague. I love it because it exclusively plays 80’s/90’s music and broadcasts the music videos to the songs on a huge screen. Local Czechs, study abroad students and ex-pats of all ages go to Lucerne to enjoy a fun night of dancing and singing along to oldies. When Lucerne is not playing host to these “throwback” parties it serves as one of the major music halls here in Prague. International and local artists are found weekly at Lucerne and tickets are hard to come by.

...continue reading "Top 5 things to do in Prague as a Study Abroad Student"

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