June 2017 – Page 3 – GW Blogs from Abroad

Me & The Maker Concept

AdminJune 13, 2017

When applying for study abroad programs, I really wanted to have a “once in a lifetime” experience. This aspiration is what drew me to Southeast Asia and, subsequently, my program with CET. Aside from living with local roommates and taking fairly high-quality Vietnamese lessons, CET’s program was so desirable because they arranged intern opportunities.

During our first week in Vietnam, we met with different representatives from several organizations that would all introduce us to different subcultures within Ho Chi Minh City. After hearing from them all, myself and another student, Erica, decided to intern under a woman named Trang who operates The Maker Concept cafe and boutique. Despite the market of The Maker Concept, the goal of our internship is not to sell clothes or make lattes, but rather we have been tasked with documenting development within Ho Chi Minh City.

...continue reading "Me & The Maker Concept"

Keep Stepping Forward

AdminJune 13, 2017December 14, 2018

By erbeeler

First off, an update from London: this city has been so incredible so far. I'm finally feeling completely comfortable taking the Tube (the London metro system), can navigate my way around local sites with friends, and am actually really enjoying the modules at my university.

I've continued to get involved with the LGBTQ+ community on campus and throughout the city. As we discussed in my prior blogs, students coming from diverse backgrounds in the United States are much less likely to feel welcome and comfortable in the workplace. I've learned that while the situation is not quite as bad in the UK, it still is a phenomena that affects individuals here as well.

Just recently, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) released a survey in the UK to try and evaluate the experience of LGBTQ+ people in the workplace. Initiatives such as these are taking key steps to really help understand this issue here in the UK.

As for me, I've been continuing my involvement with some individuals at the King's Career Center, connected with multiple students through a flyer/outreach campaign, and am preparing for my first open-attendance meeting. I've also had the opportunity to stay involved with MyGWork (click to link to their website).

...continue reading "Keep Stepping Forward"

The Forbidden Topic

AdminJune 13, 2017December 14, 2018

By KMorris117

Politics in Russia: everyone wants to know about them, no one wants to talk about them. With the recent explosions in St. Petersburg and the most current developments regarding US-Russian relations, it is a topic that we often don’t want to bring up in conversation. It is a topic that I, both with my lack of Russian vocabulary and even my inability to access all honest media reports, rarely feel comfortable discussing with my Russian host family and friends.

To start, I want to point out/reiterate to my family (and maybe the only ones reading this) that I have never felt unsafe as an American in this country. Sure, crossing the border has gotten a bit tougher. There are often a lot of questions, but thankfully my Russian is mediocre enough to be able to answer them accurately. And very rarely are these questions coming from a place of suspicion or distrust; rather, they are normally from a place of curiosity or intrigue. I have been the first US passport some border-control men have seen, and they are often interested in why I am studying there. And although gingers are not the most common thing in Russia, my appearance doesn’t scream “American” or “Outsider” when I am walking down the street. I have run into very, very few problems with being an American here, and I feel safe in this country.

That being said, being an American in Russia has been the most unique experience I could have asked for, mostly because of the perspective it provides when I am learning or talking to people about contemporary Russian politics. And while I don’t want to go into too much detail while still using Russian Wi-Fi (kidding, sort of) I can say this: there are people in Russia who fall on all sides of the spectrum. I have met people who are supporters of every major party, major Russian and/or Soviet politician, and feel differently about all major domestic and foreign issues.

...continue reading "The Forbidden Topic"

Dancing Away my Responsibilities

AdminJune 13, 2017

I did it. I can finally say I have experienced the full Chilean culture. Last Saturday, I came home from a night out at 5am, like a true joven chilena. It was the most fun I’ve had yet. The key is to not arrive at the discotec until 1am or even 1:30am when the DJ starts to play the good reggaeton and the dancing gets serious. After that, the hours fly by dancing and laughing with old and new friends. I would have been especially proud of myself if I made it home after my host brothers, but alas, they arrived raucously sometime after 6am from their own carretes (house parties).

Although this weekend was serious fun, this week is serious business. I have been working furiously to complete written assignments, group essays, project proposals and Spanish exams. At the same time I am planning trips to San Pedro de Atacama and Pucón, finding housing and transportation in the Temuco region, and communicating with advisors and other contacts to set up interviews and observations. Oh and I selected courses for next semester and confirmed a summer subletter for life back in DC.

This is a busy, yet exciting time. The “classroom” based portion of the program has ended and the independent research project portion has begun. Although it is still in the process of development, I can explain what I hope I will be investigating. I am interested in the adaptation and modernization of traditional treatments.

...continue reading "Dancing Away my Responsibilities"

Suburbs of Shanghai

AdminJune 13, 2017December 14, 2018

By juliareinholdgw

Shanghai, like many Chinese cities, is known for its skyscraper forests and busy downtowns. In the United States, we usually think that a city is composed of the downtown area and suburbs. China does not have what we would usually consider “suburbs”. As China underwent its rapid developmental race, people rushed to live downtown in the big cities. Huge apartment buildings were constructed to hold the increasing population of the east coast. Yet in this rush to put up some of the tallest buildings in the world, Chinese cities never developed a gradual transition from city to rural area. The “suburb” is not a concept in China the way it is in the US.

...continue reading "Suburbs of Shanghai"

Pest > Buda

AdminJune 12, 2017December 14, 2018

By emilycreighton

This past weekend my friends and I traveled to one of the most amazing places ever- Budapest. Here's a fun fact for you: Buda and Pest are actually two different places separated by the Danube River. And as I've discovered Buda isn't the kindest area to tourists.

Despite that, the Buda side of the river is filled with amazing historical sites one cannot miss. These include Buda Castle, which used to house Hungarian kings and the Citadella, which has the most amazing views of the city.

...continue reading "Pest > Buda"

What I’ll Take With Me

AdminJune 12, 2017December 14, 2018

By jcapobia

When I was in Rome last week, my traveling companion, Brian Schwartz, and I went out to an American bar. We chose that place because we had really been dying for some American culture and contact. After spending sometime there we struck up a conversation with a Mexican (Javier) and an Italian (Giovanni), who for whatever reason found themselves at an American bar that night. We started talking and, when I mentioned we were studying in Madrid, they switched to speaking to us in Spanish.

For the rest of the night, we communicated in strictly Spanish, which basically equated to 3 hours of non-stop Spanish conversation. While we were in the bar, we also met a bunch of native Spaniards who came over to talk to us because we were the only ones in the bar speaking Spanish (the rest were Americans speaking English). While the night progressed, it felt to both Brian and I that we had an “in” or we were somehow different because of our ability to speak Spanish. When we left the bar and said goodbye to our Spanish speaking friends, we were ecstatic because that had really been the first time our studies of Spanish language and culture had produced a real world effect. Had we not known Spanish, we would have never made friends with Javier and Giovanni or the other Spaniards because, to them, we would have been just another bunch of Americans in that American bar.

...continue reading "What I’ll Take With Me"

Trip to Moscow

AdminJune 12, 2017December 17, 2018

By KMorris117

Every semester, my program schedules a trip for all of the students to Moscow. It is always very exciting because it is the first time we are allowed out of St. Petersburg. For the first 7-8 weeks, our Passports/Visas are going through the Russian bureaucracy and getting both extended and changed to multi-entry. So as much as we all love Petersburg, we were all very excited for the chance to travel and see something new.

We boarded a train on Wednesday night at about 11pm. The sleeper train, which was small yet comfortable, arrived to Moscow by 8:30 the next morning. Running on little sleep but lots of coffee, we then hopped on a bus for a tour of the city. This is where I found the first major different betweenMoscow and Petersburg: traffic. There are cars in St. Petersburg, but there are SO MANY CARS in Moscow.

It was like sitting in New York rush hour traffic. Still, we got to ride around and see different spots throughout the city, many that we visited again for detailed tours later on in the trip. It was pretty cool seeing the iconic sites, like the Red Square and St. Basil’s Cathedral. Also by driving around the first day, we got a better sense of the layout and size of the city. Moscow is huge. It is about 3x larger than St. Petersburg and much more spread out. To be honest, it looked like any other metropolitan city. I did not get the same sense of culture that I do in St. Petersburg, but of course it was only the first day.

...continue reading "Trip to Moscow"

Vietnam: #EatzEdition

AdminJune 9, 2017December 14, 2018

By dylanmaric

The one topic of conversation that I never get sick of talking about is how much I enjoy the food in Saigon—and greater Vietnam. I was pretty unaware of Vietnamese cuisine coming into this experience and didn’t know much past the very well known Phở and Bánh mì. Well, let me tell you, there are so many other dishes that should get greater recognition. Truthfully, of all the food I’ve eaten so far, the two mentioned are decent at best.

Well, I have now taken the liberty to outline the most noteworthy Vietnamese dishes that will *hopefully* get the global notoriety they deserve.

Bánh Khoái & Bánh Xèo

These two pancake-like dishes are delicious. These dishes are regionally popular, the latter being a Southern variant—Bánh xèo. Bánh xèo is a much thinner pancake and Bánh khoái is a little thicker and uses a much fluffier dough. These pancakes are typically filled with bean sprouts, pork, and shrimp. They are typically paired with fish sauce which is collected from the fermentation of dead fish. Not an ideal way to get your condiments, but it works. These pancakes are perfect meals and it is easy to find one for less than 50,000 dong ($2.50).

...continue reading "Vietnam: #EatzEdition"

Urban resistance

AdminJune 9, 2017December 14, 2018

By rmattiola

Our trip to Santiago seemed a bit like an obligatory stop at a tourist destination. Nonetheless, we acquired more important information regarding public health and traditional cultures. The two most educational aspects of this week were our visit to the Panamerican World Health Organization and a community ruka (traditional hut) in a highly indigenous section of Santiago called La Pintana. Our group was fortunate enough to have been the first of SIT to have this small conference with the Panamerican World Health Organization.

The information was pertinent and well organized, but I’d like to focus this blog on the observations and information gained from our visit to the urban ruka. Unfortunately, for some reason I struggled to understand a large part of the lectures in the ruka. I felt frustrated and disappointed to know that I was missing out on very important material. Regardless, I feel responsible to share the little information I gathered. It is necessary to share these experiences in order to help make the Mapuche voice heard.

There is an obvious clash between the Mapuche and the government. It seems some are even resistant to the laws and organizations put in place to improve their situation. Our director in Makewe (a community outside Temuco) seemed disguisted with PESPI, the government organization that focuses on the health of indigenous people. This well-spoken, intelligent, calm, professional Mapuche leader crinkled his nose and crossed his pointer fingers in the form of an X when he heard we would be lectured from a PESPI leader.

...continue reading "Urban resistance"