June 2017 – Page 6 – GW Blogs from Abroad

Weekend In Moscow

AdminJune 2, 2017December 14, 2018

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 between Moscow 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.

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In reaction to US Missile strikes

AdminJune 2, 2017December 14, 2018

By amberherrle

As everyone is well aware, last week Bashar al Assad's regime carried out chemical weapon attacks on Syria's citizens in the northern province, Ilbid. The US President react swiftly by bombing one of Assad's airfields that is mostly used by Russian military forces. I have had so many friends reaching out to me, asking me what it feels like to be here at this time.

My reactions are not any different here than they would be in the United States. Amman is the same, Jordan is the same. In Amman, I'm only a few hours away from the airfield that was bombed but still, nothing has changed here. That has been the most surprising aspect of all of this. Jordan is so exceptionally peaceful and stable. And that has not changed.

The crisis in Syria has had detrimental effects on the Jordanian population and economy. There are an estimated 2 million Syrian refugees in Jordan. But still, Jordan keeps its doors open.

So when the United States, the same country that has pushed refugees out of the country and demonized these people, bombed a Syrian/Russian airfield I expected Jordanians to be angry. Angry at the United States and angry at the international governing bodies that have failed them. But I have talked with my family, talked with my family's friends and talked with friends. For them, this is no surprise. The US looking for a regime change is not a solution. Jordan will continue to take in hundreds of thousands of refugees. Jordan will continue to welcome new refugees into their economy, into their communities and into the societal fabric of Jordan. Just like they did in the early 2000s after the US invaded Iraq. Just like they have for the last 5 years in response to Assad's barbaric regime.

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Cultura Indigena

AdminJune 2, 2017December 14, 2018

By vgosalvez11

Just a few hours ago I returned home to my host family from what has got to be one of the best trips of my life. On Thursday morning the 10 members of the GW group and our program coordinator pulled ourselves out of bed at 5 am and loaded into a van for the airport. We headed to San Pedro de Atacama, a small tourist town in an oasis of the Atacama desert (which by the way, is the driest desert in the world). Now I have never been to a desert (save Las Vegas, and I never left the strip) so I wasn't sure what to expect. But despite my high hopes Atacama blew me away. Everything about it, from the winding dirt roads, to the mountain views, to the beat up historic tourist town was amazingly gorgeous. I tried my best to drink in the sight of the mountains across the endless horizons and huge number of stars around the ridiculously big and bright full moon. I was astounded by so much in this unique corner of the world.

When I wasn't looking around in awe we found lots else to do. We started with a tour of Valle de La Luna and incredible sunset views over the valley. Then we check out El Saldo de Atacama which is massive and impressive salt flat in the desert. (It also happens to be location where the most lithium in the world is produced). In this busy day we even got squeeze in an incredible bike ride, where we passed over rivers and through the desert then climbed over salt crusted hills. But the best part of this ride was the two stray dogs who followed us the whole way for over two hours, waiting for us every time we stopped. Then the next morning we got up at the crack of dawn and saw the sunrise over the Andes while making our way to see the El Tatio Geyers. At 14,000 ft at 7 in the morning (-7 degrees C, apparently) I couldn't stopped shivering but also was so interested in how this phenomena happens. But the most enlightening part of the journey was this morning before we left, getting to visit the home of a native of Atacama.

This man invited us into his community for a tour and to show us the way he and his people have lived for thousands of years. We got to see how the houses are built, the set up of their farms and learned about some of the most sacred rituals and their meanings. Further, we got to learn about the importance of choclo (corn) in the Atacamanian community and the many different kinds that are still grown. We even got to taste a variety of their foods and see how they were prepared.

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Spring Break: À L’aise quoi

AdminJune 1, 2017December 14, 2018

By lrich522

This past week was spring break, so my friends and I decided to plan a short trip not too far from Dakar. There were students in our program who traveled everywhere from Morocco to the Gambia to Italy to Spain. We had decided to stay in Senegal both for financial reasons and because there are so many places within Senegal that we want to see before leaving, and this break seemed like a good opportunity to do so.

One of my host brother’s friends has a friend with a house in Saly, a town along the Petite Côte, which he said we could rent for the weekend. So my three American friends along with a couple of our Senegalese friends and I were able to spend the first weekend of break there. It was extremely beautiful and definitely a tourist trap, but we had a great time hanging out, swimming, and going to the beach. We tried cooking some American food for our friends (I’m pretty sure our cooking french toast one morning then tacos with gauc that night doesn’t necessarily constitute a good representation of typical American food but we tried) and they roasted an entire chicken.

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Capri – a gem off the Italian coast

AdminJune 1, 2017December 14, 2018

By bmlee18

Sapphire seas bluer than the sky, amber sunset blanketing the town, emerald trees providing a welcoming shade, and white brick houses reflecting the warm rays of sunshine. This was Capri, a beautiful island situated in Italy's Bay of Naples. As part of my travels to Italy, I decided to visit the small island famed for its lush and rugged landscape, breathtaking coves and grottoes, and boutique shops selling breezy linen shirts and handmade sandals that come attached with a "Made in Italy" tag.

My visit to Capri was particularly special because I was able to fulfill a small childhood dream of mine. As an elementary student, I was assigned to write a research paper and to present on the Blue Grotto (Grotta Azzurra), right off the coast of Capri. I remember collecting facts and pictures of the grotto, with the photos being particularly memorable because of their portrayal of the stunning blue color of the cavern's seawater. I had never fathomed that I would one day be able to take a small wooden rowboat through a narrow and tiny opening of the cave, witness the crystalline sapphire water light up the grotto, and hear the guide singing a few opera tunes and explaining how the grotto had once been the personal playground of Roman emperors.

The experience was much too short - perhaps no more than 10 minutes (probably more like 5 minutes) gawking at one of the most beautiful natural phenomenons to exist. While the cost advantage of the experience was somewhat questionable for the length of time we had spent, I can no doubt say that the Blue Grotto I saw that day was more stunning than the photos that I had used for my presentation 10+ years ago.

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The Island of Aegina

AdminJune 1, 2017December 14, 2018

By emilycreighton

My friends and I took a short ferry ride to a Greek island about three hours away. This magical little place was called Aegina.

This tiny island is known for is pistachios and holds a festival commemorating the harvest every summer. No matter what street you walk on their will be a pistachio stand on every corner. (Pro tip: you have to try the pistachio butter- even if you don't like pistachios). Shop owners will holler at you trying to get you to come try their products, for the simple reason that they're proud of them.

When my friends and I weren't spending our time eating these pistachios, we explored around the island. Because it wasn't tourist season, the five of us stuck out like sore thumbs. No matter where we went or what restaurant we wandered into, everyone stared at us. It felt like a movie scene in which a new group of people comes to this small town where nothing changes and all of a sudden the 'invaders' cause all sorts of trouble.

Some shops and beach houses were closed down despite vivid billboards advertising their amazing food and beach vibes. Of course, these places would be opened again in the summer but for now it looked like a ghost town. ...continue reading "The Island of Aegina"