Skip to content

Month: October 2017

Published on

By AshleyLe

In the past two weeks, I had the exciting opportunity of traveling across Europe. Starting in London and wrapping up in Amsterdam, I found myself in 6 countries, 9 cities, 6 buses, 4 hostels, and countless of restaurants. But most importantly, I was surrounded by the presence of the GW community once again. Whether if I was in London, Paris, Madrid, or Vienna, I was welcomed and hosted with generosity and hospitality from GW students. So while the 2017 Colonials Weekend is quickly approaching back at home, I am honored to be a part of the global GW community abroad.

In reflection of my time constantly on the move in the past 2 weeks, I realized a few important lessons that would last a lifetime:

  • Be a part of a community, and stay engaged in your community

Community here doesn’t simply limit in just the GW community. While I was blessed to have been welcomed and hosted by many GW students in different European countries, I also found myself in the presence of those with the same faith and common interest. In Paris, I found home at Hillsong Church. In London, my heart is full while attending a Chelsea FC football match. While the definition is vague and is always different, it will almost always be true that a community is where you find a home away from home. The idea of staying engaged in my community pushes me to continue reaching out to my friends currently living abroad. Checking in and sharing our experiences together help us to learn from each other while strengthening the community and friendship bond.

...continue reading "What 17 Days Across Europe Taught Me"

Published on

By mariekevanhaaren

Like most major cities, Melbourne has a great public transportation system that extends all over the city and surrounding suburbs. A “myki” card will give you universal access to the trams, buses, and trains. Different zones around Melbourne incur different fares, ranging from $2.80 to $4.10. Most of the public transportation around Melbourne University is Zone 1, which is $4.10. Once you tap on your myki card in whichever transportation you are riding, you have 2 hours to ride with that initial fare. For each bus, tram, or train transfer, you have to re-tap on. Luckily, as a student, you can qualify for a concession card that cuts that fare in half, so it is only $2.05 for 2 hours of transportation.

I typically ride the trams, as they cover most of the areas I need to go. Melbourne has a Free Tram Zone, which is basically a rectangle that covers the downtown area and allows you to ride trams without a charge. You don’t have to tap on if you ride solely in this area, so I take advantage of this quite often! However, if you ride outside of this area, you definitely need to tap your myki, even if it seems optional. There are officers who go to random tram stops every day and check people’s myki card to ensure they have tapped and are riding with a valid ticket.

The trains go to the further suburbs around Melbourne. A lot of these trains are still in Zone 1 or 2, allowing you to ride inexpensively!

Besides public transportation, bicycling and Ubering are common ways to travel. Melbourne is very bike-friendly, with bike lanes on nearly all of the roads. An important thing to note is that helmets are required in Australia, and you can get a hefty fine if you do not wear one. Ubers in Melbourne are always around, if you can’t be bothered with public transport or biking!

Published on

By austineliasdejesus

When I got here, everyone--from other students to advisors to professors--told me that London is an expensive city. Turns out, they're absolutely right. So far I've lived in D.C. and New York City, and London is by far the most expensive place I've lived. But London does have some great hidden gems, though, you just have to look a little bit harder and be more willing to accept the fact that we're all still college kids, and it's probably not yet our time to go around spending money like we're 30-somethings.

1. 5£ Groundlings tickets at The Globe 

We've all heard about Shakespeare's Globe, so I'm not going to explain it any further. But it is worth mentioning that Globe tickets are actually pretty cheap if you're willing to stand the entire time. These are called groundlings tickets and they're definitely worth it for their cheap price. Yes, you'll be standing for the entire show which is actually pretty long. And, yes, you run the risk of getting rained on and you're not allowed to open your umbrella. But it is still a once in a lifetime experience, and, speaking from experience, you actually feel like you've really experienced the Globe after your feet and back are sore because you've stood in place for 3 hours and you're kind of cold because the heavens opened up and you got rained on for about 20 minutes. That just made this sound very unappealing, but I mean it. Get the groundlings tickets.

2. Go to your school's hangouts

I can't speak for other unis, but UCL has their own pubs and coffee shops. A lot of these are lively and full of other students almost every day and night. Also, beverages tend to be a lot cheaper here, and a lot of them host student performers who are actually pretty good. If you and your friends are looking for a place to go on a Wednesday or Thursday night, try going to one of these places. Also, who knows, you  might even make a new friend or two by hanging around.

...continue reading "5 Fun Things to do in London When You’re on a Budget"

Published on

By mariacort3s

If my frenemy the souris knew what I just did he would have killed me before I killed him. It   all started when I walked into the kitchen of my homestay and saw there was a pot on the stove. I asked my host sister what it was and in French I heard, "Rah." Now if you know some French, you know the language is an expert at silencing the last letters of some words. So I was a bit confused on what "Rah" was. I asked if it was a cow or some sort of pig and she said no. When I went to the living room, I asked my host parents what animal was that. My dad couldn't really explain it to me so I ran to my room for my dictionary. I went back out and searched for what they spelled as "R-A-T" in a French accent. My brain had not yet processed what those three letters were saying until right there on the dictionary next to R-A-T French version, I saw that in English, it was: rat. So yeah that’s my story on how 10 minutes after that I tried rat meat, it was good, but all I thought about was the souris, haha.

On that same note, I'm pretty sure everyone of my fellow students saw a souris in their homestay this week. Kylie even said she saw one climb up her wall and into her ceiling. They now know how I feel in my Yaounde home when I see my frenemy skedaddling around like no big deal.

Anyhow let’s go into the juiciness of this trip. It was eye-opening because we visited the rural village of the Kingdom of Batoufam.  It was a time to reflect on modernization and tradition. We read such an important article that focused on chieftaincy in Africa (usage of chiefs), which used to be called Kings before colonialism but were renamed to chief to lower their status. While chiefs existed before colonialism, they were also created by the colonial powers (for their own benefit because they saw how well it worked in the African culture), and continued to exist after independence. Looking at chiefs was fascinating because it not only served the cultural aspect of ethnic groups but is also intertwined with the government so they have become figures in the modern system.

...continue reading "C’est la vie!"

Published on

Edinburgh is a truly international city. As you walk its most touristy streets you're almost as likely to hear any number of languages as you are English, something that plays with your mind occasionally. The university itself is no exception, drawing students from across Europe and the rest of the world. Of particular note is the large population of Americans (which, of course, I am part of.) We are so numerous that some of my tutorials (which is the equivalent of a discussion section at GW) are 30 or 40% American. This means that in addition to witnessing myself I've had plenty of other people to watch and learn what mistakes we make. Here, in no particular order are some common mistakes I've observed.

1. Not looking the right way before crossing the street: Now this is something I'm certainly guilty of. Having spent all but a week of my life prior to my arrival here in a country where we drive on the right side of the road it has been hard to get accustomed to looking for cars driving on the left. I've never had any close calls because I've made a habit of playing it extra safe but it definitely takes me substantially longer to make sure that it is safe to cross now than at home.

2. Political rants: America's a lot crazy right now so it's easy to hop into a rant about it. In many situations your take might be welcome but in class these rants tend to drag the conversation off topic. I could probably rant about president Trump and his policies for the entire 50 minutes of the class period but that doesn't advance the discussion. In fact, every question I've heard referencing America could have been answered without diving into current politics but instead were designed to evoke longer more stable trends. Basically, keep you opinion, be ready to discuss it because there will be people interested in knowing your take, but be certain that's really what is being looked for before you start talking.

...continue reading "Mistakes Americans Make"

Published on

Coming to a new and unfamiliar country, I didn’t know what to expect. In the past, everywhere that I have traveled, I have either known someone there, or have traveled with someone. But this time, I was coming to a country where I knew no one. It is strange to have to create your own community in less than four months, with people that you barely know.

But, travelling in a new and unfamiliar place can also lead to unfamiliar friendships and communities. In Morocco, I’ve been lucky to have an incredible host family that I can go back to at the end of the day and feel at home with. Even with a language barrier, my host mom and I talk about a range of things, including Moroccan culture, politics, religion, or food. She makes me freshly squeezed orange juice every morning, and always does her best to make sure that I feel comfortable at home.

Likewise, travelling around Morocco has been an incredible experience – not just to see the beauty and diversity of the country, but to bond with others in my study abroad group as well. From the intense heat of the Moroccan sun in the hot cities of Fez and Meknes, to summiting the highest mountain in North Africa, it has been amazing to share unique experiences with the others in my program. Although I’ve been missing my friends and communities back at GW, it has been good to have another group of friends in Morocco, with whom I can share my hopes, fears, and worries.

Pictured: Some of my friends as we were trekking up Mount Toubkal - the highest mountain in North Africa. This was hour eight of climbing!

...continue reading "Finding Community Abroad"

Published on

This past month found me in two very interesting and personally formative places: a TIG camp on the outskirts of Kigali and Gulu Town in Northern Uganda.

After the Rwandan Genocide ended 100 days after it began in 1994, Rwanda needed to find a way to establish a transitional justice system. The Gacaca Courts, established in 2002, was the government's answer to trying over 2 million people for crimes committed during Genocide. For those who confessed to their crimes, they were given the opportunity to serve out part of their sentence doing community service outside of the prison in what are called TIG camps.

I had the opportunity to visit one of the five TIG camps that was located just outside the city limits of Kigali. At this camp, I spoke with TIG members who had committed acts of Genocide. To be honest with you, what I found at this camp was not at all what I had expected.


...continue reading "Rwandan reconciliation and the real "Kony 2012""

Published on

By gwrobinkim

As I reflect on my community here abroad, I can’t help but laugh a little. It’s a true mix of what I expected and what I truly could not have imagined.

1. Home Away From Home

First off, my most intimate and close-knit community here in Seoul is actually comprised of GW students! Three of my friends back at GW are also studying abroad here in Seoul, yet we are all scattered in different schools - Ewha, Yonsei and Seoul National University. It’s hilarious when we show up at SNU events and the other students find out that I don’t even go to SNU, yet I’ve made so many friends there! It’s also funny how I actually have more friends at Yonsei and SNU than I do at my own school, whom I've met through my GW friends. 

It’s fun spending the week with fellow exchange and local students at Ewha, even from Yonsei and SNU, and acclimating myself to the diverse group of people. But it feels so good to meet up with my GW friends on the weekend, whether it’s in 신촌 (Sinchon) near my campus or 낙성대 (Nakseongdae) near theirs. It’s comforting to know that I’m able to share the same experiences with people I know I’ll be seeing back home, with people that will understand my references and be able to share the same stories.

...continue reading "Defining Community: Comfort"

Published on

By czhangangel

The first criteria I had when choosing places to study abroad was that the school has to be located in Asia. As Asian-American, I wanted to learn more about the culture and ideals in what my own Chinese-American culture is rooted in. The “East” (Asian) and “Western” (European) world are known to have opposite “thinking”, such as collectivism and individualism, respectively. I wanted to see myself if I could completely adapt to the Asian ideals that stray away from what American or “Western” ideals I grew up with. As a student at The University of Hong Kong, I was able to experience the Chinese/Hong Kong culture and thinking through its school system.

Learning

In China and Hong Kong, memorization became a standard way of learning because it is required to learn a language such as Chinese. Characters had to be memorized on how to write and how to say. Students would also be asked to memorize the extensive history and literature that makes up China. This point was made by my Cantonese teacher, who also proposed that memorization helps to recall information faster.

I, an American student, however, was surprised at the request to memorize. Besides preparing material for tests, I was never blatantly asked to memorize anything. I wondered, “Is this why Asians experience the notorious stress that they have due to academics?” In my experience, memorization adds a lot more stress than knowing and understanding material. Information that would be asked to memorize would always be available with the resources everyone has today, so instead of spending time and energy to memorize, I believe in the reinforced American thinking that learning how to think critically is more important, especially in upper-level education such as university.

...continue reading "Which Came First: The Teaching System and Learning System?"

Published on
 “It is one of the ironies of globalization that whilst goods, capital, knowledge, entrepreneurship and the media are free to flow across borders, labor, that other crucial factor of production, is not.” (Russell King)

My topic of study here in Morocco is Migration and Transnational identity—a topic I knew very little about before arriving in Rabat. In the insular world of our American politics, immigration is a buzzword often hurled across the partisan divide. It’s a word used to designate an identity and delineate the degree of “belonging”. But beyond the politicization, it’s a global crisis that we too often over-simplify in the US for our own convenience. So for the next few moments I ask you to detach yourself from these politics and take a hard look at the current reality of our planet's largest mass migration since World War II.

Due to its close proximity to Europe, Morocco is a case study in this great migration. Immigration to Morocco is popular among sub-Saharan Africans, seeking permanent residence in Europe. There are a variety of reasons that people leave their country. Some are “pushed” by poor economic conditions, war and conflict, or even environmental factors such as prolonged drought. As climate change continues to ravage the most resource-impoverished places in Africa, some immigrants have much less agency in the matter.
...continue reading "An Introductory Examination of Migration"

Unless otherwise indicated, the content and opinions expressed on this web site are those of the author(s). They are not endorsed by and do not necessarily reflect the views of the George Washington University.
Privacy Notice
Viewing Message: 1 of 1.
 Notice

This site uses cookies to offer you a better browsing experience. Visit GW’s Website Privacy Notice to learn more about how GW uses cookies.