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Month: March 2018

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By maxleo43

My last week has truly been a whirlwind. I arrived in Shanghai on Saturday by high speed train and met up with the other students in the Global Bachelors students. Besides the seven classes that we had together last semester, and a handful of meetings, we were all mostly strangers to each other. At the same time, we all became fast friends and ended up spending a lot of time together. Together, we explored the city, going to museums, visiting landmarks, and eating an excessive number of dumplings. Through all of these, we made several observations about Shanghainese culture. Here they are:

  1. Health is treated much differently here. You rarely see people running and when there is the option of taking the stairs or the escalator, everyone will choose the escalator. Gyms are too expensive for most people to afford ($150+ per month). Despite a culture that doesn’t seem to specifically exercise, nearly everyone is thin and eats well. Most meals consist heavily of rice and vegetables and will often include meat. The people value health, but have a different approach than the U.S.
  2. The contrast between the rich and poor is truly stark. I was walking to dinner the other night and was in an area that did not appear to be particularly nice. While most of the buildings appeared to be rather rundown, one of them looked brand new. In front, there was easily $5 million worth of ultra-luxury sports cars. There is an incredible amount of wealth here, but there are also people who are homeless.
  3. The city is so clean. In my last blog post, I compared it to New York City. Shanghai is unbelievably clean for how big it is. There are constantly street sweepers driving down the street. The Chinese government also pays people to sweep the streets. As a result, you rarely see trash or even dirt, despite the age of the streets.
  4. It’s hard to find people who speak English. I kept hearing how everyone hear will speak English and I won’t have any problem not knowing Chinese. While I have been able to get by, very few people speak any English, let alone good English. Most people working in retail or at nice restaurants will speak English, but other than this it is pretty hard to find anyone. As a result, picture menus have saved my life another time. I’ve also been relying on my roommate pretty hard since he speaks fluent Chinese.
  5. Things don’t always make sense, but it works out. For example, classes start at Fudan tomorrow at 8 AM, yet we don’t register for classes until tomorrow at 1 PM. I’m not sure why we can’t register yet, but I know that it will be okay. Things may seem stressful, but in the end, I will have a schedule full of classes and everything will be okay, because it always is.

...continue reading "The First Week"

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Greetings from Freiburg, Germany! After several weeks of writing about my “experience abroad” I am finally in Freiburg. I arrived late Monday night and stayed at the Kruezblume hotel, which is actually a small bed and breakfast located above a restaurant. I would highly recommend staying here as the manager really helped me with all 50 lbs of my luggage and extended breakfast for me as I am a severely late riser in the mornings. The following morning I checked into my program at the IES center (which fun fact: Uber does not work in Freiburg) after lugging my suitcases a little less than a mile down cobblestone streets. Once I met with the director of the program, I was immediately taken care of and sent to my apartment where I unpacked and immediately went to sleep. After traveling to 4 countries in the span of 2 weeks, I was exhausted and simply could not explore the city that night. Luckily my housing tutor invited myself and the other IES students in my building to dinner, so I had an incentive to leave my room.

Since Wednesday we have had several city tours and have gone through the basic orientation steps necessary to start the program such as completing a residence permit application and going through security precautions. Nothing too exciting or different from your typical freshman orientation week, which is a bit bizarre considering I am turning 22 in a few months and will be living on my own in a little over a year. I would describe this week as the typical freshman first week on campus reincarnated, but in a different country. On the other hand, one excursion that stood out was this Sunday - as in today - my program director took us snowshoeing on the Feldberg Mountain. Although I am quite outdoorsy and active, prior to today I had never been snowshoeing, so it was quite the experience. Basically snowshoeing allows you to hike in deep snow during the winter time by strapping your hiking boots into a snowshoe that maximizes your surface area, so you do not sink into the snow with every step. We hiked approximately 7 miles in a little less than 5 hours and were able to grab some hot soup on the mountain top. I must say that I am a pretty experienced and well versed hiker, but this hike made my Top 5 Favorite Hikes list easily. I would highly recommend if you were in Freiburg and had a spare day to spend. The conditions were perfect as it had just snowed the night prior and was not terribly cold. Tomorrow I have my second German class at the ungodly hour of 9:15, so I will be promptly going to bed soon as that hike completely exhausted me. Included is a picture of Feldberg Mountain! Til next week -

 

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By mekaylatucker

Bonjour à tous!!

Mekayla here, reporting from Paris where its...raining… yep still raining... but any who…

After going back and fourth and trying to figure out which volunteer opportunity to choose, I decided that I would go with Serve the City: Paris!! I have been working with them for just about 4 weeks and I volunteer about two times a week. It has been cold but a great experience. There are currently about 2000 people on the streets in Paris, so what Serve the City does is recruit volunteers to collect or distribute food for people in need. So far, I have decided to hand food out, which means I am usually freezing or wet, as Paris has not gotten out of winter yet unfortunately, but it allows me to get to know other volunteers and most importantly, practice my French.

For me, the biggest challenges I am facing have to do with the language barrier as I still have a hard time understanding French when it is spoken very rapidly. I think the best way for me to overcome this is just to continue to push myself outside of my comfort zone as much as possible because once I get used to the rapidness, I will be able to get it down. The benefits of volunteering with Serve the City is that I am able to see so much more of Paris than I probably would otherwise, which is exactly what I wanted. I also just love helping people and to see the instant happiness on peoples faces when they see food gives me hope that the little I am doing here may help them even if it is just for the day.

Overall I am incredibly excited to see where else volunteering with Serve the City will take me. This week I have decided to do more of the collecting of food to see the other side of operations. The environment at Serve the City is great and it is mostly young people, so it is great to hear what French young adults feel about the state of their country and specifically problems like homelessness in Paris. I am so excited to take you all on this journey with me! Stayed Tuned!

(Hopefully I survive this continued rain!)

À Bientôt!

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Two months in Barcelona have flown by! Aside from attending classes during the week and exploring on the weekends, I have been spending a lot of time experiencing the food culture. Anyone who has visited Europe could tell you that things move slower here, but food culture embodies that concept to the max. The American standard of ordering an "Iced Venti Latte to-go" is frowned upon; Spaniards like their coffee to be piping hot and enjoyed at a cafe among friends. Authentic restaurants and cafes have an extremely relaxed atmosphere, which is a nice change of pace. Spanish residents grocery shop at the local market each morning for the ingredients they will use that day, ensuring that items are always fresh.

On the opposite side of the spectrum is the homeless population in Barcelona. Although less visually apparent at first, there are still handfuls of people living on the streets. I began my volunteer shifts several weeks ago at a church in the Gothic Quarter, which has helped me gain perspective. I was unsure what to expect going in, but was welcomed warmly by Alba, the woman who runs the program. She explained that this local church runs a food kitchen multiple times a week; the volunteers meet to assemble sandwiches, and then groups head off into the night to locate people living on the streets. I noticed many similarities between the initial part of my first evening and my experience working with food kitchens in the United States, but the rest of the night was starkly different. Back home, most of the organizations are run out of a building and homeless populations come there to receive food. At this group, we split up into small groups and each ventured into a section of Barcelona. My group headed towards Placa de Catalunya, which is a large tourist square next to my abroad program building. 

Throughout the course of the next two hours, I experienced a lot of eye-opening moments. The two women in my group, Alba and Catarina, explained that the organization knows each of the homeless people in the city on an individual level. Alba explained that it is important for a friendship to be formed because they don’t want these people to feel like they’re only receiving charity. We spent ten to fifteen minutes conversing with each individual that we delivered food to, simply asking about their recent life and making conversation. This aspect of socialization was new to me because most of the food banks and kitchens in DC with which I’ve volunteered in the past don’t emphasize the human connection between the volunteers and the recipients of the food. However, this certainly made our work feel more meaningful. I look forward to returning each week, especially as my language comprehension improves.

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By Marissa Kirshenbaum

This weekend I did something that I had yet to do in my (almost) eight week adventure in Paris: I traveled alone. I did not cross any international borders or even go very far at all. I stayed in the city, but I traveled through it by myself. I went to countless monuments and museums, I walked over bridges and through tunnels, I sat and I strolled. I saw Paris through a different lens this weekend, a lens that presented the city as a sight of exploration rather than a the scene of classwork and tight schedules. When something caught my eye, I went to it. When I felt like walking to a new spot, I did so. No rules, no constraints, no boundaries.

It took me a while to feel comfortable enough in Paris to be able to travel through it alone. Even though my normal collegian life is spent in a city, it took time to readjust back to the urban lifestyle as well as to the culture of studying abroad. Just because you are used to living in a city doesn't mean that it is easy to live in any city in the world. Every change in life requires an adjustment period, and studying abroad in no different.

I have finally reached that place where I feel extremely comfortable in Paris. I don't clutch my bag every second in fear that somebody will pickpocket me, and I don't hesitate to sit close to someone on the metro even though there is an open seat. When I bump into someone, I say "Pardon!" instead of "Sorry!", and when someone on the street offers to make me a bracelet I just walk on by instead of indulging in their con act. These little adjustments have helped me to feel more like a local, like someone who is well-versed in the subtleties of the Parisian urban lifestyle. Because of this, I have gained the confidence to be able to travel places on my own without any fears or hesitations.

...continue reading "A Day with Marissa"

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By julesmatteson

One of the main components of my program is experiential learning. Through this pedagogical model, we are forced to get out of our conform zone and traditional classroom setting to experience new people or places that may challenge our beliefs more than through a textbook. One of the main topics we have been focusing on throughout all of my classes has been the “indigenous question” here in Ecuador. Ecuador is home to 14 indigenous nationalities, the largest of which is the Kichwa nationality. We have been studying the effects of development on Kichwa communities as well as their language and their traditional practices. After a few weeks of background information, it was time to travel to the Amazon, or “Oriente” as we say in Ecuador, to see first hand how Kichwa communities live. As we boarded the bus for our 5 day trip to an eco-lodge near the town of Tena on the Arajuno River, I couldn’t contain my excitement. I had always dreamed of going to the Amazon and it was finally coming true. Little did I know how uncomfortable some parts of this trip would make me feel.

Our eco-lodge on the Arajuno River

On our second day there we boarded a motorized canoe to ride up the Arajuno River to the nearby Kichwa community of Mirador. We had been told that the community had invited us themselves when they heard we were coming to the eco-lodge but I hadn’t thought too much about it before we got there. When we arrived at Mirador, we were led to the community center which consisted of a large open-air shack surrounded by wooden benches. As we took our seats, I noticed the small group of women huddled together wearing what looked like traditional outfits with large, colorful jewelry and painted faces. As I continued to look around, I noticed more and more people coming from their houses to watch as the community center filled with gringos. But these people stood in sharp contrast with the women I noticed earlier. These people, men, women, children, emerged wearing typical “Western” clothing. Jeans, t-shirts, Adidas sneakers, Hollister sweaters.

Our tour guide soon announced that we would be learning about a few traditional practices and then watching a traditional Kichwa dance. The women dressed in ornate clothing began to take center stage, demonstrating how to make chicha (a fermented yuca drink) and showing us their traditional baskets. They then moved into a shamanic demonstration and then into the traditional dance. I tried my hardest to keep my attention focused on the presentation but I couldn’t help me notice the rest of the community huddled around watching us watch the women. The rest of the Mirador community, dressed like any other Quiteño or American, stood around taking videos on their smartphones and even chatting some in Spanish. As naive as it sounds now, it was just becoming clear that this was solely an ecotourism project.

Traditional Amazonian Kichwa foods- yuca, cacao, larvae- we ate at Mirador

The community of Mirador no longer follows these traditional practices, but merely puts on these presentations to demonstrate what traditional Kichwa communities used to look like. They are attempting to appeal to the Western desire to see “primitive” or “authentic” practices during visits to indigenous communities or developing countries. On one hand, this idea made me highly uncomfortable. I don’t want to be part of an industry that commodifies traditional practices and cultures or plays into new neocolonialist dynamics. But at the same time, this tourism strategy has helped the community build a school and pay for bilingual teachers. The ecotourism scheme has allowed the community to prosper without turning to the oil industry or extractives policies to raise money. In an increasingly globalized world, the idea of ecotourism is ever growing and it is difficult to say what the impacts are. I am still struggling to sort out my own thoughts about this experience and the ecotourism industry overall but I am coming to accept more and more that there are two sides to every coin. As I continue to travel throughout Ecuador, I will carry this experience with me and continue to challenge my beliefs, always being aware of the profound impacts of my actions.

Julia

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By mariyaskhan

Wow, I can’t believe that this course is already halfway over! The Oxford term is winding down to its final week, and then I have to write a seminar essay and a 6,000 word research paper. We only have four hours of class a week, so I spend most of my time in the libraries working on my weekly 5-9 page essays or exploring Oxford. I’ve worked through many of the routes and shortcuts I use on the daily, and I don’t feel overwhelmed anymore with getting the layout of the city. I guess you could say that I have finally made Oxford my home. Here are the places in Oxford where I spend most of my days.

The Old Bodleian Library and the Radcliffe Camera

...continue reading "My Oxford Community"

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By sheldonwongg

I’ve been in Kathmandu for roughly two months now and it has been a non-stop whirl wind of a time. During my time here, I have been exploring all of Kathmandu and have come up with a list of must-dos if you ever find yourself in this busy busy city.

 

Boudha Stupa

My home! I’ve been living with a Tibetan family in Boudha, Kathmandu during my time here and it’s considered one of the greatest sites for spirituality in Tibetan Buddhism. It is the largest stupa in the world and thousands of years old. While you’re here, make sure you do some Korra (circumambulating around the stupa), but make sure you are walking clockwise. Many believe that doing korra will earn good merit in life and led to a prosperous life. The stupa is also home to many shops and restaurants that will keep your time (and wallets) for the day.

 

Ason Markets

If you love to shop like I do, then Ason is the go to place for you. Here, you will find the best authentic bazaar shopping in the Kathmandu valley. You can find anything from traditional kurtas, to modern clothing, to miles of accessories, and souvenirs for friends. One of the really unique things that is available in Nepal is really cheap tailoring. My favorite activity is going to a fabric shop to pick out a fabric I think is super cool, then getting it tailored into a custom one of a kind shirt.

...continue reading "The Must-Dos When You Are in Kathmandu"

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By ltchouaffe

Being so far from home for so long you sometimes start to look for things that remind you of the things that you
know so well. Fortunately, from the first few weeks of living in Strasbourg, I quickly noticed that D.C was not far
from me. As we all know, D.C is practically made up of Federal Buildings and the numerous universities that
grace the area. Here, as well in Strasbourg, the city is full of European institutions and the University of
Strasbourg. Strasbourg is nicknamed “the capital of Europe” and like D.C, people from all around Europe come
to work at places like the Council of Europe, the European Parliament and the European Court of Justice. It's
here that some of Europe’s most important laws are put into place and where famous politicians and leaders
alike come and gather to make speeches and plead their case in the courts. Granted, the hustle and bustle of
D.C is no way like Strasbourg, whose French citizens like to “stop and smell the roses” but when a leader or
figure is in town, you can definitely feel it too much like D.C.

But enough with the similarities with D.C. Strasbourg definitely has its own special aspects that make this
community unique. Like in all French cities, the amount of patisseries and boulangeries is insane! For those
that don’t know, a patisserie is a small shop that sells sweets and a boulangerie is a place that sells bread,
along with sweets but mostly bread based items like sandwiches for example. There are also epiceries, but
they are not as common. Within, every street and every corner, one is bound to find one of those. It's a very
unique aspect to France because in the States we get all our sweets and breads usually in one place. One can
get the same things in a supermarket in France too but it is not as fresh.

...continue reading "What makes up Strasbourg?"

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By Nora Wolcott

As of today, it has officially been one week since I touched down in the City of Sails: Auckland, New Zealand. Now, a few bruises and many mosquito bites later, it seems remarkable that so much has happened over the course of 7 days. My first tramping trips, tastes of the new city and bonds with the locals and fellow international students alike happened in one large adrenaline rush.

Tramping, or hiking as I naively called it back in the States, was one of my main objectives coming to this mountainous country, and so as soon as I recovered from jet lag I set off to find a trail I could dig my teeth into. The first that came to mind was Mount Eden, a trip the locals treated with nonchalance, but for me was quite striking. Mount Eden is the highest of the almost 50 volcanoes in the Auckland area, and a mere 30 minute walk from my dorm. The hike up this startlingly green crater rewarded me with expansive views of the Auckland skyline, and the Pacific beyond. Over the 15,000 years since the volcano last erupted, the fertile mountain has given rise to leafy forest that gives travelers like me respite from the sun. Pictures don't do justice to the sheer size of the crater, but I hope the image below can give you a concept of the scenery.

...continue reading "Volcanoes, Sheep & Squirrel Food"

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