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Tag: GW Exchange

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By nmbutler3

Christmas, particularly the time leading up to the holiday itself, is without a doubt my favorite time of year. Since I don’t get back to the states until JUST before Christmas, spending the season abroad was initially a bit concerning – no family, no secret santas, no warm house smelling of cookies and pine to come home to, no rush of Black Friday shopping or trying to sneakily hide gifts. But as the holidays draw nearer, I am starting to really appreciate Christmas in Edinburgh and the UK more generally.

Some things are a bit different of course. The most apparent is probably the lack of holiday buffer. Now I realize that this may sound strange, but allow me to explain. The buffer time that Thanksgiving provides between Halloween and the winter holidays is key to making the season such a magical time. In the UK though, with no Thanksgiving to impede the oncoming headlights of Christmas, garland and ornaments and Santas start appearing just after Halloween-that's an entire extra month of Christmas prep! Not that I am complaining, a little extra holiday cheer never hurt anyone, but it does take some adjustment to get used to not hearing people gripe about decorations in shops in November. There are some benefits though to not having Thanksgiving though, mainly the appreciation for pumpkin pie. I cannot count the number of British people I've met that have never had real pumpkin pie before. Needless to say, I racked up some serious friendship points last Thursday. Now that the Thanksgiving buffer has officially passed, I'm finally able to appreciate all that Scotland has to offer during the holidays. There have been two experiences in particular that have really upped my holiday cheer. The first is the scenery of the snowcapped highlands in the winter. Although the middle and southern belts of Scotland don't really see any snow until late December-January, the highlands up north are already a winter wonderland, with snowy mountains and twinkling lights and little villages full of cottages, all with smoke rising from the chimney. It's just like falling into a Christmas card. Not to mention, up in the Cairngorms National Park, there is an actual reindeer center where you can see an entire herd of reindeer. The other holiday experience was right here in Edinburgh at the city's Christmas Village festival. With so much extra time for prep and anticipation, Edinburgh spares no expense when it comes to the holiday. The entire central Princes Street Gardens are transformed into a Christmas village to rival the north pole, complete with ice skating, a slew of hot beverages, holiday bakery and other foods galore, Christmas crafts and gifts, and a Christmas theatre where the show a different play each week. There is even a giant Ferris wheel that overlooks all the lights and sights of the city. It's literally like being a kid at Christmas again! Of course, even with such magical experiences, being away from friends and family at the holidays is still very difficult, but you just have to make the most of it and enjoy the holiday traditions with a new twist.

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By meaggymurphy

Blurb: Coffee is one of those things that exists all around the world but tastes different everywhere you go. Spain is no exception, and I've learned a little during my time here about the basic varieties that you'll find in cafes around the country. More than learning the difference between a café solo and a café suizo, I've learned to like the flavor. At first it wasn't easy, but as soon as I stopped looking for the nearest Starbucks, I found myself embracing the way the Spanish do coffee. Keep reading for an account of a coffee-lover's adventures getting her coffee-fix in Spain's cafes! #coffee #cafe #GWU #GWAbroad

I will admit that I was once one of those people who said that they would never drink coffee. I said this throughout high school, when I was young, naive, tea-loving, and unaware of the amazing deliciousness that is a cup of coffee. I was also ignorant of the fact that caffeine is nature's gift to students. Long story short, I jumped off my high horse and into Juan Valdez/Dunkin Donuts/Starbucks (in that order) after my first month in college.

At home, I'm a fan of a strong cup of basic coffee, nothing with flavors that sound more like Ben & Jerry's ice cream varieties than coffee. Coming to Spain, I've gotten used to a whole new coffee language that, thankfully, doesn't include anything called a Cinnamon Dolce Frappuccino. Here, you have café solo, café cortado, and café con leche.

I'll start with the café solo, which is Spanish code for a little espresso shot. If you feel the need to be extra on edge, you can order a café double, which is a double espresso shot. I tend to shy away from ordering these because, well, I don't really have the patience to sip on a coffee that I could easy drink in one swig.

Café cortado is a café solo with a little bit of milk added. The difference between a cortado and a café con leche is the amount of milk; ordering the latter will get you about a 50:50 ratio, while ordering the former is more like 80:20. The theme here is café solo plus differing amounts of milk equals different types of coffee. For example, café manchada is a glass of milk with a dash of coffee for flavor (10:90, I think).

These three types are the most common from what I've seen, but you also get varieties like café americano and café suizo. The americano is café solo with water added and is probably the closest thing Spain has to a "typical" American cup of coffee. However, I try not to order this type because it seems too clichéd, the Americana ordering an americano. Café suizo is café solo with some whipped cream on top. "Suizo" is how you say "Swiss" in Spanish, and it makes sense that they named a coffee that resembles a snow-covered mountaintop after Switzerland. With this logic, what does that say about America if an americano is watery coffee? I'm not sure the implications here are good...

At first, I felt the coffee culture shock whenever I went to get my fix and left slightly frustrated by a coffee that was too milky/watery/small compared to what I was used to. I think I'm pretty easy-going when it comes to culture shock- I don't like to waste time thinking wistfully about foods and traditions I miss about America or trying to recreate them abroad. Coffee was the one exception to this rule because I was always trying to find ways to get my hands on an American-style coffee. However, I have recently decided that instead of constantly searching for a cup of coffee that's like what I'd receive at Dunkin Donuts (which actually exist in this region of Spain under the crafty name "Duffin Dagels"), I should embrace Spanish café. It may be mostly milk and pint-sized, but it's delicious.

Even more than being good, I know I'll always associate the flavor of a café con leche with Pamplona and spending a couple afternoon hours in one of the city's cafes. Good memories definitely make it easy to savor a cup of café español. And to think, I once said I'd never drink it- I had obviously never tried a good Spanish coffee before!

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By sonyakalmin

Hey there! My name is Sonya and I am a junior at GW currently studying English Literature for a semester in Edinburgh, United Kingdom. Stemming from a first-generation Ukrainian family, I have always oscillated between my American and my immigrant identity. Growing up in an all-Italian neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York further accentuated the difference between my peers and me. However, it wasn’t until High School that I began to understood how little of a role my heritage played in the grander scheme of things, and by that I mean the millions of various backgrounds each teenager growing up in New York encounters.  So in a nutshell, while feeling confused, even uncomfortable with my identity as a pre-teen, by the time I reached young adulthood I was fully aware that I wasn’t alone in the ‘strange family’ category. It wasn’t long before I became quite content with my own unconventional heritage. ...continue reading "Categories, Labels and Identities"

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By meaggymurphy

Blurb: Most of us get a little nervous before a big presentation in front of our peers/coworkers. This past week, I gave a presentation that was the culmination of lots of research and hard-work, and I think it's safe to say I was nervous. Luckily, there is a happy ending to this story. Also, I got to be reminded of the greatest feeling in the world: walking out of a room after giving a presentation and realizing that you're allowed to breathe again. #GWU #GWAbroad #finals #publicspeaking

The end of the semester, be it at home or abroad, always seems to bring projects and exams along with it. This semester has been no exception, and I have had a series of presentations that started last week and will continue until next week. One of these presentations, for my hardest class entitled "Communication for Development," took place last Thursday and I am over-the-moon happy that it is over, for many reasons.

Firstly, this specific project began in August, a.k.a. about 3 months ago. We were given the task of investigating any topic relevant to communication and media within or relating to the developing world. Luckily, this type of topic is what interests me as an International Affairs major concentrating on International Development and minoring in journalism. I was extremely lucky in that I happened to pick group members who were equally as interested in and dedicated to this type of research as myself. Also, I found two groups members who were very patient with my constant flow of questions (What type of font should I use here? How does one reserve library books? ¿Cómo se dice...?).

In August we began researching media coverage of the chemical attacks in Syria, specifically comparing two Spanish newspaper, El País and El Punt/Avui. We started by analyzing all of the articles about Syria that were published between two specific dates, using a number code to label variables like the type author, the section, and the theme of the article. It was definitely a lot more numbers than I was expecting, and after collecting all of the data, we entered it into a computer spreadsheet and analyzed it. In the end, we had read and analyzed 97 articles.

The conclusions we drew from the study were pretty interesting; for example, El Punt/Avui (which is a newspaper from the region of Cataluña) published more photos with more violent/realistic themes than El País (the largest newspaper in Spain). This was surprising and went against one of our early hypotheses. So, after going through the process of reading, numbering, analyzing, and writing a report came the fun part: the presentation.

I don't really know anyone who loves doing presentations. I certainly don't, but I also don't over-stress about them. This presentation, however, was different. It was in Spanish, which made it more intimidating. Also, after so many hours of working on the report and the presentation itself over the course of 3 months, I didn't want to be the one to screw it up.

So Thursday came, and the first group had done their presentation, and next it was my group's turn. We got up and did the presentation, and 15 minutes after showing all of our graphs and charts and explaining our methodology and conclusions, a project that started when it was still hot and sunny out was finished. It felt amazing to be done, and even more amazing that the professor liked our project.

I don't think I'll ever be afraid to give a presentation again. Talking about something technical in another language was daunting, but I did it and it went well! And luckily I didn't stutter or trip and fall or forget what to say/how to breathe.

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By arosema93

At my ‘Uni’, the Australian National University, I have been living at a college for the last 7 months. And yes, there is a difference between a university and a college in Australia. They ARE different things, which can initially lead to some confusion. While a university is exactly what we would think of a university, a college is a residence hall on or near the university, similar to a dorm, but not always owned by the university. At ANU, international students and students from other states are guaranteed a spot at a college if they choose to accept it.

ANUHowever, besides living in it, the similarities to an American dorm ends about there. First of all, every room is a single. Everywhere. Australians enjoy living in single rooms and find the concept of living with other people, sometimes random new people, to be extremely weird and uncomfortable. As GW students, we often think of people who choose single rooms as being quiet or shy or something along those lines. No one really wants a single room unless they are antisocial. In Australia, this is not the case due to the nature of what a college is. While colleges do feature single rooms, they also all have some sorts of central areas where large amounts of socialization take place. Instead of partying or hanging out in someone’s room, socialising takes place in a large common area with all the other residents. Sometimes, as in the case of my college, the common area can feature things like a massive kitchen where all the ressies cook and eat meals, a fully stocked bar, a lounge area, and a games room with pool and ping pong. ...continue reading "University, College, and Uni. Are they not the same?"

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By arosema93

AustraliaThey say that you learn something new every day and this week it was something I never expected to learn before coming to America. I learned to drive a manual car! Apparently, something that I never realized is that most of the rest of the world still largely drives manual cars, partially due to their fuel efficiency. So, when I came to Australia, I was hit by the realization that I would only be capable of driving about 10% of the cars in the country. In Australia, some states require a separate license/test in order to drive a manual vehicle. However, an American license is 100% valid in Australia and also still qualifies me to drive a manual; despite the fact that I would have no idea what I was doing. ...continue reading "How to Save a Baby Kangaroo"

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By arosema93

The last week was a little rough for me. For the first time in Australia, I got sick. I came down with a cold/flu sort of thing for several days. It was being passed around my college pretty quickly and I knew I would get it. As my college is a fairly close knit group of 500 uni students living in close quarters and spending the majority of their time together, things obviously spread quickly (think of the Thurston flu).

But after a few days I improved, and it was only necessary to take one sick day at work. My illness was further improved by the opportunity to spend two relaxing amazing days at the beach this last weekend. Despite being winter in Canberra, it was a sunny 75 degrees at the beach both days which was perfect for hiking and having a bonfire. It was a little chilly at night, but so worth it for the experience of sleeping under the stars on the beach in Australia.

During my time here, I have yet to find something better than sleeping under the Australian stars on the beach listening to the waves crashing in. Stars in Australia are pretty special, due to the fact that the ozone layer is much thinner over Australia than the rest of the world. While this can easily lead to a sunburn (or a nice tan) during the day, at night it allows millions of stars to shine through in a way that is not even possible in America. Added to that, is the experience of different stars from back home. For example, there is the Southern Cross, but no Northern Star, and Orion is upside down! It was also really weird to return to campus from two days at the beach and run into friends as they arrived back from a two day trip to the mountains and skiing.

As I am sure is interesting to nearly all GW students (seeing as we retook the honour of most politically active campus), Australia has an election coming up, and it sure is different than an American election. For starters, the election is not held on the same date all the time. Actually, it’s not even held every three or four years. It just has to be somewhere within that timeframe and the party in power gets to decide when they want it to be. Once the date is decided, Australians have about a month to enrol to vote, change their registration, or whatever else they need to do to ensure they are not fined for not voting under Australia’s compulsory voting laws. Also, instead of voting for a person to be prime minister, you vote for a party, the leaders of which then get to decide the prime minister. Sounds alright, except that they are allowed to change who the prime minister is whenever they want, as happened about a month ago. One day, they just decided they were sick of the prime minister and replaced her with a new one.

If that isn’t absurd politics then I don’t know what is. Just after writing this one of my friends showed me a piece of brilliance by John Stewart that really sums it all up quite well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx9eH3qOJXw

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Alex Rosema
Exploring the National Botanical Gardens and making friends with a roo.

As this is my first blog posting, I am sure you are expecting to hear all about long travel times, excitement about arriving in a foreign country, and an update on how I am settling in. However, I have already been abroad for a semester so none of that stuff applies. I am studying at the Australian National University in Canberra and have just finished up the first week of classes of what is the second semester here. Having just come off of a nearly two month “winter” break I have had a bit of readjustment to do even though I stayed around Canberra and worked nearly the whole time. Many of my good friends were international exchange students as well, but unfortunately the majority of them departed after one semester. Wouldn’t be enough time for me. Saying goodbye was tough, but hopefully I will see them again one day and now we have a new group of incoming exchange students!! ...continue reading "Another Semester in Australia"

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By littlemisadventures

Along with most of AUC’s students, I’m in the midst of finals. I’ve been holed up in my room studying, occasionally emerging so my friends and I can quiz each other on material. When we need a break from verb charts and Pharaonic timelines, we play with the kittens that live in our dorm. I’m sad to leave, but I will be back next semester. Mostly, I’m going to miss all the people that I’ve become close to. But lots of my friends are staying the year, too. ...continue reading "Ma’Salama, Misr!"

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By shivaniinsingapore

I officially left Singapore for winter break on December 3rd and have been in Gujarat, India since then. I don't think a single blog post could accurately describe how amazing this experience has been thus far. Looking back on my first semester study abroad experience, I can honestly say I would not have learned as much as I did by staying in the states. By 'learned', I am not referring to things textbooks can teach you, but rather about life experiences and cultural experiences.

While studying in Singapore, I had the opportunity to meet people from all over the world. I had friends from Australia, Sweden, China, Canada, France and of course, locals from Singapore and the US. The hardest part of finishing up my semester was saying bye to all these wonderful people I had met. I'm unfortunately the only one from my groups of friends that is returning next semester, but am looking forward to all the new people I will get to meet next semester. Additionally, I am planning a trip to Australia to meet up with my friends from Melbourne that I met this semester. ...continue reading "Goodbye (for now) Singapore!"

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