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Tag: GW Exchange

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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"

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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"

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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?"

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Hi everyone!

This week I wanted to talk about something that's a little more personal.

My parents immigrated to Boulder, CO for their graduate studies and that's where my brother and I were born and raised. Although that means I grew up without ever really having family nearby and only saw my extended family 4-5 times when we took family trips to Korea, my parents did their best to raise my brother and me in a traditionally Korean household. That meant Korean food, speaking Korean to my parents, celebrating Korean holidays, etc.

When I was younger, I didn't really have a problem with saying that I was Korean when I was in the US and saying that I was American when I came to visit Korea. Because for me, that's what I was - Korean and American, just situationally I would identify with one more than the other based on what I knew people assumed.

However, now that I'm older and have a more solid understanding of my identity, there have been scenarios that have been more difficult to answer during my current stay here in Korea. At first, based on the way I dress and do my make up and hair, people could definitely tell that I was not from-from Korea. But they recognized that I was Korean, because when I walked into stores or cafes, the employees would greet me in Korean. Now that it's been a little over a month in Korea though, I've figured out how to assimilate more and as a result, came across some more unique circumstances.

...continue reading "Korean? American? Korean-American??"

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Although everyone in Ireland- and most of Europe- speaks English, there are so many other phrases, habits, and common knowledge every American should know before crossing the pond.

For example, it’s very common for the Irish to get excited about something fun and call it ‘good craic.,’ which in English sounds like ‘good crack.’ Obviously, coming from the states and never having heard this term so loosely before alarmed me before realizing its actual translation. Thankfully for me, there weren’t too many other phrases I came across that could be interpreted differently. Most of the phrases that are new to me and aren’t too common back in the states include ‘cheers’ or ‘that’s grand.’ Trust me, these phrases catch on quickly.

Other aspects of Irish culture that were new to me included getting used to calling fries ‘chips,’ and the abundance of flavors of Doritos with their respective salsa dips not available back home. You would also be shocked to find that the stereotypical potato, cabbage, and beef stew, aren’t as common as you initially thought. While yes, these are staples to Irish diet, it is more so popular in tourist restaurants. Instead, if you’re looking to try unique Irish meals, you should order lamb and cheese considering it’s all from fresh farms. Or even seafood- Ireland is an Island after all! There is an incredible variation of good food in Ireland almost anywhere you go, not just Guinness.

...continue reading "Things to Know Before Visiting Ireland- or Europe!"

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By jlee4946

Having been born and raised in a traditionally Korean household, there weren't too many things that were culturally shocking when I arrived in Korea. However, since this is my first time really living in Korea for an extended period of time and not staying with relatives, I've gotten to know what it really is like living in Korea. I didn't think there would be such a difference but I now have many things to thank my Korean roommate for.

One of the biggest differences for me personally is the complexity of dealing with trash in Korea. For one thing, there are no trash cans around the city! People just carry their trash all the way home. And some stores/restaurants even have signs saying not to throw away trash that you brought in from outside. Though somewhat annoying since my bag ends up holding all my trash, at first I thought it was a positive thing because maybe people would feel more responsible with throwing away their trash instead of littering. I commented on the lack of trash cans when speaking with a Korean friend from Seoul National University, and he seemed surprised, as though he never really thought about it. But in his case, he remarked that maybe if there were trash cans in public, there would be even less trash on the streets which I thought was interesting since his view of it was so opposite from mine.

But wait! I can't just come home and put my trash from my bag into the bin. I don't live in the school dorms so I'm not sure how it works over there, but people here are really good at recycling. Maybe I've just been slacking off in my recycling habits back at home, but in the US I sort my trash into recyclables, such as plastic and cardboard, and then everything else is just regular trash. And the trash bags in the US are those huge white or black ones that fit over the huge rectangular plastic bins that you and your roommates watch fill up, hoping someone takes it out eventually.

...continue reading "The Unexpected Struggle"

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By mariekevanhaaren

While Australia does speak English, they tend to put (a lot of) their own Australian flair into it. Sometimes I’ll be having a conversation and completely miss a key word, having to Google what it means later. Here’s a starter list that you should probably know before visiting Oz!

Arvo - means afternoon. Aussies like to shorten several words and add a –o at the end. Devo means devastated, avo is avocado, etc.

Bogan – Australian’s version of a redneck. I have yet to meet a bogan, but they tend to live out in the bush.

Brekkie – Like with arvo, brekkie is a shortened word for brekkie. This word is especially important in Melbourne, as everyone loves to go to cafés and get a brekkie of avo toast.

Chips – Australia pulls from Britain roots with this term. In Australia, chips are French fries and crisps are America’s version of chips.

...continue reading "An Intro to Australian Slang"

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By keeganblogsfromabroad

This weekend I took a break from Edinburgh and headed north into the iconic Scottish Highlands and the Isle of Skye. As beautiful as they are rugged and misty, the mountains and lochs proved well worth the lengthy bus journey.  The trip was organized by the International Student's Center at the University of Edinburgh. About 200 students in four large tour buses embarked on the journey at about 8am on Saturday morning, later staggering to avoid flooding the way points with too many excited students at once. Rain was in the forecast but this being Scotland I expected nothing less.

The one thing I did not anticipate was the mud. Very few people did. The trip packing list, which called for "proper walking shoes for walking and hiking" did not reference the mud either. Now you may be thinking "its just a little mud, I'm sure it cant be that bad," and of course Edinburgh receives enough rain to be consistently muddy as well, but it is usually just a thin layer on top of solid ground. In the mountains of the highland things are just a wee bit different. The entire ground feels like a sponge and the vegetation on top doesn't do anything to change that impression. The mud is everywhere, on the path, next to it, under the vegetation just waiting for your foot to rip though.

...continue reading "No Country for White Shoes"

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By keeganblogsfromabroad

It is hard to believe I've already been in Scotland for three weeks. Of those three this most recent one was definitely the nicest weather wise. I still had to take my jacket everywhere for risk of showers but the weather was gorgeous. 60s, sun, I almost (I stress the almost) felt like this wasn't the overcast and dreary land that I was warned about (but then again, I've got no complaints.) I live in a school flat near Bruntsfield which is a bit to the southwest of the George Square Campus where I have all of my classes.

My three quarters of a mile walk to classes runs past and through the meadows, a large park. Half, the Bruntsfield links, (which I can see from my window) offers free golf, and the other half is just open land for sports or barbecues. The walk this time of year is beautiful, some of the trees are beginning to change colors while the grass remains a beautiful verdant green. For the 11 minute hike I get to enjoy a warm sun and a stiff westerly breeze while I take in Edinburgh's impressive intermingling of new and old buildings. The trees do warn that it wont always be this pleasant though. As I walk though the center of the park I can't help but notice they all lean quite obviously and somewhat ominously away from the prevailing winds which makes me glad I've got a good jacket for when winter hits.

I've been getting to classes a consistent ten minutes early, which appears pretty standard for the University of Edinburgh. Students gather to wait around the doors for the lecture hall to empty of students from the preceding lecture and almost everyone enters at the same time. Classes are large by my standards, but, being in the honors program at GW has meant that I was lucky enough to avoid a lot of the large lectures that I would have ordinarily been subjected to.

...continue reading "Classes and Castles"

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By mariekevanhaaren

Exploring Australia and finding things to do is definitely exciting, but it can also be overwhelming when choosing a destination, finding cheap tickets, and trying to make the most out of a short period of time. Here are the websites I frequent the most to find the best of the best!

  1. theurbanlist.com

This site has sections for all major cities in Australia, and is my go-to for finding events or restaurants. The website posts each week about weekend happenings, new and delicious places to eat, and other Buzzfeed-esque features, all centered on each city. Finding the best café or a fun festival is only a few clicks away!

  1. bookme.com

Bookme is a wonderful tool for traveling, as this site posts amazing ticket deals for all kinds of adventures around the world. The activities can be discounted by up to 80%, saving lots of money to spend elsewhere. All you have to do is select the date that you want to go, and depending on availability and time the tickets will be really cheap!

  1. skyscanner.com

Skyscanner finds the cheapest possible flights to wherever you want to go. I’ve used it a lot to check the best dates and times to fly to Sydney, Brisbane, New Zealand, and more! My suggestion is to enter a destination and click “Whole Month” on the date option to search prices for the entire month. This finds you the best option, as sometimes flying out on Saturday is way cheaper than a Friday! 

...continue reading "My Top Resources for Exploring Australia"

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