By emreceyhun
Think of a class including hiking, rafting, kayak, spelunking and many more, and you will get one-credit for this class. I know it seems unreal but GWU offers that class called Outdoor Adventure, which is, I think, the best class one exchange student can take.
This is a pass-fail class which means that there is no examination. The grading policy depends on whether 25-hour-long participation, 11 hours of which is organized by instructors, including hiking, team building activities, kayak on Potomac River etc, is exceeded or not. The rest 14-hour-long participation depends on one's participation to activities organized by GW Trails, which is open to every student with a small fee, of course. One can participate horseback riding, rock climbing, hiking etc. as complementary hours to pass the class.
So far, even though I am not certain, I have chosen:
- 9/17 Buck Ridge Hike
- 10/1 Mount Vernon to Mount Vernon Bike Tour
I took Buck Ridge Hike because I wanted to experience the nature of the States, and the reason why I took the Bike Tour is that I love biking!
On the other hand, there are also American students and because of the concept of the class it is easy to find new friends and get along with people.
This courses can be found in Schedule of Courses web paged under the Life, Sports and Physical Activity section in which all kinds of sports' courses are listed. I highly recommend one to take LSPA courses in GWU and if one explores the city more, then Outdoor Adventure is the right course for one.
This week's trip was kayaking or paddling on Potomac River, which was like a medicine for a really busy week. My friend Margaux, an exchange student from Science Po, and I took a same kayak so that we pay less, which is 11 $ per person for an hour.
Kayaking to the spot where you can see both Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monuments reminds me that I am at the right city to be a student. Also, this experience show me that while Washington DC is urbanized in a complex way, it can protect the nature well.
