Admin – Page 44 – Postcards from GW

A Trip Down U-Street

AdminFebruary 11, 2013

What’s the present value of 12,500? What are the different forms of public communications? Can you say “how much” in French? Yup my week has been pretty much work, work, and work. With midterm exams coming up and papers to submit, there really was no time for to me do any adventures. However with seven days a week I was able to squeeze in some yummy delicious food down at U-Street.

You know how Italians are famous for their pizzas? And the Spanish are famous for their Paella? Well the people of DC are famous for Ben’s Chili Bowl! (Some people refer to the hot dogs served there, as their local DC dish). With a study break and a big appetite I was ready to lay may hands on one of those famous “half-smoked hot dogs “. However I was disappointed when I found out that the half-smoked is half beef/half pork. Since I don’t eat pork, I had to opt for their specialty dish and instead have the Beef hot dog.

Now I must say it was pretty good, but not as good as I had expected. I mean when you hear of a place that Obamas go for hot dogs, your expectation would probably be as high as mine. It was decent but like Sem, an exchange student from Australia stated, “the chili hot dogs at 7-Eleven are a lot better”, I must agree! The chili sauce on the hot dog was good and overall it was enjoyable, but I have had better honestly.

With another much needed study break, as a group we decided again to go to U- Street, but this time to an authentic Ethiopian restaurant called “Durkum”. It’s not everyday that you get to huddle around with your friends and dig your hands into some tasty African food. While there might be no utensils to use, the bread they give is used as a spoon to pick up your food with. I must say the food was okay, but the experience was awesome! I expected the food to be spicy, but it wasn’t at all. It took us quite a bit though to figure out what we wanted to order because we didn’t understand the menu, so in the end the waiter just ordered for us.

While we hit up American food and Ethiopian food, we decided to leave Chinese food for Sunday February 10^th. This day marks the lunar Chinese year. With a dense Asian population in DC, you bet that Chinatown would throw an extensive Chinese parade to celebrate the lunar new year. With excitement and a new camera, I decided to go to the parade. It was great seeing the dragon waved around and the snake, but what was the point of having Turkish airline hostesses walking down the parade? Why were their kids in card boxes walking through the parade? It was quite actually quite disappointing because I as ready for a Chinese immersion, but overall it was great getting a chance to be part of the celebration and having the opportunity to see Chinatown.

Quite a stressful week I can’t wait till its over! Boston, Massachusetts you're next on my bucket list!

America Blows My Mind

AdminFebruary 7, 2013

By zelenkal

This week was marked by the Super Bowl event. Most of us exchange students had difficulties grasping the importance and background. Not only did we have no idea who was playing, some of us (including me) even had to be assured that this has to do with American Football. The whole Super Bowl is an immensely popular show/sporting event. People gather and watch the biggest game of the season. I have a couple of observations from a non-US point of view.

Commercials – I have never seen such a huge concentration of commercials in my life. I guess most of them featured cars, which is another topic connected to contemporary image of masculinity – let's play or watch the roughest sport ever and drive big cars! All of America is watching this event, and advertising during the game is at its most expensive point in the whole year, so companies seem to be doing their best in order to catch everybody's attention. And they are successful so as it is a habit of Americans to discuss the commercials afterwards.
Half-time show – Beyonce is a huge icon here. Me and one of my Czech colleagues here were not familiar with this particular personality cult before I came to United States, however, one just cannot overlook it here. People mention her during classes, she sings the national anthem during Obama's Inauguration (and for instance The Huffington Post claims that her singing “was a capstone to the official proceedings of the inauguration”) and at last she performs during Super Bowl Half-time. Of course, these were two fundamentally different events and the performances reflect on that. I was truly surprised with the sexualized manner, and afterwards with the keen reactions of most of the people I talked to about it. In sum, it doesn't matter what Beyonce does, the majority will love it for sure.
Baltimore Ravens wins the highest football title in the country – Seems like DC is a good place to be in again, this time in thanks to being so close to the home of Ravens, therefore gaining praise from all over US.
Popularity - GW organized a friendly gathering, which I appreciated because I had no idea about where else to be. Only a few people I know of did not go and watch the Super Bowl with others; nobody was indifferent to this event. I guess that is the reason why there were more performers than the actual audience at the GW Orchestra performance on Sunday; everybody was too busy preparing for Super Bowl.

It was a big event. And a noisy one, too. Being here for a month now, I have finally found the calmest place, which I might be visiting regularly after similar events. A small coffee shop at Alexandria is all an exchange student needs now. Or, even better, having a live performer there to calm you down more efficiently than silence. Despite the distance, St. Elmo's I cannot wait to be back! Even though I would hope that the next time I am going there, the weather will be more predictable than it turned out to have been last week (even the forecasts seem to have been joking)! As much as I enjoy miscellany, this week blew my mind both figuratively and literally!

Living with Roommates

AdminFebruary 4, 2013

By claudiadev

One of the things I was apprehensive about before arriving in America was living with roommates. I had thoughts of being isolated or left out of jokes and of not settling into the routines everyone already had in place for the semester. I was also just slightly concerned I’d be put with people who were my complete opposites: incredibly dirty/messy ones who loved the TV and music I hated and stayed up till 4am weeknights.

In reality, my roommates are lovely. First off, we have things in common – TV included. This ends up in Sunday evenings spent watching the latest episode of Girls and our slight addiction to watching Jeopardy every weeknight. There’s also a large likelihood that if someone is in our living room during the day there’s a really terrible reality show on Bravo playing (terrible in a you just cannot change the channel way).

All three are seniors here at GW, and have been helpful with both advice on subjects and protocol (and directions!) as I’ve settled in. Their stories about college life and about living in America generally have been both interesting and eye opening. They’ve all had different experiences that have led them to GW and DC – one’s from Kentucky, another from just outside Boston and the third is from Connecticut – and all three have studied abroad and have tales to share. This means they completely understand what I’m going through – helpful when I get a bit homesick for Melbourne.

We’ve got a pretty efficient chore chart worked out too, so arguments about taking out the trash or doing the dishes are redundant. From what I gather from my roommates, these can be seriously contentious issues in college dorms! All of us seem to prefer sitting on the couches to study and do homework, and none of us are up all hours of the night blasting music either.

What’s been most wonderful about my roommates though is their friendliness. They’ve invited me along to brunches, to the inauguration and even spring break. I’m included in the ‘in’ jokes and I’m not just seen as the little lost Australian girl here for the semester. They bemoan my under-21 status right along with me, and purposely plan evenings out to places I can go.

Last week on Friday we went out with a few of their friends, and my friend Rhiannon, who’s also from the University of Melbourne, to a pottery place. You pay approximately $25 dollars, can bring in food and drink, and get to paint a piece of pottery that then gets fired in a kiln. It’s such a fun, easy night out and we had great fun making fun of each other’s pretty abysmal artistic skills (although when we will get around to collecting our pottery is unknown...)

This Saturday our House Staff/Proctor had organized an ice-skating trip, and so we went along with our neighbor. At the rink it was only me who had abysmal skills, as evidenced by the horrific bruise on my knee today! I momentarily forgot about the knee pain and bruising when we went out for dinner afterwards in Georgetown – perhaps it was a food coma. We were at this amazing pizza place called Pizzeria Paradiso that I’d highly recommend!

Three of us and our neighbor at the Ice Skating rink.

This afternoon we spent cooking nachos, ordering in pizza and eating far too much food (including carrot cake, because for some reason two of my roommates had bought one the other day). The amount of food was totally justified, because we ate it while watching the Super Bowl … until we got a fire alarm and had to evacuate the building. Luckily the alarm went off while there was a delay in the game thanks to a lighting fault at the stadium.

: Two of my roommates and I doing a silly pose at the GW Inaugural Ball

All in all, having such instant friends and roommates here has really made the adjustment to life at GW easy.

I “snow” I shouldn’t Be Doing This

AdminFebruary 3, 2013

By amrawi

5 missed calls. 3 text messages. 7 Facebook messages; it was no wonder that I woke up at 8am frightened by the endless amount of buzzes generating out of my phone. As I managed to build up the strength to open a glimpse of my right eye, I caught one word on the text message, that sent me jumping straight out of my bed and to my living room window.

I stood startled. I was mesmerized by what I saw in front of me. Looking out of the window I gave out an expression; quite similar to the one I gave to my parents when I was told that Santa Clause didn’t exist. I was star struck. I have never seen such a sight. This sure is nothing like home, I thought to myself, as I saw tiny droplets of white, fluffy snow fall onto the ground. My eyes grew wider as I traced each tiny droplet of ice, as it accumulated one after the other creating a thick blanket that covered the cement sidewalk below me.

With the biggest smile on my face, I couldn’t help but take out my hand and touch a falling snowflake. One. Two. Three; I waited till about ten fluffy identical snowflakes accumulated onto my palm (which explains why I am now sitting in bed suffering from a major cold). Extremely impressed by the cotton texture of snow, I ran into my room ( trying very hard to not wake up my roommate, due to my excessive enthusiasm) and within minutes I was pushing open the doors to a white covered field ahead of me.

Twirling around in the snow, and attempting to make a snowball out of the less than one-inch snow on the ground, people could tell I was not from here. With giggles in the background, and people questioning my behavior, I heard Marie, an exchange student from Prague call out “ Typical Hanna, I knew I would find you here”.

With my jacket covered in snow and my shivering hands turning almost blue, it was about time for my 10am class. Unaware that the snow doesn’t really come off your clothes that easily, I had to enter my French class with a black coat covered in cotton-like snow. Professor Marshall gave out one loud laugh and I was told to have a seat.

Many people may take this sight for granted but for someone coming from Egypt, who is used to the desert sun, it really was a beautiful view. It’s not everyday that I get to snuggle up on the couch with a warm cup of hot chocolate topped with marshmallows, and trace snow flakes as they fall on to the ground.

Exploring Washington

AdminJanuary 29, 2013

My task last week was to start exploring Washington. The more I am getting to know the city, the nicer it seems to me. My goal this week was to see the monuments I have not seen yet, especially the Martin Luther King, Jr.

Memorial. The Inauguration was very important here, yet it all reminds us of Martin Luther King as well. After seeing this sight I dare say the Memorial complies with his legacy. I have read some controversial opinions towards the style of the whole monument, specifically considering its resemblance to Social Realism.

This picture shows how big the monument actually is

However, being from Prague and having traveled through other post-communist countries as well, I have to say, it is interesting to compare the distinct points of view.

Detailed picture of the portrayed army and people - Sofia, Bulgaria

The main pedestal of the Monument to the Soviet Army in Sofia

The statue, in contrast to the above mentioned styled sights, consists of significant artistic inventions, yet it preserves a certain simplicity. It does not communicate in clear emblematic symbols of Socialism, as it is in some genuinely Socio-Realist monuments. In order to express myself clearly, I would encourage everybody to compare the pictures of the monuments in Sofia, Bulgaria and the particular sight in DC.

Out of all the sights I have seen in DC, the Lincoln Memorial is still my favorite. Even though when you are tired of crowds, it is the best to go and calm down by the DC War Memorial. Doesn't it remind you of a tranquil sanctuary among all of those crowded places?

After seeing this, I strongly encourage everybody to go and pay a tribute at the World War II Memorial.

The desserts were even better than it seems here

Having done this night tour, you are cold and in need of a nice and warm place to go to, especially in this time of the year. We chose a renown place in Washington – Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe. This wonderful bookshop offers a lot more – it is a bar, a cafe, and a restaurant, and at the same time, they have a live performance every night. I had been longing to go there since I first looked this place up, that is prior to my arrival, therefore I am glad I finally managed.

Saturday was quite a special day for me. I met my Global Colonial buddy, Livia, and we went to one of the Smithsonian's, National Museum of the American Indian. The museum gave us the opportunity to learn about tribes from various locations, their traditions, rituals, everyday habits, languages, and most importantly their history and first interactions with people coming from the Old World. It also focused on the nowadays situation, the struggle for identity and for preserving the culture, reflected in arts as well.

Australian Michael is enjoying the Australian hot dog

Afterwards I went to a party celebrating the Australia Day with typical Australian food. I don't think I will ever forget about the pronounced taste of Vegemite. I am sorry, my dear Australian friends, but I don't think I will ever have this yeasty spread again.

In the evening we had our Exchange Orientation Group 6 reunion and had the pleasure of tasting the delicious food cooked by our Singaporean friends. Now we are planning to have more sessions of this type so I wish good luck to the Italians when preparing the pasta for us next week!

Group 6 is about to enjoy the Asian food!

Hopefully, I will see some other parts of Washington to admire as well!

A few things I’m loving about GW

AdminJanuary 29, 2013

By claudiadev

Now that I’m settled down into a routine here at GW I thought it’d be worth listing a few of the things I’m loving so far about GW.

1. Wholefoods & Trader Joe’s

At home we have two big supermarket chains that control the market. Both are decent, but neither does organic food very well (as well as having lots of gluten/lactose free options). It’s great having two stores so close by full of great food and produce (especially with the ready made food options at Wholefoods). Both stores are more expensive than the big Safeway supermarket in Georgetown but even so the prices are about the same I’d pay at home for food that isn’t organic or as good quality.

2. The location

I’m still reeling from the fact that all I had to do to watch President Obama get inaugurated was walk a few blocks to the Lincoln Memorial and then wander down the National Mall. Not to mention the ease of being near a metro stop, in a city with frequent and efficient trains. My friends and I visited the National Archives on Friday to go see the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights. We caught the train to Federal Triangle and then walked a block or two and we were there! A 15-20 minute journey to see some of the most iconic symbols of modern democracy - so brilliant! (If it hadn’t been below freezing outside we could have walked the distance too)

3. Living on campus

In Australia most students commute to the campus. There is the option of living on campus, but only a small percentage do at my university. I do not miss sitting on the train in peak hour trying to get to a 9am class, only to discover the trams to the university campus aren’t running because of road work. No more half-awake tram trips clutching my coffee and trying not to spill it on the businessman in the suit next to me. The convenience of being able to go back to my dorm between classes to drop books off, have a cup of tea and relax is brilliant.

4. My GWorld card

At home my university ID is just a library card and proof I’m a student (for student tickets at the cinemas, etc). Here my GWorld is a key to the dorm building and gives me access to the gym and library. Plus I can charge my GWorld up with money. I can use it at food stores all over campus, not to mention at Wholefoods and CVS pharmacy. At first I thought I’d just charge it up so I could use it in the laundry room and for photocopying and printing. But more than once now I’ve gone to the food court in the basement of my dorm and forgotten my bank card. Thankfully, it’s no problem because I have my GWorld! I do love convenience.

Egyptian Revolution: Bringing a little piece of home to DC.

AdminJanuary 27, 2013

Mix white cooked rice, with fried onions, macaroni, and vinegar red sauce; now I know what your thinking, what is this mess! I’ll pass and grab pizza! But trust me after the 25^th of Jan, once you call out those ingredients anywhere around campus, you will have a great number of Americans and exchange students lining up to get seconds from this traditional Egyptian dish; Koshary.

In spirit of the anniversary of the Egyptian revolution of Jan 25^th, I decided to host an Egyptian themed party in my apartment room of Amsterdam hall. It was not supposed to be a political event nor any type of protest, just some traditional Egyptian food of “Koshary” and an Egyptian desert of “roz b laban” which translates into “rice pudding”.

With a gigantic poster that read “ Egyptian revolution” hung in the living room and different colored belly dancing belts wrapped around our waists, this Egyptian themed party was soon to start at 8pm.

Arabic music in the background, and belts making a whole lot of noise; within 30 minutes over 40 eager foreigners were in my living room getting ready to try their first Egyptian dish. Bringing out two large platters of Koshary with the red vinegar sauce on side, I couldn’t help but laugh at the puzzled faces of the students as they feasted their eyes on a plate of macaroni, rice and lentils, drained with vinegar red sauce. Yet however as soon as their forks dived in the plates I knew it was going to be a success. “Dude this is amazing! Thank you for feeding me!” yelled Atay an exchange student from Turkey. “I’m coming to Egypt” called out Marie, an exchange student from Czech Republic. With smiling faces and students running in for seconds, it was no doubt that we needed to make more red sauce.

When their stomachs were satisfied, it was time to take them on a cultural dance experience. A group of Egyptians and I put on some traditional belly dancing music, and started shaking away to some of the most popular Egyptian songs. It almost felt like back home eating my favorite Egyptian food while listening to some of my favorite music. “Teach me teach me!” we had some exchange students yell, and even some of the guys. We took turns with the belts and danced away to the rest of the night.

It was such a memorable day for me where I was able to bring a little piece of home to DC. Now not only will Egyptians remember Jan 25^th but also the foreigners, who were able to get a piece of Egypt on such a remarkable day.

January 21, 2013: History was made

AdminJanuary 24, 2013

I am really wearing five layers of clothing!

Dressed in literally five layers of thick winter clothing and managing to wear two different pairs of pants on top of each other, I marched down Pennsylvania Avenue in two degrees Celsius weather (Or what the Americans call 35.5 degrees Fahrenheit). Standing in the chilly weather with the clock striking 5 am, most people would call me crazy, but today I witnessed history in the making. I could have predicted that I was going to do a study abroad, and I most certainly could have predicted that the world would not end in 2013, but never would I have imagined that I would be one out of a thousand proud citizens watching live the inauguration of the 44^th President of the United States of America: Barack Hussein Obama.

The whole day seriously felt so surreal. With my bundle of clothing and snack box filled with my favorite candies (and of course cupcakes!), a group of 10 exchange students marched down Pennsylvania Avenue. We were lucky enough to have Andrew, a GW student, lead the way as he took us to a private non-touristic location on the National Mall.

However from this secret viewing area, no food or drinks where allowed and it was hard to hear the speech. So I opted to leave this luxurious warm lounge, grabbed my American flag and head on out to battle the cold with the rest of the tourists.

With a GW beanie, GW pin and an American flag in hand, I was a true Colonial cheering on the President of the United States of America. It was such an amazing feeling standing outside of the National Mall, listening to Mr. President as he pledged his oath in front of the entire world.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/xRx8aCbNYEY]

With citizens chanting “ four more yeas” and people going crazy at the sight of Mr. President, it is with no doubt that people love him!

Taking Classes at GW

AdminJanuary 23, 2013

By zelenkal

I have truly been impressed with the courses here at GW during the first week of classes. There is a lot to say about the professors and the material they have planned for the courses. I find myself looking forward to delving into the subject matter and anticipate a rewarding semester that will challenge my thinking and teach me more about American culture, both on and off campus. I think that the university environment is set up in such a way that it allows the students to rationally discuss, assess and decide whether to value or doubt a variety of issues and ideals.

In the last week I have observed so many differences between the classes here and at Charles University, and have always tried to understand their origins and impacts. Firstly, I was appalled when seeing how interactive the classes are expected to be. The next shocking moment came while having a first discussion in class. I must say, I have never seen such a vivid, lively environment for a debate. Students are eager to express their opinion rather than just muttering incomprehensibly to themselves. I had to assert myself in order to be heard. Students here are much more self-confident than in the Czech Republic, which helps to stimulate and move the discussions further.

The next thing I have found interesting and highly inspirational was the concern for up-to-date matters, including recent developments in pop-culture. Both lecturers and students tend to refer to pop-culture quite often. I was so surprised when we were supposed to debate the movie Lincoln, or Beyoncé, and I thought for a minute that the professor was joking. However, it seems that assessing mainstream culture is an efficient way to assess you surroundings. Additionally, it reveals how deeply connected recent theories are with the academic culture here – for instance the works of Žižek or Butler show a very similar attitude. In Charles University, the whole academic culture tends to neglect this. Both the courses and the discussions are very classical, only a few times before coming here I had encountered more recent texts to study, as if only time can prove whether the text is worth reading or not. Lecturers here are thus more progressive and not afraid of possibly dashing debates.

The most positive observation was, however, seeing America in doubts. From the very beginning I have been here, I could see (regardless of the Inauguration) many sign of patriotism. Such signs would have been extremely ridiculed in the Czech Republic. Of course, it is very pathetic when a citizen feels like being a part of the state only when sport events take place. However, this stance also protects us from mindless acting. The star-spangled banners and posters everywhere tells me that something is different here. It is nice to be proud of your country, unless it is at the expense of truth. I was afraid I would not be able to talk to anybody about this, because everybody seemed to have no objections towards America. Nonetheless, once the classes started, I was sure I am in the right place. I could see people objecting and trying to rethink this sort of approach towards your country. And that made me happy again about being here. I can say, I am in the right place, where America can be proud and still able to be critical at the same time.

Even though I was too impressed with the classes to get to the Inauguration, the exchange students couldn't miss this event

The 57th Inauguration

AdminJanuary 23, 2013

By claudiadev

My roommates and I woke up at 6.30am this morning, gobbled down some breakfast and pulled on endless layers before heading a few blocks down to the National Mall to watch the 57^th Inauguration of the President of the United States of America. In a wonderful coincidence, it has fallen on Martin Luther King Day. 2013 also celebrates 150 years since the Capitol dome was finished – so there was a whole lot to celebrate in DC today!

The early wake-up (for a College/University student!) was entirely worth it. It was cold when the cloud cover came over but the atmosphere, even as early as 8am, with the Inauguration scheduled to begin at 11.30am, was electric. My feet got numb with cold, and there was disagreement regarding the rules to a game we played to pass the time but we got free badges and we got free flags and we got to watch Barack Obama take the oath for his second term as President of the United States of America. We were near the first jumbo-tron of the free un-ticketed section, and could see the Capitol clearly, though watched the jumbo-tron so we actually knew what was going it. Every time the crowd heard something it liked, or saw a person they loved, the flags were raised and flapped around wildly, eliminating people’s views of the goings on, but filling your eye-line with flashes of red white and blue, as voices cheered for the next four years.

After the excitement of the morning, it was a reasonably quick return (well, an hour…) back to our dorm building, hot food and sofa. Now I’m writing this watching the parade, and reflecting back on what was a brilliant experience. I had known months ago, as soon as I found out I was going to GW, that I’d be there for this inauguration, but it only really hit me when I was standing in front of the Capitol as the sun rose. The message of the Inauguration seemed to me to be one of hope, equality and of teamwork. It’s one that resonates not just in politics and society within the USA, but also at home, and all over the world. I’m just a little bit sentimental when it comes to celebrations of democracy and of the future to come.

I’m still taking so much in after my first fortnight at GW, and have many thoughts on dorm living and classes to come!