GW – Page 18 – Postcards from GW

The Scent of an Old City

AdminFebruary 19, 2015

Trip to Philadelphia, during probably the coldest weekend I've ever experienced in US east coast. Having forgotten to bring my hair dryer, I had to start my days in Philadelphia with wet hair, which were to freeze within less than 5 minutes. Walking straight was even hard due to the strong, icy, cutting cold wind that blew from the opposite direction. The winds occasionally blew with heavy (nearly blinding) snow. To summarize how my trip was, I would say it was cold, windy, snowy and yet again, cold. But even the worst weather did not prevent me from becoming immersed into the attractions of Philadelphia. The impression I got from Philadelphia, especially in comparison to DC, was the scent of an old city.

Full of historical buildings, places with incredible importance in American history, along with many museums that preserve paintings and sculptures, Philadelphia was a city that showed the traces of time without any alterations. The Old City district in Philadelphia was where all the historical places and artifact were congregated: Independence Hall, The Liberty Bell, Franklin Court, Carpenters Hall, the first and second bank of United States, Penn's Landing and also, the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. After 4 hours in bus, the first place my friends and I visited was the Penn's Landing. It was where William Penn set his first foot in 1682, where the history of Pennsylvania began, and where we started our 3 days trip in Philadelphia. The Benjamin Franklin Bridge was also visible from the Penn's landing.

Liberty Bell, the highlight of the trip to Philadelphia, was actually quite smaller than I had thought. Before seeing the bell through my own eyes, I somehow imagined that the bell would be grand, relating to its importance and great significance as an emblem of freedom and liberty, the most upheld values in the United States. It was there, a cracked small bell, yet it had still influenced so many people who fought for liberty and their right as human beings that changed and shaped the world we live today and continues to do so. With the solemn aura of the Liberty Bell, The Liberty Bell Center evidently showed the American pride for their shared values of liberty and equality, history and national pride. The similar atmosphere could be felt in the Independence Hall and the Franklin Court. Philadelphia was the initial capital of United States for 10 years, before Washington DC was established and became the national capital city. Such significant political decisions were made at that very hall and court of Philadelphia that shaped the national identity of the United States. The old capital was then substituted by a new one, and this significance was what reinforced my feelings of this trip, travelling from DC to Philadelphia, as travelling from a shiny bright city to an old, historical, archaic one. There were also horse carriages offering a city tour, standing on one side of the road, making the area all the more historic. For a while, I felt as if I have been travelling not in 2015 Philadelphia, but in 18th century Philadelphia.

The Center City, Museum Districts were also places that were memorable and attractive. The Center City reflected the vitality and vigor of bustling city and people, which could be felt especially in the Reading Terminal Market. On the Valentine's Day, all 6 of us took our first group photo in front of the LOVE sign in the LOVE Square (everyone else who took photos there apart from us were all couples... ). The day we visited the Museum District was the coldest day throughout our entire trip, so we tended to huddle inside the museum, avoiding going outdoors as much as we could.

The 3 day trip in Philadelphia was not short, yet there were places that made us want to visit again when the weather gets warmer. Though sometimes cold weather can do us some good (Snow Day!), these days I cannot stop wishing for spring to come. And when the spring finally comes, the first thing I'll do would be to go visit as many places in DC as I can.

Benefits of dormitory housing

AdminFebruary 12, 2015

By train1110

One of the greatest things in GW is its dormitories. Having a kitchen inside, (in case of 1959 E Street we have washing machine inside the room too) dormitories are a perfect spot for friends gathering around, cooking dinner together and spend time chilling in the living room.

There are certain dormitories in which exchange students are usually assigned to. A few examples of such dormitories are 1959 E Street, City Hall, Amesterdam Hall. I live in 1959 E Street, next to the Elliott School Building, one of the most popular dormitories for exchange students or international students. Usually, 4 people share a room, although there are a few rooms in which 5 people share the room. In my case, I have two American roommates who are both study abroad students, and another roommate who is also an exchange student. I personally believe that I was very fortunate to have been assigned the same room with my current roommates, for they are all very awesome, friendly, nice, and caring people. Though not much often, we do hang around from time to time, for dinner or an event. Due to the fact that the four of us all share a commonality of having studied abroad, it seems that we got closer soon enough. Always having someone at home, whom we could talk to at the end of each day can be a nice consolation for people like exchange students, studying in a different country, like a family.

Utilizing kitchen in the dormitory is also a great benefit. Not only do we not have to spend money eating out each meal, you can always invite people over, cook something together and have fun! Cooking food together with people from different countries can also be a chance to experience culture of each other. Food is a great way to experience another culture, and going to another country as an exchange student, I believe a vast majority of people made that decision to actually experience and feel the culture different from their own. Utilizing dormitories to make such opportunities can be an interesting, effective, and low-costly way to fulfil one of the goals that you might have had when coming to DC as an exchange student

So far, I had so many international dinners during my 5 week stay in DC that I almost feel as if I came to GWU to cook, rather than to study. My cooking skills are improving day by day, along with my baking skills, of which I used to bake a chocolate cake when I was invited to a birthday party of a Chinese friend a few weeks ago.

Of course, when inviting friends over or throwing a party, you should always ask for your roommates’ consent in advance. As long as they do not dissent, I believe utilizing dormitories provide you with more possible chances to make your stay in DC more intriguing!

Change a life changed my life

AdminFebruary 10, 2015

By ilakes2015

What is life without love? What is life without people that care and take care of you? What is life without fighting for what you want? What is life without hope? What is life without planning and looking for your future?

How would your life be if every morning you had to fight to survive?

The last weekend I got the chance to see love with my own eyes. I got the chance to learn about real fights. I got the chance to learn about hope. Last Sunday I participated in The GW Dance Marathon where I had to stay on my feet for twelve hours with the goal of raising money for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. At this big event, more than 300 people decided to dance for twelve hours to support kids that can’t do it. More than 300 people decided to accept the challenge. More than 300 people decided that the cause was worth the pain. WE decided that there was no better thing to do on a Saturday that stand for those who can’t. DO IT FOR THE KIDS. That is what we did.

Even if the marathon was intended to help the children at the hospital, I believe it also helped me. I had no idea of what I was doing when I raised my money for the Dance Marathon. I was said that I was changing a life but I didn’t realize it was changing MY life. During that day, not only I danced, ate and had fun with my friends but also I met some of the kids and families that I was indirectly helping. Each family had their moment to share with us the hell they have been living in since they found out their kids had Cancer, leukemia, or even mental disorders. They still wake up every morning wondering if that day is going to be the day that the nightmare ends. But they also wake up with hope and gratitude because their kids are alive. Have you ever been glad just for waking up? Have you ever realized how lucky you are? When I was younger, my mother used to say that she was grateful for the things she had but also for the things she didn’t have. At that time I didn’t realize what she meant. I do now. I do understand that we don’t choose the life we receive and that just the way we could be richer or prettier, we could also be less healthy. We don’t choose the life we receive but we do decide HOW to live. This is something I learned from the kids I met last Saturday. One of the girls has bone cancer and because of that one of her legs had been amputated. That didn’t stop her. That didn’t make her stay in bed. On the contrary, she told us that by the time she was on the hospital, she used to sing to feel better so she decided to perform for us and sang two amazing songs about being stronger. When I finally met her, I discovered she practiced football and was also a great basketball player who won every game we played!! I really didn't let her win!

Tess and Alexander, two fantastic tweens, also taught me about kindness and hope. This little brothers were diagnostic cerebral palsy by the age of two. After several treatments they increased their mobility and now a days they swim, they have Karate lessons and they also love music. He stayed with the DJ for a few hours and she spoke with everyone just to tell us how grateful she was for what we were doing because we were helping her and her friends. When you do a special thing for others but you don’t expect to receive anything in return and then a ten years old girl approaches, introduces herself and just says “Thank you” when your body is screaming to stop moving, it simply leaves you speechless, happier and stronger.

Everyone deserves a healthy and happy childhood, yes. But those kids made me understand that life is not what you get but what you do with your life. Is not only what life gives you, is what you give to the world. All of them have different diseases but the only thing that took my attention was that they never stopped SMILING. And what could be better than a child’s smile?

At the end of the night we raised $77,402.38!!! It was more than what we expected, more than the goal for that night. Of course, this was my first marathon at GW and I thought that most people had years participating on it so it came to my surprise when one of the leaders of this project told me that its only the second year that this fantastic event is held at GW. I wondered why it took so long for the university to incorporate this type of events but at the same time I’m glad this project would take place every year from now on. Second year, double the dancers, double the money, and double the miracles? Let us hope and believe so.

New York Minute

AdminFebruary 10, 2015

By carlyfisher4

When I picked DC as my city of choice to live in during my exchange semester, I definitely did not overlook the city’s proximity to other major cities and its many offerings to go and explore other parts of America. Having been in DC for a month now, I decided it was time to begin those weekend travels I had been so looking forward to and thought that there was no better place to start than the most exciting city in the world in my opinion, New York.

Boarding the Greyhound bus after class on Thursday night (we are all really lucky and don’t have classes on Fridays – perfect for weekend trips) with two other Australian exchange students – Mads and Sophie – our excitement was palpable, all being big fans of the big apple! The bus, although not the most glamorous form of transport, is a really good way to get from DC to NYC at a more budget-friendly cost than other forms of transport, and still within four hours. We arrived late Thursday night and were immediately excited by the bright lights and city atmosphere.

This was far from my first visit to New York – in fact, I was there as recently as last month – but entering the city never gets less exciting in my opinion. Walking the couple blocks to our hotel from the Port Authority and passing by the many brightly lit signs of the enumerate theatres that lined the streets along our way, certainly reminded me of why I love this city so. As a theatre major/fanatic there really is no place quite as magical to me.

Friday morning we were eager to get going, determined to squeeze in as much into our weekend as possible. We were able to fit a lot into the weekend and so I will therefore include just a snippet of the highlights in this blog. We started off the morning with an experiment with the subway – the experiment being whether or not we would be able to make it from our location in Times Square up to the Guggenheim museum. We did (eventually) and made our way into the museum to look at both the art and the amazing architecture of the building. The selection of art within the Guggenheim is rather diverse, allowing for everyone to find something that they like. The architecture of the building certainly overshadows the art in this gallery and whilst the works were not all to my taste, the spiraled interior of the Guggenheim is definitely worth seeing!

After a jam-packed afternoon that evening we went to see the Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of ‘Cabaret’ starring Alan Cummings and Emma Stone. As a massive Broadway fan, seeing this production was a major reason for needing to go to New York so early in the trip (before the scheduled cast change date) and the show certainly did not disappoint. Although a particularly heavy piece of theatre thematically, the performances were fantastic and we left buzzing with the wonders of Broadway. We got to meet Emma Stone and have her autograph our Playbills, which really ended the experience on a high note.

Saturday allowed for a little bit more relief temperature wise than Friday had although it was still absolutely freezing. We began the morning with brunch in Hell’s Kitchen before heading over to Fifth Avenue to stroll along the shops, see Rockerfeller Plaza, enjoy the Plaza Hotel and eventually end up in the snow-covered Central Park. The Park looked like a winter wonderland covered in snow and although cold, we were definitely able to forget about the temperature and enjoy the gorgeous surroundings. We split up for that evening’s Broadway experiences and I headed off to see a new revival on Broadway called ‘On the Town.’ As a particularly dance heavy musical, it is certainly a show I would only recommend to others, like myself, who are particularly interested in choreography and ballet.

Finally, Sunday – our last day of this particular New York trip – and we decided it was time for a foody NYC experience. Accordingly, we headed down to the Flatiron area for lunch at Eately at the pasta bar. It was absolutely delicious and Eately is certainly worth going to look at – it’s adorable. I spent that afternoon squeezing in one more show before we had to leave, this time seeing a play entitled ‘Disgraced.’ Seeing this show was a last minute decision that I am so happy that I made as it was absolutely fantastic! At the conclusion of the play I also got to meet Josh Radnor who plays Ted Mosby in ‘How I Met Your Mother,’ and was one of the actors in the play – very cool!

Having had an amazing weekend we headed back to the Port Authority to board our bus back to DC. As I had hoped, travelling from DC was really not difficult and this weekend definitely marks the first of many trips I hope for me as I continue to explore America.

Until next time…

A Day of Service

AdminJanuary 23, 2015

By carlyfisher4

In last week’s blog I decided to commit to doing something new each week that would either be outside the norm for me, uniquely GW or typically DC. This week began with the perfect opportunity to extend this to include doing something that would not only enhance my experiences here, but also help someone else in need. This was to be my first MLK day and whilst some may have seen it as a good opportunity for long weekend travels, I decided that the only appropriate way to observe the event and honor the significance of the day would be to complete service, as is called on by the day itself. And so alongside over 500 GW volunteers, I reported for service at 10am on Monday morning with a group of the other exchange students, eager to help and participate.

Quickly decked out in our new t-shirts provided to us for the day, we entered the ballroom to hear speeches from some incredibly inspiring, insightful and interesting individuals. Not only did they explain to us the importance of MLK day (which we of course knew, but it was really wonderful to hear it from their points of view as African American women who told us of the changes they had witnessed), but they evidently rose the level of excitement in the room as it dawned on everyone the importance of the work that would be completed throughout the day.

After hearing from the speakers and reciting the pledge of enthusiasm (which I desperately want to get a copy of – it was fantastic!), we had some lunch and then the large group of hundreds of volunteers split into smaller projects, each to complete a task for a different organization. The first organization that we were assigned to assist was Project Linus who serve children in need by providing them with warm blankets. The blankets, which are no-sew blankets and therefore are simple for everyone to make, are distributed to children in hospitals, shelters, social service agencies or anywhere else that children are in need. The idea is to provide them with warmth but also with a big hug and some security in knowing that someone is thinking about them. Learning about this organization was truly touching and is something that I would love to see implemented at home in Australia in some sense as I think that, although simple, their work is, evidently, incredibly meaningful and required. Furthermore, I think that the simplicity of the actual task allows for everyone and anyone to get involved which makes it an amazing project for people to get involved in.

Mia and I made a cute bright pink and yellow blanket that we hope will provide a little girl with the warmth, comfort and support she needs. So, to the recipient of the blanket we made, there is a hug from Sydney and a hug from London hidden within that blanket just for you! MLK4

After completing our blanket to be sent out with Project Linus, we moved next doorto make cards for hospitalized kids. We wanted to make stacks of cards and so we exerted every creative ounce of our beings in order to make the most colourful, imaginative and fun cards to brighten up the days of the children receiving the cards. There were lots of kangaroos and koalas drawn, games created and sketches of Big Ben included (you could definitely spot the international table!). We used all the stickers and coloured markers we could get our hands on and together created quite a collection of cards to be distributed throughout DC hospitals.

Reading the instructions before beginning the activity, it was interesting to note the organization’s preference that we not use the term ‘Get well soon’ or make any mention of them being sick or feeling unwell. Rather our cards were filled with encouraging messages like ‘you are awesome’ and ‘you shine like the sun.’ Whilst we think that this was obviously to take into consideration the emotions of those patients who unfortunately aren’t in a position to ‘get well soon,’ I really like the fact that asking us to include these phrases reminded us to think of them as children first and patients second. We weren’t meant to make these cards for the sick and injured, we were meant to make them for the fun loving children that would be the real recipients.

Deciding to join the movement to serve this MLK day was easily one of the highlights of my time at GW so far. Knowing that a few hours of our time would help brighten up some kids’ days was an amazing feeling and I am so grateful to GW for presenting this opportunity to get involved! To anyone coming in the Spring semester on exchange here in the future, email as soon as you get here to ensure that you get a place and make sure not to miss out on MLK day – it is well worth your time!

So that was this week’s new experience – and its only Monday!

Until next time…

A Busy Week in DC

AdminJanuary 12, 2015

By carlyfisher4

The week that has just past has been an incredible, albeit an insanely busy, week filled with orientation activities, moving into our dorms, numerous trips to Bed, Bath and Beyond and the opportunity to meet a whole new group of friends made up of people from all over the world, as well as some GW students. Consequently, this has been the first moment I have had to sit all week and so I thought this would be a perfect time to reflect on my first week here in DC, and then of course to share it with you!

Since arriving a week ago, I have definitely been trying my best to get the lay of the land – and to get used to some changes between DC and Sydney, namely the cold! Arriving for the second day of orientation activities in ankle deep snow was certainly something that I realized I would quickly need to adapt to. Then later being evacuated due to a fire alarm, also in said snow, was something that really was beyond my range of weather familiarity. However, after my absolutely necessary investment in snow boots, I feel I have tackled the snow adjustment as best as possible.

Another major change has been moving into a dorm shared with four other girls. In Sydney it is rather unusual to move out of home, especially for college, and therefore this is my first on-campus/dorm experience, and also the first time I have ever shared a room in my life…or lived in a house of five people for that matter. Whilst this could have required a major adjustment or felt really uncomfortable or strange, I have been so incredibly lucky and have absolutely lovely roommates who I cannot wait to get to know even better throughout the semester.

Apart from a lesson in how to deal with the cold and live with others, this week has definitely taught me a lot more about what to expect throughout the semester and how to make the most out of my time here – so thanks Study Abroad office!

I guess really the highlight of the week has been meeting so many new people and starting to really get comfortable with life here! My best friend from Sydney and I were actually both assigned together to GW so I walked in on Monday knowing someone but also knowing that we were both so keen to make new friends and share experiences with them too. The Australians seem to make up a relatively significant percentage of the exchange student cohort this semester and so we were immediately attracted to each other, keen to find out what schools and cities we had all come from.

As well as us Aussies, we have students here from almost every corner of the globe and I have really enjoyed getting to know people from countries all around the world and learning elements of their culture from them – some of these conversations have been really enlightening as I have yet to visit the countries from which they are from, and others have been really fun to share my experiences with natives from a country in which I was a ‘foreigner.’

Alice (Italian) and I before the Capitol Tour

Getting to know everyone throughout the week was really enjoyable – especially because we had the opportunity to both meet in a more formal or educational environment, as well as in a more social capacity. As well as that, this group provides us all with friends eager to partake in many of the same things we are during our time here – for example, touring DC and travelling on weekends. In fact, again courtesy of the Orientation week planned by the Study Abroad Office, we have already begun exploring the city and some of the monuments and museums it has to offer. One of the highlights of this week was definitely the group tour that we took around the Capitol – especially because we had an amazing tour guide whose knowledge and interest in the Capitol was immediately engaging.

Despite the construction currently underway on the dome and within Rotunda, the artwork and sculptures were beautiful and seeing the original home of government, even with some of the structural elements and artifacts from before the attack by the British, was definitely exciting – especially for the history-lover within me. Particularly interesting was the unquestionable yet gradual development in who could be featured within the Capitol building and seeing the bust of Martin Luther King Jnr and the statute of Rosa Parks certainly acted as a reminder of the progression that has occurred and a reminder of the changes that are still required. It certainly was inspiring hearing the stories of some of those featured within the Capitol however, even more so was the fact that it was immediately noticeable that, although in the past perhaps only the contribution of white men was considered significant enough to deserve recognition in the form of representation, the presence of women and those of other races was finally recognized equally. Unquestionably, for me, that tour was the stand-out activity of the week.

Meeting all the Exo leaders too was really fantastic! Having been in their position in Sydney before, it was definitely different to be on the receiving end, however, all of the leaders were fantastic and so easy to quickly befriend! As all of our first GW friends, they definitely made a good impression :).

Me, Nick (ExO Leader, Madeline, and Sophie (Right to left)

On our final orientation day we were instructed to go and see an assigned place that perhaps we wouldn’t otherwise see during our time here. My group received the national postal museum which, although we were initially disappointed to get (sorry!), we actually had some fun at. There were definitely some stamps with interesting heritage and history and I found myself particularly interested in the pieces of mail that had survived atrocities such as the sinking of the Titanic, the San Francisco earthquake, and in particular, mail retrieved from the rubble at Ground Zero.

Making our own stamp at the postal museum!

With some time to spare before meeting our group’s Exo leaders, we made the decision as a group (we were placed into small groups at the beginning of the week and so it was with that group that we were sent to our various locations) to visit Walmart, justifying it as an important American experience (and more than anything, an essential stop for those bits and pieces that we still needed to set up our dorms efficiently). Our official Orientation activities concluded with lunch, for my group at Busboys and Poets in Chinatown, with our Exo leaders, Chao and Erin. It has been really great getting to know this small group so well over the last week, and especially to get to know people from the group at large.

To finish off my first week here in DC, two of the other Australian girls and myself went to brunch on Sunday morning, followed by a Georgetown stroll and shopping expedition. DC is such a gorgeous city and although my leg muscles are undeniably feeling the pain of my desire to explore despite a lack of car (I’m so used to driving everywhere in Sydney!), I cannot wait to continue to see as much as possible.

It’s been a fantastic first week here and now, if you’ll excuse me, my roommates and I must continue to decorate our new home.

Until next time…

A Bit About Me…

AdminDecember 26, 2014

By carlyfisher4

Since receiving my acceptance letter, the common response I've had from all that I've told is 'wow, congratulations...are you nervous?' - in fact so many people have questioned my nerves that I'm starting to think that maybe it's weird that I'm not nervous at all. With all the excitement that has been building up surrounding this semester, who has had time for nerves?!

As this is my introductory blog, I'd like to welcome you to what I hope will be an amazing way for me to document my experiences whilst on exchange at GW. If you're reading this as a fellow exchange or GW student, I hope to meet you soon and that your experiences will too be chronicled in this blog. If you're a future student deciding whether or not to apply for your exchange semester here, or waiting excitedly to depart for the adventure that awaits (like I am now), I hope that this is in some way helpful to you. To my friends and family at home in Australia - I hope you read this so I don't have to repeat the same stories over and over again (but then make sure you still Skype me!!). Oh, and to my guaranteed audience...hi mum 🙂

I cannot wait for my introduction to GW and all that life in DC has to offer! But before that, let me introduce myself seeing as I was presumptuous enough to decide who you are.

Hi, my name is Carly 🙂 I'm 21, from Sydney, Australia and am obsessed with theatre and travelling. I love sightseeing and immersing myself in new cultures. I'm outgoing, really like meeting new people and love taking photos! I love hanging out with friends, performing arts, history and partaking in new activities and experiences.

There's way more to know about me but as this is a weekly blog I feel like I should save something 🙂

With the semester's beginning fast approaching, I've been thinking a lot about what to expect, what it will be like, etc. I'd love to entertain any American readers and say that my expectations of the American college experience come solely out of movies like Legally Blonde and the like but I do think I have, hopefully, a more realistic idea of what to expect...

- I expect to meet new people, make new friends, and find like minded individuals

- I expect to be challenged because I think we all achieve our best when we are

- I expect to have some learning curves but all of which will be plausible to overcome

- I expect to be late to class for a while - I'm still finding my way around my university campus in Sydney so I expect to
have similar hurdles!

- I expect to learn a lot from my professors, knowing that they are amongst the top in their field

- I expect to find it a bit strange to share a bedroom - only child alert!

- I expect to see parts of America I haven't yet seen despite my numerous trips there

- I expect to indulge in DC's theatre scene

- I expect to visit the Cheesecake Factory a number of times, buy lots of snapple and frequent Starbucks (it's the little things haha)

- I expect to miss my family back home - I always do whilst traveling - but I expect that this experience will be well worth
it even so.

- I expect to get involved in all that the college has to offer - that's the kind of personality I have and GW has amazing sounding student life.

Most of all I expect to have fun and make the most out of my time in DC

So, welcome to my blog - it'll be great getting to share this experience with you

Until next time...

Concrete Jungle Where… You Can Go Whenever You Want!

AdminNovember 24, 2014

By paultogneri

New York, NY. It’s without doubt the most famous city on the planet and the first geographic place that anyone thinks of when it comes to the United States. Growing up it was always ‘The America’ that you seen on Television, so being able to travel there for a few days whenever I feel like it, takes some getting use to.

In Europe we’re use to cheap airlines, Ryanair will get you pretty much anywhere on the continent for not a ridiculous amount of money - provided you are of course willing to put up with the whole ‘Ryanair experience’, which involves constant in your face advertising and generally be treated like cattle. If you want to travel cheaply in the US, then the answer is Megabus.

Megabus have a fairly expansive network, meaning it’s possible to travel to almost any State on the East coast for as little as $5 if you book in advance. Megabus exists in Europe - it was actually founded and still owned by Scotsman Brian Souter (a big supporter of Scottish independence btw) - but with much higher gas prices, yet cheaper air travel you wouldn’t necessarily use Megabus for a journey lasting more than a couple hours.

I’d strongly advise taking the bus when you can, especially with the free wifi, it’s good for catching up on that assignment that’s due tomorrow…

New York itself… is well, New York. I thought this would be a fairly easy blog to write, but where to start… It’s incomparable to almost any other city on the planet and despite visiting the place three or four times, I’ve still to make it to things that were on my list for trip one.

But here’s just a few tips:

1. ‘Top the Rock’ for the best views.

Despite not being the tallest building in Manhattan, the Rockefeller Center offers perhaps the best views of Manhattan. It’s also the home to NBC, so you get can get a tour of their studios as part of you journey to the top.

2. Central Park for urban refuge.

NYCCP

The refuge from city life. From the ice rink, to boating, to the zoo. You could easily spend days inside Central Park without wandering back into the concrete jungle.

3. The High Line

NYCHighLine

Built on an elevated section of a disused railway, the High Line is a 1.45-mile-long park that cuts through Manhattan’s lower west side and snakes through the skyscrapers.

4. Go see where Brett & Jemaine lived!

NYC FC

If you’re a fan of New Zealand's ‘fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo’, you can go check out their old apartment building in China Town and the ‘New Zealand consulate’ is also just round the corner. Sadly, there was no signs of filming another season when I was there 🙁

5. Visit a Speakeasy!

NYC PDT

During the years of prohibition, Speakeasies were a common occurrence throughout the country for those looking for their tipple. There’s still a host of bars in the city where you can travel back in time, and drink like it’s still illegal.

Take a visit to Crif Dogs - a hot-dog joint, and access through the old phone booth.

6. No matter, where you're from - you’ll find something to remind you home.

NYBurns

I had just finished lamented my friends with my “Scotland invented everything” chat, when oor national bard showed up.

7. It’s the city that never sleeps, just go with it…

NYCDRINK

Halloweekend!

AdminNovember 6, 2014

As I sipped my third lattè in my favorite cafè in Columbia Heights (The Coupe), working on an ever-so-slightly late paper on Reagan’s actions during the Cold War, nostalgia and a mild bout of homesick struck me.

The trick-or-treaters were out in force and as the seventh, 3ft Ironman adorably sauntered by the window it brought up memories of my own childhood Halloweens. Much was the same, except perhaps the increase in quality of costumes and community enthusiasm for the semi-holiday.

There’s a lot about America that reminds me, not of home now, but of childhood. From shopping again at Safeway (they were bought over about ten years ago in Scotland, but a not-so-insignificant part of my childhood was spent annoying my mum there on Saturday afternoons), to the sensationalism and enthusiasm for events, such as Halloween that seems to disappear slightly as you grow up in Scotland.

Halloween still exists and is celebrated, however the enthusiasm kinda dies off by the time you reach your early-teens. Halloween is really something for kids.

In the United States however, it is just as much for the college-aged adult as it is for children. It’s not only the free candy and drink specials, but the opportunity to show creativity, the bizarre, abstract and in some instances, a little more than usual (Hollywood’s stereotypical interoperation is pretty spot on!).

There are two types of people you see dressing up for Halloween: those who think ahead and put in a lot of effort and those who don’t. I’m the second one.

An hour before I was due at the a party, me and my girlfriend were still constume-less. With reference to a recent South Park episode, I ended up in a dress and wig intimating a shoddy-Kiwi accent.

I’ll spare the internet the very few pictures I allowed to be taken, but it went down extremely eel and all in all, it was a fantastic weekend and the most I’ve enjoyed halloween since I was about 12 years old. I’ve not felt homesick really since I’ve got here (I definitely do miss things from home, don’t get me wrong), but the enthusiasm for halloween gave me a sense of nostalgia; and little piece of stereotypical Americana made me really appreciates being here in DC, at GW.

My only regret is not getting the time to go round the embassies, but I've feeling this wasn't my last DC halloween.

I wish I had time to write more, but there’s so much going on here that I’ve never been so busy doing things I love!

I’m off for my taste of the South next week….

Tornado’in Mid-terms!

AdminOctober 20, 2014

By paultogneri

Monday last week started off great! It was a glorious sunny and warm day. I thought I had put away shorts for the year but today looked like a good day to pull them out again. Wearing shorts in Scotland in any month is usually something of a risk, so getting to do so in October felt like a novelty.

Off I skipped to campus listening to some mellow summer-like music. Everything seemed great. However, even before I emerged from the Foggy Bottom metro a blast of wind hit me at the bottom of the escalator - unusual considering how nice it had been 15/20 minutes previous. Upon emerging from the escalator like a curious meerkat, I could see my glorious, everything-is-right-with-the-world day had got a bit windier and colder.

I had taken about two steps outside the metro when my blissful summer beats were interrupted by an alarm noise I wasn’t sure my iPhone was capable of making.

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“Tornado Warning in this area… Take shelter now.”

… ‘I wonder if that’s why Obama’s cancelled his trip?’… if I had an iPhone 6 I’d probably be able to read the whole notification from Politico. …

I was heading for a class at the Vern but needed to print a paper off in the Library first. I thought that could suffice as my shelter, plus it didn’t seem that windy. I made it to the Library with relative ease, printed off my paper and looked longingly at iPhone 6 deals online. It was getting close to 1pm and the start of my class, so I thought I better make a move for the Vern Express. Nobody was really bothering about the Tornado warning, so I thought to hell to with it and made a run to the bus.

Anyone out, around campus between 1230 and 1pm can testify to the ridiculousness of the rain and wind at that moment. I could only have been outside for 30seconds but I was soaked through and hating the decision I took to wear shorts. Nonetheless, everything turned out A-OK and when I finally got home it made the day appear all the more adventurous.

My mum was somewhat concerned when she seen my Facebook post advertising my excitement of a tornado warning, questioning if I was in a basement or whatever keeping safe. I reassured I was never in harms way… not on a rickety school bus firing along the Potomac in a rain storm which made seeing 5 ft in front of you difficult.

Nonetheless, it as something I really didn’t expect to experience this year. I thought any weather difficulties would come in the form of snow days…

This week has been full of midterms and they are tiring! It’s kinda funny, we don’t really do midterms in Scotland - we normally have one paper due for class followed by an exam at the very end - but with American television we are too aware of what they are and the fear they can instill into every student’s life. Our assessments back home are also generally spaced out, which made cramming them pretty much all into one week, something of a surprise.

I had perhaps the very worst start to them. I turned up for my first class on Tuesday a little earlier than normal. It was a helpful review session ahead of our midterm, so I was eager to catch as much of it as possible - I’ve done enough college courses in my life to know that if Professors care enough to host a review session, they normally give you some useful hints and a clue for the actual tests.

So there I was, one of the first to arrive for class that day. But something was definitely odd, it took me a couple seconds and then as the realization of what was going fell over me like a blanket of fear.

I began panicking and quickly grabbed by bag, looking for the syllabus I was pretty sure was in there somewhere. I eventually found it and my worst fears - at that precise moment - were realized. The midterm was today! I had, for some unbeknownst reason switched the dates of my classes around in my head.

I had less than ten minutes before the class started, during those moments every thought went through my head. How much can I cram in those few minutes? Should I cut my losses, leave the class and plead for a do-over with the Professor? This was worth 50% of my grade, if I walk out with 0% will that screw up my entire year, perhaps my entire degree? Could I drop the course without breaking visa rules? Would I be able to make it up next year? I wonder how Hilary and Shawna can help me? Are they gonna be pissed? I wonder if a Tornado warning might save me?

Getting sidetracked thinking about Tornadoes basically made the decision for me. I had an answer book in front of me, the Professor had arrived and I was just going to have to give it a go.

The question sheets got handed round and felt like I was the last to get it. We had to answer 1 question out of a possible 3, I’m not particularly religious but I was definitely praying for some divine intervention at that point. And then, it fell in front of me…

Question 1. Scottish Independence….

I think I did ok.