GW – Page 19 – Postcards from GW

Pumpkin Spicing DC

AdminOctober 6, 2014

Back home, the weather is always a topic of conversation. You can get all four seasons in a day in Edinburgh, so small talk often revolves around the daily weather. So it’s somewhat natural that the sudden drop in temperature and arrival of pumpkin spiced everything comes with a different view, and aspect on DC has emerged. We’ve all now been in the city for over a month and a half. We have our favourite coffee shops, we understand the metro and seeing Marine One fly-over or a motorcade going-by is not unfamiliar to us. We’re no longer tourists and more like residents.

It’s not all plain sailing though - little ever is - culture shock hasn’t been sudden but it does exist. I’ve been to the US even DC itself before, but being a tourist is much different to actually living in a place. Coming from a country where anything 65F+ is sunbathing weather, the immediate culture shock was the heat and humidity. I’m no stranger to heat and love nothing better than relaxing by a pool, but I was to humidity and I really wasn’t expecting it when I arrived. That first full day in DC was great but dealing with the subsequent and unexpected mosquito bites the following day, was not. So there’s little things that can still blindside you.

Nonetheless, the city is beginning to feel like home. I’ve purposely held off doing any travelling until I was well rooted in the city and now that’s happened, I’m busy tracking down cheap flights (Virgin America has deals to the West coast for as little as $179 at the moment). I’m looking at spend a little time all over the place, New England, the South, Pacific North West, Colorado and California or all on my bucket list for the year.

That sense of reality is helped by the impending mid-terms which are stacking up thick and fast. Much of the general stereotype of a year abroad, particularly if you’re studying on a program in Europe is that academics go out the window and its a year of partying and debauchery. Whilst partying and debaucher is still a running narrative here, academics are still a huge factor. Classes are demanding but ultimately interesting and rewarding. There’s a greater sense of freedom in choosing your subjects here and professors are much better at providing real life examples to their teachings which makes the whole experience ultimately more rewarding.

So, it’s been another week of class, socialising, watching sports and general fun times.

Friday was spent recovering from a surprise party for Ellie, one of our study abroad troop. Saturday was spent watching College football - I was kinda disappointed that GW didn’t have a team but at the same time allows me to follow any team that’s really playing and generally enjoy the game which is fantastically passionate. Sunday was another trip to H street and the Pug for brunch for a friends birthday, followed by very stereotypical drinking from red solo cup in a backyard playing beer pong, boom cap and various other games I generally didn’t understand but all in all a good weekend.

Classes and Mimosas

AdminSeptember 8, 2014

As another week passes, I think I’m at a weird cross-over phase between feeling at home in DC and still feeling like this is a vacation. The humidity is one thing I didn’t really expect, I enjoy the sun - we don’t see it often enough in Scotland - but here the humidity can make the simplest walk feel like a trek across Death Valley. Although, with it now being September I’m looking forward to my first ‘Fall’ in the States.

This week I sampled the delights of one of DC’s most illustrious institutions, Ben’s Chilli Bowl. Located on the infamous U street, Ben’s Chilli Bowl has remained unchanged in an area and a city that us underwent many over the last X years. Regular clientele ranges from your average blue-collar worker to Presidents and Prime Ministers. And that’s what makes it the place it is.

Throughout the decades and incidents, it’s been there. The 1950s seen jazz greats such as Nat King Cole and Miles Davis play along the street, the 1960s seen riots after the assignation of Martin Luther King Jr, the 1970s and 80s seen the decline of the area and increase in drug problems, the 1990s seen the arrival of the Metro and the 2000s further regeneration of the area. Throughout it all, Ben’s has stood there, forever unchanging - it’s a place where good service and good food is their prime concern.

It was also frickin’ delicious.

bens_chilli

Another secret to DC which I’ve quickly become accustomed is that of Brunch. We have brunch back home, however brunch is superior in DC for one primary reason; bottomless mimosas. For as little as $10 (The Pug, H Street), you can enjoy some refreshing champagne with a splash of OJ all afternoon long (provided you get some food - try the Breakfast burrito!). For a slightly more up market location, Southern Hospitality in Adam’s Morgan does the same deal for $15. If you go during college football season, expect the place to be packed with Clemson fans.

It’s not all about the cuisine culture though, although I really feel like I should pay some sort of compliment to the food trucks outside Gelman… another time.

The academic side of the exchange has also been an enthralling one. Being a political science student my subject are all general in that area, from ‘President’s at War’ to ‘Media, Politics and Government’ - they all offer unique insight into our modern world and moreover, they look at how they are applied in practise, instead of just theory - which is a welcome change to how my home institution general teaches.

The knowledge and calibre of professors here at GW is also impressive. You can’t really beat being taught about how media and press operate together, than by being taught by a former White House correspondent!

Next semester I’m eagerly looking forward to an internship, which could be at a number of the unbelievable places which GW has connections with, being so close to the political elite here in Washington.

So, it's all go but I'll be sure to keep you informed!

Only at GW

AdminSeptember 2, 2014

As I mentioned in my last blog, the most prominent feeling before arriving

was definitely excitement over a small amount of nervousness. From the moment we arrived on campus, we didn’t really have any time to let any of those emotions get the better of ourselves.

The study abroad office were absolutely fantastic in ensuring we had a back-to-back agenda with a mixture of very informative sessions coupled with equally informative - but somewhat more fun - trips or games to introduce everyone to our new city.

Not only did the induction week bond all the international students really well - it feels like I’ve known some of them for years, not days - it also bonded us to DC. From trips to the Smithsonian, races around campus, tour of congress and Mount Vernon - and even the group trip to Target, it forced everybody to jump head first into life here. The Nationals even gained some 80 new fans!

The opportunities here at GW appear to be limitless. With world-renowned experts as Professors, illustrious alumni, fantastic internship opportunities and of course being at the geographic center of the political universe, it feels like GW is a great place to be with something extraordinary always around the corner.

It's undoubtedly different to what we all know back at our home institutions. Where else would the President's motorcade be a legitimate reason for being late for class? #OnlyatGW

So as we move forward, everyone is ready to go and wants to jump headfirst into life here. So, that's what I'm off to today!

I'll be checking again this week with my cultural faux pàs' - there's been several.

The inverted bell curve of a semester abroad

AdminApril 21, 2014

By aaront162

It’s the nearing the end of April and in turn, nearing the end of a semester abroad. With my mind quite firmly set to “analytical mode” as the last flurry of assignments begin to come into focus, I’d like to present a little diagram which I feel pretty much sums up the experience of being on exchange.

At the start of the curve is the enthusiasm of being somewhere new – of that long needed break from the drudgery of law school readings about lawsuits involving tainted oysters and snails in beer bottles. You meet a bunch of new people also on exchange and its great – over the course of the next few weeks there are plenty of get-togethers, and lots of travelling and exploring (one of the great advantages of a city campus no doubt). You start building friendships and bonds over terribly planned but immensely fun road trips and spontaneously put together parties. Classes have just started and the workload really isn’t that bad and perhaps not that different (or even lighter) than what you would get back at home.

Then, there is inevitably a dip somewhere. Mid-semester assignments suddenly emerge from the fray, and nights spent in the library sustained by caffeine start to reconfigure your sleeping patter to something that even most nocturnal animals would find hard to comprehend. Of course, this also tends to mean most of your other fellow exchange students are also bogged down with assignments as well. On top of this, there may or may not polar vortexes. Your Facebook newsfeed becomes a startling contrast between snow filled streets and pictures of your friends back home relaxing on the beach on a warm sunny day. A really good friend has their 21st birthday and you are a couple thousand miles away. A little homesickness starts to kick in.

But then hey, you survived your mid-semester assignments and submitted then (barely) in time. And then all of a sudden it’s time for Spring Break – who knew that one day you would actually need a break from exchange? Regardless, it has come at just the right time. All of a sudden, your enthusiasm has come right back. You meet a whole new bunch of people, get to travel and explore a whole new place. You come back refreshed and energized and guess what? Your mid-semester results are pretty good. On top of this, the weather is starting to warm up – the Spring semester wasn’t some terrible joke. You spend a lot more time outdoors. The next batch of assignments aren’t really that bad and perhaps it’s just too nice of a day to really be worrying about them too much anyway. You get to see the national mall lined in a sea of white and pink and as touristy as that may be, it is still pretty cool.

Then just as things just seem to settle in nicely, you are reminded that the end is drawing near. Email after email will provide you with checklist after checklist of administrative loose strings to tie up and check off. You start to wonder how you are going to fit all that stuff you bought back into your suitcase. The possibility that you might actually miss your charmingly messy dorm room begins to dawn. But at least you can start making plans for those few weeks left in your visa to really start travelling and exploring the country which delays the goodbyes for a few extra weeks.

Time to begin an interesting routine

AdminJanuary 27, 2014

By inepalacios

After a first week in US, spending time with my friend Emma in the nice region of New England; after another week knowing DC and the other exchange students; it was time to begin my classes at GW, to begin my exchange routine. But when I say routine, I am not necessarily referring to a boring routine.

These last two weeks of class were not an ordinary experience. It was two weeks to know my professors, to set my new academic goals, to realize how challenging study in English will be for me, to plan how I will reach all my exchange goals.

These two weeks were unexpectedly full of new senses. On one hand, I was afraid of not being able to understand each word of lectures, because all of my professors speak in a speed that is really difficult for me. But on the other hand, these weeks were to propose myself the challenging to learn and involve myself in issues that I really want to get to know. I realized that there are many academic skills to acquire, and at the same time a lot of people to get to know.

These two weeks were worth to stop some concerns I had before starting.

- I was afraid of not be able to understand mathematics topics in my class of Public Finance, but after a revision I realized that my home university provided me a strong base in mathematics. I noticed that I am ready to learn about the US public finance. It will help me distinguish which aspects, the Argentinean public finance – a typical system of developing country- could improve following the political and economical aspect of the US public finance.

- I wanted to take an Argentinean economic policy class that is offered only this semester in my home university, so I thought that I was loosing to learn about these issues but I noticed that the Latin America class that I am taking has an important approach in the Latin America’s economic policies and the professor is very dynamic.

- I was afraid to not take advantage of GW since I wasn’t taking a class about American or Political History, but I noticed that my Poverty, Welfare and Work class is a course that not only addresses the issue of poverty, but also address American poverty problems, so I am having the opportunity to learn deeply about the US and about one of the social issues that I am interested in.

- I was wishing to be engaged in some American community service and I found that my Ethical of Leadership class is a course that not only has an activity of community service as a requirement, also it offers a good guide to learn about the practices of human services.

First conclusion: I am really gratified with the GW courses that I am taking. So, I just have to be responsible with this great opportunity to be studying at GW.

In each first class of all of the courses I was remembering the EXO’s advice: to get contact information of someone in our class to ask help whenever we need. So, just waiting to get some contact information from my classmates I found more than a simple contact information. In each class I found really friendly people.

In Public Finance I knew Darby, Christina, and Sohyoun and we met to work in the first assignments.

In Ethical of Leadership I knew Nadia and Megan; they have been helping me to find some activity of community service.

In Poverty, Welfare and Work, I knew Emily, she let me borrow her class notes.

In Latin America I knew Steph, she is a really nice person, we have shared not only classes, but also dinners, hang outs, parties, potlucks, and long talks. We also are planning to travel together! Thank Steph for those fun moments!

But also, I could meet with the people who I knew before to arrive to DC.

One of them is Fernando. I met Fernando a month ago, thanks to one great friend in Argentina, Marcelo. Thanks, Marce, for introducing me to your friend. Thank you, Fernando, for the great welcome, the coffee, the DC references, I was missing a good Argentinean talk.

Also I knew Chelsea, a friend of some guys that I met on new years in Fairfield. Thank Chelsea for your willingness to help!

Moreover, I started to do Language Exchange with one of my EXO Leaders, Whitney. She is so nice, we had been talking long talks, hanging out, and going to basketball games. She also was helping with my writing, thank you so much Whitney!

Also I met two Chilean girls, Gisella and Javiera, they are so lovely, we share outings and they invited me to visit their OAE where they are working.

I can’t forget of my dear buddy, Steven. He was studying in my home university the last semester. I can say that he was one of the people who helped me pass the English exam to be here. These last weeks, he has been inviting me to hang out with his nice friends, Bert, Betsy, Anna. We also had a nice dinner with his dad. Thank you so much Steven for everything!

Anyway, it was the beginning of this last weekend and I felt overwhelmed with all of the reading that I had, and all my expectations to hang out with all my new friends. How can I do to see all of them? What can I do to spent time with the Exchange students? How can I plan with them but save time to study? I realized that the best thing would be to organize a meeting in my apartment. So, I invited all of them.

We were almost 45 students among my friends and friend of my friends in my apartment. Us music, Latin-American music, Argentinean music, games, dancing, jokes, time to talk with all my friends, opportunity to invite other friends, among them to invite Bibi, another Argentinean girl who is studying in American University, so all these made my weekend a good beginning of the exchange routine.

At the same time, I had time to study and see all the new friends.

Again this exchange is exceeding my expectations.

Thanks all for this great class beginning!

Exchange Rates, Kimchi, and Michelle’s Garden

AdminJanuary 22, 2014

By nimames

Orientation week. Check. Meeting everybody. Check. Trying to remember everybody’s name. Check. First week of classes. Check.

This first week of classes seemed surreal to me maybe because I’ve been so engrossed by all the activities that were planned. But the first week was almost as entertaining as the previous one. Granted, classes and professors and syllabi meant the end of an era and the beginning of endless readings, assignments and papers. However, the first week of classes was as interesting as it was entertaining.

On Tuesday, a friend and I had the immense pleasure of going to the concert of Jay-Z. For someone who has not been to many concerts, being to the Verizon center was really impressive. First, the stadium was huge; I’d never seen so many people squeeze in in one closed space before. Second, the sheer diversity of people that attended and the uniqueness of characters that I’ve seen was something new. Weird haircuts, huge high heels, colorful outfits and much more made the first concert I attended in the U.S. much more than just a musical event.

The next day was the day I met the coolest professor to ever grace the face of the planet: my political economy professor. Although the class is rather challenging and was all about fixed exchange rates, debt ceiling, and congress bills, I can say that Pr. Kaplan is by far one of the best professor I ever had. He’s the type of professor who has Simpson characters up on his slides and who uses Hunger Games and Twilight analogies to explain theories of international relations and principles of economy.

The following day; Thursday, was the busiest day. We decided to treat ourselves and go to Korean BBQ in Annandale (Kogiya Korean BBQ). I already had Korean back home but Korean BBQ was new to me. The meat was cooked in front of us, on round small burners that were built in the table. Rice and spicy soup was served with it in addition to the most delicious and perfectly cooked egg I ever had the pleasure of tasting.

Friday came and having only one morning class, a friend and I decided to walk down the White House. It was something I wanted to do for a long time but haven’t got around doing it what with all the activities we had. To be honest, the white house wasn’t as I had imagined it. It was just a house that happened to be white and it wasn’t that big even! However, when we turned around the block to the backside of the house, BAM, that was the White House I imagined, with the domes, the balcony and the ivory white, the big not so green lawn and Michelle’s garden of course.

Saturday came and it was the yet another day of culinary discover. Since it was restaurant week in DC, fancy restaurants offered a 3 course meal with only 20 dollars. We went to a great Spanish restaurant called La Taberna del Albardero that served the most amazing food ever. My first doubts were confirmed: DC was definitely a culinary city where one could experience the most amazing dishes from all over the world and I couldn’t wait to taste new, exotic and foreign flavors. Although I’m most certainly going to put on a few pounds but if that’s the price to pay for culinary heaven then so be it !

First week of Classes…

AdminJanuary 22, 2014

By hannahbethdray

The first week back at school is always difficult to get back into; you’re trying to get to all your classes as well as seeing all your friends you've missed for the past month. So my first week has been all about catching up with people, lots of food and going out. And the first event of the week was the GW Basketball game! Our school team have been playing brilliantly this past semester, so it was no surprise that this game was sold out. Luckily though, I managed to get a seat and had a perfect view of the game.It was my friend Christina’s first game of the season as well, and she showed her school spirit perfectly with her GW sweater.

The final score was 76-66 to GW, with the team making our school proud. Hopefully next week I will be able to travel up to George Mason University to see their next game.

The weather as you may have noticed has also turned bitterly cold – I had three layers on the other day, just to run to 7/11! However this meant it was the perfect weather on Saturday evening for a trip to Georgetown and to the ice rink that has been built in the fountain. Now I absolutely love ice skating, however I was surprised to find out that half my friends had never skated before, so were in need of a bit of coaching.We all fell down at least once (but that’s half the fun of it!) and had a great time, finishing the evening off with a burger. The rest of my week has been filled with food, making fajitas for my friends and also going out for brunch on Sunday afternoon with the girls – a perfect first week back to school!

Desynchronosis (of sorts)

AdminJanuary 22, 2014

By aaront162

Desynchronosis, also known as jet lag, is the well known result of changes to the body’s natural rhythms as a result of long distance travel and generally speaking, a few days of rest is enough to overcome the fatigue. Yet moving from the laid back and warm summer of Sydney to the middle of winter in Washington DC – the large and unfamiliar city and heartland of American power, politics and government – involves a certain change in pace and rhythm which takes a little more time (perhaps a well planned week?) to adjust to.

The whole process begin subtly enough - the small chit chat in the lobby of City Hall on the first day of orientation week, a mixture of foreign accents somewhat anxiously looking around and getting acquainted with other new faces. The basic introductions follow, nerves gradually calm, barriers slowly break down and unfamiliar faces soon develop into familiar personalities with the help of our orientation leaders. There is a lot of walking around unfamiliar streets – the wind is biting and cold but anticipation (and plenty of enthusiasm from group leaders) is enough to drive you from place to place. Then the sound of applause in the Lisner auditorium as Sonya Sutamayor gave sound advice from someone who moved from the Bronx to the Supreme Court. Long bus rides lead to the excitement of “snow tubing” on Wisp Mountain. Then the roar and cheer of the home crowd in the Smith Centre, the sharp tension which fills the arena during a free throw and the unmistakable energy which explodes at the end – GWU wins a well fought game. Then more walking and the grandeur of the monuments and national buildings, statuesque figures of carved marble and bronze within the dome of the Capitol building. In between, plenty of jokes, lots of laughter and good humour.

By the end of the week, the weather is warmer, the wind no longer as biting and cold, the streets and buildings no longer so unrecognisable. Just like the passing of the jet lag, the pace and rhythm of Washington DC and GWU settles into something familiar and everything just feels that little bit more comfortable. Not quite home - but for the semester ahead, definitely close enough.

New Friends, New Adventures, New Lessons.

AdminJanuary 13, 2014

By inepalacios

I can’t believe it. After nine months preparing for this trip, I am in Washington, DC. A week wasn’t enough time to realize that this adventure has started.

If I thought that it would be easy to take advantage of every situation, the past week taught me that I need to be more prepared physically and mentally to do that. The amount of activities that we (the exchange students) had to do, the new people, the new places, the new feelings challenged and exceeded my expectations.

The cold snap that hit the US didn’t stop the Exchange Orientation Leaders (EXO), Shawna, or Hilary who gave us the best beginning. Their main advice: take advantage of all the resources offered in this orientation week.

Food, trips, tours, parties, information, games, presentations, museums, discussions, and information sessions were some of the activities that we enjoyed. From the past Monday to the past Saturday we didn’t stop with scheduled activities.

The first day, I had time to get to know some of the students that are going to live with me. This opportunity began with a barbecue diner. It was the best American way to start the Exchange, definitely. Thanks to the chef for the delicious diner!

The second day, we learned more about DC and it was a good moment to mentally prepare me for all of the things that this semester has to offer. Shawna and Hilary shared video with us about DC, it was incredible. During the activities, my Argentinean exchange mate, Timothy arrived. When I saw him, I ran to give him a big hug. We were celebratory after realizing that we were in DC after many months of planning the trip. We are able to avoid any possible homesickness through talks in Spanish, jokes and mates (the typical Argentinean drink).

The third day, we had the opportunity to visit one of the best museums in DC: the Newseum, a museum that allowed us to learn more about contemporary American and international history through the media. Thanks to Shawna and Hilary!

The fourth day, we had the opportunity to learn about the campus of GW through a fun game: the Scavenger Hunt. We took funny pictures in different places around the campus in teams. Not only was it worth getting to know each other, but we also had so much fun touring our new university. Those who have the opportunity to attend GW are definitely lucky. It is a privilege to have so many resources to develop ourselves into whatever we want.

The fifth day was the trip: we traveled a couple of hours to go to Wisp Mountain. This moment was one of the most fun moments of the week. Not only could we enjoy the beautiful mountain, but we also enjoyed the mountain’s activities. Thank you again to Shawna and Hilary for the incredible excursion.

The last day, time to get to know the Smithsonian, to shop, and to prepare for the formal dinner. The dinner was absolutely incredible and a great opportunity to get to know the exchange students that I will spend time with this semester.

In conclusion, it is not only important to see different places, but to also meet more people while in Washington, DC. Egypt, Morocco, Singapore, Italy, France, South Korea, Brazil, Japan, China, Australia are some of the places were the other exchange students come from. What do you think about the new democracy in Egypt? What is your perspective on the events that occurred in 2011? Why do you think that Singapore is developing at a different rate than its counterparts? Discussions like these, daily interactions, sharing our expectations, and getting to know many interesting people were the best gifts of this week.

Thank you again to the new friends who gave me a great beginning to the program.

Thank you to the leaders for helping me with my English. Thank you for giving us funny moments and sharing your experiences as GW students and students who studied abroad.

Thank you to Shawna and Hilary for this great welcome, your work was excellent, and it is a pleasure to finally meet you in person!

I hope that I will still see everyone or at least the majority when classes start. Good luck with the start of your semester!

Checkout photos of Exchange Orientation Week on the Office for Study Abroad Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/GWOfficeForStudyAbroad

Brace yourself America, I’m coming !

AdminJanuary 2, 2014

By nimames

Our planet houses, feeds and keeps alive 7 billion people. It has 6 continents, almost 200 countries and a variety of peoples and ethnicities. There are over 27 million flight hours each year. Almost 3 million Moroccans live outside of their home country, 20 000 of which live in France only. An even greater number of people travelling aboard can be counted each year. One of them is me, Nîma Mesbahi, a 20 year old Moroccan going to Washington DC for a semester.

I have been to a traditional Moroccan school, a French high school and I am now studying at an American style liberal arts university. I can speak Arabic, French, English and dabble in Spanish. Sometimes, I think about identity and what makes us who we really are. Is it our color, language, nationality, religion? Or is what music we listen to or what books we read ? Or maybe is it everything. But when I really think about it language, identity and nationally may diverge but cultures meet, overlap and converge. There is no such thing as a unique culture as every nation has been influenced by another one at some point; forever graving a mark, an imprint that would later become its official seal. Morocco for example, is most famous for its exquisite mint tea served in silver teapots with almond pastry. Little do people know that the tea used to make the renowned atay originally comes from Mainland China and the teapot was designed and manufactured in Manchester, England. There are endless examples of how habits and cultural specificities that we think of as being unique to one particular country are in reality the result of a boiling melting pot that dates way before the Internet.

One must admit however that the handy little invention called the Internet has enabled each and every one of us to become connected and wired to each other. Bound by the age of technology, we have become one; sharing a common quotidian, and a common life. Nevertheless, and as much as the various interactions we are part of seem important to us, a hardware computer stands between the real experience and us. Living in DC for a semester would most definitely be the real thing: an opportunity for me, a young Moroccan to experience a whole new life. It is something akin to taking a veil off, a veil separating us from experiencing true cultural interaction.

This process of taking the veil off and embracing, even for a semester’s time, a whole new life is quite frightening to say the least. I have never left home for more that a month and to be frank, going on exchange to the United States would most definitely be one of the scariest moments of my life. When I first go accepted to university and had to move out to another city leaving everything that I had carefully built around me over the years, was truly intimidating. But, I survived; I adapted to my environment and managed to get myself a bunch of crazy people I call my friends. To say that I'm going to miss them would be, well, kind of cheesy, but true nonetheless. I have grown accused to each and everyone of them, with their quirks, weird habits, incredibly loud laughs and what not.

The idea of having to do it all over again, in a new city, a new country is nerve wracking, but when I come to think of it, one cannot live a full life without taking risks, and I feel ready to leave the cocoon that my life currently is and delve into the depth of the unknown. I would expect this particular experience to be fruitful and enriching. Living in a country thousand of kilometers away from home, meeting new people, sharing cultures and ultimately growing up. Growth is what I expect and look forward to the most. Maturing and flourishing into a more confident, self-assure and determined young Moroccan student who has been fortunate enough to fully live this experience. Making new friends, tasting the famous American food (hot dogs !!), seeing news landscapes and making forever-lasting memories.