Life @ GW – Page 16 – Postcards from GW

National Museum of African-American History and Culture

AdminSeptember 26, 2016

This week, Washington DC hosted a special and sensitive event, grand opening of National Museum of African-American History and Culture. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a chance to go inside of the museum but join the festival dedicated to the opening. This opening has also special meaning for the US experiencing disproportionate and racist use of police force against African-American people and Trump's hateful and discriminative discourses against the diversity of US. I hope that Obama's thoughtful speech could show that this nation was not just built with the sacrifices of one race but the sacrifices of all.

The museum is located in 200 15th St NW, which is really close to Washington monument and the heart of the DC, and I think the location of the museum clearly shows the place of African-American people in American history. Even though I can not understand the gold color chosen to cover outside of the building, it provides aesthetic for the tourists.

Even though I have 2 papers, 2 midterms and 1 assignment for Tuesday (Yeah, this is what studying in a qualified university means !!), I had chance to attend the 11th Yoga event at National Mall, which was dedicated, this time, to the grand openings of the museum !!! Under the beautiful sun in Sunday, 200 people did yoga and experienced the peaceful air and solidarity created by the museum. After all, yoga is a discipline promoting finding peace in oneself and the world. However, it was my second yoga practice :). Yet, I really enjoyed the time I spent at the mall, and this time was different than past. This time, people sharing the same view help me believe in the possibility to achieve a better world.

and

Ohiopyle State Park – White Water Rafting

AdminSeptember 20, 2016

By itsmaggiegwu

A lot happened this week. Unfortunately it's the week I learnt about just how painful it is getting your hand stitched up. It happened because I wasn't paying attention to the direction of cutting a cauliflower (note to self: never cut sideways). It's also because I lacked experience in the land of living by yourself and cooking for yourself. For the first minute or so after slicing my hand open with an extraordinarily sharp Ikea knife, my mind went blank, my heart started racing because I've never been good with blood. I got a bandaid out from my emergency kit but realized the cut was way too big and too deep. I grabbed some paper towels and pressed on the wound until my Uber transported me to the Colonial Health Centre. I didn't wait for long but it was also useless because they couldn't give me any stitches. They wrapped me up in bandage, charged me $30 for service and I was out the door. I was redirected to the Emergency Room which was in McPherson Square. Accessible by Metro. That's good. Then I waited in the waiting area for about 2 hours. I guess I wasn't dying so why the rush. A lovely nurse practitioner gave me 6 stitches. We talked about Grey's Anatomy to pass time. It looked horrible, still does, reminds me a bit of the Frankenstein's monster sorta thing. Whole procedure would cost me something like $500 AUD, which is bad if you had no health insurance (luckily I do). In about a week I'll be getting the stitches out, and it seems to be healing fine. It's an experience that teaches me to be more careful especially when you're overseas.

Onto some better news. Despite the cut, I was still able to go on a white water rafting trip with GW TRAiLs on Saturday. The closest place to raft was unfortunately in Ohiopyle State Park all the way in Pennsylvania (3 hours drive one way). If it weren't for the long drive, I'd definitely go every second weekend. No experience required and you don't even need to know how to swim (which is great for a non-swimmer like myself). We navigated through thrilling rapids for about 5 hours with a break in the middle (lunch was provided) and all of that (including transportation) was only $60! You can feel the endorphins rushing through your body. Each rapid is unlike the next. You're getting splashed all over but all you can think about is "Again! Let's do that again!". Our raft and trails leader, Kate, is a raft instructor and worked on the Colorado River over the summer so with her experience an our teamwork, we killed it on the rapids. I wish I had brought my phone to take photos but it was too risky without a waterproof case. So the photo here is the view on the drive to Ohiopyle which is equally as awesome.

Outdoor Adventure

AdminSeptember 20, 2016

By emreceyhun

Think of a class including hiking, rafting, kayak, spelunking and many more, and you will get one-credit for this class. I know it seems unreal but GWU offers that class called Outdoor Adventure, which is, I think, the best class one exchange student can take.

This is a pass-fail class which means that there is no examination. The grading policy depends on whether 25-hour-long participation, 11 hours of which is organized by instructors, including hiking, team building activities, kayak on Potomac River etc, is exceeded or not. The rest 14-hour-long participation depends on one's participation to activities organized by GW Trails, which is open to every student with a small fee, of course. One can participate horseback riding, rock climbing, hiking etc. as complementary hours to pass the class.

So far, even though I am not certain, I have chosen:

9/17 Buck Ridge Hike
10/1 Mount Vernon to Mount Vernon Bike Tour

I took Buck Ridge Hike because I wanted to experience the nature of the States, and the reason why I took the Bike Tour is that I love biking!

On the other hand, there are also American students and because of the concept of the class it is easy to find new friends and get along with people.

This courses can be found in Schedule of Courses web paged under the Life, Sports and Physical Activity section in which all kinds of sports' courses are listed. I highly recommend one to take LSPA courses in GWU and if one explores the city more, then Outdoor Adventure is the right course for one.

This week's trip was kayaking or paddling on Potomac River, which was like a medicine for a really busy week. My friend Margaux, an exchange student from Science Po, and I took a same kayak so that we pay less, which is 11 $ per person for an hour.

Kayaking to the spot where you can see both Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monuments reminds me that I am at the right city to be a student. Also, this experience show me that while Washington DC is urbanized in a complex way, it can protect the nature well.

First GW TRAiLS – Billy Goat Hike

AdminSeptember 14, 2016

By itsmaggiegwu

I love the outdoors. Before coming to D.C. I spent a month road tripping the west coast of American and Canada (BC and Alberta). I was in awe and fell deeply in love with the canyons, glaciers, forests and the wildlife that inhabits within. It was a good change coming from nature to the city. I mean, after all, we are all social animals that need human interactions.

Throughout orientation week, our leaders told us that we must join GW TRAiLS, a student engagement organisation that goes on outdoor adventure trips throughout the year. At UNSW, we have student organisations that are similar to TRAiLS (UNSW Outdoors Club and UNSW Adventure Society) but since grass is always greener on the other side, I haven't had the opportunity to go on any trips with them. So of course I signed up for TRAiLS at the student org fair. I took the plunge and registered for a Billy Goat hike over the weekend and I was not disappointed at all.

I was also surprised to learn that such a beautiful place exists so close to D.C. We took the bus from the Marvin Centre and was there in an hour. Our large group of students were split in two, each group with 2 guides to lead us on the trail. The hike took around 2 hours to complete and it was more difficult than I thought it would be. Imagine a normal trail with flat elevation, now through that image out of your head and replace it with bit and small rocks everywhere. We had to climb up and down and across (pretty much like a goat, hence the name I guess). At the end of it all, we rested at the Great Falls overlook. What a magnificent sight.

Not only was I able to explore the nature surrounding D.C., I also had the pleasure of meeting new people (one of them was a part-time bee keeper at the university which is so interesting!). My next trip? I'm thinking of either spelunking (caving) or maybe even a haunted hike (or both) but there is so much to do and so little time!

New Jersey!

AdminSeptember 14, 2016

By emreceyhun

I have always heard New Jersey from movies and TV Series, and to be honest, the impression of Jersey was not a place worth to go. However, after seeing it, I can clearly say that this is wrong !

So, talking about my trip to New Jersey, I have to mention the Union Station which is the bus station nearly for all buses in DC. If one says that Washington DC is a living-history city, Union Station is one of the reason why one thinks that way. It was built in 1907 and has operated since then. The gorgeous architecture and the sculptures living in it are nothing but impresses one immediately.

Even though I missed my bus to Jersey, I could find a next bus one hour later thanks to the schedule of Megabus which is a company organizing bus trips to several locations such as Philadelphia, Atlanta, New York etc. , which means that every exchange student who wants to go outside of DC will use Megabus.

After 3 hour long trip, I arrived New Jersey and passed immediately to Atlantic City, where is called "Las Vegas" of the East Coast. I haven't seen the Las Vegas but I can clearly say that Atlantic city is really different in terms of gambling and, particularly, the size of gambling. I have to admit that I go to Bulgaria every month to gamble and may be a gamble-addicted. However, I think I can compare the casinos in Europe and in Atlantic city. The casinos in Atlantic city is, basically, big and different. I say that it is different because the games that I play regularly has some additional rules for example I saw a double zero bet in roulette, which you can not see in Europe.

Atlantic City is not, of course, just about its casinos. In there, I had a chance to enjoy last days of summer in Brigantine Beach, which is located close to Atlantic City, and it was my first experience of swimming in the ocean. Before that, I have always swum in the seas. Unluckily, I fell asleep under the sun and the suntan back of my body still hurts while I am writing these words. However, I think that beside all touristic places such as New York, Boston, Philadelphia etc. every exchange student should experience New Jersey and gamble there !!!

Labor Day

AdminSeptember 6, 2016

By emreceyhun

Before I came here, the classes' topics seemed really interesting and crucial for me to take. However, It was the first week of classes and I can clearly state that yes, they are really interested but also require hardworking. The courses at GW just showed me that even though I am at the heart of the States, DC is not the place to get relaxed and have fun. I have to work really hard and do my homework to be successful at classes.

In that first week rush, Labor Day was a rescuer taking me away from the courses' requirements which I have not been able to focus yet.

Labor Day, as oppose to European countries, is celebrated in US on 5th of September, which makes this holiday kind of national even though this is an international norm. So, I thought that since this is national in a way, I have to do something national. I have to created my national holiday in an international place, and the Embassy Row located in Dupont Circle is, I think, the best place to feel Labor Day in a way that US citizens feel. Embassy Row is a place where most of the embassies are located, and finding my national embassy made me think that it is something similar to Labor Day.

In that Row, Turkish Embassy was not located but I found Defense Attaché of Turkish Embassy, which was located between two European countries hanged European Union flag along with their national flag, which made me sad because I really think that Turkey should get into the Union but I am well aware of the fact that we have lots of things to achieve.

Also, you can find sculptures that represent cultures in front of the embassies and get informed about their culture briefly, which really amazing, I think.

I was thinking of being done with Turkish elements in that Row until I saw something that really makes me surprised. Our founding father's, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, sculpture holding Nutuk, which is the book he explains the Independence War by giving the documents that he had collected between 1919-1923, located 0.3 miles away from the Attaché building. Apparently, the building behind of the sculpture was bought by Turkey and used for several years as embassy. However, it is now used for Ambassador's residence.

All in all, I would recommend every exchange student to find his/her home country and explore Dupont Circle because apparently you can find something really interesting.

Syllabus Week

AdminSeptember 6, 2016

By itsmaggiegwu

The first week at GW, otherwise known as syllabus week, was nothing short of amazing. Not only do some classes run short, it is also a welcome week filled with exciting activities such as Sports Fair, Org Fair, and Fall Fest. It was also a week of discovering the American learning style, which has smaller classes and somewhat compulsory attendance. The lectures and tutorials structure is replaced by a small seminar-style class that occurs twice a week. One thing remains unchanged and that is the skyrocket prices of textbooks here that are comparable to the prices back home, but at least the textbook rental is cheap. I also love the free gym membership provided to students at the Lerner Health & Wellness Center. It was rather packed for a Friday morning but there were plenty of equipment to be shared around.

I also caught the last Jazz in the Garden on the Friday at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden. It was also the day I discovered the spectacular D.C. sunsets. Purple, orange, yellow painted across the sky. People slowed down their pace, paused, to take in the colors that seemed to be too unreal for this world. This was also the time I fell in love with D.C. and all its beauty.

Another highlight of the week would be the 15th Annual Page to Stage performing arts festival held at The John F. Kennedy Center. The Brave Soul Collective gave an insight into the Black Lives Matter movement as well as highlighting issues faced by Black LGBTQI communities. The moving performance was followed by a standing ovation from the crowd. Coming from Australia which has a very low population of people from an African background, these issues are often not highlighted in mainstream media. In the coming months, I endeavor to learn more regarding the issues of racial profiling, police brutality, and racial inequity that exists in America.

The weekend was complete with a brunch at Ambar and a visit to the markets of Eastern Market on Sunday. I bought two George Orwell books from Capitol Hill Books for $8 and fresh peaches from the market. We followed the sound of jazz and enjoyed the antiques and art along the way. On Monday, we paid a visit to the Air and Space museum as well as the American Indian museum. We were overly ambitious and walked a bit too much and realized that visiting two museums in a day is nearly impossible. Just hope that I won't be too tired for class tomorrow!

Two Experiences I will Remember Always

AdminAugust 30, 2016

By emreceyhun

Amazing!

I would like to describe my feelings with a brief explanation when I write my blog.

Yes! It is amazing to be DC and experience all the things organized by our EXO leaders who are cherry-picked and prepared accordingly. To be honest, every single activity can be a topic for this blog but I choose the topics that I wonder the most.The first is WHITE HOSE TOUR !

And Yes, we had a tour at White House which most of the Americans haven't been able to see yet. Even though, I had seen White House at my last trip to DC, I was really sad when I learned that visitors into the White House need a detailed and strict background check. (I am glad that I passed it !!) I believe that White House testify the modern history and every single brick would tell different story if it were able to. That's why, being able to feel modern history is nothing but amazing.

When you first get into the House, Obama family is welcoming you from a TV screen, talking about how the House testifying the history and, especially, being proud of how they let visitors take pictures. ( Thanks!!) When you keep walking, you would see the pictures from important moments such as those from WWI. The funny thing is that Obama's families pictures is located in the middle at every frame. For example, while seeing the diplomatic relations between UK and USA in 20th century, Obama family is smiling to you under this pictures, which ,I think, shows Obama's funny and colorful personality. After frames, you start seeing the rooms ( China, East Garden, Red, Blue, Green etc.). These rooms were used for receptions, and built in early-19th century, which made it even more amazing.Unfortunately, I couldn't experience Obama's fun personality face to face but I saw it from the things he changed at White House.

The second trip I would like to discuss is free-classical music concert at J.F. Kennedy Center for Performing Hall which is located so close to school that we didn't use to transportation, which is, I think, shows that GWU is so close to everywhere including art activities! The Hall consists of two halls, first of which has states flags getting hanged from ceilings, I haven't seen those flags before! At the second hall, you can see the countries flags that have relationships with USA. I think that this hall represents its name very well in terms of its architecture as well.

Kennedy Center organizes free concerts every day, ranging from rap singers to classical music concerts. Let me say this again, THESE ARE FREE CONCERT! I had chance to listen Nessum Dorma, the funerary march of Wagner and the death of tybalt from Romeo and Juliet. This was such an experience that ,I think, I will remember for the rest of my life.

O-What-a-Week!

AdminAugust 30, 2016

By itsmaggiegwu

You realised the struggle is real when you had to push 2 large pieces of luggage and a backpack from Baltimore Airport to somewhere off-campus in D.C. You ignored the hustlers at the airport and boarded a train followed by the metro and finally arrived before dark at Courtland Towers. What you didn't realise was that it will get a lot better next week; when you meet people from all over the world, tick off many items on your bucket list, and explore one of the greatest cities in America.

Orientation week at GW was probably one of the best orientation weeks I've had. It was also very different to how they do things at UNSW (University of New South Wales) which has a more plan-it-yourself vibe to it. We do have awesome parties, band night, movie night, comedy events along with freebies from sponsors and student organisations but the GW orientation was at another level (I mean we got a tour INSIDE The White House). Seeing the degree of hard work and effort put in by the GW Exchange staff and leaders over the planning and execution of all the events throughout the 5.5-day orientation week, it truly reaffirmed my choice of coming to GW. I would like to thank the staff and leaders for making us feel welcomed and comfortable from being away from home.

This week was jam-packed with both informational and exciting events ever day from around 9am to 10-11pm. I still feel like I'm jetlagged from the lack of sleep but it was so worth it. My top ~~three~~ four highlights of this week include:

The White House tour
Karaoke night
Baseball game (Nats v Orioles, GO NATS!)
Potomac cruise + Mount Vernon

Aside from karaoke night, which took place in a sketchy area in D.C. (yes Chinatown, I'm looking at you), the other 3 were undeniably the most 'Murican things I've done. The White House tour was unbelievable because it's extremely difficult to get into, even for Americans. And on top of that, we were told that Obama was in one of the helicopters that flew in (highly likely that he also waved at us too)! We got into the spirit of American sports in a Nats v Orioles game with a full stadium crowd of red and orange as the sun set right in front of our eyes. We also visited Geroge Washington's homestead, Mount Vernon, and walked through the mansion he had inherited from his half-brother and expanded as his own. It was also interesting to learn that as the first president of United States, Geroge Washington held people in slavery for most of his life, and was one of the only founding fathers to free his slaves which occurred after the death of his wife Martha Washington.

On Tuesday classes start and I'm both excited and scared about having taken a few too many Lifestyle and Sports courses after discovering that they exist. Maybe I'll learn a new sport or two or three (does hiking count as a sport?). And probably join an exaggerated amount of student organisations, to say the least.

Pre-Exchange – Hi!

AdminAugust 18, 2016

I remember the excitement of receiving the email from GWU informing that I was chosen as a recipient for the Inbound Exchange Blogging & Digital Storytelling Scholarship, I was in Beijing at the time attending my first exchange experience for a short winter course at Peking University. Straight after this first leg of exchange, I had planned to arrive in America three weeks before orientation week to go on a road trip in America and Canada before finally going to Washington DC for a semester exchange at GWU. This exchange will undoubtedly be an experience of a lifetime and I am so glad I get to document and share it through blogging and a final video!

I am typing my first ever blog article in Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. My name is Maggie and for the past 13 days I have been on the road with my mum traveling the west coast of America. Starting in Los Angeles, we rented a campervan and have driven to Las Vegas, The Grand Canyon (North and South Rim), Page (for the famous Horseshoe Bend Canyon), through the Death Valley into Yosemite National Park and finally arrived at San Francisco (totally 2200 miles!) before taking a plane to Vancouver. I was absolutely blown away by the shear beauty of nature which was not the first thing I had associated America with. In about 7 days I return once again to civilization, this time in Wasgington D.C. and I am looking forward to the many adventures to come. I have been lucky to get a 3-day timetable, with classes from Tuesday to Thursday, which means I get a four-day weekend to explore D.C. and maybe even up and down the East Coast!

Besides all the travelling, I am also looking forward for the courses I am about to undertake at GWU. I am currently an undergraduate student studying a bachelor of civil engineering and commerce (majoring in accounting and finance) at the University of New South Wales. We are usually given a maximum of two semesters to spend studying abroad with exchange partners all over the world. It has been a dream of mine to study in America and I'm not even sure why that is the case myself. Perhaps in comparison to Australia, there is just so much more to do and explore in America. Even though Australia is approximately the same size as America, we have a much smaller population and utilization of land (it's all desert in the middle). Due to the flexibility in the commerce side of my degree, I will be studying a combination of accounting, finance and management courses at GWU. In particular, I am most excited about Real Estate Investment and E-Entrepreneurship, both of which I would not have been able to take back at my home university. I am also keen to participate in the many clubs that GWU has to offer, especially ones related to outdoor/adventure activities and sports.

It will also be the first time living away from home since in Australia there is no "college" culture (a lot of students live at home and travel to university). To save on some accommodation costs (I didn't realise the costs were so high to live in D.C.), I decided to live off-campus in a student accommodation that GWU has linked on their website. It's a few minutes walk from the metro station and then maybe a 20 minute ride to university which isn't too bad. I think the reality of living away from home will only hit once I get there and I will realise the many things I take for granted such as not having to cook or clean most of the time around the house.

My exchange experience at GWU will give an insight in America's culture and way of life, which will be invaluable in becoming a global citizen in this world. Studying in the nation's capital during election year will also give insight into American politics that is so engrained in this country. GWU, I can't wait to see you soon!