Living @ GW – Page 18 – Postcards from GW

A few weeks earlier

AdminApril 14, 2015

By ilakes2015

This is not the way I expected this week’s post to be. But sometimes your idea just change for some special occurrence and its necessary to use the space you have to express yourself while you can.

This week I got the chance to attend a Baseball game with my friends, to see the famous Mets live and eat some hot dog and beer like in the movies. This weekend I also attend the famous National Cherry Blossom festival and parade where all this fantastic performances took place. School bands, cheerleaders, Miss America, martial arts performances, the gigantic flowers and kids using one-wheel bikes. Most of those impressed me so much that together with the wonderful weather gave me this feeling of why DC was so marvelous. The whole city was outside wearing costumes (or not), enjoying the parade and taking pictures all the time. The million people were finally enjoying their walks around the monuments instead of escaping from the snow or cold weather like the last couple of months. Both events let me enjoy the American life and spend time with my friends while learning from these traditions. Even though I found special characteristics on each that took my attention, nothing made me open my eyes that much like what happened at the end of the week.

The thing that shocked me the most happened Sunday evening when after a really long day of study, movies with friends and dinner with my brother, I came back home to discover that half of my room was now, empty. My roommate just moved out and the only reaction that my body had was tears. Not because I was going to miss her because she is still going to spend time with me, but because the idea of leaving reminded me that I am three weeks away of doing exactly the same that she did. The only difference is that for me, leaving means “forever”. I’m exactly 3 weeks away from packing all my things that would have to fit in two suitcases (no idea how am I going to do that) and go back home. I know I won’t be back the same way I came, not only for the uncountable people that touched my heart and I would definitely miss but also for all the adventures and experiences from which I learned while leaving here. This indescribable feeling that I have right now, the mix of joy and sadness, the pain in my head and the happiness in my heart, my throat closing but my soul more brighter than ever also reminded me the reason I came here for. What I expected this trip to be like and how it finally was (pretty similar I must say). But Is not that I didn’t know that the day were the experience reach its end was eventually going to come. Or that I haven’t left people or a place where I’m comfortable in before, it’s just the desire of being here at GW longer.

I have never been good for goodbyes.

After 3 months I assumed as normal some things that apparently, were not. My kitchen utensils, my bathroom curtains, the flag on the living room and even half of a closet. If anyone ever tells you that moving out and leaving things behind is easy, don’t believe it. They would be absolutely lying. Yes, everyone survives but it's just not the best feeling.

There are people that understands that life is this way, that you run into persons that would mean something, that you would learn only from some of them and that just a few would stay for a while but no one would stay "forever". There are people that comprehend that you would see again only the people you care about and for the rest of them, well, there would always be Facebook. There are people that believe in destiny and that you would see someone again if it’s written. There are people that understand that knowing you means taking something from you at the same time that they are giving you something from them. And I believe that that’s the way they stay forever.

I knew a lot of people here in DC. I shared most of my adventures, nightclubs, study nights, walks around campus, museums, lunch or dinner time, shopping and even taxi rides with persons that shared with me who they are and let me share with them who I am. They took something from me and I have something from them (mostly their pictures.. :)). I don’t regret meeting people that I am going to miss and I don’t regret meeting persons that became my friends. I don’t regret at all but now? Now I just want to hug them as much as possible. I got the chance to know them and I may or may not see them again. The good part? I have them in my heart FOREVER.

Touring GWU

AdminApril 6, 2015

By carlyfisher4

As I mentioned at the end of my last blog, this week I was expecting a visitor My mum flew in from Australia on Monday night which was really exciting! I decided that this week’s blog would be a written guide of the tour I gave to her so that you can have a bit of a sense of what you are arriving into – a ‘know before you go’ in a sense from a fellow exchange student.

On Tuesday morning we did a lap of campus as I was eager to show her as much as possible – so I’m going to try and describe my walking tour and give you as much information on campus as I can. You will be taken on a campus tour during Orientation Week but it’s a lot to take in in one hit and for Spring Semester students, you will be walking through the snow most likely so if you are anything like me, concentrating and freezing are not two activities you will be able to do simultaneously.

We entered campus from Georgetown so our town begins up near City Hall – this is one of the on-campus accommodation blocks that you may be placed in to live. Whilst all dorms are different, I believe city hall has a number of 2 person share rooms and each have a living room, bedroom, bathroom and kitchen (or at least the apartments that I’ve seen do). City Hall is definitely in a good position – it’s the closest building to Georgetown and is just behind the metro station and Wholefoods area – but it is a bit older than the other buildings.

Moving on to Wholefoods and the surrounding restaurants – this is a well-frequented area for all students as it’s the spot for groceries and take away food. GW doesn’t have a dining hall or meal plan (there is a dining hall area but really only freshmen go there from what I understand – its called J-Street and it’s in the Marvin Centre – we will get to that in a minute). So, I think I speak for a lot of GW students when I say that Wholefoods essentially replaces a dining hall and becomes a very handy source of food when you cannot be bothered to cook.

I could be wrong but I don’t think that any of the international students are in an apartment without a kitchen so there is definitely always the option to cook and prepare food – this will definitely be the most budget friendly option! However, for those times you don’t want to cook – around Wholefoods you will find:
- Devon and Blakely – Soup and sandwiches
- Circa – Nice restaurant with pretty good food
- Roti – Mediterranean style food
- Sweet green – Salads
- Beefsteak – Salads/Vegetarian food
- Wholefoods – Groceries, ready-to-go food, sushi, pizza, etc
Around the back of the block with all of this on it is also a burger place in case that tickles your fancy more.

Continuing on from that area – to your right you will see the beginnings of the major classroom buildings. To give an idea of where each of the buildings is in writing is not going to be an interesting read so I’m going to leave the topic of classrooms by saying, they’re easy to find and everyone is friendly so will happily point you in the right direction. The only thing that can be a bit tricky is that what looks like one building has multiple names depending on the entrance – again, just ask – someone will help you undoubtably. Majority of the classrooms are within the main blocks of campus too so it’s not too challenging. The K street rooms are a bit beyond the square that GW fits within, as is the G street block. I have a class in G Street and I think that it would be a good piece of advice to suggest that if possible, if you are taking a class in this building, try and leave yourself time between classes to get there – I have 10 mintues to get from Phillips (which is opposite Wholefoods) to G street and even though its only a few blocks, my first class rarely lets out exactly on time making the walk a very quick one! Just something to be mindful of if you can. Also, when they say on the schedule that you need to leave half an hour between classes on main campus and on the Vern, they are not exaggerating. You will need to take the free shuttle bus (known on campus as the VEX) and it is a fair distance – this is important to note as otherwise you will miss the beginning of every class!

Okay, back on my walking tour…so from Wholefoods, when you turn right and head down past the Phillips building, and then left again, you will find yourself across the road from Gelman Starbucks – rumor has it that this Starbucks is the second most frequented in America. Whether or not this is true, I’m not too sure, but there is always a long line in there irrespective of the time of day.

Some tips:

1. The line moves pretty quickly so if you have the time, you will make it to the front eventually .

2. NEVER try go to Starbucks on the hour or half hour that a class ends – try and go at obscure times – this is a good rule for most food places on campus. By going 15 minutes earlier, you will save yourself HEAPS of time in lines!

3. The food court in the Marvin Centre has some coffee shops – one even sells starbucks blend coffee so if you can’t wait at Gelman Starbucks, cross the road and head in there.

4. There is another Starbucks on E Street next to the E street dorms and near the Elliott School – there is often a line there too but it’s a lot more reasonable than the one at Gelman!

Who would have thought getting your morning coffee could be such an art!

So, as I mentioned across the road and up a little bit is the Marvin Centre. This is a building you will get to know well during Orientation so I wont go into too much detail, but basically, all the resources, etc that you need are in this one building. Amongst a bunch of other things some of things you can do at the Marvin Centre (beyond getting food and coffee) are:   - Go to the doctor  - Get your GWorld card  - Put money on your GWorld card (you can do this at multiple places on campus though) - Pay outstanding fees  - Buy all your GW merchandise  - Visit the Study Abroad office  - Find the ballrooms (there are often events held here like careers expos, club showcases, etc)

And more. Basically the only things that you need as an international student that aren’t in this building are:
- The key depot
- The post/mail centre
- The ISO which is the International Office where you need to check in (visa requirement – don’t worry, you will do this in Orientation Week) and where you need to get your visa signed if you want to travel out of America (this includes Canada and Mexico – cant tell you how many times I have heard that question asked!) suggestion: take this to be signed by the ISO in Week 1 of your time at GW – you will thank yourself later when you have forgotten all about it and have to rush to get it done – they take 10 days to do it so leave yourself time or you will have to cancel your trip.

Okay – so the Marvin Centre is a great resource and is in a really important area of campus. Across the road you will find CVS which is backed by the Village Shopping Centre – a small centre with some food venues, clothes shops, the UPS store, etc. CVS will be your go to store – most things that you need can be purchased at CVS.

We are back tracking here, past some great sculptures – for example Martha (the hippo) – I’m going to leave the hippo stories at that and challenge you to try and work out the significance of the hippo for yourself – and many many heads of George Washington sporadically found around campus. So, as we walk back past the side of the Marvin Centre, back towards Starbucks, you will find one of the entrances into Kogan Plaza which is just an open area that has the back of the Lisner Auditorium, the entrance to Gelman (the library), a nice courtyard and the creepiest statue of George Washington known to man. There is a life-like sculpture on a bench that, when you leave the library in the dark late at night, will undoubtedly give you a heart attack every single time. The Gelman library is obviously another good resource – it has plenty of study space when your dorm is too noisy, printers, computers, books, etc – everything you expect to find in a library. The staff are really friendly and are always more than happy to help if you cant find something – which you likely wont be able to because the books are everywhere! Not in a chaotic sense, just in the sheer volume of them!

Behind the library is Duques – one of the big classroom buildings, which is backed onto by Funger – the business school. I am mentioning this school in particular because the VEX goes from out the front of Fungar so if you have classes or accommodation on the Mount Vernon campus, this will be an important stop to you. Opposite from there is the GW Deli which has delicious bagels but also often has an insanely long line – again, don’t go just as classes let out unless you really enjoy standing in lines.

At the end of the street where the Deli is, is Tonic – a restaurant that is popular amongst students because of their tater tots (potato gems). They have Happy Hour (which seems to be nearly as popular as brunch in DC – everyone goes out for Brunch or Happy Hour) where they have $4 tots – this seems to attract a lot of people and substantial lines. They are delicious though.

As we continue our walk towards E Street (which will be our final destination), you will pass the mail centre (one block down and to the left from Tonic) which is where all your packages will come in, and on top of that is the key depot – which is where you will get your keys (not if you live in E Street as your GWorld card is your key) and your mail box codes as your letters will still arrive to your building. Next door is Carvings which has burgers, fries, mozerella sticks, sandwiches, breakfast, etc – it’s open late at night making it a popular stop for lots of students!

Finally, as you turn right at the end of the street and walk back the old main building (where the ISO is), subway and then the Starbucks on the corner, you have reached E Street! This is another dorm that has many exchange students in it this semester – it’s where I live – and despite being a little further down from the rest, is a much newer and in my opinion nicer building. We are next door to the Elliott School too for students taking international relations, etc. I skipped talking about the other two buildings that you will mainly find exchange students in because we didn’t take that road – But Shenkmen (formerly Ivory – just so that you don’t get confused when people still call it Ivory) and Amsterdam are also nice and are in good locations. Near Shenkmen is also the sport centre where you will go to watch basketball games, etc. And the HellWell (Health and Wellness Centre is up in that area too).

Final note – up 20th Street – the street that E Street dorms corner, if you walk up toward to the Village shops (where CVS is on the other side) you will find Founding Farmers – personal favorite for brunch and lunch – so delicious! But I will do another blog about DC recommendations for when you get here .

I hope that this has been in some way helpful in giving you a bit of a blue print on what to expect when you get here and where to find particular things. As I mentioned, everyone is very friendly and will happily point you in the right direction. The nice thing about the GW campus is that it is very easy to get to know – you may feel lost for the first week but you will definitely get the hang of it after that!

I wanted to take some more photos but I am currently in Vegas for the weekend with my mum and so whilst there are some photos here for you, I will definitely try and post some more later on.

And so, as always, until next time…

Why is this week different from any other week?

AdminApril 6, 2015

By ilakes2015

The first weekend of April reunites families and communities all over the world. Doesn’t matter if you celebrate Eastern or Pesach, last weekend most of us shared a nice meal with our families.

Back home, an almost in every country, the first two nights of Passover are the ones we tend to get together with family and friends to celebrate the freedom of our people. Our traditions and costumes remain in almost every home I know but some differences are easily distinguished. This was the first time I spent Passover without my parents or first cousins, and of course not in Argentina, but I must say it had it’s own charming characteristics.

On Friday evening, my brother and I decided to attend the Seder of the Hillel community that was taking place in Marvin Center. After a last minute call, and if adding two persons to a dinner were too easy, they openly accepted our request of joining them for the first night of Passover. When we finally arrived, some faces were too familiar and people that I share classes with received me with a warm Jag Sameaj (Happy Holiday) Before the seder began, we sat in a table with 5 different people that lately that night were going to became our friends. The Rabbi made the whole Seder an interesting and not boring celebration. Trying to analyze some topics that were also related to modern times plus the melodies sang or recited by each table (we were almost 100 people) made the ceremony absolutely pleasant. After some laughs, good food and religious traditions, my first day without flour made me go to sleep with a huge smile in my face.

The next day my brother and I travelled to my relative’s house near Gaithersburg. This second dinner was not only special because I was with family but also because I got the chance to spend it with the Patriarch of my family, the one that would not hesitate in explaining to me the history and complicated family tree that I have. As if everything happened yesterday, he can totally remember every dialog, trip and connection that started with his grandmother and my great great-grandfather. After listening to him and having just the idea of every problem that my ancestors had to overcome, makes me realize how lucky we are of having the power of communication on our side.

Apart from that, another wonderful thing made me happy that night; my aunt, who is an artist, did a painting of me and gave it to me as a present. I was not the youngest one and I didn’t look for the Afikoman (another tradition we have) but I was at that point the kid that received a gift. I couldn’t be happier, it was a fantastic surprise and I can’t wait to have the fantastic painting in my room.

The food that my cousin prepared was also fantastic and I was finally eating this typical Jewish homemade food that made me feel at home. We did the brajot, sang some of our traditional songs and read the interpretation of each of those. Even if we were a modern family that read the Hagada from an Ipad, we remembered the most important question/answer of this special festivity: Why is this night different from any other night? Freedom, that is what we celebrate this week. Freedom.

The night ended with a nice talk about each other’s near future and recent changes in our lives, with the dog’s ability to lock herself inside a room and the invitation to meet again the following week.

Last Saturday I also went to Spring Fling with my friends. Free tickets for a show, The Mechanic Shark, Sno-Kones, stickers and shiny tattoos were some of the attractions of that day. This festival organized by members of the University was not only an afternoon full of games and prizes but also full of music, famous DJ’s and food; perfect to celebrate with friends. The U Yard was surrounded of students playing the roulette or even uploading selfies to win special gifts. In my case, implied a Domino’s large pizza that I’ll happily eat to break my no-flour week. Also, Saturday was a really warm day that reminded us the main reason why we where there: Spring. I believe most people was not as happy to receive the flowers, the green grass or the allergies as much as they were of saying goodbye to the snow, the storm and the freezing cold weather. If you think it that way, then yes, celebrate the change of seasons with your friends has never been better.

This huge event ended with a beautiful sunset and the feeling and desire to repeat that day one more time.

Right Moment, Right Place

AdminMarch 31, 2015

By ilakes2015

Once again, last week turned to be a fantastic exhausted weird week. With an average of five hours of sleep, the balance between obligations and entertainment transformed my week in one that I would never forget.

Problem Sets, papers, group meetings and two midterms. Until Thursday my life was only numbers, readings and writings but a particular moment was about to change my mood for the rest of the week.

On Monday morning one of my friends back home sent me an article about the Argentinian Soccer Team followed with a “Tell Messi that I love him”. Apparently, that weekend Argentina was going to play against El Salvador here in Washington. My friends convinced that my priority in life had to be “meet the Players!” insisted that I had to stop studying or attending classes just to go to the Hotel or find out where they were practicing to achieve the goal. To be honest, if I hadn’t had two exams on Thursday, I would have probably gone to Georgetown to see them play.

And even though I believed that I had the same possibilities of meeting them than any other person, I was absolutely mad that I couldn’t even try to change that. I’m not like the rest of the fans here; I’m an Argentinian that cares about the team not only about Messi. My anger increased when I realized that the Hotel where they were staying was only five blocks away from our campus. I knew they were so close and at the same time I couldn’t do anything. My two exams and papers were my real priority. I had class so I finally drop it when I realized that I’ve been living four blocks away from The White House for almost three months and I never got the chance to see Obama, so why was I pretending that if I hadn’t have the exams I would have had coffee with Messi? (No, I’m not saying Messi and Obama are equals but their popularity around the world is pretty similar)

That night I had a meeting with my GW Women in Business group where we discuss a few relevant issues for the annual conference that was going to take place on campus that Saturday. It was around 9pm and after a really long day, I was finally walking back home when I run into two guys that I glanced at their jackets by chance and I recognize the logo; it was the Argentinian AFA logo. I didn’t realize but I turned around in a weird way that made the two guys stop running and look at me. A Hi followed by my “Hola” started the conversation that was going to change my week completely. Damian and Juan, asked a few questions about GW, DC and my experience here so far while I asked about the trips and the training until we concluded that we were all having a really nice time, that we were all really blessed people. Our 20 minutes conversation in the street ended with a warm “it was really nice to meet you and also you should come to the game” There. My chances of meeting the players, the chances that an Argentinian in DC could possibly have of getting tickets to a game, the difference between me and any other person in the world was a matter of time and place. I walked by the right street, at the right moment, JUST THAT. After a few conversations, I finally went to the Ritz Carlton Hotel to pick up my two free tickets. When I got there a lot of fans were surrounding the street. At that time the team was about to leave to train in the field and apparently I was not the only one that knew that. After telling two security guards that I had tickets on my name waiting for me in the lobby, they let me in. Even if my name was misspelled, the idea of receiving and envelop with the AFA logo addressed to me was something I can’t even describe. After the lady gave me my packet and like if she knew the way I got my tickets, a nice “Lucky you, have fun in the game” draw a smile in my face on my way out. I had two tickets in my hands and the question was “Who wants to go with me?” I realized that my brother was coming back to DC by the time of the game. He took me to see Ginobili, I thought it was fair to take him to see Messi.

On Saturday afternoon, I met my brother next to the metro station that was going to take us to the FedEx Field. It was absolutely cold but the energy of the people while I was arriving made me forget about it. My seats were also fantastic even though everyone around me was cheering for the rival team. I realized that the entrance of the players to the field was right next to me so I got the chance to see them pretty well. After 40 minutes the game finally started with the hymn of The US followed with the Argentinian’s one and then El Salvador’s hymn. This time Messi didn’t play and some fans were really disappointed and even if I wanted to see him play, I also had Higuain, Di Maria and Lavezzi so there was no real complain. The score was 2-0 in our favor and even if I didn’t really have someone around to scream it, except from my brother, I celebrate it and hoped not to be killed.

When I got back to Foggy Bottom I had dinner with some relatives that came from Canada and then we went to the Kennedy Center to hear a Jazz concert. The differences between the game and the theater were absolutely recognizable; at first was kind of shocking to jump right to this type of event but the play was so relaxing and nice that that I finally enjoyed it as much as the game. That night, before going to sleep, I tried to remember every feeling. I had lived two fantastic experiences in the same day; watch my home country team play soccer and hear one of the best concerts of Jazz I’ve ever heard. Two different scenarios, both perfect. I ended not only absolutely exhausted, like if I had the performances, but also with one of my biggest smiles. I was wrong, I didn’t have the same probabilities of meeting my temporary neighbors than the rest of the world. Who knows? Maybe I’ll run into Obama next time. Spring Time is coming and everything can happen, right?

Back to NYC…and my meeting with Helen Mirren

AdminMarch 30, 2015

By carlyfisher4

As always, this week was another crazy busy one as I prepared for assessments, exams…and a weekend trip to New York (again). Post-Spring Break the workload has definitely picked up again as many of the courses I am taking have approaching deadlines and with a few weekend trips coming up, I certainly am doing my best to get ahead on my work.

"I think that an important piece of advice that I would give to exchange students on their way here is to not let yourself drop the ball on all your assignments, etc in lieu of trips."

Whilst I think that it is really important to go and take advantage of being in such a central location and having the opportunity to go and see as much of America as is possible, in the end, if you get behind on the work it is only going to prohibit you from doing something else you may really want to do as you will have to catch up. In saying that, if you can get ahead on some things and leave others to do as they are due, you should find that you have plenty of time to do well in your classes AND really explore DC, as well as more of America. I think that whilst on exchange this is probably the toughest thing to balance in terms of time management but it really is so worth it because this country has so many awesome places to visit and explore!

Whilst this week I didn’t have as much time to sight-see DC (well not since the White House visit that I wrote about last week at least), I did make enough time for myself to squeeze in a New York trip this weekend - which is where I am writing to you from now!

Although I came to New York at the beginning of last month with two of the other exchange students, as a mad theater lover, another trip was totally required (and I’m coming back another couple times before leaving the US as well), especially because one of my closest friends lives in the city.

Despite my mantra being to try something new each week, I decided this time to also try and re-visit something old, and so, on Friday, I headed over to W 45^thStreet to the Broadway Dance Centre. Having not taken a dance class in the last few years I decided that it was time to revisit – I used to dance a lot – and challenge myself in a theatre dance class. Coincidentally it was also world theatre day and so it seemed to me to be an appropriate way to celebrate! The class was great – we learnt the original choreography to Chorus Line finale, ‘Once,’ and whilst I had a great time doing it, I certainly felt how out of practice I was. And now, two days later, my body is still feeling the pain! Apparently going straight into jumping high leg kicks ala Rockettes after years without practicing will hurt every muscle in your body – especially the ones that hadn’t been used for too many years! Despite the fact that I can barely walk now (okay, I’m exaggerating – but still…), it was totally worth it and I loved getting back into class – I definitely need to try and do it more often.

That night I tried my something new as I entrusted my friend to pick a restaurant and found myself in an Indian restaurant that looked as though it had come straight off a Bollywood set. The place was hilarious and we had a great night before continuing to explore the village area and then finishing the night with a good How I Met Your Mother Marathon – when in New York, right!

On Saturday morning I went and lined up for rush tickets to see a show (that I will talk about in a minute), which is a great tip to anyone coming to New York who wants to see a Broadway show but is on a budget. Many of the shows here have what they call ‘student rush’ or ‘general rush’ tickets which means that if you line up before the box office opens you can often get a ticket at a significantly discounted price (like $39 often) for the show that day/night. It’s totally worth it if you don’t mind waiting around for like an hour!

My friend and I then began our morning in total New York fashion with some delicious bagels and a subway trip downtown. We went to check out Eataly – because its amazing and delicious! – and then walked from there down to the Chelsea Markets to go for a little wonder. After a long day of walking and having fun, we finished the night at the theatre – the best way to end a night in my opinion! We went to see ‘The Audience’ starring Helen Mirren as the Queen – WOW!!! It was fantastic – a very interesting view into the relationship between the Queen and her Prime Ministers. Helen Mirren is completely mesmerizing – what an unbelievably skilled actress…and we got to meet her at the end of the play! Highlight = being told that we are “beautiful young ladies” by an English Dame/Academy Award Winner/Total Hero!

Sunday morning and we enjoyed a bottomless brunch at a beautiful little restaurant called Vice Versa – so delicious! I then went off to see another show – a new musical called ‘Fun Home’ – which is an incredibly unique show that doesn’t have the ‘glitz and glam’ that is often expected of Broadway shows but that left not a dry eye in the audience by the end of the performance. The intimacy of the theatre (Circle in a Square) made the storyline that much more heart breaking as you felt as though you were in the home of these characters as they come to life changing decisions and revelations about one another. The child actress who played the young version of the main character was a stand out which is always nice to see – she was brilliant!

Sadly, after a How I Met Your Mother marathon with my friend, it was time to say goodbye to her and to the city as my weekend of Broadway fun was at an end. And so now, I’m writing this from my very delayed Amtrak – must admit, I think that the Greyhound was easier in this case!

I’m so excited for the next couple weeks coming up as my mum is flying in from Australia to visit and I cannot wait to see her! There will definitely be a lot of showing her around campus and DC.

So, until next week…

Art: Out of the Museum, Into Our Daily Lives

AdminMarch 30, 2015

By train1110

One of the great things about US, especially in the big cities in the east coast is the museums. Whether they be art, science, history or other areas, the museums in US seem to be very well organized and managed. A well-managed museum can play an important role in the people’s cultural lives, a great means for education and also, an efficient way to provide the place where people can easily spend leisure time in, not to mention being able to meet their cultural necessities.

Among all other types of museums, I like art museums the most. Looking at the different pieces of work done by famous, various artists, it leaves a vast room for interpretation and impression. There is no set answer for how you appreciate the art work; what matters is how you feel and how you interact with the art work that you liked or which inspired you in any way.

During my stay in US, I’ve been to several famous art museums in the US: The Metropolitan Museum in New York, The Museum of Modern Arts in New York, Philadelphia Museum of Art and the American Art Museum Portrait Gallery in DC. I am intending to visit the rest of the Smithsonian museums, especially those of art; National Gallery of Art, National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, African Art Museum, Freer & Sackler Gallery of Art and Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. During the times I spent in DC, I had the excuse of the weather being too cold, but now that the weather is clearly beginning to resemble those of the typical spring weather, I know I would be walking around the various museums of the Smithsonian pretty soon enough.

One of the things I felt while visiting the many museums in different cities in US is that art is never distant from our daily lives. This thought came to my mind quite clearly when I was walking around the Museum of Modern Arts in New York just one or two weeks ago. Whereas ‘art’ stayed in the picture frame of the 2 dimension paintings (usually of oil painting) hanging on the wall, they popped out from the 2 dimension into the 3 dimension real life, into the daily objects that we use. It was as if they were crying out “Even the most mundane repetitious life of yours are not separated from art; Life is art!” One of the interesting, memorable artworks I found in the Museum of Modern Arts was the Kikkoman bottle for soy sauce, made in Japan. Acknowledged for its design which suits the convenience for usage and artistic beauty itself, it was the very bottle of soy sauce that I still am keeping in my dorm room kitchen drawer.

Inspired by all these artworks that are so easy to go and appreciate in US, including DC, and in our daily lives, as suggested by the modern art works, one of my friend and I began to start drawing for our pastime. Whether you have a talent in drawing or not does not seem to matter that much; a well-drawn painting does not necessarily mean you have to actually ‘draw’ well – an impressive delivery of your thoughts and feelings into the paper or canvas seems to be what really matters. It has only been 2 weeks since I started drawing, yet it seems a very good hobby to have. I am especially looking forward to the cherry blossoms to bloom in the DC, and when that time comes I would dash out from my dorm to the streets and all sorts of fine places in DC with my paper, pencil and a set of my oil pastels.

Visiting our Neighbours

AdminMarch 23, 2015

By carlyfisher4

As we continue to get to know DC better and better, the exchange office decided it was about time that we got to know our neighbors. Ordinarily this may not seem like the most exciting idea, but when you go to GW and your neighbors live at THE WHITE HOUSE, yeah, the excitement builds!

This Saturday, as one of the activities organized for the exchange student group (of which there are a few scattered throughout the semester), we went on the tour inside the White House – something that has definitely been on my bucket list for a while and an event I was very excited about! Simply getting to go beyond the gates and take photos of the building was awesome!

Inside the tour is self-guided allowing you to move at your own pace throughout the corridors and rooms. Whilst only a small number of rooms are available for public viewing, the rooms do not disappoint as they are elegantly decorated in a timeless fashion with reminders in every corner of the importance of the house in which you are standing. From the details of the eagle on every chair in a room, to the larger-than-life portraits of American presidents through history, there is certainly no questioning the historical value and significance of each item within each room.

The rooms that you can walk through (as opposed to the ones you can only see from the doorways) are certainly highlights and as a history buff, I couldn’t help but imagine what, and who for that matter, these walls have seen. We went into the east room – the room where both Lincoln and Kennedy’s bodies lay following their assassinations – and which is decorated in gold with multiple elaborate chandeliers. The Green, Blue and Red rooms, all now, I believe, used to entertain guests, were also rooms that we got to go into and learn the history of – each one decorated by and used for a different purpose by each president.

At the conclusion of the tour we were able to take some photos before having to leave which was really cool! I have included some here:

Getting into the White House is certainly no easy task as it takes months often to get approved if you are an international student as you normally have to apply through your embassy, etc. It was awesome getting to go in and having it all organized by the exchange office here at GW – both because, I mean, we went into the White House – how cool is that! And also because it meant that we all got to go together which was an added bonus.

So meeting your neighbors at home may not be the most thrilling of tasks, but at GW…well, its something that I would highly recommend!

The day before our White House adventure, I continued my exploring of DC by visiting the Newseum with Katie – an English exchange student. The Newseum is unbelievable! From the beginning of the suggested path, immediately you are confronted with both pieces of history and an indication of the importance of the media and of journalism within history. ‘Pieces’ is actually a perfect word to explain this first exhibit as in the basement of the Newseum are parts of the Berlin Wall – literal pieces of history. Also on the basement level was an exhibit on Baby Boomers that we enjoyed, and an entire room devoted to the FBI which was really really interesting and probably my favorite individual exhibition we saw. I saw a number of people skipping that particular room so I have to say that my advice to anyone going to the Newseum is not to skip it!

As we ventured upstairs and ascended the levels gradually, stopping at each exhibit on the way, the enormity of what this museum has successfully achieved certainly weighed on us, especially as we are both interested in both history and journalism as potential future career paths. As we moved higher and higher through up the levels, we became more and more inspired. One quote in particular that I saw on the wall of the exhibit featuring original front page news clippings from some of the most important dates in history, really summed up the museum for me; “journalism is the first rough draft of history.”

As well as the FBI exhibition, some of the other exhibits that I particularly enjoyed included the Pulitzer Prize Photography exhibit, the modern technology exhibit – in particular, the large movie that they play that left the Australian and British audience members (ie. Katie and I) teary as we felt incredibly patriotic for a country that isn’t technically our own (awkward), and the 9/11 room which was my other favorite exhibit of the day.

This particular exhibit was so tastefully done, in my opinion, as the emotional value was in no way contrived but rather left you in a position where you both felt the unbelievable weight of sadness that I find accompanies all 9/11 exhibits and memorials, but simultaneously appreciated, celebrated even, the power of journalism and the wonderful people who risked their lives in order to bring news, images and hope to the world in a time of great sorrow. I learnt of one individual photographer who grabbed his cameras after seeing the plane hit the building and ran to the towers, approaching closer and closer snapping as many photos as possible. Unfortunately, this man perished after the tower collapsed, but a colleague and friend of his was able to retrieve his camera and the images he lost his life trying to share with the world. To see the pictures and an interview with his wife where she explains what it is like to see the last hour and a half of her husband’s life through his eyes was like, was a very powerful experience. There was a quote on the wall in this exhibition that really underpinned the amazing work of journalists to me; “there are three kinds of people who run toward disaster, not away: cops, firemen and reporters.”

Perhaps the most fun we had in the Newseum was in the interactive News Room where we tried our hand at reading from the teleprompters and presenting the news. We each tried two different scripts and had a lot of fun…and realized that we both need a little more practice! To future exchange students - although this is one of the few museums I know of that you pay to enter in DC, I would definitely tell all who visit DC that it is one not to be missed – it’s worth every cent!

As spring is finally beginning and the cold is dying down (YAY!), DC seems to be transforming completely. I cannot wait to continue exploring the city, but with a fresh look as even the monuments I have visited countless times look totally different in their new spring glow.

Until next time…

Sunshine at Last – A Trip to Mexico

AdminMarch 16, 2015

By carlyfisher4

After nearly three months in sub-freezing temperatures and constant jacket wearing, it was finally time to trade in the snow boots for swimsuits and head to Cancun, Mexico for a week soaking up the sun and the sand. Spring Break seemingly calls on the mass exodus of a campus worth of college students as they head for some sun, some time at home, some volunteering experiences or some time to tour new destinations. And so, in keeping with tradition, I, alongside three of the other Australian exchange students, boarded a flight to Mexico early Monday morning.

Cancun for Spring Break definitely implies some element of craziness and real ‘Spring Break’ activity/behaviour. To be honest, and I’m sure this is the case with any Spring Break destination, it really is what you make of it. We decided that we didn’t want to have a ‘crazy intense’ Spring Break just because that was what was expected of Spring Breakers. Instead, the week was filled predominately with lounging by the pool, hanging out on the beach, enjoying the sun and taking in the tropical climate we were all craving so!

One of the main reasons for my wanting to go to Cancun in particular was the mixture of beach time fun and history. I have been interested in seeing the ruins in Mexico for some time now so to be that close to one of the wonders of the world, an incredible Mayan ruin called Chichen Itza, was definitely a major draw card. Accordingly, one of the first things we did once arriving at our resort for the week was go ahead and book a tour to take in some of the ancient wonders of Mexico. Three of us decided to go and the tour – which I will talk about in just a moment – was amazing and totally up our alley (which makes sense when you consider that we had two history students – one whose focus is ancient worlds – and an architecture student visiting an incredible ruin that really proves how the ancient world defied often even modern building capabilities).

The morning of the tour was a little rough as it meant another very early morning in a row (we had to be on the shuttle to Dulles at 4am just the day before the tour!), however, once on the bus we began the journey with our tour guide and group to a little town called Valladolid – a city that boasted architecture from three different eras and conquerors – it was very cool! The main town square definitely proved the Spanish influence on the area as there was a clear European influence both in the layout of the square, as well as in the religion of the area evidenced by the large church that stands opposite the small park in the centre. We had a look at the church, took in the bright colours of everything that filled the square and the surrounding streets and enjoyed the smiling locals that filled that park before we had to continue on in order to make it to the next stop on the tour.

Next we went to a Cenote which is essentially a water hole and the particular one that we went to was so deep that they are yet to discover exactly how deep it is. These cenotes – or sinkholes – are sporadically seen around the area and all still join together to supply much of the areas water. Set within a cave, the water, though freezing, was incredibly refreshing and really beautiful as whilst swimming you look up through the open gap in the cave’s roof to see only the sun light imposing in. I would highly recommend a visit to a cenote during a visit to Cancun!

We had lunch nearby to the cenote and were entertained by traditional dancers performing their way through the tables. We were also encouraged to try a really spicy sauce that is apparently a staple item of any Mexican’s daily food intake but I passed on that. I’m all about indulging in a culture and trying anything but I have my limits and my limit is chilli!

Our next stop before continuing on away from the cenote was the so-called ‘tequila museum’ next to the sinkhole. I say ‘so-called’ because museum is really just a glorified way of saying tasting – we went to a tequila tasting where they offered us our choice of fourteen different flavours of tequila to try. After tasting a couple - chocolate and mango definitely being the winners in my opinion – we continued on in pursuit of the day’s main attraction – Chichen Itza. chichenitza

Upon arriving at the site, our group split into English speakers and Spanish speakers and we went on our way – our first stop in the enormous area filed with ruins and buildings representing the traditional Maya way of life, had to of course be the star of the area, Chichen Itza. It really is a beautiful site and the symbolism of each and every detail is amazing. Our tour guide was incredibly dynamic and brought the traditions, sacrifices and way of living to life in each story and detail that he told about both the main temple and the surrounding ruins too. It was interesting too to learn about the ways in which they controlled the people, the sports that they took pleasure in (even if it did result with the winner having his head cut off as a sacrifice to the gods), their abilities in astrology, science and mathematics, and the ways in which they sacrificed their subjects (however gross and graphic the description was).

After an amazing day we began the drive back to Cancun where we all met up again and continued enjoying resort life. We picked to stay at an all-inclusive resort which I would definitely recommend to Spring Breakers – it’s a great way to firstly keep track of your budget, secondly to make decisions easier, like to where to eat, for example – it’s in everyone’s price range because its included, and it was good to know what we had already spent so that we could decide how much or how little more we were each comfortable spending. We found it to be very worth-while and good value for what we had paid and had an absolutely fantastic time!

On our last day we decided to finish off with some jet-ski riding which was so much fun! We all loved it! It was very sad to leave the gorgeous sunshine and crystal blue waters of Cancun but I will definitely be back! And so now, with a full-on week ahead, we are back in DC and ready to resume!

Until next time…

The Weather Changes

AdminMarch 12, 2015

By ilakes2015

The week before Spring break is generally the most chaotic one. Most students have their midterms so a mix between stress, happiness and desire of leaving the city consumes them. This particular week also represents the middle of the exchange program and it turned to be the shortest one as well. Already more than two months in this country, who would have said that?

As the weather has been crazy, last Thursday was declared as a snow day, the second one since I got here. Is the global warning trying to tell us something or what? While on Wednesday everyone was freaking out, praying and checking the news to know if they had to stopped studying for their exams or not, I was checking my email praying to not receive a “flight cancelled” message. I did not have exams because I’m going to have them the week AFTER Spring break, what means that instead of being full relaxed, my mind eventually would be thinking about the million things I have to study. Anyway, I stayed up writing until 4am when I assumed that GW was not going to cancelled classes and I went to sleep. The light of the sun woke me up the next day. My roommate had turned off my alarm clock when she read the most expected email. At that time my flight was still not cancelled so my friends and I decided to go outside and build a snowman together before I had to leave. This time instead of going on Spring Break together, as we wanted in the first place, we ended up going to 5 different places and I was the one that was leaving first. After lunch we met in front of E Street and Dion and I started building the snowman. I must say, build a snowman is more complicated than it looks like. It was still snowing so the snow did not compact so after 4 different tries and 40 minutes later we kind of found the best way to create our little cute monster. After that, we decided to walk to the Lincoln Memorial and spend some time there. On our way we took the long walk so we saw the frozen river and the ducks lying on top. We approached a little and the ducks started walking through us so we got scared and continue walking to the memorial. When we finally made it we realized that the Washington Monument had “disappear” in the middle of the mist. Everything around us was white and everything looked nice so we ended up playing like little boys with the snow. After the snowman, the walk and the snow war, we ended up all wet and cold so we run to my place for some tea and a warm shower before I had to leave to the airport. When all of these happy things were happening I forgot the reason why I had an extra day: the snowstorm. My happiness didn’t last much. When I was saying bye to my friends and leaving my apartment, an American Airlines call destroyed the smile in my face. I had to return to my place, call the airline to change my flight to the first one available, call my family and friends waiting for me in Miami and re organize my whole week. After almost two hours and 3 different calls I finally changed my flight to Sunday morning. That meant that instead of being the first one leaving, I was now the last one. That also meant that instead of having the following week to study, I had to organize almost all my writings in two days.

On Thursday night I had dinner with my friends and we watched a movie together. I was supposed to be travelling but instead I had Spaghettis, homemade brownies and “The Italian job”. Actually, a really good replacement.

Last week I also used my time to cook. I’m not a really good chef because I never practiced but living alone makes you learn new things either you like it or not. Fortunately for me, I really enjoy cooking. The past week I decided to eat some of the things that I had on my fridge and never cooked before. Homemade hamburgers, spicy rice, tortilla de papa, calabaza rellena, chicken wok and croissants were some of the dishes I prepared. For being my first time, I must say I did a really good job. Not that someone else tasted it but for me those looked and taste really good.

The weekend was also not as bad as I expected. It was my roommate’s birthday so I surprised her with a delicious cake and 22 candles. We spent the day studying but at night we went out to celebrate. Also, my friend Vicky and me decided to go to swim at the gym so we spent almost two hours doing some exercise. I also called my parents and my best friends with Skype and I stayed up studying until 4 am on Sunday when I had to leave to take my flight. At the airport I did the security and check in things in less than an hour so I had plenty of time to have breakfast and look into the duty free stores. At 7am I was ready to leave and I must say there was nothing as beautiful as looking the sunrise from my window. A whole week was reaching its end, a new day was starting, A city stayed behind while two hours from that moment the beautiful warm Miami was waiting for me. Spring Break is about to start and too many new adventures are waiting for me. So let’s close my eyes, sleep and wait for it..

One Way to Enjoy the Snow Day

AdminMarch 12, 2015

By train1110

I can proudly say that the second snow day in GW was one of my best days in DC. To begin with, the snow day notice saved my life. I was to have a test that day that I did not prepare enough – for I had started studying for that course from after midnight on that test day – just to find out that the materials that needed studying was way too much to study overnight. I was literally going to stay up the whole night for that test when I heard of the possibility of another snow day in GW. I was quite worried though, that the snow day rumor may not be true, with my American roommate saying things like how GW is tries to avoid announcing snow day because once in the past there had been too many snow days announced in GW that a law school student sued GW for canceling classes too frequently. Anyways, the moment I got my email from GW security at 5 am, I nearly jumped with joy, closed my books and went to bed right away, and woke up past 12pm.

After cooking something for lunch, my friends and I went to the Pentagon City Mall to do some shopping for the upcoming spring break (we were going on a cruise to the Bahamas), only to find out that it was an unwise decision. It did snow a lot – even Uber charged extra $15 due to the weather – yet still we thought the shops in the Pentagon City Mall would be open because the Pentagon City Mall is an indoor shopping place. Yet our guesses proved to be wrong, and when we got there most of the shops were all closed, with only a few food stores selling food. We had no choice but to come back without any gains.

Yup, so my snow day started off not so great. Yet there’s a saying: “Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase”. I guess my snow day was a day that exactly fit to those words. My friend invited me to join dinner with her friends in the dorm, where we cooked food together. I made some fried chilly shrimp and lemon cake for dessert. Most of her friends were American, GW students who already had their experiences of Study Abroad in some other countries. There even was a guy who did his studying abroad in Korea, my home country. We talked mostly about our experiences of studying abroad, and those American friends there seemed very interested in the reason I chose to do an exchange program at GW and about my current life in DC.

After dinner, at around 10pm, some fellow exchange student friends and I went out to take a walk to the monuments and have fun in the snow. It wasn’t as cold as expected, yet the roads were very slippery. We first headed to the Lincoln Memorial, where we lied down and made snow angels on the untainted, pristine white snow field. We also tried making a snowman, but the snow was too soft. We found an already made snowman and took a photo with it instead 🙂 (thanks to whoever built that snowman). It was a nice night-walk, to leave our footprints on untrodden clean snow, getting a sense of being purified mind and body by looking and touching the white snow, in the cool night air. With hot chocolate in our dormitory afterwards our stroll in the snow, there was practically nothing else that we would long for!