agliwa | UD Abroad Blog

Switzerland: International Committee of the Red Cross

Submitted by Anna Cauchy on the 2020 winter session program in Paris, France and Geneva, Switzerland sponsored by the School of Nursing…

This week in Geneva we visited the International Red Cross. While this is an organization with a worldwide presence, they have headquarters in Geneva because Switzerland is a neutral country. The Red Cross was founded by Henry Dunant after he witnessed the aftermath of the battle of Solferino. Visiting the Red Cross was eye-opening for several reasons. I think that in the United States we see ourselves as being more progressive and superior to many countries, however, as evidenced by exhibits at the Red Cross Museum that simply is not the case in terms of human rights abuses. For example, at the museum there was a video of someone who had been a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay for six years testifying about his experience. We have no right to pretend we are better than other countries, and think of ourselves as saviors, when we are committing equally atrocious crimes. Aside from the very personal videos of victims giving testimonies, another very moving exhibit were the records kept on the millions of prisoners of war from WWI. The sheer amount of space the note cards alone took up was staggering, let alone thinking about all the work that was put into making them and keeping families updated on their loved ones.

I was also surprised to learn about many wars and other conflicts that I had never even heard of before. I have taken multiple history classes so I was shocked to find out about so many wars that had affected so many people, and it made me wonder why I had never even heard of them before. This made me realize that Americans need to be more aware of global events, past and current. A current example of this would be the Rohingya refugee crisis which has not received as much media attention as it should, or the Yemen humanitarian crisis. Both of these examples, as well as examples from the past that I learned about while visiting the Red Cross, indicate that Americans are severely lacking in global awareness. While we, too, have committed human rights atrocities it is still important for us to discuss events concerning human rights around the world and what we can do to protect human rights whenever possible. I also learned on our visit that the Red Crescent is the same organization as the Red Cross except that the Red Crescent is used in Muslim countries, as the cross is a symbol of Christianity. This was interesting new information to me, but it is just another example of a deficit in my global awareness.

Hawaii: The Bishop Museum

Submitted by Kayla Madore on the 2020 winter session study abroad program in Hawaii sponsored by the College of Education and Human Development…

Today in Honolulu, we toured the Bishop Museum as a group to learn more about the culture and history of Hawaii and the Pacific. This was my first time ever visiting a museum, and fortunately, the Bishop Museum is the biggest museum in the state of Hawaii. Exploring the museum was an eye-opening experience that made me realize how extraordinary the history, environment, and culture of the Pacific truly is. The picture below was taken inside the Richard T. Mamiya Science Adventure Center, located on the Bishop Museum’s campus. The center contains three floors full of interactive and hands-on exhibits that allow you to experience Hawaii’s natural environment.

Tanzania: An Introduction to Local Healthcare

Submitted by Skyler Krismann on the 2020 winter session study abroad program in Kenya and Tanzania sponsored by the School of Nursing…

On New Year’s day, nineteen junior and senior nursing students flew to Kenya as part of the University of Delaware’s study abroad program, with our program focusing on women’s health. We then drove to Arusha, Tanzania where we have spent the last week. In the first few days of class, we got a Swahili lesson and started learning more about healthcare here in Africa, specifically the eastern region. We all came prepared with presentations on various topics concerning women’s health in this region including HIV, substance abuse in pregnancy, postpartum depression and few a more. Before we got to work, we spent an afternoon at Shanga, which is a store run by people with disabilities who make all of their own products.

Then, starting on Tuesday, we began working in the clinics and one of the local hospitals. The first day, three peers and I went to the NICU, and got our first glimpses of the differences of healthcare between Africa and the United States. The next day, we were in the Pediatric and Postpartum Units where we were able to do vitals and assessments on all of the patients. There’s usually only one or two nurses per unit, so they usually appreciate having us there to help. Most of the nurses speak Swahili, which makes it much easier to communicate with the patients amidst the language barrier. We are continuing to rotate around different clinics and different units all gaining unique and useful experiences. Some girls have been able to perform vaginal exams, assist in deliveries, deliver placentas, along with all of the assessments we are used to doing back home. It has been really great to understand what the nurses here do, and how it differs from what we do. All nurses in Tanzania are trained to be midwives, which in the United States requires an advanced degree, so we have so much to learn from them. But we also have been teaching them, especially the Tanzanian nursing students, about newborn assessments as well as postpartum assessments.

In the afternoons, we have been going to two different women’s shelters, called Pippi House and Faraja. I have had the opportunity to go to Pippi and have absolutely loved it. We got to spend time with women and children who have been rescued from the streets of Tanzania who have been provided refuge at this shelter. Despite all the adversity they’ve faced, they are always smiling and excited to talk to us. Next week, we are supposed to provide sex education for them, since there is a huge lack of education on that topic which is certainly a cause of the population’s low pregnancy ages and high levels of HIV/AIDS. The other group will provide a pad training where they will give the women fabric and teach them how to make feminine products since they are not easily accessible here due to price and quantity.

We are all so excited to see and do more both in the clinical setting and in the actual countries themselves. Everyone we have met has been so kind, especially our guides! We have two more weeks here in Tanzania and then two in Kenya after that, and cannot wait to see what else is in store for us.

Australia: Exact Change?

Submitted by Sara Merton on the 2020 winter session study abroad program in Australia sponsored by the School of Nursing…

One of my favorite things to keep as a token from my travels is the currency that is used in that particular country. I love looking at the differences in color, texture and size. While preparing for my program, I went to exchange cash and noticed that the smallest bill I received was 5 AUD. I also noticed their bills are all made of plastic and do not fold easily. Later, on my first day in Sydney, we walked to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. While we were there, we decided to climb the first pylon to get a view of the Sydney Opera House and the rest of the city. It was approximately 200 stairs up to the top. Luckily for us, there was a small souvenir shop on one of the platforms to break them up. I purchased a few small things and noticed that my change was more than I had calculated it to be. Australia’s smallest bill is $5, and their coins are worth $2, $1, 50 cents, 20 cents, 10 cents and 5 cents; they do not have an equivalent to the penny. Because of this, change is never really exact. If they cannot give you exact change when paying in cash, they will just round up or down and give you the closest amount. I found this very strange, especially when I am used to counting exact change in America and asking for it to be corrected if I do not get back what I am owed. It is very different than the culture in America where money is closely monitored, and I feel odd when I am given back too much or not given back enough. It is interesting to see how different parts of the world handle their money.

Dominica: Challenging Racial Stereotypes

Submitted by Austin Gray on the 2020 winter session program in Dominica sponsored by the Department of Geography…

Today was our third full day in Dominica. We took an excursion to the stunning Scott’s Head Beach, which overlooks the Soufriere Bay and the Caribbean Sea. Throughout the excursions that we’ve taken over the past few days, we’ve come into contact with many people of African descent, as to be expected.

In the past year, I’ve been in quite a few situations that have put me out of my comfort zone, specifically as it relates to my racial background. Being the minority ethnicity in a country is quite a different feeling from being the majority, and I can only begin to imagine how minorities in the United States feel all of the time. Through this, I’ve come to recognize the unconscious bias that still exists in my brain as a white male. Although I’ve actively worked to overcome these biases and remove the negative stereotypes from my thoughts, it’s obvious that they still exist. I can see this in my unintentional hesitation to make conversation or even simply acknowledge some of the locals who have the best intentions, but have unfortunately picked up this disgusting reputation that has been engraved into my brain, having been raised in a privileged, white household. Hopefully, through this program, I will be able to fully immerse myself in the culture and let go of the stereotypes that are in my mind, while enjoying the stunning views and learning about the physical aspects of the Nature Isle of the Caribbean.

New Zealand: Riccarton Market in Christchurch

Submitted by Alexandra Diamond on the 2020 winter session program in New Zealand sponsored by the Department of Animal and Food Sciences…

On Sunday January 5^th, I visited the Riccarton Market in Christchurch, New Zealand. Each Sunday, all the locals gather at the empty racetrack and set up shops in each of the empty horse stalls. The products ranged from hand crafted wood all the way to home grown fruits and vegetables. I was shocked to see how many vendors attended and how many unique items were there. It was much different than any flee market or pop up shop I’ve ever attended in New York. I spoke with many of the artisans who helped me understand why they did it. An older woman spoke about how she hand crafted soap, which could also be used as shampoo. It was created with all-natural ingredients including coconut oil, so it wouldn’t dry out the skin. The owner of the stand used to suffer from cracked skin and said she hasn’t had a problem since she made her project. I made friends with her dog named Odyn, who have me lots of puppy dog eyes and kisses.

After the market, we went to the city of Christchurch where we saw the Botanical Gardens. It was absolutely beautiful and very different from the one in New York City. The garden was acres and acres, located outside, and had other aspects like the fern house, rain forest room, and even contained a desert area. I also saw a flower named Titan’s Arum which only blooms every 7-12 years, and when it blooms it smells like rotten flesh. Overall, New Zealand has been a dream and I can’t wait to start classes and get into the full swing of things.

Tanzania: Bird Watching

Submitted by Amy Sypher on the 2020 winter session program in Tanzania sponsored by the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology…

Today the Wildlife Conservation students went to the Lark Plains Village area to bird watch. I personally have never been bird watching before and I could not have imagined a more diverse, vibrant, and enriching area to study. The first bird I identified using my binoculars and textbook field guide for East African Birds was the laughing dove. One of the tour guides, Allen taught me how to take photos through my binoculars, this skill comes in handy in the field when you do not have a telephoto lens on a camera and need to capture the moment.

New Zealand: The Summit

Submitted by Dervla Doherty on the 2020 winter session program in New Zealand sponsored by the Department of Animal and Food Sciences…

Since I have landed in New Zealand, it has just been an amazing roller coaster that is enthralling to me in every way. I am in love with the new scenery, culture and people that I have been so lucky to interact with during my first couple of days here at Lincoln University. Today, on our fourth day here, I have already noticed myself changing and growing as a person, which I had really hoped to gain out of this journey. I embarked on the Bridle Hill hike today with a group of 30 of my peers and this experience turned out to be so much more. I knew that I wanted to come to New Zealand to see things from a different perspective, and today, I learned how to do that. When I first began the hike, I was hot and still a little tired from jet-lag and debated if it would be worth it to make it to the top. However, as I continued to trek on with the help of my peers, I became more motivated. Finally, when I stood at the top of the mountain, I felt like my breath was taken away, but from the beauty of the site. I had never seen anything as beautiful in my life and it made me realize that as long as I trek on and stick to my commitments with the support of amazing peers, it can lead me to some of the greatest experiences that I am going to have. I am thankful to have seen things from this new perspective this early in the program because I know from now on I will continue to trek on, search for as many beautiful spots as possible, and take advantage of the life changing experiences and scenery that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

Dominica: A New Culture

Submitted by Victoria Blankenship on the 2020 winter session program in Dominica sponsored by the Department of Geography…

We have only been in Dominica for a few days and I have already learned a lot. Today, we went to Fort Shirley and learned about the history of Dominica and the different animals. While driving to our destination, we got to see many different kinds of houses. A lot of them seem run down but that also seems to be the normal here. I find it very interesting how different their daily lives seem to be compared to my own. Where we are staying is right in the city and the first day we were here it was extremely crowded and loud. There were so many cars going by and honking, but today (Sunday) the roads are quiet and most of the stores are closed. I am excited for our stay here and to continue to learn about a new culture.

New Zealand: A Bumpy Start

Submitted by Jessica Knowles on the 2020 winter session program in New Zealand sponsored by the Department of Animal and Food Sciences…

Our group arrived at the Philadelphia airport half past nine on New Year’s morning to discover that the tickets that each of us had purchased four months prior did not exist. This was concerning, to say the least, considering the that we were supposed to be departing in three hours to Houston for the next leg of our journey. Luckily, three calls to our student universe travel agent, two hours, and one wonderful United Airlines employee later, our tickets were found, our bags were checked, and we were lugging our carry on bags through security. I’m happy to say that morning was the most difficult part of our travels, and the flights that followed were smooth sailing.

This was the farthest that any of us had traveled before, and the fourteen hour flight from Houston to Auckland was intimidating. It was no time at all before we landed and were preparing to take off again. Stepping out into the Auckland sunlight to run to the domestic terminal was a feeling that I will never forget. A beautiful cool breeze, bright blue sky, and colorful landscaping greeted us, which made the haul to the other side of the airport pleasurable. The final flight to Christchurch landed before we knew it, and we shuffled onto a bus to take us to Lincoln University.

When we arrived at Lincoln it was still morning. Though we had spent what felt like a lifetime traveling, we still had an entire day left to spend exploring and getting to know our surroundings. We ate lunch and headed onto the bus for a ride through the countryside and a trip to the mall to gather anything we needed. We drove past Lyttelton Harbor and got our first glimpse of what beautiful New Zealand has in store for us.

Our journey began with twists and turns, but it led us to a paradise that we are privileged to call home for the next five weeks. We cannot wait to see what the most beautiful country in the world has in store for us.