Submitted by Nicole Caracciolo on the 2019 fall semester study abroad program in Barcelona, Spain…
This has been my first full week in Barcelona and the start of all of my classes. I could not enjoy them any more! I like how my professors incorporate more learning experiences into the curriculum rather than making us memorize a bunch of facts. It makes the class more enjoyable and makes me more eager to learn. The one thing that I don’t like, however, is that the classes are an hour and 40 minutes long at a time. It is especially difficult for me to sit through that much class time because my M/W schedule is the same professor back to back and my TU/TH schedule is the same professor back to back. They give us breaks in between the 1 hour 40 minute sessions, in addition to the 20 minute break between classes, but it sometimes still drags on.
This is a photo of me at the top of the Prince’s Palace of Monaco. Some friends and I took a weekend trip to Nice, France and spent one day in Monte Carlo.
Submitted by Kylie Boggs on the 2019 World Scholars fall semester program in New Zealand…
The most important part of spending time abroad is embedding yourself into another culture’s worldview. Daily priorities, relationships, and customs change the way we see and interact with the world, and I received a crash course in that this week. I spent a day of my mid-semester break on a guided tour of Hobbiton and of the Waitomo glow worm caves, both of which rely heavily on how you see your surroundings. Throughout Hobbiton, the hobbit holes were all built to different scales depending on whether child doubles or adult actors were standing near them in a shot – our guide even told us that the cart in The Fellowship of the Ring where Gandalf and Frodo talked had to be nine-feet long to create the illusion of Frodo’s size! This phenomena, called Forced Perspective, makes you see exactly what the director wants you to see, it’s their way of lying to you. That obfuscation of reality is something we see in real life too, whether it be to hide our struggles or to explain away cultural practice, we often disguise the “behind the scenes” work that we do every day. Just like in the movies, we actively hide the process of creation and all too often only focus on the final product – but that isn’t the most interesting part of our lives or our personalities. Knowing how something works, knowing why a culture developed a certain custom, and knowing the effort that someone you admire puts into their work only makes those things richer and easier to appreciate. Spending time uncovering the background processes of our automatic assumptions and go-to patterns allows us to understand and change them, an integral aspect of personal and community growth. These processes can’t be hidden, we need to give them the perfect time and circumstances to be explained and nurtured. In the same way that the glow worms in Waitomo couldn’t be seen when the lights were on, sometimes you need to take a step back from your busyness and admire the work that got you there.
Submitted by Danielle Tahan on the 2019 fall semester program in London, England…
After only one week, I can confidently share that life in London is as captivating and thrilling as one would imagine. Every moment I am in awe of the beautifully rich and diverse culture that surrounds me. Whether I am walking the streets of the Royal Borough of Kensington where my classes are located, or around the residential yet lively area of Shepherd’s Bush where I live, I am surrounded by historic beauty as well as the diverse individuals who give it life.
I am studying and interning in London through CAPA, a global education network. I cannot speak highly enough of this extremely supportive and well-structured program. Upon arrival, and even prior to, we were oriented to our program and the city and supported academically, mentally, and physically. I am eager for the opportunities that CAPA will continue to provide me, as they have already greatly fostered my journey abroad.
I have been able to really immerse myself into the London life by joining the daily commute via the Tube. On my way to my internship at a primary school, I commute with the local children who are all dressed in uniform. I am impressed by the children who are half my size and are able to effectively navigate the Tube system much more swiftly than I probably ever will be able to! Their competence actually inspired me to become more confident during my commute, and I am already much more comfortable than my first few days here. It is difficult getting accustomed to a few subtle, yet influential differences such as the traffic patterns in London that don’t seem to make much sense!
If the roads aren’t labeled like this it honestly takes me a bit to notice where the cars are coming from!
It has been thrilling to discover how easily I can access several tourist attractions, such as Buckingham Palace, St. Charles Cathedral, the London Eye, Notting Hill and the Kensington Gardens.
For me, it is even more exciting to explore areas that I wouldn’t find in a travel pamphlet. As one of my goals of the semester, I aim to immerse myself into the city beyond the role of a tourist. I attempt this by actions such as taking a detour of the area on my lunch break, conversing with the man in the coffee shop of the tube station who makes my coffee every morning, or observing the locals on my commute and while exploring to understand what it is like to live here. I find these actions to be extremely enlightening and the most valuable to my experience thus far. I look forward to continuing to understand life in London and I am eager to discover more about its culture through direct exposure and exploration.
Submitted by Lia Naselli on the 2019 fall semester program in Prague, Czech Republic…
I cannot believe it’s been almost three weeks since I arrived in Prague. Time is really flying. With all of the exciting activities and beautiful sites, I still seem to experience my fair share of anxiety. Sometimes, it is hard to motivate myself to get out of the apartment and try new things, especially when I don’t have anyone to keep me company. Exploring a foreign city on your own can be really scary. However, I have been trying to push myself to get out there and familiarize myself with my new home. On Friday, I ventured out to the Žižkov Television Tower, famous for the giant baby sculptures climbing up the side! It was truly a sight to see. I’m really glad I went on my own. It felt good to go at my own pace.
On Saturday, my roommates and I decided to check out the farmer’s market by the Vltava River, which runs every Saturday from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. The weather was absolutely beautiful. The market seemed to go on forever, with countless produce and flower stands, jewelry vendors, and traditional Czech foods. My favorite part was all the dogs! Czech people love dogs, so there’s never a shortage of adorable dogs walking through the streets of Prague. Often times, they’re not even on leashes! Speaking of dogs, pictured below is probably the best hot dog I’ve ever had. We sat by the river with our hot dogs and watched the swans swim by. Later that day we visited the famous Prague Castle. It is a must-see and we will definitely be going back at some point.
After our action-packed Saturday afternoon, I started to feel a little better. It will take some time to feel completely adjusted. There will be good days and bad days. My goals for this week are to be more patient and not set my expectations too high. Cheers, to the adventures to come!
Submitted by Victoria Vinson on the 2019 fall semester program in Prague, Czech Republic…
This weekend, a fellow World Scholar and I traveled to Amsterdam! The city is beautiful, and because I have some family there, we got to experience a bit of the quiet village life just outside the city. We visited the Rijksmuseum in Museum Square, where the 350-year anniversary of Rembrandt’s death was being celebrated with an exhibition of tribute art to him. The exhibit was both beautiful and a bit comical, and one I’m glad I got to see during our time in Amsterdam. There is also the Van Gogh Museum and the Moco Museum, though sadly we didn’t have time to visit those. After vising the Rijksmuseum, we got some delicious vegan food close by! The weather was beautiful, and the city was full of life and friendly locals. Amsterdam has a special place in my heart, and I highly recommend any study abroad student with the opportunity to visit to do so! The Netherlands is an astounding country with a variety of landscapes and an amazing collection of art.
The canals just outside the Rijksmuseum in AmsterdamA piece from the Long Live Rembrandt exhibitA beautiful basket of Rainbow French Fries from the restaraunt we visited near the museum
Submitted by Haleigh Kidd on the 2019 fall semester program in Paris, France…
I don’t have much to share this week, unfortunately. If anything, I have had closer encounters with how the French education system works. The start of their fall classes is later than those in America because their system works where you are in school for 6 weeks with a 2 week break in between, but during those 6 weeks all you do as a student is study. It is not how it is in America where you have time to be a student athlete or work a part-time job. Instead, it is 6 weeks of intensive studying. I cannot say which system I like better, only that they both have their pros and cons. So other than getting to know my neighborhood a bit more, I have traveled outside of Paris to see more of the country. Often I feel that when foreigners think of France, they think first and only of Paris, and while Paris is amazing (and the best city in the world in my opinion), Paris and the rest of France are as different as New York City and the farmlands of Iowa or the desert of Arizona. If you go to France and stop only in Paris, you will miss half of the beauty of this country. So far, I’ve spent most of my days going to different places in Normandy, so those are the pictures I will share with you this week.
Les falaises d’Êtretat (the cliffs of Êtretat, along the northern coast of Normandy)Honfleur – another fishing town on the northern coast of Normandy, most of the town is constructed in wood and while the town itself dates back to before the Medieval period, it has been destroyed and rebuilt many times due to wars between France and EnglandMonet’s gardens in Giverny
Submitted by Emily Gray on the 2019 fall semester program in Prague, Czech Republic…
While I have loved my time here in Prague, I have also had some days where my anxiety has gotten the best of me. Leaving the comfort of my home is hard, even harder when I don’t know where I’m going. I’ve found the best defense of this is exploring the city as often as possible. It is so easy to spend a morning in bed watching Netflix, justifying my laziness as the result of a long week. However, every second I spend outside reminds me of how lucky I am to live here. I was feeling pretty homesick this week, but visiting a vineyard with my friends this Saturday renewed my appreciation for Prague. I met locals—mainly a beekeeper named Peter—and saw the city from new and incredible views. I also got closer with my classmates, and learned the value of confiding in my new found friends.
You don’t have to go to a vineyard to learn these lessons—you don’t even have to leave your own neighborhood. The most mundane chores can expose you to new sights and experiences. For instance, my friends and I study in different coffee shops or restaurants to get out of the house while still getting our work done. I will challenge myself to go beyond my comfort zone this semester and discover everything Prague has to offer. In doing so, I hope to overcome my anxiety and grow even more as an individual.
Submitted by Danielle Semanek on the 2019 fall semester study abroad program in London, England…
I’ve been in London for a week and I can say that the most shocking thing is how they drive on the other side of the road. I knew that coming into this program, but still getting here and seeing the cars, I was confused and amazed. But this affects me and everyone else more than I could have imagined because when crossing the street you have to look the opposite way and walk on the other side of the road. Even door handles can be on the other side sometimes!
Submitted by Caitlin Werner on the 2019 fall semester study abroad program in Granada, Spain…
My first week in Granada has already been an adventure! I arrived in Granada to a wonderful host mom who has made me feel very comfortable and friendly classmates whom I have enjoyed getting to know. The city has so much to offer and I am very excited to continue to explore. One of my favorite things is tapas!! It has been a great way to try different food and speak Spanish with locals. We took a trip to the Albaicín and saw the beautiful views of the city. There were many steps, but the view was all worth it.
Submitted by Victoria Vinson on the 2019 fall semester program in Prague, Czech Republic…
This week in Prague was much more focused on settling in and getting ready for classes. Our school here, AAU, is absolutely beautiful and located just minutes away from the St. Charles Bridge! We live very close by and so far the commute has been nothing, but lovely. We also learned a valuable lesson about buying groceries here in Europe, as some of us had to throw away some uneaten food that had gone bad. No worries, though! My roommates and I didn’t do as much sightseeing this week with the beginning of class, but we did visit Letna at the top of a very steep hill in Prague 7. The view was absolutely spectacular and we made some new friends! All in all, it was a good week.
