Category: Semester Programs

Submitted by Nina Freiberger on the 2015 spring semester DIS (Denmark’s International Study Program) program in Copenhagen, Denmark…

This week I had two interesting field studies. On Tuesday my History of Sexuality in Europe went to an LGBT meeting, to hear a panel discussion. The members of the LGBT group shared their stories of coming out, discrimination, and legal issues. It was really interesting to hear their stories, particularly how norms differ in what I consider to be such a liberal and accepting country. The field study was held in a cafe, which made the whole event seem far more casual and comfortable. Then, on Wednesday, my Sociology of the Family class went to Blue Planet, the largest aquarium in northern Europe. It was amazing! We saw a few presentations which demonstrated how they organize the facility to be welcoming for families, and were free to stay as long as we wanted even after the class was over. I emded up staying for a few hours once the presentation ended, and a few friends and I stayed for a couple of hours. 

This week was fairly relaxed, which was nice since I have such crazy weeks to come! This week I am headed to Budapest with my core course, and then to Prague with a few friends! As for this week, I had one field study to a therapy garden. A therapy garden is tied in with a new type of psychological treatment. The idea is that there are a variety of “Rooms” in the garden, each corresponding with a different benefit to the client. It was so nice to walk through, and have each room explained to our class. At the end, we were allowed to just walk around on our own, and it was such a beautiful area that I really enjoyed myself!

I am leaving tomorrow for my long study tour with class and could not be more excited! We have an unbelievable itinerary, including trips to castles, the baths and a few other interesting spots. I am excited to see two new cities, and spend time with my class!

Submitted by Stephen Harris on the 2015 spring semester study abroad program in Rome, Italy…

This weekend, I visited Austria with my mother to start off my spring break. It was interesting to take a break from Rome and see another side of Europe, one that was more industrial and medieval.

Vienna, Austria mainly made me realize how much the architecture varies from country to country in Europe, even town to town. Rome and Venice looked like they were built by the same architect trying out a different style for each. Vienna, however, didn’t feel as elaborate. They went for a more simple, efficient design, something that reflected an industrial attitude more than an artistic one.

It was cold there too. Very cold. With freezing winds and the occasional snowfall. After living a few days in springtime Rome, it made me more homesick for my Italian home than I thought I’d be, but it made me especially long for Barcelona, my solo destination.

However, my throat is getting the same old sore that plagued me for all of March, so I might have to cancel the trip. Hopefully, that’s not the case.

 

Submitted by Nina Freiberger on the 2015 spring semester DIS (Denmark’s International Study Program) program in Copenhagen, Denmark…

What a great week! I had three field studies on Wednesday, and all of them were really interesting! For my mythology class, my teacher took us to a really nice museum and showed us sculptures of Nordic gods and goddesses, explaining what each of them meant and how they were related to mythology. It was really interesting, and it was nice to go through the museum with someone so knowledgable. I also went to see an exit program, which is a place where former criminals go for help to get re-acclimated to society. It was interesting to hear about how they help people that may not have anywhere else to go. The last one was a sperm panel, where we heard a few experts discuss sperm donation in Denmark. I found it really interesting to listen to, particularly because there was a large question and answer portion and everyone had really interesting questions. This weekend, two of my friends came to visit me. One lives in Liverpool, and the other in Paris, but neither of them had been to Denmark before! I took them to a castle, Nyhavn, the zoo, The Little Mermaid, and a few other places, we had a great time!

Submitted by Stephen Harris on the 2015 spring semester study abroad program in Rome, Italy…

God bless Roman health care.

Stricken with a throat infection that blew up the left side of my throat like a balloon, and then returned after a week of good health, I can honestly say I’m relieved not to have had this problem in America.

I may have commented on this before, but it bears repeating: when I first started to experience throat pains, my biggest concern was a financial one. I did not like the thought of getting obscene hospital bills in a country where I didn’t speak the language. It was this thought that stopped me going in the first place.

Thankfully, I soon learned that I was able to get a free checkup by the doctor every time I had to go. Along with that, prescriptions were always around 10 or so euro, and even going to the analysis lab for a throat swap was only 12 euro — overall, a small price to pay for the pain I was in.

I don’t know what contract Italy had to sign with the devil to make this kind of healthcare available, but all the same, I’m grateful for it.

 

 

Submitted by Nina Freiberger on the 2015 spring semester DIS (Denmark’s International Study Program) program in Copenhagen, Denmark…

This past week was my first break and it was absolutely incredible! I went on a bus tour to Berlin, Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris and Barcelona. Until I got here, I hadn’t really traveled much, so going to so many places was absolutely amazing! Barcelona was definitely my favorite, the weather was incredible, and many of the buildings were made by an artist called Gaudi, so walking down the street was like being surrounded by art. I loved Paris as well, everything looked so old, and historical, it was really, really beautiful. I got to go on tours of each of the cities as well, and all of the tour guides were unbelievably knowledgable. It was so interesting to hear about all of the famous sites as we went to them. All of the traveling made me even more excited for my study tour to Budapest in a few weeks! Now that I am back, I have a pretty busy week. I have three field studies on Wednesday.  I am going to a museum, a panel on sperm donation, and an exit program. I am really excited, as all of them seem really interesting.

 

Submitted by Stephen Harris on the 2015 spring semester study abroad program in Rome, Italy…

You think that you’re grateful when your family visits you at college and offers you something better than the $3 McMeals you’ve been surviving on. You think that it’s a lifesaver. You have no idea how much that gratitude is multiplied when they come across seas to visit.

My father, two sisters, grandma, and her friend came down here to tour the city of Rome and visit with me for a week. I got to see a bunch of the city that I previously would have skirted because of my frugal nature (restaurants, mainly). And I got to act as their tour guide around Rome, showing them what was good to eat, what was impressive to see, and even busting out my kindergarten-level of Italian here and there.

Overall, it was a fantastic visit. I didn’t realize just how homesick I was until I spent a week exploring Rome alongside my family, and now that they’re gone, I’m no longer dreading leaving this wonderful city as much as I used to.

Submitted by Nina Freiberger on the 2015 spring semester DIS (Denmark’s International Study Program) program in Copenhagen, Denmark…

I cannot believe I have been here for over a month already! I am getting ready to leave for my first break next week. I will be going to Berlin, Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, and Barcelona, and I cannot wait! Over the weekend I took a day trip to Malmo, Sweden with a few friends which was really fun! I also went to Rosenborg’s castle to see the crowned jewels, which was amazing! And I am really excited for my field study tomorrow with my Virtual Selves class. We are going to an online gaming place to talk to a security guard, who protects the gamers from online predators. It should be really very interesting. That’s all for now! The next time I write, I will have been to five different countries!

 

Submitted by Stephen Harris on the 2015 spring semester study abroad program in Rome, Italy…

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do much of anything this week as I got ravaged by a throat infection I’m still shaking off.

However, I will say that medical care seems to be handled better over here, at least for tourists. The ER on Isola Tiberina (a little hospital island up the street from my apartment) is completely free, and along with that is a place where tourists can get check-ups. As a JCU student my diagnosis was completely free, which meant I only had to pay ten euros for my prescription.

Other than that, let me just comment that being sick while abroad is one of the worst feelings out there. You’re confined to your bed for days a time, unable to travel or move, all while you hear a bustling world out there you’ve only begun to uncover. It’s miserable.

 

 

Submitted by Margaret McCaughey on the 2015 spring semester DIS (Denmark’s International Study Program) program in Copenhagen, Denmark…

At DIS we have no classes on Wednesdays. They are reserved for class trips, but since I don’t have any scheduled for 2 weeks I have a wonderful day off right in the middle of the week. Nicole and I went into a 9th grade class at a local public school. There were more DIS students than Danish students, but it worked out perfectly because we were able to sit and talk in small groups for an hour and a half and surprisingly we didn’t run out of topics. We covered differences between Danish and American school systems, family life, sports, transportation, foods, social settings, expectations and so much more. Most surprising for me was the fact that we were able to walk right into the school without being stopped by anyone asking our names or purpose. There was no sign of any form of security; very different from schools in America.

On Saturday, Emily, Mackenzie, Lauren and I headed to Sweden! We took the train to Malmo, which only took about 40 minutes. We did a lot of walking around and popping into cute shops, sampled chocolate at a little chocolate factory, and got a great lunch at a very busy spot where Emily and I split a pizza and salad. Then we walked over to a castle/museum/art gallery. We only got lost a little on the way…I’m learning to be okay with getting lost. It’s virtually impossible not to and besides you see so much more that way. But thank God for Emily and her data plan so we can use Google Maps if we’re desperate!

Submitted by Stephen Harris on the 2015 spring semester study abroad program in Rome, Italy…

I’m only taking Italian 101, so I have far from a mastery of the language. However, there are some interesting things I’ve noticed. 

The first is that all vowels are pronounced softer than their American counterpart. Starting with “a” (ah), each vowel is pronouced the same way you would the next one one the chain. So after “a” is “e” (a), “i” (e) and “o” (oo). 

The second is how extremely descriptive the language is. In English, we have two indefinite articles: a and an. Italian has four. In English, we have one definite article, “the”. Italian has seven. Each different Italian article accounts for the gender of the word (masculine/feminine), singularity/plurality, and the arrangement of consonant over vowels.

The third is something my Italian professor told us when we were having pronunciation troubles early in the class. “No mumbling!” he declared. “To speak Italian, you must use your entire mouth.” 

Overall, the Italian language seems to make its words more lofty and elegant than the practical semantics of English. Italians seem to shout at each other as part of a normal conversation, and I think the reason isn’t because they’re all angry, but because the language allows itself to be passionately, loudly spoken without coming off as angry. The nuance of meaning in Italian semantics gives it this quality.

If this makes little sense, sorry. I’m grasping at the outer edges here to explain it, because honestly, understanding a language in all of its complexity is usually difficult even for those fluent in it, let alone someone who’s spent only one month with it. I’m hopeful, though, that I’ll learn it.