South Africa: A Dream Come True

Submitted by Khadia Baptiste on the 2017 winter session program in South Africa sponsored by Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice and the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics…

Only a fourteen-hour flight they said. Well, I have to admit it felt like a twenty-four hour flight. Despite the long flight, I made it safely to South Africa! Who would’ve thought they would have the opportunity to fulfill their dreams of going to Africa while in college? Well, I am fulfilling that dream at twenty-one years old by studying abroad and it has been too A-M-A-Z-I-N-G thus far.

During my week here,  I have been to the Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre, where I was able to pet a cheetah. Let me tell you it was the scariest, most exhilarating  and breathtaking moment of my life. Coming from the little island of St. Thomas, I’ve never experienced such animals like I have seen in South Africa. The beautiful wildlife besides the cheetahs includes animals such as African wild dog, brown hyena and Cape vulture. It was a very altruistic of Ann van Dyk who volunteered her parents’ chicken farm when the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa ran out of space to continue their captive breeding programs. Now, the cheetahs are no longer on the endangered species list thanks to her heroism for wildlife preservation. I also hiked and visited the Union Building where the Nelson Mandela statue is located.

My experience in South Africa have been one like no other. From the beautiful view to meeting people with the warmest hearts. On the bad side, it has been rough adapting to the seven-hour time difference between the United States and South Africa. On the bright side, I got the opportunity to taste crocodile, lamb and ostrich meat. I have been overseas, but I never have been to a place that has such a variety of meat choices to eat. In addition, I realize that South Africans are very crafty with their hands. Their ability to use readily available resources and make them into valuable treasures is a skill that amazes me. South Africa, you are as beautiful as your people and I am thrilled to be here! The weather is definitely amazing, better than being in eighteen degrees right now.

New Zealand: Missed the Boat

Submitted by Jonathan Sypher on the 2017 winter session study abroad program in New Zealand sponsored by the School of Marine Science and Policy and the Department of Geological Sciences….

Sitting on the front of the boat meditating on the Pacific was holy. We followed a pod of bottle-nosed dolphins for over a half an hour. We sat out on the bow and the stern and soaked up the sun. It was beautiful. The ocean was a majestic blue, switching between aquamarine and royal blue and sea-foam green. We drove between islands, and out into the open ocean in search of more pods of dolphins to interact with. The gannets, with their yellow throats and black rimmed wings sat proudly on the water, and dove down into the water to catch their fish. We enjoyed each other’s company, and the ocean breathing salty on all of us as the larger waves buffeted against the boat. To the environmental and marine science majors, this was as good as gospel.

England: St. Paul’s Cathedral

Submitted by Katelyn Hummel on the 2017 winter session program in London, England sponsored by the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice…

London has been amazing so far. It is definitely a big change of pace from what I’m used to back in the United States, but I am thoroughly enjoying the experiences that this program has to offer. One day, we went to St. Paul’s Cathedral. The history behind the church was extremely interesting. I am very proud to say that I have finally visited one of the largest churches in the entire world! I learned that Princess Diana got married here. It is also the location where the Duke of Wellington (Arthur Wellesley), Admiral Lord Nelson and many other famous people are buried. The outside of the church was just as beautiful as the inside of it, as intricate and detailed designs covered the church. After climbing over 500 steps to the top of the church to the “Golden Gallery”, we found ourselves looking over breathtaking views of the city of London, searching to find where our next adventure will take us.

Perfect Day in Malaga, Spain

Submitted by Callie Shanley on the 2017 winter session program in Spain and Rome sponsored by the Department of Political Science and International Relations…

This past Sunday was one of our free days while in Spain. The hotel where we were staying was in Granada, but a couple of friends and I decided that the hour and half bus ride to Málaga, a coastal town in the South of Spain, would be worth it. Luckily, we were right and it exceeded any expectations that any of us possessed. It was warmer than Granada by almost 10 degrees Fahrenheit, but it seemed warmer than that in the sun. We spent the day walking around without jackets and enjoying the quaint surroundings. On on our first stop, we decided to visit the Pablo Picasso Museum because he had lived in Málaga. Unfortunately, there weren’t any of his works on display because they were being restored, but that allowed for free entry to see another Spanish artist’s work on display, which was still really interesting to see and learn about it. Our next stop was the Renaissance style Málaga Cathedral as they were preparing for mass, which was an experience in itself since I do not attend church services. We then sat down to lunch outside and had quite the view of the Alcazaba that Málaga is known for. Our lunch was an experience in itself because everyone we interacted with was so incredibly nice and we felt like we were in no rush. In those moments, I felt overwhelmed by how thankful I was to have the opportunity to experience a place that was so special, just like the rest of our program has been. After lunch, we walked around the Alcazaba and got an amazing view of the buildings below us and the water. We continued walking, stopping at small shops and taking pictures of the incredible scenery and eventually ended up with gelato in hand by the port where cruise ships dock. It truly was the perfect day and I’m so excited to continue to see more of Europe.

Málaga Cathedral

Italy: Spring Semester in Rome

Submitted by Virginia Cruz-Ayala on the 2017 spring semester program in Rome, Italy…

The day that we had all been waiting for was finally here. It was finally time for us to pack four months of our lives into a suitcase and move away to a continent most of us had not even visited before. I personally believe it takes guts to go away from everything you know and submerge yourself straight into the unknown, but I was ready. When you first go into the University of Delaware as a prospective International Business student, you are told the main requirements for this major at New Student Orientation. These are: studying a certain language that will be paired up with a region of studies where you will study abroad for a full semester. This is the most exciting thing you can hear as an 18 year-old who has not even started college yet. So right from the beginning of my educational career, I knew I was going to Italy because I picked Italian as my language. I had been waiting for this moment since day one, but I just did not think it would come so fast. When I’m passionate about something, I go at it full speed, so learning Italian became a hobby of mine. Whenever I had time, I would watch Italian movies, read a book, watch a video that taught me something about the culture, anything that would get me closer to this moment. But, living in Rome does not compare to anything I’ve experienced before. I’m glad that in the first week, I get the opportunity to sit and reflect on my time here and the things I have to do to take the most of this chance I’ve been given to live in a country that I adore.  I’ve learned so much within the past couple of days and I cannot wait to see what this semester has in store for me. But for now, I gotta get out there and make the most of every moment.

Australia: Getting to the Top

Submitted by Eryka L. Bradley on the 2017 winter session program in Australia sponsored by the Department of Behavioral Health and Nutrition…

In my second week in Australia, we went to the Grampians for an overnight stay. The first day of the trip we split up into two groups: one went hiking, and the other went repelling off the side of a mountain. I chose to go repelling off the side of the mountain on the first day, and I am thankful that I did because the heat was very unsuitable for a long hike. Also, the gnats were very pesky that day. First, we started out with a small hike to where we would be repelling for the day and our tour guide Ant told us stories about how the Grampians were created and how our generation has a responsibility of preserving the earth. I was very apprehensive about repelling down the mountain, but with the encouragement of my group members I was able to get through the experience. The next day, we went hiking which I was not looking forward to considering I haven’t enjoyed hiking in the past. However, I’m glad that I was able to make it to the top because the views were incredible! 

Spain: Almost Left Behind

Submitted by Amanda Gallagher on the 2017 winter session program in Granada sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…

After finishing up my first week in Granada,  my program set up an excursion to spend the day in Cordoba.  The day started off on the very wrong foot. It was a very eventful day to say the least.  To begin the journey to Cordoba, we all had to meet up at the stop and travel the three hours to Cordoba.  What should have been an easy start, was not since my roommate and I got lost on our way to the bus and showed up almost a half an hour late, only to be greeted by our teacher stating she was about to leave us behind.  The ride to Cordoba wasn’t all that interesting.  We got to watch the sun rise over the numerous olive tree fields and stopped quickly for breakfast, but one thing our tour guide did tell us on the ride there was that Spain produces the most olive oil in the world and Italians buy it in bulk to sell as their own. Who knew that was the case?  Things got more interesting when we got to Cordoba.  We got to explore the city and see the different buildings and historical sites the city had to offer.  The city was a mix of three religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam and all of the buildings and sites showed different parts of each religion.  One of the main attractions to this city is the mosque-cathedral.  This building was once an Islamic mosque, but was then converted to a church which is still used for mass till this day.  The architecture of the mosque was something I have never seen in my life, the red and white double arches created an illusion as if the building went on forever.  We walked all through the mosque-cathedral for an hour learning about its history, when the tour was over I did not want to leave the building.  Even though the mosque-cathedral was by far the most beautiful site, I’ve seen on this program, once again my roommate and I ended up getting lost in the streets of Cordoba and almost missing the bus.  In class, we read some advice from a famous travel blogger that believed that getting lost in the streets is the greatest way to see the city.  Although my roommate and I saw some amazing sights on our accidental excursions, all I can say after spending the day in this beautiful city is thank goodness the teacher didn’t leave without us.

Welcome to Mynamar

Submitted by Cassidy Kellagher on the 2017 winter session program in Thailand and Myanmar sponsored by the Department of Leadership…

From Chiang Mai, we flew into Bangkok and stayed at a really nice hotel in Chinatown. It wasn’t our favorite place, but we made the best of it by traveling to Kho San Road and finding tasty restaurants.

After Bangkok, we took a flight to Mandalay, Myanmar and stayed the night. The town looked like it was from the 20’s and everyone looked at us like we were famous. We met a friendly monk who brought us to the palace and there were random locals taking photos of us the whole time. The next morning, we took a 10 hour boat ride to Bagan, Myanmar which was a good time to get in some class hours and watch the towns go by on the river.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we got to Bagan, we had our tour guide pick us up in a bus and we went to a puppet show restaurant that had the best food I’ve ever tasted. We spent the night in Bagan and had a full tour the next day. We visited temples, markets and watched the sunset among the thousands of temples. The rest of our Bagan experience included the beautiful pool at the hotel, renting E-Bikes, visiting more markets, doing random acts of kindness, visiting a monk orphanage, tasting Myanmar food and so on. Today, we leave Bagan to go to Inle Lake and I’m so excited to see what adventures come my way. Myanmar has already showed me such a diverse culture and the impact these communities are having on me are changing the way I look at life.

New Zealand: The Kids Don’t Stand A Chance

Submitted by Jonathan Sypher on the 2017 winter session study abroad program in New Zealand sponsored by the School of Marine Science and Policy and the Department of Geological Sciences….

A rusted, wrought iron see-saw, two swings and a four meter pole with two ropes perched atop a lazy Susan are all the kids needed. During all hours of the day, kids engaged with this simple playground. They ran back and forth into the ancient boat remains available and the rest of the playground. They used centrifugal force to soar through the air on the ropes. They swung their feet with tenacity. They piled onto both sides of the see-saw to try to uplift their competing partners.

Parents let their children run free, and they joined in on the games when the kids wanted.

We saw no kids glued to their iPads, nor did we see fear of strangers, or disrespect for anyone they interacted with. It was refreshing.

Italy: “Mom, This is It. I’m Going to Starve.”

Submitted by Sarah Safer on the 2017 spring semester program in Rome, Italy…

Who in their right state of mind would venture to the carbohydrate capital of Europe when they are gluten free? Or venture to the mozzarella hub of the Western world when they are dairy free? Well, I would. I did. I am. I am here in Italy, eating completely within my restrictions of a gluten and dairy free diet. The first couple days, I must admit, I thought I would never be able to live in Rome for four months having such a limited diet (I do not eat any seafood either, as a taste preference). I called my Mom to tell her that I was going to lose weight in the next couple days if I couldn’t find a satisfactory meal. The language barrier was larger than I expected, so I was nervous to ask for gluten free foods or dairy free foods out at restaurants. I watched in envy as my friends casually ordered slices of pizza and cones of gelato. However, the truth is having allergies here is perfectly doable. I quickly learned there are specific restaurants for gluten free food as well as gelato shops. Even if a restaurant is not gluten or dairy free as advertised, there is a good chance they have gluten and dairy free pizza and pasta dishes. The servers usually know what you are asking for and even have suggestions. Picking up a few words like “senza glutine” (without gluten) can’t hurt. Mama! Eat is an amazing restaurant where every menu item from pizza to pasta to meatballs has a counterpart-gluten free option. Fatamorgana is a great gelato shop where every flavor has a card that marks off with little pictures if there is gluten, dairy, nuts or eggs in that batch. My point is to not let any dietary restriction(s) hold you back from traveling the world, and eating your week’s worth of calories in a day either!