Wofford College - Study Abroad

Den Haag

I went to Den Haag recently and had a really great time. While home, IES set its students up with Dutch contacts so that we could have a cultural exchange. The Dutch students could learn about American culture for their class, and we could learn about Dutch culture for our upcoming study abroad time! I was very excited to have a Dutch contact and we continued e-mailing until we met, which was lucky for me since most students never heard from their contact. Of course I wanted a tall, blond haired, blue eyed, handsome, Dutchman to be my contact (who wouldn’t) but I was just as happy to have one at all! The funny thing about my Dutch contact was that he was not really Dutch…he was Columbian! Haha He had, however, lived in the Netherlands for seven years now so was still a great resource. He lives in the Hauge (the governmental capital), and I went to visit him with my roommate. It turned out to be quite an adventure. We purchased our tickets for Den Haag central and rode the train for and hour when we saw a sign for Den Haag HS. We decided that that wasn’t central so we didn’t get off. We waited and waited but central never came, and when we asked for a sign, “Rotterdam” showed up! Oops, we misunderstood that we were supposed to change trains! We laughed a little, got off the train, and then asked a few workers for help. We were told to talk to the train conductor going to Den Haag central and ask if we could ride back a few stops without buying a new ticket! Luckily he was very nice and said that “it is all the same ticket, just with a few mistakes.” So we hopped on and got off at the third stop—Central. Camillo (my Dutch contact) was waiting for us when we arrived and we laughed about our mistake. Then he took us to a Greek restaurant with delicious but messy Gyros! We socialized and one thing that Camillo said made me smile! He said “you really do look Dutch…I mean your skin color and hair and eyes and all.” Later when we were walking and talking, he said “you could always pull the tourist card, but no one would believe you.” Both of these statements really made me feel my Dutchness and I loved it!  My roommate and I hung out in Den Haag with my contact and his other Columbian friend until 11pm! We went to the beach (beautiful day) and walked down to a type of pier where we sat to watch to boats and ocean. On the way back we stopped at a café on the beach for a drink. The café had couches and big pillows everywhere! It was gezellig! For dinner they joked about taking us to Burger King but that was a big NO—they actually brought us to this really nice place with great food. I love how all dishes are served with Dutch fries and mayonnaise! Heel lekker (really delicious)! For our evening entertainment we went to an outdoor concert in the middle of a square. Camillo and his friend said that you should always listen for music and follow it—that is how to find entertainment or good places to hang out! The band was crazy but fun and in English so YAY! When we thought our adventure was over, another began. We ran to the train stop to make the 11 pm train back home, but the doors closed to quickly and the train pulled away without us. It also left behind our soon to be new/temporary Dutch friend. I introduced myself to this Dutch guy also on his way home. His name was Sebastian and he was a futbal sports writer. We socialized while waiting for the next train and then sat across from him in the train. We talked about where we were from and what we were studying and what our favorite food is, but we also talked about what “the most evilest thing we’ve done” was! What an interesting question to ask people you have never met before. Well, that day my roommate and I had stolen a beer glass as a souvenir—that was our “most evilest task.” He told us that is “most evilest action” was getting high off laughing gas…sounds really evil, I know! (don’t try it at home, I am sure it is unhealthy!) He also blamed us for missing his stop. Half way through the ride he asked us if the train had stopped. We told him yes and then he calmly said “that was my stop. Where I was supposed to change trains. I’m blaming it on you guys. I think you owe me another mint for that.” Up to this point he had already eaten 4 of my roommate’s mints, yet he still took two more. He said that he took so many because they were so small. Anyways, we had a very interesting conversation with this guy, and then when we arrived at Amsterdam Centraal, he got off and said, “in another life maybe” and then walked off. At least it was entertaining! 

Back to Beijing

September 27, 2008

We arrived in Beijing at 3am yesterday morning and after two weeks of nonstop travel it feels good to be back in Beijing. The past two weeks have been exciting, exhausting, eye-opening and so much more. I’m still trying to process all that we encountered and experienced on our journey. I think the purpose of this trip was to show us the vast cultural and environmental diversity across China. It worked. We covered a very large distance and experienced a lot of Chinese culture, but I know there is so much more to learn and understand. 

    We started out in Xi’an where we visited the site of the Terracotta Warriors and ended up in Xinjiang province where from the top of a mountain we could see Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Russia in the distance. I now have a much better appreciation for the difficulties the Chinese government faces in trying to unite a country with so much diversity. Beijing is a very modern city and is still rapidly changing and adapting. Most of China, however, has not taken the same path as Beijing. Many of the cities or villages that we visited rarely receive foreigners. We were stared at… a lot. Peddlers on the side of the street kept yelling “hello” at us, because that was the only English word they knew and they thought it would make us want to buy their products. For the most part, though, everyone was very friendly and welcoming to us.
On our trip we encountered several of China’s different ethnic groups. Beijing and the eastern part of China have mostly Han Chinese, which is what most people think of when they imagine China. However, not all Chinese look or speak like the Han Chinese. Every ethnic group in China speaks its own language except Muslims who speak mandarin. Of course, other ethnic groups are required to learn mandarin in addition to their native languages. In Xi’an and Xining we encountered many Muslims and ate at several Muslim restaurants. You can usually recognize a Muslim Chinese by their clothing, which is different from the traditional Han style. In Qing Hai we spent the night with a Tibetan family. Unlike the Han Chinese, Tibetans have very dark skin and the women have long black hair. To me they looked more like Native Americans than Han Chinese. Most of Tibetans actually live outside of Tibetan Proper and we saw several Buddhist monasteries and temples. In Hemu we ate dinner with a Tuvan family and spent the day with a Uyghur family. Tuvans have very round faces and rosy cheeks. The Uyghur nationality appeared almost Arabic to me. Hemu is located in far northwest China which has a little bit of an Eastern European influence, so the Uyghur language sounds a lot like Russian, and some of them even have light hair and blue eyes. The Uyghur family I met didn’t speak English and we of course didn’t speak their language, but we were able to communicate by speaking Mandarin. I found it very exciting that we could both communicate with each other through a second language.

       Not only does China have extensive ethnic diversity, it also has environmental diversity. One day we rode camels in the Gobi Desert and slid down sand dunes on bamboo sleds, and the next day we hiked through the forest and climbed up snow capped mountains. We also tried several native foods on this trip including lamb chuanr (very tasty), milk beer (disgusting), and one of my braver friends even tried a caterpillar (she said it was gross and I took her word for it). In general the food on our trip was very good, but every once in a while it’s nice to enjoy the familiarity of McDonald’s or KFC which is readily available throughout much of China.

             I could write a book about all of the things that we saw and experienced, so I will have to save the details for later. But for now I can say that the past two weeks definitely changed my perception of China. We had our highs and our lows, as every excursion does, but overall we had an incredible time. I had the opportunity to get to know my classmates and my teachers better, and it is nice to be able to share with them the wonder and confusion of all that we encountered. By the time we reached Hemu (three nights of temperatures below zero with no heater and no hot water) we were all ready to come home to Beijing. It’s weird to call Beijing home now, but on our trip we all realized that we missed it. Of course I miss my friends and family in the United States more, but I’ve acclimated to Beijing and enjoy living here. I still get homesick, but emails and Skype have helped me stay in touch. It’s hard to believe that I’ve been in China for a month now. Classes start back on Monday which always makes time pass much faster, so for now I’m just trying to soak it all up and attempt to process the last two weeks’ adventures.

I wait way too long between posts... (or, sometimes you improvise)

Hi everyone!
Once again, I'm going to start this post with a picture of me and food.  This time, it's something I enjoy much better than Sardines (even if said sardines come from a cool famous factory in France).  I'm holding Berlingots- a french candy unique to Nantes.  They're fruit-flavored hard candies that are incredibly delicious.

Since I failed to talk about my host family last time, let me go ahead and say that they are really awesome!  Here I have 3 brothers between the ages of 16 and 24, and my host parents.  Everyone has been so welcoming from the beginning, and I'm starting to really feel like I belong.  They like to laugh and joke, and I'm starting to be quick enough in French to actually joke with them, which is doubly amusing because of the surprise factor.

My first weekend in Nantes, they invited me to go sailing with them on Sunday, and I had an incredible time.  Since it was my first time ever, I was not helpful, but the day was beautiful I enjoyed being on the water and trying to stay mostly out of the way.  My favorite memory from this experience, however, involved the bottle of wine to go with our lunch.  Before leaving the dock, we realized we had forgotten the cups at home; however, we were going to enjoy the wine anyway.  When lunch time rolled around, my host dad pulled out the bottle and realized that not only did we have no cups, we also had no corkscrew.  My impulse would have been to give up then, but for a good bottle of wine, French people may do many things.  In our case, this included trying the pry the cork out of the bottle with a pocketknife, a screwdriver, and finally, a screw from the boat.  Sadly, all of these efforts failed, and our last resort was to use the screwdriver to force the cork into the bottle, which was subsequently done, to much rejoicing.  However, remember we have no cups?  So we celebrated successfully opening the wine by passing it around and drinking straight from the bottle.  I can honestly say that I never imagined I would ever feel the need to drink wine straight from the bottle, but it was worth all the effort!

In other news, classes have finally gotten to a decent start, and I'm really excited about a couple of them.  I worked with the director of IES Nantes to be able to take a Microbiology course, so I get to hang out with French people who like science.  During my first class, I met a girl named Elodie who was so helpful- she explained the setup before class started, and then showed me the dining hall on campus.  She's interested in getting a Doctorate and doing behavioral research with animals.  Also, in the history department, I'm taking a course on the history of subsaharan Africa.  So far, the class has only met once, but it was really interesting and I can't wait to learn more.

This weekend, IES organized a trip to Mont Saint Michel and the town of St. Malo.  Both places are incredible, and I think the beauty of Mont Saint Michel is better described in pictures:

This is Mont Saint Michel from the outside- a fortified town on a rocky Island.  Inside, it is very steep and the roads are narrow, and at the top, there is a very old Monastery and Cathedral.

This is what you see when you look up from inside the walls on the way to the top.

The Cathedral at the top

One of the views from the top

Saint Malo is also very pretty, a town surrounded by ancient ramparts, and a beautiful beach.  This is also the location where the French writer Chateaubriand is buried, and visiting his tomb resulted in the most memorable experience of this trip.  The tomb of Chateaubriand is situated on a small rocky island about 100 meters away from the beach.  There is a stone path connecting the two, and when the tide comes up, the path is completely covered, and the currents are very strong.  When we arrived, a few of us wanted to go see the tomb, so our Social Coordinator, Samuel, who was leading the trip, told us to hurry, because we had to come back before the tide came in.  So we hurried.  When we got down to the pathway, there was a little water on it around a low spot in the middle (a little chilly), but we crossed anyway.  On the other side, two of the girls were too concerned about the rising water to go further.  However, Jane and I decided that the tide wasn't coming in that fast, and if our legs got a little wet on the way back, that would be ok.  We climbed the island to find the tomb, and along the way we passed several French people going in the othe direction, warning us that the tide was coming in (which we knew), so we decided we would hurry.  We found the tomb, took some pictures, and enjoyed the view for about 3 minutes before deciding to hurry down again.

When we got to the bottom, we realized we had a big problem.  The was a man halfway across our pathway, now walking through waist-deep water.  So now, Jane and I are feeling like stupid americans and really want to get back to the beach without having to be rescued.  Fortunately for us, there were a couple of french people also still on the island with us, and they provided a solution: they were pulling off their pants to wade through without getting througoughly soaked.  Jane looked at me and said, "you want to do it?" The obvious answer to this was "When in France, do as the French do," so our pants came off, and we stuffed them into our bags to keep them dry and began to wade across the slippery, now thoroughly sumerged and slippery path through the currents.  Thankfully, we made it to the other side, to the crowd of people (French, British and some of our American classmates) watching our crazy spectacle.  Later, we were thanked by a bunch of loud (slightly drunk) Brits for providing the best entertainment of the day, and while I can't say it was wise to ignore all the warnings, it was definitely worth it!

The island before we went to visit it.  Note the dry path leading there.

The island after we visited it.  Note the complete absence of path.

The tomb we went to visit.  Chateaubriand wrote Mémoires d'outre-tombe and was involved in a lot of cool stuff.  He was born in Saint-Malo

So there you go! A couple of cool fun stories and some information about my life at the moment.  And a piece of advice: if the natives are telling you to leave the island, it's probably a good idea to listen to them (unless of course, you want an awesome story to tell later- telling people, "Well, we saw the island where Chateaubriand's tomb is located" is not nearly as interesting)

More than the City...

So far Amsterdam has been an interesting place to live. There is a lot of hustle and bustle here; the streets are always busy with pedestrians and bicycles, tourists and students, businesspeople and construction workers...Amsterdam is a hot spot! People commute here for work everyday, and until the tourist season dwindles, the souvenir shops always have business. I like living here in Amsterdam, but when I visit other places, that is one of the things I notice: "This city seems a lot quieter."  I visited two places this past weekend and they were great: Enkhuizen and Utrecht! Enkhuizen is a small fisherman's village in the north that is very quaint and quiet! The streets were practically empty except for the occasional person going for a tea break. The buildings here were not very tall, but they were beautiful. In the Netherlands everyone adds -tje or -ke to the end of a word in order to make is smaller. For example,  een potje (little pot) or een biertje (little beer) or even Annemarieke (little Annemarie). Well Enkhuizen should be called Enkhuizentje because every thing is small but happy.

The houses and building are not tiny but just so beautiful and efficient with no wasted space! We went to the Zuiderzee museum while there and they had a lot of great art, but part of the village was part of the museum. Everything was "preserved" as if it was still the fisherman's village of way-back-in-the-day. They even had men doing "jobs" like making fishing nets and long ropes by hand.

We got to walk through the whole town and see how people lived back then. So COOL!We went into an old school house and sat in the desks, and bought candies from the little general store, and saw how clothes were washed (in big barrels that spun), and played old, traditional, Dutch games! It was very fun! We also stopped at a cute cafe for an afternoon coffee and cake (not part of the museum). The inside was really happy and the walls were covered in delft blue tiles!  I had a delicious piece of applecake with whip cream and a hot chocolate; It was a great treat for the misty day and a wonderful town to visit!! Utrecht was also fun but not quite as "cute."  We took the train and passed a lot of farm land, which was good to see after being in a city.

My main reason for visiting Utrecht was that there was a swing dance thing there that I wanted to join. Saturday this group of swing dancers had a workshop where they learned some Jazz dances--like the Shim Sham and the Jitterbug stroll--and a Lindy routine. The next day (Sunday) they were going to perform these dances at the Uitfeest, which is a festival that Utrecht was having. So I went to these workshops and had so much fun dancing and learning. They spoke in Dutch (except for the occasional English explanation) but it was easy to follow since dancing is an international language! I was pumped about Sunday and the performance. I felt so alive I wanted to go back to the hostel and practice the jazz steps! However, my enthusiasm turned to nervousness on Sunday for several reasons; the first was that I didn’t fit in. I happened to see my partner from the previous day walk through the crowd and I followed him to our performance location. When I got there, he was sitting and socializing, and the teacher was dancing with a girl I had not seen before; she was good too. My first thought was that she couldn’t make it yesterday but still wanted to dance, so they were quickly teaching her the steps and she was going to dance with my partner. I could no longer approach the swing group. I was afraid of rejection. I didn’t want to impose on their performance; I was an “outsider” after all. Secondly, there seemed to be a color scheme that I was not aware of.  The ladies had black pants on and the men had white pants on, but I had a blue skirt on with black and grey leggings underneath! Now I really stuck out! I lost all enthusiasm and started backing down. If it wasn’t for my friend’s persistence in me dancing and another girl coming up to me and telling me that I should dance, then I probably would have walked away right then! I wound up dancing with my partner from the previous day and I felt really good about our Lindy hop routine. I am very glad that I went to this event! Even staying at the Hostel was entertaining! We stayed in "dormitory beds" in a room with like 20 other people and the lady in charge told us, "if you don't eat, we kick you out" because meals were included in our 20 euro fee for a night! YAY! They even had a "music corner" with lots of instruments and a giant chess board outside that we played!

After visiting these other two towns that were less busy, I could really see how Amsterdam was a big melting pot. There are a lot of international people here that speak Dutch and all but they aren't the typical tall, blond people one might expect. It was great going to the smaller towns and I plan to visit many more! I may even bike to the Haag this weekend, especially now that my bike should be all better...I wound up getting another flat...and spent some more euro on a new inner and outer tube, so now my bike should be happy!!

 

A Witness to a Nation Divided

If any of you have been watching the news, you have seen some crazy things happening in Bolivia right now. A few days ago, Evo Morales, the president of Bolivia, part of MAS (Movimiento al Socialismo) asked the ambassador of the United States to leave Bolivia because there was evidence that he had arranged secret meetings with the leaders of the opposition, the MNR (Movimiento Nacionalista Revolucionario). This prompted the United States to ask the Bolivian ambassador to leave the United States. Also, Hugo Chavez then made the United States ambassador leave Venezuela and of course the United States asked the Venezuelan ambassador to leave as well.  This is a huge move by Bolivia because it is the first time that a Bolivian president has exercised his right as president and truly decided to run this country on his own. The ex-president of Bolivia even made the comment that the real president of Bolivia is the United States ambassador. President Morales took a very large step in Bolivia becoming its own sovereign country. 

Furthermore, there is a great deal of unrest in La Paz and Santa Cruz. El Prefector (the governor) of Santa Cruz has been throwing insults at Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales calling them ugly monkeys. This is more of a battle between political parties.  The unrest in La Paz is a very complicated issue and has nothing to do with political parties.  There are people who are for Evo Morales and his new constitution, which will be voted on in December, and there are others that are for an older constitution and seek autonomy. These two political entities have been butting heads for quite sometime and the situation has recently escalated. Hugo Chavez has further complicated the issue by sending Venezuelan troops to calm the people in La Paz. This just further angered the people and Bolivianias want nothing to do with foreign troops. There is a meeting with the presidents of 10 South American countries on Monday in order to hopefully resolve the issue.

In saying all of this, everything in Cochabamba is calm and all is well. Nothing has really happened hear and everyone is okay. They only thing that has happened here is that there is neither natural gas nor gasoline. It has made traveling around the city a little difficult. It is an absolutely incredible experience to be here in the midst of change. It is history in the making for this country and I am able to be apart of it and see it first hand. Many of the problems that Bolivia has are due to unresolved issues that have occurred over the ages and during the times of the dictators. My time here may be limited, I am not sure yet, but nonetheless, it is a privilege to be here is such times of change. I have learned what it means to have passion for something. I watch people everyday fight for their rights and fight for their freedom.  They fight against oppression and racism, in which they have long endured.  I watch people stand up for what they believe in no matter what the cost, even to the point of death. The concept of community here takes on a whole new definition. It is like nothing I have ever experienced or seen in the United States. I have learned what it means to “love my neighbor” and place his or her needs before my own.  The love that is here is incredible and what a joy it is to experience it. Of course there are problems, but there are people like my family and so many more, who are so filled with love and actually care about me and will do whatever they can in order to ensure that I’m okay and well. This country has taught me so much. It is a country with pride and love and for the first time it is beginning to rise and walk as an established sovereign nation. It has a long way to go, but the crisis of change has begun and hopefully I will be able to stay and see it come to fruition.

Bonjour!

I apologize for being a bad blogger!  I have been in France now for a week and a half without writing anything here.  In my defense, though, it has been a very busy week and a half, and I think I'm finally starting to settle in. 

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Right at the beginning of my adventure here in Nantes, I got to spend 4 days with the whole IES group (all 56 of us) in the coastal city of Vannes, which is quite a bit smaller, I think, than Nantes, but very pretty, and within an hour of tons of historic sites and pretty places (several of which we visited).  I'll show some pictures and start with the oldest places:

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Here is a picture of me at Les Alignements de Carnac.  Carnac is the place, and the "alignements" are some 3000 enormous rocks standing on end across 4 kilometers.  The structure is around 6000 years old, and nobody really knows why they are there.  Some people believe aliens put the rocks there to help them find uranium, but my favorite theory concerning the rocks is that if you hug or kiss the rocks, you will then feel a greater love for humanity afterwards.  Obviously, I tried it, but I don't know if my love for the human race increased afterwards...

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This is a picture from the ruin of La Forteresse de Largoet, a huge fortress built in the middle ages.  It used to be surrounded by a huge wall several yards thick, which is almost all gone by now.  It also contains the tallest prison in France, a terrifying and enormous stone tower with tiny spiraling staircases (184 stairs).  One of the Kings of England was imprisoned inside; I saw his cell, the size of a closet with a tiny slit for a window and no other light.

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This is what it looks like looking up from the bottom in the prison tower.

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OK, this is the last place I'm going to tell about today.  This is from the beautiful little port town of Saint Gustain, where most of the buildings are several hundred years old, but people still live in them and have shops and restaurants, and people drive their cars over the cobblestone roads.  As you can tell from this picture, it is very hilly (and it was raining that day)

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Last picture: This is also Saint Gustain, but on the water.  There is a stone bridge over the river, and I really like the sailboat, now completely out of the water, because the tide is low.

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One of the things that really strikes me here in France is how old everything is, in the sense of centuries.  I think that's one of the most enchanting qualities of this area of France.  When you walk around the smaller towns, an even in Nantes, which is a modern city, it almost feels like a movie set.  There were times when it really reminded me of Beauty and the Beast.

OK, now that I have (mostly) satisfied my desire to talk about our traveling excursion, next time I'll talk about life here in Nantes.  Classes start on monday, and that's going to be a really full day!

Oh, and in case you're wondering, the picture at the top is of me in the gift shop of La Belle Iloise fish cannery, which has specialized in packing sardines for over 50 years. 

Lao Wai = foreigner

September 9, 2008

I’ve been in Beijing a little over two weeks, I can’t believe it!  Last Friday we had our first Chinese test.  Our Chinese classes are moving very quickly, but I am learning a lot and have had plenty of opportunities to practice speaking.  As I’ve mentioned before, foreigners can be quite an attraction in China.  My friends and I asked a Chinese man to take our picture, so he took a picture with our camera and his friend took a picture with his camera.  Sometimes people on the bus will pretend to look up something on their phone, but they’re really positioning their camera phone to take your picture.  I don’t really mind, but it is a little strange.  It reminds me of my minority status here in China, which is something I’ve never experienced before.  A friend of mine from Wofford asked me the other day how it felt to be a minority.  I was thinking about how to answer that question, and it’s very difficult to describe.  I often have the feeling that I just don’t belong, and that I am imposing on Chinese people’s lives.  But then people ask to take my picture or ask me about my home in America, and it makes me feel welcome.  Most of the people in Beijingare very friendly and eager to talk to Americans or anyone that speaks English for that matter, which makes it very easy to make friends.  One day two Chinese students, at separate times, came up to me and asked if we could be friends.  They both told me that they were studying English and wanted to practice speaking it with me.  I was really excited to make two new friends in Beijing, but then I realized that probably the only reason they approached me was so that they could practice their English and I have to admit, I felt a little used.  Several other IES students experienced similar encounters and have had similar reactions.  I really do appreciate their kindness though, and I am looking forward to getting to know the Chinese students on campus.  I’m constantly trying to make sure that I make a good impression to the Chinese people that I meet, and I wonder how many times I’ve offended someone, or been offended myself simply because of a cultural difference.  It made me think about minorities in the United Statesand I wondered how they feel and what kinds of misunderstandings or uncomfortable situations they experience.One place where being a foreigner is especially regrettable is at the markets.  Being able to bargain is a very valuable skill here in China, one of which I unfortunately do not possess.  Just about anything in China can be bargained for, unless it has a price tag, but even then sometimes.  I had my first bargaining experience this past weekend when I went with some friends to a clothes market near school.  The market consisted of rows of individually operated booths or stalls.  There’s not much organization involved, so trying to find a specific item can be quite difficult.  As foreigners, my friends and I obviously stood out among the narrow aisles.  If we even looked into a stall the owner would grab the nearest item and start trying to sell it to us.  When the salespeople see a foreigner they automatically think that we have money and that we won’t know how to bargain…which in many cases is true.  The salespeople offer an item to foreigners for up to three times the amount they would offer a Chinese person.  I knew this going in, but it was still quite surprising when the salesperson gave me the price for the pants I wanted.  I was able to bargain down to half of the asking price, but I’m pretty sure I still overpaid.  It was definitely a learning experience and not my favorite kind of shopping, but hopefully I will get better at it!

I’ve been living with my homestay family for over week now, and they’re great!  My homestay family consists of my mom and dad and my twelve year old sister.  They all know English very well, which is helpful, but they speak Chinese most of the time so that I can practice.  It’s really neat because I can help my little sister with her English homework and she can help me with my Chinese homework!  When I first arrived I gave them a small gift.  My homestay dad laughed at me, because even though I bought the mug and playing cards in Texas they were both made in China… I guess I should check that next time.  The Wofford frisbee, however, was made in the USA…good job Wofford!  The next day we all went to the park to toss around the Frisbee and play badminton (which is very popular here).  Beijing has some amazing parks, and they attract people of all ages on the weekends.  One thing I’ve observed about the Chinese is that many of them will spontaneously break out in song while walking along the street or sidewalk.  No matter how many people are around, these people just belt it out as if they were singing to themselves in the shower.  Most of the time they sound awful, but I applaud them for not being afraid to be themselves.  The other day I walked past a young man just standing around listening to music.  His music was blaring for all to hear and as I walked past I realized that he was listening to Celine Dione…that made my day.  I also went on a bike riding tour with IES recently which is a whole other story in itself.  Lots of cars, lots of bicycles, lots of danger, but for the most part it was very enjoyable.

Tomorrow we leave for our two week trip to the Silk Road. I still have so much more to see and do in Beijing, but I’m looking forward to exploring the rest of China!

¡Estoy aquí!

So I have been in Bolivia for about a week now and let’s just say it has been a trip like no other.  I believe “normal” flew out the window when my plane left the ground in Miami.  I now have a new idea of what it means to be flexible.  I had a seat number but it really didn’t mean anything. As people got on the plane the flight attendants just sat people wherever space was available. As we began our 7 hour and 45 minute flight, it was about 80 degrees in the cabin.  I had just met everyone in my group and we were still getting acquainted and sweating together. It was a good bonding experience. After about 3 hours an announcement came over the loud speaker and said that we were going to land in Panama. No one had any idea! While we were on the plane, the temperature in the cabin rose to around 93 degrees. It was unbearable but an adventure together nonetheless.
After arriving in Cochabamba, Bolivia we went straight into orientation. I was exhausted because I only got three hours of sleep the night before and I couldn’t sleep on the plane because I was in between two other people.  Our program directors met us at the airport and it was a beautiful sight to see my luggage come across the baggage claim. I didn’t lose a thing. I must say that my program directors, Heidi and Ismael, are incredible. They truly care about the students and are all about supporting us however they can. 
During orientation, all 20 of us stayed at a hotel called Centro Palestro. We also were dropped off at one of the highest points in Cochabamba, at El Cristo, told to find a certain location, and then return to the hotel. My partner and I had to find la Cancha de San Antonio. (a market) We found it and then couldn’t figure out how to get back. I think we walked over 10 miles.  I didn’t experience the culture shock that I thought I would. I really enjoy Cochabamba. I have dodged micros (bus taxis), taxis, cars, trucks, and so much more. The people are so nice, the weather is absolutely perfect everyday, and I get to speak Spanish 24/7! My Spanish is improving quickly and something in my head clicked this weekend where I can understand people a lot better. This was very difficult in the end and I was struggling with it when I got here. I was a little worried it would become a hindrance but everything is working out. I have learned more in a week than I could have ever imagined and I can’t wait for what is in store.
During orientation, I had to take a Spanish placement test. It was actually kind of fun. I ended up scoring high enough that I don’t have to take Spanish classes while I am here.  I have opted to participate in an internship in a hospital and study medicine for a while. I am ecstatic because this is what I want to do in the future.  I’m not exactly sure when it is going to start but most likely this week.
Amongst all that is going on, I have also moved in with my homestay family. I have three brothers, 23, 19, and 12. One is studying physical therapy, another law, and the youngest is in the seventh grade. If I could describe them in one word it would have to be incredible. In a foreign country, I have never felt so close to home. They are so loving and willing to help me anyway they can. I never knew I could have so much fun just hanging out, chatting, and eating. They have already told me that this house is my house from now and forever more. It reminds me of my own home.
I have shared some of the good things, challenges, and difficulties I have had but I must share one thing that has brought me great joy. As many of you know I am an only child.  Here, I am blessed with three brothers.  I never knew truly how much joy I could have sitting down with my little Bolivian brother, Cristian, watching tennis or fútbol, watching a movie, talking, exploring the neighborhood, working on my Spanish, looking at pictures, or just finding something to eat. It has reminded me of my other three “adopted” brothers from my church in Spartanburg, Chase, Carson, and Cooper. It reminds me of the times we are able to just hang out, talk, or play to our hearts content. I rejoice in the face that I am able to have brothers in both countries and that there are other families in this world that are willing to make room for another. We may not be related by blood, but I will always call them my brothers and will always love them like so. I end on this not but more adventures are soon to come… Get excited!!!  (and hopefully pictures!!!)

Gone Granada-ing. Be back later...

Hola readers!

Pardon my late arrival to the Woco blogging circuit. I crossed the Atlantic in a continental aircraft and crossed EU borders in something called a plane that was no bigger than a bread box. TAP (Take Another Plane) lost my luggage, so I haven't had power cords. Though making it to my visa appointment, actually obtaining a visa, preparing for this trip, and arriving to Spain in one piece all involved a Series of Unfortunate Events that could rival even a Lemony Snicket tale, I am finally alive and well with (most of) my luggage in Granada, España.
We spent the first day in Malaga having lunch on the beach, swimming in the very blue Mediterranean, getting tapas, and hanging out with people from our program on our huge suite's balcony. Convincing anyone to study abroad yet?
Day 2 we bussed to Granada, and our host families picked us up. My roommate, Claire, and I have a wonderful madre. Since then, we've been going to orientation classes and getting to know the city. The IES directors and professors are tan increíble. Our school sits just below La Alahmbra and there is a patio with an indescribable view of the city. El Albaycín is so far my favorite barrio. The hike is all uphill, but the view is worth it.
Yesterday, our group hiked at least 10 miles in Cabo de Gata- mountains and the beach... ¿Qué más quieres? When we returned to Granada, it was time for our first Spanish Saturday night. We danced until seven, just like the locals. I am so enjoying the adaptation to Spanish culture! Siestas are necessary for sanity. America should really try it. The eating schedule is fantastic. Tostados for breakfast, big late lunch, light late dinner or tapas. It was a surprisingly easy adjustment. The under five minute showers and sleeping without air hasn't been as hard as I thought either. Open windows and a nice breeze are actually much better. Oh, there is so much more, but I don't want to bore you on the first round. Look for pictures soon!

Chao!
Sara

My Bicycle!

My first week at Amsterdam has already had some ups and downs. Orientation was the first week and my main objectives were to readjust my circadian rhythm, make it to all the meetings, and learn my way around. I did pretty well actually! I caught up on sleep by the next day and familiarized myself with many locations through our orientation program! I knew how to get to all the vital places and there was always someone to walk with—I met a lot of new people from all over the United States. One of my favorite activities was actually a scavenger hunt for famous statues throughout Amsterdam.

With a map and clues, each group set forth to find and document as many of the 10 statues as possible in 3 hours. The group with the most statues and the fastest time would get a 75 euro dinner voucher for the five group members to split. Second place: movie ticket vouchers. Third place: A box of the best chocolate in Amsterdam. My group had our eyes on the prize and we strategically set up a path to hit as many statues as possible. In the end we wound up with 8 statues; however, the last two were in Vondel Park, which was very far away from the finish line. After we got those we had 25 minutes to get back before time was called! We found our way to the tram stop on broken feet and legs—we must have walked a majority of the city! We waited 10 minutes for the next tram and then had to ride back to central station and walk or bus to the finish line. With all the stops and garbage truck hold ups along the way, we didn’t make it back to central till about 1:30pm. We were way over the deadline! Unfortunately we didn’t win any prize—we were disqualified—but we did find the most statues! We won in spirit and we had fun together! Eventually our legs ached from walking, especially after this scavenger hunt. We knew a new mode of transportation was important!

So that weekend was the bike shopping weekend. Bikes are the main mode of transportation inAmsterdam! As a pedestrian, cars are not a concern. You have to watch out for bicycles all the time or else bikers will ring their bell at you to move! I bought my 2^nd hand bike for a pretty penny/euro…85 of them to be exact! It was quite a chunk of change! I was very happy about my new, used bike and rode it “gracefully” to central station where IES student were meeting to a field trip to Haarlem and Zandvoort!

Haarlem is a wonderful city, very quaint and full of color! There was an open air market in the square and a wedding in one of the churches! We had a delicious lunch (soup and sandwiches) in one of the cute restaurants facing the square, and then we wondered through the cobblestone streets until leaving for Zandvoort—the beach! It was beautiful weather but the water from the North Sea was still rather chilly. I got in about mid-calf before I decided to sun bathe instead! I think a lot of people had the same idea because the beach was full of people and covered in yellow and green wind breakers. Most of the IES students brought their bathing suits but a few of the guys didn’t, so they stripped down to their boxes, which wasn’t crass compared to the European men in tight, little Speedos and the European women in only bottoms! Haha

Next was dinner and we had delicious Pannenkoeken, which are giant but thin pancakes with whatever you want on top! I had an Apple and banana pannenkoeken and it was delicious! This is a “must eat” food!

Now comes the downfall to my glorious day: I got back to central station prepared to ride my bike home however my bike felt differently! It decided to have a flat tire! Of course all the stores in Holland close at 6pm so my bike would have to wait till morning. So, I walked the useless thing all the way home! The next day I went to four different bike spots and asked if they could fix my flat, but everyone I went to told me they couldn’t fix the bike because I had a special “sports” tire that they didn’t have! One place told me it was going to be 31 euro for a new tire! The last thing I wanted to do was add another 31 euro onto my 85 euro bike! All I wanted was a patch and nobody could do it! I think there was a miscommunication. Finally I went to MacBike near central station and found someone who knew what I was looking for, Yay! I left it with him and picked it up the next day with a patch for 7,50 euro! I finally got to ride my bike! Unfortunately that wasn’t my only hiccup! I was riding my bike to the IES center so several of us could bike to class together (classes are great by the way!) when my bike chain came off as I shifted gears! I was forced to come to a quick halt! I tried to put the chain back on and in the process the chain just broke…in half! Seriously?! I was going to be late meeting with the group so I locked my bike up where it was and left it! Since I was bikeless, I sat on the back of someone else’s bike and that was fun! I dropped my bike off to get fixed and had to spend another 10 euro but hopefully that is the end of my bike problems!

So that’s the story thus far! Quite an adventure! Yay Amsterdam!