Wofford College - Study Abroad

Australia's Rainbow Row

This weekend has been action packed! I visited the Royal Botanical Gardens of Melbourne, which were established in the 1800s and are located within the city.  There I got to see both native and non native plant species of Australia. Many of the species, however, actually are found in Queensland and not in Victoria. Victoria's climate is too dry to support some of the same habitat.  While at the gardens I also saw a lot of birds, including the Rainbow Lorikeet. One of Australia's most brightly colored and beautiful feathered friends.  The Gardens also host a "Moonlight Cinema" every weekend, which we attended. You bring a picnic dinner and sit outside to watch a movie on one of the grassy lawns. We watched Will Smith in "Seven Pounds", it was such a good movie and all the better since it was outside!  It reminded me of summer movie nights at home in Columbia's Finlay Park.

Neat Topiary at the Royal Botanical Gardens

We also took a train up to Brighton Beach, which is located about ~30min train ride outside of Melbourne. At the Beach there are heaps of these brightly colored Beach Huts.  They are fondly known as the "Rainbow Beach Huts of Brighton Beach." They are so picturesque, and happy. We spent an afternoon basking in the sunlight and taking photos at the beach. It was glorious. Brighton is also really popular for kite boarding and windsurfing, which you can see in the photo below. You also have a pretty good view of the city skyline.

The Melbourne Skyline and the Rainbow Row of Huts on the Right from Far Away

A closer view of some of my favorite houses.

All in All it was a very nice weekend, I enjoyed getting out of the city and exploring some new areas.

Galapagos Islands

During Carnaval, the students from my university as well as those from the other university here took a trip to the Galapagos with our program, IES.  It was one of the most beautiful weekends I have ever seen, and it was one trip I will never forget!

The first day, we landing on the island of San Cristobal where we went to lunch at a local restaurant and took in the beautiful scenery on a short hike over the volcanic rocks.  We went to a small museum where we learned from our guides a little about the history of the islands, and then we relaxed on the beach with the sea lions since the change of altitude and climate was quite exhausting (the one thing everyone was looking forward to the most!). 

The second day, we woke up quite early in the morning, gathered our things, and we headed out for a day in the boat as we ventured to our next island.  And yes, they checked every single one of our bags each time we left an island.  Unfortunate for me, I had to practically sit on my suitcase again to get it to close after they got done digging through my personal belongings.  That day, we spent snorkeling and sun bathing for the most part.  It was beautiful! We saw everything from huge parrot fish and blue seastars to Galapagos sharks and huge sea turtles.  And then there were the sea lions who were not scared of us in the slightest. One actually swam right up next to me and touched me!  I also saw my first blue-footed boobie.  We ate lunch on the Floreana, the least populated with only about 200 residents. That's where I saw a penguin! Penguins were the one thing I wanted to see while I was there, and my wish was granted. Then we headed to the island of Isabela where we all visited a turtle santuary, showered, ate dinner, and headed down to the beach for a Carnaval celebration with music and dancing.

  

The following day, we hiked one of the volcanoes on Isabela that recently erupted in 2005.  It was a long hike of 8 km for some while others took the even longer hike of about 10 km.  However, it was worth it because it was a beautiful view!  Besides, I survived my first ever real hike! After we hiked, we headed to the hotel to gather our things, and we set out on the boats again to head to our next island, Santa Cruz.  Santa Cruz is one of the most populated and generally receives the most tourism.  When we arrived on Santa Cruz, we all ate dinner and then headed out for a little night on the town and visited some of the shops.

   

Our last full day in the Galapagos, we spent the morning at the Darwin Center where we had the opportunity to learn about things that pose a threat to the species in the Galapagos, such as wasps, and the projects that are currently going on to preserve the islands.  We also got to visit the most famous turtle, Jorge, who is the only known turtle of his species.  He currently has 2 girlfriends, but they are having a hard time trying to get him to reproduce. He was HUGE!  Then, after lunch, we headed to a private farm.  On the way, we stopped at the Gemelos ("Twins") which are two craters, one on each side of the road.  However, they aren't real craters. In fact, they are actually points where lava tunnels naturally caved in.  Then, on the farm, we were actually able to walk through a lava tunnel which was amazing! (even though it did include crawling on our hands and knees in the mud!) Then we saw some of the giant turtles in their natural environment and even took pictures in some real shells.

     

Our last night, we headed out on the town to celebrate Carnaval with the people of the Galapagos but to also celebrate the 21st birthdays of two girls within our group.  We had an amazing time, and we were quite sad to be returning to the noise, smoke-filled Quito after being in the very calm, care-free environment of the Galapagos.  While it was beautiful to be in the Galapagos and an experience I'll never forget, I felt like I was at home while I was there because it was so warm and I was so close to the beach/coast.  It was the first time I was really missing home which made it even harder to come back to Quito. Beautiful is definitely an understatement!

Navigation

G'day!! I have reached an almost familiarity with Melbourne--which is reason for rejoicing! I can successfully navigate myself to the nearest grocery store, bottle shop, market, and shopping areas. Additionally I can almost usually navigate the trams and trains system--and have learned the best areas for crossing the street without a near death experience. I have also had some amazing coffee--cappucino is just soo delicious and there are millions of cafes. Some friends and I have made a pact to frequent at least one new cafe a week while we're here...trying to sample a bit of everything. Progress is being made!

The Federation Square in Downtown Melbourne. There are many examples of really quirky and unique architecture here in Melbourne. It gives the city a really modern feel I love it!

I have also since my last post... visited many of the sites of Melbourne. I went to the Melbourne Museum, the Melbourne aquarium, the enormous state library, many of the shopping districts, and have gotten better acquainted with the University of Melbourne campus. Today I took a tour of the science buildings--it was a great decision. They took us to Bio21, the collaborative sciences building housing Molecular biologists, organic chemists, bioinformatics, and many other departments. They house an 800 mHz NMR there...which for those chemistry geeks means its pretty awesome.  They also took us to Wee-Hi, abbreviation for Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research. It houses all the immunology, pathology, histology and other biomedical sciences affiliated with the university. It is located in the Royal Melbourne Hospital- so I also got to see some of the hospital.  Additionally they took us to the Uni Melb's Anatomy museum and the Tieg's Zoological Museum where we saw many neat specimens and to the Physics Museum. They also took us out to tea which was quite enjoyable.

In addition to orientation at Uni, they've have orientation here at the RMIT village (the apartments where I'm living, they are kind of like a dorm atmosphere.)  Each night has been an activity meant to promote meeting both local and international students. They've hosted a comedy night, a pub crawl, various meet and greets, a BBQ and tonight there is a 90s themed party in the courtyard in the middle of the apartment complex. Its a great atmosphere for meeting people and having fun close to home. 

On a side note, I attended literally the coolest bar in Melbourne. "Chill Out" , the ice bar. Quite literally everything is made out of ice. The bar, the glasses, the furniture is all ice. You are only allowed to stay inside for 30 minutes, and when you arrive they give you a parka, gloves, and boots. It is such a neat experience, and I have never been to anything like that at all in the states.
Athe Ice Bar
Look at all the ice sculptures!

Anyhow, the ice bar was a really neat place and quite outside the ordinary nightlife scene. Maybe thats what night life is in anarctica...who knows?!? haha.

Classes start on Monday--which I'll be glad for. I've really enjoyed having all the orientations and opportunities to explore the city and meet heaps of people, but I'm ready for a bit of routine and classes! It will give me a better marker to mark the time going on.  Till Then, Cheers!

Bonjour baby can I achete you some dranken?

Us in front of the Eiffel Tower

I know you are a little confused by the title of this blog. It is Frenglutch, a mixture of French, English and Dutch. It is a part of the official European language Frenglanishermanutch, which consists of French, English, German, Spanish and Dutch. I learned about this wonderful mélange of languages during my vacation last week to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam. Brussels is the capital of Frenglucth because it has two official languages, French and Dutch, and a many people speak English as well. I know I haven’t written a blog in about a week and a half, but that is because last week we were on winter break and I didn’t think I needed to write a blog before I left. I am particularly excited about this entry because my Dad told me my aunts also read this blog, which more than quadruples my readership. Well, enough for small talk, onto the blog!

View From Brice’s Apartment, I feel your Jealousy

 

Singing “The Devil Went Down To Georgia”

Let me start this entry by telling you about Karaoke Night. Our social coordinator planned for us to go to a bar together for Karaoke Night the Thursday before we (Charles, Michael, Will and I) left for our trip. I met our social coordinator and the IES group at Place Royale around 9:30 and we got to the bar around 9:45. Immediately after we arrived at the bar, Samuel, our social coordinator, signed Charles, Will, Justin and me up to sing “Comme d’habitude”, the French version of “My Way”. So after our first drink we sing “Comme d’habitude” and completely botched the song, we had the French patrons in the bar laughing along with us as we sang and botched every word of the song. A while later Will sang “Respect” by Aretha Franklin. After Will channeled his inner-Motown Charles decided it would be a great idea for us to sing “The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by The Charlie Daniels Band”. This was around 11:15 and my last Tram left at midnight. At 11:45 our turn came around and we blasted “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” as loud and as proud as we could in a French bar, it was a great moment. I left the bar right after the song ended and I sprinted toward my Tram and made it just in the nick of time.

Me in front of the Louvre

 

NAPOLEON'S TOMB!!!

Rugby game, “Allez les bleus!”

On Friday, after our failed attempt at French Idol, I met Charles, Will and Michael at IES so we could go to the train station and catch our train to Paris. We arrived in Paris and took the Metro to Montmartre because we were staying with Charles’s friend and his apartment is in Montmatrtre. We arrived and met Charles’s friend, Brice. Brice then proceeded to leave us, four college guys, with his apartment for the night. We then proceeded to take copious amounts of pictures showing off how AWESOME it was to have our own French apartment. O and I didn’t tell you that the view from the bedroom looked out over Montmatre and showed the Eiffel Tower, the Champs Elysees, and the Arc de Triomphe. After our little photo-shoot we went out to find some dinner. We walked around Montmartre and found Sacre Coeur Basilica and the famous steps leading up to the Basilica. We then ate at cheap little Parisian brasserie then we went looking for a good bar. We walked around awhile and eventually found ourselves in the Moulin Rouge area of Montmartre. If you are not aware of Monmartre then let me give you a quick summary: it is the oldest district in Paris and it is also holds Paris’s sketchiest buildings like the Sexodrome and other establishments with similar names, I will let your imagination run wild over what these buildings held. We eventually found a bar, but we left early because we were waking up early to view Paris. Saturday we woke up around 10:00 and left Brice’s apartment around 11:00. We went to the Eiffel Tower, but we didn’t go up because the line was too long and we were meeting Brice at 2:00 for lunch and so he could take us to the France vs. Scotland rugby game. We took some pictures around the Tower, which is very imposing in person, and then we went to Les Invalides. Les Invalides is the military museum of France and it also holds Napoleon’s grave. We only had time to walk through the WWI and WWII exhibits of the museum before we saw Napoleon’s grave because it was getting close to 2:00. Once we got to see Napoleon’s grave I reacted like a 13 year old girl in the front row of a Jonas Brothers’ concert, I was beyond ecstatic, I was hyper (great French adjective)-ecstatic. After I swooned over Napoleon’s grave enough we left and met Brice for lunch. After lunch he took us to Le Stade de France to watch the Six Nations rugby game between France and Scotland. The Six Nations is an annual national rugby tournament between France, Scotland, Ireland, England and Italy. We got to the game and it was one of the oddest sport’s atmospheres I’ve ever witnessed. I was expecting the crowd to have the energy of a soccer game, but it had the atmosphere of a baseball game. The crowd never really cheered unless something exciting was about to happen, but for the most part they studied and watched the game. France won the game, and afterwards we went back to Brice’s apartment to get ready to go out. Sunday we woke up around noon and went to the Louvre. We got to the Louvre around 2:00 so we only had three hours to spend looking at the world’s biggest collection of art. We started our tour by seeing the Winged Victory and the “Mona Lisa”, and for those who say the “Mona Lisa” Is overrated you are wrong, it is probably the most beautiful painting in the world. After seeing Mona Will and I went to find the Code of Hamurabi, we found the Code then we went to find the Rubens’ room which contained the twenty-four paintings that Rubens painted for Marie de Medici. We then met up with Charles and Michael and we left the Louvre and walked down the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. We got to the Arc de Triomphe, but we didn’t climb to the top because it cost 9euro so we just walked around and took pictures. We then left and went back to Brice’s apartment because he was making dinner for us. We got to the apartment, ate dinner, and then spent our last evening in Paris talking with Brice about his stay in the States and other topics; it was a great night and a great end to our stay in Paris.

Code of Hamurabi

 

Charles, Arc de Triomphe

 

Le Chat Noir

 

Moulin Rouge

We arrived in Brussels on Monday around noon. We had a very exciting time getting to our train because we misread the time, but we caught it right before it left. After we checked into our hostel we realized that we had nothing to do while in Brussels except see the Manneken Pis. Brice had told us that Brussels was known for two things: beer and fries, and that’s what we set out for, beer and fries. We walked around for awhile until we found the main square where we ate a lovely lunch of Brussels Fries. After lunch we walked around some more and I picked up a bag of chocolate and Charles grabbed a waffle. After some time we found a bar with a wide selection of Belgian beer. We all ordered a different one, and they all were delicious. We left the bar and went back to our hostel to rest before dinner where we played a hearty game of Hearts. Nothing much else happened Monday except for dinner and then going out; however, after dinner Will and I ate a Belgian waffle with ice cream and chocolate and it was absolutely delicious! Tuesday we woke up late and walked around downtown. We went to the Belgian Beer Museum and learned that the patron saint of beers is St. Arnold. We saw the Manneken Pis, which is just a small statute of a peeing baby, and we tried more delicious Belgian beer. After dinner we bought some Belgian beers and stayed in our room playing cards because we wanted to rest before our trip to Amsterdam.

Manneken Pis

 
Will with waffle, notice the look of complete satisfaction

We arrived in Amsterdam on Wednesday afternoon for the last leg of our trip. I know what ya’ll are thinking, you’re thinking that the only reason four college kids are going to Amsterdam is for the lack of normal laws. Oh ye of little faith! For your information Amsterdam is full of history. There are countless museums and the city is absolutely gorgeous, and after taking Dr. Schmunk’s wonderful Art History 201 class I really wanted to see Flemish art at its best. Once we arrived Wednesday we went to the Anne Frank House which was one of the most moving experiences of my life, on the wall of Anne Frank’s room where the cut-outs she had pasted while in hiding there, it was very moving because it reinforced the reality that history actually took place where I was standing at that moment. Thursday we went to the Rijksmuseum and the Heineken Experience. The Rijksmuseum is the Dutch Louvre, but most of it was under renovation and only one wing was open, and this wing didn’t have many paintings and we were not very impressed with the size or selection. Needless to say once we left we named it the “Dutch Disappointment”. The Heineken Experience was one of the highlights of our trip. It was not only a tour of the first Heineken brewery, but it was also a lesson in the art of beer making. We also got two free beers at the end of the tour and it brainwashed me into only drinking Heineken for the rest of my life. Friday we went to the Van Gogh Museum, and that was also one of the more amazing experiences of the trip. The Museum not only held an impressive collection of Van Gogh’s works, but it also held many works by his contemporaries, inspirations, and students. I was very impressed with the exhibit of “Starry Night”, not because “Starry Night” is a beautiful painting, but because it showed the evolution of Van Gogh’s mastery of the night in his works. After the Van Gogh Museum we found a playground and immediately started playing. Don’t judge us, this playground was different, it had beams and a net. Saturday we were money drained and tired so we only went to the Rembrandt House, which was a huge disappointment for me because it did not have a large collection of Rembrandt’s works, it only recreated his house from his time period. I hate to admit it, but Charles was right and we should have gone to the Botanical Gardens (don’t get used to it Charles, it’s not often you will get some credit in this blog!). We partied a little Saturday because it was the last night of our trip, but we woke up on time Sunday morning to check out and hit our train.

 

Amsterdam

Van Gogh Museum

Van Gogh again

 

Heineken Experience, making the delicious beverage

This was one of the best vacations I have had in a while. I have always wanted to take a tour of Europe and I was so happy to finally experience a European trip. I have to say that Paris as definitely the highlight of the trip, with Amsterdam coming in a solid second and Brussels dragging into third. I highly recommend that everyone try to go to Paris at least once in their lifetime, it is unlike any city I have ever visited. Amsterdam was good, but only because it was like the European Cancun because of the influx of college-age kids coming to take advantage of the city’s lack of laws, but with more history, more beauty, and more debauchery (not by us, but because of its infamous quarter, you know the one I’m talking about), and you can actually take your family to Amsterdam. I would love to go back to Brussels again, but with my Dad and my brother because the beer was so good I think it would be fun.

A thin slice of heaven

 

Heineken brainwashing

 

And again

Before I finish this entry I want to mention that yesterday was Mardi Gras and I ate an authentic French Mardi Gras meal. My French Mom made crêpes, the traditional Mardi Gras meal, and I ate like no other, and today I went to the Ash Wednesday mass in French. I have been to French masses before, but never a holiday mass like this one and it was very interesting.

Our little playground we found, notice out little Dutch friend

The red lights give it away

Well readers, I know you were on pins and needles waiting for this entry and I hope you got as much pleasure reading it as I had as much pleasure writing it. Until next time mes amis!

We found a bar with the South Carolina flagging in Amsterdam, gotta love home!

A CONTROVERSIAL CITY...

One thing I’ve learned:

If you want to buy smoked meat… go to a smokehouse

If you want to smoke… go to a coffeeshop

If you want coffee… go to a café

These are important distinctions! I wonder how many tourists have walked into coffeeshops expecting a Starbucks. They do sell coffee, but marijuana is the specialty. The coffee here is better than that in the US, which is great for me because I am an avid coffee drinker, but they drink it more times a day and in smaller portions. A large coffee here is not even as big as a small cup in the US.

 

When you think of Amsterdam, what is your response? What have you heard about the city? Well I can tell you that if you haven’t been here your impression may not be correct. One question that I have been contemplating: How tolerant are the Dutch? Why do they allow certain activities here?

DRUGS:

Before I left for Amsterdam, when I mentioned my destination to friends they all commented on the “everything is legal” city. This is actually not true, however! Hard drugs are not legal in the Netherlands, though it probably is easier to get them here than it would be in other places (especially in the tourist district). It is not unusual to get offers as you walk the streets looking for a restaurant. MARIJUANA IS NOT LEGAL IN AMSTERDAM contrary to popular belief!! It is, however, tolerated. It is allowed in coffeeshops or within the privacy of one’s own home but it is not acceptable to smoke outside in public or in a bar or club. One must be at least 18 years old to enter a coffeeshop. Our RAs informed us that smoking in our rooms was tolerable as long as we opened a window. Also, smoking cigarettes in coffeeshops is not allowed.

Recently the restrictions have gotten stricter concerning drugs. The truly interesting part to me is that the sale and smoking of it in a coffeeshop is allowed, but the sale of any drugs to a business is not allowed. The suppliers of coffeeshops have to be cautious with their shipments because it is illegal to sell marijuana to even a coffeeshop and violators face consequences. It seems a bit contradictory, thus the theme of Dutch society! Shrooms were recently outlawed so smartshops can no longer sell them, but they also can be purchased with ease in the city if one is looking for them.

ALCOHOL

The alcohol policy here is also different. One must be at least 16 to buy beer and wine and 18 to purchase stronger types of alcohol. The drinking culture is also very different. It is sociably unacceptable to be drunk in public. The Dutch generally drink at social events; it is more a part of the social scene here, yet the average person drinks in moderation. They do not drink to get drunk. In fact, there have been several people in my program to get kicked out of clubs and bars for being “too drunk.” It is a different mindset. At home I do not go to bars much, but here there are a lot more of them (all sell Heineken) and the atmosphere is calmer in a sense. Well, if you to Leidsplein on a Saturday night its going to be loud and crazy, but there are less belligerently drunk people and at clubs people don’t “grind” or try to dance with people they don’t know in the same way. (One funny observation: European guys will dance alone unlike American guys. They are not too proud to dance by themselves or with other guys.)

PROSTITUTION

Yes, prostitution is also legal. I also had several friends ask me if this is how I would be making extra spending money while I am here. There are not prostitutes standing on street corners or waiting in dark alleys. The Red Light District is a very small part of town where prostitutes can be found perched seductively in windows where a red light is shining. They stand, dance, or pose with very little clothing in the window of the store trying to attract men on the street. At night one can watch men choosing women and making deals. (Apparently it costs extra for a faked orgasm.) This part of town actually isn’t very big, but it is quite unattractive. Along the street are tons of sex shops, porn stores, and theaters where live sex shows occur. Yes, apparently they actually have sex on the stage and you can pay to see it. If you ask me, the way it is portrayed makes it look quite undesirable, but on the weekends the street is full of window shoppers.

Whats the deal?

The rationality for allowing these types of things in Amsterdam

(and in other parts of Europeas well) seems to be that when something is made legal it is easier to control. A guy in one of my classes from Denmark told me that in his country a Nazi group was allowed to exist for this very reason. This way the government can keep an eye on it and limit its power. Likewise, the Dutch government allows these things so they can be controlled, and also because they are a “tolerant” society. Since the 1960’s the Dutch has moved away from religion and have claimed to be a tolerant society. This is true in some respects. Groups such as homosexuals which are looked down upon in some places are widely accepted here.

This is an interesting thought… some drugs are tolerated here, alcohol can be bought at a younger age, and prostitution is legal, yet the Netherlands seems to have less problems with these things than other countries do. Whether or not one believes that the security this provides is more beneficial than the consequences it brings, it does seem to be true that these practices are safer. As I mentioned the drinking culture here is different because people are allowed to drink at a younger. By the time they are in college they are quite used to social drinking. There are less problems with STDs here because legalizing prostitution calls for more precautions and guidelines which actually safeguard those involved. Though it is strange to walk into my apartment building to be struck with the smell of marijuana, it is refreshing to be in a place where “getting wasted” or being “messed up” just isn’t cool.

How tolerant are the Dutch really?

Well this is actually the topic of my field experience project. In one of my classes we were discussing free speech and specifically in relation to Wilders (a Dutch parliamentarian who made an extremely controversial anti-Islamic video called Fitna). We discussed the limits of this freedom or if there should be any at all. My class of course did not agree on this issue. The Dutch have a history of allowing leaders like this to speak their mind even though the constitution does not actually allow discrimination of this type. In Americaleaders like Wilders, Pim Fortyun and Hirsi Ali would not be allowed to act as they do in the Netherlands, yet they were quite influential people here.

Though Dutch society is tolerant toward certain types of people and lifestyles, they seem to be intolerant towards others. The Netherlands, especially Amsterdam, has faced the influx of thousands of immigrants over the last years from all over the world and this has caused problems. There are intense racial and religious concerns here which makes one wonder how tolerant are the Dutch really? Not long ago a film maker, Theo van Gogh, made an anti-Islamic film which lead to his death by a Muslim extremist. Many in this country are entirely opposed to immigration by Muslims who want to re-inject religion into society. This has caused problems and has led to stronger restrictions on immigration.

Interlaken, Switzerland

I journeyed out of Rome for the first time last weekend and after a 12 hour journey, I arrived in Interlaken, Switzerland. It was 4:00 in the morning when my 17 friends and I arrived, but we quickly decided to live up our four days in Switzerland and stayed up to watch the sun rise. It was the most beautiful country that I have ever been to. The Swiss Alps are absolutely breathtaking and I quickly found myself loving the cold weather-- after having grown up in Charleston, South Carolina, the love that I found of the snow caught me quite off guard!

On Friday morning, I decided to go "canyon diving" with some of my friends. This adventure consisted of being strapped into a harness and throwing myself off of a 300 foot cliff into a canyon of the Alps. As we weighed ourselves and basically signed away our lives to the canyon diving company, I realized exactly what I was getting myself into and started to cry. Of course the six of my guy friends that were with me thought this was hilarious and captured my tears on film, but my fear was very real. I was looking over the edge of this mountain and was seriously asking myself, "Why am I doing this?" I decided to go second to last, thinking that my fear of the jump would subside after seeing all of my friends make is safely to the bottom. However, I was quite wrong and my anxiety only increased with each jump. So, it was my turn and I walked over to the platform to jump off. Six minutes later, I still had not jumped, but tears continued to fall. My friend, Matt, was secretly videotaping me, so I now have all of the tears, screams, and fear recorded on video. I finally convinced the "jump-master" to push me over the edge, so I made my way over the edge of the platform and felt a hand gently nudge me over the edge!

The next three seconds of my life are a complete blur. I have very little memory of my free-fall, only remembering that I had absolutely no breath in my body! When I finally began swinging through the canyon at the bottom, I was screaming bloody murder, laughing, and crying all at the same time. It was by far the best thing I have ever done in my entire life and do not regret it for a second. I was terrified, absolutely terrified, but I overcame my all-encompassing fear and just jumped. As cliche as it may sound, I conquered my fear!

The question remains-- Would I do it again? I'm not sure I can really answer that, as I'll probably never have that opportunity again. But I was proud of myself for actually accomplishing this daunting and terrifying task. I feel as if this experience could be a metaphor for my study abroad experience in general-- It's quite scary at times and you could just as easily turn around, unharness, and walk safely down the mountain, but after taking the plunge, it was totally worth it.

Más despacio, por favor!

I landed in Santiago, Chile yesterday after one minor change of flight plans (I was switched to a different airline and went from GSP airport in SC to Atlanta instead of Dallas but I actually got to Santiago an hour earlier than originally planned so it worked out fine.)  I was very nervous flying by myself as I haven't ever flown by myself before but on the flight to Santiago, I met a man named Agosto who was a Chilean and he was very friendly and told me about Chile and about their landscape and culture and certain sayings they say and I enjoyed talking with him although we talked in English. (Yes, I was a wimp and was too afraid to speak Spanish.)  Agosto helped me in the airport and reassured me b/c I was afraid of immigration and being in a foreign country but he said that most Chileans are friendly and like to help foreigners, so that's reassuring.  I found my IES group at the airport amid people shouting "Taxi" and holding up signs for people they were waiting for at the airport.  I arrived early in the morning and met many of the people in my IES Study abroad group but had to wait for 2 1/2 hours for other students to come in from their flights and then we traveled in a van and each of us was dropped off to our homestay family and por supuesto (of course) I was dropped off last but so far I have learned to be patient b/c it will all work out fine.  My family consists of a wife and a husband who are older and have a grown daughter with a 12 year old son.  The daughter and her son visit often and live nearby.  They are very nice and the mom spoils me and asks me what I like to eat and let me pick out breakfast foods at the supermercado (grocery store) and calls me, "Mi amor" (my love) and says I should make myself at home and in their family, they don't eat a big dinner, instead they eat snacks or pie or something smaller but she has fixed me my own special dinner twice already because she knows that Americans like 3 full meals a day so I feel loved. 
Below is a picture of the view from my bathroom with a mountain range in the background:

It is hard speaking mostly only Spanish (the title means: slower, please!) but I enjoy it and am having fun learning words and sayings of Chile and I'm getting used to it and I understand why you must be immersed in a language to really learn it.  It's very hot here (upper 80s) and is sunny because it's the end of summer but cooler in the morning and night so that is refreshing.  Chile is unique because it's so narrow, it's about 3 1/2 hours from one coast to another and there are mountains with snow (Andes, etc) in the winter, lakes, glaciers, deserts, and beaches all in the same country.  And apparently Chile is basically the safest country in South America although pickpocketing is common in Santiago, but it is the capital, so what do you expect?  I am overwhelmed by the bus and metro system but I will get the hang of it soon... All in all, it has been a good two days so far.  Until next time, Chao!       

Cultural Exchange

A Magnificent City

Yesterday we had a mandatory "cultural workshop" in which our group met with a class of intercultural studies students from the Netherlands in order to have some sort of a cultural exhchange. Of course, we were skeptical at first, but it ended up being really great! The class was a group of older students who have been in the workforce and are going back to finish their education and they were put in groups with us to go out into the city to explore various topics. My group consisted of 9 and we were to discuss the differences in government and bureaucracy between our countries, but we didn't talk  much about our topic. The three Dutch on our team were really cool. They were in their mid to late twenties and instead gave us a long bike tour of the city, showing us some really incredible places that we just didn't know about, and informing us about the best shopping and the least touristy places to go. This was the first truly nice day I have experienced in this country. It was sunny, chilly (not cold), and there was NO rain or snow! For those of you who have been keeping up with my blog or who have spoken to me personally, you know very well how much I complain about the weather. It is the one thing that I really dislike about Amsterdam, so imagine how wonderful it was for me to expect slight rain and to find that it was instead very nice. It was a beautiful day and even places that I have been before looked much more beautiful and interesting in the brightness of the sun. I only wish I could have taken a lot of pictures, but as we were riding and did not have time to stop, I couldn't. I wish I could explain how unique and magnificient this city is (when its not raining), but there really is no way. There are styles and attitudes, buildings and streets that are very Dutch in a way that can't quite be described. This trip definitely made me excited to go out again soon to explore on my own with my camera. I hope I can remember how to get to the places that we went to so the next time there is a nice day I can go out again.

Though we did not discuss our topic in great detail, we did speak about aspects of our governments and the differences in them. We also talked about cultural differences and it was so interesting to speak with them. Our tour guides were very very nice and they were eager to teach us more about the Netherlands and specifically Amsterdam, and also to learn from us. We stopped at a cafe called "winkel" which means shop or store, where we had apple pie and cappucinos. Apparently the Dutch think that apple pie is a very Dutch thing, though many Americans I'm sure would claim it to be very American. The guy we with with insisted that the Dutch invented it and it is much better here than in the States. There was a slight arugment but no fists were thrown. (After looking it up when i got back, I discovered that apple pie was probably invented by the English). We discussed politics a bit, of course to discover that they were all Obama fans. I believe that most of the value of our discussions cannot be expressed with words, but the time we spent together was fun and valuable.

After this part, we went on a boat tour of the city, in which we rode on a covered boat through the canals (there are so many here!) and could see the city from a different perspective. It was a nice way to end our day! Below is one picture that I took from the boat.

Classes are goin well and I have finally quit getting lost going at least to my normal class locations. I am starting to make connections about how the city is structured and I am finding back roads to take. The main roads are really hectic and honestly pretty dangerous during certain hours. After my night classes there are tourists everywhere so between the trams, buses, cars, and especially the bikers there is mass chaos and a great potential for accidents to occur. I try to avoid those spots if at all possible during those hours. It is empowering, however; to find your own way around a city that you do not know and to become an aggressive bike-rider. It makes you feel very Dutch to ring your bike bell at tourists and slow bikers who get in your way. I feel as if I am beginning to conquer the city, but there is still much to learn. Below are a few pictures I took. It is important to note that almost the entire city is full of canals such as these. Many times you can see swans swimming in them.

My friendships with students here have grown deeper already, and it is becoming easier to see myself living here for 4 more months. I must admit that there are still occasions when I just want to be home more than anything, and there are times when I question what I am doing here, yet I am becoming more confident and excited about my time here overall. There was a point at the beginning of last week when I was feeling homesick, but my friends here noticed and have encouraged me to go out more and to get invovled with activities and events here. I have made a conscious effort to focus on what I am doing here, and I am beginning to see what things there are for me to do in this city. I am specifically looking forward to continuing work on my field experience project which will be very enlightening and exciting for me, and I am beginning to start traveling around Europe some. In two weeks I plan to go to Paris with 4 other students from my program and hopefully I will be able to meet Stevie and Fran (two of my very best friends) there as well. My proximity to other places is of course great for traveling.

(A special shout out to my all of my new friends! To Beth, Arjay, Jackie, Kate and Tanya especially!)

 Above is me and Kate (a friend from my field experience class) and below are two pictures from an expedition to Oosterpark which is near our apartment building: first is me and Jackie, under that is Jackie and Arjay (they are two wonderful people who live on my hall! I hang out with them a lot)

I also feel that the challenges I am facing are serving to strengthen my personal faith and relationship with Jesus Christ, who I believe is here with me though my family cannot be. I have been forced to depend upon Him rather than friends or family when I am stressed or upset. Separation from everything familiar has a way of changing one's perspective about what is important. (I have found comfort in Psalm 68:19). I am encouraged daily by my savior who always bears my burdens if I but ask. I also feel that this experience is stengthening other relationships that I have with people at home because it takes more of an effort to keep in touch with people when there is a 6 hour time difference and scheduling conflicts, but it can also be more rewarding. I miss my family, I miss my friends (especially Caroline, Stevie, Alyse and Fran), I miss my boyfriend Landon, and I even miss Wofford a ton, but I know that when I get back I will appreciate all of these people more than I ever have before.

Below is a picture of me and my pal Beary in front of a very historical church near Oosterpark

Bellisima!

This week has been absolutely crazy!  I survived my weekend in Naples, but barely.  We left on Friday at midnight on a bus and rolled into Naples at 5:30 in the morning.  The bus ride was interesting, but I got a lot of sleep, which was good.  When we got to Naples, we were dropped off at a random street corner in the middle of what we came to know and love as Piazza Garibaldi.  Someone’s guidebook suggested that we “escape the horror of Garibaldi as quickly as possible,” so we were ready to get to our hotel.  We knew it wouldn’t be open, but we at least wanted to see where it was.  The great thing though was that we knew our hotel was in Garibaldi, but we couldn’t find it.  So there we stood, seven sleep-deprived American girls with backpacks in one of the most dangerous cities in Italy. We would have found our way and be completely fine, but fortunately for us, the police drove up and asked if we needed help, so we explained our problem.  They were very nice to call our hotel and walk us to it, showing us where it was for when it opened at 10 in the morning.  This made the process much easier and faster than us wandering around.

 

Since we couldn’t get in yet, we decided to go ahead and start the day.  We went to the train station and bought tickets for the above ground subway to Pompeii.  We rode to the ruins of Pompeii, and along the way, the sun was coming up over the sea.  It was absolutely gorgeous.  We saw the sun come up over Naples and the water, which was a really neat experience.  We finally made it to Pompeii, but it didn’t open until 8:30, and we were there shortly after 7.  We were quite a sight, and freezing I might add, but we were just glad to be somewhere a little warmer than outside to sit and wait for the ruins to open.  While waiting, we explored the area a little bit and found HUGE lemons that looked like they were on steroids.  We also chatted with some of the locals and just wandered.

Lemons on Steroids

 

Pompeii Entrance

 

Vesuvius in the Background

When Pompeii finally opened, we went in and walked around.  It was really cold, but we were extremely glad we got there early because it was not as crowded, and the peace and quiet were nice.  Pompeii was absolutely beautiful.  We saw ruins of baths, homes, the forum, houses built to gods, bakeries, fountains, and all kinds of other things.  The sky was blue, and the sun was shining brightly, which made our experience all the more pleasurable.  We spent 5 hours in Pompeii, whether it was walking around, taking goofy pictures, or lying in the grass of the amphitheater with our eyes closed, basking in the sun.  We were somewhat tired, so at the end, we just set our backpacks down and took a break, lounging in the sun for a while.  While doing so however, we opened our eyes to a group of 6-7 guys who looked like they weren’t more that 16.  We started from our dazed sunny stupor to the words, “bellisima” and “beautiful.” They were standing about a foot away from us and just staring.

 

 

    It was funny because in Siena, people don’t normally do that.  The Sienese are a bit more snobbish and most do not behave impolitely or overly forwardly.  We laughed it off and headed out of Pompeii

soon after because we felt like we were on display.  Before leaving the city, we also saw Vesuvius looming in the background, and we got a chance to see the people that had been preserved in the ash, which was fascinating.  There were so many cool things to look at, and we could have spent a lot more time there.  We were hungry though and decided to try to get to Sorrento that day too.
 

We got back on the subway and rode to Sorrento, getting off and eating at this really cute café.  Most of us got pizza before walking around the city and exploring its gorgeous views and cute shops.  We took a lot of pictures and just looked at all that Sorrento had to offer.  It was a beautiful city with its market, churches, and limon cello.  We really enjoyed walking around, and we ended up getting gelato, which has probably been my favorite so far.  I got coconut, and it was absolutely fabulous.  It had bits of actual coconut in it, and it was creamy and…just yummy!  We had a lot of fun, but in the end we were tired and decided to head back to Naples for the night.  We hopped the subway at sunset, which took about an hour, causing most people to fall asleep against the windows and on backpacks.  I’m sure we looked pretty funny.  It was nice though, because as we had watched the sun rise, we also got to watch it set over Naples and the sea.

 

When we got back to Garibaldi, we climbed to the eighth floor of a building to our tiny bed and breakfast, called La Residenza.  The older man who runs it is precious, and he was very nice and helpful.  We got three rooms and shared two hall bathrooms.  It was pretty nice and very cheap, which was great.  We set our stuff down and checked in before heading to grab a bite of dinner.  Most of us just wanted bed by this point, but the man told us that the pizza place he gave us was known for having the best pizza in the world.  I’m not sure how he knows that, but we took his word for it and went.  Before we left for Naples, Piera and several other people told us that we had to have pizza in Naples, so we did, quite a few times actually.  Anyway, we went to this pizza place, where they only have two choices of pizza, and we got ours to go.  They throw out those pizzas so fast; it was incredible.  We all got our pizza and headed back to the hotel.  We looked pretty funny: seven girls with pizza boxes walking in a line down the street.  We walked back to our hotel and ate the pizza, which was very good.  It might have been the best pizza I’ve ever had, and all it was, was a thin crust with mozzarella and marinara sauce.  It was really good.  After dinner, we showered and went to bed in order to wake up decently early for the next morning. 

After a good night’s sleep, we got up and got back on the subway to Sorrento.  From Sorrento, we caught a bus and headed to the Amalfi Coast.  The bus ride was absolutely gorgeous.  The sky was clear, and the Mediterranean water was sparkling blue green.  We were on tall cliffs, peering over into the water and into cities built into the hills and mountains.  We passed through cities like Positano, which were breathtaking.  The ride was about an hour total, but because of some fallen rocks, we had to walk a stretch of the road to the next bus instead of taking one all the way down.  We finally got to Amalfi and decided to take one more bus to Ravello because it was supposed to be beautiful.  The town was pretty much shut down, but we did eat at a fabulous restaurant where I had some delicious fried zucchini and cannelloni, which might be some of the best food I’ve ever put in my mouth.  Italian food just has a way of seducing me.  J  I like pretty much anything I try (except the hairy stuff from a few weeks ago).

After lunch, we ran to catch our bus, arms pumping and backpacks bouncing.  As we ran across the square, old men were shouting in their rich deep Italian voices, “bellisima, bellisima!”  It was really funny.  We couldn’t stop laughing, which made running much harder.  We got to the bus, which of course was late because nothing in Italy is on time, and we went back to Amalfi.  We spent some time there, putting our hands in the Mediterranean and shopping.  The area is known for its ceramics, so we went in and out of all the different shops before having to catch our bus back to Sorrento.  On the bus ride back, the sun began to go down, and while the it peeked out from behind the clouds, the oranges, golds, pinks, and purples covered the sky.  It was amazing against the cliffs, cities, and sea.  The ride back was almost the best part.

 

Upon arriving in Naples, we found a restaurant that was open late and decided to stay there until our bus.  We ate some more pizza before going back to Garibaldi and getting on another bus at midnight.  I didn’t sleep well this time, and we got back to Siena around 5:30am.  Class started at 9am, so we went home, showered, finished homework, and headed out for the day.  It was an incredible weekend, but we were exhausted.  One of my classes on Monday consisted of touring an art exhibit in Siena though, which was good because it kept me awake.  Siena has been known for its rebellion against norms and its craziness with the Palio, so it was chosen as the host for this exhibit on madness and genius.  The exhibit was somewhat disturbing, but it was also very interesting. 

Some of the art was graphic, but everything in the exhibit was done by people in asylums, people thought to be crazy, or by normal people portraying madness.  Van Gogh was in the exhibit, so that was neat, and it was fascinating to see the different perspectives that all the art was done from.  We learned a lot about conditions in asylums and what was done with “crazy” people during the time.  It wasn’t even that mental defects were the only criteria during this time period, but people who were rebelled against the typical social norms were considered mad.  People who were homosexual or feminists were thrown into asylums with everyone else.  It provided some thought provoking discussion on Wednesday when we analyzed it.

I know this blog is long, but the week is almost over; I promise.  On Tuesday I went to Florence with a few people, and it rained.  It was kind of a bummer, but we decided to hit the museums since outdoor stuff wouldn’t be much fun.  The first was Accademia, which is where the David is housed.  I was blown away by the pure genius and talent of Michelangelo.  It was incredible; it was much bigger than I thought it would be.  The precision and perfection with which it was done was mind blowing.  It was beautiful.  There were also other unfinished sculptures by Michelangelo and paintings by other artists.  After Accademia, we went to Uffizi, which is an incredible art museum.  We could have spent hours upon hours in it, but we only spent like 2 or 3 I think.  We saw works by artists such as Da Vinci, Botticelli, Michelangelo, and others.  There were so many famous artists, and their artwork was breathtaking.  It was a really neat experience.

Other than that, this week has been good, but I think I am ready for a somewhat relaxing weekend.  It’s Carnivale weekend, so I’m planning to head to the carnival in Tuscany-I already bought my mask!  I can’t wait.  I’m also going to an orchestra concert tomorrow night and having my first dinner out in Siena.  It should be a lot of fun but more relaxing that last weekend, although I think most anything would be more relaxing than last weekend.  It was a wonderful trip, but we all decided that one or two midnight buses was enough to last the entire semester. 

One day in the US the next in Chile

Let the countdown begin! I will fly out of Greenville Spartanburg airport at 5:05 on Saturday so I have two days left at home before embarking on my study abroad adventure.  I am just about packed after a few days of just packing and I have everything I could possibly need, thanks to my Mom's "just in case" philosophy :) It will be hard for me to get used to having so few belongings and no access to my closet of clothes but I am sure that I will have a greater appreciation for my home and all the comforts of the Good Old USA upon my return.  I am pretty nervous about going to Chile by myself and living there for 4 1/2 months, mostly how I will manage to do everything without my friends or family to guide me through and also having to speak Spanish all the time but I know that God will be with me every step of the way.  I hope to gain more independence and learn a lot about the culture and people of Chile.  As my stepdad says, "In Chile, there's people just like you and me. Teenagers, adults, nice people and not-so-nice people but they're just trying to make a living like we are."  While in Chile, I will miss my younger sister Karina's graduation from high school but she'll understand, maybe ;) Below is a picture of my family. From the left: me, my mom, my stepdad Pops, and my sister Karina.  My hair is a lot shorter now but you will see that in future pictures.

I am excited to be away from the stress of Wofford for a semester and to experience life in another country and I know I will be changed in some way when I return in July. So, the next time I blog I will be in Santiago, Chile! Until then, Adios!