Valpo Voyager

Student Stories from Around the World

Month: January 2015 (page 1 of 3)

Creating a Community

When you go abroad, everyone will tell you to travel as much as you can and see as many things as you can, because you never know when you’re going to get another opportunity like this. Meeting new people and seeing new places helps you grow as an individual, and gives you a completely new perspective of the world. While I agree that these things are essential to a Study Abroad experience, I would also argue that it is also incredibly important to create a community with the people you are studying with. Creating a community with the other Valpo students with me has really made my study abroad experience that much more fun.

This weekend was an example of this. After everyone went to Scotland last weekend, we all decided that this weekend was going to be a stay-at-home weekend with fun activities planned for each day. Friday was the first day of the weekend, which we called “Baking Day.” As you may have already guessed, Friday contained a lot of baking. In total, we had two kinds of cookies, two kinds of cake, one bread, and one Rice Krispie treat batch, with some Baked Alaska still to come. Everyone had a blast making our favorite treats, and no one complained about having more sweets in the house.

Emily Pauline, Jessica Kok, Sarah Pruitt, and Emily Meredyk on "Baking Day"

Emily Pauline, Jessica Kok, Sarah Pruitt, and Emily Meredyk on “Baking Day”

Saturday was “Game Day,” and the director Matt Ringenberg came over with all kinds of games for us to play together for the afternoon. Half of the group played some kind of game with trains and a board, while the rest of us played Carcassonne. For those who haven’t played it before, it’s basically a game of building cities in a medieval kind of setting. It was very fun, and I had a great time figuring out how to build a town.

Another part of building a community in Cambridge is also about participating in things in and around Cambridge. For example, a small group of us have recently started going to Quiz Night on Sunday nights at Sir Isaac Newton’s pub. Last week, our group came in last out of ten teams, so we got to pick one of the topics for tomorrow night’s quiz night– Major League Baseball–and we’ve been studying up on our baseball history to get ready. So our last big event of the weekend will be Quiz Night.

It’s nice that when I am not traveling, I have a group of people that I am close with that I can hang out with and spend time with. It has really made a difference getting to know everyone, and building these friendships and spending time with all of these other Valpo students has really enhanced my Study Abroad experience.

Exploring Windhoek

We’ve been in Namibia for a little over a week and a half now. A lot of it has been settling into our new home and doing the (necessary) safety talks and orientation like activities. One of our activities was exploring Katutura, the nearby township, with local college students. The students are part of a group called the Young Achievers and are just an incredible group of people. Our tour guide/student person turned out to be a really cool kid who was also a ton of fun to hang out with during the week and whatnot. So far, minus a few moments of strangeness, adjusting to the city has been both exciting and easy; I’m glad I finally have an address to call home.

Informal Townships

Overlooking the Townships

This week we started our internships as well. I’m currently working in the Ministry of Education with FAWENA, a non-governmental organization, that helps address the educational challenges girls face in Namibia. FAWENA stands for Forum for African Women Educationalists in Namibia.  One of their biggest initiatives is to provide financial support to girls in order to encourage their continuation of schooling.  They also partner with communities to create supportive community initiatives to encourage young children to stay in school.  To be able to travel throughout Namibia and study in Southern Africa is such a blessing; but to be able to gain experience working alongside Namibians and learning more about their educational policies is extremely fascinating.

Forum for African Women Educationalists in NAmibia

Forum for African Women Educationalists in NAmibia

Since classes and internships have started, I’ve had a more than a few reminders that I’m actually here to go to school and work. It’s really hard though when my classroom is a living room filled with comfy couches and there’s a tempting pool ten feet away. Also since settling in I’m getting to know my fellow travelers better which I’m grateful for. They are all pretty cool and this semester is going to be so much fun.

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My lovely friend Winnie

 

One day we did a Staff/Student retreat in order to get to know one another better. It was basically “emotional team-building” and it was interesting. Each of us got something different out of the experience but I think it’s safe to make the blanket statement that we all know a little more about each other (which was the goal so yay!). There also were horses and cats and some Baboons running around so that was pretty fun and I met a super great dog.

 

Dog Friend

Dog Friend

Team Building

 

It’s been a good couple of days getting around Windhoek and on Tuesday (TOMORROW! EAK!) we are off to our Urban Homestay. I’m pretty excited and have high expectations after my last, incredible experience in Soweto, South Africa. It’s also kind of nerve-wracking since we are spending 5 days with these families and the staff keep stressing how we’ll be getting “out of our comfort zones”. Honestly, what that means.. I couldn’t tell you. I can’t wait to get to know my family and get to learn more about Namibian culture and life. There’s so many things to do and opportunities and I plan on taking advantage of every second. Stay turned for posts about my Home Stay, our Trip to the coast in a few weeks, and some more “Things I’m Learning”. I’ll leave you with this awesome double rainbow we saw after a rainstorm. Africa is the coolest.

Rainbow Nation

Rainbow Nation

Guest Blog–Photos From Thailand

Beth S. Valpo 1
Elizabeth Shumway, a Valpo student studying in Thailand, participated in a Village Homestay as a part of her Orientation to the program.
Beth Valpo 2
The program believes that in order to fully experience Thailand, students must live in a village for some of the time. This is because 70% of Thais live in rural Thai villages.
Duck Duck Goose
Elizabeth is clearly fitting in well with this exceptional group of students and enjoying her time in Thailand.
Group Cooking Thai
Enjoy the pictures!
Group Photo Homestay

Costa Rican Coffee!

Costa Rican Coffee

When someone from the United States hears “Costa Rica”, a buzz word that often comes to mind is coffee. After living here for about 4 weeks, I’ve learned that coffee is no joke. Similar to Valpo students during finals week, I am going on about three cups of coffee per day-but because its so amazing! It’s rich, strong and local, and there is little to no need for milk and sugar. It’s something I don’t feel guilty about because I’m supporting local economy and I have more energy to explore and learn about this vibrant country!

North to Perth, Scotland

After Edinburgh, I had the chance to go further north on January 25th to Perth, which is on the southeastern edge of the Scottish Highlands.  It was a cute, little town nestled in the rolling hills.  Sometimes you have to get outside the city to see what life is really like in a foreign country.

Perth, Scotland

Perth, Scotland

Perth, Scotland

Perth, Scotland

Firth of Forth leading out to the North Sea

Firth of Forth leading out to the North Sea

Pura Vida: Exploring Puriscal!

This weekend, my Costa Rican professor invited our class to explore her hometown of Puriscal, Costa Rica. We went along a river that winds through the mountains, and we got to swim through the lagoons and in the waterfalls. We learned how to make empanadas, tortillas and traditional coffee and we had the privilege of learning traditional Costa Rica dance. Here is a short video of the experience. All thinks to Gina Torres Calderón! ¡Que profa!

Edinburgh, Scotland

This past weekend we travelled north to the capitol of Scotland!

Pretoria and Welcome to Namibia!

To say our final thirty-six hours in South Africa, were bittersweet is an understatement. While all of us weary travelers were exhausted and home stays had given us a teasing taste of finally being settled in again, Johannesburg was beautiful and no one was ready to leave South Africa yet. Our final day full day we packed a ton of activities in, which also was tribute to the intense academic and adventuring schedule that had occurred for the past nine days. We woke up as the sun was starting to come up and headed out to Pretoria — which is the capital of South Africa– to visit the United State’s Embassy, Freedom Park and Voortrekker Monument. The drive to Pretoria takes about an hour so I took advantage of that time to doze back off but woke up in time to view Pretoria as we passed through. First glance, Pretoria seems a lot cleaner than Johannesburg, it’s also notably smaller in size and population. I wish we could have spent a day or two exploring Pretoria because aside from it’s tourist and historical monuments and elements, it looks like a fascinating place to be.

Pretoria from the Hills

Pretoria from the Hills

The visit to the Embassy was educational and is home ‘base’ to approximately 28 Government departments and agencies. Part of this can be contributed to the United State’s strong business and trade partnerships with South Africa. As of 2010, the United States was South Africa’s third largest trading partner falling after Germany and China. The US is also the largest source of foreign direct investment in South Africa and the Embassy regularly holds workshops on entrepreneurialism, small and medium business management, and financial planning for businesses. It was an interesting visit as the traditional blanket role is to protect the American individual overseas, but the Embassy reveled to me that it’s also any American investments and accessories. It also put somethings in perspective for me since I have considered professions within the International Government sector and the trip shed some more light on what that would actually be like in practice.

After the embassy, we went to Freedom park and took a long walk around. Freedom Park is a beautifully constructed tribute to those who lost their lives in South Africa’s turbulent history. There is a wall of names which dedicated to all those who were killed during the South African Wars, World War I & II, and during the Apartheid.

Wall of Names

Wall of Names

The museum part of the Park hosts elements from the beginning of Africa’s geological conception, 3.6 Billion years ago all the way to recent years where it serves as a means of symbolic reconciliation where past elements can be laid aside in order to heal.

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Following Freedom Park, we went directly across the hills to the Voortrekker Monument which memorializes the opposite side of history. The Voortrekker Monument pays tribute to the other side of South African heritage.IMG_9559

The inside was pretty spectacular. It is called the “Wall of Heroes” which is decorated by 26 hand-carved, marble, Italian mural like works that chronicle the Afrikaner assent into South Africa and the pioneer history that the country has. The large circle opening is where the Cenotaph in the Cenotaph Hall can be viewed.

Wall of Heroes

Wall of Heroes

But the most incredible part of the Voortrekker was the view from the very top of the monument. You could see for miles in every single direction. It was absolutely breathtaking to see Pretoria in this fashion. I’d also say that for this reason, the Monument was my favorite thing we did that day.

VottenPano

It was really fascinating to see Freedom Park and the Voortrekker in the same five hour time span. Both cover vastly different sides of history and it’s very interesting to see how each side has been memorialized and celebrated by the South African people. After a long day of running around, our group had dinner in Mandela Square and I got to take a picture under the giant dancing Mandela statue with my friend Jordan.

Mandela Square!

Mandela Square!

The next morning we flew to Namibia and got to see our new home! The house is beautiful and I’m feeling so blessed to be here. The last ten days have flown by fast and it’s crazy to realize the first leg of my adventure is over. I still have 102 days of adventuring left and I plan on taking advantage of every second.

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London Round Two

One of the greatest things about studying abroad for a year is that I have so much time to do the things that I want to do. I can pick and choose the things that I want to do, and take my time seeing them. This past weekend, I had the opportunity to do that when the group took their first trip to London. I went along on Friday, and I have to say that it was nice to already have a sense of the city before I got there. I didn’t have to struggle with the Tube and using an oyster card, and I got to watch other people experience London for the first time, which was pretty cool.

Tower of London

Tower of London 

One of the reasons I was so excited to go along on Friday was because the group went to see the Tower of London. I had never seen the Tower before, and had always really wanted to go. I love exploring old castles, and it especially cool to see the Tower because of how many important events occurred there. We saw the Crown Jewels, the green where Anne Boleyn was executed, and the tower where the two princes were supposedly murdered by their uncle, Richard III. Being inside and walking around the Tower made me feel that much more connected to history, and like I was a part of it.

The Imperial War Museum, London

The Imperial War Museum, London

I was also really excited for our day in London because we visited the Imperial War Museum. This museum had all kinds of exhibits from different wars that Great Britain has participated in. I am both horrified and fascinated with the events of the Holocaust, and I appreciated the work that was put into the Holocaust exhibit. Since we are celebrating the hundred years since World War I, the museum had an excellent exhibit about things from World War I. Overall, I was quite impressed with the work put into this museum, and would love to spend more time there.

"Wicked" at the Apollo Victoria Theatre

“Wicked” at the Apollo Victoria Theatre

But the best part of the day came at the end of the night when we all went to see “Wicked” at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. For those who don’t know, “Wicked” is the story of the Glinda the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West from “The Wizard of Oz.” I had never seen “Wicked” before, but I have been dying to see it ever since it started running. I’m a huge fan of Idina Menzel, who played Elphaba in the original cast, and I was thrilled that I got to see this musical that she was once in.

My anticipation and the expectations I had for the play were blown out of the water. I am not ashamed to say that there were times that I cried during the play. It was wonderfully put on and right after it ended, I wanted to see it again. My favorite part was at the end of the first act when Elphaba sings “Defying Gravity.” I literally felt weightless during that song. I love the way that music can move you so much, and because of that, I would absolutely recommend seeing “Wicked” to everyone.

Overall, it was a wonderful weekend, and I’m really glad I went along to London with everyone on Friday. I’m really excited about this new group in Cambridge, and for all of the trips we’re going to take together and all the memories we’ll make!

A Living Community: A Look at Life in a WG

So, being here in Germany is my first true experience living in an apartment. I live in a traditional style of student apartment called a Wohngemeinschaft (living community) or WG for short. Given that this is a somewhat closed version of an apartment, seeing as how  it is specifically designed for students, there have still been quite a few things that are new to me.

1. Putzplan

The Putzplan is a schedule designed by the student housing service in order to fairly divide up the work that has to be done in the apartment. In my apartment, it means that every 3 weeks I have to clean half of the kitchen and my bathroom (since there are two bathrooms, and each person cleans the one they use) as well as take out the trash. This plan actually works very well, because it means that there are literally no question as to who is responsible for cleaning the common spaces and you pretty much know that come Monday morning, the kitchen will be nice and clean.

The Putzplan, for the entire year

The Putzplan, for the entire year

2. Rundfunkgebühr

So in Germany, there is a tax that each apartment pays to the public radio and television stations each month regardless of whether or not they have a television or radio (I currently have neither). But this funds the public news and television, which is also available online. It was a bit surprising at first to have to pay for this, but in the end, it actually made a lot of sense, especially because I regularly watch some of the public programs online.

3.Student village

Although Tübingen is already a city that consists of mainly students, the area that I live in is basically a student village. All of the dorms are located on a hill just outside of the city center. This means that you have to take the bus anytime you want to go to the university (there is an alternative walking path, but it is slightly less fun if it is rainy or really foggy). For me this was kind of a change of pace, but I actually like riding the bus a lot- it gives a natural break in the more hectic days of the week-so it turned out to be a pretty good deal.

4. Umwelttutor: A German RA

This is an extension of the Putzplan. When I first arrived, I assumed that my apartment would not have any sort of person that would come to check up on us, but as it turns out, a few months into things, we received a note from out so-called Umweltutorin or “environmental tutor.” The job of the Umwelttutorin is basically to make sure that everyone is taking care of their jobs in the Putzplan and to write us a note if we did something incorrectly. This person remains anonymous and simply comes into our kitchen and bathrooms to check that things are clean. I thought this was interesting, because it varies vastly from the RA position we know in the U.S. which is very much based on the American cultural importance of face-to-face contact and personal investment in others’ lives.  So this too, is a reflection of the so-called self-initiative (Eigeninitiative) that is at the heart of German culture. I was surprised at first, that the note that the Umweltutorin left didn’t contain her name, just an anonymous e-mail address written in very small print at the bottom. But since her job is merely to make sure that the trash gets emptied and the toilets get cleaned, it makes sense that her roll is more detached from the people living in our WG.

An example of a note left by our Umwelttutorin

An example of a note left by our Umwelttutorin

4. Zetteln

“Zettel” is the German word for a note, and Zettel are an important part of living in a WG. They are a way to easily communicate information to your many roommates  without having to track them all down. It allows people to clarify things about cleaning, let express their annoyance with an occurrence in the kitchen or simply remind someone about taking out the trash per se. Zetteln are usually anonymous and not often talked about once they are hung up, but sometimes are signed. I think that the anonymity mostly seems less harsh, because it makes it more personal, and after time, it becomes easier to know who your flatmates are based on their handwriting.

The people who run the student housing even communicate with us on this same level from topics as everyday about sorting the trash properly or important like raising the water temperature due to state regulation.

A recent Zettel from our landlord about sorting trash.

A recent Zettel from our landlord about sorting trash.

Some of these points like the Putzplan, the Umwelttutorin and Zettel the made me think about the different modes of communication in German and American culture. Germans seem to prefer the written form of communication and Americans seem to prefer the verbal. I think that this has to do with the prevalence of gestures and facial expression and the indirect way of talking that many Americans use to communicate. Without a lot of these non-verbal cues, it is difficult to figure out exactly what the other person wants and exactly why. In the more direct style of talking that is more prevalent in Germany, it makes more sense to write things down, because there is less room for interpretation and it simplifies communication by allowing the recipient to always refer back to what has been said. The factor of anonymity also plays an interesting roll in the process as well. With the Umwelttutorin, there is simply no reason for her to tell us who is she is. She simply comes around to check something that we are supposed to have already done, so her job is to simply leave a note reinforcing the Putzplan that is already in place.

I am happy to have had the chance to live in this setting because it has given me a new perspective on my own communication and the communication styles of the people around me.

Bis bald!

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