February 2016 – Valpo Voyager

Month: February 2016

Let’s go to Barcelona!

February 21, 2016 / econtreras / 0 Comments

So this is long overdue. After my trip to Morocco, I had 5 days off in which I could travel anywhere before class started. I decided to go to Barcelona and let me tell you, I had a blast!

It was a bit of a struggle to plan this trip as a couple of girls and I, we were going on this trip together, didn’t finalize our plans until literally the day before we left for Morocco, so it was very last minute. Also, we had no idea what we were going to do in Barcelona, we just knew we were going. Good plan. We vacillated at first between a few different options like Portugal, Swiss Alps, and Scotland, but nobody could decide what we wanted. Word of advice?.. Though we had a fantastic and I don’t think it could have gone any better even if we had planned it all, don’t leave it all till the last minute. Talk about a panic attack.

So here we go, embarking on a trip to Barcelona where we have no idea what we’re doing. Oh, by the way, we knew for a fact that we had to watch the Cheetah Girls 2 as it takes place in Barcelona.

First day in Barcelona and we are totally disoriented. We had no idea how to get where we were going and even though a friend and I are fluent in Spanish, we still had trouble communicating because, you may not know, in Barcelona they speak Catalan. Catalan is a language that came from French and Spanish mixed together. It’s a little weird. So here we are, trying to speak English and Spanish to the bus driver and trying to find a common language. It was quite an experience for me. Besides my trip to Morocco I have never really had a difficult time being able to understand people. We somehow managed to find our way to the hostel after wandering around for a little bit. In comparison to Granada, Barcelona is bigger and set up a little differently.

So many things happened in Barcelona it’s too much to write about, so instead I’ll highlight some of my favorite.

These are a few pictures from the Basilica de Santa Maria. It is breathtakingly beautiful! It is around 600 years old and the only surviving cathedral in pure catalan gothic style.

On our first night as we were wandering around, we wound up by the shore and in good timing because there was a circus! Of course we HAD to go in. It was great because that night the tickets were half off, so we got front row seats! It lasted about two hours and it was full of acrobatics and little skits. The ringmaster spoke mainly in Catalan so again we didn’t really have any idea what he was saying. Imagine living in a country were there are 4 official languages and you just have to run through them all to find a way to communicate. You don’t really think about that in the USA because the official language is English and most everyone can speak it. Yea, there are other languages that are spoken but you are not hard-pressed to learn them. I just thought that was interesting and felt the need to share. It is an interesting thought.

Alright, up next is my favorite! La Sagrada Familia. It is one of the largest cathedral’s in the world and it is absolutely BREATHTAKING. I cannot even begin to describe to you how enormous and beautiful this building is. It was built by a Catalan architect, Antoni Gaudi, who died in 1926. At the time of his death, the cathedral was not even a fourth complete and believe it or not, it’s still in construction today! It is estimated to be finished by 2030 I think, so it still has a while to go. Can you even imagine that?!

There is so much detail you could spend forever and not see all of it.

I loved Barcelona so much that I am going back again for my Spring Break and I cannot wait! So hurray for Barcelona round 2 but until then, Lisbon, Portugal here I come! (Feb. 26-28)

Assumptions and Fears

February 19, 2016 / Lindsey Van Der Aa / 0 Comments

No one likes to feel different. Walking around a strange city where everyone knows I don’t belong just by looking at me has been a completely new experience. People stare at me all the time, and they try to use the little English they know with me, which is sometimes nice and sometimes just insulting, depending on the situation. As much as I hate being stared at and feeling helpless when I don’t understand what people are saying, being an outsider has been an incredibly eye-opening experience.

In general, people are afraid of the “other.” We tend to group up with people who are familiar because that’s when we feel safe. I know that I am guilty of this, both in the United States and Costa Rica. At Valpo, I never said a word to the international students I passed, and was even a little intimidated if they were all speaking a foreign language. Now, I am one of those people. I walk to class at the university speaking English with my friends, while passing by students giving us strange looks. Being here has definitely given me a new respect and empathy for the international students on Valpo’s campus. It’s hard to be in a place where people don’t speak your first language, and it’s terrifying to try to talk to someone because you don’t know how well you will be able to understand each other. Finding just one person who is patient, friendly, and willing to help is a huge blessing.

Our walk to class at the Universidad Nacional (National University)

Another thing that keeps us from branching out of our comfort zones is assumptions. We assume things about people all. the. time. Many Costa Ricans assume I am a tourist who doesn’t speak any Spanish. For example, on a field trip with my Spanish class I was walking a little bit outside of the group, and a street vendor caught my eye and said, “Hello lady, welcome to Costa Rica!” Two thoughts went through my head: First of all, saying “hello lady” sounds weird, so I could tell he didn’t know English that well. Secondly, I had been in Costa Rica for a few weeks! I could have had a small conversation with him in Spanish, so his trying to speak broken English to get me to buy something didn’t make me feel welcome but was instead just insulting.

The assumptions about people go both ways, though. One day I got off the bus in my neighborhood with two other students, and we heard a man behind us making the hissing noise that is equivalent to catcalling in the U.S. I was really annoyed and just kept trying to walk faster, but he wouldn’t stop. Then we suddenly heard a woman yell out, “Muchachas!” (“Girls!”), so we turned around. She was standing with the man, who had been trying to get my attention to let me know I had money sticking out of my back pocket. He could have easily taken it, but instead he chose to persistently try to get my attention so I could put it away. Someone was trying to do something nice for me, but I assumed he was being rude.

Even within Costa Rica, people make assumptions based on appearance. Last weekend we had the privilege of going to the Caribbean coast in the province of Limón, which is largely made up of Afro-Costa Ricans. It is a slightly poorer area than the part of Costa Rica where we live (near San José), and many people are afraid of going there. Costa Rica has never had explicit racism (such as Jim Crow laws in the U.S.), but they have more subtle racism which still exists today. Limón is beautiful and in reality is no more dangerous than other parts of Costa Rica. But for some reason, people perceive it to be different, and many assume that every person who appears to be of African descent is from Limón. We had a wonderful time there, met some really great people, and never felt unsafe.

The coast is beautiful!

The island in the distance is where Christopher Columbus landed, and he called the place Costa Rica (“rich coast”)

We went to an indigenous community and learned how to make chocolate!

To close, I’d like to share one more story: One Monday morning, as I was walking to the bus stop, I noticed a strange-looking man out of the corner of my eye. Wanting to avoid him, I stopped at my friends’ house to wait for them to come outside (as usual) and made sure I just knocked and looked straight ahead at their door. Suddenly I sensed someone right behind me, so I turned around. Standing about two feet away from me was your classic picture of a homeless person. He was hunched over, dressed in rags, had unkempt hair, and was missing an arm. He just stared at me and held out his hand, which contained a coin. In that moment, I was terrified. I just stared at him wide-eyed and then quickly walked away. I live in a gated community, so I walked toward the security guards standing nearby. They saw what had happened and could tell I was scared, but all I could make out from what they said to me was “Tranquila!” (Don’t worry about it). The man was gone, so I walked back toward the bus stop, still shaking. I’ve never seen him again.

Upon further reflection of the situation, I wondered: Why was I so scared? I had the upper hand in the situation. I was standing at my friends’ house (who would come outside any minute), within earshot of two security guards whom I know personally. I had a backpack full of books, two cell phones, four limbs, not to mention a blue passport to my name. What could he possibly have done? This man had nothing. Yet all I could do was look at him in sheer terror and walk away.

My challenge to myself is to stop being scared. To stop assuming and start listening. People are a lot more than we think they are, so let’s take the time to get to know them and hear their stories before making surface-level assumptions.

This is a powerful part of Freedom Park. People come here to meet their former oppressors and seek apologies and forgiveness.

Healing Scars

South Africa. It’s a country that has been constantly pushing forward trying to overcome its past. Its land is vibrant and beautiful and its people are the same. Our first weeks in this program were spent studying this country, its people, and its history that has changed its landscape forever. Coming into this experience, I didn’t know a whole lot about South Africa or its history. I knew about Nelson Mandela and had watched Invictus, a film about how Nelson Mandela used the South African National Rugby team to unite the country, and had heard a bit about the word apartheid, but I had barely scratched the surface of what this country had in store for me.

Me in front of Nelson Mandela’s home

In our first week, we traveled through the city of Johannesburg where we met with many different historians, economists, and people who had lived through Apartheid. What I quickly came to learn was that Apartheid was not some scarred event in South Africa’s past but it is very present in the everyday lives of South Africans even today. Apartheid had officially ended in 1994 when Nelson Mandela was elected president during the first open elections. This ushered in a new constitution that created political freedom for all people regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. The contradiction here, though, is that although everyone received political freedom, they did not gain economic freedom. South Africa is the most economically divided country in the world where the top percentage of the population owns most of the land and resources in the country. I noticed many similarities between the struggles of South Africa and that of the United States. With the US Presidential elections around the corner, the issues of divided wealth and political corruption have been at the forefront of the debates. Even though South Africa is on the other side of the world, they are dealing with the very same issues.

This is a powerful part of Freedom Park. People come here to meet their former oppressors and seek apologies and forgiveness.

These problems in South Africa arise from their difficult past. Many South Africans lost their farms, homes, and livelihoods to the Apartheid government and after 1994 they did not receive any of that land back from the billionaires who now own it. This creates a severe contrast in living conditions between most white South Africans and black South Africans. In Johannesburg, we spent some time near the malls and in the affluent areas downtown. We were also able to experience the other end of the spectrum in Soweto, which holds between 3 and 4 million people in 30 townships. This area was the land that black South Africans were banished to during the Apartheid government and many have been unable to leave due to widespread poverty. Others choose to stay because they have become established in Soweto and feel a close connection to the land and its people. I spent a weekend living with a host family in the Orlando area of Soweto, where I got to experience the extent of poverty in South Africa firsthand.

View of Soweto in Johannesburg

Our host family had a fairly modern home but you could still see the difference just by taking a look out the window. The house directly across the street was a small home with a tiny yard. In that tiny yard, the family had rented out the land for ten different families. Each family resurrected a small one room shack for their family to live in. So this tiny little yard was home to over 45 people that could coexist in such poor conditions. That was one thing I noticed immediately about South Africa, the community. People would look out for one another, and if a fight broke out in the street, everyone in the area would run to the rescue to break up the fight. It was interesting to compare these things to the United States, where our focus is very much so on individual prosperity rather than supporting the community. If a fight were to break out on the street in the United States, people would not intervene but instead watch in awe or even encourage it.

The front of my Host Family’s house

My host family took me to church which was held in a small one room schoolhouse with about 25 people sitting in school desks. South Africans tend to have a different sense of time as compared to many Americans. Many do not put the same value on the phrase “time is money” and they choose to not rush through their day to day activities. Because of this, church becomes an all day event. The first hour and a half of the service, the pastor didn’t say a word. Instead, members of the congregation got up and said a few words or, more often than not, someone would randomly start singing a song and then everyone else would join in. This happened consistently for almost two hours and continued periodically throughout the pastor’s sermon. What I gained from this experience was that these people had a close-knit community that did not worry about rushing off to the next event, knew all of the songs off the top of their head, and they loved to interact with one another. I felt extremely welcomed and was even told that my sense of rhythm was, “unlike that of any white man they had seen before”, which I found rather entertaining. This was interesting to compare to what I know of church from my home congregation where people go to church just to check it off the list. People sneak in late and sneak out early and try to interact with as few people as possible. I can’t help but wonder how people at home would react coming into this new and exciting environment, full of love, community, and the Holy Spirit. Hopefully, I can bring some of what I learned from my South African friends and spread it to my own church community.

My host family's church inside one of the classrooms in the schoolhouse

My host family’s church is inside one of the classrooms of the schoolhouse shown

All in all, South Africa is a place that has been scarred by its history and forced into a difficult position where there exists political freedom for all of its people, but many people cannot escape the insurmountable strains of poverty set down by the Apartheid state. Because of this, there are still very distinct boundaries separating whites from blacks and racism is still very prevalent in the everyday lives of South Africans. Even though it has been over 20 years since the fall of Apartheid, South Africa is still a time of healing and well-needed growth and restructuring.

On Hold

February 12, 2016 / njuliot / 1 Comment

No one said that traveling across the world could be easy, but there was no way I was expecting what it would take to make it to South Africa. It all started Wednesday night, three days before I was supposed to leave for Johannesburg, South Africa to begin my first study abroad experience. My brother Andrew asked us if there was something bad happening in Florida because he had heard about something online. My mother decided to check her phone to see what it was. What she found was something she was not expecting. The top story on CNN was a huge snow storm that was developing on the east coast. This storm was expected to hit Washington D.C. the whole weekend and it was going to hit hard. Predictions were suggesting that it could be the most snow ever recorded in D.C. Needless to say, we began to freak out. I was supposed to be flying out of Washington D.C. on Saturday afternoon.

Side note: The bad “thing” happening in Florida was that Donald Trump was visiting the state.

So this began the saga of the disappearing flight. Thursday morning we found out that our group was planning to reschedule our group flight to Monday. I called in to United Airlines to set up my connecting flight from Chicago and all seemed well.

The storm hit Washington D.C. hard and they got two feet of snow! All of D.C. was shut down Friday, Saturday and most of Sunday. During this time, I drove back to school to pick up Maddie and bring her home. I celebrated my travels with my family and had one of what would become the first of many “last suppers”. We played games together. Of course we had to play Ticket to Ride Africa.

Going out to eat with my family before I flew out

Sunday came and with it, I began to say my goodbyes. I went out to breakfast with Maddie and we said our goodbyes. Later that day, my family went out for another “last supper” and as we headed out for the meal I tried to check in for my flight on my phone to find that it had been canceled! I immediately started trying to call United Airlines and STA travel to figure out a solution. The problem was that everyone was trying to call in due to cancellations so I was put on hold for almost an hour! At one point I was asked to check my ticket from an automated service. It kept asking me for my last name and then it would pause and say… “Is your name… K…I…M?” No, I don’t think my name is Kim. “Oh lets try again”, it would say. “Is your name…W…A…L…A…B…A…L…O?” My name is als not Walabalo. Eventually it worked out so that I would fly out Tuesday morning instead and would now have to catch the Tuesday afternoon flight to South Africa instead.

But this was not the end of the story. Monday morning I once again tried to check in to my flight to find that it too was canceled! So I had to call United Airlines… Again. This time, I was stuck on hold for almost two hours and let me tell you… I now know why people can go crazy and it is because of hold music. Eventually I worked it out to fly another airline at the same time on Tuesday.

About to fly out

The first flight went smoothly out of Chicago to Detroit and I said my goodbyes with my family. I then landed in Detroit and met another student named Taylor who is going to be traveling with me to South Africa.

Flying out of Chicago

So you’d think this would be the end of the story… but it’s not. A few minutes after boarding our plane we were told we would have to deplane due to a major issue with the plane’s systems. We got off the plane and waited for information on the repairs. Eventually we were sent to a new gate and were met by a new plane. The problem, however, was that this plane was also broken! At this point it had already been a few hours past our original departure time. The clock continued to wind and the departure time slowly turned farther and farther back. At this point, the five-hour cushion had shrunk to less than two hours and we were beginning to get restless. Just when I was about to request a different flight, they finally allowed us to board and take off.

From that point on it was smooth sailing. Taylor and I arrived in D.C. and picked up our bags making sure to pet any dog we got the chance to along the way. We then checked our bags and trekked through security where we eventually were able to meet up with the four other members of our group flying out that day.

Finally meeting the group!

Our flight has been problem free so far and we’ve gotten the chance to get to know one another. All in all, I’m excited to finally get to Johannesburg and jump right into the adventure that is ahead of me. After all the speed bumps this trip has already taken, I’m ready for whatever can get thrown my way. I’m not going to wait on hold any longer! Let’s go!

Layover in Ghana

Weekend in the Mountains

February 9, 2016 / Lindsey Van Der Aa / 0 Comments

My third week in Costa Rica was quite busy, with the beginning of Spanish classes at the Universidad Nacional, or UNA. Since we’re packing six credits into five weeks, we have to go for four hours every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, as well as two hours on Wednesday. Our professor is wonderful and incredibly enthusiastic, so four hours often flies by with only five of us in a class with her. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays we also have a class with Heidi (our resident director), which often includes field trips, so this third week was very tiring! However, at the end we got to relax and have fun with a weekend trip to Savegre mountain reserve.

One of my favorite parts about going to the mountains is the ride there. Sitting on a bus for 2+ hours of less than smooth riding may be a struggle for some people, but with a window seat and my headphones in, I am a happy camper. The views are absolutely breathtaking.

Once we got to our cabin, one the first things we realized was that it was cold. Not nearly as cold as Valpo right now (so I guess we shouldn’t have been complaining), but when you sign up for a semester in Costa Rica, that’s not something you expect! We still had a fun night relaxing in the cabin and meeting some new people that came on the trip with us, many of whom only spoke Spanish.

Our lovely little home for the weekend!

The next morning started bright and early, with a bird watching hike at 5:30 am! After our long week of classes we were less than thrilled to be waking up at this hour, but we got to see an extremely rare bird, the quetzal. This bird can only be found in Central America, and our tour guide knew the exact spot to go so we would be able to see it. Maybe the early morning was worth it after all!

Taken through our tour guide’s binoculars. This bird is gorgeous!

After breakfast and a couple hours to relax and explore, our group went fishing for our lunch. Yes, you read that right—we fished for our lunch. I couldn’t believe it when I first heard, because I have never even held a fishing pole, much less eaten something I caught myself. It turned out to be a really fun time, and the trout tasted pretty good (to me at least)!

Eboni got one! Catching a fish for the first time is a little intimidating, so often getting it off the pole is a two person effort

“I’m really excited about this, but please hurry up and take the picture so I can get rid of it!”

After lunch, we decided to go hiking. We got some exercise in while coming across incredibly gorgeous views!

Betsy and I taking the “risk” of climbing slippery rocks

Samantha, Erica, and I felt pretty “on top of the world” after finishing our hike up the mountain!

The rest of the day was pretty free, but we had a lot of fun hanging out both with the other students and with new friends on the trip. We got to practice our Spanish with the Spanish speakers, but still had the comfort of our friends and fellow English speakers around. That night, I also went outside and saw more stars than I had ever seen in my life. Although it was cold out, the sight was incredible.

The next morning brought on our next and final adventure for the weekend: horseback riding! I have never ridden a horse before, so it was another completely new experience for me. It was a little scary but also a lot of fun, and we got to ride through the mountains and streams for about two hours. It was lovely until the horses got to the end and started running! We were all very sore from it the next day, but it was a great time. There was also a running joke about my horse being the “rude horse” because for some reason he kept snubbing the other ones and trying to push in front of them! Qué vacilón!*

My horse!

After a full weekend, we returned to our homes in Heredia. The third week was a bit overwhelming with the sudden course load, but the weekend was a wonderful reminder of the beauty of this country. Looking around at the mountains or down at the streams or up at the stars never fails to amaze me. Tranquila.**

*One of our professor’s favorite phrases, which means “how fun/funny!”

**My favorite colloquial phrase so far, used to mean a number of things such as, “Chill out/everything’s okay/no big deal/don’t worry about it/calm down.”

Assalamo Aleykom (Peace be with you)

February 1, 2016 / econtreras / 0 Comments

So this last week has been a week of firsts.

I went to continent of Africa for the first time as I visited Morocco for the first time. Morocco is definitely an experience I will never forget. I learned so much in my short four days there not only did I learn about the language and culture, but also more about myself and what I want to do. I know, starting to get a little deep there, but seriously, if I ever have the chance to go back I would.

First, let me start off by teaching you a few words that I learned whilst in Morocco.
Salam– Hello
B’Salama– Bye
Koolhay– eat
Sabah– 7
Shrukan– thank you
Layla Saida– Goodnight

Smiti– My name is…

Waha– Okay

I don’t think I have ever experienced a language barrier (I am a native Spanish speaker so being in Spain is no biggie), but while I was in Morocco I had absolutely no idea how to communicate. I have huge respect for my fellow classmates that have little to no Spanish in their vocabulary. Trying to talk to my host family while in Morocco was a great experience and I picked up on a few words and thoroughly enjoyed it. My host sister did speak some English so I was not totally lost.

https://youtu.be/Skwgk9duVaU

This link will show you exactly how I felt throughout my Moroccan travels.

I want to give an overall schedule of what happened during my stay in Morocco.

Day One: Tarifa – Algeciras- Rabat

Boat journey across the Mediterranean Sea from Algeciras, Spain to Tangier, Morocco
Visit the women’s center, DARNA, including informal conversation with Moroccan students
- This was one of my favorite activities. We talked a lot about cultural diversity, education, and women’s rights in Morocco. You would think that Morocco, being an Islamic country, women would have little to no freedom but that is not the case! Women are very educated and sometimes may even have more freedom/opportunities than men.
Lunch at DARNA
- Uh, extremely delicious!
Drive to Assila along the Atlantic coast
- WE RODE CAMELS!! And for the record, camels must really like me since they were trying to eat my hair and even chased me across the beach!
  Can you tell that I am very excited? (sorry it might be a little dark)
Walk through the Medina (old town) of Assila
Dinner with home stay families
- Also delicious. Also, our bedrooms were freaking awesome and so was my host family! Sending them lots of love!

Day Two: Rabat

Breakfast
- Did I happen to mention that Moroccan food is delicious??
Conversation with Moroccan students
- Again this was very educational. It was interesting learning their point of view on things. For example, Moroccans have free education yet even with a PhD, it is extremely difficult to obtain a job. Also despite the fact that their education is free, it is not A+ quality. It is amazing to think about all the opportunities we have and yet they go unnoticed. To be completely honest, I was a little jealous at first at hearing about their free education and how they are taught English and/or French at a young age, but even then they are hard-pressed for a job.

Some of the Moroccan students who spoke with us.

Visit the Roman ruins–Chellah and the Mausoleum of King Mohammed V
Lunch with host family
- Need I say it?
Exploring Rabat’s Kasbah (old fort), street life, and the Medina market with Moroccan students
- This was a memorable night. #IHAAAAAB (inside joke) *see video attachment*
- https://youtu.be/uaMXFmESIi4
- Again, spending time with these Moroccan students is very insightful. I cannot stress enough how important it is to learn about every culture you come across! Please take the time to learn something about the next country/city you visit. It will be worth your while, I promise!!

This is us yelling “IHAAAB” as we take the picture. (excuse the blurriness on my pictures, for some reason they upload that way)

Hammam
- I definitely got to know my classmates a whole lot better after this. I suggest you research this activity on your own. I highly recommend it, though maybe in a lesser public setting. =)
Dinner
- YUM!

Day Three: Rabat – Rif Mountains – Chefchaouen

Breakfast
Drive to Rif Mountains
Lunch with family in a mountain village
- This family was absolutely precious. They were so open to us and friendly. They were also very curious about our culture as Americans. This was also a very different experience from all of the other cities we visited. Mostly in the way that the family lived because they were in a more rural area. #SquatPots
Drive to Chefchaouen
Settle in hostel and explore the Medina
- Time for bargaining and henna!
Dinner
- Umm…DELICIOUS!!
Reflection time
- We all spoke about what we had learned and what had surprised us the most. It was an intimate moment for us as we sat around two melting candles wrapped in our blankets.

Day Four: Chefchaouen – Ceuta – Tarifa

Breakfast
- Unfortunately, I was becoming deathly ill at this point (must have been all the delicious food I had been eating…overdose?) and I did not have any breakfast that morning. I was having some gastrointestinal issues otherwise known as traveler’s diarrhea, a fantastic thing really….NOT!, and I was dehydrated and eventually received some medical care. PIECE OF ADVICE: PLEASE KEEP YOURSELF HYDRATED WITH BOTTLED WATER!!
Drive to Ceuta
Boat journey across the Strait of Gibraltar
Arrival in Tarifa, Spain

My trip to Morocco is something that I will never forget. I learned so much and from my time there I can tell you two things:

Muslims are NOT terrorists. They are some of the friendliest people I have ever met. It is not part of their culture to blow things up or terrorize people. In fact, they are afraid of what ISIS might do next. Please do not let the media dictate your thoughts towards places you have never visited.
Never be afraid to experience different things or go out of your comfort zone. Enjoy life and the opportunities while you have them. Privileges.

Morocco was fun and adventurous but I never thought that I would be so happy to be back home, because that is what Granada is to me now. Home. And I never want to leave.

Valpo Voyager

Student Stories from Around the World

Month: February 2016

Let’s go to Barcelona!

Assumptions and Fears

Healing Scars

On Hold

Weekend in the Mountains

Assalamo Aleykom (Peace be with you)

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