Valpo Voyager

Student Stories from Around the World

Month: August 2016

2016 Photo Contest Winners!

August 17, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Grand Prize: Bubbles in Bath

Photographer: Regan Weber
Location: England
Description: Through the streets of Roman history, children discover bubbles.

GRAND PRIZE - Bubbles in Bath - England - Weber

Crossing Cultures:

          First Place: The Other Victims

Photographer: Breanna Struss
Location: Hungary
Description: A protest that stands in front of a memorial monument representing the German occupation in Hungary during World War II. The “real” memorial in the picture is a “Living Memorial of Remembrance” fighting the erected monument that falsifies the innocence of Hungary during the war. The monument is still protested every day for one hour. Survivors and their descendants brought these haunting images, such as: worn shoes, clothes, suitcases, and books. There were a lot of victims during World War II; some have been forgotten like the stuffed animal in this picture. This memorial strives to remember all those who were victims in the war.

FIRST - The Other Victims - Hungary - Struss

          Second Place: Social Day in Florence

Photographer: Micah Topel
Location: Italy
Description: On our way from Venice to Switzerland, Mackenzie, Jordan, and I stopped in Florence for the day. We were relaxing in the park for a few hours when an old man approached us and started speaking Italian. He was very kind and tried showing us where we should go, and we did our best to communicate with him regardless of Spanish being the closest language we knew to Italian!

SECOND - Social Day in Florence - Italy - Topel

          Honorable Mention: Cliffside Church

Photographer: Grace Nelson
Location: Italy
Description: Watching the candle lighters.

Cliffside - Resized

People:

          First Place: Spirit of the City

Photographer: Breanna Struss
Location: Morocco
Description: A Moroccan man dancing and playing a drum outside the entrance to an old city in ruins. Islamic architecture is evident in the archway of the building, and the man is wearing traditional Moroccan attire. His authenticity and spirit made the old city come alive.

FIRST - Spirit of the City - Morocco - Struss

          Second Place: Gone Fishin’

Photographer: Matthew Smok
Location: China
Description: Spending the day with a Buddhist nun.

SECOND - Gone Fishin' - China - Smok

          Honorable Mention: Your Move

Photographer: Matthew Smok
Location: China
Description: Observing the older generation at play in the park.

HONORABLE MENTION - Your Move - China - Smok

Sense of Place:

          First Place: The Hills of England

Photographer: Regan Weber
Location: England
Description: A story of untainted land and wandering wrapped into a photo.

FIRST - The Hills of England - England - Weber

          Second Place: The Perfect Angle

Photographer: Kylie Schreiber
Location: Italy
Description: Captured after a hike in Cinque Terre

SECOND - The Perfect Angle - Italy - Schreiber

          Honorable Mention: The Duomo Trio

Photographer: Jessica Sunblade
Location: Italy
Description: Beautiful music played just outside the Duomo of Florence

HONORABLE MENTION - The Duomo Trio - Italy - Sunblade

Unforgettable Moment:

          First Place: No Huns Here!

Photographer: Matthew Smok
Location: China
Description: Walking on the Great Wall, one of the seven wonders of the world!

FIRST - No Huns Here! - China - Smok

          Second Place: Chanting at the Academy

Photographer: Matthew Smok
Location: China
Description: Chanting with Buddhist monks and nuns at the Buddhist Academy.

SECOND - Chanting at the Academy - China - Smok

          Honorable Mention: Climbing New Heights

Photographer: Alesha Dempsey
Location: Ireland
Description: Taking in the views and history of the Giant’s Causeway.

HONORABLE MENTION - Climbing New Heights - Ireland - Dempsey

Valpo, Near and Far:

          First Place: Reaching Untersberg

Photographer: Regan Weber
Location: Austria
Description: Alex flying the flag on top of one of the Alps Peaks.

FIRST - Reaching Untersberg - Gerrmany - Weber

          Second Place: Valpo Takes on Tubingen

Photographer: Micah Topel
Location: Germany
Description: Reid (pictured) stayed in touch with a student who studied abroad in Valpo a year or two ago. He was able to arrange a punting boat ride for use on the river in Tübingen one night. We each got to try our hand at “punting” and although some were more successful than  others, we all had a fantastic time!

SECOND - Valpo Takes on Tubingen - Germany - Topel

          Honorable Mention: Valpo in Shimmering Lights

Photographer: Micah Topel
Location: France
Description: This was one of the moments that contributed to Paris being one of my favorite cities. The Eiffel Tower was beautiful at night when lit up and flickering. What better time to capture a photo of it with the Valpo pin in front?

HONORABLE MENTION - Valpo in Shimmering Lights - France - Topel

Deep Scottish Love and Cultural Encounters

August 9, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Author: Jennifer Kvasnicka

Program: CISabroad Summer in Scotland

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My last full weekend in Scotland was an absolute success. I toured the Highlands of Scotland for three days. We stopped in Inverness, Glencoe, and stayed overnight in the Isle of Skye. The thing is you can see google images, but nothing compares to the real thing. No quality camera in the world could capture the absolutely stunning beauty of the Highlands.

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Our driver, Chris, told us about #DeepScottishLove. It’s a feeling you get in the Highlands of complete awe and love of Scotland. It’s loving every hill and valley of skyline. I definitely fell into this category. The days we were in the Highlands and Isle of Skye were cloudy, but it amplified everything. The fog was so thick and low to the ground that you could almost touch it.

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One of the highlights of my weekend was climbing Old Man of Storr. It’s about 8 kilometers, or 5 miles. It took almost 3 hours to complete. The terrain was so rocky that I was honestly scared of falling at times. I’ve found it so interesting that when looking at a mountain, I think, “Oh yeah! I could hike that EASILY!” Then, the closer and closer I get to it, the taller and wider it seems to get. I still made it though. Getting to the top of this one was the most difficult, but worth every minute. You could see for miles, including the lake!

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My absolute favorite moment of this trip was when I was able to experience so many different cultures and people in one sitting. While waiting for the tour to start, I was stopped by a Chinese girl named Tao. It was my first extended experience with someone from China. She studies in Lancaster and works in Singapore at times. It was interesting to compare and contrast our stories and cultures. She’s now a good friend. My other experience was later that night.  We ate in the hotel kitchen. I was the only American sitting with one girl from China, three women from Japan, a German couple, a man from Spain, a woman from Thailand, and a man from Austria.  How many people can say they experienced this? Especially in Scotland!

We went around the table talking about our native language and how to say different things. I had it the easiest because everyone could already speak English. I was able to keep up with the Spaniard though! We all had another cultural experience with haggis. I did it.  I tried it, and I loved every bite. More specifically, it was chicken stuffed with haggis. It was a double culture shock in one! On this trip, I not only saw the sights, but I got to meet some pretty incredible people with some awesome stories.

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With my time in Scotland coming to an end, I can’t help but reflect on every moment and realize they have all been good. I haven’t had one single bad moment. This week wraps up with a Ceilidh, a party with traditional Highland dancing, as well as seeing one more site. I can definitely say I have #DeepScottishLove, and I hope one day I can come back and share this incredible place with my family and friends. Farewell, Scotland, and thanks for treating me so well. Cheers!

-Jen

To New Experiences

August 4, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Author: Jennifer Kvasnicka

Program: CISabroad Summer in Scotland

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In the last few weeks, I have done and experiences so many new things. I’ve climbed mountains, had proper tea, and even got a tattoo (sorry Mom, I’ll explain). The joy that this trip has brought me is unexplainable. I have learned and grown from every experience.

I’ll start with my new tattoo. I won’t post a pictures because it is still healing. This experience in Scotland has pushed me to to try new things and to be out of my comfort zone. Without my faith in this trip ever coming about, I think the plans would have just fell flat. Again, thanks to my family, and God, for giving me the courage to come here and explore these new experiences. The tattoo I got is “by grace, though faith.” I got it on my foot, not only for professional reasons, but also to symbolize that I’ve walked by faith through this whole journey. Through faith, that God pushed me to pursue this dream, not only to explore new things, but to learn more about my own family history and roots.

Climbing Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh definitely was not as hard as the Dumyat Hill climb at the beginning of my time here. It was quite an incline, but we made it. Silly us, we decided to walk it at 9:30 at night. Here, it stays light a lot later. We got to the top and had the most gorgeous view. You could see from the coast all the way to the castle. It was incredible. The entire city was lit up. There was also a concert at the caste that you could hear almost perfectly. I sat up there for awhile just soaking in the history of Arthur’s Seat, and the fact that a girl from the flattest part of the US is on a volcano!

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Later in the week, I decided I NEEDED to have proper tea in Scotland. A few of my new travel friends joined me. We went to Bluebell Tearoom, which is a quaint little shop that serves all different teas and sandwiches. I’m glad I didn’t have breakfast before because there was SO much food. we received a three-tiered platter with sandwiches, scones (and jam, of course), and small pastries. I was so full, but every bite was worth it. It was a nice get-away from paper writing and climbing mountains. I can’t say that I have an absolute favorite experience. That would be impossible. But the fact that I have experienced so many different and unique things adds up to one pretty amazing experience if you ask me.

Tea for two

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Thanks, Mom and Dad!

August 2, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Author: Jennifer Kvasnicka

Program: CISabroad Summer in Scotland

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I don’t think I could ever find the perfect words to say thank you. In the two weeks I have spent abroad, I’ve learned more about myself than in 20 years of living. I’ll try and do my best. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for your encouragement, love, and financial support through this terrifying adventure. Thank you for giving the tools to navigate a new country and teaching me “street smarts.” Without the support I received from my family and friends, I wouldn’t have had enough faith in this whole process.

This is the first time in my life that I feel like I have been in complete control of where I go and what I do. Each day I spend here, I’m reminded that not everyone is allotted such an experience, and for that, I am completely and forever grateful. My dad told me to really treasure this opportunity because “people like us” don’t always get this chance. That’s really stuck with me. I’m trying to do everything I can in such a short amount of time!

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Realizing I had family that once walked these streets is amazing. Though I haven’t found a grave yet, I am determined! My experiences here, from fudge donuts to finding seashells in the North Sea have shaped me in so many ways. I just wanted to take this post to step back from all the adventures and be thankful to everyone who has contributed to this journey. Cheers to more adventures!

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-Jen

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