Valpo Voyager

Student Stories from Around the World

Author: stephanieblack (page 1 of 3)

Final Farewell

Two days ago, everyone finished with final papers and projects at the Center. It is crazy how fast time has gone this semester. I know I speak for everyone when I say that it flew by much faster than we would have liked. Since I have been here longer than most people who do this program, I think it will be that much harder to say goodbye. For my final post, I just wanted to share a few thoughts and things I’ve learned while Studying Abroad.

The world is much bigger now. I have travelled to other countries before coming here, but that was nothing compared to living in another culture. I figured out how to travel on my own, and navigate a completely different culture on my own, and for that reason, I will never look at the world the same way anymore. I am no longer a part of a small, American bubble; I have international eyes.

IMG_6129It’s okay to not go it alone. I am a very independent person. I don’t mind going places on my own, and being on my own. Sometimes I function better that way. But I could not have done this without the people that I have had the honor of meeting this semester. They have taught me that I don’t always have to be alone, and that building relationships with them and making them my family is just as important as the things I’m doing and seeing.

Take the jump. I take risks all the time. I wasn’t afraid of spending a year in another country, away from my family and friends and my home. I knew that this place was going to be my home, and I was okay with that. But I have also learned that if I have ever had to make a decision about taking a day trip or staying home, going out or staying in, making friends or staying away, you take the jump. Do the things you might not want to do, and you might find something incredible. It’s worth the risk.

It’s okay to do things for you. One of the things that I am best at is taking care of other people. If you need help, you can bet that I’ll be there, and if you need me, I’m here for you. When you spend so much time taking care of other people, sometimes you forget to do things for yourself. This experience abroad has been all about doing things for me, and while that took a lot of getting used to, it was the best thing that ever could have happened to me. I got to know myself, who I am, and who I want to be so much better, just living here. It’s an eye-opening thing, and I am so grateful to have had that opportunity.

IMG_6107_2Goodbye is not forever. One of my housemates has said to me, “Turn what you love about this place, and make it your reason to come back.” Living here for a year, and not wanting to go home at all, it’s hard to hear someone say that, because it doesn’t help me feel better about leaving. But what he said was true, and it’s important to remember, because this doesn’t have to be the end. This place is your home; it leaves an impression on you, takes a piece of your heart. I know that I will be back, and that I have all these memories to hold onto. Saying goodbye to this experience doesn’t mean that this is where it ends; I will come back home.

It’s been an amazing year, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. I appreciate the opportunities I have had while I’ve been here, and I look forward to the next chapter in my life as this one closes. Thank you all for reading.

Stephanie

Last Days in London

London is an amazing city. There are so many things to do and places to see. Some people say that if you get bored in London, that means you’re bored with life, just because there’s so much to explore. I could never get tired of London. Even now, after living her for almost nine months, there is still a list of things that I haven’t seen yet that I want to see.

Greenwich, London

Greenwich, London

On a sunny Saturday, I attempted to cross some of these things off my list. Brendan and I headed to London for the afternoon. Our first stop was Greenwich to see the Queen’s Palace and the astronomy tower where the Prime Meridian is. It was a gorgeous day outside, so the walk up to the astronomy tower didn’t seem so bad. We sat up on top of the hill for awhile, talked, and looked out over London.

The Monument at Trafalgar Square

The Monument at Trafalgar Square

Our next stop was Trafalgar Square. I have been to London dozens of times, but believe it or not, I had never stopped and walked around Trafalgar Square before. We took some time and walked around the lion statues before stepping inside the National Gallery. Our art professor had recommended going into an art museum and staring at a piece of art for ten minutes, and then leave. The purpose is to try and find a piece of art that speaks to us, and see what we observe. We decided to try it, and only spent a few minutes in the National Gallery, looking for art that spoke to us. For me, any painting that has the ocean or water of some kind is something I gravitate to.

MI6

MI6

London from MI6

London from MI6

From Trafalgar Square, we walked down to Westminster Palace and Westminster Abbey. Then we walked along the river to see MI6. Brendan and I are both fans of James Bond, and seeing MI6 was pretty cool. Obviously, we couldn’t go in, because it’s so heavily guarded and has lots of barbed wire around it. We just enjoyed seeing the building.

Regent's Park

Regent’s Park

We finished our day with a trip to see 221B Baker Street and a walk through Regent’s Park. 221B Baker street was just a door with a sign referencing Sherlock Holmes, but it was still cool to see where he was written to have lived. We walked through Regent’s Park near sunset, so it was glowing in the light, and it was so pretty.

There are still more things that I want to do in London, but this was a start at completing my list. I had a lot of fun walking around with Brendan, and I can’t wait to go back to London for one final time before I leave in May!

Mom and Me: My Mother’s Visit to England

During the second part of second break, my mom flew overseas to stay with me for a week. I have currently been abroad for eight months, and have not seen any member of my family until she came, so it was nice to see someone after only using FaceTime for eight months. I got the chance to show her where I live and the things that I do for fun, which was really exciting.

St. Paul's Cathedral over Millennium Bridge

St. Paul’s Cathedral over Millennium Bridge

On one day she was here, we travelled to London for the day. We lucked out and had absolutely beautiful weather when we were there. It was sunny, with just a few clouds in the sky, albeit a little windy. Our first stop of the day was to take the Tube to Black Friars, and walk over Millennium Bridge. The last time my mother was in London, Millennium Bridge didn’t even exist, so this was a first for her. I love it when you cross the bridge to the other side and see St. Paul’s Cathedral on the other side.

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre

We called it our day of theatre, because everything we did related to theatre in some way or another. We went and visited Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. I have never been there, and, again, the last time my mother was in London, the reconstruction of the Globe did not exist either, so this was a first for both of us. It was a lot smaller on the inside than I had expected, but I really liked how it looked very much like it belonged during the Tudor period, and how exact they were with those details. If I had more time (and money), I would love to go see a play performed there.

Our other theatre-related event of the day was to see Wicked. I have already seen it once, but I loved it so much that I knew that I had to take my mom to see it. She had wanted to see it a long time ago, and never got the chance, so this was the perfect opportunity. We enjoyed an afternoon matinee of witches and munchkins and the Land of Oz, which was even better than the first time that I saw it.

Burghley House

Burghley House

On the last full day of my mother’s time in England, we travelled up to Stamford and visited Burghley House. It is one of the largest Elizabethan houses in England, and it was used as the setting for Rosings Park in the 2005 version of “Pride and Prejudice.” It was a two mile walk from the train station, which, after not being used to walking everywhere, made my mother very tired, but it was totally worth it. The outside of the house is beautiful, and the inside holds a lot of really interesting art, and a room dedicated to Queen Elizabeth I.

I had a good time with my mom, but her visiting me reminded me that I’m going to be going home soon, which I am not quite ready for. I’ve been here a long time, so long that it’s my home now, and so going back to the US is going to be very strange. But before then, I’m going to make the most of my days here!

Luck of the Irish

Hello again! For the past almost two weeks, everyone at the Center has been on Spring Break! We’ve all been very excited for this break, and we’ve all been traveling to so many different places. For me, the place that I have always wanted to visit is Ireland. I am part Irish, and I wanted to spend a good amount of time there, more than just a weekend.

Dublin Castle

Dublin Castle

To start the break, four of us travelled to Dublin. We visited Dublin Castle, Dublin Gardens, Trinity College, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Christ Church Cathedral, and the Guinness Storehouse, just to name a few things. None of us really knew much about Irish history, so having a tour of Dublin Castle was very educational, because we got to learn a lot about Irish history. The most interesting things had to do with the 1916 Easter uprisings, which  led to the eventual independence of Ireland a few years later.

Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland

Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland

The next day, the other three went on a Cliffs of Moher bus tour, but I went on a bus tour to Belfast and Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. Giant’s Causeway was definitely my favorite part of the entire trip. The causeway is made of up hexagon-shaped volcanic rocks coming up out of the ocean. Some are a few inches big, while others are several feet tall. It was so much fun to climb over all of them and look out over the view of the sea and the rocks. I could even see the coast of Scotland from the causeway.

Galway Bay

Galway Bay

After another night in Dublin, I split off from the group and travelled to Galway on the western coast of Ireland. Galway is a very small town, and is most famous for the Claddagh friendship ring and the “Galway Girl” Irish folk song. I enjoyed walking around the small town and popping into pubs to hear the live Irish music. My hostel was right in the center of the city, so I was within walking distance of everything.

Dunguaire Castle

Dunguaire Castle

I travelled on two bus tours while I was in Galway. The first was a Cliffs of Moher and the Burren tour. Unfortunately, the rain and fog were so thick, and the wind was so strong, that I could barely see ten feet in front of me, and the Cliffs were not visible. However, I did enjoy seeing the Burren, which is the rocky landscape that covers the area. Our tour guide told us that the Burren has the same landscape as that of the moon, so that was interesting to see. I also got to get out and see Dunguaire Castle, which is iconic in that region of Ireland.

Kylemore Abbey

Kylemore Abbey

The second tour I took was of a northwest part of Ireland called Connemara. We stopped at Kylemore Abbey, which is a castle right on the edge of a lake in the mountains of Ireland. It was a gorgeous day (besides being cold and windy) and I got to walk around the grounds and explore the gardens. We also stopped and saw the Killary Fjord, which is 16 miles long, Loughs Mask and Nafooey, and the town of Cong, where they filmed the movie “The Quiet Man” starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. I got to see the mountainous parts of Ireland on this tour, and it was absolutely gorgeous.

I had a fantastic time in Ireland, and have had a great time staying at home in Cambridge for the rest of break and hanging out with people here. Up next is my week with my mom, who is visiting from the US!

Fish Soup and Fjords

Last weekend, six of us travelled to Scandinavia to see fjords in Norway. When we came abroad and someone told us that we would have the chance to go any place in Scandinavia, we probably wouldn’t have believed them. And looking back on it, I am so glad that we went. It was one of the coolest and most unique trips I’ve ever been on.

IMG_4579_2IMG_4528_2We flew into Oslo on Thursday night, and on Friday morning, took a train across the country to Bergen. We wanted to see fjords and there are a lot of fjords in Bergen. The train was six and a half hours long, but it didn’t seem that long because we had gorgeous scenery the entire way. A lot of the way through, we saw many little mountain towns. But when we really got up into the mountains, all the trees disappeared and we found ourselves in a frozen tundra where everyone travelled either by skis or by snowmobile. It was a beautiful ride, and didn’t feel long at all.

IMG_4701_2Bergen was an amazing city. We got there in the afternoon, and took a tram up a mountain to a scenic overlook over the entire city. We wandered around the mountain on trails until sunset, where we watched the sun go down over the fjord and the city. It was a gorgeous sunset. For dinner, I had the BEST fish soup I’ve ever tasted. It was INCREDIBLE, and a wonderful way to end the evening.

IMG_4805_2We spent Saturday in Bergen before training back to Oslo. We walked along through an old castle in Bergen, and walked up to the top of what looked like it may have been the remnants of the castle keep. It had a great view of Bergen, and we spent an hour up there, taking pictures. After that, we wandered around the town before our train left, and all bought hats to let everyone around us know that we were tourists. But they’re really warm and will keep us very happy in the frigid Valpo winters.

IMG_4881_2Our last day was spent in Oslo. We walked to a castle that was built in the 1700s. Most of the buildings weren’t open, but the grounds were open, and we got to climb on top of the walls and walk around them. We also got to see a woman riding her horse around the grounds for awhile.

We were all so sad to leave, because it was such a beautiful place. We were very lucky to have good weather the entire trip, and it was amazing to see a country that not many people think to go to, and where the culture is so incredibly different from our own.

Visiting the Second Best University in England

Oxford Castle

Oxford Castle

Yesterday, six of us travelled by train to see Oxford. For those that are keeping tabs, Cambridge is the number one university in the world, with Harvard and Oxford taking up the next two positions. Those positions change quite frequently, but right now, we brag about the fact that we live in the same town as the number one university in the world. But we’d also heard good things about the town of Oxford, so we decided to see what another college town was like.

Christ Church

Christ Church

To start off, it was a perfect day to go to Oxford, because it was sunny and nearly 60 degrees outside, so walking around the town was pleasant. Most of our day was spent walking around and taking pictures of buildings and seeing the outside of colleges. We saw the outside of Christ Church, which is one of the largest churches in Cambridge. We also saw remnants of Oxford Castle and the Bridge of Sighs in Oxford.

For lunch, we went inside this little indoor village with all these little shops and cafes. I had THE BEST sandwich, with brie, onions in balsamic vinegar, and spinach on a baguette. It was DIVINE. And, even better, we got really good cookies at the end of lunch that were still warm from the oven and so good.

Balliol College

Balliol College

Our last stop of the day was to see Balliol College, which is arguably the oldest college in Oxford. It was established in 1263. We got to walk around the grounds for a little while, and see the inside of their dining hall. There was also a really small garden that looked like the Secret Garden. It was also late afternoon by this time, and we got some really good pictures of the college in the fading light.

IMG_4287_2Overall, it was a very relaxing day, and we enjoyed spending time walking around together on a leisurely day off. We had a great time visiting the second best university in the world, but I think it’s safe to say that we all love Cambridge, and wouldn’t trade living here for anything.

Day Trip to Windsor Castle

While everyone has been off galavanting over Spain and Italy during first break, Jessica and I have been taking several small trips around England. Our first stop was last week in Dover, and our next trip was to Windsor and Eton to see Windsor Castle.

IMG_4025Before we left, we checked online ahead of time just to make sure that it was open, because we didn’t want to have a repeat of our Dover trip where we arrived and found the castle closed. Luckily for us, the castle was open and we hopped onto four different trains to Windsor. The castle is very cool because on the outside, it looks old and very medieval, but on the inside, it has been renovated and decorated.

IMG_4052_2During the winter months, the State Rooms are often open to the public. We got to wander through all of the State rooms, which were very interesting. St. George’s Hall had hundreds of family crests covering in the walls and the ceiling. The stairway entering into the rooms was covered in a great display of antiquated swords, guns and other weapons, showing off the power of England to all who come to visit. My favorite room was one decorated in red (my favorite color) and gold, with an entire wall of windows that overlooked the gardens outside.

We also got to see Queen Mary’s dollhouse. This dollhouse is absolutely amazing. It was built to reflect the culture and fashion of the times, and was incredibly elaborate. They said that all of the golden plates in the dining room were made of real gold, and the Crown Jewels were actually small jewels. If I had a dollhouse like that, I could have played with that dollhouse for hours.

IMG_4078_2Because we went on a Sunday, St. George’s Chapel was not opened to the public, as they were holding services all day. We did get to see the outside of it, and the rest of the outside of the castle as the sun was going down. It was very pretty.

We had a great time traveling down to Windsor, but were very happy to take a few days for a break before our next day trip adventure. Coming up next is our trip to York!

Day in Dover

We’re already at our first week break of the semester! I can’t believe that it’s already been a month since the new group arrived. This week, the majority of the group is headed off to Spain and Italy. Jessica and I, however, decided to stay in England and use up our Britrail passes and travel to a couple of places in England that we really wanted to see.

Dover Castle

Dover Castle

Yesterday, the two of us trained down to Dover to see Dover Castle and the White Cliffs. Dover Castle sits on top of one of the cliffs, and the town sits below it. We had to walk all the way up that cliff to get to the castle, only to discover when we reached the top that Dover Castle was closed. Needless to say, we were quite disappointed, and had to settle for taking pictures of the outside of the castle. Luckily, the weather was pretty nice, so the climb up wasn’t too bad.

Our next stop was to try to find a good spot to see all of the White Cliffs. There was a winding road that led from the castle down and toward the cliffs. We thought that the it would take too long to follow that winding road, so we hopped a fence and walked through a lovely English pasture down toward the road. It got a little sketchy when our third fence-hopping experience happened over a barbed wire fence, but we had fun frolicking through grassy fields and seeing the scenic side of Dover.

The first fence we hopped on our trek down to the road

The first fence we hopped on our trek down to the road

After wandering back to the road, we ran into a very nice couple who kindly suggested that maybe the best place to see the cliffs would be on the waterfront instead of on top of them, which is where we were. So we made our way back into town and walked along the water. We never really got a good look at the cliffs because there were cars and overpasses in the way, and we didn’t have a car. It was a little disappointing, but we did spend some time picking rocks on the beach, and watching the waves coming in and out, which is my favorite thing to do.

Our day ended with a visit to a museum in Dover which houses the oldest seafaring boat that has been found. This boat dates back to the Bronze Age in 1550 BC, and was excavated from Dover in the early 1990s. It had to be the biggest attraction to the museum, because it was pretty much the only thing inside, but it was still pretty cool to see something that old.

Overall, our little misadventure turned out to be pretty fun. I would probably like to go back to Dover and actually see the castle one day, but that was a fun first time. It was also a good reminder that even when things don’t go exactly as planned, they can still turn out to be fun if you go with the flow.

White Cliffs of Dover

White Cliffs of Dover

Pier in Dover

Pier in Dover

Bronze Age Boat

Bronze Age Boat

Getting Schooled

Part of the reason I wanted to study abroad for an entire year was so that I could completely immerse myself into English culture. One aspect of that culture is the education system. When you study at the Study Center, you take classes at the center with a variety of different professors. There is, however, the option to take an English or History course at the local community college, Anglia Ruskin University. This is something that I have chosen to do both of the semesters that I have studied here, and I am very glad that I have.

Taking classes at Anglia Ruskin gives you the opportunity to see what school is like in a different country. For my English classes, in general, we meet only once a week for two hours. The professors (or tutors, as they call them here) are laid back. Your final grade is determined completely by your final paper, project, or exam. This means that all reading, learning, and writing, is up to the student. It’s a very different style than the ones that I am used to at Valpo, and a welcome change of pace.

Being at the Study Center is great. It’s nice to know everyone, and REALLY nice to only have to walk across the house to go to class. But sometimes, I miss the feeling of being on a college campus. I miss passing people trekking across the lawns and waving to them, and I miss being a part of a larger community. Taking classes at Anglia really has helped me to feel more at home and like I’m still in college. I get to walk to classrooms, and sit behind an actual desk or table, and learn in an actual classroom instead of a room in a house.

Taking a class at Anglia Ruskin also allows you to make new friends, ones that you may not have otherwise made in Cambridge. Being friends with people that are familiar with the English culture is really interesting and enlightening, because they have a lot of different perspectives on life. This can also be said for the professors at Anglia Ruskin. Oftentimes, they have assumptions about America and Americans that you may have never thought of before, and it makes you think a little differently.

I would absolutely recommend taking a class at Anglia Ruskin if you were to stay at the Cambridge Study Center. It is a great way to immerse yourself in a different culture and get to know new people, and I am very grateful to have the opportunity to do so. And, if nothing else, it gives me the chance to walk through the town early in the morning and watch the snow fall on the River Cam, which always makes for a good day.

Snow on the way to class

Snow on the way to class

Snow in the park on the way to Anglia Ruskin

Snow in the park on the way to Anglia Ruskin

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.

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