Hello, hello!

I’ll start off pretty much chronologically, starting with the trip out and ending with right now.

On September 9^th, the trip started with a drive up to Valpo, where our whole family visited the Valpo Popcorn Festival and spent some time all together (including Lydia, who, of course, was already up at college) before they dropped me off at the home of my college roommate (Kurt), with whom I was traveling. After an uneventful drive to the airport, Kurt and I took off at about 9pm from Chicago and began the 7 hour flight to Paris, France!

Somehow, I managed to avoid jet lag completely. Perhaps only getting two hours of sleep on the flight was exactly the right amount!

Photo by: CY-BY-SA

We arrived in Paris at around noon (with a seven hour time difference from Chicago) and headed to the hotel we were staying at for three nights, where our friend Simeon joined us. We were staying just a ten-minute walk from the Eiffel tower, which put us in a beautiful part of the city with lots to see within easy walking and métro distance. That night, we went and visited the Eiffel Tower and enjoyed the view of Paris at night from the tower.

Photo by: CY-BY-SA

It turns out, the Eiffel Tower is actually far, far huger in person. I had no idea how massive it actually was!

The next day, we first visited Chaillot, which offers a beautiful (albeit popular and therefore busy) view of the Eiffel Tower from a bit farther out, and then we made our way to the Arc de Triomphe, which is (again) much bigger than I expected. These things just don’t look as big in photos as in person! Then, we took the métro to the Louvre, another incredible place with so much art! (It turns out the room with the Mona Lisa is remarkably full of people, which I thought made for a slightly more interesting photo than just one of the artwork itself.) We also stopped by the Cathédral Notre-Dame, which is still closed due to the fire a few years ago, and marveled at the amount of scaffolding they put up to help restore it. I’m not including a photo of that because it was mostly just scaffolding, but I do have a photo of another church: La Basilique Sainte-Clotilde, where I lost (and found the next day) my water bottle. Beautiful basilica!

Photo by: CY-BY-SA

On Tuesday, our last full day in Paris, we started by visiting the Palace Versailles, a remarkable palace from the days of the French aristocracy. We began inside the palace, but we realized our mistake when it started pouring torrents of rain, preventing us from visiting the palace gardens. We didn’t have all the time in the world anyway, though, as we next went to the Musée d’Orsay, a museum focusing mostly on impressionist work but with many other types of work from the 19^th and early 20^th centuries. The Musée d’Orsay was originally a train station, so it also had cool clocks that I enjoyed photographing. Finally, we finished up our last day in Paris after dinner with an after-dark walk along the Seine. This evening is also when my camera lens stopped working, so I’m afraid photos after Paris will be phone quality.

(For the curious, something inside the lens came detached. I know this because a screw and the thing it was attached to fell out through the back of the lens. I just got it in to be repaired at the end of September, so hopefully I’ll have it back in the first couple weeks of October.)

Photo by: CY-BY-SA

Our three days in Paris were over, so it was time to hit the road. Or, rather, the tracks.

We took the Eurostar train from Paris to London, which included going through the Chunnel – not much to see in a 50km tunnel under the English Channel, but kind of cool nonetheless! After arriving at London’s St. Pancras station, we walked over to King’s Cross station and took a final train to Cambridge. It was good to unpack my suitcase and know I wouldn’t have to drag it through a train station or airport again for about three months!

Photo by: CY-BY-SA

In Cambridge, the main institution I’m studying with is Westfield House, one of the many colleges within the University of Cambridge. Since seminaries aren’t generally known for their engineering or business classes, though, I have to take most of my classes through another university in Cambridge: Anglia Ruskin University. There, I’m taking an Organisational (spelled the British way, of course, with an s instead of a z) Management class and an Introduction to Behavioural Management & HR class. I do have to take a couple classes at Westfield House, though, so I’m also taking World Music and a required class on Topics in British Life & Culture. Because I don’t have much wiggle room in how many business credits I have to complete each semester, I’m also taking one class online from Valpo, Project Management. Classes, though, aren’t what anyone really wants to hear about.

The first week in Cambridge, we had orientation. On Thursday, we started with a tour of the town, including King’s College chapel, an incredible building with architecture that seems impossible for the 15^th and 16^th centuries. Granted, it took nearly 70 years to build, which does a fair enough job of showing that it really was quite a feat at the time. We also visited several other important historical sites, such as the Cavendish Laboratory, where (among many other things) the neutron, electron, and structure of DNA were discovered. We also visited the college at which Isaac Newton studied when he became the first to define gravity. Lots of historical things in Cambridge!

Photo by: CY-BY-SA

That weekend, we had a bit more orientation (what to do in a fire, how not to be pick-pocketed, and the like), and then classes began on Monday, 18 September. For the first two weeks, I only had classes on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday, which was a nice way to start! Some of my classes are very good – Organisational Behavioural Management has a fun professor, and World Music only has three students (including myself) and therefore is very personal and easy to interact in. The other classes are just normal classes with nothing particularly exciting, but they’re not bad.

The next weekend, Kurt, Simeon, and I made an excursion up to Newcastle upon Tyne, a city known primarily for two things: very rowdy college students on weekend nights (we didn’t join their ranks) and hikers (we did join theirs). (Disclaimer: I’m not sure those are exactly the things Newcastle is known for, but that’s what we heard.)

After getting to Newcastle pretty late on Friday, we spent Saturday out near Haltwhistle, where we hiked along Hadrian’s Wall, a wall built in 122AD all the way across the country by Roman Emperor Hadrian to protect the Roman Empire in Britain from the pesky Britains and Scots who kept trying to invade them.

On Sunday, we first visited some historic buildings in Newcastle, including the Newcastle Cathedral (where they had a fundraiser which included many Shawn the Sheep figures, making for somewhat comic photos) and the Newcastle Castle, and then went outside of town to Jarrow. Here we visited a monastery dating back to 681AD, which included one remaining standing structure: a church, part of which was the chapel of the original monastery and was dedicated in 685AD – the oldest known church dedication stone in England. We marveled for some time at the remnants outside before going inside and getting a historical rundown of the monastery from some volunteers there, who showed us one of the oldest known stained glass windows in Europe – one of the windows of the church. After that, we took a train back to Newcastle and, from there, back to Cambridge so that we could start classes again the next morning.

On Thursday of that week (28 September), I invited all the other students (18, including myself) to our dorm for dinner, and I made one of my favorite recipes – Zuppa Toscana, a mimic of the Olive Garden soup.

It turns out, finding ingredients in a new place can be difficult! Apparently, the English don’t believe in Italian sausage, it seems, and the only nearby grocery store with seasonings was out of most of them. So I used a generic Italian seasoning mix with the pork to make something that passed as Italian sausage, but certainly had a different (not worse, though) flavor. It didn’t quite taste like the same soup as usual, but it was good!

Not everyone could make it to the feast, but I think there ended up being about 13 or 14 of us. Some of the other students also brought food (salad, baguettes, and brussel sprouts), so we had a pretty good meal! People certainly liked the idea of it – immediately, one of the other Valpo students said she thought we should do this every other week. I’m not entirely confident that she knows how much time those of us who made food put in to make enough for everyone, but it’s a nice thought! The students from the other dorm did say they were inspired to do something similar in return, so hopefully I’ll get a free meal out of them one of these days after all. 😉

The next weekend, we had another trip planned – so once again, after my classes on Friday, I rushed back to the dorm to eat lunch and head off to another train. This time, it was just Kurt and me, going to Sheffield. This is part of England’s Peak District, a beautiful section of the country with rolling (sometimes rather rocky or cliffy) hills and lots of sheep. After what ended up as a 9.5-mile hike on Saturday, we got a bus back to Sheffield just after it started raining. Then we spent the rest of the evening touring the city a bit, visiting some neat buildings and getting very wet in the rain.

The next day, Kurt and I set out on the train for another hike in the Peak district. This one ended up at a little over 11 miles (with all our clothes and other supplies for the weekend in our backpacks), much of which was in quite a drizzle that did an excellent job of soaking us completely. Afterward, we had lunch at a little pub in Bamford, the town nearest our hike, before the return journey back to Cambridge.

Photo by: CY-BY-SA

That was yesterday, October 1^st, so nothing much has happened since! Back to classes for the week, as well as some other activities coming up such as seeing a play on Wednesday night and going to see Macbeth in Shakespeare’s Globe in London on Friday or Saturday evening.

Okay, there you have it – an account of my first three weeks in Europe! If a picture is worth a thousand words, that puts me at what… over 46,000 words? Sweet, I just wrote a novel in a few hours.

Love,
~Joshua A. Klabunde.

Name: Carolyn Dilbeck

Program: Valpo Study Center in Costa Rica

Location: Heredia & San Jose, Costa Rica

Carolyn’s Internship Experience

This semester I have had the opportunity to do an internship at La Fundación Humanitaria La Carpio, an organization committed to improving the quality of the Nicaraguan immigrant community and those in need. They do this in a variety of ways, from providing food and bedding to those who need it to holding classes to helping people find gainful employment.  Above all, the focus is on empowering people to become financially independent and build a better life. Because I’ve lived a very privileged life, I have been fortunate enough not to have to see or experience what poverty or the immigrant experience is truly like. While we have been learning about the political and social problems many Latin American countries face and their effects in one of my classes, until now I had never seen it firsthand. Doing so and having the opportunity to interact with those who’ve been directly affected brought me an entirely different perspective. Hearing stories directly from the people who experienced them made them real to me in a way that hearing on the news could never do. It demonstrated to me that the root causes of the current issues we are facing regarding poverty and inequality are more nuanced and multifaceted than we often realize. As such, we must work together on solutions that take this into account.

One of the main take-aways from the experience was the generosity, hospitality, and openness of the immigrant community. Despite their relative lack of financial resources and material things, they showed themselves to be incredibly willing to share what they did have, from lunches at the foundation to incredibly harrowing stories of the hardship and sacrifices. I was humbled at how willing they were to open their hearts and share their experiences of how and why they left their home countries and what it took for them to rebuild their lives. While each of their stories was unique, one of the common themes was the need and desire to find a way to be useful and contribute to society, both for financial and social reasons. Many of them already had a background in a profession or possessed useful skills, and were more than willing to learn. However, more so than money or material possessions, what they lacked was an opportunity to develop these skills and education on how they can be used to find gainful employment.

This reality has shaped the approach that La Fundación takes in its assistance. While it does help people with basic necessities in the short term when necessary, its main focus is on empowering people to provide for themselves. For example, it has helped many immigrants form their own small businesses and connected them with resources that can help with their specific needs. However, despite the successes the foundation has had, the fact remains that it is limited in comparison to the scope of the problem. Education and employment remains inaccessible to many. In the face of such great need, I was initially left with a feeling of uselessness, and at a loss for what I could possibly do from my position as an outsider. However, I realized that my writing could be a powerful way to share their stories and experiences with those who are as far removed from it as I was. Hopefully, I can contribute toward a growing awareness of these problems and create a more understanding and justice-oriented world.

Author: Liam Bodlak

Location: Luxembourg City

Pronouns: He/Him/His

I had one more travel weekend before finals, and I was struggling to come up with somewhere to go. I’d already been most places in Germany, and I wanted to go somewhere really worthwhile. However, one night after talking to my mom about my Luxembourgish heritage, I decided to look up how close Luxembourg City was. Surprisingly enough, it was close enough for a day trip. So, one Saturday, I decided to travel by myself to Luxembourg City for a day.

Luxembourg City, and the entire country in general, is interesting because of its history, and what its history shaped it into. It’s been colonized and ruled by many different countries, and shared borders with many more, thus making it somewhat of a combination of different cultures. I heard people speaking French, German, English, and Luxembourgish, and a tour guide told us that a substantial amount of people that work in Luxembourg City don’t even live in the country. This leads to a multicultural society of people that all share the same love for the city. There are beautiful views, a downtown area with lots to do, and friendly people wherever you go.

The people were what intrigued me the most about the trip. Two in particular. One was a US Air Force serviceman I met while taking a tour of the city. We wound up grabbing drinks and dinner and hanging out for a bit and talking about life back in the US and our travel experiences. It was the type of experience I could only have traveling alone, and it’s one that I was extremely grateful for. Then, on the way back, I sat next to a South Korean man who was living in a small German town. We had a long talk about Germany, travel, and what it really meant to call somewhere home. As with the previous encounter I had, I was extremely grateful to meet him. The day trip was relaxing, fun, and let me discover a part of my heritage that I hadn’t previously been that in touch with. I’d highly recommend Luxembourg City to anyone who finds themselves in Europe.

Author: Mark Young

Location: Liechenstein, Slovenia

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Two friends and I went to Liechtenstein.

We hiked up a mountain and might have accidentally crossed into Switzerland for a short time.

We passed many beautiful vistas such as this one.

The entire country is surrounded by mountains providing for good views in every direction.

This is Vaduz Castle where the Prince of Lichtenstein lives. Overall, Lichtenstein was, while being very small, one of the most beautiful countries I’ve ever seen.

The following weekend I went to Slovenia. I started out by arriving at Lake Bled at 4am. It was pitch black when I arrived and I began walking around the lake. The boats take you to the island in the middle of the lake, which is home to a church that dates back to before the 15th century.

This is the church with the beautiful mountainous backdrop.

Here is the view of the entire city. Definitely one my of favorite views I’ve had while studying abroad.

This is another, and main, type of boat they use to go between the island and the surrounding land. It is called a pletna and its design dates back to the 16th century.

Author: Olivia Dausch

Location: Osaka, Japan

Pronouns: They/them

My most recent experience in Osaka was one of the most memorable. A nice lunch in Osaka Castle Park followed by a trip up to the castle surrounded by the city is something that simply can’t be experienced anywhere else.

I signed up for this event as part of Kansai Gaidai’s Experience Japan program, where local students host various events throughout the year to showcase some of Japan’s unique culture. There were events showing foreign students how to make takoyaki and okonomiyaki, taking a bike tour around Osaka, and much more.

I signed up for this event because I thought it would be a good opportunity to see other parts of Japan I may not have been interested in seeing in my short time here. Most of my plans revolved around going to primarily urban places, like Dotonbori, a famous street in Osaka lined with different food stalls. I knew the castles in Japan are interesting, but only hearing about them made them feel very remote or out of the way. When I went to Osaka Castle, I realized that the area around the castle is almost untouched by the city surrounding it.

My group ate our lunch outside the castle, near the outer moat. It was extremely beautiful and lively. There were people walking their dogs, children playing, and people just enjoying the weekend. We ended up playing badminton for a little bit, then headed up to the castle

The walk up to the castle was long and winding, as expected from a castle from the Warring States Era. There were countless trees lining the path, as well as stones with engravings. Eventually, we made it up to the castle, which was much more grand up close.

The castle itself was impressive. The entire inside was converted into a museum. We were not allowed to take pictures on some of the floors but having access to the top floor was more than worth it. The view was fantastic.

We stayed until the sun started setting, casting a nice glow on the moat. The lights within the castle gave it a nice glow before the spotlights were able to turn on.

Author: Liam Bodlak

Location: Amsterdam, Zurich, Prague

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Over the course of this semester I’ve taken a few short weekend trips to various places in Europe. Here are stories about some of them.

Amsterdam: In October, a stranger I talked to in Munich told me that Amsterdam was a “theme park for American tourists.” Having been there, I can confirm that it pretty much is. It’s a beautiful city, filled with canals, art, and amazing views nearly every block. It’s very obvious that the city makes a substantial amount of money off of tourism. Walking past coffee shops and bars, I could hear very clear American accents, and the people we had short conversations with all seemed to be from somewhere other than the Netherlands. It was an interesting multicultural experience, and I appreciated the opportunity to interact with fellow travelers.

Zurich: Zurich was…nice. Not sure how much was legitimately unique about the city, but it was a really nice place to spend a Saturday. The waterfront was amazing and the people in Zurich were extremely friendly (save for one angry bouncer who yelled at me in German until I gave up trying to understand him and left. Language barriers are hard). Switzerland in general is sort of culturally split between German, French, and Italian, and we saw signs in every language while walking through the city.

Prague: Prague has interested me for a long time. My parents talked about traveling there all the time, how beautiful it was, and how much fun they had there. They strongly encouraged me to see Prague, and said that out of all the cities in Europe, that was the one I need to see. It was with that in mind that I set out to see the city I’d heard to much about. I can honestly say Prague lived up to the hype. It’s a beautiful city, filled with landmarks, nightlife, great food, and great people. We saw the John Lennon Wall, the Infant of Prague, St. Vitus Cathedral, and Wenceslas Square. Prague might be the nicest city I’ve visited in Europe, and I will absolutely be back one day. My parents were excited about it for a reason. Prague was everything I’ve heard about it and more.

Author: Mark Young

Location: Reutlingen, Germany

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Midway through October, I went to Paris for the weekend. I saw all the major sights and had a good time. This was a street performer who was singing and dancing on a slackline.

Of course, I saw the Eiffel Tower. I took the tram to the to the top and had a really good time. It was very hazy when I went up but still had a good view. I wasn’t too excited about the Eiffel Tower going to Paris. I thought it was going to be uninteresting; however, as soon as I saw it, and walked under it, I knew exactly what the appeal is about. It’s one of those things that, when it’s in your view, you almost can’t stop looking at it.

The Louvre was very pretty. However, I’m not much for looking at copious amounts of art so I got tired of it rather quickly. The main attraction at the Louvre, is, of course, the Mona Lisa. I took Word and Image with Professor Chelsea Wagenaar last semester, which is all about replications and images(take it if you can, it’s a great class!) and thought I’d try to capture the scene in a slightly more inspired way than just taking a snapshot of the painting. I also wanted to rebel against the hundreds of people shooting tons of photos of it…so instead I did a short photo series of all the people taking photos of the Mona Lisa. It was rather fun to shoot and makes me think about why people take photos of what they do. Here are a couple more from the series…

For Fall Break I went to a few different places. My first stop was Lugano with my roommate. It was a gorgeous city, even though the weather was slightly less than gorgeous…