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Category: Uncategorized (page 5 of 7)

2017 Photo Contest Winners: Valpo Near and Far

August 18, 2017 / studyabroad / 0 Comments

Category: Valpo Near and Far

1st Place:

Name: The Penguin Peninsula
Photographer: Katherine, Carlson
Location: Otago Peninsula, New Zealand
Program: Summer in New Zealand
Description: Ocean lookout at the end of the Otago Peninsula with penguins

2nd Place:

Name: Guinness Lake
Photographer: Michelle Ford
Location: Wicklow Mountains, Ireland
Program: Christ College Spring Break in Ireland
Description: We’re always proud to rep Valpo!

3rd Place:

Name: Reppin’ Valpo in the Prague Schools
Photographer: Hannah Purkey
Location: Prague, Czech Republic
Program: Summer in Prague
Description: My Valpo flag and I got lost and ended up at a Prague college!

The End of One Chapter and Beginning of Another

June 21, 2017 / studyabroad / 0 Comments

Author: Alyson Kneusel

Location: Reutlingen, Germany

My first few days in Germany were a whirlwind of experiences. Everything was new, and I felt I must record every moment. Strangely, as the three day countdown begins for my departure from Germany, I find I feel much the same way. I cherish every experience, because I know it might be my last time doing those activities. Even something as common as taking a train (which is common activity in Germany) became notable again. As my time here comes to an end, I realize how many things I’ll miss and how much I have changed.

On my third to last day in Germany, I took my last final exam, which I think (or hope) went smoothly, and then I began to pack. My roommate and I continually commented on how strange it was to consider leaving. We are excited to return home, but it seems surreal to leave our home here. At night we got a chance to all spend some time with our German teacher, and one of my fellow study abroad students made an interesting comment. He said that he hopes one day to return with his son to Reutlingen and tell him that he is walking where his father once walked. This struck a chord with me because I feel like Reutlingen has become part of me, and I would love to chance to share that with my family.

Today, my second to last day in Germany, I went on a six hour guided hike of Bad Urach with the students from my program, the residential director, and one of our teachers here. It was absolutely beautiful. We climbed up the side of a waterfall, and as I felt the spray land one me, I realized how alive I felt, and how many adventures I have had (I only found out after writing this that my roommate captured the moment in a picture). Shortly after, we bought food at a food stand on top of the waterfall, which consisted of Weisswurst (white sausage) and a pretzel. I realized that I now considered such a meal entirely normal, but just four months ago this would have seemed like something out of a movie. Yet today this was my reality.

Tomorrow will be my very last full day in Germany. Although I have no clue how it will feel, I am sure that at least one tear will be shed. It will be a day of goodbyes to my teachers, new friends, and my fellow study abroad students who have been like my family here. Perhaps the hardest part is that I must face the fact that the chances of seeing many of them again are slim. It is hard to let go of people and places that have changed you so much. However, it will not be all sad. We are going out to my favorite restaurant Barfüsser for a traditional German dinner with our teachers and group for a farewell dinner. Not only will the food be excellent, but it will be a chance to celebrate our time together here in Germany.

If you have ever read a good book, you know that the end is a bittersweet experience. On one hand you are anxious to complete the story and move on the sequel. On the other you dread the conclusion because that will mean it is over. I find myself continually relating my emotions to this situation. I am really sad for tomorrow to come because that means that possibly the best semester of my life will come to the end.

That being said, every hour we move forward is one hour sooner I get to see my family, friends, and home. In the next two weeks not only will I return to the USA, but I will also watch my little sister graduate from high school, visit my family and my boyfriend who I haven’t seen in months, and begin an Immunology summer internship at Washington University in St. Louis. I think it is important to remember you never know which way a series will turn. For all I know, there will be a plot twist, and I will end up back in Germany again one day. As I say a tearful goodbye to Reutlingen, I look forward to future and whatever that might have in store for me.

The End…for now!

Alyson Kneusel

Blooming in Bloemfontein

April 5, 2017 / studyabroad / 0 Comments

Blogger: Katie Karstensen

Program: Windhoek, Namibia

After our time in Johannesburg and Soweto, we reluctantly left St. Paul’s Guesthouse and their lovely manager Sister Jackie to head to our next destination. In Bloemfontein, we stayed at Cherry Lane Bed and Breakfast, a cozy settlement in a rural area surrounded by fields full of horses, donkeys, and our favorite, zebras. The highlight of our stay was a visit to Zanchieta Cat Farm, a wild animal rescue facility. Since they’ve begun their mission, they have rescued 98 wild animals from hunting or breeding lists, animals in need of medical attention, or animals that would have otherwise gone to zoos. Zanchietas claims they are different from zoos as they feed their animals every day and give them wide and open ranging fields they can occupy. They told us their lions are a little “fluffier” than animals in the wild because they feed them a little extra as they are currently doing work in their pastures, plus lions bother you less when they have a full stomach.

When we went to see the lions, the animal handler warned us to stay back about a meter from the enclosure as the lions sometimes would try to pee on people if they were agitated or felt threatened. I was able to get close as they were opening the gate to let the lion enter its feeding station to snap the above picture. William Wallace, the lion, appeared far less threatening than he had been talked up. William Wallace’s partner, Princess (left), was rescued by Zanchieta’s and suffered from malnutrition. Other lions had begun to try and eat her as they didn’t think she would make it. The facility calls her princess because, “even though she’s looked better in the past, she’s still just as beautiful.”

— Katie

Lessons from Outside the Classroom

March 29, 2017 / studyabroad / 0 Comments

Blogger: Abbey Little

Program: CIS Abroad — Newcastle, Australia

Hello, mates! I write to you from Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, where the sun shines all day, and the uni comes alive at night –(uni is the word Australians use for “college” whereas a college here refers to another residence on campus). My decision to study abroad was impulsive and brilliant. Having dealt with social anxiety for years, I was concerned that I would not be able to fully embrace the journey. Of course, my intentions were to meet new people, explore new places, and embrace a different education system, yet I must admit that I doubted myself at times. But since the moment I landed on Australian soil, I have been overpowered with kindness from every individual I came across. The thought of worry is out the window and the feeling of anxiety is no longer present.

Just three busy days after my arrival, my group headed out to the beautiful Great Barrier Reef. I felt no concern in my commitment to scuba dive in the reef, but once I was fulfilling it, some fear snuck in. We dove in groups of 4 accompanied by the instructor. We ran some drills to rehearse the hand signals and ways to pressurize our ears and clear our masks before descending to the reef itself. Our instructor let the air out of our vests and we began to swim below the surface of the Pacific. I was having difficulties with water leaking in to my mask (SALT water to be more specific—so you can only imagine how lovely that felt) and I became overwhelmed, causing my breaths to shorten and become insufficient, rather than taking long, deep breaths as necessary. Acknowledging my hyperventilation only made it worse. Earlier in the week, a fellow mate, Grant, had asked the group, “when was the last time you took the deepest breath you’ve ever taken?” This quirky remark snuck its way in to my mind just then, and I remembered to take a deep breath. As I looked to my left, I was reminded that I was in the company of some of my new best mates. To my right, the liveliness of the spectacular reef. I was okay. I was swimming with the fish in the Great Barrier Reef. I had no reason to be worried, so I simply stopped worrying.

I was welcomed in to tropical Cairns, Queensland, Australia with guidance I am honored to have from the most marvelous site directors, Jackie and Indigo. I could ramble on all day about how delightful it has been to interact with them and how adequate their leadership has been. The friendships I have formed in my first week in Australia have provided me with fresh new perspectives that I more than look forward to respecting during my time with those dear mates. I have already accomplished an ample amount of my goal to meet new people. My fellow foreign mates here in Newy–Natalie, Josh & Josh, Grant, Gabrielle, Will, Elena, Liz, Moira, Ali, and Josephine—have all positively affected my life in their own way as individuals. As a group, we are unstoppable. I have yet to step foot in to an Australian classroom (seasons are opposite here, so they are just finishing their three-month long “summer break” and classes will resume the week of 27 February, 2017) –yet I have already gained such compelling knowledge. I have learned that I am capable of just about anything—apart from escaping a shark attack, I still have some doubts about that! I am happy to be settled in at Uni in Newcastle now and I am eager to see what lessons I will learn within the classroom considering the revelations I have already been so fortunate to have. Remember to appreciate where you’re at and all of those around you. That’s all for now, mates!

Cheers!

–Abbey

The Atlantic Coast

January 11, 2017 / studyabroad / 0 Comments

Author: Caylyn Moglia

Location: San Jose, Costa Rica

Hola Todos,

Friday and Saturday I was on the Atlantic coast of Costa Rica, in the city of Limón and the town of Cahuita. It was really nice to get out of the house and have a change of scenery, even though I had to work on a paper.

On Friday, Heidi, Erika (one of Heidi’s housemates), Maya (Erika’s 5-year-old daughter), and I left around 8:30 and got to Limón around lunch time. After a quick tour of Limón, we were back in the car and on our way to Cahuita. During this leg of the trip, Maya finally decided that I’m not so scary and talked my ear off, claiming that I am her BFF. 🙂 Once we were in Cahuita, we went to the beach and played in the water. We never went past ankle deep because of the strong rip tides, and we couldn’t make it to the green zone before the beach closed at 5 pm. Maya and I played in the sand and dug a hole all the way down to the water (not very far). She especially liked that she was almost as tall as me when I stood in the hole. After a short “rest” (read: homework time) at the hotel, we went out for dinner at Soda Sola Fe. A soda is a small, family-owned restaurant.

On Saturday morning, we ate breakfast and saw (and heard) howler monkeys at the hotel. There was even a mom with a baby. I wish I had had my camera, but my phone was in the room since I didn’t want it at breakfast. After breakfast, Heidi and I went on an animal tour with Fernando, Heidi’s favorite guide. We took a boat to Cahuita point and then hiked back into town. On the hike, we saw: monkeys, snakes, more than enough spiders, crabs, a sloth, and a basilisk. It was amazing!

Fernando was able to spot all these animals that Heidi and I only saw with a telescope or when he pointed them out. At one point, Fernando stopped and said, “there is a poisonous snake; you have ten seconds to see if before it sees you.” It was a Yellow Eyelash Viper sitting on a tree less than 15 yards away, and I didn’t see it until I looked through the telescope and then followed the telescope to see it with my bare eyes. Fernando took the following picture, without a zoom lens.

We also saw a two-toed sloth with a baby! It was really cool.

If you are interested in playing a “find the animal” game, feel free to go to my personal blog at: http://caylynsstudyabroadadventures.blogspot.com/2016/10/atlantic-coast-one- weekend.html

“But where are you REALLY from?”

December 15, 2016 / studyabroad / 0 Comments

Author: Maia Moore

Location: Study Center – Hangzhou, China

“But where are you really from?”

This was the second sentence out of someone’s mouth after knowing me for about 30 seconds. He was Ghanaian and Lebanese, so I was a little surprised he asked this. I’ve been asked this question numerous times since I arrived here by Chinese people and other foreigners alike, but this is the first time I had been asked this from someone who was also black.

“What do you mean?”, I asked him.

“You are black American, but where is your real country?”, he replied.

“I don’t know”, I said, not really wanting to get into the 300+ years of history that black people have with the US.

Even though this isn’t the first (nor will it be the last) time I’ve been confronted by this, I thought more about this than I have before since I came to China. When I think about where my “real” country is, of course, I think of the United States. However, for some reason, others don’t seem to see it that way. When making small talk with taxi drivers, they will ask where I am from and when I say “USA”, every time, they will say “Really?” or say “But where are your parents from?” Even one of my Chinese professors asked me this on the first day of class.

I didn’t expect to come here and have to defend my “Americanness” on what seems like a daily basis. I also realize I can’t expect everyone to know the US’s history and the complicated ideas of identity that we have there. However, it can be frustrating to be asked this regularly especially when your white, American counterparts are never asked this.

This trip has made me think a lot on what I means to be American, what it means to be black, and what it means to be black in America. I may have to defend my background frequently, but if anything, I think it has made me take more pride in my identity and heritage. It’s odd that I’m discovering more about my identity in China of all places, but study abroad involves a lot of self-discovery.

Yes, I Am Going to School

December 8, 2016 / studyabroad / 0 Comments

Author: Caroline Dienes

Program: Cambridge, England – Study Center

People have no idea how many times I get comments on my photos on Facebook that say, “Are you even going to classes?” or “Are you doing any learning over there?” Is it true that most of the pictures I post on social media are photos of me traveling all over the place. What pictures are people expecting? Pictures of me reading a book, studying for a midterm, or typing out a paper? Those aren’t too interesting to look at in my opinion.

With that being said, I have just recently finished midterms over here in Cambridge. I have also been assigned four papers and two presentations that are due in just a couple weeks! So, to answer your question, studying abroad does actually utilize the word “studying”. Students who choose to study abroad just for the ability to travel and to forget about the school aspect of it are in for a big wake up call. You can’t avoid note takings, quizzes, and exams while in another country, even if you get on a plane and travel somewhere even further.

Studying abroad is equally balanced between becoming more book smart and street smart. Some people focus all of their energy on becoming a pro at the street smart part of that equation. If you plan to study abroad, you MUST find a happy balance between the two, or the book smart portion will end up kicking you in the butt at the end. This balance can be entirely up to you though. You know your study / chilling with friends balance at Valpo and, hopefully, you’re able to handle that. Bring that same mentality while you study in a different country. You’re in college to study. Same song, different tune while you’re abroad. I am traveling to all of these places and having unforgettable adventures, but, yes, I am going to school

Stay Studying,

Caroline Dienes

Class on a Sunday?!

December 6, 2016 / studyabroad / 0 Comments

Author: Tiffany Luehrs

Program: Hangzhou, China – Study Center

Yes, class on a Sunday. The opening ceremony for the school year was on Wednesday September 14^th but classes did not start that day nor the next because of the Mid-Autumn Festival that took place September 15-17. In America, most holidays are observed on a Monday even if the holiday occurs on the weekend but in China, they celebrate holidays on the exact day. This means that you might have to make up for having days off during the week like we had to. The Mid-Autumn Festival fell on the 15^th and while we got three days off, we had to make up for the missed classes by beginning our semester on a Sunday. But I was more than ready to get started after what had seemed like a never ending summer!

The first day was the usual syllabus day with the overview of the semester, the professor’s expectations, and of course the awkward but necessary icebreakers all in Chinese. The class I had that day, 精读 (jing du – intensive reading/grammar) is somewhat like our homeroom class and our jingdu professor also serves as an academic advisor. We have jingdu every day except for one, and our jingdu professor keeps us updated on campus activities, holidays, elective courses, class trips, etc.

With the exception of the first day of school, I normally have two 90 minute classes per day with a break in between. Everyday I have class at 8am except for Tuesdays when my first class begins at 1pm. Instead of just one main Chinese class that meets everyday I take four separate courses that often overlap in topics, grammar patterns, and vocabulary. The Chinese courses I am taking include 精读 (jingdu)，阅读 (yuedu – reading) ，听力 (tingli – listening comprehension)，and 口语 (kouyu – oral). The way that our classes are split up allow us to focus and gain a deep understanding of each aspect of communicating in and comprehending Chinese. In addition to the intensive Chinese language courses, I am also taking the Environmental Biology of China course and the Chinese Culture and Civilization course taught by our Valpo program director.

The campus is much livelier than we when we first arrived in Hangzhou now that classes are in session and I have met students from all over the world from places such as Germany, Russia, Scotland, England, Romania, Korea, Japan, and Thailand. Apart from classes, I usually spend my days going on runs by West Lake, studying at nearby cafes, eating out with friends, roaming around Hangzhou, and playing soccer with the boys (in the process of recruiting other girls to join). The first couple weeks have flown by and I look forward to seeing what else the semester has in store!

-Tiffany

Why Costa Rica?

December 1, 2016 / studyabroad / 0 Comments

Author: Caylyn Moglia

Program: San Jose, Costa Rica – Study Center

¡Hola Todos!

“Why Costa Rica?” It was a question that I got all the time when I told people where I would be studying abroad this semester. “Why not Spain or Mexico?” was another common one. To be perfectly honest, before I left, I had three solid reasons for wanting to go to Costa Rica.

I wanted to go somewhere different. Somewhere I would be completely immersed in Spanish. Lots of people study abroad in Mexico and Spain, so Costa Rica seemed perfect. Also, enough people in Spain speak English that I feared I wouldn’t get a full immersion experience.
I know people in Costa Rica. My family friends and former neighbors currently live in Tambor on the Nicoya Peninsula. The Macartneys are my second family, I’ve known their oldest since he was a baby, and the younger two since they were born. I was also the primary babysitter on the rare occasion that a babysitter was needed. When I found out that Valpo has a program in Costa Rica, I was super excited by the possibility of seeing the Macartneys again.
I had the opportunity to take theology classes. I am a theology major, so being able to take classes at the Latin-American Biblical University was a dream come true. I am taking history of the Church and Hermeneutics, and I love my classes, even though they are sometimes super frustrating.

Now that I am here, I love Costa Rica even more. I love living with a host family, and the people are generally super friendly and helpful. Lost? Ask for directions. The bus isn’t coming? Get a ride with someone who called Uber and is going in the general direction of your house. I only have 5 weeks left in Costa Rica, and I am trying to get the most out of my time as possible, but now I have to do my homework.

Hasta Luego!

Caylyn Anne

Thankful in China

November 30, 2016 / studyabroad / 0 Comments

Author: Tiffany Luehrs

Program: Hangzhou Study Center – China

I have spent Thanksgivings in Mongolia, Indonesia, Japan, and a few other countries due to my overseas upbringing, so having Thanksgiving in a different country was not the strangest part. But not being with my family during this holiday was definitely odd. Instead, I spent Thanksgiving in Shanghai with my new family, the Valparaiso Study Abroad cohort.

Sitting around a table with my peers and professor with plates filled with the Thanksgiving essentials of turkey, stuffing, and potatoes, and partaking in laughter filled conversation, it felt like Thanksgiving even if I was thousands of miles away from my family in America. I am thankful for our mini Thanksgiving celebration as a study abroad family and grateful for the opportunity to study in China for the semester.

Valpo Voyager

Student Stories from Around the World