One simple joy of traveling, is the getting the beautiful, unique stamps you receive at customs when crossing international borders. Pictured here is the filled-up passport of one of the study center directors, Alfonso Meléndez who is from El Salvador, which has this intricately colored and culturally-relevant designs. Here in the Valpo Costa Rica program, we have finished up our two classes of Spanish, culture, history and social justice and are getting prepared to start our internships in different areas and organizations in the country. We are also excited to welcome the group of nursing students who are coming to work in clinics for underserved populations in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Right now I’m making sure I have my bilingual medical terms down as I’m translating this week!
Valpo Voyager
Student Stories from Around the World
Page 55 of 124
From February 12-14 six of us Cambridge students began an adventure through Italy and Spain. We stopped in Venice first which was great because Carnevale was going on and people dress up in fantastic costumes and masks! The city itself was gorgeous too. Nothing like floating on a gondola during Valentine’s Day weekend. The gondola man does not make too bad of a date!
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- Gondola port
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- Along the canals
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- The floating city
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- Carnevale
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- Carnevale
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- Carnevale
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- Carnevale
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- The Adriatic Sea
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- Venice
Living in a huge city like Paris, life is always moving as if there is a continuous sea of people running one way or another. While it is exciting, it can also be stressful or lonely. Therefore this Valentine’s Day weekend I left for peaceful Switzerland, basking in the beautiful streams and gorgeous mountain views.
Earlier this week, I read an article about how technology can actually detract from the study abroad experience. Searching for places with wifi to have access to social media, posting every moment of the trip. In Bern and the village of Thun, I made an active decision to turn off the technology, only taking photos and appreciating the nature around me.
No photo can truly show the magnificence of the Alps, the way the quiet streams sparkle under the sun as swans swim towards the mountains. The sun warms your skin, as you walk along and breath the fresh air and hear the birds singing above you. I climbed to the highest tower in Thun, seeing the landscape of forests, streams, and mountains unfolding before me. Moments like this make you reconsider what is important-collecting souvenirs with exciting stories or simply appreciating the experience.
On Thursday our group of 14 took off for a long weekend in Swakopmund. Located on the coast and next to the massive Namibian port Walvis Bay, Swakopmund was originally inhabited by Damaras and later settled by the Germans. Despite the four hour drive to the coast it passed relatively quickly between naps and breathing in the cooling air. The heat break as we drove West was so welcome — there’s a twenty degree difference between Windhoek and Swako. The most incredible thing about Swakopmund was the scenery as we drove up; we were greeted by palm trees, beautiful rising dunes, and the Atlantic Ocean. Seeing the ocean meet the desert will always be one of the most breathtaking things.
The Desert Meets the Sea
Before settling in we visited the memorial site for the OvaHerero/OvaMbanderu genocide that occured from 1904-1908 at the hand of German colonialists. The site is right before the bridge the leads from Swako to Walvis Bay. Many people are not aware that this site exists and I think it is important to overlook the German influence in the town and realize what that really means.
The next day we headed to Walvis Bay which boasts the largest Ports in Southern Africa. It’s also a safe place for Sea Vessels and Cargo Ships because it’s a natural deep water harbor. This also contributes to the business since bigger Cargo ships can dock as well. The imports from Walvis Bay service from South Africa to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. When we stopped at the Lagoon, I found a really beautiful dock and took a picture with it because I liked it so much.
While in Walvis Bay we visted NACOMA (which is an enviormental centere), Walvis Bay Multipurpose Center (which is a youth mobilization community outreach that focuses on AIDS/HIV, relationships amongst genders, and preventional care and support) and NamPort –he shipping yard. Namport manages both the Port of Walvis Bay and the Port of Luderitz which is much further south. Namport is essential in catering to the Import/Export needs of Southern Africa, increasing the competitiveness of SADC regions trade (through port services), and facilitate growth in Namibia by boasting one of the largest, most efficient trade routes in Africa.
Before leaving Walvis Bay we did what we came here to do: climb Dune 7. Dune 7 is the highest Dune in the world and located in the Namib Desert and is 383m tall.
Miranda and I before the climb!
The climb up was practically vertical and it took about 5-7 minutes to climb to the very top. However, the view from the top was absolutely breathtaking (literally… I sat in the sand and caught my breath for a little) and made the “breathless” assent completely worth it.
That night I traveled down to the jetty and was able to take some amazing shots of the sunset. (Again, I’m kind of obsessed).
On Saturday we had a free day, we could do whatever we wanted. Some people choose to go ride ATVs in the desert, others went skydiving, some hung out at the beach, and me and three friends went on a Boat Ride. We saw Seals, Pelicans, Dolphins, and tons of other cool critters. One of the coolest things we witnessed was Pelican Point which is home to THOUSANDS of seals. It’s one of the largest seal colonies in the world according to our Captain. We also had a seal jump in our boat which was kind of a shock (Seconds before the Captain was telling us how just last week an aggressive male seal took a chunk out of a passengers arm… yikes). They’re quite dense creatures up close. I also tried oysters for the first time and they are very much so an acquired taste. Afterward, my friend Louise and I decided to make the whole day ocean themed and walked to the Swakopmund aquarium and hung out there for a while and then ended our day at the beach. It was an awesome day and I took plenty of pictures.
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Visiting Swakopmund and Walvis Bay was probably one of my favorite adventures to date and it was wonderful to get away for the long weekend. Not only is it a beautiful place, but it’s rich in history. It’s definitely on my list of places to return to one day.
During our visit to Nicaragua, we visited the Island of Ometepe in the middle of the Lake of Nicaragua. The island is made up of two volcanoes, (one active!) and breathtaking biodiversity. The island is home to wild monkeys and petroglyphs from early inhabitants, while one can even find sharks swimming in the Lake! This photo was taken on a lovely stroll down the beach where one can find locals playing a pickup game of soccer, called a “mejenga” in Central America, as well as backpackers from around the world soaking in the sun and serenity of the island. The clouds in this photo are made up of the steam that comes out of the active volcano.
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.
Before 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.
During 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.
Because 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!
This past week, our group visited Managua, Granada and Ometepe Island, Nicaragua. Here are sophomores Jennifer Carpenter and Jasmine Lopez taking a break after touring around the colonial and colorful city of Granada.
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
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
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
Pier in Dover
Bronze Age Boat
I’m back from my second homestay and about four weeks into my crazy, exciting adventure in Africa. It has certainly been a fun few weeks and I’m pretty sure the last five days takes the cake. Thank you for everyone who has been patient with my horrible updating schedule. We actually broke the internet so wifi has been hard to come by. However… here are some highlights of my super fun last couple of days:
-My host family was Ovambo and speaks Oshiwambo primarly. This was such a great language learning opportunity! They also run a kindergarten and I had six host siblings, 2.5 weeks old to twenty-one years. This meant small children (YAY!) and people my age that I could hang out with… best of both worlds.
-I got to live in Katutura, which is a township of Windhoek, for five days which meant I was able to get outside the (occasionally touristy) bubble of Windhoek.
-I was able to learn so much about traditional Ovambo culture and language; I even got to wear a traditional Ovambo skirt and belt and necklace.
-I got to spend every evening with my amazing host brothers and sisters which was the best form of relaxation in the world.
-Kapana and Mangos, Kapana and Mangos.
-I was taken in like a long lost daughter by this family and never felt so at home when physically I’m so far away from it. (So grateful and blessed).
-I got to hold a little baby, run around with small children, and (attempt!) to learn how to cook each and every day which was such a cool experience.
-I figured out how to be out of my comfort zone and embrace it fully for a few days.
My Lovely Little Home
This urban homestay, for me especially, was an incredible new challenge and experience. It was the first time since being here in Southern Africa that I really was thrust out of my comfort zone and learned how embrace flying by the seat of my pants. I’m a big believer that if you’re not doing something terrifying you aren’t changing and you aren’t growing. This growth has happened now twice: the first time was actually getting on the plane to come to Africa, the close second was staying with my family in Katutura. It really allowed me to slow down, appreciate the small things, and relinquish control of things (sometimes). It put me back in a home-environment and allowed me to build relationships with some of the most wonderful people I’ve ever encountered. I loved spending evenings cooking with my oldest Host-sister or coming home and playing with the kids after a long day at school. I loved that I had a true HOME to go to.
My two littlest host brothers.
To be surrounded by a family with the kindest hearts and experience local Namibian culture is the biggest blessing I could have asked for. Things that I hoped to see and feelings I hoped to experience while in Africa were all there in this family of eight. I was able to take myself out of the critical-student/tourist/individual identity role and become part of a family where I could just listen and learn. The experience allowed me to slow down and enjoy time with my little host brothers and gave me time with my camera that I had been ignoring. It gave me a breakfast every morning with Meme (means Mother, in Oshiwambo) where she gave me a language lesson. It required that I not have control all the time. No internet? Oh well. Dinner at various times? Ok. Last minute adventuring?YES. Living in Katutura gave me back something that I lost in growing up: the joy of living in the moment. And as I lived in those moments, I was able to enjoy “just being”. I was able to laugh harder, humble myself more, empathize better, care more, and love a lot harder.
My youngest and eldest host siblings
My five days in Katutura were so badly needed and I don’t think I will ever be able to voice to my family what it meant to me. It’s only now, in the recent days, that I have began to formulate what it really gave me beyond a great cultural experience, awesome food, and a family to love. It settled my heart and gave it renewed joy that I hope I will be able to carry with me the rest of my time here in Africa. I feel like I am starting to now see the importance of my time here — just how much I am suppose to grow and a tiny glimpse of the person I was designed & intended to be. This adventure was more than a dream but a chance for something so incredibly great. I hope that by the time I leave Africa in three short months I will have a fresh understanding of why I really came here, how the love of a family and other beautiful little things are just another representation of a greater, higher love; and that I am better able to view this heartbreaking world through a lens of goodness.
Here are some photos so far from the last few days. I tried my best to capture my love for this family and the joy that they have and the joy that they instill in me. I hope you are enjoying this adventure with me so far and like me, am excited for what the future holds
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It is great to take a break every once in a while and take in the beauty of a city and the landscape. One of the most beautiful places to go in Cambridge is along the Backs (the backside some of the more famous colleges of the University of Cambridge).
Cambridge football practice complex
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