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Cape Point

Cape Town and Goodbyes

The past two weeks have been an emotional roller coaster to say the least. The final week and a half in Namibia were filled with final projects and papers, but also tearful goodbyes. After all of our projects were done, the fifteen of us cooked dinner for all the staff that made our four months in Namibia what it was. We got a chance to go around the table and say our thank yous. A lot of the group mentioned how awesome it was that in a group of 15 of us, we all got along really well and how uncommon it is for that to happen. I couldn’t agree more. Living with three guys who go to polytechnic of Namibia, we were able to really get to know them and it was a rough goodbye. I know I’ve said this time and time again, but Namibia has become home to me, and my heart broke leaving.

Inside Robben Island prison

Despite the sadness, an excitement filled the bus because our long awaited trip to Cape Town was finally here. Throughout the week, we visited various museums, churches and heard from many different speakers. My favorite of which was Robben Island where we got to tour the prison, hear from a man who was imprisoned for five years, and see Mandela’s solitary confinement cell.

Throughout the week we also got to to non-academic actives like visiting Cape Point, Boulder’s beach and hiking Lion’s head. Cape Town is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. On the hike up Lion’s head — unfortunately we weren’t able to hike Table Mountain while we were here because of weather — we were able to see all around the coast for miles with Table Mountain and Devil’s peak on one side and the twelve disciples on the other. It was an incredible view, photos don’t even do it justice! Cape point was breathtaking standing on one of the southernmost points in the world seeing two oceans joining together. Great white shark cage diving was planned for me and Sam, but the weather and time scheduling didn’t permit it.. I guess I’ll just have to come back for that one!

Cape Point

Despite all the fun activities that have been happening this week, it’s not easy knowing I’ll be back in the U.S in 48 hours. The best way I can describe it really is simply bittersweet. It will be nice to be with family and friends, but I am so not ready to be leaving southern Africa. Every day, I’m reminded just how special my time spent here was. There is no doubt in my mind that I am no where close to the person I was when I left Claremont, CA on January 18th. The people I’ve met, the things I’ve seen and the places I’ve been have shaped me in ways I never imagined possible. God has worked in my life these past four months in pretty incredible ways that I’d have to take way longer to explain to you — if even possible to explain. I’m leaving Namibia and south Africa with a very heavy heart, but a heart filled with memories and experiences that I am infinitely grateful for. There’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll be back in two years with my BSN. Thank you southern Africa for the most amazing time of my life, and thank you to each and every one of you who reached out to me with words of encouragement every step of the way. I am beyond blessed.

A group shot on top of Lion’s Head

All my love always,

Maddy

The Best Things I Ate: The European Tour

May 9, 2014 / kaitlyncarzoli / 0 Comments

It’s time for the last installment of “The best things I ate.” Check out parts 1 and 2 if you haven’t yet. This time, instead of dishes from Germany, I’ve collected all of my favorite meals from various countries I visited over spring break. Since this post required extensive research, it will be rather long, but I have to share these things because they are such an important part of why I love travel, and they are what inspire me to create new recipes of my own. Whether I’m at home or halfway around the world, I try to branch out and try new things, as well as authentic classics, and here, you’ll see a good mix of both, organized by city.

Prague:

This was the first dinner I had in the first city of break, and it was a great way to kick it all off! It was roast pork with horseradish mashed potatoes and a gorgeous gravy. It was classic Czech food with a little added elegance. Another reason to love Prague is that even fancy restaurants are ridiculously cheap because of the exchange rate!

This little treat is something I grew up eating at home. Kolacky are little Bohemian cookies filled with jelly or cream cheese that come in all shapes and sizes. I saw these at a bakery stand at a local festival and just had to have a real one!

Budapest:

For even cheaper fancy food, this is the place for you! This was my birthday dinner, chicken with beetroot risotto. I’m not really a fan of beets, but I am a huge fan of risotto, so I decided to take a risk and order it. And not only does it look beautiful, it tasted perfect too!

Vienna:

A long time ago, I did an entire post about my favorite foods in Vienna, but one thing I regretted missing out on the first time was some real Wiener Schnitzel. So this time, I found a restaurant that was really popular with the locals and finally had some. Some of my friends got the giant version that was bigger than the plate, but I opted for this one to get the sides. That way, it didn’t look entirely like a heart attack on a plate. At least there was some lettuce.

Venice:

Unlike Prague and Budapest, food in Venice can get pretty expensive. But one thing that’s always a deal is pizza. Honestly, my favorite pizza in the world is still Chicago style deep-dish, but for authenticity’s sake, this one was pretty good too. But it was a struggle to eat with a knife and fork.

Rome:

It was here that I first learned how to eat like an Italian. Apparently, the giant bowl of pasta is only the first course, and you’re supposed to have room for a meat course after that. I usually just picked one or the other, but this pesto was my favorite pasta course, mostly because I believe you can never have too much basil.

Cinque Terre:

As a general rule, whenever I’m lucky enough to go to a restaurant where I can see the ocean from my table, I order fish. And that’s almost the only time I order fish. This was the first time that I ever got one with the head still attached, but after respectfully laying a piece of lettuce over the face, I thoroughly enjoyed this meal.
So far, I haven’t mentioned any restaurants by name, but I feel compelled to for this next one. Based on rave reviews from Rick Steves and Tripadvisor, I had to try Il Pirata in the tiny town of Vernazza. I’m sure all their food is great, but I specifically wanted to go for breakfast.

First, there’s this little cup of wonderful. The owner gave us a little free sample, describing the mix of fresh strawberry slush and whipped cream as “the Italian yoghurt.” That little taste was not enough. And just the fact that this is considered just like yoghurt here is just another reason why I love this country.

Finally, yes, I did order a cannoli for breakfast. I had to do it, and it was the best one I’ve ever had. And now I know better than to order a pre-filled one. These are filled only after you order them so that they stay delightfully fresh and crunchy.

So that’s how I ate my way across Europe. Next week, I’ll write my last post as I prepare to go home for the summer. I’m sure it’ll be bittersweet and super cliché, but hopefully it’s a good final chapter.

How Do I Say Goodbye?

May 8, 2014 / bryncooley / 0 Comments

So I’m sitting here on my bed, and I’m supposed to be finishing my 3000 word Popular Culture final paper. I really should be working on this paper, seeing as it’s 100% of my grade in that class, but I can’t seem to bring myself to keep working on it. I thought it was just laziness, or tiredness, but I decided to write this instead. That’s when I realized… it’s not that I don’t have the energy to write that paper. Obviously I could do it, cuz I’m writing this just fine. The real problem is that this is the last paper I have to write here, and once I’m done with that… my study abroad experience is essentially over.

I know, I know, I’m being dramatic. After all, I don’t actually leave for another week. But today I had my last class at Anglia Ruskin. I’ve finished my papers for my other classes, taken my French exam. This is the last thing I have to do here, and that’s freaking me out. Tomorrow is our last Friday here. Last night was our last meal at Matt’s house. I’ve been here for 9 months, how am I supposed to say goodbye to the place that became my home faster than any other place has?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m incredibly excited to come home. I can’t wait to see my family again, my friends and the people I care about most. What I’m worried about is leaving. It’s kind of unfathomable to me at the moment, that in one short week I won’t be here, in this place where I feel so present. I keep staring out the window instead of working, I keep trying to imprint my brain with the sight of the pastel-colored buildings that line the main street into the city centre, I keep looking up at the stone facades of the colleges and thinking ‘how is it possible that I might never see this again?’ I don’t know how to say goodbye, no matter how excited I am about coming home.

Map from 1st Semester

All my life, I’ve wanted to come to England. Something about this place called out to my soul, as cheesy as that sounds. It wasn’t even something I could explain, really, and I don’t think I could explain it now, either. There’s something about the history; there’s something about the rolling green hills and rows of hedges; there’s something about cobblestone streets and huge open parks; there’s something about the castles and manor houses; there’s something about the very air I breathe here. It’s an atmosphere I’ve never felt anywhere else on all my travels in Europe and America, and it’s the most comfortable one I’ve ever felt. Even being gone for a weekend while visiting an amazing city in Europe was hard for me this year, how am I supposed to leave Cambridge for good?

It’s raining as I’m writing this, and I’m laughing at the irony that someone like me, who basically needs the sun to keep up a positive attitude (no ‘but Bryn you’re sooo pale’ comments, you guys), can love a place that is overcast and rainy on the regular. But I think it speaks to my incredible love of this place that I just don’t care. I’d dance in the rain for months with the joy of being here if I could. I’d forego seeing the sun for months on end and take as many vitamin D supplements as I needed if it meant I could be here. I don’t want to leave, I want to come home. But the problem with that is… this feels like my home too.

I think it’s possible to have many homes, many places where you feel like you belong. My home is where I grew up. My home is wherever my family is. My home is a cabin in the Northwoods that has been the most constant thing in my life. My home is Valpo. where I’ve met incredible people whom I love dearly. My home is Cambridge, where I learned so many things and most of all, where I truly met myself. Home is a place I’ll always love, and home is a place I never want to leave.

People keep telling me I need to walk around to all my favorite places and say goodbye. People keep telling me that it’s gonna be hard to leave and hard to not come back. People keep telling me that it’ll be okay, that I’ll be so busy over the summer and back at school in the fall that I won’t remember to be sad about not being here. I believe all of those people, but I’m finding it hard to contemplate at the moment. I’ve said this so many times already in this post, but I can’t really comprehend the idea of leaving here. It doesn’t seem real, that I could be anywhere on earth that isn’t here.

What I do know, more truly that anything, is that I will never forget Cambridge. I’ll never forget the way the trees outside my window look, I’ll never forget the cows in the greens, I’ll never forget the colleges or the market or the bookstore by the church were I can look at all the antique books and marvel at literature. I’ll never forget the pubs or the coffeehouses or the tree-lined walk that lit up with fairy lights at night. I’ll never forget what the city looks like, all spread out in front of me as I stand on Castle Hill. I’ll never forget what it felt like to see it for the first time, to live here and to revel in the place where so much history was made and have the privilege to call it home.

With gratitude, sadness, and much love,

Bryn

Spring Break Part 2: La Dolce Vita

May 6, 2014 / kaitlyncarzoli / 0 Comments

After the first week of break, the first three cities, I already felt like I had seen a lot, done, a lot, and walked a lot. But the Odyssey continued. After one of the longest train rides I have ever been on, we arrived in Venice to start our full week of exploring Italy. Now, Italy was one of the specific places we were “strongly advised”not to go, mainly because of pickpocketing and other issues that past groups have dealt with there. But I’ve always wanted to go to Italy. I know at least a dozen people who have spent extended time there and have never had a problem. And the truth is, there are a lot of more dangerous places to go in the world, places that I actually do want to see someday. So I respectfully ignored the warnings, and guess what! I had a great time with no problems at all, and never once felt unsafe. So my advice is to go to Italy. Be a nerdy tourist and strap your valuables to your body, research good places to stay, don’t talk to strangers, and just go! During the week, we went to Venice, Rome, Cinque Terre, and Florence. Once again, I’ll try my best to sum up all the fun.

Venice:
I loved Venice. In fact, it’s one of my favorite cities. However, this place gets a lot of mixed reviews. People either love it or hate it. I love it because it is exactly as beautiful as I pictured it. It’s just a beautiful city that looks like it hasn’t changed much in centuries. The main thing to do there is just to walk around and get lost in the narrow streets. And you will get lost. There’s really not much point in looking at maps, and it will take you about four times longer to find things than you would expect. Some people don’t have the patience for this, but I found it fun. Instead of rushing around to a million tourist attractions, you can just wander, take your time, and enjoy the views. The public transport system here is the water bus, which is especially fun to ride at night, to see the city light up. One thing I regret missing out on was a gondola ride. People seem to think they are a tourist trap, but in reality, they actually aren’t that expensive. If you get a full group of 6 people, the cost would divide to 13 euros per person. If I had realized this sooner, I would have done it, so I’ll have to come back someday.

Rome:

I wanted to love it, I really did. I liked it, but in the end, I think it fell a little short of my expectations. Don’t get me wrong, there are a ton of things in Rome that everyone should see in their lifetime, but now that I have seen them, I feel like I can just check this place off the list. Experienced travelers recommend that if Rome is “too much for you” you shouldn’t go further south, implying that it is one of the more intense tourist destinations. While I do think that it was a little much for me, this wasn’t because it was somehow too intensely Italian. It was because of the hoards of crazed tourists. There were just too many people in town. I’m sure it had a lot to do with the fact that we were there right after Easter, but still, I’ve never had a stronger urge to shove people in my life. It’s a shame because the museums, the ruins, and the Vatican are beautiful. I probably would have loved it if it were February. Go to Rome, but book museum tickets in advance, and remember to bring extra patience.

Cinque Terre:
This area is a slice of heaven. Formerly known as “Italy’s Hidden Riviera,” it has now been discovered and become a top destination (Thanks, Rick Steves.) It’s five tiny, quaint towns along Italy’s western coast, linked together by hiking trails and trains. Unfortunately, the trials were closed when we were there, and the train system could use a lot of help. But if someday, they can fix it, so that it doesn’t take 2 hours to go 5 minutes up the road, this place would be absolutely perfect. I may seriously consider learning Italian, moving here, and opening up a bed and breakfast. It would be a good life.

Florence:
I really enjoyed Florence, the birthplace of the renaissance. Some people I know may take offense to this, but I thought of it as a more manageable, mini version of Rome. There are plenty of museums and attractions to see, but it maintains a somewhat relaxed atmosphere. And it’s walkable, which is always a plus. Aside from admiring all the renaissance art, my favorite part of the day here was walking up to Piazza Michelangelo, where I took this photo:

So that’s Italy. I loved it, and am so glad I decided to go after all. I’m proud of myself for getting through over two weeks of intense travel. Each of these places challenged me. I clearly wasn’t in Germany anymore, but I learned a lot. I learned how to read a map and not get lost, how to get lost and be okay with it, how to get by in places where I didn’t speak the languages, and how to get up every day and look for adventure. But as much as I loved all the places we went over break, the most important thing I learned is that Germany is my home, and I can’t ever take it for granted. I now have a greater appreciation for the fact that I know how things work here, that I can speak German, and that this is also a very unique and beautiful country. It’s good to be home!

Spring Break Part 1: Exploring Eastern Europe

May 4, 2014 / kaitlyncarzoli / 0 Comments

It’s been a while since my last travel post. Where have I been all April? Well, it feels to me, like almost everywhere. I just returned from two and a half weeks traveling around Europe. It was an Odyssey. It was like the Amazing Race, only without the actual race and the million dollars at the end. I feel like I just walked across half of this continent. But it was unforgettable, a true once-in-a-lifetime experience that I’ll cherish forever. Since there’s no way to cover the entire trip in one post, I’m going to split it into three. First, there were the eastern cities of Prague, Budapest, and Vienna. Then, there was Italy. Finally, I’m going to have one more installment of “The Best Things I Ate,” a spring break edition.

Prague:
We kicked off our break in Prague, a place I’ve wanted to visit for years. It was one of the cities on our itinerary that I was most excited for, and in the end, it still was one of my favorites. Everyone says it’s ridiculously beautiful, and everyone is right. It’s more similar to Germany than even I had expected, and that made me feel at home, despite the language barrier and confusing currency. My favorite things we did there were the very thorough free walking tour, seeing the castle (and the whole city) light up at night, and most of all, learning about my Bohemian heritage. All weekend, I just kept eating everything I could find that my grandma and mom make at home.

Budapest:

The language barrier I had experienced in Prague was even worse in Hungary. Still, it helps that in these smaller countries, no one expects you to speak the language, and it’s not too difficult to get by. This was definitely the city that felt most foreign to me. It’s the farthest east, it’s not super touristy, but the good side of that is that it’s even cheaper than prague. Despite the challenges, I found the history of this city really fascinating, and found a bunch of fun things to do. Here, we went to the third best bar in the world, and we spent our entire second day in one of the famous bath houses, which I highly recommend.

Vienna:

This was my second time in Vienna, so I had mixed feeling about coming back. It is one of my favorite cities in the world because of its imperial elegance and long list of cultural attractions. I did really enjoy coming back because I got to do all different things than the first time. Last time, I really wanted to have Wiener Schnitzel in Wien, but I ran out of time, so I always told myself I’d come back someday just for that. Besides the Schnitzel, my favorite things were the grand tour of the Hapsburg’s Schönbrunn Palace and the view at night from the oldest Ferris wheel.

These three cities made up the first week of my break. Each has its own distinct character, and I love them all almost equally for different reasons. For the second week of break, we went south to explore some of Italy’s greatest cities, but that’s another story for another post.

On Arthur's Seat!

The Weekenders

April 28, 2014 / Danielle Steinwart / 1 Comment

Warwick Castle

I think when my friends and family picture me here, they think I’m constantly traveling. They think I have days on end to hop on planes, trains, and automobiles and spend masses of my time outside Cambridge. Although we are lucky enough to have two breaks that combine to make three weeks off, on weekdays we have to be in town for class (I know that sounds like an obvious observation, but sometimes even I forget, though it’s more out of hope than anything else). In order to travel outside of our breaks, we have to cram certain trips into the weekend, which is made easier by the fact we have Fridays off. Yeah, I know, woe is me, having to confine trips around Europe to three-day weekends. My life is so tragic. Fortunately, my purpose is not to evoke pity, but to inform future study abroaders (definitely a word) or anyone else who’s interested about popular types of weekend trips you can take as a student abroad. And if you think I’m only doing this, not out of concern for future study abroad students, but as a desperate attempt to tidily sum up what I’ve been doing for the past month, well, frankly I’m appalled (by how accurate that thought is).

Class Trips

Brendan sleeping on the bus

Okay, these are mandatory and we have no control over them whatsoever. Our director Matt, a beautiful soul, plans the whole weekend and pays for basically everything. This makes planning, booking, and budgeting a total cinch. We have three class trips this semester: the London trip I already wrote about, the “Castles Trip” (though we only saw two castles) that we took in March, and a trip to the Lake District, which we are taking next weekend. One common theme is that we always have to wake up at some ungodly hour to leave (meaning 7 am). On the Castles Trip, we at least had a few hours to sleep on the bus before we got to our destination, which basically turned out to mean everyone else sleeps while I take embarrassing photos of them.

Getting our tan on at Stonehenge

Matt is a whiz at balancing out the typical tourist activities that you feel you have to do (Stonehenge. The sheep beside it were more interesting. I worked on my tan. But still, you have to do it) and some really interesting, more off beat activities. For example, we met up one night in Stratford for a ghost tour. It was very entertaining, except for the fact my toes were slowly going numb because apparently I haven’t yet learned how to dress appropriately for the weather. During these class trips, we get a lot of free time at night, giving us the option to relax or go explore the city on our own. I particularly liked the Castles Trip because I’d been to all the places before when I was 14, and it was really interesting getting to re-experience the various sites, unfortunately remembering 14-year-old me and what a weirdo I was (“What a weirdo you were? I don’t remember that ever becoming past tense!” Oh look, I just saved my parents a comment).

Crashing With Your Friend Trips

On Arthur’s Seat!

Or, in my case, crashing with Julia’s best friend’s boyfriend, a bit too specific to have its own category. Toward the end of March, Julia and I went to stay with Brooke, who was visiting her boyfriend in Scotland. Leo and his roommate Nick were incredibly generous to offer up their couch to us as well as offer to show us around Edinburgh for the weekend. Because we used our Britrails to get to and from Scotland and stayed with friends, the trip cost basically nothing, aside from the occasional nourishment in the form of some Scottish delicacies (okay, McDonald’s).

“photo break”

One of the best things about staying with someone who lives in your destination is that they know the must-see places as well as cheap or free activities. For example, Leo told us paying for a castle tour wasn’t really worth it but accompanied us on a hike up to Arthur’s Seat. I blame my rampant cold for my constant need to stop during the mountain hike (note the word “mountain”) in order to take a breather, or as my mom calls them “photo breaks.” The foggy view at the top was worth the trek up, though the journey downward was very unconventional and led to Julia and me crab-walking down a steep hill.

Out of Country Trips

From Ireland to Germany to France, close approximation and cheap ticket prices made it easier than ever to hop a plane to

Amsterdam canal

continental Europe (or Ireland) for a weekend. Julia and I recently kicked off our two week break with a weekend trip to Amsterdam. We used Couchsurfers again, so we were able to avoid weekend hostel prices. Another way to save money on any trip is to be ignorant. Now, you have to be careful in which situations you choose to be ignorant because you could inevitably end up losing money if you choose incorrectly. This strategy works best in foreign countries. In Amsterdam, we didn’t really understand the tram system. We would just hop on and get off at our stop without paying because we honestly didn’t know where or how to buy tickets. It wasn’t until our host filled us in on how you need to buy a card (ranging from 1 hour to 2 days) at a desk upon entering the tram and check in and out with the card. Although I found this information out the night we arrived, I played up the dumb American stereotype a little bit, so that I only had to pay for 1 one hour pass the entire weekend (I’m not sure if I’m officially allowed to recommend this, so I’m simply just relaying what happened). Amsterdam also offered a free walking tour, a cool way to learn about the city’s history.

Market on the wharf

Although the tourists are the most prominent on the weekends, these trips are the best for experiencing the thriving night life of any city you visit. In Amsterdam, we got to see the Red Light District in full swing. The Van Gogh museum had live music on Friday nights, which made the atmosphere a lot less like a stereotypical museum. But we also got to hop on a ferry (which was either free or didn’t have any clear way of collecting a fee) during the day to a weekend market on the wharf. Some of my favorite parts of traveling are experiencing what the locals do on a daily basis, such as attending the market. To me, weekend trips to mainland Europe were relatively stress-free because even if we didn’t do much during our days there, the trip itself was pretty cheap and it always beat the alternative (staying home and binge watching all the rom coms in the house while feasting on pita bread). Plus, I imagine it’ll be quite fun once I’m home to say, “Oh yeah, we just hopped on over to the Netherlands for the weekend. No biggie.”

Although I have spent a good number of weekends right here in Cambridge, it was fun to get out of town for a few days at a time and experience the other countries and cultures that are currently at my fingertips. Julia, Hannah, and I spent the rest of our two week break in the UK, falling in love with the British all over again. As my last few weeks in Cambridge wind down, I am getting progressively more sentimental. So it would be wise to expect my next blog to be about all the things I’ll miss about the UK. Expect tears as well.

Danielle

At the Botanical Gardens

Visiting Friends and Valiant Intentions

April 24, 2014 / Danielle Steinwart / 3 Comments

Two days after Julia and I returned from our trips to Barcelona and Paris, one of our best friends Sam came to visit us for a week. It had been two and a half months since we had last seen her (over 7 months for Bryn), and it seemed that we could talk of nothing else in the weeks leading up to her arrival. Over text and Facebook, we had raved to each other about the impending reunion and inadvertently crafted a tower of expectations built on a foundation of shimmering, yet freaking unstable sand. Here were some of those unrealistic expectations paired with what actually happened:

1. Epic Reunion: We were fully ready to embarrass ourselves in front of the general British public. Originally, I had pictured meeting Sam at the airport with Bryn and Julia. As she rolled her swanky Vera Bradley suitcase through customs to the arrival area (and hitting baggage claim sometime around there too. I admit, I didn’t have all the kinks worked out), the three of us would mob her in a huge hug that encompassed all the hugs we didn’t get to have during the months we were apart. Squeals, laughs as our collective lack of balance would have imminently led to toppling over, and tears (mostly on Sam’s part) would all have been part of this experience. It would have been a hug to end all hugs, with the least appreciative audience to witness it: tired British people in a hurry.

Our beloved Crepe Cart, this picture becomes relevant later

Reality: Well, if you have an incredible memory, you’ll remember that as soon as Julia and I got back from our break, we had a 10 page paper due for our art appreciation class that Monday. Being the two go-getters that we are, neither of us started until Sunday afternoon. When I woke up the next morning to print my paper out, all the photos I had were out of order, and it took a couple hours to fix. We also had class that morning, so we couldn’t pick up Sam from the airport with Bryn. We were also going on a trip to Ely Cathedral, and because of the paper mishap, I hadn’t showered. Or brushed my hair. Or done anything to make myself look in any way presentable. As the taxis were pulling away from the house, I saw Bryn and Sam walk in front of the car. I screeched, “Wait, stop!” I then proceeded to kick the car door open (because apparently too much excitement leads to a loss of hand mobility) and half tackled Sam, twisting her ankle in the process. Two seconds later, I was back in the car. Julia managed an enthusiastic wave from her taxi. It was magical.

2. Adventures Worthy of a Movie Contract: I’m going to admit something that I feel comfortable sharing with you, now that we’ve gotten to know each other over the past few months. I was pretty sure we were going to meet One Direction on this trip. Not positive, but, like I said, pretty sure. I had no plan of action, no schemes or strategies. I was just confident that since Sam was able to come here at all, a miracle in itself, more miracles were bound to ensue. Then we and the boys of 1D would become best friends and get up to all kinds of British mischief. I’m just saying, I didn’t think it was entirely out of the realm of possibility.

That could have been us.

Reality: Turns out that this goal was safely nestled within the realm of impossibility. Honestly, having one of my best friends visit us was such a surreal experience that I never really felt the need to do anything particularly daring. I was so happy to just wake up and see Sam snoring away on the top bunk or to hear her cracking up to one of Julia’s “jokes” in the other room. I just wanted to spend time with her, and it didn’t matter that we weren’t living it up with famous British pop stars. It was paradise just sitting around, having a movie marathon and pigging out on anything that had a dangerous amount of carbs in it. Twist: When Sam was leaving for the States, she was at the airport the same time as two of the members of One Direction. She didn’t find out until the next day. Oh, the bitter taste of irony.

3. Showing off: Because we had been here for two and a half months, Julia and I considered ourselves to be posh Cambridge experts. We were planning on showing her all the sights of our beloved town: the colleges, the parks, a bunch of really old stuff, a haunted pub here and there. We would be her tour guides, pointing at old buildings and rattling off the half-remembered facts that a tour guide gave us our second day here. She would gasp and be in awe of our vast knowledge (or at least appreciate our abilities to completely make up a believable history of the town), and be quite envious of the convincing British accents we would undoubtedly be putting on for the entirety of the tour. In addition, we would introduce her to all of our British friends, impressing her with our ability to successfully charm the haughty natives.

At the Botanical Gardens

Reality: Our idea of the best of Cambridge turned out to include only two things: the Crepe Cart and the Botanical Gardens. No regrets on the Crepe Cart. That place is happiness on wheels. Regarding the Gardens: let’s just say that Sam took around 500 pictures during her time here, and 250 of them were dedicated to our trip there. Being a biology major, Sam is instantly interested by all things leafy. Most of our time in the Botanical Gardens was spent sitting on a bench and watching Sam run around in front of us raving about some rare tree bark or a species of bird that she had to know about for a test. Although Sam did meet our British friends, we all much preferred to spend our time gossiping about them instead of actually socializing with them.

Sam fit right into our house dynamic, and I wish we could have somehow made her stay for the rest of the semester (I tried to tempt her with stories of magical trees only found in Cambridge, but she didn’t go for it). However, in three weeks we will be back home, and I’ll get to see her and all my friends and family again. Thinking about it now, I realize that I need to take advantage of the time I have left, meaning making a lot more stops at the Crepe Cart before I leave.

Danielle

PS: Shout out to Brooke, Julia’s best friend, who graced us with her presence for a few magical days as well before heading off to Scotland! Tune in next time for my next blog, in which we join up with Brooke in Edinburgh!

The Old Capital

April 21, 2014 / bryncooley / 0 Comments

So this semester has been a little different for me. First off, I came back from Germany and almost immediately had a house full of new people from Valpo who I didn’t really know very well. That was a bit of a shock, because those of us from the previous semester may have started out the same way, but we became very close in the four months we had together. Second, I wasn’t technically a part of the Cambridge Program anymore, despite the fact that I live in the house. I’ve been going to Anglia Ruskin full time this semester, which is pretty fun and interesting, but kind of makes me feel a tad left out of house activities. This did, however, mean that I had a full month after the house was filled before I had to go back to school (Anglia Ruskin’s classes didn’t start until February). Third, my cousin came over to England to study in Winchester, a city southwest of London and the Anglo-Saxon capital of England. So, naturally, I decided that visiting her was the best course of action.

Winchester Cathedral

Because I had basically nothing to do, I showed up at the train station in Winchester at a time that worked for Cora (that’s my cousin). She greeted me with Starbucks, which I appreciated, because I had gotten up pretty early to make my trains. We spent that first day wandering around the cemetery that separated her campus from the town and the area around the big cathedral in town. We did a ton of exploring that first day, walking up to a lookout point that boasted a gorgeous view over the whole city–it wasn’t lying. We headed back down the hill after climbing a few trees and seriously contemplating rolling down the grassy slopes. To be honest, the only thing that stopped us was the fact that it had rained earlier and the ground was a bit muddy. We wandered around town a bit more, and found the old town walls from Anglo-Saxon days. There was an overflowing river and a ton of mud, as well as fun bridges and supposedly a castle, although we didn’t see it at that point. We continued wandering until we came upon what looked like a hiking trail up something called St. Catherine’s Hill. So, naturally, we decided to go up it.

Didn’t really matter to us that the sky was getting progressively darker with rainclouds, or that the wind was picking up a bit. Or that climbing a decently steep hill would be kind of difficult given the mud content of the area. Nope, we wandered right up the hill anyway. And it was pretty fun, we ran into a few cows and a couple other people who were playing with their kids in this copse of trees at the top of the hill. The rain, however, did get to be too much eventually. I didn’t let that stop me from trying to pet a cow that appeared to be sleepy, although the part where it stood up and glared at me was scarier than I’d anticipated. Cora laughed at me for a solid five minutes and swore up and down she wished she’d caught it on camera. We did realize, however, that we’d been walking around for a very long time and headed back to her dorm. I even got to meet a few of her new British friends.

The next day was much sunnier than the previous one had been. We started out by exploring the University of Winchester campus, which is pretty modern looking. Surprised me a bit, because it is one of the oldest cities in England. Also one of the hilliest, which led to a lot of stair climbing, something I’m not used to as a resident of Cambridge. We then wandered downtown to see the Great Hall, which is where King Arthur’s Round Table is displayed. Unfortunately for us, it was closed for restoration work when I came this time (which just meant that I showed up a month later and saw it then!). We then headed back toward the Cathedral, because it’s where Jane Austen is buried. With the both of us being avid Austen fans, this was definitely a must-see. Even better, the Cathedral was free to get into that day, because it was a Sunday. It took us quite a while to find the grave marker, but when we did, I’m pretty sure we spend a good 20 minutes freaking out over it. It was certainly a powerful moment. The only sad thing about the Cathedral is that we were unable to go into the crypt due to flooding.

After our celebrity encounter at the Cathedral, we wandered around the town of Winchester for a while again. I got to see the big statue of King Alfred, the last important Anglo-Saxon king who made his capital at Winchester. We also meandered back through the cemetery, and because it was such a nice day, we spend a good hour or so sitting at the top of the cemetery, just looking out over the town. It turns out chilling in the cemetery is not such a strange thing to do, because there were a few people doing the same thing. There was even one guy playing frisbee with his dog between the gravestones. We got some food at the cafeteria and watched a movie, then crashed because walking all over town can exhaust a pair of 20 year old girls.

The next day we did even more exploring, heading off in the opposite direction this time. We found another park on the other side of town, one that led to some great hiking trails. Unfortunately for us, most of these trails were flooded from the excessive rainfall of the winter. Even more unfortunately for our shoes, the two of us didn’t care much about the flooding. We decided to go ahead and walk through the puddles… which kind of turned into glorified wading by the end of the walk. The area was gorgeous, though, and so was the day, so we didn’t mind too much, despite the fact that it was January. We ate our makeshift lunch of nutella and croissants while sitting on a bench waiting for our shoes and socks to dry, before heading back to town. On our way back, though, Cora misjudged the distance between herself and a pair of swans and was almost eaten by one of them–a funny story that is much better in person than online. After that, we explored this new side of town that neither of us had really been to yet, and discovered a much more modern side to the old city. We ended up at the train station after a little bit, a place we definitely knew how to come back from. As we headed back to her dorm, the sun was setting and it cast these gorgeous shadows over the cemetery, and made for a pretty impressive backdrop to the church steeples of the town.

That was our last night in Winchester… this time. I did come back a month or so later to see the Round Table, which was admittedly really really cool. I’m really glad I got to see all of these great things in this ancient city, but I’m even happier to say I got to see them with my wonderful cousin. We’ve been partners in crime for a long time (…sometimes literally, whoops) and the fact that we got to be over here together was pretty much a dream come true. I wouldn’t trade her, or this experience, for anything.

With nostalgia, happiness, and much love,

Bryn

The Best & The “Worst”

April 17, 2014 / Maddy Rainaud-Owens / 1 Comment

I have 16 days left in Namibia and 23 left in southern Africa, WHAT? Crazy, right? So this past week was full of classwork and projects, so instead of telling you about that, I’ll give you a little glimpse into how I’m feeling as this last month of the semester rolls in – as hard as that is for me to admit. My semester has been 100% all I have ever hoped for and so much more. I’ve learned things I never would have even thought I would learn about myself and about the world around me. I ‘ve made new friends, tried new foods, seen beautiful places, gained family members, and fell in love with every little bit and piece of Namibia. I can say with my entire heart that Windhoek has become my home, and I know that when I leave, I’ll long to return.

As I was writing in my journal the other night, I was trying to make a list of what I’m excited for about going home vs. what I know I’ll miss about southern Africa. Seeing family and friends definitely tops the first list, but the latter? I could go on for days. I’ll try to make it as short as possible:

Things I’m excited about:
1. Seeing Family & Friends – This goes without saying, I miss my family and my friends like crazy. It’ll be awesome to see their smiling faces in person again. Thank God for FaceTime.
2. Fruit – I can’t wait to sink my teeth into a fresh strawberry – scratch that how about an entire fruit salad. I’ve had plenty of apples for just about the rest of my life – but it’s all those good berries I miss.
3. Salad – You’ll notice a lot of this list has to do with food. My apologies. As one Namibian student put it here.. “You guys just eat leaves in America.. Is that even good?” YES.. yes it is. I’ll be having a nice fresh salad when I get home. (And some in-n-out)
4. Clothes Dryer – Don’t get me wrong, a clothes line works just fine, but there’s something so nice about knowing you can wash & dry your clothes in around an hour instead of 6… unless it rains. Then give it another day.
5. A gym – Running around our neighborhood has been nice, but the same loop gets boring after a while. It’ll be nice to be back in a gym again.
6. Driving – If I even remember how or which side I’m supposed to drive on, it’ll be nice to drive again.
7 . Baseball games – Hey.. it’s baseball season.. I can’t help myself
8. The radio –Of course we have radios here, but it’s about a year behind the U.S. I couldn’t tell you one song that’s being overplayed on American radios right now. It’ll be nice to hear all the new stuff that’s been released in the past 4 months

Things I’ll miss:
1. Sunsets – if you’ve been reading my blogs, I’m sure you’ve caught onto this by now. Sunsets are by far one of my favorite things and in Namibia, they’re just about as beautiful as they come. The pinks, the purples, the oranges, the blues… nothing beats ’em.
2. Days spent laying by the pool – Pretty self explanatory, nothing beats a poolside nap. Have a ton of reading to do for class? Oh, I’ll just lay by the pool and do it. Can I do that at Valpo ? No. Will I miss it? YES.
3. The mountain/sky duo – Oh my goodness… The picture perfect white clouds in the light blue sky meeting the green mountains that encompass Windhoek.. pure beauty right there.
4. The pap – Despite my hate for carbs that has been created by this trip, I really will miss the pap – eating it with our hands, and all the delicious sauce – ah perfection!
5. Non-stop beautiful weather– Again, if you know me, you know I don’t do well in anything but sunshine = aka Valpourainsnow can be torture at times. There’s nothing better than not having to look at the weather app, just knowing that shorts and a tank top will do no matter what. (Or a bathing suit poolside)
6. CGE House- This house has become a home to me, no doubt about it. I remember getting here the first day and being like whoa this place is huge. It’s familiar now – especially after being gone for 3 weeks.
7. $1 Taxis- Sure the taxi drivers are pushy and annoying at times, but what’s better than only paying N$10 ($1 USD) to get wherever you need to be in the Windhoek area
8. Nights out on the town – Whether it’s seeing a play, watching a sunset at three circles, staring at the city lights, or out at the club, nights in Windhoek have made for some amazing memories.
9. FHS- My heart breaks leaving this place, especially the people. I’ve made a family over the past 4 months at FHS and these people have touched me more than I could have ever imagined – those I worked with, and the little ones I taught every Monday & Tuesday. I long to see their smiling faces again, but I know God is constantly working in their lives.
10. The people- I’ve said it time and time again, but I’ve made a family here in southern Africa – in Johannesburg, in Windhoek, in Katutura and in Khorixas. Whether it’s my home stay families, my teachers, my coworkers or the group of 15, my trip would not have been the same without these amazing individuals. There’s not much more I can say besides that it kills me to know I may never see some of them again. And a huge thank you goes out to each and every one of them for touching my life in a way they probably don’t even realize.

I could go on for days, but I won’t. I’ve never been happier than during my past 3 months I’ve spent in Namibia. I still think every day about how lucky I am to have been given this incredible opportunity, and thank you for letting me share it with you! But hey.. I still have 23 days, 7 of which include CAPE TOWN! So peace out for now.

This photo doesn’t do it justice, but see what I mean?

Here’s what my third month all around southern Africa looked like:

Thanks always for reading!
All my love,
xoxo
Maddy

Missing my little Marvelous already

Love, Laughter & Lessons Learned

April 3, 2014 / Maddy Rainaud-Owens / 3 Comments

My apologies for the lack of posts recently – I’ve been out of internet touch for a little while now. So bear with me as this post will be quite long. These past weeks have been some of the greatest of my life, ones I will absolutely never forget. We left from Windhoek on the 18th, en route for our last and final home-stay on a farm in northern, rural Namibia. We set out for Khorixas and once again, to say I was nervous to meet my new family would be an understatement. Knowing there was only 1 guaranteed English speaker in each home, and my lack of success speaking Damara, I wasn’t quite sure how I’d navigate through the week. I was placed on the Inhoek farm about six kilometers from the town of Khorixas with five other students- each of us with a different family to call our own. (We were on a family farm so most of the houses were all related to each other in one way or another.) My nerves were quickly forgotten as I was welcomed by my host mom Dena, two sisters (Buyela 23, Immseline 9) and three brothers (Sydney 17, Delvin 14, Marvelous 3).

My host siblings - minus Marvelous

One of the beautiful sunsets

As the week went on, all of the young kids on the farm spent time together – whether it was sitting around talking or dance parties at night, I constantly found myself smiling and laughing uncontrollably. Each morning when I woke up and went to use the bathroom (a bush) and brush my teeth, I’d hear the pitter patter of footsteps behind me. Every time I turned around, I saw Marvelous running up behind me and as he got closer his little hand reached up and grabbed my two fingers. Marvelous didn’t speak or understand a word of English, but he’d always greet me with a smile and we’d walk hand in hand (or hand and finger) everywhere we went. This happened every morning and each time, I couldn’t suppress the large smile that overcame me. Needless to say, as the days passed I came to love this family as my own. We spent days playing soccer, going on hikes, playing volleyball over the clothes line, riding in donkey carts, learning new games, telling stories, milking cows, herding goats & sheep, and whatever else we could think of. The sunsets each night were absolutely breathtaking, unlike any I’d ever seen before. I found myself dreading the day we’d have to say goodbye.

Marvelous and I on our morning walk

On one of the days, we decided we’d pass the time by walking into town. We rode in on one of our host dad’s trailer because he figured we wouldn’t want to walk all the way there considering the heat. We spent a little time in town eating ice cream and just walking around. On our way back we took a “short cut” that ended up being more of a long cut, but it left us laughing later that night. Every night after dinner we’d all gather at one house and have a dance party under more stars than you could ever imagine; we’d dance for hours until we couldn’t dance anymore. As I was admiring the stars one night, one of the girls asked me if we had stars in America. I laughed a little and told her we did, but we don’t get to see them like theirs. We told the story of Cinderella and Goldilocks and they told us a few of their traditional stories. All of the young kids our age spoke great English and they made an attempt to teach us more Damara. I think I can successfully count to 10 now. Much to my dismay, the days passed, and the Monday I was dreading finally approached. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have to fight back tears knowing I may never see these people again, but I can’t help but be filled with joy knowing I got to spend a week with such an amazing group of people, filled with joy knowing I’ll always have a family in Namibia.

Missing my little Marvelous already

After our week in Khorixas, we spent three days camping and going on safaris in Etosha. On our multiple game drives we saw zebras, giraffes, an elephant, cheetahs, lions, rhinos, wildebeests, warthogs, a hyena, and lots and lots of springboks! Following Etosha, we headed even further north to a guest house for the next two nights. Though the previous weeks were incredible, I have never been more happy to see a bed in my entire life. We visited a few museums in the most northern part of Namibia before we made our way to Tsumeb to catch a bus to Victoria Falls for spring break.

Giraffes!

…But before that could happen we had a 9 hour wait for our bus to arrive. As we sat and waited we wondered why everyone was staring, until we realized there was a group of 14 of us sitting in a median under a tree with lots of luggage. To pass the time, we walked to the grocery store, climbed the tree and played cards. Much to our surprise the time passed quickly and we made a mad rush to the bus when we finally saw it arrive. 12 hours later we were at the Namibian/Zambia border and spring break was officially beginning. Another two hours passed and we finally arrived to Vic falls. Most of the group stayed in Zambia for two nights before heading to Zimbabwe but myself and two others went straight to Zimbabwe. Little did we know the walk from the border to the customs office was about a mile or so from the border. Not so bad until you remember you have to carry your 30 pound bag in the heat of the day.

Once we finally arrived to our hostel the activity planning was immediately in order. The hostel we stayed at was absolutely beautiful and just a 15 minute walk from town. Our first night in Victoria Falls we went on a sunset cruise on the Zambezi river, and to add to our list of animals we saw hippos and crocodiles. The next few days included a trip to see the falls, elephant riding, zip lining, and canoeing on the Upper Zambezi. It’s no surprise why Victoria Falls is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Seeing the millions of gallons of water pour down minute after minute, creating rainbows every where you looked was awe strikingly beautiful. We spent a few hours admiring the falls and got absolutely drenched from the rain the falls created. Knocking one more thing off my bucket list, elephant riding was amazing too. Sam and I rode on a 24 year old girl elephant named Star. She was pretty small compared to the others and had a short trunk because she was attacked by a lion when she was just a baby. After the hour long ride, I got to sit on her leg while she knelt and feed her some pellets. An elephant is a lot more comfortable to ride than you would imagine, and it was a funny feeling when she sucked the pellets through her trunk off of my hand. Of course, nothing compares to skydiving, but zip lining over the gorge was stunning as well. Canoeing down the Zambezi was loads of fun and very peaceful at the same time. Sam and I got caught in a few rapids but it definitely made it more exciting.

A day at the falls

As I sit on the 24 hour bus ride home to Windhoek, I’m sad to say my spring break is coming to an end, but I know it will most likely be the best of my entire life. I look back on these past two and a half weeks with great memories, so many new faces met, and so so so much happiness. I learned so much about myself and the world as a whole especially in my first week with my family. The week I lived with in Khorixas vs. my life in Claremont and Valparaiso are obviously different, but I’ve come to love so many aspects of each. No way of life is better than the other, none right or wrong – just different. It’s hard to believe that a month from today I’ll be in Cape Town. Time to make the most of my last month in Windhoek.

Elephant Ride

Thanks for reading.

Xoxo

Maddy

Ps- since I was gone and not able to post it, here is what my second month looked like:

Student Stories from Around the World