#valpo – Page 3 – Valpo Voyager

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First Week in Johannesburg

So we’ve officially settled in Johannesburg at a guest house which was a former seminary training school (where Desmond Tutu went, pretty cool)! When we arrived the first night the group of 15 of us were pretty jet lagged so we just dinner, played some icebreaker games to get to know each other and then tried to get some sleep. I was successful for about 3 hours when my body woke me up telling me it was only 4pm, but it was actually 2am in Johannesburg. Breakfast began at 8am and then we were off for our day.

Before we toured the town we had a guest speaker named Mowlefi come and speak to us about the Apartheid and history of South Africa. This was exciting to me because to be honest I didn’t know much. He spoke about his personal involvement in the student uprisings and the impact that it made on the change to come. This was inspiring to me to see young people so passionate about change that they’re willing to step in to make a difference. Following the discussion, he then took us on a tour of Soweto, which is a black township in Guateng province of South Africa. Soweto alone has a population of about 3 million people! (the whole country of Namibia only has about 2 million). While touring Soweto, we visited Regina Mundi Catholic church which was a church that allowed students to gather during the uprisings. In this tour we saw bullet holes and broken banisters that were left that way to show the damage done when police invaded the church. We also got to sign the same guestbook Nelson Mandela did a few years prior as well as stand in the same spots he did, so awesome.

Inside the Regina Mundi Catholic Church

South Africa feels a lot like home, a lot less foreign than most would imagine. Despite people driving on the left instead of the right, and the currency change, most areas don’t seem much different. Though, when we were walking around the mall after we got lunch, we got many stares because we were about the only white people walking around the area. I felt like we had a sign on our head that said ‘not from here’ but that’s okay, its funny! When we were driving we also even heard a guy yell to his friend “Hey look, white people!!” We all got a kick out of that.

Following the tour of Soweto we visited the Hector Pieterson museum, a museum dedicated to the student uprisings, and named after the first young boy who was innocently shot by police on June 16, 1976. His older sister paid us the honor of telling us the story of what happened. It was awesome to me how remarkably positive she was about the entire situation despite losing her baby brother. My best guess would be that she knows the impact and legacy that her brother and many other young individuals leave, so I suppose there is a certain peace that comes with that.

A blown up photo of the moments following Hector Pieterson's death, as his shaken sister runs beside

Tuesday, we headed out a bit earlier for our trip to Orange Farm. Going into this I didn’t really know what to expect, we were not really briefed on it beforehand so it was a surprise when I looked out the window as we drove over dirt roads, noting the shacks people call home on the side of the road. Orange Farm is a community small in size but had a population count of a bout 1.7 million in 2007. I’ll give a brief overview of what we saw in Orange Farm so you can get a feel for it. First we visited a recycling center and were given a tour by a wonderful lady named Gladys. She showed us around the area, explained the process a little bit and took us by the little daycare center they run as well (too cute!!). The recycling center is many people’s only form of income because so many are unemployed. While in Orange Farm we stopped by a specialty school where individuals of all ages (17-75) take classes learning basic life skills like cooking, computer functions, and woodwork. These individuals pay to go to these specialty classes so that they can have a degree so that they can have a better opportunity to get a job and better improve their lives. While in Orange Farm we also had the privilege of visiting a project center focused on HIV/AIDS prevention, teaching,healing and support groups. I especially loved this because of the passion people have for helping those who are positive, or have been effected by people who are HIV positive. After my visit to Orange Farm I couldn’t help but think about how incredibly blessed I am to have the opportunities I’ve been given. These people of Orange Farm have very little materially, but they do have hope and hearts bigger than you could ever imagine. Their desire to help those in need by providing services like HIV/AIDS education and support groups, counseling/lawyers for domestic violence victims, or recycling centers that allow people to make money is so inspiring and humbling at the same time. They just want to make a difference. And they are.

Plastics smashed together to be sent off

On Wednesday, we went to the province of Guateng’s capitol building where we met with the two major political party groups, the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the African National Congress (ANC). Since 1994 the ANC has had control of 8 or more of the 9 provinces in South Africa, and with the election coming up in May, things are getting pretty intense. I was really interested in learning about how the South African government runs as opposed to the U.S. The best thing to me about the South African government system is the fact that there are many, many political parties, and even though ANC has had control for the past 20 years, statistics are changing and the smaller parties are even making a difference. Wednesday night we were privileged to see a play in downtown Jo’burg which was based on racist stereotypes in America. I liked being able to see people’s perspectives here in Africa of us back in the U.S.

The group in front of the capitol in Gauteng

Visiting the Apartheid museum was very emotional but so full of so much new information. I especially enjoyed the Mandela exhibit; it was an incredible tribute to an incredible man. One part that stuck most with me that I learned was that Mandela took up a foreign identity, traveled to many countries all over Africa and got people to join the movement for freedom and equality. Last but not least, we got to visit the Wits Art Museum and learned a lot about African art and all the different forms. We were so lucky and got to go into the storage room, where many of their collections are kept. I especially loved the pottery because I can appreciate all of the hard work and patience that goes into creating and perfecting each individual pot.

This weekend I depart for my first home-stay in Soweto, with a family that has a 5 year old little boy and 11 year old boy. You could say I’m a little excited.

Thanks for reading, stay tuned!!

Xoxo

Maddy

A day lost, a lifetime changed

January 23, 2014 / Maddy Rainaud-Owens / 0 Comments

This is kind of my catch up post, stuff I’ve written over the past 3 days, but I haven’t had internet to post. Enjoy!!

To start out, I’m Madison, mostly known as Maddy. I’m currently a sophomore nursing major at Valpo and a member of Pi Beta Phi.

Well.. The journey has officially begun. I’m off, and I can hardly believe it!! I feel like I have waited my entire life for this opportunity and it’s just started to feel real within this past 24 hours (as I am currently sitting in the airport waiting to board my flight). Packing was.. well as packing normally goes; stressful, procrastinated, etc. But hey, I made it! Imagine your most stressful 6am morning possible at an airport, that’s kind of how mine went. Ticket didn’t show up, bag was too heavy, no one to help, but I made it to my flight, even without sprinting through the airport in my flip flops. Now that all the stress is done, the nerves and excitement are finally kicking in.. Well the excitement has been here for months on end, but still.

For those of you who don’t know me or my story, I’ll give a little background. I have dreamt of going to Africa for literally as long as I can remember. Whether it was a mission trip, a safari or just to travel there, I knew that’s what I wanted to do. So when I found out Valpo offered an abroad program in Namibia & South Africa, I was sold. I began planning quickly after my freshman year begun, because I knew that the nursing program had strict requirements. The people and unfamiliarity is what drew me to Africa specifically. Everyone has an idea in their head of what it’s like, what the people are like, how they live, etc., but you never really know until you experience it. So that’s what I set out to do.

As I took my last views of the California coast and Pacific Ocean, reality began to sink in. This is real. The 17 hour flight to from Washington Dulles to Johannesburg begins now. Lets just say the flight consisted of constant rustling around, a few cat naps, sleeping limbs, 3 movies [42, Great Gatsby & Jobs], sudoku, and lots and lots of Solitaire. Nonetheless, it was a pleasant ride, and went by a lot faster than I thought it would. After we stopped in Dakar, I got to watch my very first African sunrise as we flew over the island of Senegal. It was beautiful to say the least, very lion king-esque. I was one of the few students who sat next to someone other than a fellow student on our flight. As i observed the man sitting next to me, I noticed his worn hands, and as he spoke I could hear his accent. I began to wonder what his story was, where he was from, how many times he’s made this flight, how often? But, he had his headphones in, so I guess I’ll always wonder!

7 hours later we start to make our descent into Johannesburg. As I stare out the window, I see the city pass below me and then open plains. I notice cars driving on the left instead of the right, and I just can’t help but smile as I realize one of my lifelong dreams is coming true in that very moment. And now.. it’s real.

As we waited in the customs line at the airport a 7-9 year old boy begins to walk by stopping at each and every individual in line, asking in very broken english “hi you, where you from?” and would move on to the next. We later found out he was from Zimbabwe, as he made his way back down the line saying goodbye to everyone.

This next week has many adventures and lots of learning about Johannesburg’s history in store. So stay tuned!

I promise the next blogs will have more excitement.

xoxo

Maddy

Exams, Experiencing Culture Shock, and the Effect of Snow

November 20, 2013 / Marissa Schmidt / 0 Comments

No I didn’t get taken, but I have been relatively missing from social media these past couple weeks and I wanted to apologize. I officially have a fully functioning computer, so from now on, I promise posts will be much more consistent.

I’ve done a lot within the last month: explored Madrid, sprained my ankle falling down some ancient steps, entered the famous mezquita of Cordoba, saw Big Ben with my own eyes, and received my official Spanish residency card for the year. Though I’ve had my usual share of fun and adventure, these last couple weeks in particular have been a giant wake-up call back to reality.

The week before last happened to be midterm week.

This wouldn’t be such a big deal if,

A. I was like every other student and had regular midterms every semester. In the history field, I usually have papers. Don’t get me wrong, papers themselves are a lot of work. They just require a different type of work than a multiple-choice test. I haven’t had a proper midterm since the days of living in the basement labs of Neils when I was a science major…

and

B. All of my grades this semester were based upon more than 2 things: my midterm and my final. In all actuality that is how all of my classes are being graded. Only 2 grades for a semester’s worth of work.

That’s a lot riding on just 2 tests.

If you know me well, you know that I am a perfectionist. Especially when it comes to school. I knew that this year of classes entirely in Spanish would be a huge risk for me. I’ve had my fair share of failed tests and bad papers throughout my time at Valpo. Usually, however, classes are weighted with enough papers, tests, participation, and the like to allow for one or two not so perfect assignments. Apparently, it doesn’t work that way in Spain.

So while it’s extremely nice to have 4 day weeks and not have boatloads of readings, 20 pg papers, and in general outside of class work, that also makes for ensured stess leading up to midterms and finals. Not to mention, everything is in Spanish.

It’s a whole new education system to get used to. One that I quite honestly wasn’t expecting.

There have been so many things that I’ve had to adjust to while living here that I never anticipated. It’s amazing how seemingly little things such as your host mom refusing to refrigerate milk, or classes being graded 10-1 vs A-F, all add up to create a huge feeling of being foreign.

Some days, that feeling unfortunately takes over. I’m at the point in the semester where the “honeymoon” is over. I’m still as deeply in love with the city of Granada and with Europe as ever, but now that I know the city like the back of my hand and am a lot more comfortable with it, homesickness has begun to set in a little bit.

On days when I need to buy something, but can’t at the exact moment I want to because the whole city is closed for siesta, or moments when I can’t seem to speak or think a word in Spanish, all I want to do is be back at Valpo where I’m much more comfortable.

Fortunately, I have days like today to remind me just how much I love being here.

This morning on my walk to school, I caught a glimpse of the freshly fallen snow on the Sierras. Suddenly not caring so much about getting to class on time, I took a few moments to soak in the beauty around me. Granada is perfectly nestled within the mountains and I will never get sick of the incredible view. Seeing them covered in snow for the first time was beyond words.

After such a good start, my day and attitude only continued to get better. Booking my flights to Portugal and Germany for winter break, I realized that I only have a month left here before Dec-January break. I won’t be back to Granada until classes begin again in February. Though I’m beyond excited to visit with friends and see more of Europe, suddenly it seems as if my time here is growing very short. I’m blessed to have another semester here and can’t wait to see what it holds. Until then, as I count down the days til break, I’ll be cherishing every moment I still have in this beautiful city.

Oh, and in case you were wondering about those exams I was so worried about? I got my results back. All were not perfect, but I did manage to far exceed the expectations I set for myself.

Maybe I can speak a little Spanish after all.

Feeling at Home

November 11, 2013 / hannahheagy / 0 Comments

Hallo alle! I should start out by apologizing that I didn’t post anything last week as I promised. I realized after the first round of “Blog Monday” that although weekly updates would be informative, I might not have something interesting to post every week. A blog every two weeks or so should give me more time to think of good stories and reflect on my experience here rather than just giving a “blow-by-blow” of my week. So I’m back, with (hopefully) some more interesting stories to tell.

: Hiking to Schönbuch!

I have had a beautiful past couple of fall weeks settling into classes, homework and spending time with great people! Last weekend a few friends and I went hiking through the Schönbuch forest past Bebenhausen, which is a small town and monastery near Tübingen. The ground was covered with crunchy fall leaves, which is always fun, and the weather was warm and absolutely perfect. After going hiking in the snow in Oberstdorf, Bavaria a couple weeks before, the warm weather was definitely a positive change! Throughout the Schönbuch forest there are “book trees,” which are tree-shaped cabinets filled with books. Hikers can take a book to read while in the woods or bring a book with them and exchange it for a book already in the tree. How cool is that? After our day of hiking, we carved pumpkins, ate candy, and watched a horror movie to prepare for our Halloween celebration in the upcoming week. A few of our friends had never carved pumpkins before, and it was so much fun to see their reactions to the process (sticking your hand into the pumpkin goo, making a unique pumpkin creation, eating roasted pumpkin seeds & pumpkin stew, etc.) When Halloween is involved, some traditions from the US naturally have to be involved as well!

: Pumpkin carving!

The next weekend, after an eventful Halloween party (I dressed up as a Starbucks latte, in case anyone was wondering), a few people from Deutsch-Kompakt and I went on a Kennenlernwochenende, basically a “get-to-know-each other weekend,” with the SMD at UniTübingen. SMD stands for “Studentenmission Deutschland,” and they are one of the Christian groups here. I was a little nervous going into the weekend since I knew that I would have to speak German from waking up until going to sleep each day. I was completely right about this, but I had nothing to be nervous about. Everyone we met was so welcoming and willing to talk with my friends and me. The weekend was filled with games, lots of food and hot tea, worship services and praise songs. A few people in the group had studied abroad in different countries in Latin America (including Chile!!), so I even got to speak a little español! This weekend meant a lot to me, since it reminded me how important having a church family is to my idea of being “at home” in a place. Over my first couple of weeks in Germany I went to church by myself, either because I didn’t know anyone or I (wrongfully) assumed that no one would have wanted to come with me. The services were really beautiful and by my second week in Germany I had already made great friends, but I really missed (and still miss) worshipping with friends and the community in the Chapel of the Resurrection at Valpo. This weekend I was pleasantly surprised that along with praise songs in German, we also sang some of my favorite songs from Wednesday night Celebrate services at the Chapel. While sitting in a circle and singing “God of this City” with friends from Deutsch-Kompakt and new friends from Germany, I once again realized that I don’t have to limit “home” to one specific location. I have a home in Christ, and in Him I’ll always be at home wherever in the world I am. This weekend really helped me realize that although I can miss Valpo and Pittsburgh, I can’t let any homesickness get in the way of enjoying and taking advantage of my experience here. I am so blessed to have such great friends here in Tübingen, and people from both Deutsch-Kompakt and around Germany to make up a new church family. “Der Herr behüte dich vor allem Übel, er behüte deine Seele; der Herr behüte deinen Ausgang und Eingang von nun an bis in Ewigkeit” Psalm 121:7-8

Keep checking back every couple of weeks to see what I’m up to! I’m also keeping more day-to-day updates on my ValpoAbroad twitter account @HannahinGermany…follow me!

Peace

and more music!

Honestly, I Want to See You Be Brave

October 21, 2013 / hannahheagy / 0 Comments


“Say what you want to say, and let the words fall out. Honestly, I want to see you be brave.” -Sara Bareilles

Hey Leute! It’s Monday and, as promised, I’m blogging again! I’ve had a great “last week of no classes” hanging out with friends, touring the Ritter Sport chocolate museum (an unbelievable experience for a chocolate freak like me), getting lots of sleep and preparing for the upcoming week (scheduling, e-mailing and meeting with professors, etc.).

A new semester always presents new challenges and lessons, especially in a new country. It’s mid-October, and classes are just starting here in Germany, which for me is both exciting and intimidating. For the most part, I’m excited. I’ve put together a schedule that, for me, sounds really intriguing. I am taking Baden-Württemberg Church History, Art History, 20th Century Argentinian Literature (in Spanish!), and another class to be determined in the next week. I am taking the approach to scheduling courses that most German students use. German students schedule more courses within the first week of classes than they plan on taking in the semester. After visiting various lectures, they decide which courses to keep.

Despite how much I am looking forward to my new courses, I am still intimidated by the challenges they will present. The start of classes means more for international students than just the beginning of an abundance of studying and reading. Exchange students will have a lot more interaction with “real” Germans in classes and student groups. The professors will speak German quickly, without accounting for the fact that some students may not understand. Exchange students learning German will be graded beside native speakers and expected to perform. I know that a “normal” amount of reading for a German student will take longer for me, since I will have to spend time looking up words and patching together grammar concepts.

The transition from a language course designed for exchange students into regular university classes will also be a challenge. Until now, I’ve been in an “international bubble” of the students from my German intensive course. This course has been a wonderful experience to improve my German and make amazing friends for a lifetime, but spending time with only international students has allowed me to build myself a new “comfort zone”. I am not afraid to speak German with my Deutsch-Kompakt friends since they speak at or below my level. We take all of our mistakes in speaking and living in Germany, learn from them, and help each other. Having such a supportive group of people around who pardon my Sprachfehler (speaking errors) makes it easy to avoid speaking with people who may be less patient and understanding. I’ve been getting around just fine spending a half hour hunting for the printer in the library instead of asking someone where it is, double-checking every German word I need to type in an e-mail, and strictly sticking to “the script” of words I definitely know.

As the start of classes draws nearer, I am realizing that I need to change my cautious ways in order to really become fluent in German. Earlier today I decided to re-read the blog that I kept while living in Chile two summers ago. I remembered that I had similar problems learning Spanish to my experience here in Germany. I had figured out that I could “just get by” with speaking as little as possible to avoid embarrassment. I became frustrated with my slow learning pace until I realized that my unwillingness to practice speaking was my biggest problem. I read further through my blog and realized that I had given myself (and hopefully other readers traveling abroad) some good advice that I had practically forgotten. “The only way to get better at a language is to go out on a limb and say something, anything,” I wrote. “If you don’t understand something, ask for clarification. If you want to use a word you don’t know, explain what you’re trying to say in other terms. You might learn something useful.” I learned so much after committing myself to not be afraid to speak Spanish in Chile, and I hope to do the same here in Germany. Although I know that my new classes here at UniTübingen will be difficult, I won’t let intimidation get in the way of my goals. At the end of this academic year, I will be able to speak German fluently because I made the effort to speak up. Alles kann ich durch Christus, der mir Kraft und Stärke gibt (Philliper 4:13).

P.S. Listening to music helps with the language too! Here’s some fun songs trending in Germany 🙂 Enjoy, und bis nächste Woche!

Paris- The City of Lights

October 14, 2013 / Phil Schroeder / 0 Comments

So this past week has been an interesting week to say the very least. I started my third week of classes and again, I’m very blessed to have such wonderful teachers who are patient teaching classes that I want to take (minus grammar but that comes with the territory I suppose). One thing that was a little bit different from past weeks was that I started my service learning at a non-profit organisation. It’s very different from anything that we have in the United States, but I think it’s closest to an after-school program, that does a lot more. It was a different experience and I look forward to contributing more in the future.

Thursday night was an experience to say the least. We went to the Opera Bastille for my first ever professional opera experience! To see the Opera Aida by Verdi performed in one of the most prestigious opera houses in the world, is something that I’ll never forget. It was largely unforgettable because of the reaction of the audience.

Aida takes place in Ancient Egypt. One of the main arguments a director must make is about the costumes and the setting. Should they be dressed like in the story, the time period in which it was written, or in today’s time? The director chose the latter of these options… and was very political. I won’t go into much detail, but the worst of it was when one of the main characters was singing the KKK walked on stage. People were not happy. At curtain call, the audience couldn’t have cheered louder for the the performers. However they booed louder than the refs making a call in favor of the Packers at Soldier Field. It was bad. Good experience though.

Friday and Saturday I was blessed with some visitors from Valpo who are studying on the Cambridge program: Grant, Lisa, Rachel, and Cat. We had a wonderful time and I finally was able to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower! It was amazing to me that we were so high up, I could barely recognize Notre Dame from the top, yet from the ground in front of it, Notre Dame towers over you. It was indescribable. One reason I find the tourist attractions very easy to spot and beautiful is because at night, everything that is important to the French are lit up at night; even The Eiffel Tower sparkles at the top of the hour on top of being lit up after dark. I suppose that’s why they call Paris The City of Lights!

On Saturday night we went to the Fete des Vendages. Found at Montmarte, this is a wine festival and a festival of love. Every year they have a brilliant firework show on the steps leading up to the famous basilica, Sacre Coeur, and although crowded (it was so crowded at one point, I moved ten yards and my feet didn’t touch the ground. I was carried by everyone around me because it was so densely packed!) we (accidentally) got some of the best seats in the house. Unfortunately, my computer is being stupid, so I can’t upload a little video of the fireworks, so here’s the crowd behind me. Mind you, this is a small portion of the actual crowd and it took us 40 minutes to get from about 20 yards from the stairs to the bottom of the stairs.

All-in-all it was a wonderful weekend, full of new adventures with some familiar Americans!

¡Estoy Aquí!

September 8, 2013 / Marissa Schmidt / 0 Comments

I have tried to start this post in so many different ways, but there’s only one way to say it- I’m here in Granada! I still can’t believe it and I’ve been here over a day and a half already. So far the city has been beautiful. The adventure it took to get here, however, was much more of an “I’m going into the African bush with nothing but the clothes on my back” kind-of adventure rather than the “I’m going for a nice camping trip in my RV” kind. What do I mean by that? Well, to be honest, despite all of the emails, google searches, and Spanish grammar review, none of us really knew what we were in for when we got off the plane. I was able to capture most of it in a (hopefully) entertaining video for you all, but to fill in the details before I post it, I’ve written the whole saga down below.

Amanda M.(another girl from Valpo) and I were fortunate enough to run into 3 other girls studying with Central in Granada who were taking the same flight. That was about where our luck ended, however. After getting our luggage and making it through customs in Madrid, one of the girls, Amanda K., and I decided that the next logical step was to hit up the ATMs and get some Euro. There was just one problem. Neither of our cards worked. After a brief moment of panic, we realized we were using the ATM for European cards and not the one for MasterCard/Visa/etc. After switching ATMs Amanda was successfully able to withdraw the amount she needed. My card, however, was still being repeatedly rejected. Thank God (literally) for the other girls. They were successfully able to stop me from bursting into tears and booking the next flight home and reassured me that all would be well. After my panic moment was over, I realized that right before leaving O’Hare I had downloaded an app to my touch that allowed me to make international calls to the US. After purchasing wifi and call time, I was successfully able to call my Waukesha bank. Turns out that even though I notified them of my upcoming travels, they were never put on my record. The bank had thought that someone stole my card to use in Spain and had therefore shut down my account. Luckily, they were able to confirm that it was indeed my trying to use my own card in Spain. All was well and I was able to withdraw my money. *Insert large thank you to dad for convincing me to purchase said iPod here*

Unfortunately, that was only the beginning of many struggles to come. Our program director had sent those of us flying into Madrid a very detailed email documenting all the ways to get from the airport all the way down to Granada. We decided to go the cheap route, which, unfortunately for us was also by far the most complicated. From the airport we bought train tickets. We almost bought the wrong ones, potentially broke one of the ticket gates, and definitely thought we were waiting at the wrong platform for a moment, but in the end, we ended up on the right train. We also ended up blocking off an entire train car because of the amount of luggage we had between the six of us. We managed to get off at the right station, but struggled getting out, because, fun fact, in Spain you MUST save your train tickets and reuse them to open the doors to exit the station. It’s a great way to ensure that everyone pays their fare, but it’s not so great when you’re an ignorant American student who has no idea about said system. Thankfully we all made it out.

Finally out of the train station, we were ready to conquer the world that is the Madrid bus station. We were able to find the right bus company fairly quickly, but found out that we had just missed the early bus and were going to have to wait for 2 hours to catch the next one. Excellent. We were able to successfully talk with several Spaniards while we waited and even learned the meaning of the mysterious “tío/tía bueno” expression we had been hearing (for those of you that don’t speak Spanish the expression literally translates to good uncle/aunt. Apparently in Spain that’s what they use to describe good-looking people. So confusing, but hilariously and graciously explained to us by an older Spanish woman). The 2 hours actually flew by and before we knew it we were boarding the bus.

Right before we got on, I spotted another college-age girl also sporting a huge suitcase and a Vera Bradley duffel (usually a pretty dead give away that one’s American). She came up and asked if I was also going to Granada, and turns out she’s a Central Abroad student too! After that crazy chance encounter, I settled in for the 5+ hour bus ride to the south of Spain. I missed the entire first 2ish hours of the ride catching up on sleep, but from what I saw of the last 3, the Spanish countryside is beautiful! I’ve never actually seen mountains before in my life, so being able to drive straight through the Sierras was incredible. The foliage here is so interesting. I can’t wait to take advantage of all the hiking around Granada and climb some of these mountains myself!

Anyways, we arrived to the bus station on the outskirts of Granada safely and without much event. Once again though, we had a little trouble figuring out which form of public transportation we should try next. When given the option between a city bus and taxis, we decided to take the “easy” way out and grab a cab. Diana, Amanda M., and I were staying in a hostel vs. The Hotel Melia Granada like the rest of our group, so we took a separate cab. Though the hostel was right behind the famous store Zara, only a few blocks away from Hotel Melia and should’ve been relatively easy to find, our cab driver mistakenly left us off 2 blocks early. Luckily, the owner of another hostel was able to point us in the right direction and we made our way safely there- heavy luggage and all. Even better, the woman and her husband who own the hostel are AMAZING. They took such great care of us! If any of you are thinking of coming to Granada (You all should!) and need a cheap place to stay, Old Town Hostel is literally the best money can buy. €12 for a night’s stay, a hot shower, breakfast, and a rooftop terrace. You can’t beat it.

To say the trip was long is an understatement. I definitely had more than one moment of, “What in the world am I doing here?! I can’t function here for one day, let alone an entire year!” but being in Granada and meeting the other girls made it all worth it. Amelia, the girl we ended up meeting on the 2:00 bus, because we missed the first one? Turns out she’s my roommate for fall semester! She’s also a huge answer to prayer, but that’s a story for another blog post. For now, I need to head to bed. Tomorrow we see more of the city and take our first level test. *Gulp* ¡Hasta lluego!

Travel Update — September 8, 2013

September 8, 2013 / Timothy Goodrich / 0 Comments

Howdy, all. Sorry for the lack of updates, this last week I’ve been recovering from what amounts to the worst stomach bug I’ve had in…a few decades, actually! It hasn’t been fantastic. That said, I am all better and exciting events are on the horizon! For now, let me catch you all up on the last two weeks:

Sunday (August 25). This is a far way back. I think I explored the Buda side of the city this day, but cannot really remember.
Monday-Thursday. Of the three weeks in the language course, this week was by far the toughest. Class started at 9am, we had a 90 minute session, then a 30 minute break, 90 minute session, an hour lunch break, 90 minute session, 15 minute break, then a final 45 minute session that wrapped up at 4pm. The teacher tried to keep the course active and fun with games, especially later on in the day, but this is a lot of information to take in and retain. For prospective students looking for a way to get a head start: consider learning a couple dozen vocabulary words as a starting basis, then jump into learning the grammar suffixes. Fleshing out your vocabulary with things like numbers, places, etc. is the easy part, but the suffixes weigh you down mentally the first time you see them. You’ll do well in the course to already know a bit of what’s coming.
Friday-Sunday. Got sick! Not much to say, a blur of sleeping, eating, and antieating.
Monday. Monday was exciting, BSM had their first ever official convocation in conjunction with McDaniels of Europe college. The convocation placed students from both schools into the same room to talk for a bit, then the presidents and coordinators of each college spoke. Following the convocation they bused us over to the Danube for a cruise and buffet dinner. Bad time to be sick, but what can you do?
Tuesday. Still sick, kept sleeping.
Wednesday. While US citizens can enter the EU without a visa or residence permit,they eventually need to obtain the latter to stay in Hungary for more than 3 months. Wednesday the student coordinator got all 50 of the current students together and took us to apply for said permit. BSM does the best in terms of making sure you have everything you need for the application process, but it still ended up being a good 5-6 hour wait for a 15 minute application review. Be prepared!
Thursday-Saturday. Slowly starting to feel better, reviewed the language book some.

Not an exciting two weeks, but I promised I’d give an accurate account of the experience, so here you go! The good news is math classes start this next week, along with some events like a World Cup Qualifying match at the stadium close to the BSM school, so stay tuned!

After packing! Well, give or take a few things left to throw in :)

A Year in One Suitcase…Here I Go

August 28, 2013 / hannahheagy / 0 Comments

Before packing...

Hallo alle! I’m Hannah, a Valpo junior from Pittsburgh, PA double majoring in German and Spanish. I’ll be spending the 2013-2014 school year studying in Tübingen, Germany, a small city in the province of Baden-Württemberg about an hour away from Stuttgart. I’m an incurable language nerd with a passion for travel, and I feel so blessed to study at a place like Valparaiso University. At Valpo, I’ve been able to have unforgettable international experiences that have improved my language skills and allowed me to see places that, before college, I could only dream about and write on my bucket list. Last summer, I spent two months serving as an intern at the YMCA in Valparaiso, Chile. In Chile I made great friends, improved my Spanish, and really learned how to live in and experience another culture firsthand (Want specific details? Read my blog!). This past winter, I also had the opportunity to tour China performing with VU’s orchestra (I play cello :)). Seeing places like the Great Wall and Hangzhou’s West Lake were once-in-a-lifetime experiences that I know I wouldn’t have gotten at any other school.

Now that I’ve told you a little about myself and how much I love Valpo, it’s time to get to the reason you’re reading this blog which is…THAT I LEAVE TO GO TO GERMANY FOR A YEAR TOMORROW. Yes, it’s now 12:14am on August 28th, and after a summer of working 40 hour fast food weeks and wondering how I am even going to begin to prepare for so long a trip, the countdown to the 29th is almost over and I am excited, stressed, and in little bit of denial that I will be gone for a whole year, which is pretty terrifying. But I’m not terrified in a bad way at all; I have the typical scared/anxious feeling that comes from knowing that you are entering an experience from which you will come out a changed person with a new perspective. I will miss my family and friends at home and on campus so much, but I know that I’ll gain and experience more from going to Germany than I can even comprehend right now. Amidst all the changes and confusion that come from living in a new country and learning a new language, God never changes. No matter where I am in the world, I know that I have a home in Christ and that He will care for me wherever I go and lead me to where I can best serve Him.

So now to the real hard part of studying abroad for a year…PACKING. Two days ago I couldn’t have told you how I planned on fitting a year of my belongings in one suitcase, but it’s finally been done! I figured that no matter how hard I try, I won’t be able to bring enough clothes or American toiletries, etc. to last me a year. If I forget or need something, I’ll easily be able to get it in Germany (as if I needed another excuse to go shopping).

After packing! Well, give or take a few things left to throw in 🙂

The next time you hear from me through this blog, I’ll be on my adventure, which is a scary and exciting thought! I’m planning on making this blog more than just writing. Maybe some video blogging to come soon? Check back soon for another post and follow me on Twitter @HannahinGermany. I’ll be tweeting my study abroad happenings throughout each day as well as announcing new blog posts! Bis bald!

Peace,

Hannah

Oslo and Norwegian Constitution Day

May 27, 2012 / Jordan Harner / 0 Comments

I recently took my last trip in Europe and I couldn’t have picked a better time to do so!

I went to Oslo, Norway for 5 days to visit a few friends I met in Zaragoza and while I was there, I got to see the Norwegian Constitution Day. Oslo’s a little city (a little smaller than Indianapolis) and is quiet and easy-going. Coming from a bustling Madrid, it was quite the comparison. Nonetheless, Oslo is a great city and I think it’s mistakenly overlooked as a great travel destination.

Getting to experience their Constitution Day was something I’ll never forget. There are hundreds of street vendors selling everything from traditional Norwegian food to Arabic food and thousands of people in the streets in traditional clothes (called a bunad). There are also a number of younger people in red overall-type get ups. They’re referred to as russ which is a part of their graduation tradition there. The picture to the right is of my Norwegian friend Christina in her bunad with my other friend and her boyfriend Jørgen. Some men also wear traditional-style clothes but many nowadays just wear a suit like Jørgen. The traditional dress also depends on what area of Norway you’re from so Christina’s dress is different from a typical dress from another region of Norway. In addition, I got a quick glimpse of the king of Norway and the royal family of Norway as they were waving to the crowds from the balcony of the palace.

One of the things that surprised me about Norway was the prices. Everything is extremely expensive. Going to a normal cafe to buy a caramel macchiato and a muffin cost me around $11. It’s not just the restaurants either. Everything in the grocery store is more expensive as well and in some instances, the clothes in an H&M, for instance, were about twice the price as in Spain. Something else that surprised me (but in a good way) was that because Norway is so far north, the sun began to rise around 3 a.m. when I was there. I suppose I should have realized this before going but it was so cool looking outside at 3 in the morning and actually being able to see the streets lit up but empty. During the summer, there is very little darkness and in the winter, there’s not much light at all. This was just one of the few oddities that made Oslo even more interesting for me.

In all, I had a great time there and I’m so glad I got to visit my friends Christina, Jørgen, and Sandra. It’s a really beautiful place to visit and I can’t speak highly enough about it!

Thanks for reading and if you’d like to follow me more closely, I have a Twitter account. If you’d like to see ALL of my photos, I also have a Picasa account.

Valpo Voyager

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