Thursday, May 26, 2011

Ashley Jolin - London, England


Ashley is a senior at the University of Utah studying English and Political Science. She is currently participating in the faculty-led British Studies in London study abroad program.

This summer I have been granted the opportunity to travel to England to study at Regents College, located right in Regents Park—a beautiful park in London. What has been unique about this experience is this specific program’s unique ability to unite the classroom with explorations around London. Our class is focusing mainly on the Bloomsbury Group, a group of writers from the early twentieth century. My favorite experience by far would be when my class embarked on a journey to Cambridge to explore the colleges and area.

My group’s first assignment was to meet at the Kings Cross Station. This station has become famous due to the Harry Potter franchise, and it is also a great station for traveling, whether by the metro or by train. From Regents Park, I left with a few classmates to walk to the nearby Baker Street station, where we took the metro. Even though I have been on numerous other underground systems before, I find that with every new one I go to, especially in a foreign country, I have to relearn everything. However, even more important than that, I have to orient myself to which stations are near which landmarks. Luckily, on this walkabout, I already had instructions on how to get from point A to point B, and I would have my professors and several tour guides take us the rest of the way.

While waiting for our main tour guide to meet up with the class (he focused on architecture, history, and connections to the Bloomsbury group on all his tours), I just had to find Platform 9 ¾. And I did!


I went to Hogwarts and everything. Well, not really. Nevertheless, Regents College is just as magical, so I don’t feel too ripped off.

When our tour guide eventually arrived, we departed from Kings Cross for Cambridge! And what a beautiful train ride it was. On both sides, there was an almost empty, rolling countryside that rendered me breathless. However, as I was pleasantly distracted by the surroundings, I was equally as shocked to feel a lot of pressure on my ears as we passed underneath tunnels! Everyone around me was shocked as well, and we laughed.


When we finally alighted from the train, we began our walk into the area of Cambridge. It refreshingly did not contain the pedestrian congestion of London, especially as the students of Cambridge were undergoing their exam period. On all sides were numerous shops and restaurants. We didn’t enter any of them, but we did enter several colleges, where our tour guide gave us a history on the founders and famous individuals that had gone to the various colleges.

My favorite college to visit was Kings College of Cambridge because of its unique design and large amount of history. What made it especially unique was the Kings College Cathedral. Within was not only the cathedral, but a detailed background of who had come in the past, along with many ancient relics. It had candles for people to purchase and light and many descriptions of how the cathedral came to be.


It was special to walk through these schools and realize that numerous famous people had walked along the same path and within the same building. One could almost imagine what it was like to live back in earlier centuries. It is so lush and green here (generally the opposite of Utah), and the buildings are weathered, yet they beautifully endure.


After we had walked through several schools, we stopped for a lunch break. Along the road where we stopped were numerous stands set up for almost everything: clothes, British tourist memorabilia, fresh produce, jewelry, and even items imported from other countries. I purchased a nice smoothie and proceeded to explore the rest of the area. It was more modern than the other areas we had gone through, which meant it was more congested and more attuned to the shoppers than the casual passerby. There was a restaurant on every corner. I also eventually found my first English mall, which was similar to the malls in the U.S., except what they sold was very unique to England. I found, for example, a store that sold bars that looked like soap, but actually operated as shampoo and conditioner and could be used many times. 

After wandering for a while, the group reconvened and we finished off our tour. Highlights of the remainder of my tour included seeing multiple versions of the Bible that led up to the King James Bible being created, along with descriptions of who worked with whom in the process. Finally, we concluded by seeing the Women’s College of Cambridge, where our guide amply told us details of who founded it and also how the architecture and design of the building was made to exude femininity. 


Soon we boarded the train once more to return home late in the evening after a good day’s walk and journey.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Lance Harvey - Brisbane, Australia

Lance is a senior at the University of Utah studying Economics and Philosophy. Last fall, he traveled to Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia as part of a University of Utah exchange.

Last summer, I left my long-time home in Utah for the city of Brisbane, Australia to attend Griffith University for four months. Every day offered something new in terms of the people I met, the places I went to, and the things I learned about their culture that I would have never known without being there. This unbelievable barrage of new experiences made nearly every day unique and left me with more vivid memories about my time there than I could possibly hope to explain here. The thing I enjoyed most during my study abroad was being able to escape the confines of the campus and explore the country in the way it deserved. During my spring break, I seized the opportunity to take a ten day bus trip up the eastern coast of Australia that would stop at every location worth seeing along the way.


We left downtown Brisbane early in the morning. It was my first time leaving the city since I’d been there, and just staring out the window as we headed toward the countryside was both soothing and refreshing. Our first destination was the Steve Irwin Zoo. Normally I’m not the biggest fan of seeing caged animals, but these creatures were well-cared for, and it was cool knowing the zoo was founded by the Crocodile Dundee himself. After some more driving, we arrived in Hervey Bay and took a late night cruise out on the open ocean before heading to bed.

The next morning we boarded a ferry that carried us to Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the world. The island is home to rainforests, eucalyptus woodland, mangrove forests, swamps, sand dunes, and a small town as well. Its residents and local visitors use the wide beaches as their own highway around the area. There were also several lakes on the island that varied in their acidity to such a degree that the water was green in some areas and clear blue in others. The coolest sight on Fraser, though, was a crashed ship that was half-buried along the shoreline. I’ve never seen anything like it.


After an all-night drive north, we awoke the next morning in Whitsunday and took to the ocean on high-speed rafts. We spent hours cruising around what I gathered to be 25-30 different islands, occasionally stopping to admire their gigantic sandbars or hike their hilly slopes. Eventually, the rafts dropped us off on South Molle Island, an exquisite hotel retreat with miles of untouched land that could be accessed by various trails. I spent the entire next day hiking the island’s three peaks, each with its own spectacular view of the surrounding isles and the Australian coastline shimmering in the distance.  Sitting atop “balancing rock” in the center of the island was probably the most serene moment I felt during the entire four months.


A sailboat awaited us the following morning and took everyone on a gentler tour of the Whitsundays before anchoring next to a wide expanse of the Great Barrier Reef. I put on my snorkeling gear and jumped in the water. The incredible amount of different species of fish and the color variety of the coral was a sight to behold. The fish would let us swim right alongside them, and it was fun to hold my breath, dive to the bottom, and roam the coral trenches. Somehow the tour guides forced us back onto the boat and back to the mainland, where again we spent the night driving.


The next morning we arrived in Townsville and began preparing for a long day of white water rafting down the Tully River. With six people and one tour guide per raft, we launched into some of the most thrilling, dangerous rapids I’ve ever been in. With barely a moment’s rest, we paddled and paddled through the torrents, but our best efforts could not thwart the river’s fury. Our boat capsized no less than six times as we floated one way or another down. Yet the hours spent on the river allowed everyone to see more of Australia’s magnificent rainforests.


That night we arrived in Cairns, our final destination of the journey. I walked around the town’s open air markets catering to tourists before heading back to the hotel and passing out from exhaustion. The next morning I booked trip aboard a gondola, dubbed the Skyrail, that took me up eight kilometers over the canopy of the rainforest. There were several checkpoints along the route that I could get out and walk, completely immersed in the trees. The paths also led to a spectacular view of the Barron Falls, a gorgeous waterfall surrounded by nothing besides the forest. The Skyrail eventually stopped in Kuranda, an aborigine village that thrived off its visitors. I bought some of their locally-made candy, but I wish I could have afforded one or two of their hand-crafted boomerangs. After spending some time there, I boarded a train that took me cliff side back to Cairns.


On the final day, we ventured way out into the ocean to another section of the Great Barrier Reef. This time, though, we got to scuba dive. I’d never been before, but it doesn’t take long to learn, and if you can learn to relax underwater, the experience is well worth it. Our guide took us 65 feet underwater, where I saw my first sting ray, a giant clam, and again, plenty of fish. It was like being on another planet.


We partied on the town that last night and said our goodbyes. Exhausted and out of money, I flew back to Brisbane the next day. I would spend another month in Australia before heading back home, but nothing I did the rest of my time there could live up to the variety of activities and sightseeing I experienced over those ten days in October. If you decide to undertake a study abroad program, make time for as much travel outside your temporary home as possible. It will reward you every time.


Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Tori Sowul - Norway

Tori is a senior at the University of Utah, where she is majoring in Environmental Studies and International Studies. She recently completed an ISEP program at Karlstad University in Norway.

We’re having Rudolph for Dinner tonight

Trekking, leaping, hop-skipping, zipping, and mounting… You name it—I used all the techniques in the book incessantly to adventure through Northern Norway’s Mountains. The aesthetic scenery was out of a Thomas Mangelsen photograph, and I was waiting for the classic “Catch of the Day” moment to appear right before me. Karlstad University’s Nordic Environment class left early Monday morning, consisting of six students and two teachers.  Our professor Linda is in her early thirties, was raised in Northern Sweden, and is a typical nature-loving granola. Hassel, who also teaches the course throughout the semester, joined us with his old and wise man presence. 


We headed north for about six hours and ventured on vigorous hikes throughout the drive. The first night, we inhabited a small cabin getaway in the middle of the forest called Ransbysätern. There, we met two guides (Jimmy and Mathias) who cracked us up with their drunken manner and friendly jester.  There was no electricity in the cabin, no hot water, and no bathroom. We were rugging it for sure, but it wouldn’t have been the same experience if we had all those perceived necessities. The next morning, we traveled farther north and finally arrived at our 16th century abode on the lake. Every night we took turns cooking exotic yet nostalgic homemade meals. I am actually transforming into quite the chef! I have enjoyed cooking while in Sweden more than ever before, and I can’t wait to return with the incredible recipes I and others have created! (Plan for a recipe blog post soon).

We reflected on our journey and discussed how learning in a setting where you can actually experience things is way more impressive than learning in a classroom. Linda and Hassel emphasized how important it is to wander beyond the textbook and form your own opinions on a hands-on basis.

Something I learned that I will never forget—this certain beetle we came across in the forest only mates during forest fires.  They are attracted to a specific scent from burning ant hills, and they mate directly over the hill.


Several of our days were spent with the Sami tribe. The Samis are the indigenous people of Northern Sweden, Norway, and Finland. They are incredibly beautiful and intelligent. They allowed us to watch them herd thousands of reindeer and then release them back into the wild.  Watching the graceful creatures prance up the iridescent mountainside was one of the most moving and enjoyable experiences of my life. The Sami people have this amazing connection with the reindeer and not only use them as a food source but also as a guide to living harmoniously with nature.  I even tried reindeer meat later that day, and it was quite delicious! No, he did not have a red nose.


We finally had to pack our bags and head back to campus, where I would sleep for six hours and then get up to bus it to Oslo with the crew!

Oslo

We stayed in a hostel on the outskirts of Oslo, where I roomed with three of my guy friends. Trying to shower and get ready in a five-minute time frame with three guys in one tiny room is not easy. They were appreciative of my low-maintenance travel style, and we spent every minute exploring!

Oslo is an astonishing city, exhibiting architecture with antiquated influence and contemporary style. Glass walkways connect buildings that are blocks away from each other, castles reside on the hilltops, and a proficient public transport system winds around every corner. The city is surrounded by water, and the harbor displays ostentatious sailboats and pirate-like ships. In the two days we stayed in Oslo, we hit every tourist attraction, including the naked statue park, the Opera Theater, Edvard Munch’s “Scream” Portrait, Viking Museum, The Noble Peace Prize Conference room, and the Queen’s Palace! Whew! My favorite was the Opera House. The architecture was nothing like I have seen before. It was all white and slanted in every possible angle.  It was overlooking the sea and held the best view of Oslo from the roof!


A book festival filled the streets and brought in famous writers and their fans from all over the world.  The only shopping I could do was window shopping, for Oslo is the most expensive city in all of Europe! In fact, I felt like a homeless person numerous times, passing bread amongst my friends outside of fancy restaurants. One drink at the cheapest bar costs 98 nok ($17.00), and a McDonald’s meal costs around 120 nok ($20.00). The prices were quite unbelievable. However, we managed to see everything and enjoy one beer with our left over change. Working at a fast food restaurant in Oslo would be an ideal career for most Americans, considering the average restaurant wage is about $15-17.00 an hour.

Being one of the only Americans, I have been entitled “Torapedia”. Whenever someone is trying to find the word they are describing, they immediately look to me for help and, put on the spot, I usually forget the word they are trying to say. Sorry, I don’t even know my own language!



Thursday, May 5, 2011

Chelane Phillips - Thailand

Chelane is pursuing a doctorate degree in Pharmacy at the University of Utah. She recently traveled with other Pharmacy students to Thailand to complete a clerkship.

The most common question asked of me when I returned from my 4 weeks in Thailand was, “What does going to Thailand have to do with Pharmacy?” The University of Utah Study Abroad program offers a great opportunity for pharmacy students to travel to Thailand for an elective rotation that focuses on disease states rarely, if ever, seen in the United States. I completely understand where the question comes from, however. I was also wondering what we could really learn from the experience and I walked away profoundly impressed.


Working in healthcare, you find yourself becoming less and less surprised by the things that you see. You get to a point where you think you’ve probably seen it all, and if you haven’t, you’ve at least seen something like it. In Thailand I was surprised almost daily by the things we were shown. The main portion of the rotation consisted of being taught by and working with Thai healthcare providers about malaria, dengue fever, HIV and AIDs, tuberculosis and leprosy. It is possible to see these diseases in the U.S., yes, but the occasion is rare by comparison.


Thailand deals with these diseases regularly, and we were able to see the ways that this wonderful country has had to work to solve the problems associated with these diseases. We spent a day in a compound that has been organized into an AIDS hospice program and saw the compassion of the monks and healthcare volunteers who spent a great amount of time with their patients up until they died. We were able to get a different viewpoint of the effect of AIDS when we spent a day playing with children at an AIDS orphanage. The 64 children we played with all either have AIDS (the majority), or their parents died of AIDS and left them with nothing. The existence of this orphanage is something I’d never imagined as necessary, but for the sake of those amazing children, I’m glad someone had the insight to build it.


Other days were spent visiting hospitals and seeing patients with tuberculosis that was resistant to all medications, patients being diagnosed with or suffering from malaria, children who have been in the hospital for weeks due to dengue, or going to a leprosy clinic and seeing patient and after patient suffering from leprosy. Nothing could have prepared me for the man who was dying from tuberculosis who weighed a mere 80 pounds, despite being over 6 feet tall. I never imagined I’d see so many living with leprosy, let alone all in one day. Those who were able to travel to Thailand on this rotation will never forget these opportunities.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Braden Woodfield - Costa Rica


Braden is a freshman studying Business at the University of Utah. He traveled to Costa Rica with the Bennion Center's Alternative Spring Break Program.


My adventures in Costa Rica were life-changing experiences! We did lots of fun things from flying 50 miles per hour through the canopy on a zip line, to exploring the cloud forest and continental divide.  We took tours of farms and watched demonstrations on how to make soap and paper.  We learned about international development and how micro-enterprise and ecotourism can aid development.  But by far my favorite part was the service we were able to give to the people of Los Tornos! The people of this community were the nicest and hardest-working people I have met.  They were fun and so excited to serve their community alongside us. This is the Salon Communal Los Tornos, or the community center in Los Tornos.  As you can see, it is just a simple structure that is a bit run-down. This is where they hold community parties, quinceañeras, weddings, indoor soccer, and other sports when it is too rainy to play outside.  The community center is literally the center of their community where everyone gathers to be together and have fun!

As a group we had the opportunity to go in and help the community to fix up and repaint their center.  On the first day, they laid out all the paint (somewhere around 25 or 30 gallons) and then put us all to work! There was a ton of wall space but with our group of 30, plus the team of locals that were able to pull away from their every day tasks, we were able to get a first coat on the inside! The outside was a bit more difficult, however, because we needed to scrape off the moss and algae that had grown on it before we could paint.

The picture to the left shows the local children painting.  The school was right by the community center and when the kids had a recess, many of them came over to help! They were all so friendly and energetic it brought the life to the party!



Every day, the local women would volunteer their whole mornings to cook us a snack and lunch! The food was very delicious and fresh. Our snack was generally fresh fruit, papaya, mango, piña, and melons!  For lunch, we had their famous and delicious rice and beans then we got some kind of protein, usually chicken and sometimes fish and then we usually got a salad.  Also, in Costa Rica they serve all their food with an amazing sauce called Salsa Lizano. This is a roasted green salsa that makes everything taste even more amazing! Something that I was able to do was help the ladies out in the kitchen.  I love to cook, and being in there learning their methods and ingredients was a fun experience. 

The last couple days we were able to finish painting the whole community center. All of us had a blast working together and with the locals to create a more inviting and fun place to be. 

Something that was significant to me as we served the community was how giving the locals were.  They truly are so nice and helpful and set a very good example to me!  As if the good feelings of the service we gave were not enough, the last day we were in the country, the town threw a party for us!! It was a very interesting experience—much different from what you would get in the United States!  As you can see from the picture, we were all sitting in the table that is in the shape of the U and then all the locals were in folding chairs on the other side of the room! It was their way of respecting us and telling us thank you! After we finished eating, everyone started dancing and just having a lot of fun!  It was great to see how the community center had come together and to see our new friends, both from our group and from the community, one last time before we returned home to our busy lives!


Overall, this was such an amazing experience! I had the time of my life meeting new people and exploring one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen!  I would recommend this to anyone that has a desire to go on a study abroad.  It is over spring break so you don’t have to miss any school, and it is very affordable with scholarships, and its low cost! The people of the country are awesome and the instructors are very nice!  It is also an eye-opening experience as you learn about international development and how different methods work for the people of developing countries. With the chance to give service, learn, explore, and eat the amazing food, this is an opportunity you don’t want to miss!

Monday, May 2, 2011

Mallory Johnson - Prague, Czech Republic

Mallory Johnson is a junior studying sociology at the University of Utah. She is currently in the Czech Republic on a CEA program.

Prague has been incredible.  The city is beautiful, yet modest. I’ve now traveled through many major European cities, including Berlin, Krakow, Sicily, Athens, Rome, London, and Edinburgh, and I can honestly say that Prague is different than the rest (I could say better, but I’m biased). The Czech Republic lies in the heart of Europe, yet at the same time, it exists sui generis. It doesn’t tout its beauty or unspoiled baroque castles, cobble stone streets, and countless steepled buildings because it does not need to. 

The Prague Castle and Charles Bridge
My intentions weren’t well-defined before I left as to why I chose the Czech Republic as my place of residence for the semester. All I knew was that I saw a lot of bridges, and a lot of beautiful buildings. Now that I am here, I wouldn’t have chosen it any other way.

Coming to Prague, everyone said, “it’s okay, you don’t have to know Czech, EVERYONE speaks English. Mind you, this is not true. But with a basic understanding of the language, the use of hand gestures, pointing, and an easygoing attitude, communication is possible.

The people here exist in a modest way, often confused with “cold,” or “withstanding,” but I just call them modest. Czech tradition calls for deep personal connection, so you won’t find cheap customer service tactics or people asking, “how are you?” if they don’t really want to know. It was a bit of a culture shock at first but I’ve come to appreciate Czech’s straightforward manner.

Unlike other places that are boastful, Czech remains untamed because it has remained under the radar for so long. Only recently has Prague become a big tourist destination.

Old Town Square
The Czech Republic has its own currency; the Czech Koruna or Crown works in our favor. This is especially comforting when coming back from a week of travels using the Euro. Ah, the dreaded Euro. I heard a saying before coming to Prague that “beer is cheaper than water.” I have found this to be true; buying a beer here is just a little over one US dollar. Buying water can be in the two dollar range. It seems to me that the only things cheaper in the United States are water (because it’s free! Oh, how I will never take for granted free water again) and coffee (another thing I will never take for granted—99 cent cups of filtered coffee at my favorite coffee shops).

Prague is divided into sections like any major city is. There is Prague 1, which contains almost all of the tourist attractions and is considered the city center. Prague 2 is outside that, and just beyond that is Prague 3: Where I live. Up on the hill and twenty minutes outside of the city center, my neighborhood is called Zizkov. In the past Zizkov had been known as a place of refuge for expats, gypsies, bohemians, and traces of the mafia. It is noticeably so. Zizkov has character. It’s distinguishable by the overshadowing TV tower with the notorious babies crawling up the side. It has countless pubs, restaurants and music venues, and the most amazing park that overlooks the city, and Zizkov feels like home.

The TV tower
More of Prague's public art--same babies

Traditional Czech cuisine is beef goulash. I’ve seen it as a type of stew and also as large pieces of meat covered in the same flavored sauce. Some hardy bread dumplings accompany the beef. Czech flavors are like the country itself, modest.

You can’t mention Prague without talking beer. ( I’ve mentioned it already!) Prague is the number one beer-drinking nation on the planet, with an annual per capita consummation of some 156 litres. Pilsner Urquell and Budweiser Budvar dominate drafts, with restaurants proudly placing large signs outside their entrance stating which beer is on tap. It’s funny that for the first month that we were here, one of my roommates thought that all of the restaurants were named Pilsner Urquell because their beer sign is always much larger than the actual name of the restaurant.



There is always something to do in Prague!  Whether it’s high culture—Ballets, Operas, or Theatre—or not, they play every single night of the week and you can usually find a student ticket for under five American dollars! I have seen some absolutely beautiful musical and dance performances. There is also an abundance of festivals and markets. In March there was Masopust, otherwise known as Fat Tuesday, and it was the last day to eat meat.  The city organized a huge procession from site to site around Zizkov filled with people wearing masks, men on stilts and bicycles, horse-drawn carriages, and a marching band. At each stop everyone was offered free sausages with bread, beer, and Koláčes, a traditional Czech pastry (yummm).


Recently passed was the Easter festival, where Old Town Square was transformed into shops selling traditional handpainted eggs, and pomlázkas, a braided whip with ribbons meant for men to smack women on their rumps to increase vitality and fertility. Don’t worry ladies—retribution is served after the sun goes down when we’re allowed to dump pails of water on their heads.


Some upcoming events that I look forward to are rollerblading on the Vltava (River that runs through the city), tramping (Czech mixture of hiking and camping with political connotations to oppose oppression during communism—inspired by the great American West) and spending time in the beer gardens (the weather here is beautiful, and when all of the parks and gardens open up, people come out of hibernation and take their favorite pastime outside.)

Overall, Prague has been the best experience of my life so far. The Czech Republic has such an incredible history and is considered a new country after the separation of Czechoslovakia. The effects of communism are still present. I hear that each year is different than the last. An understanding of history makes the city even more fantastic, and I would truly recommend studying here to anyone. I’m still learning everyday, practicing the bits of the language I can actually pronounce and exploring. The best way to get to know Prague is to get lost in it.