Monday, November 28, 2011

Kailee Lee- Global Health in Uganda



Uganda

Uganda touched my my heart. I assumed before leaving for Uganda that I was about to have a life changing experience, but the experience I had there was even more profound than I imagined. Uganda is a beautiful country with beautiful people. I may sound a little sappy but my study abroad experience in Uganda really made me feel like I was in touch with human beings in an entirely new way.

The purpose of this particular study abroad trip was to do water testing, community assessments, to survey women, teaching women about hygiene kits and helping some of the towns with brick making and micro loans. The first and second day of the trip were two of the most amazing days I have every had in my life. After a bumpy drive through pineapple fields and viewing beautiful Lake Victoria we arrived at our first water testing site. The site was across from a elementary age school yard and when we arrived it was lunch time. Within a few short minutes of arriving at the water site our car was swarmed with children yelling “muzungu muzungu!” (Muzungu means white person). Everywhere we went the swarm of about 200 kids followed us, watching our every move. Basically every time we encountered children throughout the entire month we were swarmed by curious and beautiful kids that wanted to touch us and watch us.

The second day in Uganda was really an eye opening day for all of us. We had the opportunity to work with a school called Gods Grace. When we arrived the children sang some songs and did a skit they had prepared for us. While singing the songs the children were extremely happy and energetic. It was refreshing to be in such a happy atmosphere. The skit the children performed was about HIV in Africa and the hardships that many of the children had gone through. About 8 of the children stood up and told stories of how they had lost their loved ones. One girl told us how she had lost her uncle to HIV, a boy told of how his mother had been killed by a wild animal, two twins stood up and told us how both of their parents had left one day and never came back. I don’t think one person in that tent had a dry eye. It made me extremely grateful to have a safe home and two parents.

My month long experience in Africa was full of eye opening and life changing experiences. From playing duck duck goose with children that have nothing, to bungee jumping over the Victoria Nile, Uganda is a beautiful place that I will not soon forget.

Photo Essay Contest Winner, 1st Place, Vincent Bath, Siena, Italy Study Abroad

"Passage through Time"

Study abroad fills the "gap" between past and future; history and present. Study Abroad is the ultimate passage to hands-on learning. You are living and seeing what you have been studying about, while touching tangible artifacts of the past and taking pictures of it with your gadgets of today. Each person through this passage carries a different load, some heavy and some light. No matter the weight of the load you may carry, study abroad lifts you up and propels you forward, while changing your life forever.






"Learning like a lemon"
To me, education is like a lemon in Sorrento, Italy. Education needs to be instilled early into our lives so that we may be fruitful throughout the rest of our lives. Most lemon trees will begin bearing fruit within two to five years of planting. Lemon trees can survive and continue to bear fruit regularly for more than 50 years if they are planted right and continue to be cultivated. Just like a lemon may need artificial sweetners to enhave the powerful lemon flavor, education may need diversity to sweeten the overall educational experience. Study abroad is that sweetener and I recommend it for everyone.










"Majesty of the Past"
Study Abroad invites us to sit down and appreciate the work of otheres, millions of others that have gone before us. Everything from smells in the air from artisan bread, infamous marble statues, and churches that tower toward the heavens remind us of the others who have walked before us. Works of others show us that through education (craft or trade) that the world learns from each other and inspires us to leave our mark on history.














"Io Sono Sempre Qui"
Mount Vesuvius overlooks Pompei and reminds us that he is still there and he isn't going anywhere. Just like Mount Vesuvius there are several objects as well as events in history that teach valuable lessons for the future. Mount Vesuvius leveled Pompeii and killed hundreds of thousands of people. Tribulation and tragedy may have passed of be quaking nearby, but as time goes on we mend and heal. Throughout time most disasters are causation for improvement and it's when we learn the most.....














Just as the old lady in Pompeii mentioned "It is not just the power of the sun or the curative drops of Amalfi rain that spring forth the poppies, but it is the soil in which they grow!" And what soil would that be I ask here? The soil caused by Vesuvius! And what makes the soil great, I ask? The soil has "ash" in it so the poppies grow redder! Whether or not her folklore serves well, I know that the educational experience in the Siena 2011 Study Abroad was indeed the best soil and educational seed could have been planted it.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Photo Essay Contest Winner, 2nd place, Kayla Kilpatrick, Sustainable Tourism in Fiji

Namosi Valley (Nakavika village)
We traveled up to the village of Nakavika in the highlands of Viti Levu (the largest island of Fiji) in order to spend the night in the village, drink kava with the locals, and to learn more about Fijian culture. Our bus driver was actually from Namosi Valley, so we were able to learn about his life experiences throughout our travels on Viti Levu. Every time we had to go somewhere, he would bring us the most delicious banana bread that I have ever tasted. When we arrived in Nakavika, we did presentations at the local school to explain where we were from and our culture.

After our presentations, the children performed a meke (dance) for us. It was the cutest thing ever. One of the little boys in the picture above lost his grass skirt and kept trying to put it back on while still dancing. Later in the evening, we performed a kava ceremony with the locals and drank kava into the late hours of the night. For those of you who have never tried kava, it pretty much tastes exactly like muddy, peppery water.

Kula Eco Park
On the way to Nadi (pronounced Nandi), we stopped at the Kula Eco Park to look at some of the local flora and fauna. Pictured here with me are Fijian banded and Fijian crested iguanas. We were able to see these iguanas, Pacific Boas, Fijian flying foxes, and many local birds. During the trip, we saw many of these animals in the wild. For instance, when we river rafted the Navua River, I actually helped bag a wild boar and Nate Bricker (one of the U’s faculty who came with us) caught a Pacific Boa. We also kayaked by a small island populated by a ton of bats at one point in the trip.






Sri Siva Subramaniya Temple
In Nadi, we stopped at this Hindu temple in order to experience the Indo‐Fijian aspect of Fijian
culture. We avoided eating meat that day so that we could adhere to the policies of the Hindu temple. We had to walk around the outside of the temple three times before going inside the main area. When we were inside, we performed a ceremony offering some bananas and a coconut to the Hindu gods in order to gain experiences learning this part of Indo‐ Fijian culture. The priest was very impressed because the coconut split extremely evenly, therefore indicating that we were pure of heart.

Yasawa Islands
During the study abroad, we stayed at three different places. This picture was taken at the last place we stayed in the Yasawa Islands. One afternoon, there was a “local games” activity that included spear‐throwing and the ever classic egg throw. Megan (from WVU) and I are wearing our sulus (sarongs) since we had become quite attached to them during our stay in Fiji and sulus are an extremely important aspect of Fijian dress.



Yasawa Islands
This group picture was taken during our stay at the island of Nanuya Lailai. They filmed part of The Blue Lagoon where we stayed and went scuba diving! Brian (from Texas State) and I obtained our Advanced Open Water Diving certifications, while the others on the trip got their Open Water Diving certifications. We even went on a shark feeding dive and we saw many dolphins during a few of our snorkeling adventures as well. I was the only student from the University of Utah, so I was rather nervous about meeting the other students going on the trip. There was one guy from Texas State, and the remaining six girls were from West Virginia University. Despite our differences, we formed a tight bond throughout this study abroad, and I will treasure this experience for the rest of my life.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Theater in London, England, Katie Stansfield


The Theatre in London Study Abroad Program was flexible enough in the schedule that I could plan my own trip to one of England’s other cities. Jane, one of the trip leaders gave me websites I could go to to buy train tickets and find a cheap yet comfortable place to stay. With that help I was able to plan my own mini-trip to Bath for a weekend.


Day One: I found a tour company online called Mad Max who planned tours of the sites around Bath, the most exciting of which was Stonehenge at the end. The tour began at a village called Castle Comb, one of the most beautiful villages I’ve ever seen. It’s also quite famous. Steven Speilburg just finished filming his new movie Warhorse there.

Castle Comb


Next we visited the Avebury Henge, a place far less well know but far more impressive than Stonehenge. In fact, you could fit several Stonehenges inside Avebury. Also, at Avebury people were free to walk through and around and actually touch the stones.

Avebury Henge

The village he took us to for lunch was called Lacock. It’s another very famous village, a few segments of the Harry Potter movies were actually filmed there, such as Professor Slughorn’s house in movie six, which I was able to see up close.

Professor Slughorn's House

Then finally, we got to Stonehenge. Before I went up to look at it I purchased a pastry the British folk call a Rock Cake (a dense piece of dough with chocolate chips inside and sprinkled with sugar and baked) I found it to be appropriate and amusing. It was truly an amazing thing to see up close. I walked around it twice, despite how chilly it was that day.

Stonehenge

Though I had planned to visit more restaurants while I was in Bath, I kept going back to Sally Lunn’s. I first visited this place after my Stonehenge Tour, they had a special deal for afternoon tea that day. I ordered the Bath Cream Tea which was accompanied by a bun with cinnamon sugar butter. The atmosphere mixed with the tea and bun made me feel completely at ease and relaxed and genuinely happy. I looked outside at the architecture of Bath and instantly felt like I was in one of Jane Austin’s stories.



Later that night I was walking around the town and discovered that I was there during the weekend of Bath’s International Music Festival. There were live bands playing absolutely everywhere. As soon as I was out of earshot of one venue, another would take it’s place. One of the happier accidents of my trip. Not caring how cold it was at night, I wondered around for several hours listening and watching different bands play.

Day Two: This was my day to really explore Bath. The town was small enough that I was able to see all the sites I wanted to. I started at the Royal Crescent, a very beautiful piece of architecture. After admiring it for awhile I visited the Jane Austin Museum and Fashion Museums, both of which were very interesting for me; but I noticed the looks on the faces of some men who were clearly dragged there by their girlfriends were less than enthusiastic. The Roman Baths was a site absolutely packed with tourists, the baths may have been more interesting if I had been able to approach them.

Royal Crescent

However, all was not lost because I did go on a wonderful tour of Bath Abbey; a tour that required you to climb over 200 steps to get to the top and see the bells. However, I cannot say it wasn’t completely worth it. The view from the top of the Abbey was breathtaking.


That was my own planned tour of Bath, the next day I got back on the train and made my way back home......to London that is.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Photo Essay Contest Winner, 3rd Place, Garrett Norris, Japan Exchange


Fall sets fire to the greenery of Japan. Maple forests are engulfed in a blaze of colors, which ignite emotion and wonder within viewers participating in a time-honored ceremony know as momiji gari : the autumn leaf viewing. Last fall, I found myself blanketed under canopies of red, climbing sacred mountains and exploring serene temples near Kyoto.

I arrived in Japan a year ago this week. My four seasons in Japan marked changes in my life that I am just beginning to understand. Winter saw snow in Tokyo. A novelty for many within the metropolis. Trains stopped, taxis spin, and time seemed to stand still on the streets next to businessmen complaining of meetings missed and children playing in merriment. Flurries laced this five-story pagoda at Senso-ji, Tokyo’s oldest temple, which was originally established in 645 and rebuilt after World War II as a symbol of peace.

Spring brings Sakura: the cherry-blossom season. Philosophically, the fragile and transitory beauty of Sakura represents the preciousness of life. Shortly after the moment of full bloom, the wind gently stirs the blossoms from their branches in swirls of pink.





Summer is welcomed across Japan with the bon lantern festival. Celebrants dressed in traditional, beautifully decorated yukata dance, sing, drum, and drink to honr the spirits of those passed. At this festival I attended in Tokyo, a special service was held for those lost in the March 11th Tsunami. Between dances, the music would stop, smiles would face and eyes would close in prayer.









In four seasons, I learned a language, experienced a rich culture deeply rooted in tradition and respect, and made a strong connection with a kind and welcoming people. I was asked if I was Tom Cruise when this picture was taken. I may not be the last samurai, but I feel a connection with Japan that is rooted within my soul. Our lives are made of many seasons, but the red leaves, snowflakes, and Sakura blossoms that fell on me last year mark the seasons that the passage of time will never take from my memory.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Schnitzeljagd in Lübeck, Germany, Justin Abbott, Kiel, Germany



My entire experience as a study abroad student in the northern, Baltic coast city of Kiel, Germany was amazing.
The things I learned, the friends I made, and the foods I ate will never be forgotten. As part of the program we went on several different excursions that lasted anywhere from a single day to a long weekend. We had a chance to see Berlin, Sylt (a favorite vacation island of Germany’s rich and famous), Oslo, Norway (a beautiful, Troll inhabited Scandinavian capital), and Lübeck.

Lübeck
is a wonderful little city in northern Germany which is famous for its marzipan (almond paste), and for being the capital of the Hanseatic League - the most powerful trade network in northern Europe during the late middle ages and early modern period. To help us discover this beautiful city, known as the “Queen of the Hanse” we broke into teams and went on a Schnitzeljagd, or scavenger hunt.



Back in medieval Europe, cities were often engaged in war with neighboring cities and towns. To help protect itself, Lübeck, like many cities in northern Germany, was completely surrounded by water. One of the city’s most enduring landmarks is the Holstentor, which is a gate that guarded a bridge into the old town. The gate is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This gate was our first stop on our scavenger hunt.




Another stop along our route was St. Mary’s Church (Marienkirche).
This beautiful, gothic church was first built between 1250 and 1350. It is the third tallest church in Germany, and has the highest brick vault in the world. The church contains many memorials; one of its most poignant was created by the 1942 Palm Sunday Air Raid. The Allies’ air raid created a draft that made the church bells ring just before they went plummeting to the ground. When the church was reconstructed, following the war, the bells were left where they had fallen.

Our Schnitzeljagd ended at the Schiffergesellschaft.
This was constructed in 1535 as the home of the Brotherhood of Captains. This brotherhood, who still owns the building today, is a guild of ship captains who used to come together to create the rules of the sea, and to further seafaring enterprise. In 1868 the Schiffergesellschaft was opened to the public as a restaurant. The tables and benches are part of the original, 500 year old décor, which is complemented with all sorts of interesting ship models, hanging from the ceiling.



After lunch we all went to the Willy Brandt Museum.
Wily Brandt is one of Germany’s most famous politicians. He was born and raised in Lübeck, and later went on to become the mayor of West Berlin, and the chancellor of West Germany. He is accredited with creating what is known as Ostpolitik, which was a new West German stance that respected East Germany’s right to exist and cooled tensions with Poland and the USSR. His policies were controversial in West Germany at the time, but won him the 1971 Nobel Peace Prize, and later aided in the fall of the Berlin Wall.



Lübeck is world renowned for its Niederegger marzipan (almond paste). Marzipan is a wonderful treat. It can be eaten plain, or covered in chocolate, or baked into cakes, cookies, and other pastries. They often mold it into fun shapes, such as bread, carrots, pigs, cows, birds, ladybugs, and even cityscapes and sculptural busts.


I wish I had saved the marzipan bar I received as a prize when my team won the scavenger hunt, then I could be eating it right now; mmm… marizipan. But even if I have depleted my supply of marzipan, at least I will always have the fond memories of Lübeck, and the many other enriching people and places I experienced on my study abroad in Kiel, Germany.





Monday, November 7, 2011

Photo Essay Contest Winner, Best Story, Jozef Mitchell, Siena, Italy

ITALIA



Nature has an innate strength.
The closer we get to it the more we
learn from it.









There is much to say about
perspective. It is best to look at
things in every way possible. In
focus, out of focus, up close, from
far away, as a native, and as an
outsider. Perspective changes
everything.






A good walk is like a good kiss. You
can share a short one with friends,
or a long one with a lover.
Walk where you’ve been before,
walk where you haven’t. It can be
done in the morning, evening, or at
night.
Refreshing. I suppose you could
take a walk alone, but I don’t
recommend giving yourself a kiss.





Italy is full of walls and fortresses. I
immediately asked myself what they
were protecting. Although the
threats of barbarians, invasions, and
other old world dangers had long
since passed I imagined they were
left standing to protect the Italians
way of life.





How could Dante Alghieri write
about the depths of hell in a
countryside as breathtaking as
Tuscany? With its endless rolling
hills and vineyards, perhaps he was
moved to imagine something that
contrasted with this eternal
paradise.





There are small details in life that
people often fly past. Italy’s beauty
taught me to slow down and admire
the small and unnoticed places. I
learned that putting pride and
passion into the details is what
separates ordinary work from
masterpieces in any facet of life.