Studying Abroad? Easy When You Live in the World’s Most Livable City (Kyle McCarragher)

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Jeremy Doughty

When I considered studying abroad, I never thought I would be doing so and living in the world’s most livable city at the same time!

Melbourne, Australia was the second most livable city in the world for a while (behind Vancouver, Canada) and finally grabbed the title.  After visiting downtown Melbourne just yesterday, it is quite easy to see why living here can be so great.

For one, the public transportation in Melbourne is so easy to figure out, it’s almost scary (not to mention the efficiency of it all).  You don’t have a car? No problem, because Melbourne has trams, trains, busses, rentable bikes, the list literally goes on.

The city itself has a good vibe without the “busy, need to catch a taxi or I’ll be late for work” feel.  In addition, Melbourne has a great view as part of the city overlooks the harbor.  The buildings themselves are also very unique and distinguished.

Melbourne also plays home to many festivals and events including: the Australian Open, being the birth city to Aussie Rules Football, the ever-famous Food and Wine festival (which by the way is coming up in March), amazing shops and cafes, with places like the Great Ocean Road, the Yarra Valley, and Philip Island not being far away from the city center.  And these are just to name a few of Melbourne’s extensive activities and sights.

I think what I find most fascinating about Melbourne, though, is that is has everything anyone could ever ask for in a city.  It has a vibrant population of unique individuals without making you feel cramped.  It has enough skyscrapers to make you go “wow” without making you feel like you won’t be able to find your way around the city.

It is hard not to appreciate the simplicity and the uniqueness of a city like Melbourne.  After living here, it is easy to see why Melbourne is considered to be the world’s most livable city.

Kyle McCarragher is studying abroad at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia.

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Mountain Climbing: You’ll Never Guess What Happened … (Breanna Mekuly)

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Jeremy Doughty

I live less than a half an hour (driving) from the Andes Mountain Range. (That’s so cool to say!) When I realized how close I was, I decided to take an adventure and go exploring. My friends, Emily and Mary, joined me.

We started on a bus and took it to the last stop. The driver asked us where we were going and we said we don’t know but we’re looking for a way to get closer to the mountain. He told us to backtrack a bus stop and take a different bus up to a large park. Our adventure started even before we approached the mountains!

We hiked up the mountain for over an hour. It was hot, sunny, and there was very little wind. The higher we climbed, the more out of breath we were. At first, we were all wondering (silently) if we were that out of shape! Then, we realized that we must have been at a pretty high altitude, because we need to rest every few minutes to catch our breath. It was a really nice hike. We talked and enjoyed silence.

We didn’t have a specific path, so when we reached an intersection of two, we would choose one and go with it. Often, we chose the one that looked less traveled.

The view of the city from above is amazing. Santiago is an odd city. I like to think it’s a very beautiful ugly city. It is extremely ugly, but at the same time, there are things about it that make it so beautiful it takes your breath away — like the view from the mountain. Or looking at the mountains that line the city. That is pretty. Unfortunately, the air in Santiago is very polluted, which makes it difficult to see very far. I’ve heard that after a rain fall, the smog clears up for a while and you can see forever. I’m excited for that.

Anyway, our hike was really great. We climbed very close to the top, but we could never seem to find a path to take us up there. We didn’t want to give up and go back down, but it was getting late, we were out of breath and getting tired, so we decided to turn around and go back home. The way back was so much easier. I felt like we ran down. On the way down, we realized how steep some of the paths we took were; we couldn’t even walk down them without sliding!

When we got to the final main path, we were walking together and talking when the wind took my hat and it flew to the ground a few feet away on the edge of the path. My friend, Emily, bent down to pick it up for me and I screamed! When I screamed, she quickly backed away. I couldn’t even say what I saw– all I could say were a few profane words(that I never would use normally!). Why did I scream, you may be thinking.

Well, I think you would scream too if you saw a tarantula the size of your fist hunched a few feet away from your hat. Yes, a tarantula. OH MY GOSH. Ah! Just the thought of it still makes me squirm. (I’m ready to go back to a state where the only tarantulas are in zoos and crazy people’s homes as pets! If I ever encounter a tarantula in my house here, I am getting on the next plane to Appleton.)

Finally, as we sat, staring and taking pictures of the tarantula, it decided to graciously crawl away. Thank God. The hat wasn’t even mine– it’s Tona’s. I couldn’t just leave it there and run away like I had wanted to do. Eventually, I got my hat back, but was too grossed out to wear it. Gosh, that thing could have been on top of my hat when the wind blew it off… ahhh.

When I finally returned home, I told Tona and my host sister, Maite, about the tarantula. They just laughed. They told me tarantulas are not harmless. Yeah right they’re not! They told me what I need to look out for are the small black spiders in the house. They are the dangerous ones… Oh my. Save me now.

Breanna Mekuly studied abroad in Santiago, Chile, during the Spring 2011 semester.

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Inca Trail (Irina Rau)

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Jeremy Doughty

My name is Irina Rau and I studied abroad in Ecuador in the spring of 2011. I studied at the Universidad de San Francisco de Quito and had the opportunity to see a lot of the beautiful country by hiking the Andean Mountains.

Every weekend we went on hikes throughout the entire country. Although every single one was amazing, I would like to tell you more about one very special trip. Over spring break a group of us decided to hike the Inca Trail. The Incas created an impressive system of trails, which at the time connected Quito (at the North of their empire) with Talca in the south of Chile.

In the southern part of the central valley of Ecuador it is still possible to tread in the footprints of the Incas by following part of this ancient trail. It is truly a spectacular trek through the Andean ecosystem, passing through indigenous communities and past beautiful lakes and mountains until one reaches Ingapirca – the most famous Incan ruins of Ecuador.

We started out in the city of Alausi and hiked for four days following the ancient Inca trail south to the ruins of Ingapirca. Every day we hiked for up to ten hours and covered a total distance of about 50 km (about 30 miles). This trail took us to altitudes up to 4,000m (about 13,000 feet).

This site is considered the most significant of the Incan ruins in Ecuador (built by Huayna Capac more than 500 years ago as a temple for the worship of the sun). Part of the Ingapirca ruins were probably used as a “tambo”, or resting place, for Incan couriers traveling the road to and from Quito.

Trekking from Achupallas to Ingapirca provides the adventurer with a close look at a significant Native American culture, reflected in the ancient ruins as well as the contemporary lifestyle of the native inhabitants. This is a great opportunity to travel on foot through the Andes in a nearly untouched landscape and culture.

A half-century before the arrival of Columbus in the “New World”, the Incan Empire extended from what is now central Chile northward into Ecuador. The Incan population centers were connected by an elaborate and well-maintained system of roads 5,000 km in length – a larger system than that of the Roman Empire!

The feeling of walking on the same roads as the Incas did so many years ago is absolutely incredible and the fact that you can hike for multiple days, without meeting a single person makes you realize what kind of life the Chasquis (Incan couriers) lead while delivering messages from one part of the empire to the other.

Irina Rau studied abroad at Unviersidad San Francisco de Quito in Quito, Ecuador, during the Spring 2011 semester.

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Food in Japan (Brian Campbell)

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Jeremy Doughty

What comes to mind when you think of Japanese food?  Rice and sushi?  Well you would pretty much be right.  Almost any meal you buy in Japan comes with rice, whether it’s part of the main dish or just on the side.  Sushi is always a nice treat.  There are many sushi restaurants  around and $1 can get you a plate with two pieces of sushi.  Ramen is also very popular.  It isn’t the cheap ramen noodles that college students get at the grocery store, but you can still get a huge serving of noodles for very cheap.

Although Japanese food is delicious, everyone still loves the more familiar taste of food that they eat in their home country.  McDonalds has been celebrating their 40th anniversary on being in Japan, so ever since I have been here, they have some sort of sale almost every week, making it all the more tempting to stop in for a little taste of home.  Over Christmas break, one friend returned to the U.S. for a month.  Rather than talking about how excited he was to see friends and family that he hadn’t seen for months, he spent the weeks leading up to his trip planning his meal schedule to make sure he had enough time to eat everywhere he wanted to.  Everyone else spent time making their list of food that they wanted him to bring back for them.

On a side not, it is a common misconception that Japanese people ONLY eat with chopsticks.  I would like to point out that, while chopsticks are very common and are usually what you are given with your meal, traditional forks, spoons, and knives are also available wherever you go.

Brian Campbell is studying abroad at Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan.

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Different Perspectives (Liam McDonnell)

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Jeremy Doughty

Studying abroad has made me look at my life in a different perspective.
For instance, life in America is far easier than life abroad but
that’s not to say that it is better.  Being abroad helped me to improve
my ability to think for myself and to be a more independent person.
Simple things such as controlling my use of electricity or learning to
travel on my own were qualities that i learned through studying abroad.
Also, my awareness of other cultures greatly improved.  I became more
accepting and knowledgeable of people from other countries as I was
forced to become friends with many of them.  Because of my experience
abroad I am more open to travel and have a desire to see the places I
was unable to get to while abroad.  I would encourage everyone to jump
on the opportunity to study abroad if given the chance.  However,
studying abroad also gave me a greater appreciation for my life at home.
It helped me to realize how easy my life is in America and not to take
it for granted.  I experienced no culture shock upon my return and am
happy to be back.  A semester abroad was the perfect amount of time in
my opinion and I am very happen with the location I chose in Dublin and
look forward to visiting there in the future.

Liam McDonnell is studying abroad in Dublin, Ireland, with the Foundation for International Education (FIE).

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Happy Holidays from Tokyo, Japan! (Brian Campbell)

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Jeremy Doughty

Holiday break is now over and I have now begun the final 2 months of classes before the semester is over.  During the break, I got an interesting look at some holiday traditions in Japan.

Although Christmas is very popular in Japan, it isn’t nearly as popular as in the United States.  Many people have Christmas parties and exchange gifts, but it isn’t a major “family holiday.”

New Years is a much bigger celebration.  It all starts with the special dishes that are served on New Years Eve.  Among them are boiled seaweed, fish cakes, and mashed sweet potato with chestnuts, as well as many others.  That night, it is customary to visit a shrine.  My friends and I chose to visit a shrine near Tokyo Tower, which was beautifully decorated with lights for the New Year.

People have balloons that they have tied a New Years wish to.  At midnight, there is a ten-second countdown to the New Year, just like in America.  Once it is midnight, everyone releases their balloons into the air.

Afterwords, everyone enters the temple and makes their way to the front through the massive crowd of people.  Once you reach the front, there is an area to throw money in (I was told that using either 5 or 50 yen is the best…I’m not sure why).  After you throw the money in, you say a short prayer and leave.

In Japan, people send New Years Cards called Nengajo to friends and family rather than Christmas Cards.  As long as you mail them by a certain time and write “Nengajo” on them, they will be delivered on January 1st.  Another New Years custom is Otoshidama, where adults give children money.  The money is given in colorful envelopes.

Brian Campbell is studying abroad at Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan.

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Looking Back (Pat Pederson)

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Jeremy Doughty

Having had a little while to reflect on my experiences in Europe has allowed me to appreciate the time that I had.  Living in Valencia, Spain and traveling to other parts of Europe (including France and England) opened my eyes once again to the ways of the world, if you will.  That is to say, it allowed me to gain a better understanding first-hand of how cultures mix, how nations interact and the basic identities and similarities that all people share, regardless of background.  What struck me was how similar we all are, yet the same as well.  For example, nearly everyone I met and observed has an appreciation and recognition of the importance of family; of taking time to enjoy the little things; of understanding culture, art and history, while simultaneously being wary of others.  Even though the cultures of Europe and America seem worlds apart, we are more similar than we know.

The other thing that struck me was looking at the US from a totally different perspective.  Being a Political Science Major, I have always been taught to look at situations from the persepctives of others and other nations before finally reaching an ultiamtum or decision to take.  Nonetheless, residing in Spain, even if only for 4 months, allowed me to truly live from a diferent persepctive.  As such, some of the things I reflected on were quite interesting.  For example, simply the size of the US is daunting – Alaska alone is comparable to the entire continent of Europe.  The speed at which we move is different.  The emphasis on work over play is different.  Our cars, of course, are much different. All of these changes and comparisons allowed me to view the US in a different light; a light that I am still deciphering today.

Pat Pederson is studying abroad in Valencia, Spain, with the University of Virginia.

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Difficulties with my National Identity (Diane Cantillano)

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Jeremy Doughty

I would say my national identity is kind of complex to begin with. My parents are both from Honduras, and I was born in San Diego, California. I think although my American nationality is important, my Honduran ethnicity is prominent and important as well. I also think that it also makes for my experience with reactions or treatment in Ireland a little different from others. I know that sometimes people would react with surprise when I would say I was from the United States. Some Spanish people said that most of the Americans they would meet would usually spout out the city or state they were from and express surprise when the people didn’t know where that place was located in the US. For me, since I have talked to people in the United States about my family being from Honduras, and them not knowing where the country was located, I always feel that I shouldn’t expect people to just “know” where I’m from. A lot of people, when they heard I was from Wisconsin, tended to talk about family they had in Wisconsin, beer, cheese, and of course, That’s 70’s Show. Most of the experiences I had were pretty positive, but I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that I would interact with people in a more in depth way, in my own way sliding past the stereotypes and letting people know that there’s more to me than being an American, but that I was an American, and that doesn’t always mean negative things. Many people had differing opinions on Americans, but nobody let it get in the way of getting to know me.

Diane Cantillano is studying abroad at the National University of Ireland – Galway in Galway, Ireland.

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Helping Out the Galway Community (Diane Cantillano)

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Jeremy Doughty

My most memorable volunteering experience in Galway happened to me by chance. My roommate Lyndia said she had gotten an email about an opportunity to promote multi-culturalism in children and their families in Galway through our campus. I decided to tag along. When I got there, I got to hear/see the mayor of Galway speak about the efforts Ireland had made to make people of other races and ethnicities better accepted, and how this event, was a cause that was helping Ireland move in the right direction. The event consisted of parents having classes that gave them tips and information on how to teach their children how to be open and positive on the differences between many cultures and also on how to themselves become a great example of multi-culturalism. The children, which I worked with, went through talks on inalienable human rights, such as food and shelter, and love, and then went on to do many different activities to help them interact with one another, and depending on their age group, would determine the levels of depth the helpers went to describe why it’s important to know that not everybody may have the same background, but that doesn’t mean that anybody deserves to be treated worse or better than one another. I worked with the oldest children, and worked on positive imaginative work between the children and had wonderful discussions over what they thought kids like them deserved, and then mixed all the kids in a room and brought in flamingo dancers and gave them snacks so they could talk with each other and see different things. I truly enjoyed this experience, I thought it really gave me a new perspective on children, and how important it is to incorporate positive feelings on other cultures to children from a young age.

Diane Cantillano is studying abroad at the National University of Ireland – Galway in Galway, Ireland.

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Ready or Not (Leah Zwiers)

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Jeremy Doughty

I had started my countdown to go home right around the halfway point. It wasn’t that I was ready to leave, just that I was ready to go home (as if that makes any sense at all). I so badly wanted to see my family and friends. I hadn’t realized it when I left, but I have really close and strong relationships with the special people in my life, and being away from them for so long was THE hardest thing I had to overcome/deal with in my whole study abroad experience.

Now having said that, within the last few days, when my friends posted on my facebook each day with the number of days I had left, and when skype dates became unnecessary because I was going to see those people in a few short days, I started to feel really overwhelmed and anxious. Was I really ready to leave this experience behind and begin a whole new chapter of my life? To go back to Appleton, Wisconsin? It just seemed unfathomable to go from Quito, Ecuador back to my small, boring (for lack of a better word), and normal hometown.

Whether I was ready or not, my plane left on Thursday morning, and I was on it, after a few bumps in the road with migration and a “routine” check of my baggage. I made it home safely, a little late, to a group of my friends making a scene in the airport because of how excited they were to see me. Between my farewell at the airport with my tearful host mother and my gleeful reception, I have never felt so blessed. I have so much I’m taking back from this experience, but the most important thing is how I’ve realized how blessed I am with all of the people around me, including my crazy friends and my now even bigger family. Now that I am home, it feels amazing to be with the ones I love, but part of me is still in Ecuador, and I think forever it will stay.

Leah Zwiers is studying abroad at Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Quito, Ecuador.

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