We're heading south. Our time in Wanganui at the Quaker Settlement has ended and we're making or way down to Christchurch for our home stays. Right now we're in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. Tomorrow we cross the Cook Strait to the south island.
On our way down the coast we stopped for a day at the nature preserve on Kapiti island. Before the arrival of humans there were no land mammals in New Zealand. When the Maori came to New Zealand they brought rats and dogs. When Europeans came they borough ferrets, possums, and other predators. The effects on native species has been disastrous. Most species here evolved without any natural predators which makes them very friendly, but also easy targets. One of the solutions that the New Zealand Department of Conservation has found is to take a remote location, kill all the invasive mammals, and then keep it as a sanctuary. We saw a number of highly endangered bird species including Takahe, a flightless bird endemic to New Zealand of which there are fewer than 300 left in the world. We also went for a night time Kiwi spotting walk. On the subject of fearless animals, some are even aggressive. A Kaka (a type of parrot) landed on my shoulder while I was trying to eat a sandwich and actually tried to reach into my mouth while I was chewing to get my food.
Sadly when we move to the south island we must leave our beloved rented vans behind. Beloved is probably not the word, it's hard not to feel touristy while driving around in a white and teal van that says "Piggy Packer Rentals" in big letters on the side. Still, they've served us well thus far. Ok, time for reading, can't avoid studying forever.
Things I have been enjoying:
-Seeing the Southern Cross at night
-Being near/in/around the ocean
-Traveling and not having a fixed "home" for a few days
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Ted (Thailand) - Around Chiang Mai
It's hard to find anything good on the radio here. All the radio stations seem to play whiney, slow songs. On Saturday I went to a huge dance club that had concert quality Thai bands and must have had at least 400 people. I mean, none of the songs were amazingly creative or anything, with one where 70% of the song was the word "gimme," with the rest in Thai. All the back-up dancers did "the monkey" a lot too. Very catchy though. It's weird how a lot of songs are mostly in thai, but then have random english words thrown in. Besides the main line "drink, drink" in one song, and the words "happy" and "sleep" in another, it was too loud for me to really pick up and translate anything from thai. Anyway, that bad pop music is all I'm looking for, but all I find are slow songs and American country.
I've wandered around most of the temples in Chiang Mai, some that are currently undergoing facial reconstruction surgery. Some of them date all the way back to 1296 when Chiang Mai was founded as the new capital of the Lanna Kingdom, which at one time occupied current northern Thailand and some of Burma and Laos. The most visited one is Duoy Suthep, which is on top of a mountain right out of the city, but it was too shiney and full of white people. I prefer the run-down looking ones that haven't been altered. Sadly though, mostly everything has been rebuilt here including the surrounding walls of the old city and the moat (both several times).
Speaking of the moat, its currently in varying forms of decay and reconstruction. I had the unfortunate idea to run around it for exercise. They've recently rebuilt most of the east and south sides of the square moat, but the west side looks like it was mugged and left for dead, consisting mostly of sand and random rocks. Around the Northwest it turns into the old moat, which is crumbling and full of potholes. So half the moat is full of water and fancy fountains/sprinklers, and the other half is empty, muddy, and entertains drunk people for some reason. I've also seen a lot of rats around the moat.
The language is coming to me slowly although I annoy everyone by saying "put iik tii" (say it again) over and over again. I've really never felt so dumb, the tones still allude me.
A really cool thing about the language is how they make new words. Here are some examples...
kaang (sturdy) + raang (to do something with force) = kaangraang (strong)
Gung (shrimp) + mangkahn (dragon) = gungmangkahn (lobster)
dtuen (to wake up) + dten (to dance) = dtuendten (excited)
fai (fire) + faa (sky) = faifaa (electricity)
All this coolness aside, they do annoying things to English words like turning "strawberry" into "satahberry" and "blueberry" into "booberry." WHY?! They also have an official transliteration system that mostly uses the english alphabet, but makes k's sound like g's, t's sound like dt's and also uses upside-down e's and some other squiggles.
I've been eating some good food like tuna pizza at a handicapped run Italian restaurant, and banana crepes served up by street vendors. And enjoying Thai beers, politely turning away hill tribe vendors that wander from table to table, and playing with kids that are supposed to be selling flowers, but would rather goof around. This weekend there is a huge annual flower fair, parade, competition, super market. Supposedly there will be floats made almost entirely of flowers, and people from all over the north will be selling all kinds of crazy things for dirt cheap since they need to sell everything in two days.
Two more weeks of level 1 and then onto level 2, where I hear there is more homework and more confusion. :( Enjoying reading all of your updates and hope everyone is meeting booze quotas,
-ted
I've wandered around most of the temples in Chiang Mai, some that are currently undergoing facial reconstruction surgery. Some of them date all the way back to 1296 when Chiang Mai was founded as the new capital of the Lanna Kingdom, which at one time occupied current northern Thailand and some of Burma and Laos. The most visited one is Duoy Suthep, which is on top of a mountain right out of the city, but it was too shiney and full of white people. I prefer the run-down looking ones that haven't been altered. Sadly though, mostly everything has been rebuilt here including the surrounding walls of the old city and the moat (both several times).
Speaking of the moat, its currently in varying forms of decay and reconstruction. I had the unfortunate idea to run around it for exercise. They've recently rebuilt most of the east and south sides of the square moat, but the west side looks like it was mugged and left for dead, consisting mostly of sand and random rocks. Around the Northwest it turns into the old moat, which is crumbling and full of potholes. So half the moat is full of water and fancy fountains/sprinklers, and the other half is empty, muddy, and entertains drunk people for some reason. I've also seen a lot of rats around the moat.
The language is coming to me slowly although I annoy everyone by saying "put iik tii" (say it again) over and over again. I've really never felt so dumb, the tones still allude me.
A really cool thing about the language is how they make new words. Here are some examples...
kaang (sturdy) + raang (to do something with force) = kaangraang (strong)
Gung (shrimp) + mangkahn (dragon) = gungmangkahn (lobster)
dtuen (to wake up) + dten (to dance) = dtuendten (excited)
fai (fire) + faa (sky) = faifaa (electricity)
All this coolness aside, they do annoying things to English words like turning "strawberry" into "satahberry" and "blueberry" into "booberry." WHY?! They also have an official transliteration system that mostly uses the english alphabet, but makes k's sound like g's, t's sound like dt's and also uses upside-down e's and some other squiggles.
I've been eating some good food like tuna pizza at a handicapped run Italian restaurant, and banana crepes served up by street vendors. And enjoying Thai beers, politely turning away hill tribe vendors that wander from table to table, and playing with kids that are supposed to be selling flowers, but would rather goof around. This weekend there is a huge annual flower fair, parade, competition, super market. Supposedly there will be floats made almost entirely of flowers, and people from all over the north will be selling all kinds of crazy things for dirt cheap since they need to sell everything in two days.
Two more weeks of level 1 and then onto level 2, where I hear there is more homework and more confusion. :( Enjoying reading all of your updates and hope everyone is meeting booze quotas,
-ted
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Emily (Germany) A day in France
I'm completely exhausted. Not getting more than six hours of sleep in two weeks is really starting to take a toll. I can't believe I'm going to Berlin and Tallinn (Estonia) on Wednesday for a week. I just need time to stop for about 12 hours so I can catch up on sleep. And reading. How do they seriously expect us to read 300 pages in a week when we just got to Germany? I'm on page 70 and I'm further than probably 75% of the people on the program. There are too many distractions!
Yesterday, we spent the day in France. We drove to Alsace Lorraine (an area fought over between Germany and France for hundreds of years). We visited Haut-Koenigsbourg (a Castle), Colmar (a little city) and Eguisheim (a tiny town run by wineries).
The castle was really pretty, but honestly after going to places like Neuschwanstein, it was kind of a let down. We got lost in the castle and then accidentally left and couldn't get back in, so we never go to to the top.
Then we went to Colmar and decided that this part of France looks like Disney World. It was so bizarre though, we drove about half an hour from Freiburg, and all of a sudden everything was in French and they refused to speak either German or English with anyone. My knowledge of French is "Merci" and that's about it. Trying to figure out what kind of dressing was on the green salad was a total nightmare. I couldn't communicate with the woman at all, so my lunch was salad greens without dressing. Yum. Oh, and a 3 euro bottle of water.
And then we went to a winery and had amazing wine. I bought a bottle for 4 euros and it's definitely the best red wine I've ever tasted. I swear, the only cheap thing in Europe is alcohol. Not food, not transportation, not even water... But anyway, the picture above is the town that the winery that we went to was in. Cute, and also Disneyish, right?
Today, I met up with a friend from high school. We went on the GAPP program together, which was the last time that I was in Germany. He's studying in Versailles and came to Basel for the weekend and just came to Freiburg for the day. Of course it's Sunday and nothing is open, but we explored some of the city that I hadn't been to yet (and I didn't get lost!) and he had some Spaghetti Eis and Doener (I had some falafel and juice). It was good to see him and to show someone Freiburg. Hopefully he'll be around Paris when I'm there because there's much more to see there.
Anyway, I might not write again before going to Berlin and Tallinn because I doubt I'll have much to say. I'll be back on the night of the 4th, though, so I'll try and write then... but we'll see. That day is the Karnival parade so I might be busy.
Time to read 250 pages of convoluted political systems!
Yesterday, we spent the day in France. We drove to Alsace Lorraine (an area fought over between Germany and France for hundreds of years). We visited Haut-Koenigsbourg (a Castle), Colmar (a little city) and Eguisheim (a tiny town run by wineries).
The castle was really pretty, but honestly after going to places like Neuschwanstein, it was kind of a let down. We got lost in the castle and then accidentally left and couldn't get back in, so we never go to to the top.
Then we went to Colmar and decided that this part of France looks like Disney World. It was so bizarre though, we drove about half an hour from Freiburg, and all of a sudden everything was in French and they refused to speak either German or English with anyone. My knowledge of French is "Merci" and that's about it. Trying to figure out what kind of dressing was on the green salad was a total nightmare. I couldn't communicate with the woman at all, so my lunch was salad greens without dressing. Yum. Oh, and a 3 euro bottle of water.
And then we went to a winery and had amazing wine. I bought a bottle for 4 euros and it's definitely the best red wine I've ever tasted. I swear, the only cheap thing in Europe is alcohol. Not food, not transportation, not even water... But anyway, the picture above is the town that the winery that we went to was in. Cute, and also Disneyish, right?
Today, I met up with a friend from high school. We went on the GAPP program together, which was the last time that I was in Germany. He's studying in Versailles and came to Basel for the weekend and just came to Freiburg for the day. Of course it's Sunday and nothing is open, but we explored some of the city that I hadn't been to yet (and I didn't get lost!) and he had some Spaghetti Eis and Doener (I had some falafel and juice). It was good to see him and to show someone Freiburg. Hopefully he'll be around Paris when I'm there because there's much more to see there.
Anyway, I might not write again before going to Berlin and Tallinn because I doubt I'll have much to say. I'll be back on the night of the 4th, though, so I'll try and write then... but we'll see. That day is the Karnival parade so I might be busy.
Time to read 250 pages of convoluted political systems!
Friday, January 25, 2008
Kira (Thailand): Ap nam
I got back from my first homestay this morning, and I still can't believe how much it affected me. When my host mom asked me last night if I missed my parents, I said I only missed them a little, which is true. But when I left my host family this morning, I missed them a lot.
Since the focus of our orientation is education, we all stayed with children who went to alternative schools. My little host sister's name is Fang, and she is 10 years old. I also had a 7-year-old host brother named Fame, a really nice host mom, and host grandma and grandpa. I was actually living in luxury compared to most of my friends -our house had 2 stories and 2 bathrooms with western toilets (big flush, small flush). My host mom took me to school every morning on her motorbike, and then I either went to class with my group members, or we would do an activity with the kids. Then we'd go home, have snack, go to the park with the kids, eat dinner, and go to bed around 9:30.
I'm having a hard time thinking sequentially, so here are some random observations from the homestay:
1. The first thing the host mom told me to do when I got home was "ap nam" (take a shower). I was so happy that I knew what she was saying that I took one, even though I really didn't need to. I was told to ap nam every morning when I woke up and every evening before bed. Thais shower at LEAST twice a day, and every time they use a bowl to pour cold water over themselves (Fame often argued about this, though)
2. We ate ALL THE TIME. I don't think I went half an hour without food. There was breakfast at home (which usually consisted of sweet coffee and pork on a stick and sticky rice, donuts, fried bread with dipping sauce, cookies, or any combination), breakfast at school, morning snack, second morning snack, lunch, after lunch snacks, after school snacks at home, food from vendors at the park, dinner right after we got home from the park, and after dinner snack. I didn't want to be rude and not eat, so I did. I felt like a Hobbit.
3. Every day after school, the kids took the "farang" to the park and sat us in the corner while they played. The kids all ride bikes with seats on the back so they can drive each other around. On the first day, my host sister actually rode me to the park, and then she had me try to drive my friend Maureen around (I failed, so I drove Fang around instead).
4. My host mom and sister were really into learning English, so we'd sit around and they'd teach me Thai while I taught them English. It was kind of amazing.
5. Last night, I showed them my photo album, and I pointed out my "nongchai" (younger brother). My host mom smiled really big and pointed to Fang. I inferred from all of the laughter that she was trying to set my little 10 year old host sister up with my 16-year-old brother. The host mom also showed me a wedding invitation to her sister's wedding with a (much older) Swiss man. Then she showed me a bunch of pictures of her wedding, and of Fang and Fame as babies and toddlers. The next morning at school, Fang took my album and showed her friends pictures of my younger brother, her potential future husband. It was amazing. *sigh* 10 years old, and she's already planning a marriage to an older farang.
6. Srithan School has an amazing agriculture program. They grow their own vegetables and herbs in an organic garden, and they can pump in water from the lake via stationary bike power. I am amazed that they can do that, while schools in the US with much more money would never even consider it.
7. I was really impressed that I got so attached to people who didn't even speak the same language as me in so short of a time. I'm excited for future homestays.
Miss you guys!
Since the focus of our orientation is education, we all stayed with children who went to alternative schools. My little host sister's name is Fang, and she is 10 years old. I also had a 7-year-old host brother named Fame, a really nice host mom, and host grandma and grandpa. I was actually living in luxury compared to most of my friends -our house had 2 stories and 2 bathrooms with western toilets (big flush, small flush). My host mom took me to school every morning on her motorbike, and then I either went to class with my group members, or we would do an activity with the kids. Then we'd go home, have snack, go to the park with the kids, eat dinner, and go to bed around 9:30.
I'm having a hard time thinking sequentially, so here are some random observations from the homestay:
1. The first thing the host mom told me to do when I got home was "ap nam" (take a shower). I was so happy that I knew what she was saying that I took one, even though I really didn't need to. I was told to ap nam every morning when I woke up and every evening before bed. Thais shower at LEAST twice a day, and every time they use a bowl to pour cold water over themselves (Fame often argued about this, though)
2. We ate ALL THE TIME. I don't think I went half an hour without food. There was breakfast at home (which usually consisted of sweet coffee and pork on a stick and sticky rice, donuts, fried bread with dipping sauce, cookies, or any combination), breakfast at school, morning snack, second morning snack, lunch, after lunch snacks, after school snacks at home, food from vendors at the park, dinner right after we got home from the park, and after dinner snack. I didn't want to be rude and not eat, so I did. I felt like a Hobbit.
3. Every day after school, the kids took the "farang" to the park and sat us in the corner while they played. The kids all ride bikes with seats on the back so they can drive each other around. On the first day, my host sister actually rode me to the park, and then she had me try to drive my friend Maureen around (I failed, so I drove Fang around instead).
4. My host mom and sister were really into learning English, so we'd sit around and they'd teach me Thai while I taught them English. It was kind of amazing.
5. Last night, I showed them my photo album, and I pointed out my "nongchai" (younger brother). My host mom smiled really big and pointed to Fang. I inferred from all of the laughter that she was trying to set my little 10 year old host sister up with my 16-year-old brother. The host mom also showed me a wedding invitation to her sister's wedding with a (much older) Swiss man. Then she showed me a bunch of pictures of her wedding, and of Fang and Fame as babies and toddlers. The next morning at school, Fang took my album and showed her friends pictures of my younger brother, her potential future husband. It was amazing. *sigh* 10 years old, and she's already planning a marriage to an older farang.
6. Srithan School has an amazing agriculture program. They grow their own vegetables and herbs in an organic garden, and they can pump in water from the lake via stationary bike power. I am amazed that they can do that, while schools in the US with much more money would never even consider it.
7. I was really impressed that I got so attached to people who didn't even speak the same language as me in so short of a time. I'm excited for future homestays.
Miss you guys!
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Robert (New Zealand) - "Ko au te awa, Ko te awa ko au"
"I am the river and the river is me"
Hoea te waka.
The rivertrip down the Whanganui was beautiful. We paddled down the river in 6 person canoes with ferns on the bows. Most of the way he banks were 30 foot cliffs on either side, punctuated by waterfalls and slot canyons. It rained the first day which was actually really nice, it's been very dry lately. We ran rapids, pitching water up over the bow. We ate an insane amount of food, I have never been on a wilderness trip with that much food before. We traveled with Maori guides, staying in maraes along the river.
Traveling with the Maori was an amazing experience. In the guided tour setting it's always hard to pull apart what is genuine and what is tokenized culture, but the trip was very eye opening and very real. One of the maraes we stayed at was an illegal occupation on government as a statement by the local tribes that they still have claim to the land. Being welcomed onto a marae is a very specific ceremony that comes from the time when the tribes were often waring and there needed to be a clearing of hostilities when guests arrived. Once you've been welcomed though, you're accepted as port of the extended family of that marae.
Maori culture is strongly based in ancestor worship. Ancestry is traced back into legend, ultimately to the land, and the nothingness before the creation of the world. For the people of the Whanganui the river is not only their home and their sustenance, but also their ancestor. It gives a whole new aspect to the environmental/cultural issues surrounding the land.
Well, much more could be said, but I should wrap this up. It's hard to explain on the internet anyway. Overall it was an amazing trip with great scenery, great people, and it raised a lot of good questions to ponder. We only have about a week left on the north island before we travel down to Christchurch for our home stays.
Waka ta.
Things I have been enjoying:
-That there is a plastery service in Wanganui called "Totally Plastered"
-The range of snoring sounds people in our group make, from a cat's meow to coffee percolator (ok, I don't really enjoy this, but it is funny)
-Exchanging bad pick-up lines with our guides
-The sound of six paddles rowing in unison
-Going out to the pub with the group
-Studying social relations in real life instead of a classroom
Hoea te waka.
The rivertrip down the Whanganui was beautiful. We paddled down the river in 6 person canoes with ferns on the bows. Most of the way he banks were 30 foot cliffs on either side, punctuated by waterfalls and slot canyons. It rained the first day which was actually really nice, it's been very dry lately. We ran rapids, pitching water up over the bow. We ate an insane amount of food, I have never been on a wilderness trip with that much food before. We traveled with Maori guides, staying in maraes along the river.
Traveling with the Maori was an amazing experience. In the guided tour setting it's always hard to pull apart what is genuine and what is tokenized culture, but the trip was very eye opening and very real. One of the maraes we stayed at was an illegal occupation on government as a statement by the local tribes that they still have claim to the land. Being welcomed onto a marae is a very specific ceremony that comes from the time when the tribes were often waring and there needed to be a clearing of hostilities when guests arrived. Once you've been welcomed though, you're accepted as port of the extended family of that marae.
Maori culture is strongly based in ancestor worship. Ancestry is traced back into legend, ultimately to the land, and the nothingness before the creation of the world. For the people of the Whanganui the river is not only their home and their sustenance, but also their ancestor. It gives a whole new aspect to the environmental/cultural issues surrounding the land.
Well, much more could be said, but I should wrap this up. It's hard to explain on the internet anyway. Overall it was an amazing trip with great scenery, great people, and it raised a lot of good questions to ponder. We only have about a week left on the north island before we travel down to Christchurch for our home stays.
Waka ta.
Things I have been enjoying:
-That there is a plastery service in Wanganui called "Totally Plastered"
-The range of snoring sounds people in our group make, from a cat's meow to coffee percolator (ok, I don't really enjoy this, but it is funny)
-Exchanging bad pick-up lines with our guides
-The sound of six paddles rowing in unison
-Going out to the pub with the group
-Studying social relations in real life instead of a classroom
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Emily (Germany) Der Schwarzwald und mehr!
On Sunday, we went to der Schwarzwald (the Black Forest) for a day trip. We hiked up the highest peek, and the most bizarre part was that the only place that there was snow was on the trail. Great. We were literally slipping and sliding down the mountain. It was a really cold and kind of cloudy day, especially at the top of the mountain, but I'm sure it was still better than Chicago and Beloit weather :) The coldest it's gotten here has been 0 degrees... Celsius.
We also went to two little towns. One had a gorgeous baroque cathedral and some really cute little shops. Another (das Titisee... that's what it's actually called) was more touristy and had a lot of Christmas ornaments and Brezeln twice the size of my head. If you want pictures of all of that, I uploaded them on my own personal blog at emilyindeutschland.blogspot.com and they're also on facebook.
I've only been here for six days and it feels like I've been here for a month. I've already made some good friends with people who I never thought I could get along with. For example, last night I made dinner with some people who live near me. I ended up staying up past midnight just talking to this one guy. We honestly agree on two political issues. This guy doesn't even believe in global warming and he goes to a military institute. But really, he's a nice and intelligent guy, once you get past his politics. I've also been pleasantly surprised that everyone is really cool about my being vegan. One guy worked in a vegan bakery in high school. Another girl in my seminar/traveling group is vegan too. I didn't really start telling people until yesterday (just that I was vegetarian) because I wanted everyone to get to know me first, but apparently that wasn't even all that necessary. I even made that ultra-conservative guy (along with some others) tofu stir fry for dinner last night because he'd never had tofu. Everything tastes better here, so it tasted amazing thankfully.
I suppose I should actually start playing student. We started our classes yesterday, but only the seminar and German class. We don't start the other three until we get back from Berlin and Tallinn on February 5. We're MISSING KARNIVAL by being in Estonia. I can't believe they scheduled everything like that... We're also going to be in Estonia for the Superbowl, which means that it won't even start until 1 am. Should be interesting, at least.
Anyway, my professors seem great. My German class has a huge disparity in German ability. I'm in Intermediate II and it seems like only one guy belongs there. Me and three other guys should really be in Advanced I and the other four should be in Intermediate I. Oh well, it will at least be good review and will be much better than any Tom Freeman class. My seminar professor is hilarious. He's British and kind of reminds me of Ed Mathieu in his gestures and hilarity. He tells more jokes than Ed, though. But it should be a good semester.
I just got my textbook this afternoon and although classes started yesterday, I'm already about 70 pages behind in reading. Intense.
Tschüß!
We also went to two little towns. One had a gorgeous baroque cathedral and some really cute little shops. Another (das Titisee... that's what it's actually called) was more touristy and had a lot of Christmas ornaments and Brezeln twice the size of my head. If you want pictures of all of that, I uploaded them on my own personal blog at emilyindeutschland.blogspot.com and they're also on facebook.
I've only been here for six days and it feels like I've been here for a month. I've already made some good friends with people who I never thought I could get along with. For example, last night I made dinner with some people who live near me. I ended up staying up past midnight just talking to this one guy. We honestly agree on two political issues. This guy doesn't even believe in global warming and he goes to a military institute. But really, he's a nice and intelligent guy, once you get past his politics. I've also been pleasantly surprised that everyone is really cool about my being vegan. One guy worked in a vegan bakery in high school. Another girl in my seminar/traveling group is vegan too. I didn't really start telling people until yesterday (just that I was vegetarian) because I wanted everyone to get to know me first, but apparently that wasn't even all that necessary. I even made that ultra-conservative guy (along with some others) tofu stir fry for dinner last night because he'd never had tofu. Everything tastes better here, so it tasted amazing thankfully.
I suppose I should actually start playing student. We started our classes yesterday, but only the seminar and German class. We don't start the other three until we get back from Berlin and Tallinn on February 5. We're MISSING KARNIVAL by being in Estonia. I can't believe they scheduled everything like that... We're also going to be in Estonia for the Superbowl, which means that it won't even start until 1 am. Should be interesting, at least.
Anyway, my professors seem great. My German class has a huge disparity in German ability. I'm in Intermediate II and it seems like only one guy belongs there. Me and three other guys should really be in Advanced I and the other four should be in Intermediate I. Oh well, it will at least be good review and will be much better than any Tom Freeman class. My seminar professor is hilarious. He's British and kind of reminds me of Ed Mathieu in his gestures and hilarity. He tells more jokes than Ed, though. But it should be a good semester.
I just got my textbook this afternoon and although classes started yesterday, I'm already about 70 pages behind in reading. Intense.
Tschüß!
Sara (Greece) - Rubbish
Well I finally arrived in Athens, and the journey was ridiculously long and upsetting. The first plane I boarded left O’hare and was headed to London, Heathrow. This was where I encountered my first use of the term rubbish. A very British stewardess was making her rounds of the cabin and asked me if I had any rubbish I would like to give her. After a very blank look from me, she repeated the word like I was a damn idiot. Finally, with me still looking dull, she drawls “gaaaaarbaaaaaaaage” in a really, really horrendous American accent. After exiting the plane in Heathrow, I found that word everywhere. It was written on the walls, in the stalls and on the planes. London, I believe, is obsessed with rubbish.
Anyway, I met up with a bunch of CYA kids in London, and waited for our 1 ½ hour delayed flight to Athens. That went without a hitch, and before I knew it, I was being ushered into a Greek taxi. The taxi driver was crazy. He couldn’t fit all of my luggage into the trunk, as the cars here are very small. So, he left at least ¾ of every suitcase hanging out of the trunk and DUCT TAPED and tied the luggage to the car. Nonetheless, I was panicking. After two close head-on collisions, and one near side-mirror crash, I made it my apartment where the driver threw the suitcases on the porch and drove off, leaving me standing slightly dazed on the doorstep of my soon-to-be amazing apartment.
So, the rest isn’t really all that exciting. I went upstairs, where I discovered I am rooming with three other girls. I, however, get my own room. No clue why, but I’m not complaining. My roommates are wonderful and we all get along amazingly well. I’ve eaten my first chicken gyro in Athens, and gotten lost in the “ghetto” for 30 minutes by myself. That was the upsetting part referenced earlier. Other than that, life here is pretty chill. I miss everyone from home way too much, but I suppose I’ll get used to life here as well.
Alright suckas, I’m off to bed cause I have gotten a grand total of 45 min. of sleep and 1 chicken gyro within the past 2 days which leaves me crazy. Hope everything is going wonderfully with everyone else! <3
P.S. I flew over the Swiss Alps! OMG WTF!
P.P.S. - Day two and I've finally reached internet. I have a phototbucket with the username "wowimingreece" I've only got a few pictures up, but if you want to see go to the ruins around the acropolis section in my username.
Anyway, I met up with a bunch of CYA kids in London, and waited for our 1 ½ hour delayed flight to Athens. That went without a hitch, and before I knew it, I was being ushered into a Greek taxi. The taxi driver was crazy. He couldn’t fit all of my luggage into the trunk, as the cars here are very small. So, he left at least ¾ of every suitcase hanging out of the trunk and DUCT TAPED and tied the luggage to the car. Nonetheless, I was panicking. After two close head-on collisions, and one near side-mirror crash, I made it my apartment where the driver threw the suitcases on the porch and drove off, leaving me standing slightly dazed on the doorstep of my soon-to-be amazing apartment.
So, the rest isn’t really all that exciting. I went upstairs, where I discovered I am rooming with three other girls. I, however, get my own room. No clue why, but I’m not complaining. My roommates are wonderful and we all get along amazingly well. I’ve eaten my first chicken gyro in Athens, and gotten lost in the “ghetto” for 30 minutes by myself. That was the upsetting part referenced earlier. Other than that, life here is pretty chill. I miss everyone from home way too much, but I suppose I’ll get used to life here as well.
Alright suckas, I’m off to bed cause I have gotten a grand total of 45 min. of sleep and 1 chicken gyro within the past 2 days which leaves me crazy. Hope everything is going wonderfully with everyone else! <3
P.S. I flew over the Swiss Alps! OMG WTF!
P.P.S. - Day two and I've finally reached internet. I have a phototbucket with the username "wowimingreece" I've only got a few pictures up, but if you want to see go to the ruins around the acropolis section in my username.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Kira (Thailand): Winnie the Pooh
Yesterday, we drove from our orientation site (a quiet resort next to a national park) to Khon Kaen. It was a beautiful drive through mountains, although there were a few too many sharp curves for my personal preference. Khon Kaen University has a huge campus with many agricultural fields (apparently, the agricultural program here is very good). Khon Kaen itself is a city of about 200,000, and the area around my apartment is very urban. It is an interesting mix of landscape.
When we got here, we met our Thai roommates. My roommate, whose chulen (nickname) is Koy, seems very sweet and accommodating. After we put my stuff in the room, we met up with her friends for what she called "Thai fondue." We were given a pot of boiling water and raw food to cook. It was delicious and included octopus meat (which is kind of rubbery).
At the table, Koy told me that her friends thought she looked like Kerope the frog, so I asked if I looked like a character. She and her friend consulted for a minute before deciding that I resembled Winnie the Pooh. So my new chulen is poo. I personally don't see the resemblence, but when I mentioned this to my friends from the program, they said that i didn't look unlike Pooh. I guess there are worse things?
After dinner (which Koy didn't let me pay for), I went out with everyone from the program for a girl's birthday. We went to a bar with live music, and we drank Singha and rice whiskey. In Thailand, there are not dance floors usually, so everyone stands around the tables and dances. It was fun, and I got to take a tuk-tuk back.
A few more things:
1. Thai bathrooms: I could write about Thai bathrooms for pages. First of all, most Thais do not use toilet paper, but instead spray themselves with a hose-like thing or dump water on themselves with a bowl (depending on how modern the bathroom is). I don't really understand this method. Also, showers are not separate from the rest of the bathroom. There is just a showerhead and drain next to the toilet (in modern bathrooms. Other places just have a pot of water and a bowl to dump it with). This leads to a wet environment.
2. The other people on the program: I feel like a slacker compared to some of them. I definitely have not been doing as much as I can to save the world, and I feel like I should change that from now on. Also, I should exercise more.
3. Thai language: We've had four hour classes for four days in a row now, and I think I can speak/understand a little? It's a fun language to speak.
4. Isan-style eating: In Isan (where we are), people eat sticky rice most of the time. To eat in this style, you take a lump of rice, mush it together, and use it to grab other foods. There is no silverware involved (except common spoons sometimes), and all the food is served from common dishes. Also, everyone eats on the floor. We've practiced this a few times, and this will be how we eat all the time on homestays.
5. The fruit: Is pretty much amazing. I really like the bananas, which are small and sweet. The tamarinds are good too, and the tangerines, and the dragon fruit. mmm.
6. You guys: I miss you. I hope you're all doing well. Also, I showed pictures of everyone to my friends on the program, and they said my guy friends were all really cute.
That's all for now. I have a free day today, and we leave for our first homestay on Tuesday.
When we got here, we met our Thai roommates. My roommate, whose chulen (nickname) is Koy, seems very sweet and accommodating. After we put my stuff in the room, we met up with her friends for what she called "Thai fondue." We were given a pot of boiling water and raw food to cook. It was delicious and included octopus meat (which is kind of rubbery).
At the table, Koy told me that her friends thought she looked like Kerope the frog, so I asked if I looked like a character. She and her friend consulted for a minute before deciding that I resembled Winnie the Pooh. So my new chulen is poo. I personally don't see the resemblence, but when I mentioned this to my friends from the program, they said that i didn't look unlike Pooh. I guess there are worse things?
After dinner (which Koy didn't let me pay for), I went out with everyone from the program for a girl's birthday. We went to a bar with live music, and we drank Singha and rice whiskey. In Thailand, there are not dance floors usually, so everyone stands around the tables and dances. It was fun, and I got to take a tuk-tuk back.
A few more things:
1. Thai bathrooms: I could write about Thai bathrooms for pages. First of all, most Thais do not use toilet paper, but instead spray themselves with a hose-like thing or dump water on themselves with a bowl (depending on how modern the bathroom is). I don't really understand this method. Also, showers are not separate from the rest of the bathroom. There is just a showerhead and drain next to the toilet (in modern bathrooms. Other places just have a pot of water and a bowl to dump it with). This leads to a wet environment.
2. The other people on the program: I feel like a slacker compared to some of them. I definitely have not been doing as much as I can to save the world, and I feel like I should change that from now on. Also, I should exercise more.
3. Thai language: We've had four hour classes for four days in a row now, and I think I can speak/understand a little? It's a fun language to speak.
4. Isan-style eating: In Isan (where we are), people eat sticky rice most of the time. To eat in this style, you take a lump of rice, mush it together, and use it to grab other foods. There is no silverware involved (except common spoons sometimes), and all the food is served from common dishes. Also, everyone eats on the floor. We've practiced this a few times, and this will be how we eat all the time on homestays.
5. The fruit: Is pretty much amazing. I really like the bananas, which are small and sweet. The tamarinds are good too, and the tangerines, and the dragon fruit. mmm.
6. You guys: I miss you. I hope you're all doing well. Also, I showed pictures of everyone to my friends on the program, and they said my guy friends were all really cute.
That's all for now. I have a free day today, and we leave for our first homestay on Tuesday.
Friday, January 18, 2008
kate (ireland): Gaillimh
since i'm more familiar with galway city (Gaillimh) now, i can give you a better sense of where i am.
galway is a gorgeous city on the west coast of ireland. john is probably familiar with johnny cash's "galway bay." the national university of ireland--galway is made up of about 15,000 students and i think it's safe to say that there are almost 1000 international students here now, mostly americans.
i live in a subpar student flat next to the corrib river. there is a beautiful path from our complex to campus along the river and a side-canal. the trees are huge and soaked with rain-water. everything is covered with ivy and moss and there is a constant smell of burning wood. the walk downtown is pleasant and fairly quick. people spend time in eyre square and shop street for pubs and shopping. it took me a long time to have a decent idea of how to get around, a huge blow to my city ego. galway is full of small, curving streets that don't line up with one another and sometimes street signs on the sides of buildings are easy to miss. all of the street signs, road signs, etc. are written in both english and irish (one example in my facebook album) and irish is required in the schools.
the other day i went out with my tiny map in search of a huge used bookstore to buy some of the books for my literature class (really, i won't spend the entire semester drinking). i felt really accomplished finding it by myself in a nice little side street and sitting at a nice coffee shop next door. i walked home along a short-cut bridge that runs the length of the river and watched the water and the rooks flying all over the place.
more to come. i'm off to blow some more euro on dinner and pints. give me a call on skype at keb1223 (6 hour difference from the midwest).
galway is a gorgeous city on the west coast of ireland. john is probably familiar with johnny cash's "galway bay." the national university of ireland--galway is made up of about 15,000 students and i think it's safe to say that there are almost 1000 international students here now, mostly americans.
i live in a subpar student flat next to the corrib river. there is a beautiful path from our complex to campus along the river and a side-canal. the trees are huge and soaked with rain-water. everything is covered with ivy and moss and there is a constant smell of burning wood. the walk downtown is pleasant and fairly quick. people spend time in eyre square and shop street for pubs and shopping. it took me a long time to have a decent idea of how to get around, a huge blow to my city ego. galway is full of small, curving streets that don't line up with one another and sometimes street signs on the sides of buildings are easy to miss. all of the street signs, road signs, etc. are written in both english and irish (one example in my facebook album) and irish is required in the schools.
the other day i went out with my tiny map in search of a huge used bookstore to buy some of the books for my literature class (really, i won't spend the entire semester drinking). i felt really accomplished finding it by myself in a nice little side street and sitting at a nice coffee shop next door. i walked home along a short-cut bridge that runs the length of the river and watched the water and the rooks flying all over the place.
more to come. i'm off to blow some more euro on dinner and pints. give me a call on skype at keb1223 (6 hour difference from the midwest).
KO (Senegal)
Hi guys! Senegal is treating me very well. We started classes on Tuesday and theyre all going well so far. As you can probably tell, im also getting used to the different keyboard, but now i think it will be hard to go back to the english version.
it became very clear that cell phones are necessary and there is a guy at the baobab center where our program is located that said he would get us phones with sim cards for 30 000 cfa; which is about 60 american. my friends lily and margarent and i thought that was a little steep, so we went to this legit looking shop and asked the guy ther what the cheapest phone we could buy was and he showed us a nicer motorolla with a camera etc and he said since we were buying 3 he would give them to us for 20 000 each, plus 5 000 for the sim card. well we didnt have that much cash on us so we said wed come back. when we did; we gave him the money and he said he had to go get the phones, we assumed he had them under he counter. so he left on his moped with our money and came back an hour later with 3 different used crappy phones. we said we didnt want them we wanted the ones he showed us and he didnt really seem to understand french that well; but he got on his moped again and said he would be back in 5 minutes and we made sure he understood we wanted NEW phones. After he was gone we went and got someone from the baobab center who could talk to him in wolof and he returned another hour later with 3 of the same used phone. Again we said no we just want our money back, but this meant he had to leave again to return those phones from where ever he had gotten them and brough us our money back another hour later. Then; while I was getting luch the guys boss had the audacity to ask lily and margaret for 5 000 (10 dollars) for the trouble of making the guy run all over town. They laughed in his face and then the boss asked to take them out dancing. It was quite an ordeal so then we all decided to pay the 30 000 for the phones we knew we could trust.
Last weekend we went out with Amadou from Beloit, and 2 of his friends. We had dinner at Amadous house at midnight and then we went to a club and did lots of dancing until 4am. it was a lot of fun and the club had tons of prostitutes and it was kind of amusing to watch these pretty senegalese women with this kind of creepy old european men. we all got hit on a ton and we decided that in the future well all just say that we are all dating the one guy in our group of 8.
last night was one of the girls in our groups birthday, so we went out for dinner and then to this jazz club where we saw this reggae band play. when we were walking to the club these 2 guys on a moped tried to grab one girls bag, but she managed to hang on to it and run after them until they gave up. we were all on edge after that, i was worried because i had my camera with me; but the rest of the night unfolded without incident.
tonight is a muslim holiday called tamxarit in senegal, but something different everywhere else it the world. i realy have no idea what it i celebrating, but ive been told that is like a combo of halloween and thanksgiving. there is tons of food in my kitchen, which im very much looking forward to eating, and evidently all of the men are supposed to dress in womens clothes. hopefully by the end of the night ill figure out what is going on.
it became very clear that cell phones are necessary and there is a guy at the baobab center where our program is located that said he would get us phones with sim cards for 30 000 cfa; which is about 60 american. my friends lily and margarent and i thought that was a little steep, so we went to this legit looking shop and asked the guy ther what the cheapest phone we could buy was and he showed us a nicer motorolla with a camera etc and he said since we were buying 3 he would give them to us for 20 000 each, plus 5 000 for the sim card. well we didnt have that much cash on us so we said wed come back. when we did; we gave him the money and he said he had to go get the phones, we assumed he had them under he counter. so he left on his moped with our money and came back an hour later with 3 different used crappy phones. we said we didnt want them we wanted the ones he showed us and he didnt really seem to understand french that well; but he got on his moped again and said he would be back in 5 minutes and we made sure he understood we wanted NEW phones. After he was gone we went and got someone from the baobab center who could talk to him in wolof and he returned another hour later with 3 of the same used phone. Again we said no we just want our money back, but this meant he had to leave again to return those phones from where ever he had gotten them and brough us our money back another hour later. Then; while I was getting luch the guys boss had the audacity to ask lily and margaret for 5 000 (10 dollars) for the trouble of making the guy run all over town. They laughed in his face and then the boss asked to take them out dancing. It was quite an ordeal so then we all decided to pay the 30 000 for the phones we knew we could trust.
Last weekend we went out with Amadou from Beloit, and 2 of his friends. We had dinner at Amadous house at midnight and then we went to a club and did lots of dancing until 4am. it was a lot of fun and the club had tons of prostitutes and it was kind of amusing to watch these pretty senegalese women with this kind of creepy old european men. we all got hit on a ton and we decided that in the future well all just say that we are all dating the one guy in our group of 8.
last night was one of the girls in our groups birthday, so we went out for dinner and then to this jazz club where we saw this reggae band play. when we were walking to the club these 2 guys on a moped tried to grab one girls bag, but she managed to hang on to it and run after them until they gave up. we were all on edge after that, i was worried because i had my camera with me; but the rest of the night unfolded without incident.
tonight is a muslim holiday called tamxarit in senegal, but something different everywhere else it the world. i realy have no idea what it i celebrating, but ive been told that is like a combo of halloween and thanksgiving. there is tons of food in my kitchen, which im very much looking forward to eating, and evidently all of the men are supposed to dress in womens clothes. hopefully by the end of the night ill figure out what is going on.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Robert (New Zealand) - Kia Ora
As best as I can figure out, the trip from Dublin to to Auckland took three days. It was a trial, but I think that having the experience of loosing your sense of time and space like that for a few days is an interesting one to have. We arrived in Auckland around noon on the 7th having skipped the 6th somewhere over the pacific. Our program leaders had arranged a stay at a great hostel about ten minutes from the airport with a swimming pool, a strawberry farm across the street (2 strawberries, 2 pancakes, and 2 scoops of ice cream for NZ$ 6), and an Indian restaurant down the road. The next day was spent on a bus traveling across the north island from Auckland down to Wanganui. Most of the way was rolling hills and farmland, but towards the end we got into the mountains and winding valleys and ridge lines. Beautiful country.
We're staying at a place called the Quaker Settlement. It's a community of about 18 families on a section of land about a 10 minute drive from the city center. They also have a bunk house and communal living area that they provide for groups wishing to have retreats. They've been amazingly kind hosts. They give us food from their gardens, let us steal their wireless (I'm sitting on the lawn right now), ask their friends on the district council to explain open bottle policy in the city for us, and generally welcome us into their lives.
A lot of the first week was spent adjusting to jet-lag and doing some orientation. We did a two day workshop on New Zealand history focusing on European-Maori relations, and a Maori language and culture workshop. The Maori are fascinating, but I'll have more on that after staying in some villages next week. We're about 15 minutes from a beautiful black-sand beach. We all went down for an afternoon to swim, build sandcastles, and get severely sunburned (the ozone is very thin here still).
Yesterday we hiked the Tongariro Crossing, considered by some to be the best day-hike in the world. It's a volcanic formation about two hours north of here. I nearly summited Mt. Ngauruhoe (for those Tolken fans out there it's where thy filmed the scenes of Mt. Doom, so imagine that, except sunny and beautiful). Climbing up you have to boulder scramble on lava flows because most of the mountain is loose rock and ash, and is very steep. Going down you just run down the side with the earth sliding out from beneath you. It feels like being on one of those moving walkways at the airport except at 45 degrees down the side of a mountain. Other highlights included bright teal crater lakes, volcanic desert/grassland/rainforest all in 3 hours of hiking...........but mostly climbing up the side of a volcano. I also have a new found respect for the Danes. A group of 10 year old Danish kids absolutely kicked our asses on the hike, even after submitting the volcano. They were hard-core.
I'm really enjoying the Earlham group. Their all a lot of fun. We've definitely been moving into the "storming" phase of group development, but that's to be expected. We had a really good group check-in session tonight. I laughed harder than I have in a long time.
Things I have been appreciating:
-New Zealands dedication to round sums when paying for things (many things come to exact dollar amounts and you almost never have need for even 10 cent coins)
-Quaker hospetality
-The sun setting at 9 pm instead of 4 pm
-Swimming in the ocean again
-How New Zealand toilets have both a "small flush" and a "big flush" to help conserve water
-Meeting new people
-Being outdoors a lot
-Reading about everyone else's lives abroad
We're staying at a place called the Quaker Settlement. It's a community of about 18 families on a section of land about a 10 minute drive from the city center. They also have a bunk house and communal living area that they provide for groups wishing to have retreats. They've been amazingly kind hosts. They give us food from their gardens, let us steal their wireless (I'm sitting on the lawn right now), ask their friends on the district council to explain open bottle policy in the city for us, and generally welcome us into their lives.
A lot of the first week was spent adjusting to jet-lag and doing some orientation. We did a two day workshop on New Zealand history focusing on European-Maori relations, and a Maori language and culture workshop. The Maori are fascinating, but I'll have more on that after staying in some villages next week. We're about 15 minutes from a beautiful black-sand beach. We all went down for an afternoon to swim, build sandcastles, and get severely sunburned (the ozone is very thin here still).
Yesterday we hiked the Tongariro Crossing, considered by some to be the best day-hike in the world. It's a volcanic formation about two hours north of here. I nearly summited Mt. Ngauruhoe (for those Tolken fans out there it's where thy filmed the scenes of Mt. Doom, so imagine that, except sunny and beautiful). Climbing up you have to boulder scramble on lava flows because most of the mountain is loose rock and ash, and is very steep. Going down you just run down the side with the earth sliding out from beneath you. It feels like being on one of those moving walkways at the airport except at 45 degrees down the side of a mountain. Other highlights included bright teal crater lakes, volcanic desert/grassland/rainforest all in 3 hours of hiking...........but mostly climbing up the side of a volcano. I also have a new found respect for the Danes. A group of 10 year old Danish kids absolutely kicked our asses on the hike, even after submitting the volcano. They were hard-core.
I'm really enjoying the Earlham group. Their all a lot of fun. We've definitely been moving into the "storming" phase of group development, but that's to be expected. We had a really good group check-in session tonight. I laughed harder than I have in a long time.
Things I have been appreciating:
-New Zealands dedication to round sums when paying for things (many things come to exact dollar amounts and you almost never have need for even 10 cent coins)
-Quaker hospetality
-The sun setting at 9 pm instead of 4 pm
-Swimming in the ocean again
-How New Zealand toilets have both a "small flush" and a "big flush" to help conserve water
-Meeting new people
-Being outdoors a lot
-Reading about everyone else's lives abroad
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Emily (Germany) Ich bin heir!
Hey everyone! I arrived in Freiburg on Monday but haven't had internet access until today. I'm currently stealing it.
Don't be surprised if I never come back to the United States. I already love it so much here. I haven't met that many people yet because everyone is unpacking and jetlagged, but I know soon I'll have some really fun people to hang out with for the next four months.
Freiburg is really an adorable city. It's the perfect size with about 200,000 people. There's really good public transportation (and it's German, so it runs on time!) and a lot of things are within walking distance for me. I'm a block away from an organic supermarket that's kind of like whole foods. They have vegan nutella and a ton of meat substitutes as well as organic.. everything. There's also a market in the afternoons practically in my backyard. One of the street car stations is right near my room, too, so I can get almost anywhere in the city center in about ten minutes.
My roommates are really nice, too. I have my own room, but I share a kitchen, bathroom and common area with three other people, just like a townhouse arrangement, only the kitchen is bigger. All of my roommates are German. Two guys and a girl. I haven't met one of them yet, but the younger girl and the guy have both been extremely helpful and friendly.
I also love how environmentally friendly everyone is here. They recycle everything... I even had to pay .25 Euros for a bag at IKEA. Of course, I didn't realize this until after I paid for everything and had to stand in the massive IKEA line all over again. Schade. (don't be surprised if I use random German phrases in any of my posts. I just kind of do that. Schade=sad)
An American student also lived in my room last semester, so she left all this stuff that she couldn't carry home. A comforter, two giant pillows, a hair dryer, etc. It's really making everything a lot easier and more colorful. When I first walked in, I saw white EVERYTHING. Now I have a bright pink comforter and other colorful things. It's almost as comfy as my bed at Beloit.
And the best part about everything is that my German is starting to come back. I can understand a lot of what people are saying. I still can't speak it very well, but that will come with time. I'm going to speak German with my roommates once my two week long intensive language sessions are over, so we'll see how that goes!
Gute nacht!
Don't be surprised if I never come back to the United States. I already love it so much here. I haven't met that many people yet because everyone is unpacking and jetlagged, but I know soon I'll have some really fun people to hang out with for the next four months.
Freiburg is really an adorable city. It's the perfect size with about 200,000 people. There's really good public transportation (and it's German, so it runs on time!) and a lot of things are within walking distance for me. I'm a block away from an organic supermarket that's kind of like whole foods. They have vegan nutella and a ton of meat substitutes as well as organic.. everything. There's also a market in the afternoons practically in my backyard. One of the street car stations is right near my room, too, so I can get almost anywhere in the city center in about ten minutes.
My roommates are really nice, too. I have my own room, but I share a kitchen, bathroom and common area with three other people, just like a townhouse arrangement, only the kitchen is bigger. All of my roommates are German. Two guys and a girl. I haven't met one of them yet, but the younger girl and the guy have both been extremely helpful and friendly.
I also love how environmentally friendly everyone is here. They recycle everything... I even had to pay .25 Euros for a bag at IKEA. Of course, I didn't realize this until after I paid for everything and had to stand in the massive IKEA line all over again. Schade. (don't be surprised if I use random German phrases in any of my posts. I just kind of do that. Schade=sad)
An American student also lived in my room last semester, so she left all this stuff that she couldn't carry home. A comforter, two giant pillows, a hair dryer, etc. It's really making everything a lot easier and more colorful. When I first walked in, I saw white EVERYTHING. Now I have a bright pink comforter and other colorful things. It's almost as comfy as my bed at Beloit.
And the best part about everything is that my German is starting to come back. I can understand a lot of what people are saying. I still can't speak it very well, but that will come with time. I'm going to speak German with my roommates once my two week long intensive language sessions are over, so we'll see how that goes!
Gute nacht!
Monday, January 14, 2008
Kira (Thailand): Finally Here
I am sitting in an internet cafe in Bangkok.
I arrived at Dulles airport on Saturday, and the lady checking bags gave me a full 10 minute lecture on the possibility of deportation. "It will be between you and the Thai government." After that ordeal, the flights were smooth, and I didn't run into any problems at customs, surprisingly enough. We just got here last night, but we are leaving again tomorrow morning for a week of orientation at a resort. The program involves a lot of short trips, especially homestays. I tried to count the number of homestays, but eventually got bored and lost count. We also don't really have weekends.
The other program participants have been likable so far, and I think I'm already falling in love with Thailand. A few of us ate lunch today at an outdoor eating area. The food here is amazing, everywhere, and unimaginably inexpensive. At our orientation sessions today, we began discussing issues, and I feel like everyone is fairly well-informed and interested.
I am very excited for the semester.
Hope everyone is well.
I arrived at Dulles airport on Saturday, and the lady checking bags gave me a full 10 minute lecture on the possibility of deportation. "It will be between you and the Thai government." After that ordeal, the flights were smooth, and I didn't run into any problems at customs, surprisingly enough. We just got here last night, but we are leaving again tomorrow morning for a week of orientation at a resort. The program involves a lot of short trips, especially homestays. I tried to count the number of homestays, but eventually got bored and lost count. We also don't really have weekends.
The other program participants have been likable so far, and I think I'm already falling in love with Thailand. A few of us ate lunch today at an outdoor eating area. The food here is amazing, everywhere, and unimaginably inexpensive. At our orientation sessions today, we began discussing issues, and I feel like everyone is fairly well-informed and interested.
I am very excited for the semester.
Hope everyone is well.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
kate (ireland): craic
craic (n)(pronounced: crack): from the irish, meaning "fun times;" "witty banter." ex: "there was great craic at that pub" and (my favorite) "where's the craic tonight?"
well kids, ireland is great craic. i've been hanging out with my upstairs and across-the-way neighbors and running around all over galway meeting people.
on tuesday, i met up with amanda's irish friends who, as fate would have it, had made friends the day before with my neighbors megan and erin. so everyone trekked over to the rosain dove pub and had some beers (galway hooker for me--what else?). let me tell you, irish kids are ridiculously funny and wild and silly. my cheeks hurt so much from laughing all night. went to a club afterwards and talked and danced and laughed--and yes, irish kids cannot dance. it's my impression that irish boys are merciless flirts and teases but they like to take care of girls--stay with them to keep creepers away, make sure they get home ok, pay for taxis. and yes, there is a giant world of truth in the drunk irish stereotype. these kids have livers of steel.
wednesday brought a catastrophic hangover and a walking tour of campus. national university of ireland is 15,000 students, quite the change from beloit. the campus is great, lots of places to eat, cool buildings, etc. pictures are up on facebook.
thursday and friday i went out with neighbors to pubs and clubs. one place, called the quays (pronounced keys), is beautiful, full of interior art and structure from a medieval french cathedral. we saw a live band doing covers of beatles, stones, james taylor, etc. super fun. the oldest pub in galway, with foundations from the 1200s, is called the king's head and i had an amazing time there last night. meeting irish people is amusing--add some booze to that accent and it's pretty hard to decipher.
today i failed utterly, slept through the outdoor market downtown with another stupid hangover. must learn that i'm only 25% irish and cannot drink the way they do, even when they pay. been thinking about you guys a lot, miss you tons. send me love.
well kids, ireland is great craic. i've been hanging out with my upstairs and across-the-way neighbors and running around all over galway meeting people.
on tuesday, i met up with amanda's irish friends who, as fate would have it, had made friends the day before with my neighbors megan and erin. so everyone trekked over to the rosain dove pub and had some beers (galway hooker for me--what else?). let me tell you, irish kids are ridiculously funny and wild and silly. my cheeks hurt so much from laughing all night. went to a club afterwards and talked and danced and laughed--and yes, irish kids cannot dance. it's my impression that irish boys are merciless flirts and teases but they like to take care of girls--stay with them to keep creepers away, make sure they get home ok, pay for taxis. and yes, there is a giant world of truth in the drunk irish stereotype. these kids have livers of steel.
wednesday brought a catastrophic hangover and a walking tour of campus. national university of ireland is 15,000 students, quite the change from beloit. the campus is great, lots of places to eat, cool buildings, etc. pictures are up on facebook.
thursday and friday i went out with neighbors to pubs and clubs. one place, called the quays (pronounced keys), is beautiful, full of interior art and structure from a medieval french cathedral. we saw a live band doing covers of beatles, stones, james taylor, etc. super fun. the oldest pub in galway, with foundations from the 1200s, is called the king's head and i had an amazing time there last night. meeting irish people is amusing--add some booze to that accent and it's pretty hard to decipher.
today i failed utterly, slept through the outdoor market downtown with another stupid hangover. must learn that i'm only 25% irish and cannot drink the way they do, even when they pay. been thinking about you guys a lot, miss you tons. send me love.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Ted (Thailand) - Ow my eye, prostitute minefield and a little drunk
No, these three things do not go together in some hilarious and embarrassing anecdote, but are rather in consequential order.
Chapter 1: Ow! My F#*$$*& eye.
On Sunday I somehow woke up with an eye infection. I believe it was caused by swimming in the guest-house pool with no goggles, mixed with the detrimental nature of my contacts. My right eye's only weakness became the sun, or any form of light, and I spent Sunday and most of Monday lurking in the dark confines of my room like a wimpy version of Batman, or Jim Gannon. Whenever I day walked, I felt like someone had just kicked me in the eye with a spiked boot, or maybe smacked me with a staple gun. I eye hobbled to my morning class on Monday, wearing my badly mangled sunglasses that hardly stayed on my head, and continued to wear them sketchily all throughout the lecture and practice conversations.
Luckily, the local pharmacist sold me some eye drops and I can see once again, although I've refrained from wearing contacts, which has caused problems mentioned in Chapter 2.
Lessons Learned: Thai pools are no place for unprotected eyes, and pharmacists are like prophets sent here to guide the incompetent. Bless their souls.
Chapter 2: Prostitute Minefield
Never have I seen "lady nights" in such numbers. Yesterday I saw them leaning against cars, sitting at tables, lurking at bars, etc, all trying to get my attention. I can't walk anywhere without encountering them, and they slightly scare me. Today on my way back from a bar, one of them literally came out from a dark corner, started asking me where I was going, what I was doing, and after I said I wasn't interested (in Thai), started following me before deciding that I was walking too fast. A 21 year old, slightly intoxicated white suburban boy must be like candy to them. It didn't help that I hadn't worn my contacts and was unable to tell who was tellingly scantily dressed and who wasn't. The horror.
Lessons Learned: Walk on the side of the street near the old city encircling moat as the lady nights seem to be afraid of the shimmering waters, and try to walk quickly and non-drunkenly as often as possible.
Chapter 3: A little drunk.
Time: The Present. What's there to say?
Some Random Observations:
-lots of stray dogs in Chiang Mai
-moat encircling the "old city"
-Cheap Thai, Lao, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, European food.
-My room comes with a breakfast that consists of eggs, tea, imitation orange juice and toast, which I eat every morning because I'm cheap.
-According to a 43 year old Belgian who makes instruments and jewelery and who mentioned his "crystal" dealer disappearing, Thai and Lao people actually say a lot of dirty things to each other in public that foreigners have no idea about.
-there are old temples all over, even in between modern buildings, damn.
Hope you're all doing well, abroad and at home!
-Ted
Chapter 1: Ow! My F#*$$*& eye.
On Sunday I somehow woke up with an eye infection. I believe it was caused by swimming in the guest-house pool with no goggles, mixed with the detrimental nature of my contacts. My right eye's only weakness became the sun, or any form of light, and I spent Sunday and most of Monday lurking in the dark confines of my room like a wimpy version of Batman, or Jim Gannon. Whenever I day walked, I felt like someone had just kicked me in the eye with a spiked boot, or maybe smacked me with a staple gun. I eye hobbled to my morning class on Monday, wearing my badly mangled sunglasses that hardly stayed on my head, and continued to wear them sketchily all throughout the lecture and practice conversations.
Luckily, the local pharmacist sold me some eye drops and I can see once again, although I've refrained from wearing contacts, which has caused problems mentioned in Chapter 2.
Lessons Learned: Thai pools are no place for unprotected eyes, and pharmacists are like prophets sent here to guide the incompetent. Bless their souls.
Chapter 2: Prostitute Minefield
Never have I seen "lady nights" in such numbers. Yesterday I saw them leaning against cars, sitting at tables, lurking at bars, etc, all trying to get my attention. I can't walk anywhere without encountering them, and they slightly scare me. Today on my way back from a bar, one of them literally came out from a dark corner, started asking me where I was going, what I was doing, and after I said I wasn't interested (in Thai), started following me before deciding that I was walking too fast. A 21 year old, slightly intoxicated white suburban boy must be like candy to them. It didn't help that I hadn't worn my contacts and was unable to tell who was tellingly scantily dressed and who wasn't. The horror.
Lessons Learned: Walk on the side of the street near the old city encircling moat as the lady nights seem to be afraid of the shimmering waters, and try to walk quickly and non-drunkenly as often as possible.
Chapter 3: A little drunk.
Time: The Present. What's there to say?
Some Random Observations:
-lots of stray dogs in Chiang Mai
-moat encircling the "old city"
-Cheap Thai, Lao, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, European food.
-My room comes with a breakfast that consists of eggs, tea, imitation orange juice and toast, which I eat every morning because I'm cheap.
-According to a 43 year old Belgian who makes instruments and jewelery and who mentioned his "crystal" dealer disappearing, Thai and Lao people actually say a lot of dirty things to each other in public that foreigners have no idea about.
-there are old temples all over, even in between modern buildings, damn.
Hope you're all doing well, abroad and at home!
-Ted
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
KO (senegal)
hi guys; i dont have much time left on this computer and im still getting used to the different keyboard.
senegal is amawing: we moved in zith our host families on sunday; im living in a pretty big family and im not quite sure how everyone is realated etc, there are also some people living in our house who i think are ust students at the university because they dont eat with us and ndont really come out of their room. i have my oan bathroom which i wasnt really expecting and it only has cold water; which i think i will be more thankful for when it gets a little hotter out.
my host mom is great and keeps asking me if im cold and i tried to explain to her that there was snow on the ground in chicago when i left so this is a great change. im getting comfortable in the city; but i havent ventured very far from the places i know:
were about to leave and go to one of the centers ahere we will be taking classes; i excited about picking them.
ok; i have two minutes left so im sorry i cant type more and that i didnt have a chance to read ahoat eeryone else has written; another time!!
senegal is amawing: we moved in zith our host families on sunday; im living in a pretty big family and im not quite sure how everyone is realated etc, there are also some people living in our house who i think are ust students at the university because they dont eat with us and ndont really come out of their room. i have my oan bathroom which i wasnt really expecting and it only has cold water; which i think i will be more thankful for when it gets a little hotter out.
my host mom is great and keeps asking me if im cold and i tried to explain to her that there was snow on the ground in chicago when i left so this is a great change. im getting comfortable in the city; but i havent ventured very far from the places i know:
were about to leave and go to one of the centers ahere we will be taking classes; i excited about picking them.
ok; i have two minutes left so im sorry i cant type more and that i didnt have a chance to read ahoat eeryone else has written; another time!!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
kate (ireland): luck of the irish-ish
first, my feet are very cold in my flat.
after an unspeakable journey across the atlantic and part of ireland, i got in a taxi to go to my flat and had my first conversation with a native galwayan. this is about how it went:
me: corrib village, please.
driver: ack! a yank abroad, eh? well mermermmermermerm university mermerbleh, aight, eh?
me: sorry?
driver (slowly): look there, there's the university.
me: oh. ah yes.
driver: stay away from the boys.
me: i will.
driver: my my my, bless my soul love, mermermermemrahem.
seriously.
then i took an epic nap and went out to dinner w/ a bunch of girls from my building.
nice nice times. we walked long ways to downtown along the corrib river, which should be gorgeous in the daytime. we even saw some sort of castle remnant on the banks. this morning i'm going to walk downtown w/ my roommate, umbrella in tow, and see what's what. pub scene updates to come.
after an unspeakable journey across the atlantic and part of ireland, i got in a taxi to go to my flat and had my first conversation with a native galwayan. this is about how it went:
me: corrib village, please.
driver: ack! a yank abroad, eh? well mermermmermermerm university mermerbleh, aight, eh?
me: sorry?
driver (slowly): look there, there's the university.
me: oh. ah yes.
driver: stay away from the boys.
me: i will.
driver: my my my, bless my soul love, mermermermemrahem.
seriously.
then i took an epic nap and went out to dinner w/ a bunch of girls from my building.
nice nice times. we walked long ways to downtown along the corrib river, which should be gorgeous in the daytime. we even saw some sort of castle remnant on the banks. this morning i'm going to walk downtown w/ my roommate, umbrella in tow, and see what's what. pub scene updates to come.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Robert (USA) - Ticketu, Passporto, Okane
These are Sachi's words of wisdom for the transnational traveler (I probably misspelled it). Ticket, Passport, and money. All you really need. It's become my traveling mantra.
I'm about 2 days into my trip from Ireland to New Zealand (I think). I'm hanging out with Earlham people in LAX right now. Starting the trip in the early morning with no sleep and a little tipsy from my last pints with Jon plus all the time zone changes has thrown me completely out of wack.
Since I have no real sense of time right now, here are the occurrences of the journey so far:
-I saw Caroline (a high school friend) in Dublin airport.
-I ended up being on the same flight to Chicago as the lead guitarist for The Frames.
-Connecting through O'Hare felt strange
-It took 4 hours to get to my hotel from the airport
-Now meeting up with the Earlham group and getting to know them
-I'm getting good at sleeping on planes
Ok, checking in soon.
I'm about 2 days into my trip from Ireland to New Zealand (I think). I'm hanging out with Earlham people in LAX right now. Starting the trip in the early morning with no sleep and a little tipsy from my last pints with Jon plus all the time zone changes has thrown me completely out of wack.
Since I have no real sense of time right now, here are the occurrences of the journey so far:
-I saw Caroline (a high school friend) in Dublin airport.
-I ended up being on the same flight to Chicago as the lead guitarist for The Frames.
-Connecting through O'Hare felt strange
-It took 4 hours to get to my hotel from the airport
-Now meeting up with the Earlham group and getting to know them
-I'm getting good at sleeping on planes
Ok, checking in soon.
Friday, January 4, 2008
KO (Senegal)
hi all! here i am in an internet cafe next door to the hotel/apt that we are staying in for a few days beofre we move in with our host families on sunday. the flight was good but long we had to wait in nyc for about an hour because one of the planes engines was frozen. we got here, were fed breakfast and then took a nap until lunch, after that a man came and took us for a walk around the city, it was very interesting, and we had a chance to get some cash. there is a kid from macalester with us as well, he seems pretty nice. Thats about all I have to report, but I'm excited for more stuff to happen and to see more of the city!
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Ted (Thailand) - Pink Doiley Bus
Touchdown! On the flight to Thailand I celebrated New Years with a tiny bottle of cheap airplane wine at 9 pm, and landed at around midnight on January 2nd after having taken off on December 31st.
I spent the first night in Bangkok in a hotel near the airport and bus station and awoke to the whimsical sound of a man spitting in the shower in the neighboring room. And then after my ~22 hour flight, I started on my 9 hour bus ride to Chiang Mai in the North.
The bus ride was a bearable Martha Stewart on MTV crack kind of hell. I was forced to listen to Thai pop for the entire bus ride played at a volume that canceled out my headphones. Most of the music videos playing on the big screen at the front involved someone singing about being dumped and holding his/her eyes closed as much as possible with a lot of sadly sitting in couches and leaning on walls. They inevitably ended with a close up of the victims heart broken face. There's not even random dancing like our worst pop groups have, just laying around and face close ups... for hours... There were two songs called "I am fine." that were especially ...
Besides that, the bus had a wooden interior, patchwork flower pattern ceiling and pink doiley head rests, pink curtains, pink blankets and general pink decor. Some things I just can't understand.
Ranting about Clockwork Orange style torture aside, it's beautiful here. The towns and cities seem like they grow out of the jungle with tall palm trees and big leafed plants everywhere, out in fields and in between houses. Even the largest buildings don't seem too far away from the reaching foliage. The roads are full of cars, motorcycles, tuk-tuks, songtaews (converted pick-ups that act like small buses), and bicyclists. Everything is really colorful (pink abounds in shirts, cars, taxis, annoying bus interiors, etc).
I'll write more later, but as for language classes, the script is intimidating and hurts my eyes to look at. Its all squiggles with 46 consonants and vowels that go wherever the hell they want with no regard for my helpless learning. They can be placed above, below, in front of (but the sound comes after), or behind consonants. Its about time for class, its sunny, and the streets are full of vehicles all waiting to hit me. Hope you all had an awesome new years!
I spent the first night in Bangkok in a hotel near the airport and bus station and awoke to the whimsical sound of a man spitting in the shower in the neighboring room. And then after my ~22 hour flight, I started on my 9 hour bus ride to Chiang Mai in the North.
The bus ride was a bearable Martha Stewart on MTV crack kind of hell. I was forced to listen to Thai pop for the entire bus ride played at a volume that canceled out my headphones. Most of the music videos playing on the big screen at the front involved someone singing about being dumped and holding his/her eyes closed as much as possible with a lot of sadly sitting in couches and leaning on walls. They inevitably ended with a close up of the victims heart broken face. There's not even random dancing like our worst pop groups have, just laying around and face close ups... for hours... There were two songs called "I am fine." that were especially ...
Besides that, the bus had a wooden interior, patchwork flower pattern ceiling and pink doiley head rests, pink curtains, pink blankets and general pink decor. Some things I just can't understand.
Ranting about Clockwork Orange style torture aside, it's beautiful here. The towns and cities seem like they grow out of the jungle with tall palm trees and big leafed plants everywhere, out in fields and in between houses. Even the largest buildings don't seem too far away from the reaching foliage. The roads are full of cars, motorcycles, tuk-tuks, songtaews (converted pick-ups that act like small buses), and bicyclists. Everything is really colorful (pink abounds in shirts, cars, taxis, annoying bus interiors, etc).
I'll write more later, but as for language classes, the script is intimidating and hurts my eyes to look at. Its all squiggles with 46 consonants and vowels that go wherever the hell they want with no regard for my helpless learning. They can be placed above, below, in front of (but the sound comes after), or behind consonants. Its about time for class, its sunny, and the streets are full of vehicles all waiting to hit me. Hope you all had an awesome new years!
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Robert (Ireland) - It's Cold
The house is quiet again. Liz and Kuni left late last week and Joseph headed back to Carleton early this morning. Everyone who's still here has come down with cold so we're all a bit of a sorry bunch.
The days after Christmas were pretty mellow. On Boxing Day we made sushi and went into Letterkenny for a few pints at a pub called The Cottage. Thursday morning I woke up and walked downstairs just in time to see the last two pieces of the puzzle get put in. The Browns are looking into framing it.
I'm wishing that I could have gotten out of the house more on this trip, but the holidays are busy and it's a bit too cold for hiking. Still, it's very pretty just around the Browns house. Walking into Raphoe one afternoon the sun was setting and you could look south over all the golden rolling hills with long shadows and dark clouds overhead. It was one of those surreal dream like moments.
Sunday night we went to a birthday party at the Robinson's, a wealthy family who's estate is a mile or two outside of Raphoe. It was a Hawaiian themed party so we all got dressed up with lays and such. There was a live traditional/rock/cover band, good food and much drink (you could pour your own pint of Guinness). The sociologist in me was fascinated by the mixing of all sorts of people in such a wealthy house. The rest of me just drank lots of good wine, chatted, and danced. I even met a girl who was a camper at Farm and Wilderness the last two summers (small world). All in all a very fun evening.
The next morning we went back for a ride around the estate on the steam train circuit that they've built. All the Brown boys have tales to tell about when they worked on grounds keeping as their summer job. That night we went to the Morrows house for their New Year party. It was considerably less raucous than the previous night, but quite pleasant. We decided that 2008 is going to be amazing and pretty much everything is going to go right. I'm excited.
I start my multi-day trip to New Zealand the day after tomorrow. The way the bus schedule is looking I'll have to leave the house at around 1:30 a.m. I always get departure insomnia before trips anyway, so I guess it's not too big a problem. For now, Jon and I might go down to the Diamond Bar for a last pint of Guinness, colds be damned.
Things I have been enjoying:
-Small world meetings
-Live home-made Irish music (mostly courtesy of Joseph)
-Standing in the rain waiting for a taxi to come after a night in the pub
-The hum of the electric shower
-Vitamin C
-Lazy days
-How windy days are the warm ones
The days after Christmas were pretty mellow. On Boxing Day we made sushi and went into Letterkenny for a few pints at a pub called The Cottage. Thursday morning I woke up and walked downstairs just in time to see the last two pieces of the puzzle get put in. The Browns are looking into framing it.
I'm wishing that I could have gotten out of the house more on this trip, but the holidays are busy and it's a bit too cold for hiking. Still, it's very pretty just around the Browns house. Walking into Raphoe one afternoon the sun was setting and you could look south over all the golden rolling hills with long shadows and dark clouds overhead. It was one of those surreal dream like moments.
Sunday night we went to a birthday party at the Robinson's, a wealthy family who's estate is a mile or two outside of Raphoe. It was a Hawaiian themed party so we all got dressed up with lays and such. There was a live traditional/rock/cover band, good food and much drink (you could pour your own pint of Guinness). The sociologist in me was fascinated by the mixing of all sorts of people in such a wealthy house. The rest of me just drank lots of good wine, chatted, and danced. I even met a girl who was a camper at Farm and Wilderness the last two summers (small world). All in all a very fun evening.
The next morning we went back for a ride around the estate on the steam train circuit that they've built. All the Brown boys have tales to tell about when they worked on grounds keeping as their summer job. That night we went to the Morrows house for their New Year party. It was considerably less raucous than the previous night, but quite pleasant. We decided that 2008 is going to be amazing and pretty much everything is going to go right. I'm excited.
I start my multi-day trip to New Zealand the day after tomorrow. The way the bus schedule is looking I'll have to leave the house at around 1:30 a.m. I always get departure insomnia before trips anyway, so I guess it's not too big a problem. For now, Jon and I might go down to the Diamond Bar for a last pint of Guinness, colds be damned.
Things I have been enjoying:
-Small world meetings
-Live home-made Irish music (mostly courtesy of Joseph)
-Standing in the rain waiting for a taxi to come after a night in the pub
-The hum of the electric shower
-Vitamin C
-Lazy days
-How windy days are the warm ones
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