Tag Archives: Tourism

Paris Holds the Key to your heart, and all of Paris plays a part!

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Most people have a pretty epic 21st birthday, especially at Penn State. For me, I knew I would most likely be abroad so having the “Penn State” birthday was not going to happen. So I decided to head to Paris for my 21st birthday weekend, and I was joined by my mother and younger brother Tyler! I’ve always wanted to go to Paris, and I figured maybe 6 years of intense French lessons would finally pay off (actually they really didn’t).

My mom and brother were waiting for me at Paris Gare du Nord when my Eurostar train dropped me off, and there wasn’t much time to waste because we had a full day of sightseeing. The first stop was, naturally, the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower is absolutely amazing in person. I couldn’t believe how tall it actually is! It was a beautiful day outside, sunny and 65 so the line to go to the top was extremely long. But we waited and it was definitely worth it! You can see all of Paris from the top! Here are two photos, the first of my brother and I enjoying champagne at the top (hey, it was my 21st!) and another of my favorite view of Paris from the top!
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After enjoying the views from the Eiffel Tower, we hopped on a Metro to check out the Notre Dame Cathedral. It’s truly an architectural masterpiece- can you see the carvings and gargoyles in the photo below? My mother and I were slightly disappointed with the inside- Notre Dame is more of a huge tourist attraction than a church. There was a mass going on inside but it was heavily distracted by the millions of tourists. But, it is beautiful.

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We then walked all the way from Notre Dame to the Louvre and down Champs-Elysees. I think my brother and mom were going to kill me (it was a 2 hour walk). But definitely a nice one. We didn’t go into the Louvre but we did take pictures outside of it. The Louvre is a full-day excursion and we didn’t have time to check it out, but we needed to at least see it.
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Now, I had to make a choice about where to go the next day. It was to be one or the other. The Palace of Versailles or Disneyland Paris. Most people would choose Versailles. Well… I’m not most people.

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The reason I chose to go to Disneyland was simple- I love Disney and one of my lifetime goals is to visit every single Disney park in the world. I have now visited 8 of the current 11 Disney Theme parks (4 in Florida, 2 in California, 2 in Paris- the other 3 are the two in Tokyo and 1 in Hong Kong). But, there was some interesting history I learned about Disneyland before going there.
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This is the most “European” of the Disney castles possibly because of its location. Disney wanted to bank on bringing their parks to Europe since many of Disney’s classic tales took place in old time Europe. With the success of Tokyo Disneyland, they thought Euro Disney would also be successful. But, Disney’s strict American rules lost the park lots of money. Among them, the no alcohol rule. Drinking is a huge part of culture in Europe and Disney had to adapt to the European flair. Now, Disneyland Paris is the most visited tourist attraction in all of Europe- yes, even more people go to Disneyland than the Eiffel Tower! The park seemed inconsistent with using French and English- some rides were in French, some in English, some in both. Probably the most interesting ride was “it’s a small world” which has a section dedicated to America. And also, a glimpse of the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty in New York in 1886- I guess the French like to remind we Americans that THEY built us the Statue of Liberty. Yes France, thank you. We appreciate it.
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The last day we spent back on Champs-Elyssees for a few final photos. It’s one of the most famous streets in the world because of its beauty and illustrious shopping. At the end of Champs-Elyssees is the Arc de Triomphe, truly majestic and beautiful symbol for France. Overall, je t’aime Paris. Whether I’ll return one day is yet to be determined. For now though, bon soir et au revoir!

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Location: Paris Gare du Nord, France

Flat Stanley Goes to London

Ever hear the story of Flat Stanley? 


Apparently I’m the only person who hasn’t. But, if you’re like me and don’t know, Stanley was a young boy who was sadly flattened. Although he was sad at first, he found out he could easily be mailed to cool places for a flat USPS rate rather than paying $700 on Continental Airlines.

My 8-year old cousin, Lea, is reading the story for her class and they all had to send Stanley somewhere, so she decided to send him to me in London. I was excited at the chance to rediscover what makes London great (hey, after living here for a while, it’s easy to lose track of the majesty of the city that a tourist enjoys) while educating her class. See, England and the USA may have the common language but London is very different from what I expected. It is foreign to someone used to living life large in America (like me). So, although Stanley mainly saw the landmarks of London, he did gain some history of London (from what I’ve learned from my classes and experiences living in London for 3.5 months). Here it goes…
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Stanley learned about the Tower of London. First major fortress in London built by “William the Conqueror” during the early years of the Middle Ages. Many kings and queens have lived here, and although it’s more famous for its prisoners, is still a residence today. It also holds the Crown Jewels. Stanley loved the bling the current Queen dons. Unfortunately, we couldn’t take pictures of the Jewels (lame rules here).
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Stanley is sitting on the Tube in this picture above (the District line to be specific). It was here that Stanley learned some of the discrepancies in words between British English and American English. See, the Tube in the Underground would be known as the Subway back somewhere like New York (or the Metro to be specific). But, a Subway in London is either the restaurant (of course) and an underground walkway to get easily from one side of the street to the other. Over 2 million people travel through Central London on the Tube everyday. He loved the Tube rides.

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Stanley visited one of the most famous streets in the world: Oxford Street. Oxford Street is comparable to Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles and 5th Avenue in New York City. Lots of famous shopping. There are a lot of awesome department stores on Oxford Street, and Regent Street (right off of Oxford Circus) has some fantastic shopping too. Although I’m more interested in going to an awesome department store like Debenham’s, Stanley was more interested in checking out the Nike Store (which was filled with official Olympic merchandise, since the 2012 Summer Olympics will be in London!).

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Of course, Big Ben and the House of Parliament was number one on the list to see. Mainly because it’s the most famous landmark in London. Interesting fact: Big Ben is actually the bell inside the clock tower; the tower is called St. Christopher’s. The House of Parliament is attached to Big Ben and it’s where Parliament gathers to create important legislation. Parliament comprises of two houses: The House of Commons (who are elected by the people) and The House of Lords (who are appointed in various ways).

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Although London has the Olympics next year, something else big is happening next month that Stanley is upset to miss (but hopes to check it out on TV, or “telly” as the English call it) the “Wedding of the Century” between HRH Prince William and Catherine “Kate” Middleton (second picture above) at Westminster Abbey (first picture above) on April 29, 2011. Westminster Abbey has been the place for coronations and royal weddings and the city will be completely shut down to accommodate the Royal Family. Unlike in America where the President is the all mighty ruler, the Queen rules all, making England a monarchy. Though the Queen is nowhere near as powerful as the royal family used to be (the Prime Minister exercises her power to run the government), the Queen still signs laws into power and lives in quite a few castles, but her main residence is in London’s Buckingham Palace (third picture above). Stanley thinks the royal family is cool and wishes he could be around, but he has other places to see. Off to Paris- hopefully he doesn’t need to know too much French.

Location: Central London, UK

Do as the Romans do

Hopefully this blog entry will publish fully this time… I’ve been trying to post it for two weeks.


Anyways, after lots of papers, I needed a break, so why not fly way up to the clouds to Rome?

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I hopped on a plane and decided to embark on a journey solo. Since it was the weekend before midterms, I had no choice but to go by myself, and I knew there would be no opportunity to get to Rome otherwise. It was upsetting but I still had a good time exploring the city at my own pace (though next time, I would for sure go with my future husband- quite a romantic city).

First up was trying the local cuisine. Italian food is one of my favorites, so I went to a local Italian restaurant and was served their special. Probably the best Italian food I’ve ever had in my life, and probably ever will have. It was amazing. And the gelato there is to die for good. People rave about it and I understand why- it’s way better than ice cream.

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Next up was the Vatican City, the smallest state in the world. The Vatican is its own state, so our tour guide told us we actually visited two countries at once! The Vatican Museum was absolutely unbelievable- amazing architecture and more art than the Louvre in Paris! The entire museum would take over 8 hours to explore, but our tour thankfully took us through the major rooms and the Sistine Chapel. We weren’t allowed to take photos in the Sistine Chapel, but after being there, I know that photos don’t do it justice. The Sistine Chapel is something you must see to believe! But, here are some photos from my day at the Vatican (probably the best part of the trip!).

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(Above is a statue Michaelangelo studied and gave him some inspirations when painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel)

Instead of trying to pick where to explore my final day, I decided to take a tour, once during the day and once at night, to see everything in Rome. I saw the Colesseum and a beautiful nighttime shot of St. Peter’s, along with the Victor Emmanuel monument, which is absolutely stunning!
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Rome is a beautiful city, but I was happy to return to London. London is definitely my favorite thus far. The city life is incredible and it’s astoundingly diverse. Sure, it’s expensive, but I have felt right at home in London. Plus, the principle language is English, not something else- which is an automatic plus. Next stop is Ireland though- and that I am quite excited for.

Location: Via Torino, Rome, Italy

Yunnan: Part One

Yunnan Part 1:

As part of our learning experience, IES arranged for us to go on a 2 week trip to Yunnan Province, including many a cool cities and villages.  It was a four hour flight from Beijing to Kunming.  When we arrived, I was amazed!  Compared to the frigid sub-zero capital, Kunming seemed like paradise.  My teacher described it as the San Francisco of China: palm trees, mountains in the distance, 70 degrees in the winter and 80 degrees in the summer.  Yeah, pretty nice. 

We stayed there for a few nights before heading out to a different city called Dali.  Dali is known for its historic significance as well as its old city, which features old school Chinese architecture and quaint stores and shops.  There we did a bicycle trip and even went to a hot spring.  The hot spring actually surprised me a bit.  Apparently, most hot springs are sulfur hot springs.  That means that the hot water is accompanied by a foul-ish-but-you’ll-get-used-to-it-egg/fart smell.  This was especially apparent when I took a poo and washed my hands with warm water.  I thought to myself “dang, it couldn’t have been THAT bad”.  Also, in Kunming and basically all of Yunnan, the bathrooms are characterized by squatter style toilets, no toilet papers supplied, no soap in the sink, and no towels/dryer.  As a person with limited leg flexibility, it took a good getting used to and training from my more balance sensitive friends before I could effectively cop a squat.  Also, bring your own toilet paper and sand sanitizers.  Although some of the nicer hotels will have completely western style bathrooms. 

We had a buttload of hiking trips.  I think we had 4 hiking days in total, which is complete nonsense if you ask me.  Beautiful, awe-inspiring, and majestic.  But complete nonsense.  The first one was by a smallish mountain in Dali.  It was well paved, the incline was gentle, and the altitude wasn’t too high.  Completely doable, I thought.  But the fact that there was no fence freaked me out something fierce.  I walked almost exclusively on the right, where the comfort of a mountainous wall was present.  The second/third hiking trip was on Tiger Leaping Gorge.  If you don’t know anything about Tiger Leaping Gorge, it’s the second largest gorge in the world, the first being the Grand Canyon.  Compared to the small mountain in Dali, which was fully equipped with a chairlift to take us halfway up and a gondola to take us the full way down, TLG was hell wrapped in tortured filled with contemplative suicide.  No fences, rocky slopey terrain, bridges made from 4 pieces of timber lying next to each other, waterfalls.  It was the real deal.  It was the mother of all hikes.  I came, I saw, I conquered.  Then I died. 

I went to bathroom on the most gorgeous bathroom in the world.  It was at a guest house/hostel deep within the mountain summit.  The bathroom is made up of 3 walls, two of them are on the side and one of them is the door.  The last side is an open air expansion facing the heart of TGL.  I took a pee while beholding the most beautiful sight I have ever beheld.  It was kind of cool.  Oh yeah, and I tagged this as a “global citizenship” thing because… well, I guess the travels made me more cosmopolitan and thus a citizen of the global variety.  Mehh.

Next up, pics and Yunnan: Part 2


Location: Kunming, China

Sultanahmet

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Sultanahmet was weird blend of both past and present.  The historic center of Istanbul once stood as the capitol of the Byzantine Empire and later the Ottoman’s made it their capitol.  Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque stand opposing each other in the large courtyard.  In between these massive temples you can find a number of street vendors trying to sell their knick-knacks to tourists.  Bread stands selling freshly made simits (a bread ring with sesame seeds) covered the area as well. 

 

Touring the grand cathedral of the Byzantine Empire was remarkable experience.  Beautiful marble floors and decorated archways were everywhere.  Chandlers seemed to levitate over the main floor.  The artwork on the ceilings and walls were also quite remarkable.  There were also countless stained glass windows that let in a beautiful array of colors in the building. 

 

We next tried to tour the Blue Mosque but our timing was poor because as soon as we

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 arrived prayer began and they wouldn’t let tourists in during that time.  We could have waited but there was still so much to see and we figured we could always return.

 

The next stop was the Ottoman Topkapi Palace.  The palace had multiple courtyards and gardens.  Inside the buildings they had converted rooms into museums to showcase the treasures and power of the Ottoman Empire.  Clothes and artworks of Ottoman Sultans were on display as well as a number of religious items from Islam, Christianity, and Judaism

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After such a quick day briefly visiting these amazing buildings we then went to the Grand Bazaar.  The bazaar was unlike anyplace I have ever been.  I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I was surprised when I walked into the place to find a multitude of shops in such a historic building.  There were stores everywhere selling everything.  Every small space was used.  A flood of colors from clothes and pottery filled the buildings to the ceiling.  

Location: Alemdar Mh., 34122 Istanbul/Istanbul Province, Turkey

Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur and one BEAUTIFUL day!

This past week has been amazing. Last Friday, my friends and I got a late lunch in the Latin Quarter, and then we went to the Notre Dame cathedral, famous for its medieval architecture. We didn’t get a chance to climb to the top since the tours were closed for the day, but we got some cool pictures in front of the cathedral and got to explore the inside of the church as well.

A few days later, my friends Geneva, Kevin and I ventured to the hill of Montmartre to see Sacre Coeur, a beautiful church that lies on the top of a 130 meter hill in Montmartre. The view was amazing and the entire area was lively with street dancers and tourists. Although Montmartre is a popular tourist area, it is full of Parisian culture, like the painters in the square of Montmartre, offering to paint a portrait of you. We also got delicious French falafel for lunch.

The weekend was a great time for socializing and night life too. I went to ClubMix for the first time on Thursday night because every Thursday is free cover for international students. It is called an “Erasmus Party” which stands for the students who study abroad in European cities. Everyone from my program went so it was a lot of fun. Two of my friends from Penn State who are studying in Seville, Spain also came for the weekend, so it was fun to show them around Paris and bring them out with me at night.

I also experienced the nightclub, Showcase, for the first time. It is a popular Parisian discotheque on Champs Elysees right under the Seine River. My friend Evan from Barcelona was also here, so we went together on Friday night along with some other people from my program. Showcase is a very relaxing atmosphere, where you can dance or just hangout with friends. It is also free cover from 11:30-1:30am which is amazing because cover charges are brutal in Paris.

Two days ago (Friday) was the first amazingly bright, sunny day in Paris. Kevin, Geneva and I spent the day in the Marais, walking around the Jewish quarter, thrift store shopping and eating lunch outside in 60 degree weather. Later, we ventured up to the Eiffel Tower to see it light up on a warm night. It was a simple but great day.

Notre Dame….

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Thumbnail image for DSC01541.JPGSacre Coeur church above! Kevin and I in the photo.

Below, yet another picture of the Eiffel Tower, but this time on a beautiful night!

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Location: Paris, France

A Tourist in My Own Town: A Weekend with My Parents


Current Temperature: 36 F
Current Amount of Snow: about 4 inches
Conditions: Cloudy, Icy

Hei alle! Sorry it’s been a while since my last post. Student teaching has been keeping me quite busy!

This past weekend my parents (who I know read this blog, so hi guys!) came to visit me in Trondheim. I know that I’ve only been here for about two weeks but this really was the only opportunity they would have to come visit me since they will be in Antarctica for most of February. It’s no wonder where I got the travel bug from! Plus they managed to bring quite a few goodies from the States (i.e. Dunkin Donuts ground coffee…yumm). Unfortunately they could only be here from Friday-Monday but we definitely made the most of our time together. My parents wanted to see the things that affected me the most: my dorm and my school. We checked them out on Saturday. After that we were planning on being tourists.

Believe it or not, we’ve been experiencing a bit of a heat wave here in Trondheim. And by heat wave I mean it was about 40F here this weekend, but it was rainy and cloudy. It was raining quite hard on Friday (like, hard enough to make my mascara run) but thankfully my mentor teacher, Ove, offered to give Megan and I a ride into town so we didn’t have to deal with the wet and crowded buses after school. What a nice guy! My parents were staying at the Radisson Blu Royal Garden Hotel right on the Nidelva River downtown. It was a beautiful hotel with an amazing view of the river and the old town. Thankfully since it was a bit warmer out much of the ice had melted on the sidewalks (except for in Steinan, where I live). Although it was a bit slushy it wasn’t nearly as slippery as it had been earlier in the week. I was quite happy about that, especially since I had my parents with me!

We managed to get my parents a 72-hour bus pass for them to use while they were here. I don’t remember how much it cost but I remember it being an incredible deal since a single, one-way bus ticket is 30 NOK (about 5 USD!). I would definitely recommend getting one for any visitors!

The thing that my parents and I really got from this weekend is that Trondheim really isn’t a tourist town. The map that they hand out at any place a tourist may be found (e.g. the Nidaros Cathedral, Sentralstajon, hotels, etc) is quite difficult to read. There are a number of museums in town, but they aren’t advertised very well. Trondheim is really a university town. I guess the local authorities know who they have to cater to: the students, not the few tourists. For example, on Sunday my parents went to the Cathedral (since it was the only thing open) and then wanted to go to dinner after. However that wasn’t exactly possible since the bus schedule isn’t exactly conducive to doing anything on a Sunday. I had to skip out on dinner because I wouldn’t be able to catch a bus until 7:40PM, which would get me home around 8:00-8:15PM. That doesn’t sound too bad, but when you have to get up for school at 5:30AM the following day, the bus schedule left much to be desired. 

While my parents were here I had the opportunity to enjoy some of Trondheim’s restaurants. They are INCREDIBLY expensive (as is everything here in Norway) so Megan and I haven’t had much of an opportunity to explore much of the culinary world in Trondheim. Here’s a quick run-down of the places we visited (and my colorful commentary):

AiSuma
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One of the front desk ladies at the hotel recommended this restaurant to my parents and I on their first night in town. It was only a short walk from where my parents were staying and the place was incredible! The interior was beautifully decorated with tastefully mismatched furniture and one of the coolest bathrooms I’ve ever been in. AiSuma advertises itself as an Italian restaurant but it didn’t look like any Italian food I’ve ever had.  The bread had a great garlic dipping sauce that my dad and I couldn’t stop eating! We had to remember to save room for the main course! The place had a relatively limited menu but what they had was delicious. I had a great lamb dish the first time we were there and since the food was so good we went back a second time! I had a great chicken dish the second time with an incredible sauce. The staff was super friendly and helpful so if you are in Trondheim I would definitely recommend this place!

Den Gode Nabo
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This restaurant, who’s name translates to “The Good Neighbor”, is an old Trondheim establishment located right off of the oldest footbridge in town. After descending down a creeky set of stairs you enter a true tavern. The entire restaurant is wood, from the floorboards to the ceiling. The place also had a lit pillar candle on every table (a common decoration in Norway). Clearly fire code are different in Norway because I don’t know if I would have so many candles in an entirely wooden building, but hey, I’m no fire chief. Den Gode Nabo had a rather limited menu while my parents and I were there (something was up with the kitchen) but they had incredible fish and chips, which I never knew I liked! They also have a pretty extensive beer list…even if it will cost you and arm and a leg to buy a beer. I’d definitely check out this place for an authentic Trondheim experience and an amazing view of the river and cathedral!

Choco Boco
http://choco.no/
This place is easily my new favorite place in town (and possibly on the planet). There are multiple locations around Trondheim but the one my parents and I visited is located in the old town, across the footbridge, and caddy-corner from Den Gode Nabo. It looks like an old row house with additions that they converted into a cozy cafe. It was relatively miserable outside the day that we went but you couldn’t help but feel warm and fuzzy as soon as you stepped in. Their hot chocolate is pretty spectacular…Swiss Miss might not cut it after trying this concoction. Plus, it’s open on Sunday (a rarity here in Trondheim). It is a great place to spend a lazy Sunday: relax, so some work, and drink hot cocoa. Definitely a must!

That’s enough food talk for now. Are you hungry yet? =)

In other news, Megan and I will be going skiing on Saturday through an excursion run by SiT (the student housing office here in Trondheim). It is really a great deal: 250 NOK for transportation, food, and lift passes. I don’t have equipment so I’ll be paying the 150 NOK rental fee. Although 400 NOK sounds like a lot it only equals to about 70 USD. Can’t beat that! It will be my first experience on skis and I’m not the most coordinated kid on the block so we’ll see how this goes. I jokingly said my last goodbyes to the staff at school.

Speaking of school I will be taking over in both English and samfunnsfag this week. We’ll be discussing the USA and American culture (topics I’m relatively familiar with) in English and World War I in samfunnsfag. My students seem to be really excited about WWI so I’m excited to see if my first-ever unit plan (created in a partnership with Megan) will be a success.

Hope you’re all keeping warm in the good ol’ US of A! =)


Location: Edgar B Schieldropsvei 42-18 7033 Trondheim Norway

“Ahh, Americans! So you must want hot dogs and hamburgers”

Hello there! So, back to where I left off. Last Saturday (January 8th) we had a free bus tour with IES around the surrounding areas of London. It was the most fantastic bus tour I have every been on! The whole thought behind this tour was not for us to explore on our own; it was so that we would have an idea of some places we wanted to come back to. Thankfully, I thought to bring a notebook. Our tour guides name was Owen; he told us a lot of really great information about living in London and discussed the history of the city in great detail. It was really interesting to be driving by the places we were learning about; I found it to be very effective and I actually learned a lot! I was really happy that I brought my notebook because I got to jot down the names of the places we drove through and the places Owen recommended we visit. Fortunately, they did stop the bus a few times for us to get out and take some pictures at Big Ben/Parliament Square, St. Paul’s Cathedral, The London Bridge, and Buckingham Palace. Big BenSomething that I found super interesting was that “Big Ben” isn’t the structure but is the bell inside. I’m sure if I payed attention in grade school I would have known that; however, I did not. Here are some other pictures of the places we were able to get off the bus.
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It’s still unbelievable to me that I’m in London! Our bus tour lasted about 3 hours that day and I am so glad that I went. The next day, IES planned a free trip to Windsor Castle for anyone who was interested. Not only was it a trip to take a tour of the oldest castle in England, but it was free so OF COURSE I went! It was really cool because our bus driver took the “scenic” route which let us see the (semi) countryside of London. We got to Windsor and took a small tour of the town before heading to the Castle. I couldn’t believe how huge this place is; no matter where we went in Windsor, we could see some part of the castle at all times. I was in complete shock. The coolest part for me was thinking about all of the history that happened there. It was built during the times of conquers and wars over the land and battles actually happened in Windsor at the castle where I was standing. I couldn’t even wrap my head around it. We took a break for lunch then entered into the Castle walls. I wish I could post every single picture I took there because it was just so incredible. We got a 2 hour tour of the publicly available areas (the space where the Queen/Royal family occupies when they’re there is not open to the public) and the rooms where the Queen still hosts “parties”. The detail in the rooms were out of this world and there were so many interesting stories behind even the smallest of things. I was so pleased with this trip – even more so because I didn’t have to pay!
Walking on the side of the Castle
A section of Windsor CastleThe days that followed our great weekend was the start of class. Monday I don’t have any classes so I just hung out around the dorms trying to figure our travel plans. Words to the wise: travel planning for a group of people is stressful as ever. At least we got one success out of the whole day — we booked our hotel in Dublin for the St. Patrick’s Day festival! Now we just have to figure out how to get there. Tuesday was my first day of lecture; my classes that day were Intro to Criminology and The Performing Arts in London. I slowly caught on to their word usage throughout the class. The one difference I was not made aware of until this lecture is that they call lecture time lectures and tutorials are called class. It’s definitely going to be interesting trying to get used to the way the education system works here; good thing I like a challenge. Wednesday I only have one class, Historic London, and we only meet one more time on campus. Every other week we get to meet at different places throughout the city for our lectures. I’m really excited about that class because it isn’t just going to be us sitting in a room talking about the history of London — we actually get to go and explore the history! Thursday I had European Business Culture and Global Political Issues in the 21st Century. Unlike the rest of my classes, my first class was at 10am. I have about a 45 minute commute so I left at 8:45. Well, let me just start by saying that rush hour on the underground is much later then I would have expected. I had to wait for 2 trains to come and go before I even thought of trying to get on! I have never in my life witnessed so many people trying to squeeze onto a train. I now know why the majority of people here are not overweight, it’s because they wouldn’t be able to fit in any public transportation to get to work on time! I finally squeezed my way onto a train and managed to get to class 10 minutes early! That was a wonderful success. Both of the classes I had I think will be incredibly interesting.Oh, and another thing about college in Europe: syllabus week doesn’t exist.

We had a free dinner set up with IES on Friday at the National Art Gallery Rooftop Restaurant; the view was unreal. We had a rooftop view of St. Paul’s Cathedral, Big Ben, The London Eye, and many other buildings. The meal itself was pretty good, too.
This weekend we decided that we were going to explore around Parliament Square/Westminster Abbey a bit more. It was so much fun! We went into the back entrance of the Abbey and explored in there for a bit and then walked along the River Thames by Big Ben and crossed the river. It was so gorgeous. It truly hit me that I’m in London when I was looking at the Parliament buildings along the river. I was speechless.

There are so many things that I am learning about myself being here; and I’ve only been here 2 weeks. I’m excited to see what else I’ll be learning, but I’m trying to change my normal behavior and live in the moment as much as I possibly can.


Location: Chelsea, London

5 days so far in London

‘Ello from London!

Yes, I am now in London and have been here for 5 days! It’s still hard to believe that I will be staying here until mid-April for school. But, it’s been wonderful so far.

I got in around 10:30 am in London, but it was only 5:30 am back in the States. And I do not sleep on planes so I had been up for a long time. Once checked into the hotel room, I started feeling very overwhelmed. The hotel room was small. Not like the average American hotel room at all! A small motel room was probably bigger than this room and it held 3 people! I’ve been insisted that it’s not that everything is small here, everything is big in America. It’s probably true, but wow- it was shocking for me.

Another thing I noticed is there are not a lot of “overweight” people here like back at home. Why, I’m not sure. Because I would originally assume it’s because the food here is bland and everyone walks around a lot, but honestly, after eating here, I wouldn’t say the food is bland. Maybe but I haven’t noticed it. I actually have enjoyed my meals here- I’ve had a mix of Indian, Portuguese, Italian, British, and American and enjoyed them all.

The tourist attractions of course were wonderful. The London Eye gave spectacular views of London. I really enjoyed walking through Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum (the original one) and Hyde Park. Hyde Park actually has a Winter Wonderland filled with little shops and carnival rides during Christmastime that I went to. And of course, the shopping is spectacular (although expensive). I thought Harrod’s was exquisite- especially the Egytian escalator. And the people here are very helpful. My father and I were obviously two American tourists more confused than ever and they all helped us get our way around.

I’m understanding the Tube and bus routes better now after 5 days as well. Sometimes the transportation can be a hassle, but it’s the fastest way to get around. And I’m also starting to get the hang of pounds. The currency rate between U.S. Dollars and UK Pounds is not very good, but I’m starting to understand that 48 pounds does not equal $50 USD, no, it’s about $75 USD. The only thing I’m still struggling with is Celsius. I had to download the app so I could differentiate between the two.

Now, after 5 days I’ve moved into the Residence Hall. A lot of students here are from Penn State, which is wonderful. There are a lot of students too from just about everywhere and anywhere in the USA. Everyone is very friendly since we’re all in the same boat. Tomorrow we have a lot to do so we can all get started with school on Monday. And so it begins…

 

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Location: Chelsea, London, UK

Discrimination – Getting Called Out in a Crowd

Cusco draws a lot of tourists. Expensive restaurants like Jack�s Cafe serve American-style burgers and hiking stores — due to the big attraction of Machu Picchu — swarm the streets near the central Plaza de las Armas. Many locals pinpoint foreigners to sell goods or ask for money. People actively pursue this so often that it becomes a headache.


A street artist waited for me outside a restaurant for an hour and a half with his portfolio. He managed to sell me a picture I didn�t even particularly like, simply because I felt badly for him.


After that, a shoe-shining man, seeing the leftover food I had in a doggie bag, proceeded to follow me and Sam halfway to our hostel several blocks away. He begged me for the food continuously. If I hadn�t already spent so much money on the painting, I might�ve given it to him.


Little girls on the street will look at me and smile. I�ll smile back. Then they�ll hold out a hand, saying in a sweet voice, “�Propina?“, which of course means that they�re asking for money.


People ask me for money so often that I don�t even know what to do with myself anymore. I just want to shout at them, “I can�t help the entire freaking world! I want to, but do you know how many other people I�ve helped today?”


And it�s ridiculous for me to get upset like this: I�m not the one begging on the street.


It�s in this context that, after visiting a church in the Plaza San Francisco, Sam and I were drawn to a street comedy show. A man had drawn a laughing crowd of 150 people or so and was shouting and acting obscenities. After one of his sketches, he pointed directly at us and shouted, “You! Whitey! Where are you from?


Sam responded, the United States.


The comedian busted on him for a moment. Then he called me out, asking for my nationality.


I responded, the United States.


Everyone laughed and he joked about me, as if it that fact were impossible.


This was easy to smile at until the comedian grew progressively more incisive with his commentary. I don�t remember what he said exactly. He sarcastically mentioned people from the United States coming to have a good time in his beautiful country. He put on a blond wig of long hair like a woman�s, saying he now looked just like us. Everyone continued laughing.


He then said that us — these people from the United States — should give him money, right there in front of the crowd, or be disgraced. He approached us, holding out the wig in mock, exaggerated suppliance. Everyone watched in anticipation and the tension in the air was thick. Sam didn�t understand quite what was going on, and he was still laughing at the “joke.” Angry, uncomfortable and defeated, I reached into my pocket and gave him two coins. I wasn�t even sure how much they were worth.


6 soles! Look, how generous! Thank you so much!” he said when he�d returned to the center of the crowd.


Even then he continued heckling us and abruptly Sam caught on and said, “Let�s get out of here.”


This scenario was still burning in my mind when we sat down at a poller�a (restaurant that sells almost exclusively chicken, fries and salad), less than 20 minutes later. Sam and I were eating quickly, having paid before sitting down because we had to catch a bus.


When Sam rose to fill up his salad bowl, a Peruvian man glared at me and said condescendingly, “Make sure he leaves tip. Don�t forget to leave tip.”


I was ready to freaking explode.


I scarfed down a few more forkfuls of food, shaking my head and getting angrier by the second. Sam saw my annoyance but I wasn�t even paying attention to him. Far past ready to leave, I tore 2-sole coin out of my pocket, held it up so the man could see and slammed it on the table-


As we were leaving, I leaned onto the table next to the man. He looked past me at the television screen, ignoring me. I said in Spanish while Sam put on his backpack, “I�m the son of two Peruvians, and he is one of best people I�ve ever met.


“And I speak very good English!” he said turning his head.


I�m not sure what I�d wanted to accomplish. All I�d wanted was to combat ignorance or discrimination, I think, but what would the confrontation really get me? Nothing in the end. But I was so incredibly pissed at everything that had transpired before then that I wasn�t thinking straight.


“Don�t judge my friends,” is what I said, and I left the restaurant, shaking my head, a mix of emotions I�d never felt before swirling around inside me.


Thankfully, I�ve never experienced much discrimination in my life. If I have, it�s been inconsequential. So to walk around with Sam — tall, white and blond — while in Peru has been an eye-opening experience. People treat me so differently when I wander around alone, lending themselves more warmly to conversation, begging me for money less. Now I�ve been noticing the eyes watching us as we walk, and I stare pointedly back at them, wanting to say, “What is your problem?”


Things have been different since leaving Cusco, but those few days have been branded into my memory.


Location: Arequipa, Peru