Category Archives: North America

Location: Mechanicsburg, PA

T-minus One Day…

Want to read a rousing account of adventure and hijinks of a college student studying abroad? Well then, you have probably come to the wrong blog. However, if rambling accounts of misadventure are more your style, then read on!

Hi, my name is Kelsi and I am a junior at Penn State studying chemical engineering (and minoring in English). This lovely spring semester I will be leaving behind the sunshine of State College and instead study in sun-starved northern England at University of Leeds. Although Penn State doesn’t really get too much sunshine, Leeds is in another league. In January, Leeds averages 54 hours of sunlight A MONTH. Which is actually wonderful because I am slightly allergic to the sun (ie I break out in hives the first couple sunny spring days) and burn very easily. But I digress, if you’re reading my blog, you probably want to learn other details about me that are more interesting than my propensity to burn.

What do I live to do when I’m not slathering on large amounts of SPF 100 to avoid the sun’s rays? Well, I absolutely love reading and often will stay up into the wee hours trying to finish a book. In fact, to “research” for England, I attempted to read every British book (from this century) I could find in the public library.

When not cozying up with a great book, you can probably find me outside. I love running but view treadmills as evil machines that must be treated with great caution so I’m constantly trying to find new running routes. I’m excited to be in a new place so that I can inject some new life into my running routines and not have to worry about getting sunburned on my run.

I also like to hike and backpack and hope to go on some backpacking adventures while I’m in England. Below, you can see me in all of my hiking glory. This picture was taken by my lovely sister when we climbed Longs Peak, a 14,259 ft mountain in Colorado. Although I won’t encounter any mountains of this size in England, I hope to have some equally epic adventures 🙂

Hopefully, in the coming months, I will be able to write about amazing places, people and adventures. However, you might have to settle for accounts of me getting horribly confused by the differences in American and British culture and my complete mis-adventures. Stay turned for my next segment: Kelsi thought she was finished packing two days ago but now realizes that she forgot several key items and is panicking.

Location: Mechanicsburg, PA

Up next… Spain!

Hi! My name is Lauren Angelini and I will be spending the next four months in Barcelona, Spain with the IES Barcelona: Liberal Arts and Business program. I am currently a second semester junior and majoring in Psychology with a minor in Sociology and International Studies. I’ve been taking Spanish since seventh grade and I am so excited to be able to put that work into practice while learning Catalan (the Spanish hybrid language spoken in Barcelona). I am so excited to spend the semester learning, eating, and traveling until I run out of money!

Me in front of the Lion Shrine.

So now that Christmas is passed and New Year’s is over, it’s finally time for me to finish getting ready for my study abroad in Spain! On January 6th, I am flying out and will be on my way to Barcelona. I finally have my passport and Visa back from the Spanish consulate and I’m getting ready to pack up my suitcase! Packing is my second major endeavor on the road to studying abroad after getting my Visa. With a checked suitcase limited to 50lbs, a carry-on bag, and a backpack, packing is gonna be difficult! My packing list is lengthy and guaranteed to contain more than I can take with along with me, but it’s a good place to start!

My passport and I ready to take on Europe!

I still can’t believe that in only 3 days I will be on my first international flight and on my way to Espana!

Location: Lancaster, PA

Last 3 weeks in Paris…

We’re winding down to the last few weeks here in Paris and everyone, including me, is trying to fit in everything we haven’t done yet before we leave. It’s hard to believe we’ve been here this long. Lots of running around, buying presents for friends and family back home, visiting historic sites, spending lots of time with my friends here since we’ll soon be saying good-bye and snapping as many pictures as I can to remember every detail of my time here.

In the midst of all this, I have to remember that finals are right around the corner too, and they are no joke here at IES. So, here are a few pics from my adventures of this past week.

This was a 20 ft. x 20 ft. google earth display at an architectural museum. There was a computer set up so that you could enter in any region on the planet and you saw it in real time on this huge display.

As part of my final project for my History of Paris class, I had to do an individual visit and I chose Ile St. Louis (the island of St. Louis). In the 18th century, street placards were installed on the sides of building in Paris which are still in use today. However, the street signs below predate the blue and white placards you see today. These old signs are a rarity; in fact, these signs were the only ones I’ve seen in Paris.

The smallest street in Paris: Rue du Chat qui Peche, meaning Street of the cat who fishes. Yes, it really is a street. Obviously, cars won’t fit through here, but scooters sure do and it gives you an idea of how narrow the streets were in Paris before Baron de Haussmann restructured the city in the mid-1800s.

Isn’t this awesome?! I saw this messenger bag at the Christmas market at the Arch de Defense and I just had to have it! Of course, you’d have to know that I love pug dogs (I have 3), so this vendor had a sure sale. And no, I’ve never been to London or the UK, but hello! It has a pug on it!

If you come to Paris, you have to stop at this ice cream shop. It has the best ice cream I have ever tasted in my life! And I’ve made it my mission to taste as much ice cream as I can. All of the ice cream is made fresh every day, no colorings, no preservatives, nada. All-natural ingredients that are sure to make your eyeballs roll in the back of your head! Yummmm!!!

Well, I’ve got a whole lot of catching up to do, so you will be seeing several more posts from me today. Sorry for the lateness; finals and projects snuck up on me before I realized it.

See ya’ll soon!

Mary

Location: Paris, France

First post – South Korea

안녕하세요 여러분! Hello everyone! =D

If you don’t know me (and I’m sure none of my fellow Geobloggers do), I’m Ryan. I’m an upcoming senior from Penn State majoring in IST. I’m going to 서강 Sogang University for the Fall semester.

Here’s my story:

My fascination with the culture of Korea started halfway into sophomore year — that means I’ve only been into the culture for less than two years. This usually makes people laugh when I tell them this, but I discovered Korea… through Starcraft II. (0.o)

Yeah, who would have thought that a video game would change someone’s life to the point of living abroad? Starcraft is an american game perfected by the Koreans. By being a bigger fan than I am a gamer, I gained respect by watching pros stream their games from Korea.

It was the Spring break of sophomore year when I decided to sit down and learn basic words, like hello and thank you. From then on, day by day, I learned a little more. :3

I never had plans on travelling to Korea, until January of this year. Amazing how much I’ve changed in a year and a half~~

Yes of course, KPOP (Korean pop music) was also a big discovery for me. I got instant satisfaction when I saw my own progress by hearing a few words that I’ve learned in the song — mostly 사랑해 (‘sa-rang-hae’ = I love you). To this day, most of the music on my playlist is KPOP or Korean Indie. I’ll be talking more about that through Geoblog. ^u^

Anyway, on to my trip. I leave in THREE DAYS! =O

I can’t believe it.

I’ll arrive in the Incheon airport and then travel around the country alone for a week, meeting some Korean friends I met at Penn State. =D Thank you friends!

When the semester starts, I’ll be taking all gen.eds. Finding IST classes at a university with only 30% of the classes taught in English? Yeah right~

In this series of blogs, I plan to inform and entertain. My goals?

-Prove or disprove Asian stereotypes. — Ex: Are Asians really bad drivers?

-How can you survive in the city of Seoul — Staying overnight at 찜질방s (Saunas also used as mini-hotels)

-Providing pictures of the beauty of Korea — Pictures of me Gangnam Style-ing inside the district of Gangnam!

-Sharing what I love about the culture — Why SNSD is my favorite group xD

I’ll try to do some video logs, too. I’ll send out another blog hopefully before I arrive.

Also, today’s blog has been brought to you by the letter 가 “Ga”

~~~

또 만나, 친구들

Until we meet again, friends

~Ryan

https://blogs.psu.edu/mt4/mt.cgi

Location: Greensburg, PA

And Then It Was Over – Back in the USA

After an eight-hour flight from Copenhagen to New York City, I was back in America! It has been nice being back seeing my friends and family, but every once in a while I will think back to my time in France and think it is strange that we are not eating cheese after every dinner, or that every store is open on Sunday.

I am sure that studying abroad was the best decision I could have made and that it was the best way I could have spent my summer. I have seen so many places and met so many different people. I feel after traveling like the world is bigger and smaller at the same time. Most importantly, I have learned a lot about myself. Seeing firsthand the benefits of knowing a second language has motivated me even more to continue pursuing a double major in French.

One thing I have noticed about returning from travel is that it feels a lot like a dream. Think about it: you are in an amazing place, where everything is new and different and sometimes strange. Then you return back home where – boom – everything is back to normal: the same people you always knew, the same places you have always been. On top of that, you can tell stories about your time away, but nobody else was there, sort of like a dream. But I still have my memories… and souvenirs and photos and new Facebook friends!

What’s left now? Time to go back to University Park in just a few more weeks and continue my studies in French! Hopefully in my next three years I will be able to study abroad again, this time for a full semester! (Fingers crossed!)

Location: Connecticut, USA

The Day Before my Trip

I leave for my flight to England tomorrow and with plenty of excitement! This entry is to explain my purpose for this journey/ trip studying abroad in England at the University of Sussex. After hearing many stereotypes about the British and their ways of learning and teaching, I hope to convey the true ways of a British learning system while at my school abroad. Stereotypes about the British learning include rigorous workload and higher knowledge requirements. I want to challenge these stereotypes and publish as many blogs as possible describing campus life; the professors, the workload/homework, classrooms, and fellow students. Some of my blogs may include my traveling experiences on certain days I’ve traveled.

Location: Augusta, GA

Rollin’ on the River…

Throughout the course of this study abroad, there have been various activities to partake in order to give us more time to practice our language skills. I got to do a high ropes course, canoe, visit a First Peoples’ Nation, and listen to a nature concert on a lake. The grande finale of the entire program of events took place on a cruise ship that sailed up and down the river.

We got to get all dressed up and relax on the boat….

There were beautiful scenes along the river throughout the night. Check out the Chateau Fontblanccccc at dusk.

Dancing, of course, was encouraged.

Unfortunately, my phone died so I didn’t get to take too many pictures. But it was a lot of fun hanging with our professors and animateurs in a more relaxed setting. (I’m borrowing this picture of the group from a friend since my camera died. )

Location: quebec

Arbre en Arbre

Yesterday, I had one of the most exhilarating and terrifying experiences in my life. Let me explain: I vehemently detest heights. I don’t do ferris wheels or desire to get close to the edge of any tall place. So I’m not quite sure what I was thinking when I signed up to go Arbre en Arbre (tree to tree). When we got to Le Relais centre de ski resort, I was super excited/nervous to try my hand at the high ropes course, even though J’ai peur des hauteurs (I’m scared of heights).

As I was climbing up the ladder and onto the platform, the adrenaline started to rush in my bloodstream. I started to dread that first footstep out onto a tight wire, and as if to make it more difficult, the wind started to pick up, swinging the rope I stood on back and forth. Eventually, I coaxed myself out onto the first level and continued to make my way through the obstacles. Alexis (below), made the course seem easy as she was a little less queazy about heights!

A big part of me wanted to give up, but if you know me personally, you know that I’m as tenacious as a mule. Once I commit to something, I see it through, and personally feel like one should to something every day that is out of one’s “comfort zone.” Surely, this was way out of my comfort zone!!! I spent a good portion alternating between making awful animalistic howls of terror, muttering “Mon Dieu” under my breath, and singing Ani DiFranco’s “Buildings and Bridges” to keep myself calm.

As Ani writes,

Buildings and bridges

Are made to bend in the wind

To withstand the world,

That’s what it takes

All that steel and stone

Are no match for the air, my friend

What doesn’t bend breaks

The ropes course took about 3 1/2 hours to complete. Indeed, I didn’t think I’d learn any life lessons swinging from tree to tree, but life is surprising that way. It was invigorating, visceral, and very very frightening in ways that were eerily similar to being deposited into a foreign place and forced to speak a foreign language. What doesn’t bend… going abroad is an exercise in gaining that sort of flexibility.

I’m glad that I had the chance to step out of my safety zone, to take a chance of falling. I’m proud to say that I didn’t fall once, even though the terror of falling even a little gripped hold of me for most of the course. However, it was a great feeling to have had to have relied on my balance and strength to get me through it.

Still, twas the best fun I never want to have again.

Location: Le Relais centre de ski: Lac-Beauport, Québec

Poutine et biére

One of my favorite things to do in a new place is find out what is local to that area, especially when it comes to food and drink. I believe that doing things “as the locals do” is the best way to experience a location as well as being an exercise in global citizenship. For me, eating is an intimate experience and when one opens oneself up to trying new foods and customs surrounding food, I believe it is an exercise in adaptability. Participating in other customs make us more fluid in our ability to relate to others very different from ourselves.

So as part of this experiment, a group of us ordered a gigantic bowel of poutine one night.

Poutine is a Canadian dish comprised of french fries, gravy and cheese curds. Though it might not look very appetizing I must say, is delicious. We ordered it at le PUB on campus, just inside Universit� Laval’s social/business hub. The place looks like a nightclub on the inside and has this beautiful large outside seating area.

Another thing the Canadians seem to love is good beer. We went to La Barberie, a cooperative microbrewery and ordered some sangria-bi�re. At 9%, a “pichet” shared among friends leads to warm conversations.

Bi�re is a staple it seems for the Quebecois, and often it consumed socially. I had this Cheval Blanc (White Horse) a more commercialized Canadian beer while watching a football (soccer) game on the television.

Granted, there are drawbacks to enjoying this excellent food and beer. Taxes for such items are around 15.5%. For example, a pitcher of the sangria-bi�re is $24 CAD plus tip. The language intensive students get a discount on the pitchers at le PUB ($9) with our blue/red/yellow bracelets (Normally $14).

Even though the food and beer tends to be on the pricey side, the quality is clear. So while it is expensive, it is definitely worth getting a glass or two and having good conversations with the local patrons and waitstaff. So as they say here, “Gulu, gulu, gulu” …in moderation of course!

Location: Université Laval et around

Losing un peu… gaining beaucoup

When I loose one of my favorite things in a foreign place, I know it’s an omen of a good trip. When I went to Hawaii last summer, I lost a stone and wood necklace I had made. This time, I surrendered a favorite turquoise ring of mine the first day the CIC group toured la ville de Qu�bec. Though I am sad to have lost the ring, I know that I will gain so much by studying here this summer.

The CIC group got to tour Vieux Qu�bec (Old Quebec) with Monsieur Fernand Gill. His accent was difficult to understand, but he had a lot of interesting historical knowledge about the city.

We got the chance to see the Parliament building and and see an amazing fountain that is situated in front of the epic building.

We also visited some churches including the beautiful Basilique-Cath�drale Notre-Dame de Qu�bec.

We also learned about the precarious weather of Qu�bec: it can change from sunny to cold to pouring in five minutes flat and indeed, it does! The tour got stuck in a rainstorm for some of the walking tour and at times, had to seek refuge!

After the 2 1/2 hour tour with Monsieur Gill, the group split up and had an chance for some “temps libre” (free time). Most of us chose to get a pint at a bar. The group I went with chose this charming little hole-in-the-wall.

Later, we reconnected to go to dinner at a charming little restaurant called Le Carthage where we ate our fill and were entertained by a live belly dancer.

She even got some of the group up to dance with her!

The first day, although a bit overwhelming, was SO much fun. Though I knew my French speaking skills were terrible, I felt like I spoke more French that first day than I have for some of my french classes at Penn State. Though I was extremely thankful for all the French that I have taken formally, immersion programs, like the Qu�bec program, seem like the best way to learn a language

Location: Ville de Québec, CA

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