Tag Archives: america

Haiti

Last weekend I got to do something that I did not think I would do before coming to the Dominican Republic, and that is going to Haiti! We had a free weekend, and a bunch of other American students and I were able to find a tour company that did weekend trips to Haiti. It was a bit expensive, but well worth the experience.

Drive to the Border

We met just outside our university on Friday morning at 5AM. After cramming into a van, we headed towards the border. On Fridays and Mondays at this particular border crossing, it is completely open. This is because there is a market between buyers and sellers from both the DR and Haiti. My passport got four stamps that weekend: my first was to leave the DR, my second to enter Haiti. On Sunday, I got the same stamps, but for leaving Haiti and entering the DR. We were at the border for probably over an hour, and for most of that time the flow of people crossing the border did not slow down. Pictured below is a scene of the people crossing the border, taken from the immigration office. It’s a bit of a distance away but you may be able to see that nearly every person is carrying or towing something with them in hopes of selling it.

The Citadelle

After the border, we were on our way to the Citadelle, the largest fortress in the Americas. After driving up what seemed like a hundred switchbacks, we were at a spot where we could not drive any further. We walked the rest of the distance up to the fortress. It was not more than a 30 minute walk from where we stopped driving. Once at the fortress, we were directed around by a local guide. The fortress was built to protect Haiti against an attack from the French. The Citadelle was threatened more so by earthquakes than the French, as a French attack never came. However, the fortress remains an icon of Haiti and is featured on the country’s currency. It is situated on top of a mountain, and really makes you wonder how each stone, cannon, and the endless amounts of daily supplies were carried up there. Here is a picture shot from the base of the wall.

Here is another picture at the Citadelle of the hundreds if not thousands of cannonballs stored there.

The Citadelle itself was very impressive, but also very much so because of the views of the mountains that you could see from it. Here I am below, on the roof of the Citadelle, pictured with this beautiful ridge that I could not leave without taking a picture with.

Sans-Souci Palace

The second part of the day was spent at the Sans-Souci Palace, which was near by the Citadelle. It housed Henri Christophe, the man responsible for building the Citadelle. Here are a couple pictures of the palace.

To be honest, this palace reminded me a lot of Roman ruins, probably because of their shared use of arches. Although I was very tired and sweaty at the end of the day, I had a fantastic time. I was able to visit two UNESCO World Heritage Sites in one day. If that does not count as a successful travel, I don’t know what does.

The rest of the weekend consisted of going to the beach, out to a discoteca in Cap-Haitien, and a lot of driving. I don’t have any pictures of the city itself. It was very difficult to get clear pictures through tinted glass on a bumpy road, so I decided to kick back and just observe. I was practically mesmerized as we were driving through the city. People-watching is one of my favorite things to do while traveling somewhere new. Cap-Haitien was a bustling city, which actually reminded me of the DR in some ways. I saw a countless number of people selling things in the street. The buildings were painted with very brightly colors and built from concrete. The roads were quite bumpy at times but not torturous to drive through. Motorcycles were fearless when it came to weaving in and out of traffic. Our last stop in Haiti before returning to the DR was to the statues of the fore fathers of Haiti.

This tour made me realize how connected each country in the Americas is. I often thought of the Dominican Republic and Haiti as faraway lands, but we are much more connected than we think we are. The US, along with Haiti, the Dominican Republic and countless other nations has fought for their independence from European settlers. It was very cool and eye opening to see this connection in a country that I previously had very little interest in.

Photo of the Week

There is a very popular festival all throughout Latin America taking place called Carnaval, I will explain more in my next post, but here is a picture to act as a bit of a teaser. Masks are a huge part of Carnaval, and as you can see a lot of work goes into making them, even the small ones sold in flea markets. I picked this up at a flea market down the street for less than $5. It is entirely made of paper Papier-mâché, and elaborately painted. That’s all I will say for now, see you next time!

Location: The Citadelle, Haiti

Farewell, America

Hello there! My name is Maddison and I’d like to personally thank you for visiting my blog space. I have a lot of plans in store for my GeoBlog, so I sincerely hope you return to experience Ireland with me each week. And, just so you know, this will be my last post before I depart for Ireland because I’m leaving a bit early to tour the country with my mother and my aunt before my Dublin orientation begins.

My goal for this blog is to share my experiences and adventures with you, though ideally, it would be great to interact with you in the comments section as well. I want my readers to gain not only entertainment from my blog, but a sense of culture, fun, and belonging. It’s a well-known fact that Ireland is considered one of the most hospitable countries in the world, so I want my blog to mirror that welcoming tradition!

Well, I suppose I should introduce myself, as you’re probably wondering who I am and why I chose to start blogging. First and foremost, my name is Maddison and I’m currently a third-year university honors student who will be studying abroad at The National University of Ireland, Galway during the Spring semester of 2015. I am double majoring in English and History with an intended double minor in International Studies and Writing. My hobbies include reading, writing, historical research and interpretation, acting, singing, crocheting, listening to music, archery, watching movies, cooking, genealogical research, riding roller coasters, traveling, and spending time with my family and friends. But you’ll get to know me better as I post more frequently.

So that’s a bit about me. But you still may be asking yourself why I chose to study abroad in Ireland. Well, to me, the answer is simple. I was raised in an Irish-American Catholic family, so I’ve grown up in an environment that has familiarized me with Irish culture ever since I was old enough to understand what it meant to be Irish-American. The values, morals, and traditions instilled in me as a child have guided my life in many ways, but now that I am in my early twenties, I am ready to explore and experience Ireland as an adult. And, if I’m honest, there really isn’t anywhere else I could imagine myself going besides Ireland. I’ve never been there before, but something inside me already warms to the familiarity of traveling to the place where my family came from. It’s going to be a very new experience to me, but at the same time, it almost feels like going home.

I can assure you that I will go into more depth about these topics in upcoming posts – this initial post is just my way of saying hello, thank you for taking an interest in my blog, and I hope you’ll join me on my journey. If you have any questions, feel free to post them in the comments section and I will respond as soon as I am able. Thanks again for stopping by and I hope to see you back again soon!

Until my next post… farewell, America!

Maddison

Location: State College, Pennsylvania, 16801

A Very English Thanksgiving

This is coming in a few months late, but at the time, I was too busy with the workload to worry about blogging about my Thanksgiving experience. I am all done now, and here it is! Thanksgiving this year was obviously not spent in Lancaster PA with my second family, however it still consisted of well-cooked turkey, cranberry sauce and perhaps a third family? With a bonus of champagne.

I think I speak for most of us American visiting students in saying that Catz was very thoughtful and kind in organizing a thanksgiving supper for us, as we were away from home. The Dean, and the Master among other administrators were not obliged to celebrate this American holiday, but did so and did it well. We began the evening at the Senior Common Room, having some drinks with the Master and casually chatting with our peers. We then abandoned our glasses of champagne and/or orange juice and went over to the dinning hall where we were served a delightful traditional meal. Turkey, green beans, red wine, cranberry sauces, etc and topped it off with a delicious pecan pie for dessert. At the end of the table, a group of us decided to keep American tradition alive and go around the table, stating what we are thankful for. Family was one that got mentioned a good number of times and while it sounds like a clich�, I think it had a lot more meaning at that table that night than it did at any other point. There we were, a group of students, none of whom had known each other prior to taking the huge risk to study abroad. We were out of our comfort zones and away from our families and loved ones, however, we had somehow managed to find a new family amongst each other and create a home away from home in St. Catz.

The Dean gave a great speech addressing this towards the end of the dinner that put everything into perspective. As an Irish man away from home himself, he related to how we may had been feeling. And although Brynne was unable to make her Jell-o thanksgiving special (because apparently, there is no jell-o in the UK! *GASP*) we were able to form new Thanksgiving traditions so that if ever we should all be in the same area again during the season, we would know how to celebrate it in our own way and while stating what we are thankful for, we will be sure to include our experience at Oxford University, and more specifically, St. Catherine’s college.

The PSU Crew at Catz

Location: Oxford, England

The Two-Week Crunch: Anxious Excited or Anxious Nervous?

I’ve just started my last week of classes, which means next week is finals. And the following week I will return back to the good ol’ USA for the first time since 2010. It’s time for the two-week crunch as I’ve called it. A last ditch effort to get everything out of London I can in two weeks while also putting a ton of effort into those finals to make sure the grades stick.

When I first set in foot in London, I had instant culture shock that I thought I could never get over. Now, I’m pretty used to life in London, whether it’s hitting Tesco’s to grab a chicken wrap and bag of crisps or heading to a pub with friends for a quick pint between studies. I’ve made some friends that I will keep for the rest of my life. Some go to Penn State so I can see them every now and then during my senior year. My closest friends live in Boston, Connecticut, California, and Washington respectfully, so keeping in contact won’t be the easiest. But, Facebook definitely will help and I know that the friends I’ve met here will be around for a long time.

Right now, my classes are killing me. I’ve had a lot of work to get done and still have four final exams to go before I can go home. And since my grades transfer, everything I turn in is at the utmost importance. I”m definitely feeling the pressure, especially after working hard and receiving some grades that weren’t completely satisfying. It’s a different league in terms of schooling- professors definitely expect a lot from us and it’s been difficult for me adjusting, kind of like the transition from high school to college was. But, even if my grades aren’t straight A’s and I receive a grade I didn’t want, I will still be taking what I learned here back at home. I feel that my work ethic has improved tremendously and even though I felt these classes were extremely difficult at times, it will make completing my senior year at Penn State a little easier (or simpler rather).

But enough about the classes. What about London?

The image I had of London was from photos in magazines or movies like The Parent Trap, so quite romantic. But, London is a modern international hub that was overwhelming at first but now is quite pleasant. I love living in a place that is accepting of everyone and anyone; I feel like anyone can easily belong here. I’ve seen and been to a bunch of places so far: Harrod’s, Big Ben, The London Eye, Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Picadilly Circus, Hyde Park, and the Tower of London to name a few. But, I still need to check out Abbey Road, Kensington Gardens, Covent Garden, Portebello Road among others. It’s virtually impossible for me to see everything in London; it’s like New York City in that respect.

But even without the major sites, I’ve taken a lot out of London. The theatre district, an icebar (pictured above), the BFI, the East End Markets on a Sunday, walking down the King’s Road every day, learning how to use and appreciate the Tube, the Double Decker buses, the nightlife… everything.

Now, I’m getting ready for my return. Back to the land where I can drive my huge gas-guzzling SUV, watch television again with a DVR, use the data on my iPhone, and see my friends and family yet again. But, I don’t know how to approach these next long two weeks. Anxious is the word, but is it more excited or nervous like Lindsay Lohan asked in The Parent Trap. Sure, I am nervous about my finals (especially for the borderline ones), but I would say as she did, “Anxious excited; definitely.”

Location: Manresa Road, Chelsea, London, UK

An end-of-semester beginning

Usually I write into a personal journal whenever I feel the need to talk about something.

I’m a writer. That’s what I do.

So changing gears — for a blog! — will take some getting used to, especially since I haven’t really used a blog since the junior high school days of <www.livejournal.com> and <www.xanga.com>, when I was a hopelessly romantic goth kid.

At some point I decided, you know, to keep all of my thoughts to myself.

Until now, that is.

All that said, I’m a double major in journalism and comparative literature at Penn State University. I’ll be studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina this fall.

According to one of my comparative literature (CMLIT) teachers, we’re hopelessly ensconced in the American lifestyle of work, work, work — that is, all work and no play. Things are so fast-paced here in the consumer-driven states that we don’t ever stop to really breathe in the air. I might be putting words in his mouth at this point, but regardless, it’s how I feel.

I hear things are a little different in other countries. How different, I’m not entirely sure, but I suppose I’ll find out in a few months.

Chances are people are really busy everywhere in the world — I don’t think that’s a uniquely American phenomenon. But there just might be some truth to this whole “American lifestyle” thing. I mean, what is the American lifestyle, anyway?

Well, I hope to post some multimedia slideshows, audio interviews, videos, etc., during my time leading up to the trip as well as my throughout my journeys in South America. I have family down there and such, so it should be exciting. But more on that later.

Thanks for reading. Like I said, I’ll be posting more, so watch out.

-Ricky

Location: State College, PA

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