Tag Archives: cultural understading

Catching Up

Note: Due to issues with internet connections this blog was written and supposed to be posted on 24/2/12

Finally Milan seems to be moving away from winter and towards spring! It was sweatshirt, two-layer, running with a light shirt weather yesterday as compared to the two scarf, heavy jacket, five-layer weather it was just one week ago. Although it felt as though I had an unimaginable amount of work to do today, to remain inside was not an option. So we decided to go for a walk. We didn’t expect to do anything out of the ordinary. We didn’t have any direct plans. We simply wanted to wander around the city. I have fallen in love with Milan’s way of always remaining entertaining, different and surreal. Each day you could set out to do nothing and be surrounded by so much.

We decided to walk toward the Castello and surrounding park (about 10 minutes away from my apartment). It’s fashion week in Milan and, although the scenery in this area is typically anything but ordinary, today it was especially unique. The area was bustling with models (fully dressed for the runway), reporters and buyers. It seemed as though every corner was setting up for a unique event. There was also a carnival occurring behind the Castello with rides (all sorts) and games (typical to what you would see in America only the prizes to be won were much better…video game councils, phones and even wine!). The area was, in short, very alive with activity and excitement; movement and happiness. Afterward we stopped for a “gelato fix” and went back home. Before I knew it, it was dark. It was time to sleep and get ready for another day.

Time in Milan…or Europe in general moves so quickly. Between classes and homework; exploring and activities, it seems like I haven’t had the chance to stop and take it all in. I haven’t had the time to reflect on all that I’ve done (hence the reason I haven’t posted in a couple weeks). This worries me beyond belief. The fact that time-management is much more difficult here and the fact that each week moves by without notice makes me wonder if I am fully appreciating everything I am doing. I’m hoping to plan better in the upcoming months and leave time to fully reflect on what I am doing and what I have done. I need to take the time to “catch-up.”

Since I’ve last posted I have traveled to Amsterdam and Paris (with a weekend in Milan in between). Amsterdam was beautiful and different but hard to fully enjoy due to the fact that it was unbearably cold. The second morning of our trip we woke up, went to get breakfast and came out to see nothing but snow. It snowed the entire day, creating difficulty with transportation and even greater difficulty staying warm whilst trudging through a foot of snow in boots that are not exactly waterproof. We spent the majority of the trip attempting to remain indoors; jumping from museum to restaurant to bus and so forth. We saw windmills and the Anne Frank house and many other areas which are “very unique” to Amsterdam.

My trip to Paris went by much too quickly. It was absolutely amazing and although I could not attempt to understand anything the French were saying, I know I want to return. We, of course, saw many of the famous areas such as the Mona Lisa in The Louve (which was a struggle, as you have to fight the crowd to get a glimpse), the Eiffel Tower (and the 669 steps that go with it), the Arc de Triomphe, etc.) Although it was misting (technically not raining, but you got just as wet) the entire trip, it did not take away from where we were and what we were seeing in the least. I was upset when Saturday turned to Sunday and we had to leave. The transportation hassles returning to Milan only increased my disappointment. To get back we had to leave at 5am, take a cab to a bus then take the plane to another bus to a tram to the metro. From the metro I walked back to my apartment and immediately went to sleep.

Right now I am in the airport awaiting my delayed flight to Budapest for the weekend. I am anticipating this weekend to be very different than my previous trips. For one thing everything is so much cheaper than any other place I have been thus far (because it isn’t on the Euro). We are staying in a 5-star hotel for the same price as our below-average hostel in Paris for the same money. Our hotel in Budapest has a pool, sauna and mini-bar; our hostel in Paris had bathrooms/ showers on only 2 of the five floors and bunk beds which sounded like they were about to collapse. I’m excited to move away from the sacrifices a “backpacker student-traveler” must endure and embark on a trip which will (hopefully) actually feel like a vacation.

Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands; Milan, Italy; Paris, France

Swiss Alps! Interlaken & Zurich

This past weekend I was in the BEAUTIFUL country of Switzerland. In fact, beautiful is a understatement; these pictures don’t even do this place justice! Switzerland is my favorite place I have visited thus far and I am confident that it will end up being my favorite place even at the end of my time in Europe.

The main place we visited was Interlaken. It is a town surrounded by the Alps and between two breathtaking lakes- Lake Brienz and Lake Thun. I was trying to find a way to describe this town when my friend from home described it perfectly. She said it reminded her of “Whoville” from the Grinch! We were told that the Ski slopes near Interlaken were the setting for one of the 007 movies, which is pretty cool.

There are so many reasons to love Switzerland. For one, Swiss people are SO kind. They are the nicest people I’ve encountered since I’ve been in Europe and all of my roommates said the same thing. Obviously, as you can tell from the pictures, it is the most beautiful place I have ever seen. It’s almost like a utopia you imagine when reading a book or something. The only downside to Switzerland is that everything is EXPENSIVE. We went to Zurich on Saturday and I got a medium hot chocolate at Starbucks for 7.90 Fr or 8.65 US dollars! CRAZY! Also, they do have Burger King, but a cheeseburger meal would run you about 12 Fr or 14 US dollars. But, the pros of this country by far outweigh the cons.

Here are some pictures of Zurich:

I saved the best for last! I went paragliding in Interlaken. It was the coolest thing Ive ever done! We had to jog off of a steep hill after driving up a mountain for about 20 minutes. Take off was difficult but the views were amazing. Here are some pics.

Location: Interlaken, Switzerland

Beginning to feel the culture shock…

So, I’ve been here for about a month and it’s interesting to think about the random things that make Italy so different from the US.

Eating/ Food

The eating situation here is obviously quite different. In restaurants and caf�s, you are generally charged for sitting down to eat your food. The same thing even goes for a cappuccino or hot chocolate. At home you usually don’t see little bar areas where you stand up to drink your coffee, but here you have to stand if you want to avoid paying extra. Also, back when I was ignorant about the food here, I kept saying how excited I was to be in the “home of chicken parm and fettucine alfredo.” Boy, I was wrong! If I asked for that at a restaurant here the Italians would laugh me out the door. I never realized how bad we “Americanize” our Italian food. Let’s face it, the Olive Garden is good, but its not as authentic as we think.

Shopping/ Stores

It’s weird to look around and not see a giant Walmart every five feet. Here stores are all small, family owned, and very specific. There are no places like Walmart that have food, toys, and clothes in the same store. Even though it makes it less convenient, I kind of like it because it leaves a lot of variety and options. However, it can be annoying because when the stores are crowded its hard to move around in because all of the stores are small. I find that I’m not using my credit card as much as I would like because a lot of stores are so small and old fashioned that they only accept cash. At first grocery shopping was difficult because I couldn’t read labels and sometimes had no idea what I was specifically buying. I think it makes things more interesting though. Another thing, is they charge you for grocery bags, so it’s advantageous to buy a reusable one.

Love/ Affection

It is true that Italians (and probably the same thing goes for most Europeans) are more open about affection. I walk around the street corner and I see a couple making out without a care in the world. As an American I find it awkward, but I’m sure I’ll get used to it. I’m sure its going to get even more severe with Valentine’s day approaching!

Kids/ Dogs

I love how the little ones and dogs are dressed here. I feel like in America we dress our kids up in dorky cute outfits, but here there are more fashion-y clothing stores specifically for kids, such as Ferrari. It’s embarrassing when you walk by a two year old who isn’t even walking and he is wearing more expensive clothes than you are! I saw a baby in a Fendi stroller and a baby boy wearing a Dolce and Gabbana winter hat. They are not messing around when it comes to kids fashion here, or fashion in general for that matter. But, I was expecting serious adult fashion, but the stylish little ones caught me off guard. Even the dogs where clothes! At home, I always try to dress up my chihuahua in steelers jerseys, sundresses, polos, and even puffy jackets but she HATES it. Here, dogs strut there stuff in sweaters and jackets. I even saw one in Burberry! I love how locals take their dogs everywhere. I was in Billa, a grocery store the other day, and realized they have little hooks in the front of the store which are meant to attach your dogs leash to! I saw a cute, well behaved terrier sitting there as people were shopping for food.

I think I’m adjusting to the differences well, but I find them very interesting!

XOXO,

Bri

Location: Via Tosinghi, Florence, Italy

Some Updates

Since the last post, a decent amount has happened. Even since before the previous post I neglected the posting of some potentially interesting details…

The TU Ball (Technical University) As international students with IES, we were cordially invited to take part in the Viennese ball put forth by the Technical University. It was held at the Hofberg and lasted the entire night. I realize that, by American standards, all night really means more of a 7-12 pm event, but in Austria this is seemingly not the case. The ball did not begin until nearly 9 pm and continued deep into the night and early morning hours (5 pm). It was truly a new experience. It was straight out of a fairytale with the escort of the men and women in the gown and garb at the beginning, the live orchestra providing the music, and the beautiful people.

The palace was massive and in each of its ball rooms there was a different band playing a unique genre of music to dance to. I had the opportunity to dance salsa, swing, waltz, and folk specials all in one night! Truly marvelous!

Video of entrance

Daus des Meeres Last Wednesday night we took the evening to visit the Haus des Meeres in Vienna. This is a zoo of sorts; it was very similar to the aquarium located in Baltimore, Maryland only not so immense. They had ocean creatures, fresh water creatures, a tropical rain forest room where the bats flew freely about to and fro. There were also monkeys in this portion. They were adorable and surprisingly tame. They descended their rock walls and abandoned the safety of their trees to investigate the strangers in their habitat (us)…some of the ‘strangers’ were more interesting than others apparently.

In addition to the wildlife, the zoo was also a phenomonal view of the city from its 11^th floor (12^th floor in America). This building was originally constructed early 1900s to serve as an anti air strike base, but was later renovated and converted into a zoo. It was a cool place. Mental note: I must go back some point during the semester, there is a museum of medieval prison and torture right next door to the zoo. It looks very interesting, plus it is underground – automatic win!

Germany Trip We are currently undertaking our conquest of Germany. We departed from Vienna early Saturday morning (after finishing our intensive German finals the day before). We drove for nearly four hours to get into Prague, Czech Republic. This city was truly breathtaking with all of its gothic architecture and mystique. We all want to go back later and spend more than two hours there.

While walking, my roommate and I had a run-in with members of the KGB. We were pretty nervous at first, but once we discovered their game, we followed suite – so as to avoid looking too suspicious and therefore drawing the attention of the spies in the immediate vicinity. The agents told us that we had become “persons of interest,” and then proceeded to ask us if we had any knowledge about the KGB or communist situation in the area. We explained the situation to them, and they allowed us to leave without too much more hassle than that. I feel like I am always the one to experience these crazy things.

We arrived in Dresden, Deutschland only two’ish hours after leaving Prague. This is also an amazing city. It has been remodeling and restoring ever since it was bombed to pieces in WWII. The Germans (and those who aided) have done a wonderful job at the restoration.

-The Patriots are losing so far in Superbowl to this point, I am kind of hoping this continues…and the halftime show was kind of a disappointment also, but what else is new-

Later today, we will continue on with our trip to Leipzig for lunch and the afternoon, then on to Berlin! Will be fun!

Location: GuestHouse Mezcalero Dresden, Germany

Hola from Sevilla!

so to start off i am very sorry that i have not written since i have arrived here. we have been more busy then i could ever even have thought! it is absolutely crazy how much we have managed to pack into the two weeks (officially today) that we have been here. we started off with a few days of orientation which was a complete whirlwind. we had many presentations that answered a lot of our questions we originally had before coming and we got to know pretty much everyone in our program (which is fairly large) within the first few days which was awesome because that was one of my worries! we were divided into smaller groups for orientation and each had a guia (or guide) who is our age and studies at the business school where we will study. they were all very nice and gave us a different perspective. we still keep in touch with them and have all become friends! since orientation we have moved into our homestays (i will write a separate entry about this soon!) and started our 2 week required intensive session course. this course has been extremely taxing and we have had a lot of work every night. but after all, we are getting 3 credits for two weeks so thats not too shabby haha. tomorrow is the final exam for the course and i can honestly say im glad we had to do it because you would be suprised how much you can learn to prepare you for classes and life in spain in only two weeks! although i cant say i wont be glad to be done. 🙂 as for seville itself, its gorgeous. it is rich in history and culture but at the same time is a working city which has modern parts as well. it is actually more modern that i expected but i’ve come to believe it has the perfect mix. we have already been to see the alcazar and la catedral de sevilla and have gone on a hiking excursion as well! there are so many things i could write about but as things settle down a little more in the coming week i plan on writing smaller entries that focus on those specifc things and have a little more detail. some i plan on writing about are my homestay experience, specific excursions, using spanish in everyday life, things to do in sevilla, and more. as for now, im loving seville more than i could have imagined and i am just so…. content to be here and experiencing this! hasta luego!

Location: Seville, Spain

Hola From Sevilla!

Location: Seville, Spain

Time Flies

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Hola Amigos!

Lo siento! I am sorry for not writing sooner, not that I believe many people are checking this blog for updates anyway 🙂 . Its hard for me to believe that I have been in Spain for nearly a month already. Time flies …

To make up for lost time I am going to post a few blog entries at once, and hopefully stay on track from now on. Although, I have become a huge procrastinator in college so we shall see if this plan works out or if I end up posting a bunch at once again.

This post will cover an overview of Spain and my experiences/feelings so far concerning learning a new language. So much has happened since I arrived in Spain on Monday, January 9^th.

I turned 21.
I booked trips to Amsterdam, Portugal, Barcelona, Scotland, Seville, Paris, Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples, Leon …. I’m pretty blessed …. And I’m still trying to book trips to Brussels, Valencia, Granada, Ibiza, Alicante, and maybe Prague (hey you only live once!)
I visited Amsterdam.
I moved into a house with complete strangers, whom I now refer to as my Spanish family.
I learned my way to navigate around a new city and country while communicating in a different language than English.
I started classes at a new school, and they are all Spanish. Oh boy!
I started to teach English to two girls, ages 4 & 7, twice a week.
I became fast friends with plenty of American students in my program, and we have spent the last few weeks exploring and enjoying all Alcala, Madrid, and Europe have to offer.

Writing down all that has happened so far (and I could have continued with a lot more) has only reminded me of how lucky I am to be living abroad for these few months. Although, I will honestly admit- it has not been a bowl of cherries all the time.

I think the “honeymoon” stage of living in Spain wore off this past Monday when I returned from Amsterdam. I was tired and not in the best of moods. I knew adjusting to being immersed in a new culture and language would be a bit difficult, but I did not know how mentally tough it would be to actively try to speak a new language each day. It’s different than in the US when you have a challenging class in college, and you need to concentrate for fifty minutes, and then you can leave and not think about it for a little while, or not at all.

Here, the students in my program and I talk about how we are so tired and our brains hurt all the time from communicating in Spanish. Here, you can’t be thinking about something else while you are in class or in a conversation with someone. You need to completely concentrate and focus all your efforts on listening and understanding …. (although, maybe this a good reminder for me of how I should have conversations with everyone all the time- they should have my full attention).

According to our program coordinator, right now its tough for most of us (not all- some people are fairly fluent- lucky ducks!) because we are:

hearing things in Spanish- translating it to English in our heads- thinking of a response in English- then translating it to Spanish- and then finally responding and speaking in Spanish. Once we eliminate those middle three steps, she claims, we will be fine. I can’t help but think -in English 🙂 – “Well of course, then we’d be fluent.”

All good things take time, and I know learning a new language will be worth it in the end, which is why I signed up for this program. But, it certainly has been a humbling experience. And, it has greatly increased my respect for immigrants, and anyone who has ever moved to a new place and needed to learn a new language.

“Cada d�a, cada d�a” or “each day, each day” as mi madre in Spain would say. Each day, it becomes a little easier to speak, and a little easier for me to understand. Once I got over my need to attempt to speak perfectly (I have this annoying desire to make everything I do perfect, which I know, I know is IMPOSSIBLE), it became easier to communicate. As usual, I was thinking too much. Once I stopped thinking and just starting speaking- things became a little easier, or at least a lot less stressful.

An appropriate reminder for here, and for anytime I try something new.

Really, the only hard thing here has been the language barrier, and even with that- I still love my friends, host family, classes, and city, and I couldn’t be more grateful for this opportunity. Aside from having the most fun semester of my college years (and I am only a month in), I have met wonderful people and gotten to see some amazing places- and I still have three months left !

Location: Alcala de Henares, Spain

Slipping and Sliding through Milan and beyond

Ciao!

This is my third week in Milan and also my last week with a semi-relaxed schedule. Although things have been hectic these first few weeks I now have to prepare myself for a more intense schedule of full-time classes, traveling and attempting to enjoy all that Milan has to offer.

Last weekend (the 20^th– the 22^nd) was my first trip outside of the city to Venice. Although Venice is known for being made up of mostly tourists (and it was), it continued to be an unforgettable experience. When you step out of the train station the canal is directly in front of you. You have a choice between paying for an overpriced taxi boat or taking the bus boat (which is Venice’s main public transportation). Cars or bikes are not present in Venice and boat remains the only option of travel. A group of 8 of us arrived late Friday night and made our way directly to our hostile. After taking the bus about three stops and moving through/ getting lost in alleys that twisted and turned in every direction, we arrived. The streets in Venice are tiny and narrow, hence the reason I refer to them as alleys. It directly reminded me of a movie set (especially at night when nothing is open and few people are present). The atmosphere is very surreal. Most of the alleys also lead to nothing (deadends or stairs going into the water) which makes it very easy to get lost. We were lost about 90% of the time and asking for directions was useless. When we asked someone how to get to the bus one night he told us: “make a right then a left then a right and another right then go across the bridge, not too far and you should see it on you left.” Even though he was speaking English (which most people do in Venice) we had no idea what he was saying. However, overall, our stay was amazing. We saw the main attractions in Venice as well as went to Murano (where they make Murano Glass) and Burano (where they make Burano lace)–(two other islands outside of Venice).

This past week, being in Milan I have learned that this city forces you to move around their time. You’re hungry at 2:00 (14.00) and want to go out to eat? Good luck. Most restaurants and stores closed. You might find someone open and willing to serve you, but chances are you will be the only one there. Also most things are closed on Sunday and Monday which also makes it difficult to accomplish necessary errands. The constant strikes have also assisted in disrupting our ability to adjust. Last week we had to cancel class because of a proposed strike where all transportation was predicted to stop for 24 hours. This would have made it impossible to go or do anything out of walking distance. Many people leaving the city for the weekend had to reschedule to leave a day before in fear of not being able to get to their destination. Because of this, a few of us planned a day trip to Verona, which was also an amazing experience where I survived climbing up the old and very steep stairs of the arena and saw Juliet’s house and the Castello.

Next weekend we are leaving Italy for the first time to go to Amsterdam! Next time I hope to discuss that trip as well as the continuous ups and downs Milan continues to bring. Right now the weather is not ideal. It has been snowing for about a day now making walking much more difficult along the slippery cobblestone sidewalks. I hope the weather will be better when I get back! Arrivederci!

Location: Milan, Italy; Venice, Italy; Verona, Italy

Call me A Beijinger!

Its being a week since I settled into the beautiful and cozy capital of China, Beijing, and its amazing doubtlessly so far! I already feel like a Beijinger!

The orientation week at IES center was really helpful in getting me oriented academically and socially. I was placed into 500 level Chinese language class and will be writing my first 15 page thesis paper in CHINESE. That is going to be really exciting and challenging too! I love my fellow IES participants here, who are coming from universities all over United States.

This week, I explore National Library of China, which is only two subway stops away from my dorm. The library is amazingly big, but there is also lots of security around. Librarians did not allow us to enter the library at first, insisted that my friends and I show our passports (I know, China!). However, we did manage to go in.

南锣鼓巷 (South Drum Alley) was my second exploration spot. It’s a beautifully preserved old Beijing alley with wide variety of restaurants, from tradition Beijing honey cake to fried scorpion. I also met a nice old couple around 70 years old at the alley, who spoke fluent English and were very excited to meet me. We had a great chat about my experience here in Beijing thus far, and their experience in US (their daughters are studying abroad in Missouri State!) and we had picture together. They totally made my day.

Today is Chinese New Year’s Eve! I will be celebrating new year for the first time in Beijing and right away tomorrow, the group will be heading to Yunnan, south west of China, for our 2 week mobile learning trip. There is no better way to start 2012 than this!

Location: beijing, China

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