Tag Archives: education

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 11th floor (12th 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

It has begun!

     Here I am, in Vienna! It is hard to believe that it has already been two full weeks. So much has happened and yet somehow, it seems like I have done so little. It is quite a strange sensation. I just know that I have a LOT more to do and see and experience here.
     Okay, so what have I been up to these last two weeks? Well, firstly, I spent my initial weekend in Vienna in a tiny little town nestled up in the mountains, known as Mariazelle. There we (the IES group) received our several orientations, met with most of the head individuals in the program here in Vienna, became introduced to each other and managed to simultaneously extract a little sampling of Austrian culture from the town. It snowed the entire duration of our stay, adding a certain eerie or gothic feeling to the scene. The main attraction of this city, the founding of which has been traced back to approximately 1150 AD, is the Basilica in the town center. Nearly a million pilgrims per year are recorded visiting the site, making this one of the most visited holy sites in all of Europe.
     Aside from the Basilica, the town was very low key, locals going to the town ski spot a few minutes out, but otherwise, it was a very sleepy sort of town. I have not experiences quite this atmosphere before.
     After our weekend excursion and break in, we drove into Vienna and dispersed, by way of taxi, to our assigned housing. If you are ever in Vienna and can avoid it, do not use taxi. They are quite expensive (as I suspect is the case in most of the world, but have you ever paid in Euro?) This is a fact that I constantly overlook when buying anything here. The simple fact that the Euro –> US dollar is not equal. The items with low price tags are not necessarily good deals. The matter becomes further complicated by the measuring method here. Have you ever bought meat in grams? Or dekagrams? Or drinks in terms of Euro per liter?
     I digress. My first week consisted mainly of trying to figure out the public transportation system, which is heavily relied upon. It takes me 35 minutes (on a good day) to get to school. I walk 5 minutes to hop onto the Stra�enbahn 43. Ride that about 15 minutes then hop onto the U2 which is about a 5 minute walk to and another 5 minute ride. Then I walk another 5 minutes or so to get to the school in the first district (or ‘Bezirk’ as it is called here). The transportation system is quite extensive, as you can imagine, I have gotten lost several times. Many of those times resulting in very extended (originally short) trips across Vienna. 🙂 Good times.
     The most interesting event so far has been the Austrian ball (TU Ball) that I attended just this past Thursday night. It was unlike anything I have yet experienced. I will write more about this and post some videos (if I can figure out how) on here soon!

Closing thought: I have only been here two weeks, but already I feel that I am being stretched as an individual. I have begun broadening horizons in ways I had not imagined. I am excited, but also nervous anticipating how I may continue to grow personally and in what ways I may come to better understand of myself and the world I live in. (and yes, I realize how cliche this sounds, but it is the real McCoy. Ask me sometime where this saying came from if interested)


Location: Vienna, Austria

A Week in My Life as a Visiting Student

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To better understand this blog entry and also merely for the fun of learning, I will introduce you to some of the vocabulary I found commonly used around college:

For the record, breakfast is from 8:15-8:45 every morning except Saturdays and Lunch is from 12:45-1:30 everyday.

Scaf is an informal canteen-style dinner every night from 6:00-6:45 before formal hall, which will be referred to as simply hall in this entry

Kip– Nap ex: I am going to take a kip

x– Kiss They tend to sign their texts with one or several of these X’s that startled me at first, but now I think I will adopt the habit! X

ATS– Alternative Tuck Shop

Hassan’s– A food truck on the Broad Street. Apparently, it is Catz tradition to grab food from here upon return from a night out

Hasan's










JCR– Junior Common Room. A lounge area with a bar and a mini game room on one side, as well as a TV on the other. Usually the meeting spot for crews to head out for the night.

Lodge– Porter’s lodge. It’s like a front desk to the college. The people are very nice and helpful inside and students usually meet outside to head to events located outside the college.

Pigeon Hole– Mailbox. At any given moment Hedwig does indeed fly in with a letter from Hogwarts.
Tramp– A bum or homeless person Question: If Ross tells Hilary he never made it in the club because he was talking to some tramps outside, should Hilary get upset, splash her glass of wine at him and never talk to him again? Answer: Nope. He was doing a good deed and talking to homeless people, as opposed to women working the streets, as we Americans would think.

Essay Crisis– The birth child of procrastination and Facebook. It’s the last minute preparation for an essay due in a few hours, or minutes in some cases.

Blunder– Mistake/error

Sub Fusc– Gowns worn on very formal occasions

Quid– Pounds, how we say “bucks” instead of dollars. Funny story, for the longest time, I thought they were saying squid and I wondered silently why in the world these people had so many squids!

Fag– Slang for cigarette ex: Can I bum a fag. Translation: Could I borrow a cigarette?

Staircase– Synonymous for US dorm. Not literally the staircase, but the entire building. Staircases are numbered as opposed to ex: at UP where the dorms have names: ex: Brill Hal of Eastview Terrace.

MONDAYS

1) Breakfast  – 8 items for 2 quid (About 3 bucks) is not bad at all

2) Essay crisis

3) Lunch

4) Essay Crisis

5) Secondary tutorial every other week for an hour at St. Hugh’s college (It was such a hike!)

6) Usually go for a Law or any other society event at another college

7) Hall or Scaf depending on the menu

8) Evening visits to Friends’ staircases

9) Try to catch people online on Skype

10) Somehow fall asleep

TUESDAYS

1) Wake Up

2) Library

3) Repeat act #2 for Acts number 4,5 and 6

7) Lunch

8) 3-5PM Attend an optional lecture for PIL (Public International Law)

9) Hall

10) Repeat Monday’s activities after hall

WEDNESDAYS

1) Library all day. Literally

THURSDAYS

1) Wake up at 6: ESSAY CRISIS

2) Breakfast

3) ESSAY CRISIS

4) Submit Essay for primary tutorial

5) Lay there with the weight of the world lifted form my shoulders

6) Skype

7) Lunch

8)Return library books and get new ones for the next essay

9) Linger around till hall

10) Eat and linger some more

FRIDAY

1) Lunch

2) Library

3) Run errands

4) Choir Practice

5)Hall

Hall

6) Find out what everyone’s doing and join them. (Usually going to the club: WAHOO, which I hate)

Between Saturday and Sunday, I would go to church, go to basketball practice, go out, study and work on Monday’s essay, catch up with news back home, etc. During most of the free time I had, I was able to attend a few events hosted by my subject’s societies. I also seized the opportunity to make use of the Career Services by attending career fairs and having my resume looked over.

And there you have it ladies and gentlemen; a quick and broad look into a week in my life at Oxford. Let me know if there are any vocab words I left out or misunderstood or anything of that sort. Till next time,

Cheers!

PS: Special thanks George for the vocab tips! Xx

 Random pic of Cornmarket St. Oxford.

Cornmarket St.


Location: Oxford, England

La Vie En Rose

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ABSTRACT

A beautiful flowing piece of pink satin fabric with a few taints made by challenging tutorials, cold weather, instability at Penn State and a financial tank on E would describe week 5 at Oxford. I am writing this (the old school way) on my train back from Paris, where I spent the weekend completely astounded by all the beauty compressed into a single city.But coming back from my vie en rose, it dawned on me that I was coming back to bedlam. The essays, the studying, the overwhelmingly large textbooks I occasionally comprehend and the unwelcome visit of bees in my room were all awaiting me. And before I got to the complaining, I realized how much of a blessing in fact it is. If you don’t take away from anything I just typed, remember this: focus on the bigger picture.

                                                       ***

A beautiful flowing piece of pink satin fabric with a few taints made by challenging tutorials, cold weather, instability at Penn State and a financial tank on E would describe week 5 at Oxford. But while life has not been painted in a constant shade of rosy pink, the minor distortions are not worth complaining about. So let’s focus on the positives. Under this category falls the simple notion that it is WEEK 6 ALREADY! I don’t know how to feel about this. Just 3 more weeks and it’s all over; the experience that took me months to prepare for will be over. I really miss my family and Penn State, but I’m not sure I am ready to leave all the wonderful things, people and places I have encountered here, FOR (possibly) EVER! O.o . LouvreI’m honestly not even sure if Penn State will have the same vibe and warmth when I get back. Things have changed, people have changed, how easy will it be for me to squeeze back into a comfortable place upon my return? At the same time, no matter the vibe, it is my Alma Mater and something about it just draws me back, so I am ready to go….kind of…I don’t know if I am ready to leave this close and convenient location on the globe that gives me direct access to a myriad  of cultures.

I am writing this (the old school way) on my train back from Paris, where I spent the weekend completely astounded by all the beauty compressed into a single city. On more than one occasion, songs by �dith Piaf, or La M�me Piaf (the little Sparrow) as some may now her, played softly in the background like a soundtrack to my dreamy perfect French experience. Fortunately, over the summer, (as if I knew) I had watched her autobiography, La Vie En Rose, from which I cleverly borrowed the title of this entry and named after one of her most popular songs. You may have come across her song Je ne Regrette Rien that was featured in the movie Inception apparently (I am yet to watch the movie). Anyway, putting aside the tips of the French culture, it was such an amazing experience. Going to the Louvre Museum I must say was one of the most meaningful things I have ever done. As a child in Africa several years ago, staring at a picture in a book of this beautiful mysterious place in the world I never imagined ever having the chance to live out the experience and with patience and perseverance, when I least expected it, I was at this place, soaking in the breathtaking beauty. In addition to that, I visited the Eiffel tower and went to the 2nd floor (the top was closed), L’arc de Triomphe de l’�toile, the Notre Dame Cathedral, Walked along the Champs–�lys�es and ate crepes. Something about all the monuments makes you feel so small and not necessarily insignificant, but a part of something so much bigger than yourself- this world. The buildings, especially the arc, are so large, so concrete, so strong and make you seem so fragile, delicate and protected almost. I would definitely recommend the trip for anyone on the fence about.

Eiffel TowerBut coming back from my vie en rose, it dawned on me that I was coming back to bedlam. The essays, the studying, the overwhelmingly large textbooks I occasionally comprehend and the unwelcome visit of bees in my room were all awaiting me. And before I got to the complaining, I realized how much of a blessing in fact it is. Education in this world is a privilege and most definitely Oxford is a great one. I realized the opportunity to travel ANYWHERE on a weekend, in a safe country, with change in my pocket, food to eat and friends for company is a blessing. I was always taught to count my blessings and the moral of the story, or I guess this entry would be to count yours. Many of us are saddened by recent happening at Penn State and by excessive homework, perhaps sick relatives and I am pretty sure we are not living la vie en rose. In fact, so few of us are meanwhile we can all be.

If you don’t take away from anything I just typed, remember this: focus on the bigger picture. Every week (sometimes twice a week, when I have 2 tutorials) I stress over my essay. I focus on the word count, the structure, the argument and then I have to stop and think about the purpose of all this. I look at the bigger picture. I have 12 essays in total for one semester’s worth of grades out of 8 semesters total. I want to graduate with good grades because I want to go to law school, get a good job, start a family, etc. 20 years from now will I even remember this day? Is it worth stressing so much on or should I just relax, finish it and prepare better for the next one? Some may argue the contrary and while philosophies on life are subjective, a common denominator for most is that at the end of this rollercoaster we call life, we all want to be able to look back at all our deeds and experiences and think je ne regrette rien.


Location: Paris, France

We Are…Smart?

Abstract

The Million Dollar Question: Are we smart because we are at Oxford or at Oxford because we are smart?

My second week at Oxford has come to an end so far; both my essays have received good reviews, which made my week. I have managed to attend meetings and events for a number of societies on campus and simply joining the societies in your area helps significantly reduce the cost of taking advantage of this opportunity. I have been finding the overall environment. One word: lovely. The people, the places, the vibe. Everyone seems so down to earth and normal it is easy to forget I am at the best university in the world. From walking over to Domino’s at night for a free pizza to staying up chatting till 2 am, I’d say these students are just your average college students at a not-so-average college.

——-

 Due to the feedback I received from a loyal follower of my blog, I inserted an abstract section at the beginning so that my not so loyal followers can have a feel for what the entry is talking about without actually having to read my “too-long” blog post. Bodelian Library

 

In between the two essays I have had to type up this week, which both got good reviews, (yay me!) I have managed to attend meetings and events for a number of societies on campus. I am yet to attend a Law Society event, which I should considering the fact that I am a member and paid a significant sum of money for the membership. I have been to African Caribbean Society events, as well as PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics, the course I am studying) events and even joined the choir. These have all been healthy distractions as well as huge networking opportunities for me. The number of international businesses and successful personnel that come to the university is insane and simply joining the societies in your area helps significantly reduce the cost of taking advantage of this opportunity. At the pub last week, I was talking to a girl who is in her final year and got a job offer from one of the top law firms in London. They are saving the position for her till after her graduation and return from a year of learning Portuguese in Brazil, which they are sponsoring. Sometimes, it is not even at career fairs that the most important networking is made, but simply at society events, which are advantageous due to the smaller setting.

 

Oxford University PressOn another note, I’m going to talk a little bit about health. Everyone is sick. It is like the cough intervals in a lecture hall have a melodic tune to them and I find it hilarious, and slightly concerning. Apparently it is the Fresher’s Flu that happens every year at around this time, so it is nothing to be worried about. 

 

I am going on my official Oxford tour tomorrow morning, so I am sorry folks, but you will have to wait till next week for more exclusive topnotch pictures. So with lack of scenery to discuss, I will briefly talk about how I have been finding the overall environment. One word: lovely. The people, the places, the vibe. It’s different and it is lovely. Let’s focus on the people: the locals have been really nice and I cannot count the number of times people have just glanced at a lost look on my face and asked me if I needed directions, without me having to approach them. My tutors have been flexible to my needs and very gentle in their criticism, which is good for my feeble heart! Everyone seems strict and firm, but with good intentions. It’s tough love out here. The students are friendly, especially here at St. Catz. I have noticed when around members of other colleges, the comradery among sports groups, such as the rowing and rugby teams have more bromances than romances going on. Maybe because we are in different colleges and such, but I definitely think St. Catz are more approachable and friendly and therefor Oxford’s cool catz. Everyone seems so down to earth and normal it is easy to forget I am at the best (according to Joyce T. Chuinkam’s rankings) university in the world. From walking over to Domino’s at night for a free pizza to staying up chatting till 2am, I’d say these students are just your average college students at a not-so-average college. This has led me to do some thinking lately, resulting in the million dollar question (�633,400 <—That conversion rate is the only thing I hate about being American right now).

 

MatriculationAre we smart because we are at Oxford or at Oxford because we are smart? Before you roll your eyes thinking the later is obvious, think about the former. Could being in an environment where you are labeled “smart” without having to say a word push you to live up to your title? Do professors assume you are smart and therefore challenge and push you in ways other universities dare not? Does your exposure to a new world of opportunities, challenges and great resources significantly enhance your thinking abilities? Would it be the same at any other university? Finally, would any Tom, Dick or Harry ace essays on Spanish democracy and international law if they were simply blessed with the Oxfordian resources and luxuries? One on one tutorials, lectures by experts and world renown professors, house keeping 3 times a week, etc. I walked into a store today and read this quote on an Oxford postcard:

 

“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” ~ William A. Ward

 

 

This got me thinking: are we all born with potential but some the opportunities to maximize it and others not? Or is it all about self-discipline and hard work? Does how we are socialized really have an impact on our academic performance? Maybe that builds the study skills and mental environment for success? Is Oxford such a great university because it educates the best of the best or because it employs the best of the best? Feel free to comment, message, text, Skype, facebook and NOT Yahoo! Messenger me (because nobody uses that anymore). I am curious to see what people think about this. 

 

This ran a little longer than I expected, but on the brightside, hunger no more! I left you all some food for thought!

 

Till next week,

Joyce.

 

PS: Is it wrong that everyday I grab my fully charged camera on my way out with the hopes of running into Emma Watson. Laugh all you want, but better safe than sorry!

**Pictures of the Bodleian Library, matriculation, and the Oxford University Press at night.


Location: Oxford, England

The Art of Filling

This was an article I wrote for the newsletter create for the end of the semester.  This one is about the “fudao” or tutors that IES prepares for us.  We are allotted up to 4 hours a week to meet with them, with the fees covered through our IES tuition.  I must say, I really did enjoy having a fudao, particularly my own.  Here’s a short, somewhat snarky article about what its like.

Imagine a large jar, and surrounding the jar are large rocks.  One by one you place the large rocks into the jar until you cannot fit anymore.  Is the jar full?  It is not.  You can take the smaller gravel pieces around the large stones to fill in the holes.  So you do that.  Is the jar full now?  You see that the large stones and small gravel are just specs in an ocean of sand on which it lies.  You pour sand into the jar, and watch it trickle down and fill the gaps that the large and small stones fail to occupy.  Finally, it must be full you say.  Not so!  Even between the sand particles are spaces that not even the smallest sand particle can fill.  So you add water.  

The point of this illustration is to show how difficult it is to learn a language, and how incomplete it would be to sit in a classroom and hope to absorb the characters, pinyin, definition, grammar that we learn four days a week.  Nosiree, as large as those rocks are, they simply will not fill.  That’s why we have Chinese roommates or homestay families, (are forced to) speak in Chinese 24/7, and meet with tutors.  All these outside-the-classroom activities work together to perpetuate our learning after 12:15, solidifying the lessons through repetition and appropriate contextualized use.  However, I am especially appreciative of the fudao that IES has arrange for me, and all the ways that she is able to tailor to my needs to help me have a more complete Chinese learning experience. 

I meet with my fudao four times a week, usually at the IES building.  Our tradition is always the same: we greet, we sit down, and we get to business.  In an hour’s time, I am usually able to get familiar with the grammar points, read through the passage, and complete the next day’s homework.  However, what is interesting to note is the magic that occurs when we’re not on task.  We chat about our day and what we did that day.  I pause to ask my fudao what her opinion is on the day’s topic such as the one child policy, bicycle maintenance,  or George W. Bush’s visit to China (notably outdated, I know).  I ask her how 特别，特色，特殊 are different, even though my book says they all mean “special”.  I ask her to help me create crazy, nonsensical (but grammatically correct) sentences for my homework.  It’s like having a second teacher that is more willing to keep up with my Chinese learning antics. 

But it’s not always rainbows and butterflies.  Some say that their fudao experience is quite bad.  They complain that their fudao seem unresponsive or disinterested during the meeting.  Or perhaps that their fudaos reschedule too often or are unwilling to trek to the IES building to meet with them.  To those individuals I can do nothing but offer my condolences.   But as for me,  I can honestly say, without any degree of exaggeration, that my life has become fundamentally and holistically better because of my fudao.  She is the water that fills my jar; my cup overfloweth.  


Location: IES Building (during my tutoring session), Beijing, China

Machu Picchu.

Inside the dimly lit dining tent, the other 20 hikers rubbed their hands together, huddled up underneath their jackets while the wind blew briskly outside. We`d finished a grueling 7-hour climb that literally had us scaling the Andes Mountains earlier that day, and we greedily drank steaming vegetable broth from metal saucers, exchanging our experiences of reaching Warmihu�usca Pass (in Quechua, literally “where the woman dies” due to the rock formations visible near at the top), at an altitude of 4,200 meters.

Fernando and Vera — a Brazilian couple, each of them about 60 years old — were celebrating their 20-something anniversary on that second night of the 4-day Inka Trail. Hanna, a middle-aged Belgian woman perpetually wearing a colorful Bolivian hat and best described as a traveling hippie, had already been journeying across South America for nine months. For Emily and Sam, from Australia, it was their fourth month on the road. An Englishman named Mike was doing a 6-month internship in Lima, the capital city, and was taking a short break from his work.

Argentina. Chile. Brazil. England. Holland. Belgium. Uruguay. Australia. Canada. France.

Since arriving in Cusco, I�ve met people from around the world. On the hike alone, nine nationalities were represented, a motley assortment of adventurous and global citizens. For me, meeting so many different kinds of people is the most valuable aspect of going to other countries.

That we could experience the Quechua culture together on the hike to Machu Picchu is intercultural exchange at its best. There`s something to be said for the collective effort of scaling mountains in a foreign place, the end goal being to see and learn about an ancient city from a culture far removed from any of our previous life experience.

That said, I don�t think anyone was expecting the trip to be so intense.

This part of the hike had left most of us exhausted. Couple that with frigid temperatures, thin mattresses, slippery slopes due to the rainy season, etcetera, etcetera, and you have all the adverse conditions necessary for making strong bonds in a short span of time.

The hike itself was nothing short of amazing. The 4-day Inka Trail is the one of same roads originally used by the Quechua people during their peregrination, or religious journey, to Machu Picchu. Characterized by seemingly endless flights of stairs and unreal views of expansive landscapes from atop gigantic mountains, it was more than anything I could`ve expected, especially because the trail is so unforgiving: It requires real effort on the part of the tourist to appreciate the Inka culture in this way.

Near La Puerta del Sol (“Door of the Sun”), on the fourth day of the hike, I clambered up the final flight of stairs that would finally allow me to glimpse the city. Veiled by wisps of rising mist, the stone walls and buildings on the mountain below me constituted one of the most impressive sights I�ve seen in my life.

Words and pictures fail to capture what it�s like to be there. Understanding the nearly vertical climb at certain points of the hike up Huayna Picchu — the 2.720-meter mountain that rises over Machu Picchu — and the sense of vertigo that comes along with it, and standing at the top of a precipice inches away from a death-dealing plummet: You can`t get that unless you actually look down and see the drop in front of your feet.

Machu Picchu is one of the wonders of the world for good reason. It`s extraordinary.

Afterward, having taken the bus from the top of the mountain to the nearby tourist town of Aguas Calientes (“hot waters”), all the hikers gathered at the hot springs to relax after the long trek. The smiling faces of the rambunctious Argentines, the calm and collected Brazilians, the pop culture-oriented Australians — they seemed like those of old friends at that point.

There is so much left to describe about this trip that led us through some of the most impressive sights of Peru, namely the conditions of the porters who guided us, carried most of the camping equipment and cooked our food. They do this — really, really hard work — for a pittance compared to what I can earn in the States serving coffee at Dunkin� Donuts. But that�s the way the world works.

Sure, I can befriend people similarly privileged citizens from countries around the world, all the while learning a lot about different cultures. But no matter what, as valuable, wonderful and incredible as it is, it always leaves a bad taste in my mouth.


Location: Cusco, Peru

Cuetzalan School

Hello all!  I know there haven’t been very regular updates to my blog, so I’m hoping to try to catch up a little bit this last week I’m here in M�xico.  I’ve had different issues – ranging from technical difficulties uploading to simply not having a lot of free time in which to write!

Anyways, this blog is primarily about our final “fieldtrip” while here in M�xico.  Last weekend (Friday – Sunday) we visited a tiny mountain town in the state of Puebla called Cuetzalan.  The town has a school that Penn State is “partners” with, and that we had the opportunity to visit.  It was pretty amazing.  The whole village is set way up in the mountains here (it took us 4 hours to drive there in our tour bus).  The scenery is gorgeous, and because of its location, the climate is closer to tropical than anything I’ve experienced so far while I’ve been here.  But here’s the play-by-play…

Friday Morning:

Up at 7:30am to meet up as a group to get on our tourbus and head for the mountain town of Cuetzalan.  The schedule for today is to drive deep into the Sierra Madres to visit a tiny school for the people who live in this amazing location.  My understanding is that Penn State helps this school out with occasional funding, faculty exchange, and gifts and in return they allow us to visit when we do our study abroad program here in the state of Puebla.  I didn’t really know what to expect for this school, but it was something so outside of my realm of experience, I don’t know that I could have been completely prepared for it.

To see a third-world type educational institution on TV or in a magazine is a thoroughly different experience than visiting one in real life.  While at the school we saw a powerpoint presentation on their computer (their ONE computer and projector…) that was pictures of previous visits to the school.  And they fed us lunch – a hamburger, fries, and homemade coleslaw.  As we ate, our professor remarked that this was most likely more food than most of the families saw in a day, certainly much, much more than they normally received at school. 

After we walked through the cement block school, that had maybe five or ten different classrooms, we went down to their “gym” an outdoor cement basketball court/soccer field.  They did a variety of traditional dances for us, and thanked us for the gifts we had brought them (plates, bowls, soccer balls, colored paper, pens and pencils).  After that, a bunch of our group played soccer with a bunch from the school.  Despite what you’d consider our height and weight advantages (as we’re all twentysomethings and they’re malnourished kids between the ages of 10 and 16), they kicked our butts at soccer.  I think everyone had fun, though, which was more the point of the activity.  J

After that, they did this fantastic thing where they build these giant paper balloons (out of a waxy crepe paper that we bought them), insert a wire ring with a rag soaked in gas and on fire, and then send them up into the sky.  A miniaturized hot air balloon.  It was a really neat thing to watch, and the balloons floated all the way up and out of sight behind the clouds as we were getting ready to go.

All in all, it was a pretty incredible day…one that made me extraordinarily grateful for my education and the opportunities I’ve had in my life.  The kids at that school have an impossible road ahead of them, and most won’t make it out of the mountain towns in which they live.  A lot don’t even have a proper house, and are hanging on only by a thread.  I wish the best for them, and am glad that Penn State, for all its flaws, is doing some little good somewhere in the world, at least.  We need to do more.

TO BE CONTINUED…  


Location: Zaragoza No. 12 Cuetzalan, Puebla, México