Tag Archives: global citizen

Trying to fit it all in

Yikes, I’m a little late with my blog! Well, that just means ya’ll will get several this week. Aren’t you guys lucky?!

So, this weekend was very productive in terms of seeing things before I leave Paris in a week. Wow, time has flown!

Friday morning I returned to the Louvre and explored the Sully wing. It took me about 3 � hours, but I got to see everything in every room on all levels in that wing. This is my plan until I leave and I have about 3 more visits and I’ll have seen every room, including the Renaissance exhibit that is happening now. They even have a Lady Gaga exhibit in one of the rooms! What the heck!? The pictures below are from that visit.

This is what is left of the original Louvre, which was built as a fortress. Where the wooden walkway is now used to be the bottom of a moat and all the rest that you see here would have been underwater.

On this stone, you can see the mark that the worker who cut and placed the stone left. At that time, workers were paid by the piece, so each worker carved his mark into the stone so the overseers knew how much to pay each one.

This is what is left of the dungeon. It is all filled in now, but it was located in the center of the courtyard of the fortress. Today it is under the courtyard where the glass pyramid is.

After the Louvre, I met some friends and we went to the Arc de Triomphe de l’Etoile. Just think, after only 268 steps, you’re at the top! I know, I counted. And wouldn’t you know, when we got to the top, it began to rain, but these pictures still came out pretty well. �toile in French means star and as you can see by the pictures, all of the roads radiate away from the Arc like a star. Inside the Arc, just below the roof level, is an interactive display that has mapped out all of the triumphal arcs across the world. You tap the icon in the country that you want to see and it brings up a picture of that Arc and a brief history of it. Very cool!

I got up early on Sunday and went to the Musee l’Orangerie, which is inside the Tuileries gardens. On Sundays, entry into all municipal museums in Paris is free, so they are usually very crowded. I got there about � hour after it opened and the line was already about 100 feet long. Luckily, I was inside in about ten minutes. Say what you may about the French, they know how to keep a line moving. Anyway, the whole purpose to going there was to see the two rooms of wall to wall Water Lilies paintings by Monet, and it does not disappoint! Speechless is all I can say! They don’t allow pictures inside the museum at all, but you can google some images of the museum and see some photos of these rooms. I stood in the middle and very slowly turned 360 degrees. Of course, I did several revolutions in each room for several minutes because it was simply amazing.

This week will be busy with more tests and papers due, but it is becoming more of a preparation for our final exams. Yay! Yes, that was sarcasm. Good gosh, how the French love to have students write papers. Some professors pile on the homework, tests and essays, while others don’t assign anything for homework; a mid-term, a final exam and one long paper and that’s it. Quite the disparity there.

Well, I will be posting again in a few days, so I will sign off for now! Lots of homework, but tomorrow is our last day of classes! Wooo Hooo!

Mary

Location: Paris, France

Great week

So, I started out the week with a visit to the Church of the Madeleine, which was pretty darn big. All around the outside are statuary of apostles and saints. There was a wedding about to take place this day and there are no cameras allowed inside the church, so picture opportunities were not all that great. There was also a bit of restoration going on, which is very common with many monuments and churches here.

We also took a guided tour around Versailles and saw some absolutely beautiful things. This is Louis XIV’s work room where he apparently plotted many military actions. Yes, the desk is beautiful, but I absolutely loved the carpeting in this room. Most of the rooms are decorated in the same fashion, with elaborate wall tapestries, outrageously ornate furniture and huge fireplaces, but this one was done in a bit simpler fashion (believe it or not) and I thought it was amazing that the rug still had such vibrant colors.

Say what you want about the monarchy, but they sure know how to mow a lawn! The entire place isn’t this manicured; mostly close to the palace. All of the fields are lined with perfectly manicured hedges and trees, but there are still fields for goats, sheep, cows, etc… Access to the grounds is free, but there is a charge if you want to see the palace, the trianons and Marie Antoinette’s little hamlet.

Yeah, I know this one came out sideways, but I had to include it. There is a little story about this guy. Five years ago, my sister and I visited Paris and this panhandler was outside Sacre Coeur on Montmartre. He was striking a serious pose then and I don’t know how successful he was bringing in the euros, but everybody wanted his picture. Well, as I was making my way to the train back to Paris, who do I see, but my little buddy King Tut the Panhandler! Quite a lovely little tidbit of nostalgia for me! And he must be doing better to be able to take his act on the road to Versailles….kudos!

Had to include this one too. On my way back from Versailles, I got off the train a bit early so I could walk around a bit and see a bit more of the city. This entire building has vegetation growing on the outside. I thought it was just the neatest thing! And it smelled great!

So, the Versailles day was great and thank gosh I decided to buck the fashion police and wear my sneakers because I walked about 5-6 miles that day. It was such a beautiful day that I walked from one end to the other at Versailles and then back and then all around the grand canal. There were bicycles you could rent, but do you think I dug out $7 for one? Nnnnoooo! Had to walk. Then, when I got off the train early just south of the Eiffel Tower, I walked all the way to Pont Neuf, which is a bit of a hike as well. Pull out a map or two and check it out. I figure that I didn’t come to Paris to just see the metro, the only way to see the city is to get out there and walk it, so that’s what I’ve been doing every weekend.

Classes here are going well although sometimes it’s a bit difficult to attend 3 classes in a row every Monday and Wednesday for 1 1/2 hours each. I only have 2 classes on Tuesday and Thursday and they have a long break in between them. Classes here are conducted kind of similarly as in the U.S., but the assignments and testing are very different. Most of my classes have 2-3 essays to be turned in over the course of the semester, with a mid-term and a final in almost all of my classes and that is about it for assignments and testing. There are no pop quizzes and my language class is the only one that has grammar exercises that are assigned for homework. All of the rest of my classes just have reading assignments. Fridays there are no classes, but we do have ‘cultural outings’ for some of our classes that are done on these days. I’m looking forward to these because we actually go out into the city and learn about the architecture and history of the buildings and monuments.

Well, until next time, which will actually be tomorrow since I have a bunch more to post. Up next…the Basilica at Saint-Denis and Giverny! Toodles!

Mary

Location: Paris, France

Weekend Travels: Copenhagen and Vienna

The best part of Europe to an American is that it’s so small! Compared to my home state of Pennsylvania, the distance between one city to another is nothing. My central location in Maastricht is convenient for weekend trips, and I’m definitely taking advantage of our university’s scheduled three day weekend!

Last weekend I went to Copenhagen. I had never been to Denmark or any Scandinavian country, but I found a train that let me fall asleep in Cologne and wake up in Copenhagen, so I said “why not?” It was such a fun city — museums displaying full sized Viking boats, an amusement park in the middle of town, an autonomous hippy state, and the best bread I’ve ever tasted in my life. Seriously, they don’t process their wheat before they made bread, so it’s chewy and filling and full of fiber.

I took a bike tour to see as much of the city as possible, and I ended up really enjoying the hippy paradise of Christiana. In the 70’s, a group of squatters took over an abandoned military baraks. The police decided to look the other way, and soon the tiny area had turned into a full fledged autonomous state. They’ve built their own houses and buildings in addition to the ones they took over, and it has a booming economy independent of Danish rule. They have hair salons, restaurants, doctors offices, basically every need is met. The town is ruled by direct democracy and all decisions are made by consensus. The coolest part to me is that they have strict policy on development, and are therefore the most biodiverse area of Copenhagen.

I also took a day trip to Sweden, but on my way I visited the castle of a town called Helsingoer. In English, that would be pronounced “Elsinore.” Any literary nerds understand why the castle was so exciting yet? It’s the castle that Shakespeare set “Hamlet” in! I’m a huge fan of Shakespeare and I was an assistant director for that play a couple summers ago, so I geeked out trying to figure out which rooms each scene might have taken place in. I was disappointed to find out that Hamlet was not a real person; rather, he was based on Danish legend. Therefore no Hamlet, Polonius, or Gertrude ever actually occupied the castle. It was still the highlight of my trip though!

This weekend I’m staying in Vienna! I have a good friend from the city and so I’ve heard stories about how beautiful it is. I can now confirm the truth of that statement, and also add that Vienna is one of the best cities to visit in terms of food, art, and culture. I’ve eaten the famous “Sacher torte” which is chocolate cake with apricot jam topped with chocolate ganache, and drunk their cappuccino-esque “melange” at one of the famous Viennese cafes. The town is easy to walk through and the architectural opulence of the Habsburg empire dominates the city. Every building is grand and ornate, even outside of the tourist areas.

I realize I’ve been blogging mostly about my trips rather than the classes I’ve been taking, so my next update will talk more about Maastricht itself and my “Politics of the European Integration” course. I’m going to go continue to enjoy Vienna for now though!

Location: Copenhagen, Denmark

Learning About the European Union

The European Union is a tricky web of institutions and consulting bodies that would be difficult for the unfamiliar student to navigate. Therefore, before we begin our formal class on “The Politics of the European Integration,” Maastricht University took us on a ten day study tour around Western Europe to see the European government first hand.

And it’s complicated. For someone who has been diligently paying attention to governmental structure from an American point of view, our first few discussions of the European Union were disorienting. But, I can honestly say that if I needed to write a ten page paper on supernational political governance structure and functioning representation, I would be able to use the European Union as an example.

The EU is different from most international political organizations in that it effectively regulates and enforces its treaties. The United Nations, for example, lacks any power other than political pressure through sanctions to enforce the rules its member states sign on to. For example, the UN considers access to education to be a fundamental human right, but I have several friends who did not attend college because it was too expensive. Clearly turning education into a privilege goes against the United Nations’ declaration of education as a right, but America still sits on the security council. That would not happen in the European Union.

There are seven main institutions that make up the EU, but our class visited organizations that didn’t belong to the EU as well. We started in Luxembourg, made our way to Strasbourg, Paris, Bruges, and finally to Brussels. Our trip made geographic sense, but the schedule of visits was not the most conducive to understanding the EU, so I will describe our visits out of order to make some sense of the organization.

The EU has what is known as a cooperative process of passing legislation. Much like our bicameral legislative branch, this means that it takes more than one body to agree to pass legislation. In fact, the EU uses three institutions officially to make a new law.

Lets look at it schoolhouse rock style: how a bill becomes a law. Only one institution has the right of initiation, meaning that they can draft a new bill. Though the European Commission is mainly the executive branch in terms of enforcing and implementing legislation, they are the only institution allowed to present a new piece of legislation.

After careful consideration and consultation (we’ll talk more about that later), the Commission sends the new bill to the European Parliament. The Parliament is the only institution whose members are directly elected rather than appointed by member states. They amend the bill and send it over to the European Council, which is made of ministers from the member states.

They have to come to agreement down to the exact wording of the contents of the bill. Their differing membership creates a check and balance between national interests of member states and overall European interests. If they both agree, the bill is passed into European law.

They are mandated to consult two committees, the European Economic and Social committee, made of employers, employees, and experts, as well as the Committee of Regions. The Committee of Regions represents what we would understand as State and Local governments in the member states. These differing points of view ensure that the passed legislation is informed by a diverse representation of the whole European citizenry.

Whew. And that was only five of our eleven visits! We visited the European Court of Justice, who fines countries for breaking European law as well. My personal favorite visit was the Court of Auditors, who triple check all expenditures and actions to inform the EU how to adapt its practices. We also visited the European Ombudsman who fields complaints about maladministration.

Outside of the European Union, we saw the Council of Europe and its main institution, the European Court of Human Rights. We actually got to see a trial between five governments and a Bosnian citizen who claimed that the state run banks refused to return a deposit he’d made right before Yugoslavia fell. We didn’t get to see a decision happen yet though; it was said that a ruling could take up to three months!

The most unusual visit was to the Organization on Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris. The organization is a politically neutral economic powerhouse who has statistics and models for just about any potential policy to ever be created. Their opinion is highly valued by most international organizations.

Outside of the “study” part of the study tour, our group had a great time traveling around. It was fascinating to attempt a European lifestyle from an American point of view. For example, an average sit down dinner rarely took fewer than two hours. Our first experience with this was stressful, because we are used to quick service and little down time. However, by the end of the trip we learned how to relax, sip our wine, and really enjoy each others’ company long after we’d finished eating.

I really enjoyed my experience because I’d only been to Paris out of all the visits. Traveling to new places is always top on my list of favorite places, and Western Europe did not disappoint. Speaking of new places, I’m currently on a train by myself to Copenhagen! I’m hoping to explore the city and meet new people for the weekend, and maybe I’ll even take a day trip to Southern Sweden. I’m already excited for the next big adventure.

Location: Brussels, Belgium

Toilet Bowl Moments and Rose Colored Glasses

I feel like when I most people talk about their travels abroad it’s closely akin to the way some people talk about high school. We look back with “graduation goggles” strapped to our heads. We recount trips with rose colored glasses pushed up high on the bridges of our noses. Now don’t get me wrong. Traveling abroad is a really wonderful opportunity. There’s so much to do, and see, and experience, and I truly believe that if you have the right mindset you can make any trip a good one. HOWEVER, this does not mean that every second of every day is going to be great. Every moment isn’t going to be fun. Every sensation isn’t going to be desirable. Every emotion isn’t going to be welcomed. For a short time I worried that maybe I was just an intense bum, or weak, or was a glass half empty kind of human because I haven’t enjoyed every second of my stay in Costa Rica. Then one day while I was reading the blogs of some of my fellow classmates studying here I realized something.

When we write about these things, everything sounds amazing because the vast majority of the experiences probably will be. Overall, in regard to these travels, the aw-inspiring and unforgettable moments vastly outweigh the not so great ones. That doesn’t mean by having those momentary feelings of wow-what-am-I-doing-here-I-fail-at-life-why-does-the-water-in-the-toilet-bowl-spin-the-other-way is a bad thing. So, in order to purge myself of such feelings as well as hopefully be able to provide some small comfort to anyone else having what I like to refer to as “a toilet bowl moment,” I have decided to put forth some of my own with an assortment of interesting, funny, and otherwise off beat photos from my trip that probably don’t belong anywhere else. Additionally, although I don’t have much time left here in Costa Rica, at the end of every blog I’m going to try to post one toilet bowl moment. My blog doesn’t need to inspire masses, but hopefully it can help a few individuals, or at the very least conjure up a couple smiles.

Okay, so I think my worst toilet bowl moment happened about two and a half weeks into my month long stay in Costa Rica. I started to get homesick. This is probably normal, but I think it’s still pretty significant. Anyway, I tend to be fine for a while, miss my home very severely for a short period, then even out again. Well, this time when I got homesick it hit me hard, I mean like a wrecking ball hard. This is probably partially attributed to the fact that in the moment that it occurred to me, “Oh wow, I miss home…A lot,” I was sitting at dinner with mi familia Tica. My tica mom looks at me and asks if I’m feeling sick again (I had just gotten over a nasty flu type thing). I tell her no, and open my mouth to say I’m only a bit homesick. And my mouth stays open. And closes again. And reopens. Like a really confused fish. Why? Because in that moment I realized that after four years of high school Spanish, and one semester at college I didn’t know how to say “I miss my family.” Ouch. (To think I had all As… Go figure.)

You know, the language barrier is hard. It’s not horrendous, but it is hard. I can communicate my needs, make simple conversation, and since I’ve been here have gotten better at comprehending what is going on, but I still feel that I’m pretty low level. When it comes to xpressing matters of the heart or having in depth discussions I ride the struggle bus hardcore. It can be lonely at times even here, in Costa Rica, in paradise. Maybe my language skills are just a bit poor, but I feel that this type of experience is normal. So, for anyone else out there trying to learn a second language, for anyone that is legally considered an adult and missing their mommy or daddy, for anyone making a fish face for any reason, just know that it’s okay. You’re not alone. Study abroad is wonderful, and these bumps are just another part of it. The direction the water spins in the bowl will sometimes drive you crazy, but then you’ll realize that as long as it gets where it needs to go, it’s all good. So keep flushing. Keep going. It’s all a learning experience. “Me hace falta mi familia.” You’ll get there.

Location: San Rafael, Turrialba CR

Night of the Cat

This was mentioned in a previous blog, but in Costa Rica things are a tad bit different than they are in the states. One of those differences lies in the window screens, or the

lack thereof. Originally this idea terrified me as I thought, for whatever reason, that every insect, arachnid, and otherwise creepy crawly in town wanted to frequent my room. Well for the most part this was very untrue. I have had the pleasure of an occasional gecko, but for the most part my most frequent visitors consist of cats. Sometimes they chill on the roof outside my window. Sometimes they like to peek inside. Once I even came home to one taking a nap on my pillow. Anyway, with time I have grown rather well acquainted with the strays who roam these metal roofs, and their routine visits.

That is until last night, when something very, very, not routine happened.

I had gone to bed a little earlier than I do most nights. The day had been lovely, but tiring. So, there I lay in my soft, warm bed. I turned my light off, put my music on, and drifted away on a lukewarm and gently breezy sea of dreams. Everything was pretty standard. Then it happened.

The next thing I am aware of, my bed is trembling. I’m not talking “trembling” like every morning when the vibrate goes off on my alarm. I hear a loud meowing from the window closest to my bed, followed by the skittering of paws. Suddenly all I can think of is the song “I can make your bed rock” as I bounce wildly in my sheets and all the things on the nightstand next to me tumble over the railing and down the spiral staircase nearby. It takes my drowsy mind

about 3 extra seconds to finish the chorus of Bedrock and realize what was occurring. A giant cat had just jumped through the largest unbarred window in my room, knocked over my stuff and was now thrashing about under my bed. I think suddenly of my friend in the states. She is a true cat lover, and just as I’m wondering how she would go about taming this unruly creature the shaking dwindles and comes to a stop. Costa Rica is “tranquilo” once again. For a moment I consider looking under the bed. Then I think of my physics class and reason that if Shrodinger’s cat wasn’t dead until he looked, then there wasn’t a giant jungle cat under my bed unless I checked either. So back to sleep I went.

When I woke up for school a few hours later, I was a tad bit confused. The more daylightthat came through my window, the more awake I became and the less my logic from the night before made sense. With slightly lingering caution, I peered under the bed. No cat.

At breakfast my familia tica asked me how I had slept, at which point I recounted to them, in what was probably horrendously broken Spanish, all of the night’s events. Turns out Turrialba had experienced an Earthquake measuring a 6.4 on the rictor scale that night. My Mama Tica told all the neighbors about my new cat. I will never forget my first earthquake.

Location: San Rafael, Turrialba CR

Studying while Abroad

This week was a reality slap to the “study” part of studying abroad.

I had two large projects due that most students worked on during the semester break. With my traveling the entire break, I obviously had a lot of making up to do. So, it was quite a stressful return and beginning of the week, but I got through it (hardly).

In fact, I ended up having to skip class to spend more time in the computer lab in an attempt to program a code that was just not going my way. I ended up meeting up with one of the students at uni whom I kind of knew from tramping club (and by knew I mean facebook friends) to help me out. He was so eager and enthusiastic to help me out and did a great job teaching me and asking me questions to help me get through the assignment. While I wanted to be doing anything but this code, I was excited to make a new friend, especially him, because, to me, he is the ultimate Kiwi. He is extremely adventurous and has travelled NZ through and through doing incredible hikes and other outdoor challenges; he has given my friends and I some great advice for the remainder of our stay.

That said, I often get called out for taking uni too seriously while abroad. While many people are taking the easiest classes of their college career, I am continuing my engineering studies as I would back home. When I was deciding to study abroad, I did have to consider whether I would actually be able to enjoy myself if I chose to enroll in a semester no lighter or easier than at PSU. In the end, I figured it’s worth it and I still feel that way.

Even if I’m putting in a bit more time and effort than my international friends here, and maybe spending awhile longer in the library and computer lab than is expected, I have found it makes me feel good about the entire experience. Some of my friends here are at a bit of a loss as they feel unchallenged and bored in their classes. It frustrates me when people then judge the university as being so much easier or worse than their university at home when their course selection here does not compare with what they normally take at home.

I have been very pleased with my uni education here so far. I don’t have scantrons; I have built relationships with my professors; most of all, I have developed relationships with other students. It’s awesome to meet all the international students, but it’s also exciting to get to bond and immerse myself with Kiwis. From group projects, to cramming in the library, or finishing up a computer project, I have met so many people in the faculty of engineering, here, who make me feel at home. The engineering students here are incredibly tight-knit (even though the school is huge), and so, while I certainly stand out like a sore thumb to them, they have all been incredibly kind and helpful and a key part of making my experience abroad memorable. I think the places I see and activities I do are tremendous, but ultimately, it’s the diversity of people I am meeting here, and lessons I learn from talking to them and observing them, that truly make my experience unique.

Location: Auckland, NZ

Mojo Surf Weekend

“It’s like the mafia. Once you’re in – your in. There’s no getting out”

That’s the great surfer Kelly Slater’s quote on surfing . . . and oh does it hold true.

There is nothing more exhilarating or addicting than standing on a surfboard for the first time in your life.

But I guess I’ll start with the beginning of the trip. We left Sydney on Friday night and had a nice seven hour trip in a cramped van with 20 other people. Once we got to the camp, we got housing which made me miss my Freshman dorm in Pollock. It was not looking good and when we woke up and got a breakfast which was also something to be desired I began to worry that the trip was going to be a waste.

However, once we went to a beautiful secluded beach and were taught to surf the weekend took a complete 180. From the time I first fell off my board trying to catch a wave I was hooked. It took numerous attempts and help from many of the instructors, but I finally stood up on the board and began to get ahold of surfing!

Now I have to try to find a cheap beginner’s surfboard around Coogee and continue to do something which I instantly full in love with! Also, I need to watch the American classic, “Point Break” on repeat for weeks on end.

Location: Crescent Head, Australia

Thoughts on Leaving, Feelings of Doubt

Recently I have been thinking about how strange and different life will soon be for me. As the number of days left at work dwindle and the final packages of *essentials* arrive in the mail, I am at once exuberant and doubtful. Part of me (and I’ll admit, it is an overwhelming part) is ready to chuck it all and hightail it out of here, as fast as that big ‘ole plane can fly! Another part of me is reluctant to make such a big step, especially one that has seemed little more than a pipe dream for so many years. Perhaps it is the concerned “You’re leaving?!” expressions from patrons and employees at work, with the connotation that I’m being “let go” or maybe it’s the “Oh, we’ll miss you!”, which whilst sweet and heartwarming is likely not the culprit. Rather, I believe it comes from the well meaning but vaguely belittling “…and leave this all behind!” and “…but you’re so good at baking!”. Oh, and let’s not forget “Oh! You’re going to school? This whole time? For what? My goodness?”. Silly rabbit.

I know I am good at what I do. With no formal training I can whip out lovey little confections and decorate them to the nines.

The problem lies not with the job itself. I think other people who dream of being pastry chefs–not that I really consider myself on that level–and go out and do it are great. Really, anytime you can do something you choose is quite an accomplishment. And therein lies the issue: I didn’t choose this line of work. It was simply one short-term job decision, in a long line of short-term, short-sighted, I-need-to-pay-my-rent, decisions. Yes, I enjoy it. Yes, I consider myself talented at it. But it does not bring me joy, not that pervasive, I don’t care about all this other BS that’s going on around me, I can’t wait to go to work today joy. Most days I’m lucky if I can rise above the prickly annoyance I feel for customers who think fifty cents is too much for a muffin or that $1.50 is an outrageous price for a handmade, from scratch pastry. Demoralizing. Maybe I’ve tricked myself in to believing this feeling actually exists in relation to a job. Maybe I’ll never find it. But I have to try.

When I would tell people that I am studying abroad or even for what I am studying abroad (psychology/neuroscience) I get the most shocked expressions. At first I felt extremely insulted, as if these people through their slacked jaws and bulging eyes were judging me unfit for my chosen area of study. I would forcefully haul back the indignation and anger that would spring up out the highly sensitive reaches of my inherently defensive mind.

Then I realized just how defensive I had become…to everything. It was like I was constantly building this arsenal of defensive comebacks just in case someone had an errant comment on why I was in the bathroom or why I dare deign to actually sit down and eat lunch or why I didn’t leap across the counter, floury hands and butter stained knuckles, to help them with that fifty cent muffin. Choice is paramount to my life. And choice of career a very basic need–no, requirement to my life. I am the type of person who cannot separate what I do with who I am. It is not something I like about myself, or my mode of thinking, but I cannot unravel the two. So it follows that if I cannot take pride in or derive more than merely a modicum of pleasure from what I do, then it won’t matter how talented I am it, how easily it comes to me, how quickly I pick it up, or how much I excel at it, regardless of the amount of external praise. I guess what I’m saying is that my defensiveness is merely a result of feeling not in control of my life, my career, my decisions, my choices. And helplessness is an ugly bedfellow.

Life is about Choice. You make the choices that define your life. If you feel like flotsam and jetsam simply being tossed across the sea, then perhaps you must examine your choices or look to where you failed to choose, only to be swept away with the waves always threatening to drown you. If I drown now, and I very well might, at least I’ll go down knowing that I made a Choice, one that is focused on life in its long, winding, glorious beauty and in which I have set the short-sighted ones aside for paths undiscovered, far from the only roads I’ve ever known.

Location: Lancaster, PA

Being a Penn Stater Abroad

Right now, each and every one of us are acting on behalf of Penn State during one of the most tempestuous times in our university’s history.

This week I have had some of the greatest experiences of my life: the walk from Coogee to Bondi, UNSW lead themed parties, and my first week of classes half way around the world with people who I am sure to become great friend with. Yet, this is all overshadowed by the fact that so many other exchange students from US universities have asked me my thoughts on what is going on and how I feel about everything.

No matter where you go in this world, you will always be a Penn Stater. But under the worst conditions you realize you still have pride in your university and the things your school represents. A terrible tragedy did occur on our campus unbeknownst to the students, yet the students are what makes Penn State. Penn State is about THON. Penn State is about yelling, “We are!” at tour groups around campus. Penn State is so much more than anyone can label.

Through this past week I’ve realized that, and also realized halfway around the world most of us may be the only Penn Stater abroad and faced with numerous questions about what has happened. We represent the entire university when we answer these questions.

We still are . . .

Location: Sydney, Australia

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