January 2023 – Journals from Abroad

January 30, 2023January 30, 2023

Growing Pains

¡Hola desde Quito!

Wow! Reflecting on this past week has been such an emotional rollercoaster. Since beginning my departure process into Ecuador, I have had the wonderful opportunity to learn a few things about myself, specifically within the realms of adaptability, vulnerability, and patience. From navigating various international airports and becoming exposed to a culture that is foreign to my own, I have (for the most part) experienced pure enjoyment, with a little bit of “fun surprise” thrown in the mix.

I give myself a gold star for getting through the transportation process to Ecuador! The flights themselves weren’t too troublesome, but they more or less represented a monumental milestone within my self-development. I knew that saying goodbye to my friends, family, and Oregon would be hard, as they are my entire support system. However, I didn’t expect myself to be overcome with so much emotion when looking at Oregon’s overhead view from my seat. So far in my journey, that has been the hardest part. This, for me, was my reality check that I was leaving.

Once reaching Los Angeles for my second flight, my mindset had switched and I was now very excited to first reach Miami, then board onto my third flight into Ecuador. In Miami, I was finally able to board my plane, where I met three other students who happened to also be studying abroad at USFQ. This part of my flight was really reassuring, as I now had some familiar faces for when school began. Once I had finally arrived in Quito, I met up with my host mom (who is so sweet!). I toured my new home for the next four months, took a very much needed shower, and went to bed as I had been functioning on almost two days’ worth of no sleep.

City lights of Quito at night as seen from a hill. — Nighttime view of Quito

Police on horseback patrolling tree-lined streets. — Police Patrol In La Carolina

Although I am now secure within my new home, there have been some challenges with adjusting to the Ecuadorian lifestyle. As I am not entirely fluent in Spanish and still have so much to learn, communicating with my host family and locals has been a bit of a struggle, resulting in a lot of frustration. However, as I have been in Ecuador for about a week now, I have already seen a massive improvement with my verbal comprehension skills! Some things that have really helped within this realm have been making small talk with locals/other international students, asking clarifying questions so that I know I heard the right thing, and watching shows/movies in Spanish. Right now, my host mom and I are watching “los Cien”, which is a very intense show!

For the most part, I think that I am adjusting to the everyday Ecuadorian lifestyle pretty well! I have really enjoyed using the Ecuadorian bus system and becoming familiar with Quito’s geography! One of my favorite places to explore is “Parque La Carolina”, which is said to be the equivalent to New York’s “Central Park”. Another place that I would love to visit again is the historic center of Quito, which has a rich history of churches, government buildings, and private vendors. I have also enjoyed trying the different types of traditional Ecuadorian cuisine! Some of the dishes that I’ve tried including pan de yuca, choclo con huevos (which has been my favorite so far), and humita. Another thing to note is that the coffee down here is absolutely amazing! I have even had the ability to try chocolate-covered coffee beans from the Amazon, which were so enjoyable! Overall, Ecuadorian food is simple, but very tasty! I will definitely not go hungry while abroad!

A life-size nativity scene at a historical center in Quito, Ecuador. — (A small portion of) a huge nativity scene in the historic center of Quito

A plate of Choclo con huevos in Quito, Ecuador. — Choclo con huevos

Chao,

Cassie Klagge

January 25, 2023

Becoming a Galway Girl

Fáilte (welcome) to my first post detailing my study abroad experience at the University of Galway!

My departing wish on January 3rd, before we made the 30-minute drive to the airport, was, of all the things, a chicken burrito (and the accompanying avocado sauce). My favorite restaurant had been closed for winter break and reopened the day I was scheduled to leave, so stopping before leaving the country for 4 months was a must. I even ran into one of my best friends while there and was able to say one last goodbye!

Three people standing for a photo: my sister (left), me (center), and my friend (right). My face is partially obscured by my hand. — My sister (left), me (center), and my friend (right), before I left for the airport!

After acquiring the necessary fuel to tackle the 22 hours of travel ahead of me, I finally made it to RDM, with a suitcase barely under the 50 lb. limit, a carry-on full of all of my heavy and bulky items, and a backpack stuffed with school supplies and things to keep me entertained firmly in tow. I bid farewell to my family and spent about 5 minutes going through security (one of the perks of flying out of an airport with 4 gates, I suppose).

a picture of the Seattle-Tacoma airport subway system — The SEA-TAC subway station

A 45 minute flight and three rides on SEA-TAC’s subway/shuttle system later, I made it to the international terminal and met up with the other two Linfield students headed to Ireland with me. Next came the long haul flight: 9 hours from Seattle to LHR, stuck behind a man who fully reclined his chair the second the pilot turned off the seatbelt light and only moved it upright during our in-flight meals (pasta for “dinner” and a breakfast sandwich for “brunch”, though the 8 hour time difference encountered over the course of the flight rendered labeling meals irrelevant).

pasta with tomato sauce in a foil container. A hand holding a wooden spork above the pasta — my in-flight cuisine

A young woman (Katie) wearing a pink KN95 mask and giving a thumbs up. She is wearing a black t-shirt and her hair is in two braids. She is sitting in an airport terminal — Waiting for the flight from London to Shannon

Upon landing in London, the pilot announced that we would have to disembark the plane in a specific order due to the weight distribution of the passengers on the flight. This meant that we had less than an hour to deplane, change terminals, go through security again (only to have LHR security confiscate my scissors), and find our next gate. So, we put some pep in our step and sped through the airport, only to reach the proper terminal to see that our flight to Shannon had been delayed, which meant we could’ve put slightly less pep into our step.

Once in Shannon, we had to go through customs and claim our luggage. The very kind customs employee asked if I was of Welsh descent (I am not, but apparently my name screams Welsh) before stamping my passport, and our taxi driver was very patiently waiting outside for us to collect our luggage before we drove an hour north to Galway. One adventure down the road to the nearby Dunnes (think Target, but Irish) for pillows and adapters and we were all ready to crash.

Further adventuring and acclimation waited until orientation over the next few days. We suited up in our finest walking shoes and raincoats and one leisurely 15 minute stroll and a couple wrong turns later, and we arrived at Áras na Mac Léinn, or the Student Union building. We watched presentations detailing on-campus resources, student events (including orientation events like campus tours, a pub quiz/trivia night in the on-campus bar, board game nights, and a scavenger hunt around Galway), and information about course registration.

a picture of a silver metallic suspension bridge — Part of the walk to campus involves crossing this cool suspension bridge!

a man crouching next to a riverbank feeding swans — Spotted on our walk: a man feeding swans 🙂

a sunset. There is a road cutting across the image and buildings in the background — Sunset as seen from outside my apartment complex.

Students in a bar. The bar has red columns and high arched ceilings — Sult, the on-campus bar. Campus societies will typically use the venue for events or just hang out and chat with friends!

picture of an L-shaped building made of light grey stone with a grass courtyard in front of it — The Quadrangle, one of the oldest buildings at the University. It used to house the entire university, but now it’s mainly an administrative building.

My “week 0” in Ireland ended with some downtown exploration in torrential downpour and a moderate wind advisory, as one does. We wandered Eyre Square and Shop Street in the heart of downtown, walked the Corrib River for a bit, and sought refuge from the rain at the Galway City Museum, which had exhibits on the Irish Civil War, the Aran Islands, Gaelic art and culture in the medieval period, and marine biology in Galway.

picture of a narrow street with buildings lining both sides. In between the buildings are strings of lights. It is raining and the ground is wet — A view of the Shop Street area in downtown Galway.

a white wall with stencil graffiti and a red door. One piece of stencil graffiti is a blue circle with two red hands clasped together with a red flame above them. Below is blue text that reads "reignite world freedom". The other is a circle with a black and white silhouette of the galway cathedral in the background and two black and white hands holding a red heart. Around the art are the words "Claddagh Watch, Heroes of Humanity". The wall also has a bright red door and merges with a dark grey stone arch towards the right of the photo — The Spanish Arch and surrounding architecture. Located right outside the Galway City Museum!

A mustard yellow woven cloth hanging on a salmon pink wall — Part of the Galway City Museum’s Aran Islands exhibit, where they invited local artists to create pieces encapsulating the “vibes” of the Aran Islands.

Text embossed on stone. The top passage, in French, reads "La tradition ne veut pas dire preserver les cendres, mais garder la flamme vivante.- Jean Jaures". The bottom passage is a translation of the top passage and reads "Tradition does not mean preserving ashes, but keeping the flame alight." — The museum has quotes scattered in the doorways around each museum. This one was in the section on Gaelic arts.

Going from having never traveled internationally to staying in a different country for 4 months has certainly come with a learning curve. Irish (or Gaeilge) is a national language along with English, which means that signage is written in both languages, often with Irish being written first. This can make it difficult to navigate at times, as I have had zero exposure to the language, but I’m slowly starting to acclimate. Food is called different things (most notably, chips instead of fries, english muffins are just muffins, potato chips are called crisps or tayto) and cars drive on the opposite side of the road ( and yet the universal phenomenon of drivers neglecting to implement their turn signal persists abroad). Despite these differences, I’m enjoying getting to learn about living in a different country and am having an amazing experience thus far!

With that, I say slán (goodbye) for now!

Katie

January 25, 2023

Homesick

It’s been a couple months here and the homesick is really starting to kick in, especially since the holidays here and I am not around to spend it with my family. Luckily, my grandparents are flying into London and I will get to spend Christmas with them.

Cierra

January 25, 2023

Strolling the Streets of Pompeii

Today we went to the ruins of Pompeii, the ancient Roman city that was covered in Todaysash by the 79 CE eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Since the city was buried in volcanic ash, it was hidden and therefore preserved for centuries. The city Today we went to the ruins of Pompeii, theToday we went to the ruins of Pompeii, the ancient Roman city that was covered in ash by the 79 CE eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Since the city was buried in volcanic ash, it was hidden and therefore preserved for centuries. The city wasn’t unearthed until the 1700s and then it’s historical value was revealed. The ruins provided historians with an accurate picture of what life was like in the Roman empire. It showed that the Romans were a sophisticated society with things like amphitheater’s, markets and extravagant villas. Pompeii is also home to a significant number of ancient skeleton replicas from those who perished in the volcanic eruption. The originals reside in the national museum of Naples so they can be properly preserved. These remains give us even more clues about the lives these ancient people lead. From what they ate, to their social status and physical biology.

The entrance of Pompeii with Mt. Vesuvius looming in the background.
ancient Roman city that was covered in ash by the 79 CE eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Since the city was buried in volcanic ash, it was hidden and therefore preserved for centuries. The city wasn’t unearthed until the 1700s and then it’s historical value was revealed. The ruins provided historians with an accurate picture of what life was like in the Roman empire. It showed that the Romans were a sophisticated society with things like amphitheater’s, markets and extravagant villas. Pompeii is also home to a significant number of ancient skeleton replicas from those who perished in the volcanic eruption. The originals reside in the national museum of Naples so they can be properly preserved. These remains give us even more clues about the lives these ancient people lead. From what they ate, to their social status and physical biology.

The entrance of Pompeii with Mt. Vesuvius looming in the background.
wasn’t unearthed until the 1700s and then it’s historical value was revealed. The ruins provided historians with an accurate picture of what life was like in the Roman empire. It showed that the Romans were a sophisticated society with things like amphitheater’s, markets and extravagant villas. Pompeii is also home to a significant number of ancient skeleton replicas from those who perished in the volcanic eruption. The originals reside in the national museum of Naples so they can be properly preserved. These remains give us even more clues about the lives these ancient people lead. From what they ate, to their social status and physical biology.

The entrance of Pompeii with Mt. Vesuvius looming in the background.

January 25, 2023January 25, 2023

From a Wine Studies Sophomore

This post was written by Greyson Monaghan-Bergson, a sophomore Wine Studies major

At the vineyard with the professors from the University of Naples, we were able to see some of the stuff we were lectured about firsthand. Namely the soil that Dr. Antonello Bonfante spoke of and the pruning methods that Professor Veronica de Micco touched on. On top of that, Arturo Erbaggio showed us the experimental arch trellising method designed to create shade for the berries. They went on to explain that their goal for the project was to preserve the “freshness” of the wine which basically means keeping the acids high.

After the vineyard, we drove to Feudi di San Gregorio. The drive was only about half an hour but felt longer as the temperature of the bus slowly climbed to 30℃. At the winery, we got to look at the fermenting equipment. They had the biggest barrels I have ever seen! Their largest ones could hold 3000L. For comparison, the standard barrel used holds 255L, so those were pretty large. After that, we got to taste some of their wines. I’ll spare you the tasting notes but needless to say, they were very good. The wine they talked up the most was their Greco di Tuffo. This wine is one of the most desirable abroad from Campania and for a good reason. This wine was just beautifully elegant yet took over your palette. On top of that, since it had high acidity it could be laid down and aged. I am definitely going to try that because I bought two bottles.

Next, we went to Quintedecimo to see Luigi Moio. He is a big name in southern Italian wine and certainly earned that reputation. Not only is he a professor at the University of Naples, but he is also an amazing winemaker. We tasted four of his wines and once again the Greco took front stage. The best way I can describe it is as a wine whose depth keeps increasing with every sip. The thing that stuck out to me the most from all the wines today was that they were the opposite of anything people say about Southern Italian wines. They are usually described as big and jammy wines with no depth; but, these wines were insanely light and acidic making them taste super fresh!

January 4, 2023

Le Miserable Journey Back

As I sit here on New Years Eve, prepping to move back to campus tomorrow, I can’t help but think of the past couple weeks. My sleep schedule is (sorta) back to normal, my cats finally don’t hate me, etc. etc. Things overall are returning to normal. No thanks to the awfulness that was the trip home from France. I didn’t even take any photos. That’s how bad it was. I always take photos on trips: at the airport, on the plane, of my lunch. You name it, it’s probably archived on my phone. I digress. Here is the horrendous tale from two weeks ago of my and Mara’s trip back to the states.

Everything that could have gone wrong, did. With the exception of the plane crashing, luckily.

I woke up at 4am that morning to catch the 6am bus so I could catch my 9am flight. Makes sense, right? Well, I woke up to a flight cancelation. The first flight. Originally, Mara and I were supposed to go from Marseille to Munich, Munich to San Francisco, and finally San Fran to Portland. Well.. now that we couldn’t get to Munich, that plan was out the window. My roommate, who was also on that flight, and I tried to figure out what to do but I ended up just going to the airport anyway to figure it out. She had been automatically rescheduled, whereas Mara and I had not been.

By the time I got to the Marseille airport, Mara was already on it with booking new tickets. Perfect. We get our new tickets after almost 2 hours of waiting, get in line, and check our bags. Insert typical airport protocol here. The only real difference between Europe TSA and USA TSA is that they don’t make you take off your boots, which was nice, because I got new Doc Martens while in Aix and didn’t want to pack them. They’re heavy. Cute, but heavy. We finally get through security and passport check, then board our flight late. Then leave late. Still, whatever, we were on our way to our new first destination: London Heathrow terminal 5.

Now, I knew that airport well after my trip to London a couple months back, so I was excited. I was gonna show Mara the Harry Potter store, we would get lunch, and board our flight. It was gonna be great. While those things did happen, I did get stopped at TSA for the stupidest reason. The guy said that we just needed to take out our laptops and ipads, and any other technology could stay in our bags. Well, I did what he said, and my bag got flagged. Thanks TSA agent. I stood for probably 20 minutes waiting for each person who forgot their acne cream in their bag to get checked just so I could tell the guy that it was my switch that got flagged. Awful.

We hit the HP store (I got a wand because I’m a stress shopper), got lunch, and took the in-terminal subway to get from the A gates to the C gates. The our flight got delayed. Then it got delayed again. And again. And again for the fourth time. Our flight got delayed for a total of almost 4 hours. The plane had a technical issue, then there was a security breach that halted all planes, then those two events took so long that they had to find new crew because some had timed out. Even after we boarded the plane, we sat on the tarmac for another 30 minutes before FINALLY taking off 4 hours after we were supposed to. At least the English Christmas dinner was nice.

Nine and a half hours later, we arrive in Seattle, our second location. The US, finally! If only we knew what we were in for. The weird thing about SEA-TAC is that for international arrivals, you have to grab your luggage and recheck it for connecting flights. Strange, but okay. So we waited for our luggage. And waited. And waited. We waited so long that we were no longer the only flight in baggage claim. Eventually, I got both my bags, but Mara only got one. Along with about half of that British Airways flight. Mara ended up missing her flight because of how long we waited, and I found out that I didn’t even have a flight. Let me explain.

So when we got our flights rescheduled, we were given little slips of paper to hand to the British Airways people so we could get our boarding passes. Mara got all three of hers, but I only got the first two. The lady said that I would need to pick it up in Seattle, since it would have been through Alaska, and not BA. I said okay, but I couldn’t help but be uneasy. I told my mom that I was confused about how the whole system would work, as I wouldn’t have a boarding pass to get through any security I’d need to or get onto the flight. She looked into it and turns out: I wasn’t even on the flight! The lady said I was but I wasn’t. I would have been stranded in Seattle had my mom not looked into it and driven up almost 4 hours in rush hour traffic to pick me up. It worked out though, because we ended up taking Mara home, but what the heck? As we were reaching hour 30 of being awake at that point, neither of us wanted to deal with flights.

I got back to my house at about 1am, my mom and her Fiancé having to work at 7 that morning. I felt bad for Mara though, since she had another hour and a half to go before she got back. We were exhausted. I think we ended up being awake for about 36 hours with very little sleep in between. I was very happy to be back in my own bed.

Travel doesn’t always go to plan. I have terrible travel luck, so I knew it had to come back to haunt me after multiple flights and trains that worked out with no issues throughout the trip. I just didn’t think it would come back with that much force. It woke up and chose violence and chaos. We can’t control airports, weather, etc. so I don’t want our experience that day to be a deterrent for everyone, but it’s good to show others the downsides of it all, especially for those about to go abroad for Jan/Spring term. Not everything is sparkling seas and rustic cups of coffee. To this day, I still don’t think Mara has her luggage.

Happy New Years,

Felicity

January 4, 2023

Farewell Hong Kong

(12/21/22)

I find myself recollecting all the sights and sounds and smells and tastes and feel of Hong Kong. From the dorm room that has come to feel like home, as they always do, having somewhere to come home to even in a place so far from home. To the particular beep of the Octopus card when I scan it on a bus or at the metro. To the closeness of the city and the skyscrapers all around me. To the lights and designs that light up the sides of those same buildings. To the brilliant greens of trees against a blue sky. To the comfort of a warm cup of tea, even on the hotter days at the beginning of my exchange abroad. To the sound of laughs around the table at dim sum as we struggle to divide the dim sum dishes that usually come in quantities of three, between a group of four. To the distinct rattle of a two-story bus that is somehow comforting, familiar as a moment of calm on the way to some activity, or else a companion on the ride back after a long day of delicious food and beautiful sights. To the sweet smell and taste of a custard bun or the pepper of the pepper beef dish that I discovered here. To the dazzling sunsets bright against the buildings clustered at the horizon…

It’s my last day in Hong Kong and I join my friends in going to the Tai O fishing village again, wandering around by the water and between shops, counting eight or so cats over the course of our trip. Then we take a ferry to the place where a cable car will take us to the Tian Tan Buddha. On the cable car, we realize that all four of us are to some extent intimidated by the distance between us and the ground, dangling by only a strengthened cable over water and hills on our trip to the buddha.

It turned out that the last cable car returned at 6 pm, and we only had half an hour to see the buddha and return to the cable cars. The stairs up to the buddha also closed at around 5:30, so we weren’t able to walk up to it, but we did get to see it from the bottom of the stairs.

View of the Tian Tan Buddha between trees to the left and right, from the bottom of the flight of stairs, around sunset. — The Tian Tan Buddha

On the way back, we ended up in a car with a see-through floor, as at the end of the day, all the cable cars were used, regardless of one’s kind of ticket (we had opted against paying the additional cost for the cable car with a clear floor). But taking the cable cars at the end of the day and being able to see the sunset over the hills in a 360, with absolutely nothing obstructing the view, blew me away.

Partial view of the 360-degree view of the sunset from the cable car on the ride back from the buddha. — The sunset as seen from the cable car on the ride back

View of the trees beneath us on the cable car ride back, through the see-through floor — View through the see-through flooring of the cable car

As we approached the destination, it was getting towards dusk, and we could only see the vague outlines of trees beneath us, and then the lights of the city and the cars reflecting in the water. A last, lingering view of Hong Kong.

View over the hills, water, and the lights of Hong Kong at dusk, on the last stretch of the cable car ride. — Last stretch of the cable car ride

Until next time,

Kelsi