Journals from Abroad – Page 25 – Linfield students studying around the world

October 11, 2019April 7, 2021

Brewster Hut

Kia Ora Everyone!

Last weekend my friends and I went to Brewster Hut and had the best time! Brewster Hut is located in Mt Aspiring Nation Park, the same park as my trip with the tramping club. I was so excited to go back because the area was so beautiful! This tramp, however, was very different than my one with the tramping club. The 6 of us squeezed into our friend’s van and Juliet had to sit in the back seat surrounded by all our packs. We were originally going to camp Friday night close to the trailhead but it was raining pretty hard so we instead stayed at a hostel in Wanaka.

When we got to Wanaka we went to Red Star Burger again and then to get groceries. At the grocery store, we ran into another group from Otago who was also going to Brewster Hut. However, their group alone consisted of 15 people and the hut only has 12 beds. They also rented crampons and we did not. We got a little worried even though the DOC said the conditions should be safe. The DOC is a great source to use, similar to the Forest Service. Their job is to know the tracks and advice you on the conditions. If you ever have any questions about safety and knowledge of the track, don’t hesitate to call the DOC! We tried to find a rental shop for crampons the next morning just in case, but when we couldn’t find any we decided we would just asses the situation when there and if it was dangerous we would turn around.

The next morning we left Wanaka and drove another hour to the trailhead car park. We parked, strapped our packs on, and headed out! The first part of the tramp entailed a river crossing past our knees. None of us wanted to hike 4 more hours with wet clothes so we took our pants off and crossed in our boots and underwear! It was definitely a bonding experience for all of us! After crossing the river, we put dry clothes on and climbed up this huge rock to actually get to the trail. We immediately realized this hike would be very difficult and a steep climb. For 2 1/2 hours, we were climbing up the beach forested mountain over tree roots and rocks. Many times we had to use roots and shrubs to help hoist ourselves up. The track was also slippery and very muddy. We had sunshine, rain, snow, and very strong winds in those couple hours. I was definitely losing motivation after a while and ready for a change of scenery when we finally broke through the tree line. The view was worth it as you realized you were tramping surrounded by mountain peaks! The track continued to climb up a ridge with lots of rocks and eventually got to the snow line. Luckily you could walk to the side of the snow and wasn’t dangerous at all. When I finally reached the top of the last hump I was so grateful to see the hut! It was a beautiful location, with this bright red hut surrounded by snowy mountain peaks.

Brewster Hut; The trail was made of tree roots! — The trail was made of tree roots!

Brewster Hut; View of everyone tramping and using the forest to help climb! — View of everyone tramping and using the forest to help climb!

Brewster Hut and the surrounding mountain peaks.

There ended up being 30 plus people trying to stay in the 12 bunk hut. It was very crowded! When we got to the hut we warmed up inside, played cards, and then explored around the hut outside. During the off-season, winter, there is no gas provided in the huts so we brought our own stove burner and gas can. During the off-season, there is still water provided outside the hut collected from the roof, an outhouse that doesn’t stock toilet paper, and a first-come-first-serve standard. Since its first-come-first-serve, you do not have to book a bed but the DOC still suggests paying $10 NZD to help keep the facilities up to standard. To be safe the water should also be boiled before using. Some of the people at the hut used the water and were fine, but one of our members drank the water without boiling it and felt sick to her stomach when we got back.

For dinner, we boiled water and made gnocchi with tomato sauce. After dinner, everyone at the hut grabbed their sleeping bags and sat on the deck watching the sunset. It was so much fun to talk and laugh with everyone as we watched the sunset and the stars appear while being surrounded by native Kea Birds!

Making dinner with a view of Mount Brewster from the hut window.

Alpine parrot, the New Zealand native Kea. — Only alpine parrot, the New Zealand native Kea.

Our group snuggled up for the sunset! — Snuggled up for the sunset!

Juliet, Hannah and I in front of the sunset!

The next morning I woke up for sunrise, which wasn’t as good as sunset but still amazing!

Sunrise over snow-capped mountains. — Sunrise

All 6 of us ready to head down the mountain!

Hiking down the snowy ridge in the morning. — Hiking down the ridge in the morning.

In the morning, the outside water facet was frozen so we collected snow and boiled it to make oatmeal. The tramp down was much harder than the way up! It was really hard on our knees, hips, and muscles because it was so steep and uneven. It took a little less time to get down, but everyone’s legs were so tired at the bottom and we were so ready for lunch! We ate lunch in Wanaka and then made the long journey back to Dunedin. We all slept amazing that night and woke up the next morning barely able to move because of sore muscles!

Sincerely,

Caitlyn

October 8, 2019April 7, 2021

Traveling Tips and Experience in Germany

Being in France gives many traveling opportunities and it is fairly inexpensive. I have used multiple methods of travel while being here(bus, plane, train) and there are many things I learned along the way! Concerning flights, you must take a bus to get to the airport in Marseille. This bus is seven euros for a 30-minute ride, BUT if you get the cartetreize from the Gare-Routière (bus station in Aix), it is only two euros which saves you a lot of money in the long run! I did not know this the first time I went to the airport and overly paid for a short bus ride. The cartetreize is free and does not take much to obtain(just fill out an application online and bring your passport). I highly recommend getting it before school goes into full swing!

A popular airline used here is RyanAir. This company provides extremely cheap flights throughout France BUT there are many catches. For example, printed tickets are required and you can only print out tickets 24 hours in advance unless you buy a reserved seat. When in a hostel or Airbnb, it is not guaranteed there will be a printer, so buying a seat on the way back is ideal. These seats range from 4-7 euros, so it is not that bad. If you check-in/print the ticket at the airport, it is 55 euros(yikes!). Also, some flight attendants are very strict on baggage size. The free bag allowed on board is slightly smaller than a carry-on in the states. It is important to note this because it is more expensive to pay for the baggage when you are boarding the plane than to pre-buy a bigger size bag. It is perfectly doable to have a smaller bag(roughly school backpack size), but if you are a heavy packer, this is important to note!

Decorative doors on buildings in Munich, Germany. Clock tower in Munich, Germany.

Architecture in Munich, Germany. Large building with lots of spires. — Cool architecture in Munich!

My first experience traveling was to Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest and the journey to the city center itself was a little more complex because we did go a cheaper route. We took a plane into Stuttgart, Germany and then a 3-hour bus to Munich which was fortunately only a 15-minute walk from the hotel we were staying at. Many people go to the campsites associated with Oktoberfest which are actually kind of far from the “fair-ground” that Oktoberfest is located at. It is important to look into proximity to things you want to do and where you are staying or the cheaper stay might actually add up because of travel expenses. In Munich, a day pass for the trains/subways/buses was 16 euros for five people, so some locations can be cheaper than others. My friends and I went to the Dachau Concentration Camp(which is free!) and used this pass to get there.

A stone monument to people who suffered at Dachau, Germany.

The two main events of my weekend were going to visit the Dachau Concentration Camp and Oktoberfest. The camp was something extremely moving and was a very important experience for me. It is one thing to hear about these camps in class and another to see the conditions first hand. The displays also had more facts that are not taught in school that were hard to read/see. Although sad, highly recommended.

Several German girls in German dresses. German girls eating pretzels.

I did not know what to expect for Oktoberfest, but it still was not what I expected. There was a large crowd and it almost felt festival-like. It was complicated to find a tent to obtain food and beverages at. It was also a very cool experience because there were people from all over Europe in these tents. While waiting to be served, I had conversations with people not only from Germany but also Italy, Austria, and the Netherlands. There were also many study abroad students–this apparently is typical of the second weekend of Oktoberfest. It was quite fun and allowed me to experience an event where all kinds of people and cultures could enjoy.

P.S. wear closed-toe shoes to Oktoberfest!

Sierra Miller

October 7, 2019April 7, 2021

Gems of Eastern Europe

Our second trip together as a group outside of Austria was to Budapest, Hungary. The city was about a 3-hour bus ride from Vienna and was the perfect city for a weekend getaway.

Photo of St. Stephen's Basilica between two buildings — St. Stephen’s Basilica

We had a long list of things we wanted to see, do, and eat in Budapest. On the first day, we opted to not buy a public transportation ticket and walk around the city. We ended up walking around 14 miles that day, though it was a great way to get to know the city.

4 students on a bridge with a river in the background — The four of us on the Chain Bridge

One of the more traditional foods we tried in Budapest was Lángos, which is a fried dough, usually topped with sour cream and cheese.

langos on a plate held by a hand — Lángos with my two favorite things, cheese and sour cream

A great view of the city is at the Freedom Statue. The trek up to the monument was steep, but worth it for the views and historical meaning. It was erected in memory of the Soviet liberation of Hungary in World War II.

a bridge with the sun setting to the distance — Elizabeth bridge with the Danube running underneath

Budapest can be divided into two sides; the Buda and the Pest side. These sides are parted by the Danube river, which also runs by Vienna. The chain bridge, which connects Buda and Pest together, was also an iconic monument of Budapest.

The next weekend, we made another bus ride to Prague, Czech Republic.

four students smiling — The views from the tower were amazing

Prague was a study trip that was arranged with our study abroad program. We went with Professor Kröll, who was more than knowledgeable about the city.

red roofs of houses close together — The red roofs of Prague

We visited the Astronomical Clock Tower, where we had amazing views of the city. We also visited St. Vitus Cathedral, St. Nicholas Church, and Jewish Synagogues. It was my first time being in a synagogue and I learned a lot about the religion and its history in Prague.

stained glass window inside a cathedral — A stained window in St. Vitus Cathedral

I am so grateful to have come to Europe because I have learned so much about WWII through the lenses of different nationalities and religions. Not only that, but it is twice the fun when you can visit or see historical locations in real life.

two people in front of a table with a plate of food — Delanie and Kara enjoying their pork knuckle

Rosario

October 7, 2019April 7, 2021

An Introduction

Hey Everyone!

Welcome to Japan! I hope you can live vicariously through me happily through all the struggles, adventures, and stressors (mainly from school haha).

I would like to start with the hardest experience I’ve had while being in this country: Getting Home From the Airport. (DUN DUN DUUUUUUNN)

Everything about my flight was amazing until I landed. Due to the power of Japanese weather and glorious timing from the universe, the largest typhoon of the year hit Tokyo during my flight, and while it didn’t delay anything flight wise, land was proving to be the harder challenge. The typhoon shut down the highways, stopped trains, and slowed every mode of transportation in and out of the airport. Someone fainted in line while we were waiting for customs to move, and due to the weather there were fewer employees able to get into work. Needless to say, after sitting on the airport floor for hours in front of a ‘closed-for-inventory Starbucks’ (the worst timing, truly) I was a shell of a human and my friends finally made it to the airport to pick me up.

My friends, Emi and Zeno, were both exchange students at Linfield. They were without a doubt the greatest gift I could’ve received in that moment — they were in the car for nine hours trying to get to me, and then drove me two more hours to my dorm so I wouldn’t have to worry about sleeping in the airport. Very simply I owe them everything 🙂

With that being my first experience with the country, I have a pretty good feeling that everything can go up. It was a really great bonding experience amongst people in my dorm to discuss the various ways we struggled with getting to the country.

The days following were pretty amazing. I made friends quickly and we’ve spent lots of time exploring around Tokyo. Akihabara is basically anime heaven, whereas Shinokubo is for everything K-pop. I live in Kanagawa prefecture, more specifically Musashikosugi. It’s a quieter part of the city, suburbs are still very crowded but you can very quickly recognize the craziness of Tokyo and the lack of noise (specifically in smaller areas).

A few things to take note of while here:

A store called SoapLand is a brothel so don’t go in there (whatever floats your boat but maybe just be aware of what you’re getting into). I thought it was really cool that there was a whole store dedicated to soap and when I suggested we go in my friend laughed really hard at me, so I would just stress the fact that its fun to experience things but at the same time do so with a friend that knows more about the city for a bit longer and can guide you.

There is an old woman in Shinjuku, I only mention this because she apparently has done this to multiple people, but she will ask you for money and when you refuse she gets very aggressive. In my situation, she asked for money and when I didn’t respond she cut me off from my friends, grabbed my arm and started shaking it. My friend then pulled my arm away because she was shouting a lot and we ran off. She then proceeded to yell “never come back to Japan” at me. A chaotic experience, but a learning moment definitely. (Also my teacher experienced the same thing, so what a bonding moment!)

Make sure you leave extra early for class, the commute could be anywhere from 30 min to an hour and 45 min.

If you’re a vegetarian, short statement: give up. Nearly every dish will have meat incorporated in it. THAT BEING SAID I am a vegetarian. It’s harder to find meals, but I have been forced to become a better cook (which I’m sure my parents are happy to hear).

Lastly, 7-11 in America is not 7-11 here. It is extremely fancy (and super healthy?!) most people will buy basic meals from there and they have everything from cup ramens, to pesto pasta, to salads, to sushi. All-in-all just a pretty good place, not just your everyday slurpee stop.

That’s it for now my lovely humans, thanks for hanging out!

Isis

October 3, 2019April 7, 2021

Tramping and Camping!

Kia Ora Everyone!

My time abroad is flying by and I’ll admit my flatmates and I are in denial that our time together will come to an end. Uniflats hosted a farewell dinner for all international students on the 1 of October even though we still have little over a month left. This made reality really hit us that we have to leave this paradise and our new friends soon. However, my flat is already planning when we’ll come together in the future! We have one week of lectures left and then the month of final exams begins. I have three final exams, on the 24 of October, 31 of October and the 9 of November. I hope to do lots of traveling the two weeks before my first final and studying in between trips.

A couple of weekends ago a group of 11 of us went to Mount Cook National Park. It was the most beautiful place I’ve been so far! We did lots of tramping and I was continually amazed at the views! We left Friday afternoon and drove 3 and 1/2 hours to get there. Along the way, we listened to lots of good music and made a couple of stops at the blue lakes. The water was SO blue, none of us had ever seen anything like it!

Lake Pukaki with a view of Mount Cook National Park

The sunrise hitting the top of the mountain peaks.

When we got to Aoraki/Mount Cook the first thing we did was hike to the Tasman Glacier, only about a 1-hour roundtrip. As we left we watched the clouds and the mountain peaks turn pink from the sunset. We went to our hostel to check-in and make dinner. The next morning we woke up at 4:30 to do the Hooker Valley track for sunrise. We started our tramp in the dark while using our phone flashlights to see the trail. It was so amazing to watch the mountain peaks rise out of the dark and the clouds and watch the valley transform with the sunrise. The valley and clouds turned pink and the views were breathtaking! We made many stops along the way and took lots of pictures. When we made it to the glacier lake at the end of the track we sat for a while and just took in the views.

Mount Cook reflected in the glacier lake at the end of the Hooker Track.

We slowly made our way back to the hostel not wanting to leave the beautiful valley and made breakfast. I would definitely recommend doing the Hooker Valley track for sunrise since it was beautiful and other people weren’t out yet. The Hooker track is the most popular tramp and very easy, so everyone does it. When we were leaving so many people were just starting the track and we were very thankful for getting to enjoy the valley by ourselves.

After breakfast, we were all really tired so we took a two-hour nap before our next tramp. After napping we made our way to the Red Tarns Car Park. This hike was a steady climb uphill and had views overlooking the Mount Cook Town and valley. This hike was kind of a let down since the tarn wasn’t red and the views weren’t the best ones. We went back to the hostel after hiking down and made spaghetti for dinner. When we got to the hostel we discovered three other girls from my complex were sharing a room with us! That night we played games and prepared for the challenging hike the next morning. We were taking on Sealy Tarns, known as the stairway to heaven due to the 2,200 steps to the top.

Sealy Tarns was very difficult but absolutely beautiful! The entire climb to the top is overlooking the Hooker Valley and the surrounding mountains. It was my favorite tramp even though it was difficult. When we made it to the top we ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and took in the views. We stayed on top for about an hour until others began making their way up. The way down was so steep and everyone’s legs were shaking by the time we got to the bottom. We rested and stretched our legs before making the journey back to Dunedin with a short stop at a Cafe for dinner along the way.

This last weekend we got to spend in Dunedin. Friday night we decided to go camping at Long Beach in the caves. It was so much fun making s’mores and sleeping with the penguins. We got to the beach late and set up our two tents in the dark and started a fire to warm up. Once again we had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner along with some other snacks like s’mores with Tim Tams and belVita crackers. Halfway through the night, we saw a penguin run to the back of the cave where they sleep. We also went out to the beach and admired the stars and their reflection in the wet sand. We could also see the bioluminescence in the sand when you touched it! After the fire went out we climbed into our sleeping bags in our tents and went to sleep. Throughout the night you could hear the penguins screeching until they left for the water early in the morning. We woke up early enough to watch the sunrise through our tent window turning the inside of the cave and the water an orange tint. We then packed everything up and made our way home.

Sunrise — The sunrise from our tent door.

The next night, we went to the Fleetwood Mac concert as a spur of the moment decision. We bought the tickets half an hour before the show started, and I’m so glad we did! The concert was in the school stadium and it was packed since one of the band members is from New Zealand. The concert was so good and totally worth it! One of my favorite songs is Landslide, and they performed that one and many other good ones.

Sincerely,

Caitlyn

September 27, 2019April 7, 2021

An Update from Aix

Bonjour!

I cannot believe that I have already been in Aix-en-Provence for almost a month! At times, it feels like I just stepped off the plane and got into the tiny, orange Citroen waiting for me outside of the Marseille Airport. Other times, I feel as though I have lived here for months – I have my routine, I am making friends, and I even know a few store owners in town!

Multi-storied apartment houses with allies inbetween.

However, it was not an easy road for me to achieve the comfort level and joy I have today.

The first three days after I arrived in Aix may have been the hardest three days of my life. The homesickness, anxiety, and confusion I felt were so powerful and at times, they were completely debilitating. At the time, I wanted to go home more than anything in the world.

I only say this because I promised to be totally honest in my blogs. I am not trying to deter future study abroad students, and I certainly do not want anyone to think that Aix isn’t a wonderful place to live. I just want to highlight the fact that if you are not mentally prepared enough to leave your home, your family, and your life as you know it and being again somewhere completely foreign, it will hit you like a ton of bricks… and boy does that hurt.

However, I have discovered that the key is to take it one day at a time. After the first three days, things really started to turn around for me. The Institute for American Universities (IAU) was so supportive, empathetic, informative and helpful. They understood exactly what I was enduring, and they could assure me that I was going to be OK. (Which reminds me, if you are planning to go to IAU, I highly recommend participating in the Early Start Program. It presents you with an opportunity to learn about the school, the city, and to explore the surrounding towns… it also happens to be a great time to get your homesick/shock-induced meltdowns out and over with before classes begin! Wahoo!!)

As a group, the Early Start Program took us to the Mediterranean Sea, to Chateau du Seuil (a winery), to a cooking class, to the city of Avignon, to the city of Beau de Provence, on a hike to Lac Zola, and to the wonderful food and clothing market on the Cours Mirabeau in Aix’s city center. In retrospect, the week and a half after we arrived in Aix could not have been choreographed any better. All of the activities served as a welcomed distraction from the slew of emotions I was experiencing, and by the end of the week, I felt like myself again. Additionally, I was eager to get started with classes and begin establishing a routine! Everyday got a little easier, I felt less and less overwhelmed, and I could feel my excitement for this incredible opportunity building up inside of me.

Cassidy with green trees in the background.

…

As of today, I am writing you from a small café in the city center. I have a hot lemon lavender tea, a freshly baked baguette, fresh raspberry jam from the market, and the sun is shining on my face. I am SO happy!

What a whirlwind of emotions, right?! But what is the good without some bad? I’m a firm believer that there is balance in everything, and that there is something beneficial to take away from both the happy and the sad times. I have learned a lot about myself, how to have patience, how to endure the hard times, how to lean on the people that you love, and how to live and learn without giving up and going home.

…

One last (unrelated) thing. THIS TOWN HAS EYES. Literally! There are plastic googly eyes all over the city on signs, posters, and even the trees! I don’t know if you knew that the French had this kind of humor, but I am here to report that they do! While this succeeds to makes me smile everyday on my walk to and from school, it also reminds me to be observant – to keep my head up, my eyes open and to be present in the moment.

Googly eyes that are on street signs throughout the city of Aix.

Until next time!

-Cassidy

September 24, 2019April 7, 2021

Daily Life Abroad in Vienna

There’s a certain appeal to studying abroad that is unlike anything else. It’s an opportunity to study in another country where you might not know the language and cultural customs. It’s an exhilarating experience that one can remember for a lifetime

But what about daily life abroad?

What people sometimes forget to remember is that in the cities they study abroad or travel to, people are living regular, normal lives, just as one would in the United States.

four Linfield students in sitting on a ledge with Schönbrunn in the far background — The four of us playing tourist while at Schönbrunn

When you study abroad, you tend to be a mix of both a tourist and a local. An expat.

There are certain cues one can look for to know that you’re a fully assimilated Viennese. If you roll your eyes at the fact that the U-Bahn (subway) is more than 4 minutes away or stare at someone way longer than you should without smiling; congratulations, you’re officially Viennese.

Döner kebab, a pita filled with meat, lettuce, onions, and sauces — Every Viennese has their favorite döner kebab spot

So when I’m not in the Alps of Austria or visiting neighboring counties, I’m living a regular, normal life as a student in the city of Vienna.

My day begins with breakfast, usually something small, unlike the big American breakfast we are used to. From there, I make the journey to the institute, an approximately 26 min ride on the U-Bahn.

In the early morning hours, it’s easy to distinguish the local from a tourist on the U-Bahn. A local usually rushes down the escalator, knowing exactly down to the minute what time their usual train comes. A tourist stops suddenly in their tracks, hoping to take a better look at the Google Maps on their phone.

a map of the subway lines of Vienna — The Vienna U-Bahn system

Once at school, I attend my classes with a lunch break in between. I usually bring yesterday’s leftovers or make a sandwich.

After that, I take the same subway lines, U1 and U3, as in the morning but in reverse.

At home I get my homework done for the next day, relax, and await dinner with my host family. The fact that I live with an Austrian family also adds to this feeling of normalcy. My family is quite multicultural, as the dishes can range from traditional Austrian to Iranian.

We sit at the dinner table where I try my best to follow along to their conversation in their fast and letter swallowed German. Though my host mom is nice enough to recap what is said in English after.

a cut open Austrian dumpling filled with an apricot on a plate — Traditional Austrian dumplings filled with apricots made by my host mom

Especially being in the center of Europe, it can be tempting to escape to a new country every weekend. But it’s also good to remember that you picked that specific country to study abroad in for a reason.

If you decide to study abroad (which you definitely should) appreciate the country and city you are in. Take in the culture of the area and live among the people. But most of all, enjoy your time abroad.

Bis bald!

Rosario

September 24, 2019April 7, 2021

Classes and Weekend Adventures

I have finished my first full week of classes at IAU and it has been surprisingly nice to have a routine. It was intimidating at first to walk into a new environment such as this, but it has not been as different as I expected. Class sizes are small and the professors are very personable–just like at Linfield! I was told from previous students that the workload would be small, and although it is not suffocating, there is still a decent amount. What I have found to be really cool about IAU are the staff themselves. They are very diverse and have unique stories of how they ended up where they are today. I have teachers from all over the world, not just France. This is enriching in understanding the cultural diversity that is in Southern France. I have professors from the local city of Marseille and others from outside of Europe such as Iran and Morocco.

On a side note involving school, I would recommend bringing certain school supplies to France if you are as particular as I am. I brought my folders and some pencils but no paper because my professor told me how nice it was here. The quality is great, but it is almost impossible to find lined paper. There is mainly grid paper in France that is longer than standard paper in the U.S. This is because children learn how to write with it and from there they do not switch. The paper is also cheaper in the states. It is not super-inconvenient, but I would have liked someone to tell me that beforehand.

The weekend of September 14th there was a trip associated with IAU to Monaco. You pay for the bus fare, but the rest is provided. We made stops to the palace, Monte Carlo, and a perfumery. There was a good amount of free time at each stop, but I would not do this again just because there are limitations to what can be done and one day is not enough for travel. Although, this is something easy, cheap, and fun if you have a short weekend with a class excursion. Monaco was beautiful and full of color. If you are feeling tight on money but still want to go places, know that IAU sets up fun and cheap trips such as this. (It was only 30 euros!)

Cathedra Sainte Pierre, Monaco — Cathedral St. Pierre, Monaco

The weekend of September 21st, I went on my first excursion with my Prehistoric Art and Archaeology course. At IAU they have educational excursions for courses that you are enrolled in. It was seemingly an inconvenience because of wanting to travel with friends on the weekend, but it was actually beneficial in multiple ways. For this trip specifically, we went to the recreation of la Grotte Lascaux (Lascaux Cave). In this cave there was prehistoric art created more than 400,000 years ago. The art was technical and beautiful. It was fascinating to see these creations and try to understand why humans would go into these dark, dangerous caves to create the art. There is no way of knowing why because there was no written language yet, but the theories were fascinating. This experience was also beneficial because I would not have gone to this cave nor this part of France without this push. My advice would be to take advantage of these FREE trips and take everything you can out of it. We also decided to go as close as we could to the actual cave which ended up having beautiful scenery.

Pont d'Arc — Pont d’Arc is a natural bridge over a river that was important for migration/hunting. It is near the site of the actual cave of Lascaux.

Sierra

September 23, 2019April 7, 2021

Chuseok Weekend

This year, Chuseok weekend landed on Friday, September 13th. This holiday is also known as Korean Thanksgiving and it’s celebrated for three days. The day before was Thursday the 12th, and the day after was Saturday the 14th. Me and my friends used this four day weekend to check a few things off out “bucket list” of tourist attractions.

One of the first things we did was check out Gwangjang Market. This was recommended to us by one of our Korean friends that said it was a great place to shop around a bit and had a lot of great food options. Throughout the market there various Korean foods like mandu which are Korean dumplings. Plus fried chicken, bindae-tteok (Korean fried pancake), fishcake, gimbap (rice rolls, Korean sushi), and live squid! Although my friends and I were feeling adventurous, we weren’t feeling THAT adventurous. We decided to eat dumplings from Yoonsun Cho’s stand. You might recognize the name if you’ve watch Netflix’s Street Food. Yoonsun Cho and her famous dishes were featured for the episode that Netflix did regarding street food in Korea. And reputation upheld, her dumplings were delicious in flavor and as was her dumpling soup.

Gwangjang Market, a market of delicious food, drinks, and a famous trourist attarctions. — The entrance of Gwangjang Market.

Manduguk (Korean Dumlping Soup) — Yoonsun Cho’s Korean Dumlping soup.

The small banner by the dumlping stand. — Netflix’s Street Food banner at Yoonsun Cho’s dumpling stand.

The next thing my friends and I did was visit the Sky Tower, or also known as Lotte World Tower. Now that I look back on it, its kind of funny. We thought that because it was a holiday weekend that this attraction was going to be relatively empty. Well after making some stops at arcade, shopping, and getting distracted immensely we finally found the line for the tower. Unfortunately, it was a two hour wait. Every foreigner must have thought what we thought and headed to the Tower on that weekend for the same reasons. So, my friends and I decided to actually go on the tower another time, and watch the view from the outside.

My friends and I behind the tower, and large cat. — Behind my friends and I, the tower and a large Cat.

Chuseok weekend was unlike my other weekends. There was a lot packed into four days and come that Sunday I was exhausted. But, it was well worth it. It also started to rain a bit during this weekend, it made me smile and think of home.

Diana Naranjo

September 22, 2019April 7, 2021

Hello, Seville

My flight to Spain left early the morning of September 1 and I wasn’t on it. Instead, I was lying in bed with a swollen face and bloody gauze shoved into the back corners of my mouth, recovering from an emergency wisdom tooth surgery. A few days before I was supposed to leave for Spain my dentist advised me to check in with my oral surgeon, just to make sure everything was okay before I left the country. Everything wasn’t. “Hmmm…so you’ll be in Spain for three weeks? You should be okay to get your teeth out in about a month,” my oral surgeon said, after telling me all my wisdom teeth had erupted and should be removed as soon as possible. “No, I’ll be gone almost four months,” I said.

I scheduled a last-minute appointment to have the surgery and changed my flight to a week later. Fortunately, the surgery went well and I had almost fully recovered by the time I left. After traveling on three flights and testing out all the seating options in the Madrid airport during my 6-hour layover, I arrived at my host family’s apartment late Sunday night. “I think it’s here,” I told the taxi driver, a little disoriented after driving through a maze of twisty, cobblestone streets. “Bienvenido, mi hija,” my host mom, Loli, greeted me, as she ran down the stairs to meet me. I’m 5’3″ and I towered over her as she hugged me. She then began hauling my giant suitcase, which probably weighed more than she did, up the stairs.

Luckily, I didn’t feel very overwhelmed despite my late arrival. It may sound strange, but I can best describe Seville as a happy city. The streets are always full of people, walking, biking, eating, shopping, laughing, chatting, singing…it’s also pretty normal to see people giving impromptu guitar concerts or flamenco performances in the middle of the sidewalk. The only unpleasant thing that’s happened was when my host brother, disguised in his motorcycle gear and helmet, greeted me as I was arriving home. I jumped and nearly screamed because I didn’t recognize him, but we laughed about it after.

Cultural visits — Real Alcázar de Sevilla

My exchange program has taken us on quite a few visits to famous sites in Seville: Real Alcázar, Catedral de Sevilla, las Setas, Museo de Bellas Artes, Mercado de Triana (where the Spanish Inquisition began) and we took a boat trip along the Río Guadalquivir. Some of us also visited Cádiz last weekend and swam in the ocean–the warmest and saltiest ocean I’ve been in.

Playa de Santa María con las amigas — Post swim!

I also started training with a swim team here since I’m a member of Linfield’s team and wanted to continue practicing while abroad. I’d been in touch with the swim coach from Club Náutico Sevilla over the summer, so I showed up at the pool to check it out a couple days after I arrived. “You can sign up later. Bring your stuff and start practicing with us tomorrow,” he told me. I met what felt like everyone at Club Náutico the next day: the guy at the gate chatted wanted to chat New York and was disappointed when I said I’d never been . The lifeguards told me never to buy snacks at the pool. “Son malísimas,” they said. A couple of elderly ladies sunbathing asked me if I was from Germany. The coach dove into the pool, floated on his back, then got out and introduced me to the whole team. The practice was very similar to any other team I’ve trained with, except for that the sunbathing ladies jumped into our lanes to cool off in the middle of the set. No one seemed to notice. The laid-back atmosphere surprised me a little, but I enjoyed it. But it seems like that’s just Spain, relaxed yet full of energy.

Hasta pronto,

Anne