As I look back over the last three and a half weeks, I can’t believe all the thing i have done and how much I am not going to get to do on this trip. I have made some amazing new friends and i have gotten to know my old friends so much better. Here is one of my adventures with some of my new friends.

My friends from WOU and I took a weekend trip to Edinburgh during our visit. They wanted to climb up a hill, but, as I was having ankle issues and decided that the climb would not be the best idea. I chose to go wander around Edinburgh and as it started to rain I ducked into the National Museum of Scotland. What I found was amazing. It was the first time I really wished my kids were with me. They would have loved the museum as much as I did. The animals are the most awe inspiring thing I have seen since I got here. They were so huge and life like. One of my sons is in love with ocean animals and I could just hear him telling me all the facts about the giant squid that was hanging from the ceiling. Or telling me all the different kinds of sharks and whales there where in the rooms. There was a room with giant rocks of all different shapes and sizes. I could picture all my kids climbing in the giant geode and wanting to get their pictures taken. But as much as I enjoyed and was amazed by the animals and rocks my favorite part of the trip was the elevator ride I took. I ran into some of the other girls in my study abroad program in the museum and after chatting for a few minutes we decided we wanted to go see the roof  terrace before the museum closed. So we hoped into the very full elevator. There were 9 floors ranging from -1 all the way up to 7. We got on at the ground floor and we ended up stopping on every floor all the way up and each time we stopped the whole group would groan and make some kind of comment. We were all laughing and groaning about the stops by the time we got to the top. As the doors opened on the seventh floor we were told that the roof terrace was closed and we would all have to go back down. We didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. We all cheered when we got back down to the ground floor.

This experience is one that I will never forget and those girls are ones that I will keep in contact with for many years to come.

After being away from the U.S for five weeks, I was wondering how it would feel like to approach my country of birth again. Arriving in the airport in Houston, TX was already an eye opener with regards to how busy things get in the airport. Everyone always seemed liked they were in a rush (though that is not a good example of U.S behavior that surprised me; Airports are usually very busy). I think what really took me aback was that I was back in a country where my native language was being spoken. I frequently had to rely on my Spanish in Mexico, so this new transition feels weird, but somewhat reassuring. I can understands conversations now like they were second nature, not like something I need to constantly keep my brain turned on for. It also felt good to be back at Portland and later in Hood River because I know the places and felt more comfortable in getting food more readily and just to take in the familiar sights as well. The idea of drinking water from the tap was a nice change of pace as well, in addition to not having to worry about sharing food with a large family, there always seems like there is more to go around now.

I can see the potential risk to being back here and having Spanish be not quite needed to the extent as it was in Mexico. However, I do live in a household where I can speak Spanish and many people from the neighborhood speak the language too, so I do not think I am too much in a risk. I am a little worried I will get too lax and end up forgetting to study. All my entertainment is here and I have my truck here so I can go anywhere and have a fun time. I reckon everyone usually has that problem when they are on vacation and at home.

The differences in the resources between the two countries were very different, but I think I have come to appreciate what both countries have to offer, especially my own country after being back for a few days now. If I had more funds, I would love to return to Mexico again, possibly see some new places. Until then, I will enjoy my time here with family and friends. After all, I could not imagine a life without them.

Hi everyone!

Not to sound just like everyone else from the Harry Potter class, but the highlight of week 3 had to have been the Warner Brother’s Harry Potter Studio Tour. I have been a fan of the series since I was little and the tour was one of the coolest things I have experienced in a very long time. It was enlightening (and super entertaining) to go behind the scenes and see just how much effort was put into each and every entity of the films – from costume design, to special effects, and even just in the early development stages; there is so how in depth each aspect of filmmaking really is. I definitely have a new appreciation for everyone who is involved in anyway with production and films in general. Plus, who wouldn’t love an excuse to buy knee-high Hufflepuff socks?

Alexis

In the above image you can see the buildings in which were used as offices in the Ministry of Magic. This particular setting helped me see the amount of extremely fine detail that was put into the making of the films from its adaption of the novels. It went beyond the idea of basic material, and really outlined a 3D model of the imaginations that Rowling was trying to portray in her novels. I was awed mostly by this building because of the grandness it held in terms of size and color. When watching the films I had the impression that the buildings were merely green screen and they did an extremely good job molding it into reality. Obviously upon entering the Harry Potter tour you find that it was a real-life construction that took hours to make and was specially crafted as an effect for the film. Along with this idea that it allowed for furthering imaginations it showed a side to the organization of film making that truly stated the aim of the production. The director and following helpers were trying to create a real tangible world for the Harry Potter series and succeeded immensely.

PS The Harry Potter Tour was amazing!

Hi everyone!

It’s time! Here marks the beginning of my study abroad trip to Peru! I can’t believe it! I am sitting in the Dallas Fort Worth International airport right now awaiting my international flight to Lima and it still doesn’t seem real. As I told my grandma last night, I don’t think it will hit me until I get there.

I’m not entirely sure what to expect. Granted, I have researched for hours in preparation. But no amount of research is comparable to experiencing something in real life. I think that my host culture will be surprising. Peruvian culture is much different than American culture, so there will be a lot of adjusting to do. I am expecting culture shock and I have brought information about what to do when that sets in. I think that once I get past it, I will more easily dive in and try my best to live like a local.

I am both very excited and very nervous to spend four and a half months abroad. I have been planning this trip for months and months (six maybe?) and now it’s real life. Wow. I’m excited to learn the language, material from my classes, street smarts, how to live in a big city and how to do so independently, but I am most excited to learn about myself. For all of you who love psychology, you could say I’m still in Erik Erikson’s “identity vs. confusion” stage, which essentially means that I am still trying to answer the question, “who am I?” Hopefully this trip will continue to point me in the right direction. I am also looking forward to seeing many parts of the country and tasting all of their yummy cuisine.

As for the nerves, I’m past airport security, so those have definitely decreased. One of the things I have learned so far on this trip is that airport security makes me feel a little anxious. I also got a crash course on the best way to board an airplane, how to not hit people with my bags, and I learned that backing up to an open overhead bin once yours is full is next to impossible. As for the nerves pertaining to being in a new country, I have a lot of them. The first is homesickness. I’ve never been away from my family for more than five weeks, so four and a half months will be a challenge. I grew up in the country and have been on public transit less than five times in my life, so I am nervous about getting around a city as huge as Lima, which is home to about nine million people. Not being fluent in Spanish is another concern, as I have only taken through the 100-level sequence at WOU. However, I seem to acquire it naturally and retain it fairly well, so I’ve got that on my side. The last big thing that I am nervous about is breaking out of my bubble. I have a bit of anxiety when it comes to social situations, so this is hopefully going to be a time of growth for me. I have been mentally preparing for months to go completely alone to a country where I know nobody and only know a fraction of the language, so hopefully my personal pep-talks will get through to my stubborn self and I will make friends, talk to people often, learn lots of social skills (and Spanish), and it will all be fabulous.

I think that despite all of my worries, I will find that I am well prepared. I have done countless hours of research and have had plenty of time to prepare. I was raised to be smart, cautious, and independent. I am a natural problem solver and have learned how to be very resourceful. I have my faith, which helps me to be positive and see the bright side of all situations. I have God by my side every step of the way to guide and protect me. I am grateful for all of these things and because of them I am prepared.

Finally, I am so thankful to everyone who has helped make this trip possible: WOU staff, CISabroad staff, my CISabroad advisor Brian, who has put up with my multitude of questions, my family, and so many others who have been my emotional support, listened to me talk on and on about my trip, and given me advice and warm wishes. I am so blessed to have each and every one of you in my life.

Until next time,

Abby

Here are some photos to represent what I am expecting:

Here’s a a sideways photo of my face!

Hello all!

My name is Abby and I will be spending fall semester in Lima, Peru. For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to study abroad in Australia. I had dreams of seeing the Great Barrier Reef, seeing koalas and kangaroos, spending time on the beach, and swimming and scuba diving in the ocean. While I still wish to do these things some day, my more immediate plans changed when I transferred to WOU this past school year. I switched majors from pre-dental to education in the process of transferring, and somewhere along the way I rekindled my love for the Spanish language and decided to also pursue a Spanish Bilingual endorsement. I have always heard that immersion is the best way to learn a language, so I started looking at programs in countries whose main language is Spanish. I knew I wanted to travel for a full semester, so that narrowed my choices a little bit. I then started looking into the courses offered at the universities so that I could stay on track to graduate, and the best option for me turned out to be Peru. I’ve heard great things about the country and did quite a bit of research about it, and made my decision. By the beginning of April I had been accepted into my program, had created a Pinterest board with dozens of pins, and I was very dedicated to my Spanish courses. Here I am, almost four months later, about to finally embark on this big, crazy, exciting, once in a lifetime journey!

I have the highest hopes for all that I will learn and accomplish during my time abroad, and I can hardly wait for it all to begin.

-Abby

With my program reaching its end. I definitely have no doubt in my mind that my feelings have changed since I have last left the U.S. I was overcome with many different emotions: the idea of being alone in a foreign place without any of my family close by, meeting new people for the first time, and being immersed in a whole new place where English is not the first language.

Now that I have been here for five weeks, I feel bad that I did not feel more excited about coming to Mexico because it is a great place to live with some great qualities to it. I honestly was nervous because I had no idea what to really expect. People are unpredictable, as such I try to avoid any conceptions before actually meeting someone or multiple people. At the very least, I imagined that my host family would be kind and help me feel accustomed. For the most part, I was right. I was blessed with a great host family who treated me well. I was hoping they would be a family I could talk and interact with when the time is right and this turned out to be the case. I did not see myself speaking with the locals too much since I am cautious around strangers, but I wanted to at least interact with some people, and I am glad I did in the end.

As for my feeling about returning, I am very excited to see my mother again and eventually my close friends as well. I feel as though, no matter where I am, I will always feel a sense of emptiness when I am not at home in Oregon. It is for that reason that I believe I could never live far from home, it would be too hard in my opinion. I do have mixed feelings though. I feel like just when I have really started to feel at home here, I already need to leave. I feel like I have developed a sense of place here, and it is ashame that I have to leave now when I am not so busy with homework and studying. It is funny, but I am filled with emotions just like in the beginning. The difference this time is that I am not nervous or scared of being Mexico, but actually a bit sad to leave. I believe all abroad programs are like this. One develops the sense of a second home and they must feel bad for having to leave it. It truly is funny how the world works at times.

The time in Mexico continues to pass by, and by this time, I start seeing that my time has not been completely well-spent. My upbringing has made me pretty shy with regards to going out and getting others to accompany me to places. I believe my host mom recognizes that too and has urged me lately to get out and experience more of the culture of Mexico. I have been to a few places already, but I know there is more I can still do. Another student from the U.S has joined us in the household and he is more extroverted than myself. He is always on the move and ready to explore. I cannot help but feel kind of envious. Nevertheless, the other student has helped me to get out and explore more of the city and we have even walked my host mother’s dog who has not gotten a walk in many weeks. We observed some wonderful art done on the streets near the roads and the steady stream that may be would have more of a common sight in France due to its calm appearance and rather wide length as well.  The “Mural” art was another aspect that captured my attention as well. in addition to the museum relics and art, the murals are quite prevalent in Mexican culture, and I thought the ones I saw were really well done and showcased the artistic side of the culture quite well.    We ended up going to a park and some were actually set up a bit like exercise equipment outside. I am not sure if they were wholly intended for the younger kids who come with their parents, but it seemed to be perfect for the other student to comically do exercise of his own. I think it may have been designed for those who maybe cannot go to the gym due to costs. I know Mexico is a country where the people make the most of what they have, and this is just one of many examples of its better qualities.

Classes continue to enlighten me more about the culture here in Mexico in different ways. In addition  to the usual practice with writing and learning of tenses, We learned about the different legends that exist in Mexico and how they can come in different versions. We were tasked with creating our own version, and I took the opportunity to notice how broad the legends are. From volcanoes and lakes, they each hold their old ideas and lessons that are fascinating: the concept of love and how its beauty can remain eternal, and the importance of obedience for the well being of oneself and the family around them. These lessons hold great importance in life, and the fact that they can be told via  legends is all the more reason to appreciate their existence. We also ended up learning more about the nature of superstitions and how prevalent they are in the culture as well. Many people in Mexico believe in superstitions and sometimes resort to utilizing the services of supernatural mediums to turn their lives around when things do not go so well for them. It was an interesting category to discuss since most people in Mexico are of religious (mostly Catholic) faith. Much like with parties, it serves as a means of alleviating the harshness that work and other responsibilities can bring.

With the countdown towards returning already well underway. I believe this last week will be the most interesting of all of the weeks so far, as well the most stressful

Visiting London and the surrounding area of the United Kingdom has provided me with a sense of a vastly different culture, or I should say a sense of cultures. The diversity found in the city is greater than I have seen in any other place. Before coming to Britain, the greatest real-life example of diversity I had found was on-campus at WOU. I have heard more unique languages spoken aloud in the last two weeks than I had previously heard in the entirety of my experiences. The city here reminds me a lot of the big cities back home. However, there is a much greater sense of community here than I pick up in big cities of the U.S. Perhaps this is due to the close proximity of everyone in town. People of all races and classes appear to travel on the same path everyday. The trains and tube are always packed with all kinds of interesting folks that do not seem to mind being so close to everyone else around them, and it does not seem that anyone is deterred by the thought of using public transportation either. At home, the public transportation has certain negative connotations, whereas here public transport is just a part of the routine. The public transportation system also seems to be fairly well maintained compared to the systems I have seen back home.
Another aspect of the culture that lends to the sense of community here is the tradition of the pubs. No matter where you go, you are bound to find an assortment of these establishments. The pubs are always bustling during lunchtime, and especially after work hours. It seems that people here do not see alcohol as a negative influence as we do in the states. The people here are used to just grabbing a beer with their colleagues during the day, or after work without thinking twice about it. In the U.S. society in general has a very different attitude towards alcohol; alcohol is a forbidden fruit and people who drink may be judged for their choices. I think this attitude breeds the issue of young people feeling the need to drink to excess. The bars in America are often filled with people who are making a scene and taking things too far. In contrast, I’ve noticed that people here are more apt to go to the pub for socializing with friends and family; pubs are less about the actual drinking and more about the community aspect here. Of course there will always be a bit of mischief associated with overconsumption anywhere, but it doesn’t seem to be a major issue.
A final note on pubs: I was very encouraged when my friends and I were in a local pub and we noticed that not a single person there was on their phone. This was quite a novelty because back in the states, it’s almost a guarantee that half of the people in a restaurant or other public place will be staring at their phones at any given moment. It was refreshing to see that people were very present in the moment and not concerned with whatever social media had to offer.