Mexico – Week 6

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Study Abroad

Week 6

After 6 weeks the program is now over. The last week was both fun and sad at the same time. It is sad to say goodbye, but lot of fun was had. Most of the group went out to a really nice salsa club. I have been taking salsa classes at school over the past 6 weeks, and I finally got the chance to try out my newly acquired skills. All in all it went pretty well and it was fun.

Lots of people are pretty anxious to get back to the states, but I honestly am not ready to go back. I suppose that’s a good thing, since I will be spending two more weeks in Mexico City and Oaxaca. Overall I had a great time in Mexico on this program. I kind of feel like I am moving all over again; this is my home I am moving away from. It doesn’t feel foreign anymore. Sure there are differences on the surface, but once you get below the surface people are pretty much the same. However, as incorporated as I may feel into this culture, I will always be regarded as an outsider because of my skin color. It is quite obvious that I’m not from Mexico, and that will always be a barrier. I guess this is perhaps what it feels like to hispanic people living in the US. Even if they were born in the US, they are often judged as Mexican.

Nimes, France

Posted on October 20, 2013 by Kacy Helwig

This morning I woke up at 7. I changed and ate breakfast and all that. It sucked getting up. I took a motion sickness pill and then headed to the bus. It took me longer to get there than I had planned but luckily I had planned to get there early. So it was all good.

We got on the bus and Cassandra and I were so exhausted we both just slept. Usually I look out the window to figure out where we are but this time I was too tired. We woke up in Nimes and then proceeded to be told that this is the place where Denim was first invented and that now they make a lot and export it. But do you see where the name Denim comes from? “De Nimes” meaning “from Nimes” became Denim.

We got off and went into this big garden thing where we were to walk around. It was really pretty cool. It was called the Jardin de la Fontaine.

Les Jardins de la Fontaine is a public park located in Nimes in the Gard . They are built around the original source dedicated to Nîmes Nemausus . Their architectural organization also highlights two monuments ancient major city, the Temple of Diana and the Tour Magne .

Les Jardins de la Fontaine was one of the first public parks’ of Europe and is still today one of the most remarkable.

Les Jardins de la Fontaine was made in 1745 on the basis of these remains. They made it possible to highlight two other Roman monuments have particularly stood the test of time, the Temple of Diana and the Tour Magne, both of which I went to. The project was led by Jacques Philippe Mareschal , military engineer of King Louis XV and director of fortifications in the province of Languedoc .

In the Gallo-Roman period , the area of Jardins de la Fontaine included including baths of the city (which you can see some remains).

Source: Wikipedia but translated.

It was really pretty. My tour guide was going too fast for me to follow though so Cassandra and I decided to just split from them to look at the garden at our own pace. It was much more enjoyable that way. I didn’t know that they used to be roman baths but I kind of guessed when I saw stairs leading into the big pond. It was really cool though. There were SO many fish in the ponds. They were also all connected so there was a ton of space for the fish. There was even two white and one black swan. They were really pretty and just added to the mood . We looked around the temple of Diana which was really in ruins but was also really well preserved when you think about how old it is, which is funny because we don’t actually know how old it is. The whole temple is a bit of a mystery.

The Temple of Diana (Temple de Diane) is a Roman site in Nimes whose ultimate purpose remains a mystery, as does the origin of its name.

Believed by some to have been originally built sometime during the reign of Augustus – others say in the 2nd century – it has been suggested that the Temple of Diana may have been a library.

Source: https://www.historvius.com/temple-of-diana-nimes-1603/

I think it is kind of cool that we don’t actually know what it was for. I think it is kind of fun to walk around it and just sort of guess. We walked up and down so many stairs my shins were starting to hurt. We had a bit of a problem finding the Tour Magne but we eventually found it. It was where the Romans made a big lookout tower kind of thing so that they could see enemies coming from far away. It cost money so we didn’t go up it but it was really cool. From far away from the city you can see the monument though because it is the highest point in the city.

It was really cool. We saw some stray cats on the way back down and it made me sad for them. Stray animals seem to be more of a problem here than in the states I feel like; or maybe they are just more under control in the states. I have noticed on the French Price is Right they don’t say to have your pets spayed or neutered. So maybe that is the problem. 😉

After that we went and found some lunch at a café. I also bought a cookie which was the best chocolate chip cookie I have had in a very long time. Then we found a gift shop so I bought a book of postcards for two and a half euros which is a very good price for 12 postcards. Then we walked by the Maison Carrée which was closed because it was Sunday but it was still very nice to see! It is one of the best preserved Roman temples to be found anywhere in the territory of the former Roman Empire and was built in 16 BC. It was awesome but there were a bunch of like teenage boys like climbing on the side of it which if it that happened on a US monument I think that the US would be ALL over that. But no one seemed to care or mind.

Next we found our way to the Arena of Nimes which was SO amazing! It seemed so huge and I was shocked that it is so old and still standing when you think of all the wars and people that have lived and could have destroyed it. It is pretty cool. Now they have added wooden benches and use it two times a year for bullfights and they even have added a removable roof. I think it is cool that it is still used for the purpose that it originally had. They used to do like exhibitions of men barehanded fighting lions and also exhibited animals like a zoo. In the middle of the day though there would be public executions by tossing people into the ring with a lion, or even attaching them to a stake and putting them in with lions or bears. It was pretty intense. The public at that point would all leave to have lunch so the only people who watched this part was slaves who were scared to guard their masters’ seats, sounds pretty scary to me. After that they would have famous Gladiator fights and then either let the loser live or die. It was pretty violent.

It was really cool to see the amphitheater though and the audio guides were kind of fun but not very informative. They were more for like imagining what it was like during the period but not really informative with information.

After that we headed back to the bus to go to the Pont de Gard.

The Pont du Gard (literally: Gard Bridge) is an ancient Roman aqueduct bridge that crosses the Gardon River[4] in Vers-Pont-du-Gard near Remoulins, in the Gard département of southern France. It is part of the Nîmes aqueduct, a 50 km-long (31 mi) structure built by the Romans to carry water from a spring at Uzès to the Roman colony of Nemausus (Nîmes). Because the terrain between the two points is hilly, the aqueduct – built mostly underground – took a long, winding route that crossed the gorge of the Gardon, requiring the construction of an aqueduct bridge. Built in the 1st century AD, the Pont du Gard is the highest of all Roman aqueduct bridges and is the best preserved with the Aqueduct of Segovia. It was added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites in 1985 because of its historical importance.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pont_du_Gard

It was definitely cool to see but we spent a lot of time there looking at it. Cassandra and I walked the bridge so that we could say we did, but then after that we decided to just sit and look at it from far enough away that we could see the whole thing. I was glad for the break from walking. We both were. We even tried opening some acorns from an acorn tree just for fun. It was really a cool bridge but we were too tired to want to walk around it more.

Overall it was a really fun day but also very exhausting! But I thought the whole trip was definitely worth the 25 euros to go!

Home from London

Posted on October 19, 2013 by Catherine Wheat

I revisited my before departure post and realized I did not see ANYTHING I planned to from that post. But that is okay with me. I saw and did a lot of awesome things and not having done everything gives me an excuse to go back.

I really miss London. Driving is weird. I loved how in London public transportation could take up anywhere. I miss the tube. One of my favorite things about London was all the wonderful plays that had. In London I saw one play a week. In London I was constantly doing things, I always had plans. I feel like I have nothing to do now that I’m home. I’m going to have to start playing tourist in Oregon I guess.

Some memories of the trip:

Me in front of Shakespeare home. Hopefully I gained some knowledge to use during my Shakespeare class this term!

Butterbeer break at the Harry Potter Studio Tour

We started at the bottom… (of Arthur’s seat in Edinburgh)

…Now we’re here! (The very top of Arthur’s seat!)

: The sphinx at the Louvre in Paris, France. One of my favorite things we managed to see there.

Château de Chantilly in France. This place was so beautiful inside and out.

Last Week in London

Posted on October 19, 2013 by Catherine Wheat

This month has gone so fast but I did so much! There is still a lot more I could do! I used my last week to catch up on things I still wanted to do in London.

I entered a lottery to win 20 pound book of Mormon tickets and I won! Luckily Molly was nice enough to let me ditch her so I got a front row seat to the play.

Waited in the long Saturday lines to check out the natural history museum. It was well worth it!

Got my last crepe of the month from the best crepe stand in the world. I hope they will not have to close because I plan to come back to Hampstead!

The trip to the airport was a sad one. I was not ready to leave. Seeing the TARDIS at Heathrow airport was the one upside.

London was everything I thought it was going to be and more. Going home will not be easy but I will be back to visit and revist places like Scotland and Paris for longer periods of time. This trip a once in a lifetime experience and I am so happy I got the chance to take it. I met amazing people and lived in an amazing city. I will not soon forget it! Love you London!!

Kacy tries a Macaroon

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Kacy Helwig

This morning I woke up at 7:30 and said no shower I am too tired and slept in until 8. I wanted to sleep in even more. My stomach was not happy this morning so I was glad to have the tums mom sent. I had fruit and skipped my roll because I just wasn’t feeling like food was the answer. I got dressed and pretended to sleep for another ten minutes. Then said I could skip this class I haven’t ever skipped it and I get two free… I could just sleep all day until my night class… But then I decided to get my butt out of bed and go. Mostly just because I knew that I would be getting my test back and I wanted to see what I got on the one I did well on.

I went and it was kind of rainy so I wore my boots. I also brought my computer along to do some homework between classes. My back hurt though from carrying it to school. I should use my backpack when I bring my laptop… That would be smart of me… oops. Oh well. I got there and pretty soon Mary came in and sat by me and complained that her shoulder hurt from bringing her laptop today and I laughed and told her I was just thinking the same thing. We talked with another girl Cooper who was there about what she had heard about our professor and how hard he was of a grader. She had heard this class was one of the hardest the university has. That scared us.

Class started and we got our tests back. I got an A! Win! I was happy. We started talking about the Sacrophages or Sarcophagus in English of Arles. They are kind of cool and it is interesting to see the significance and influence of the different cultures. We moved our second exam to a week later because he originally had it planned on Armistice Day which we don’t have school. So that was cool. After class I walked with Mary to the other building. She went to check her mail and I went down in the cave to edit my paper and hang out. I ran into Cassandra and apologized for sort of ditching her yesterday because we were making tentative day plans but then I got told I was going to lunch and then the walk so that changed quickly but luckily I was able to tell her things had changed. She is starting to try and go jogging everyday to get ready for the Color Run in her state. That’s the 5k run where each K you get pelted with a different color of dust which is maybe paint or chalk or something? The pictures from it look cool but I would fall over and pass out in a white shirt with no colors on it. So I say “go Cassandra” when she tells me she ran for support because running is really not high on the things that “do not cause me pain/ can do them” list.

We talked for a while before she headed off to go fix her paper and then go to class. I stayed and bought a 50 cent hot chocolate from the sketchy espresso machine that was probably some of the best hot chocolate ever. I’m not sure if because it is French or because It was cold and rainy out and I haven’t had hot chocolate since I have been here or what. But it was delicious. I also learned the vending machine only takes 20 cent pieces without eating them. So that is good to know after already losing a few bucks to it. I sat down there a while until Julia came down and sat and sketched for a while. Will, Risa, and Christelle were there too and were being really funny so I joined in on their conversations for a while. Then I went to get lunch at the Chinese place. I got a different chicken this time and liked it better but they use too much sauce or should have asked if I could get plain rice because that’s all I really wanted. It is hard to get plain things here I have observed, which is unfortunate because I like bland and plain things. I know I’m in France and complaining the food isn’t boring enough. First world French Problems. It is a good deal though for 5.50 with a drink. Pretty good.

I went back and ate my two mandarins that I had brought from home. They were delicious and I am glad they are coming into season here. They actually look like little oranges too not like the smooshed down wrinkly ones at home but like real little oranges that are mandarins. They were good. After that I edited my paper and talked to Morgan about it and we both agreed it was harder than writing an analysis because we both hate writing imaginative and creative things. I do on occasion enjoy it but not when I am forced to. I am not really sure mine is following the format he wants because he didn’t give us a clear format so I hope it is fine. I saved it and then went to town to try and send a package. Unfortunately for me though the post office by the school was out of world envelopes so I couldn’t send it. So I went back to school to print my paper. I also printed my History documents for the rest of the lectures because I have learned I will not read them electronically. I have to have the paper in order to take them seriously because I like to highlight as I read. It was a lot of pages but I double sided and it wasn’t really THAT many but probably 45 pages, for the rest of the semester. I see why he wanted us to use it electronically though. When I went to print the printer started spitting out like 20 copies of some girls two page paper over and over again. Finally I figured out how to get it to stop. But that was more wasted paper than anything else.

I went back to the cave to start doing some reading for that class when Christelle asked if I had read my email. Apparently we didn’t have class tonight! Our professor was sick so that means we were free! That was pretty exciting! I was like are you serious? YES! Not that I don’t like that class but given the option to go or have the night free I wonder which I liked the idea of more! I was excited I went to Paul’s (Patisserie) and bought a Macaroon Speculoos flavored. I had never had one before and figured now was a good time to try. TO give my honest opinion, I was unimpressed. For how much people here talk them up I was expecting something a lot more amazing. I mean it was good but the whole time I was thinking, “You know this tastes like speculoos but not as good, I could have bought three packs of speculoos for the price of this and been much happier.” Also it made me really thirsty and I had no water. So then I went home.

When I got home I skyped Dad and saw some of mom before she went to work. Then Madame came home and was like oh are you finished for today, oh no you have class tonight and I was like actually it’s cancelled and she was happy for me. My parents said Bonjour to her, and then they left and Madame left and I watched some Project Runway before heading out to go try a different post office.

The post office I went to is the main post office in town and is next to the tourism building so they are fully equipped with envelopes and boxes and the like. The people there were really nice even though I had to ask three people for help they all seemed to be happy to help me which was a lot nicer than when I went to the other post office. Maybe I will just go there all the time! Also there was.. a change machine! TA DAH!!! WOW! That is a GOOD thing to know about here, let me tell you. They really hate when you don’t give exact change or give them more than a euro over the cost of something. I sent my package after only a bit of confusion remedied by the friendly staff and then went on my merry way. I passed by a store that I had seen before that had Christmas decorations so I went inside to poke. It was a really pretty store. It was like a home goods store with dishes and linens and cool decorations and stuff. It is a good thing I don’t live here or I would have bought so much stuff! It was just pretty and fun to walk around in. they had lots of colored glassware which I have always wanted. I think they are so cool, and I love color.

After walking around that store for a while I went to Monoprix to look for some carrots and some speculoos cookies. I walked around there for a while and found tortillas which are good to know where they are because mom is sending taco seasoning in a package that is coming. I didn’t buy them but I remembered that they were there. I paid and left and came back home to work on homework. Madame came up and started dinner which was TWO croquet monsiuers (grille dcheese with ham) and salad. Madame only had one croquet monsieur and a tomato and salade. But oh man it was too much food. I felt bad not eating it but I forced myself. I have eaten two before when I didn’t snack in the day but because I had it was like man I want to stop. I think I slowed down so much in eating it Madame knows I can’t eat two full ones. But if not, then next time we have them I will tell her I only want one.

After that I tried to Skype Thad but my internet doesn’t work in my room for some reason so after trying for fifteen minutes I gave up. I went to the living room and Madame was like you look mad did it not work? And I said no that the internet is the opposite of last time where it works in the living room but not in my room as opposed to last time where it only worked in my room and not in the living room. But it was all good. She told me I could call in the living room and I said no I don’t want to be annoying your show and she was like what show I don’t care about this it’s just on I am reading the paper. So I said sure. She told me she doesn’t understand English at all so it wasn’t a big deal to her. I said okay and called Thad. We couldn’t get the video to work tonight but it was good to talk to him anyways.

After that I started writing my blog post and Madame fell asleep watching Castle. It was good and when she woke up we had dessert of apple sauce for me and yogurt for her and Beebow. It was the perfect dessert after a big meal like that. It is almost impossible to get away without a dessert of some kind so it is good that fruits and stuff are considered dessert. We ate some speculoos too.

Tomorrow my lit class starts on the movie for the term which is called “Wings of Desire”. It should be good. It’s a 1987 Franco-German romantic fantasy film directed by Wim Wenders. The film is about invisible, immortal angels who populate Berlin and listen to the thoughts of the human inhabitants and comfort those who are in distress.

Huanchaco, Trujillo

Posted on October 10, 2013 by Hannah Williamson

Last week and this week we had our midterms, and here midterms are the same as how we take our finals in the states, there is a designated time and class room to take the test, and it is given by a proctor, also to enter the class you have to have your ID present, sign a paper saying you truly are you, and sign and seal your test when you’re finished; all so official.

Anyways, the only days I had tests were Thursday and Friday, so I decided to get a few friends together and head up north to a town called Trujillo. What a great idea that was. It was a 9 hour bus ride on a “bed bus” which had nice reclining seats, for only $35 each way. I found a nice little hotel online that was about a 20 minute walk outside of the center square. Many people told us where we would be staying was very dangerous, but I found it to be calm and very enjoyable.

The first day we went on a tour of Moche/Chimú tours, where we were able to see the body of a mummified queen, Lady of Cao. It was so amazing to walk through the ruins, especially interesting to be where the human sacrifices took place. The next day we took another tour to more ruins called Chan Chan, also very interesting, and large as well.

Wednesday came around and it was already time to head back to Lima. Our bus didn’t leave until 10:45 pm so we decided to spend the day on the beach. It was so amazing, and sunny; just what I needed, and although I used spf 40 sunscreen, I still got burned. Overall it was a great trip, and I am thankful I have met so many Peruvians who can give awesome suggestions of sites to see and things to do.

Castles and Stairs

Posted on October 10, 2013 by Kacy Helwig

Today was way better than yesterday but it would be pretty hard not to be. I woke up at ten to my alarm after my usual 8 o clock window fixing. Then I went and took a shower and used my new shampoo/conditioner that I bought at Carrefour. It smells much more like me so I like it. I wish I had different body soap because it smells weird. It was good. I have started putting on music when I get ready in the mornings and have the house to myself. It is nice. Then I got dressed and went to do my hair. My bangs have gotten long so I decided to cut them. I think I did a pretty good job. They don’t look freshly cut which was the goal but they are definitely shorter which is good. I should have cut them just a tad more but they suffice for now. You may be thinking why didn’t you just go get all of your hair cut? Well because that’s 30+ € that I would rather just save and let my hair grow out so I can take it to my friend Joe and he can have a field day with it when I get home. Plus that is pretty steep for a hair cut! No wonder everyone has long hair here! 😉

After I did that I packed up my stuff and went to school. My plan was to finish the last 30 pages of my Game of Thrones book but then Mom was on Skype so I messaged with her instead. That was good and then pretty soon Cassandra came in and was like what did you think of the reading and I was like what? And she was like the homework for this class? And I was like oh I didn’t do that. I was so done with school by the end of class yesterday I just didn’t even care. So she filled me in on what I missed. I didn’t miss much judging from what e talked about in class but I’ll get caught up this weekend. I just needed to not do any more work yesterday after all the horribleness that happened. But class was interesting. We are talking about the German Unification now.

After class I climbed all the stairs (all but one staircase I got pictures of for you Mom, and then was sad there was no slip of paper saying I had a package. When I got back down my backpack was ringing. I was like what Is that? Turns out it was my phone and I missed a call from some number that I did not recognize. I tried calling them back but go a machine that was about 10 seconds long in French and there was no way I could understand them they were speaking so quickly. So I decided it was nothing. After that we went to the new building and sat for a while before going to our classes. Kelan noticed I cut my bangs. He won the prize and was the only one who noticed.

Literature was alright. We had read A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings : A Childrens Tale. It was a good little story but I feel like the class discussion just went WAY too philosophical that like I was wondering if the professor got our class confused with his next philosophy class in the same room. It was just like too much. I understand like analyzing but it was too much.

After that I went down to the convenience store for a juice and the cashier lady was not in a good mood. I went back and sat in the cave and finished Game of Thrones. It was very good. Except now I have to read The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky which is not going to be nearly as exciting… But I have to finish it before I can read the fourth book. It was good though I liked it a lot.

After that I met up with Patrick and Cassandra and we went to Happy Hour at Woohoo. The pigeons kept coming over because I kept looking at them and because we have peanuts on the table they thought I was going to feed them. Cassandra is araid of birds though so Patrick and I would just not tell her and then she would like turn around and it would be like RIGHT there and she would freak out. It was pretty funny J. Or at least we found it very amusing. It was chilly so after we were done, we went back to the school and I grabbed my big B.K. book and we parted ways. I came home and bought 5 days of internet because I am going crazy. Then I started reading. I am about 30 pages in. But it starts on page 16… So really I’m like 15 pages in and so far it is dreadfully boring. But it is just back story at this point so hopefully it will pick up.

I stopped when Madame came home and asked how my day was and then immediately if I went to talk to the internet people. I told her I didn’t need to because this morning the internet started working again! A little white lie but it saves me the stress and her the stress and I knew the internet was a risk when I bought it. So this way is best I think. But then we had dinner which was 2 croque-monsieurs each, (Grilled cheese with ham) to be eaten with a fork and knife, we also had salad. Toujours salade, jamais Malade, as Madame says whenever we eat salad. It was a lot of bread and afterwards I got hiccups. Madame laughed at me. It is pleasantly getting cold here which I love. Maybe tomorrow I can wear a sweatshirt! I am meeting Patrick and Cassandra to go for crepes tomorrow for lunch. Then I can check my mail again.

I have my Skype date soon with Thad which will make it just under a week since we have been able to talk. It’s at 11 my time so pretty late but Madame says she doesn’t care as long as I’m not screaming or being obnoxious. She says it’s like if I had a TV on I can make that much noise. But I am excited. It has been too long.

I got online and talked to dad about my test. He said that I need to have FUN storming the castle. 🙂

Art work featured in my class that I really liked!

Second Week

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Tate Sanders

Not much happening this week other than classes. Still figuring out how to jumble together seminars, tutorials and lectures all into one. It is far more confusing than back home, but it does offer more specialized learning for specific tasks. If only it could be more organized and less of a puzzle.

Didn’t do much other than that, as about the time I recovered from being sick, I got sick again and have been sticking close to campus most of the time. I am too tired to do much, as my American football practice pointed out, when I was coughing and thoroughly exhausted. Still, have met a few ‘mates’ and have a group from England to pal around with. Got to watch NFL games for the first time since I left home. That was a big plus.

No pictures this week, not much to take pictures of and nothing really interesting to photograph. Hopefully I will be traveling more soon and find some dandies.

Mid semester break

Posted on October 5, 2013 by Jake Hyde

Mid semester break down unda! and am having a blast!! missing home but going to the great barrier reef was a blast!! I went with my girlfriend who came down to visit with her dad and brother we went all along the east coast of australia up to brisbane (pronounced brisbin) and then flew up to cairns. We went to the outer reef to snorkel. when we got back we went to my friend Liam’s house. He is the Head RA here where I stay. While there we were in the middle of the bush. So needless to say I saw many kangaroo and lots of other wildlife. today is the Grand Final for Rugby League. This is like their Super Bowl. Also Rugby League is much different than the Rugby we play at home. Also while at Liams house we watched the Grand final for Australian football. after monday school starts back up again. So back to doing homework. Missing back home but absolutely loving it here in Oz and enjoying the kangaroo burgers, tim tams and Vegimite!!

Jake Hyde

Week 4- Real Madrid Soccer Game

Posted on October 4, 2013 by Adaleni Lopez

Getting back from Barcelona sunday afternoon and then having to do homework that night and go to class the next morning was a bit rough but I managed to get it all done. Classes are almost to the half way point, we have midterms in about 2 weeks. I’m pretty excited for midterms because once we’re done we get a whole week for fall break. I will be spending this week in Italy! Learning so much and keeping up with homework keeps me busy.

Highlight of this week was definitely experiencing a Real Madrid soccer game. Experiencing this with the whole group was really neat. A good game filled with so much excitement, seeing the players and winning 4-0 was a fun filled night.

The soccer stadium- Awesome!

Some of the group at the game

Cristiano Ronaldo #7 Awesome soccer player Picture credit to Tyler

I feel like the weather is soon to get cooler but it still hasn’t happened. The sun shines every day and I’m still taking in the sun getting darker by the week. I can’t wait for the cooler weather and rain so I can feel like back home in the Oregon weather.

Another day in Segovia