The entire last week in Florence all we saw was rain, rain, rain… Florence was crying that I had to leave… and so was I! I have had the most wonderful experience over these past four months and the people I’ve met and memories I’ve made have far exceeded my wildest expectations for the semester.

Rachel Clemons and I have been traveling together since August 19th and since she posted below, I’ll try not to reiterate everything that she described. Since I’ve been away from home, I’ve visited seven different countries (Ireland, England, Italy, Germany, Spain, France, and Switzerland) and seen countless cities. Europe is so unique because it is extremely easy to get to many different countries in only a matter of hours… and most accept the same currencies.. convenient.

Rachel and I spent five days each in Ireland and England. In Ireland we stayed in Dublin right at the edge of the Temple Bar district… a great place for going out at night with live music (my favorite) in literally every bar, every night. Even though the Irish musicians hated it, they all played my new favorite song.. Galway Girl (from P.S. I Love You) and the pubs would go wild. We did a lot of sightseeing while in Dublin and saw, among other things, Dublin Castle, Trinity College, the Guinness Storehouse, the famous “Tart with the Cart” statue of Molly Malone(!), and my favorite, Kilmainham Gaol. Kilmainham Gaol was a former political prison that housed leaders of the Irish rebellions in the ’20s. Anyways, after bumming around Dublin for a few days we took a bus to Galway on the west coast of the island, did sightseeing there and went to the Cliffs of Moher. Even after being abroad for almost five months, the Cliffs of Moher are still my favorite spot. I can’t even describe how awesome it was to be there and the pictures don’t do it justice, either. I guess you’ll just have to experience it for yourself!

After Ireland, we headed to London for the next leg of our trip. We were those annoying, double decker-bus-riding-earphone-wearing-tourists there.. but we most definitely weren’t the only ones. Compared to Dublin, London is HUGE! Five days wasn’t enough time to see everything, but we tried. Before leaving home I bought “Royal Day Out” tickets so we could see Buckingham Palace (a.k.a. so I could see Kate Middleton’s wedding dress in person) and some other royalty-ish places. The tour of Buckingham Palace was awesome! We got to see the state rooms (extravagant), the gardens (extravagant), the Royal Mews (the garages for the cars.. Rolls Royces and such.. and the ceremonial carriages), the wedding dress, the cake and all other things Kate. We also saw Big Ben, the House of Lords, the House of Commons, and took a boat tour and saw the new Globe Theater and Tower Bridge. One day, we took the train to Windsor and toured Windsor Castle (the official residence of the Queen) and those grounds. I loved seeing the castle and especially St. George’s Chapel where many famous monarchs are buried. We also went to Covent Gardens, Camden Markets, and spent a lot of time in Trafalgar Square. Did I mention we went on a tour of places where they shot some scenes for the Harry Potter movies? It was awesome.

After London we headed to Rome where we met the rest of our program (International Studies Abroad – ISA), our roommates, and had a few orientations. ISA arranged some guided tours of Rome which included the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and the Vatican (Vatican museums, and Sistine Chapel). Afterwards, we threw coins in the Trevi Fountain, climbed the Spanish steps, and wandered around the city looking at ruins and various buildings. We spent only a few days in Rome before we loaded the bus to head to our apartments in FLORENCE!!

In Florence, Rachel and I lived with five others from various places in the US (NJ, NY, Chicago, Chattanooga, and STL). In Florence we attended Florence University of the Arts (FUA). My class schedule was a dream: Italian Culture through Festivals and Feasting (a cooking class), Wine Appreciation (surprisingly my hardest class…), Italian Language for Beginners, Fashion Media and Culture, and Daily Life in Pompeii. I actually looked forward to going to my classes every week! The teachers all spoke English really well and the course work was interesting and refreshing after not having a single class outside the COB for the past three years. One of the most notable things to share from my classes is the foods we made in cooking. I can now make you (from scratch): fresh pasta with wild boar sauce, naked spinach and ricotta cheese dumplings, almost any kind of fried fresh fish (fresh as in, de-head, de-gut yourself, fresh), calamari, various Italian cookies and desserts, gnocchi (my favorite dish I learned) and fried sweet rice cakes! We’ve made other dishes but that gives you a pretty good idea of some of the things they had us cook.

Besides taking classes, Florence truly became my home over the past semester. I learned to get around the city easily on foot, knew how to avoid tourists and gypsies, found favorite breakfast places, and became good friends with the waiters at my favorite restaurants. Our apartment was on the fourth floor of our building… 77 steps and no elevators… and was very close to the Duomo, Florence’s biggest and most beautiful church and piazza. We were also just steps away from the San Lorenzo markets where you can buy souvenirs, clothes, jewelry, leather goods, etc. etc., and the Central Market which is the best place for getting fresh and cheap meat, veggies, fruits, wine, olive oil, etc. My favorite morning routine consisted of getting a cappuccino (da portare via – to take away) and a chocolate chip muffin from the same vendor and sitting outside on the steps of the Central Market to people watch. Piazza Michaelangelo provided a great view of the whole city; the Ponte Vecchio is great for expensive jewelry shopping; Piazza Signoria has a permanent outdoor statue exhibit, the Gucci Museum, and Palazzo Vecchio; and Piazza Republica is the old Roman city center and today is lined with designer stores and great restaurants. After being away on a weekend trip I always loved getting back to Florence and feeling at home.

Besides staying in Florence and touring Rome with ISA, I traveled all around Italy and saw Milan, Venice, Naples, Sorrento, Monterosso, Viareggio, Siena, San Gimignano, Orvieto, Pompeii, and Herculaneum. In Milan, we visited a friend we got to know one weekend at the beach and saw the Duomo there, the Galeria, did a lot of window shopping at all the designer stores, drove around town and went to some great apperitivos (during cocktail hour in Italy bars provide all you can eat appetizer foods… yum!). When friends from Louisville came to visit we rode gondolas in Venice and toured the town and Saint Mark’s square. One weekend, my Daily Life of Pompeii class took a field trip to Pompeii and Herculaneum (ancient Roman towns destroyed and preserved by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79). While there we took tours of the sites with our professor (an archeaologist), ate the best pizza in Italy – it comes from the south of the country near Naples – and stayed in Sorrento, part of the Amalfi Coast. Sorrento was beautiful and my entire class had a great time and got to be really close. This was one of my favorite weekends and it was so cool to see the sites we had been learning about in person. Italy is an awesome country full of history, beautiful art and architecture, interesting people, great shopping, and fun nightlife. I appreciated every single second I was in the country and cannot believe my semester is already over…

We also had the opportunity to leave Italy and travel to other European countries. At the end of September we took a bus to Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest! Picture Disney World with all-you-can drink beer. The beer at Oktoberfest was so, so good! There were fourteen tents to choose from and each had a unique beer that they brewed just for the festival. We drank, ate pretzels bigger than our heads, rode rides, and met a ton of cool people. While in Germany, Rachel and I also made a trip to the Dachau Concentration Camp. It was pretty eerie and hard to imagine all the atrocities that took place right where we were standing. It was a great opportunity to be able to visit a place so full of history.

Then, for a week in October we had a break from classes and I traveled with my roommates to Barcelona, Paris, and Interlaken. This was the best week ever and I experienced so many things in such a short time. In Barcelona we saw a ton of Gaudi architecture, went to the Picasso Museum, ate at tapas restaurants, saw a Flamenco dancing show, went to Park Guell where there were fabulous views of the whole city, and experienced Barcelona’s crazy nightlife. In Paris, we drank wine on the lawn in front of the Eiffel Tower, saw the Arc de Triomphe, shopped along Champs-Élysées, visited the Rodin Museum and the Louvre (hello Mona Lisa!!), went to the top of the Eiffel Tower, went inside Notre Dame, and made a trip to Versailles. As Wesley France told me before I left, after visiting Versailles and seeing how ridiculously expensive everything seems, you can totally understand the reasons behind the French Revolution.

Our last stop for our fall break trip was Interlaken, Switzerland. We were only in Switzerland for a weekend but I wish I could have stayed longer. The scenery was so beautiful – we literally felt like we were standing in a postcard. It is Europe’s capital for extreme sporting so while there we went canyoning and skydiving!!!! To canyon, we dressed in wet suits then drove up into the mountains (past the north face of Mount Eiger – where the North Face brand gets its name – which is the hardest climb in the world) and then hiked further. After hiking up, we made our way back down the mountains to where the van was parked by jumping off rocks into the mountain streams, repelling from high walls, sliding down rocks, and wading through the FREEZING water. It was So. Much. Fun. The water was so cold it took my breath away when I went under but after getting used to it and having the wet suit, it wasn’t all that bad. We also did a high-ropes course and jumped out of a plane. No big deal. Skydiving over the Swiss Alps was unbelievably amazing. The views on the way down were enough to distract me from being scared that I was freefalling! After landing I was ready to get right back in the plane and jump again. It was the most fun I’ve had. I think I’m addicted.

Overall, this semester was the best, ever. It was more fun than I could have imagined and I am so thankful for the experience and for the people I met. I made friends that I know I’ll keep in contact with for the rest of my life and after being back in the US for only less than a day, I’m already having withdrawals from them and from my home in Florence!

This is my 5th time in Japan, but my 1st time to study abroad in Japan. I arrived nearly 3 months ago and am currently studying the Japanese language and taking cross-cultural courses and international business courses at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto. To be honest, I have been so involved with my activities in school that I have not had many chances or time to travel around Kyoto, but I plan to begin to do so at the end of this month. Since I have done quite a bit of sightseeing in Japan during past trips, my goal for this trip is to gain as much experience working with Japanese and learning their ways.

I am thoroughly enjoying my university classes. What makes my classes so exciting is not only that my professors are all amazing, but the class ratio is 50% foreigners and 50% Japanese. It is so interesting to observe the cultural differences in class, observe different working styles, and notice how the professors balance the diverse class. I feel like my cultural understanding is exponentially expanding and my ability to see from different perspectives is improving.

Shortly after the fall semester began, I passed the selection to join my university’s negotiation team. I thought joining the team’s English-speaking division would be a great opportunity for me to experience working with Japanese students who can speak semi-fluent English, get more involved in school, make friends, and learn more about negotiation.

The negotiation team is no joke. When the team was recruiting students, they mentioned all the wonderful things about the team and noted that weekly meetings would only total around 12 hours. I thought I could survive 12 hours a week, so I joined. Shortly after, I realized that weekly meetings were 20 to 30 hours a week, which made me come to the conclusion that Japanese people LOVE meetings. Not just meetings, but really LONG meetings. In the beginning I felt that the long and daily meetings were inefficient, time-wasting, and unnecessary.

I didn’t realize until later that the negotiation team wasn’t doing things wrong; the team was just doing things differently. The point of having so many meetings was really to build relationships, trust, and loyalty. Being collectivist, the Japanese highly value group harmony, relationships, and time is not a limited commodity. Coming from an individualistic society it was challenging for me to comprehend the collectivist way, but I am slowly starting to understand and adapt. If I had not joined the negotiation team, I don’t think I would ever been able to gain this cultural understanding. It is one thing to read about the differences between individual and collective societies, but going through the experience is another story!

My ultimate reason for joining the negotiation team was the once-in-a-lifetime chance to participate in the prestigious Intercollegiate Negotiation Competition in Tokyo as a representative of Ritsumeikan University. The competition took place this past weekend. I had a great time and it was really rewarding to see that 3 months hard work pay off. Not only have I made close friends through the process, my cultural understanding has exponentially increased, and of course, my arbitration and negotiation skills!

Here are some pictures from the competition:

Ritsumeikan English Team 2 waiting for the bullet train (I’m wearing the purple jacket):

Ritsumeikan English Team 2:

Day 1: Arbitration Round: Ritsumeikan English Team 2 vs. Gakushuin

Day 2: Negotiation Round: Ritsumeikan English Team 2 vs. Doshisha

If anyone has questions/comments about studying abroad in Japan, or the Intercollegiate Negotiation Competition, please feel free to contact me! I will continue to post on the CoB Blog as I still have 8 months left of my study abroad!

Sayonara for now!

OE-StudyAbroad

Australia was not only a blast, but I learned a ton! The course was Sports Marketing and the length of stay was 10 days. We had many guest speakers from the Sydney Swans, Australian Rugby League, Warratohs, Rabitohs (Russel Crowe’s team), MLB, US Consulate, Commonwealth Bank, and speakers from the University of Technology Sydney. OE also had a professor on staff who was a member of our group for the duration of the trip.

The OE professor oversaw our project and made sure we were on the right track. The project was in conjuction with the Sydney Swans, an AFL Team. We broke into teams and designed surveys to gather data from local SydneySiders to poll their opinion on both the AFL and The Swans. There were three different days to survey the SydneySiders and on the final day, we asked these questions at a Swans game. At the end of the trip, we presented our findings to the Swans.

Outside of class time, we toured Australia. Our Hostel was right across the street from Central Station so we mostly used the train as transportation. We went to both a AFL and Rugby game, toured the opera house, walked across the harbour (Australia Spelling), visited Manly Beach, shopped downtown, and spent a few hours touring on our own.

As part of the trip, we traveled to Cairnes (pronouced “Cans”). Cairnes is more of a beach flavored town and was very laid back, something you might expect while in Florida. In fact, it was so small the airport didn’t have gates. You simply walked off the plane onto the tarmac. While in Cairnes we visited a wildlife reserve which allowed us to take a duck tour of the rainforest, watch Aboriginals throw spears, teach us how to throw a boomerang, finally watch them perform aboribinal dances while playing the didjeridoo (which is the “Sound of Australia” and is pronouced “did-jer-e-do”). The highlight of the wildlife park was of course the zoo which held kangaroos, Koala bears, crocodiles, and other species. We were able to spend a long time on petting the Kangaroos and even got to hold a Koala.

The next day in Cairnes we went scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef. The boat ride was 2 hours and was very rough, but it was so worth it. When we got there, we had the option to scuba or snorkle and many of us did both. Scuba diving did not need certification and we went down in groups of 4 with a guide. It was awesome! We were inches from the reef and I almost got eaten by a giant clam! Snorkeling left you about a foot from the reef and you could stop to take breaks at the beached island. Lunch was on the boat and it led to a very relaxed afternoon.

The very next day in Cairnes was our last and we spent the afternoon finishing our projects. After we finished our projects, we ventured up into the rainforest to bungee jump. The bungee was set up above a small pond which you would later touch after almost reaching the ground. Great fun!

We traveled back to Sydney after Bungee jumping as the next two days would be the remainder of the trip. We spent that time touring and on the last day, prepared to give our presentation.

This trip was very well planned out and the director was very connected. The tuition for the trip seems expensive for 10 days, but it includes 3 meals a day, accomodation, travel while in Australia, and all activities (unless you wanted to purchase something extra). If you enjoyed your time in Australia, you had the option to continue your experience to both New Zealand and Fiji.

This trip would be perfect for Freshmen or Sophmores interested in Marketing. I am a CIS Major but still had fun!

Greetings from The Netherlands everybody!!

I am currently studying at The Hague University in The Netherlands! I am here just for 1 semester but it has already been a BLAST so far!

This Dutch school took me some time to get adjusted. It was difficult to schedule classes but once I got the hang of it (with the help from UofL staff) everything was perfect!

I absolutely love my dorm. I live by myself which is nice when I want privacy but this building is 20 stories high fill with exchange students so I always have someone to talk to!

I have been here since August 22nd and I have already traveled all around The Netherlands (Amsterdam, Naarden, Volendam, Rotterdam etc) and I have also been to Brussels, Belgium.

This weekend I am going to Croatia! I can’t wait. I will be gone for 5 days. Stay Tuned for pictures!

My name is Joey Bonura and I am studying in Panama city, Panamá for about a year. I have already been here for about 2 and a half months and I have been having a great time. I am staying with the family of a Panamanian friend that I met at U of L and they have been really welcoming.  I also brought my dog Riley with me since I am going to be gone for so long I couldn’t leave him at home.  I am doing an internship at Philips as well as taking four business classes that I can apply towards my marketing degree. I really like the school I am going to because the class sizes are really small (about 13 people per a class) so the individual attention makes learning the material easier. At my internship I do a lot of research on market predictions for some of the different categories at Philips. Doing research for data in central america is a lot more difficult than other places because many of the countries are still developing. Panama is a great place to be studying business right now. The are so many construction projects going on and the city currently has about 150 skyscrapers. During my first week here Donald Trump held the inauguration of his first international hotel. The building is in the shape of a sail and currently the tallest building in Central America. The city also has a historic district called Casco Viejo that had Spanish colonial architecture and good cafes and restaurants to go. There is a track on the waterfront that I like to run on and it goes from the city to Casco Viejo. The beach is about an hour and a half from the city so I’ve been able to go there a few weekends to relax.

Since I have been here I created a website for students traveling to Panama because I noticed there wasn’t very much information on the internet. If you want to check it out you can go to www.panamastudentguide.com.

Also, a tip to everyone who is studying abroad and wants to save on foreign transaction fees: Capital One doesn’t charge any fees for foreign transactions so you can have a debit card and use it freely without having to worry about converting money or paying the high fees that banks charge. Panama only uses US dollars but my bank was still charging a foreign transaction fee which was $6 so I did some research and found that Capital One is one of the only companies that doesn’t charge any fees, so I set up an online checking account with them and it actually works.

I will try to be more consistant with my posts on here and keep everyone updated on new things that happen. If anyone has a twitter account and wants to follow me you can go to twitter.com/joeybonura. Its a lot easier for me to post updates on there because i can do it straight from my phone.

My name is Robert Rixman and I am studying at Bordeaux Ecole de Management in Bordeaux, France. I have been here two weeks and can already tell this is going to be an amazing experience. I’m learning a lot about French culture, but even more about other cultures from the other international students.

Living in Bordeaux
I live in a flat on rue Bouffard in the city centre (I quickly realized nobody understood what downtown meant. “Downtown to what?”) I have a roommate from Seattle. Also living in our building is a guy from Copenhagen, Denmark named Nikolas, his catchphrase: “Who cares, we’re in Bordeaux!” and a very Turkish guy from Istanbul, named Cem (pronounced Jim or gem…)

We were really lucky to get a place downtown compared to by the school (in Talence). All the activities so far have taken place in Bordeaux and the city is beautiful. Don’t tell the landlord, but one night a few of us took a bottle of wine to the roof and gazed at the city. It was literally breathtaking.

Orientation Day
Orientation was at the beach. We had canoe races, sand football (soccer), sand volleyball and more. Met a ton of cool people from all over the world. It’s really interesting to hear what they think about Americans; like we love having barbeques, enjoying a responsible amount of alcohol, and then going to church. I have learned so much about them as well, even a lot about the English and Canadians (“eh?”).

Just about everyone would say, “Oh Kentucky Fried Chicken?!” when I told them where I was from. Nobody has heard of Louisville and cannot understand what I say when I don’t pronounce it “Loo-E-ville.”

The night after orientation, a group of us went to dinner on the Rue Saint Remi, a famous street that leads to the river in Bordeaux. In official French Tradition, we had a two and half hour meal; three course, sangria, and a bottle of Bordeaux Wine. That’s how every meal is. I would get frustrated at how long everything takes, but it’s not like I really have anything better to do. So we sit and enjoy the weather, the city, and talk about the differences in our cultures.

Tour of the city
The Melting Potes, a student organization that is in charge of international student activities, set up a tour of Bordeaux. We got to see the touristy sights and learn some interesting facts. Also at famous landmarks we would play games. We “mimed” in the park and posed for a funny picture in the Place de la Bourse. And at the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux we all sang our own National Anthem. It turns out I can’t sing. We also had about 8 Germans in our group who proudly belted out their anthem. An Englishmen leaned over to me and said “The last time Germans were singing that song in this square, it was 1944!” wow…

Other Activities
The Melting Potes have been putting together activities all week. We had a poker game. I was able to knock out all of the international students, but was finally knocked out by one of the Melting Potes despite flopping a full house. But it’s not like I’m still mad about that or anything… A KING ON THE RIVER?! COME ON!

Anyway, the next night was redemption at “Laser Game” or “Laser Tag” as we would call it. Quick side note: there was a pool table in the Game Room and apparently in Europe they play on a tiny pool table with small pool balls and no numbers. That’s why I lost… The Laser Game was another story. My American roommate and I had the highest scores out of any of the 100+ international students. I was feeling really good about it too until an Austrian girl said “The reason you are so good at Laser Game is because you have nothing better to do in Kentucky,” and walked away.

Our flat mate, Cem, came up to us after his match and said happily in a thick Turkish accent, “I cover up sensor, and was dead-less.” I didn’t know whether to laugh or be terrified.

Classes
I just started my Human Resources in a Globalized Environment class. It turns out its even more boring than the name… but “Who cares, we’re in Bordeaux!” st-remi.JPG

Well, it’s the night of August 13,2011, and I’m sitting in Heathrow airport wondering where all of that time went.  It feels like just yesterday that I had landed on the tarmac at this same airport, eagerly anticipating the events that would unfold over the next two months.  I can truly and sincerely say that London did not disappoint.  As many of you read in my first post, I spent a few of my first days here, travelling Paris.  The buildings, the architecture, the history, and the shear majesty of being in Paris was amazing.  London was no different. In fact…London may have even TOPPED Paris.  Between my first few days in Europe, and the first few days once classes started, I had many an opportunity to travel the wonders of the London area. 

The first stop on this epic journey was…perhaps head-scratchingly for some, Southall.  Many of you have probably never heard of this small West London suburb.  To understand why I went to Southall, it is first important to know a little bit about myself.  Well really…just the fact that I’m an Indian American.  As many (probably all) people around me will tell you, I’m very proud of my heritage and culture, and embrace the fact that I live in the best of both worlds – by being an American, and also being able to attach myself to the rich history and culture of India.  Southall is known as Little India.  It is the largest concentration of emigrants form the Indian subcontinent, in the world.  I travelled to Southall, to be able to witness this subculture with my own eyes..and EXPERIENCE it! That’s what studying abroad is all about! It’s important to experience EVERYTHING around you.  It was truly awe-inspiring.  To walk into a place, really a town, within London, England, and completely feel like I stepped foot back into India was an entirely different experience.  It’s something that I, as an Indian American from little old Louisville, KY, doesn’t usually witness.  That was certainly not the LAST time I visited Southall during my two months in London..far from it in fact.  In fact, I was even able to go there for a Punjabi music concert, meeting a couple of the biggest Indian music artists in the world.  To keep going with the Indian experiences, I even got to see the national cricket team play England’s national team, live at Lord’s Cricket stadium.  These were experiences that I never could have dreamed of back in The US – but a study abroad program made them reality for me.  I encourage all of you thinking about studying abroad, to not only experience the touristy stuff in your locations, but dig deeper for experiences off the beaten path, that wouldn’t normally jump out at another person.  Really tailor your experience to YOU.  Especially those of you who may be second or third generation Americans, only recently removed from your ethnic country, take advantage of the sub culture that may be right under your nose.  Experience your heritage from a whole different perspective. 

At the end of the day, there was still of course the plethora of things that I “had to do” while in London.  Windsor Palace was one of many castles that I toured during this trip; one can’t help but be overwhelmed by the history and grandeur of such a landmark.

At the end of the day, however, the main purpose of this trip was really to study and learn at such an institution as The London School of Economics.  Surrounding myself with such capable professors, TAs, and professors was an amazing experience.  While I gained a lot through classes, I can honestly say I gained just as much through the diversity of the people around me.  There were people from pretty much every nook and cranny of the world – including the staff and professors working at the university.  It truly was a gathering place for intellects from around the globe.  That, I came to realize, is what makes LSE such a great place to learn.  My professors were able to use examples from their home countries to better explain the concepts being taught in class. Out of my four “teachers,” I had a TA from New Zealand, a TA from Greece, a professor from Italy, and a professor from Germany.  In addition, in class, the level and depth of analysis that teachers delved into, was astonishing. 

At the end of the day, I would CERTAINLY recommend the LSE summer program for ANY student who is interested in a diverse, challenging, well-respected, and well-organized experience.  The only qualm that I have, is the price, which one must consider before travelling abroad in general.  London does tend to be an expensive city, but provides students with experiences that are well worth the cost. 

Well, my time with Session I of USAC here in India is about to come to a close. After five long weeks here in Bangalore, my time is just about over. Thursday marks the last day of classes for me, and after that we will each be going our different ways. Some will be returning home immediately after classes end, some are going to journey a little more throughout India and then go home, and some of us are going to travel for a little bit and then come back and start the second session of the program. I’m planning on going to Mumbai, Jaipur, Agra, and New Delhi before coming back to Bangalore. By then, I’ll be very tired and very willing to meet the new set of students, teaching staff, and opportunities that await during the second session.

With this in mind, I fear that this last journal may be a little more nostalgic than it should be. I just got back from a delightful and very relaxing weekend with eleven of my new best friends in the amazingly beautiful Goa. We spent the weekend on the beach, in the pool, laying in the sand, getting tan (and getting a little bit burnt), and just enjoying the little time we had left together. I am very sad that our time as a group is so close to ending. We truly bonded like a family, and I can only hope that the second session will become as close as our small group did so quickly. Before we all head back to our different directions, we still have plans to tour the slums, to attend a henna party, and eat a final farewell dinner with our Resident Director and his family.

After the presentations of the last Service Learning class, I realize now that some of the things I have seen so far in India do not adequately describe the Indian scenario. The village, school, orphanage, and many of the parts of India we were shown may not be representative of the whole country. International aid, government intervention, and a whole lot of help from Christ University’s Centre for Social Action have heavily influenced these locations. Therefore, they might not show what the majority of India’s rural villages, schools, and orphanages are. However, I believe these will be a guiding light for what others across the country can grow to become.

The many actions of so many different help groups have combined to start a movement for the betterment and empowerment of the people of India, and have helped tens of millions of Indians out of poverty, neglect, malnutrition, and abuse of human rights. But there is much that still needs to be done. After my time here in India and with this Service Learning class, I will be able to investigate with my friends and family the many ways that we back in the United States will be able to use our time, talent, and treasure better the lives of people in this beautiful country, 10,000 miles away.

Pictures:

Our study abroad group at the Resident Director’s house. We enjoyed authentic Indian food and shared our favorite memories before all going our different directions.

Between Session I and II, we journeyed to northern India to see the world-famous Taj Mahal. In this picture, a small group of students smile below one of the most beautiful buildings ever constructed.

Wow. Just when I start to think I am getting used to India, I am proven wrong once again. I had been looking forward to this weekend for a while, but I don’t really think I could have prepared myself for what I was about to experience. With my Service Learning class, we had been told we were going to be visiting a school and orphanage for HIV+ children, but that didn’t even begin to explain what we saw. When I imagine an orphanage, I usually think of the classic Charles Dickens novel, Oliver Twist!, a book and musical set in a dirty, rainy, muddy, and cold orphanage in England. On Friday, we drove to the outskirts of Bangalore and turned off the main highway to a little side street, and continued until we came to an enclosed campus of lush vegetation and respectable buildings. We walked a little further to a school for children with HIV/AIDS. I could not have expected how nice and well-kept the facilities were. Our guide was very welcoming and informative, and then showed us downstairs, outside, and to where the children were playing before dinner.

My only complaint was that we could not stay longer. Although we were not allowed to take pictures of any of the children (to protect their identity), their faces stay in my memory better than pictures could have. I am still amazed as to how happy and smart the students were. One of the students took me to the classroom and read the names of all of his fellow students, and explained the pictures on the walls, and another showed me the animals back behind the building. I was taken to the garden, shown the flowers and vegetables, was asked to play on the playground, and spent a lot of time drawing pictures with many of the students. They were very appreciative of our time and attention, and their smiles were more than enough to make your heart melt.

With that being said, though, I realize that there were still things in the orphanage that could be made better and that most orphanages in India are probably not up to par with the one we toured outside of Bangalore. Despite their huge smiles, many of the children had poor dental care, and their skin was riddled with lesions and scars. Our tour guide of the orphanage explained to us that the center was established to remain sustainable after the first couple of years of overseas support, but I still think more can be done. I don’t know how much can be done with the meager funds available to college students, but I hope to see how funds from the United States would be able to go to the healthcare of these children, guaranteeing them the healthiest and most productive lives possible. As I put online when I was talking to some of my friends back home, the time I spent at the orphanage is sure to be one of the most rewarding and longest-lasting experiences of this trip.

After a very emotional day yesterday, today we went outside of Bangalore again, this time to visit with a rural village. Like yesterday, I was once again surprised with the smiles, laughter, and happiness of the children we came into contact with. After a long drive outside of the city, we stopped at a colorful little rural schoolhouse. After singing and dancing with the children, we left the schoolhouse and went to the village where we could talk to some of the local women. More than anything, I was amazed by the content attitude of the villagers we talked to. Despite not having some of the amenities we have back in America, they were perfectly happy. When asked if they wanted to move to the city, we were told that they were much happier in their village; life was simpler, and they had their family, which mattered most of all. It was very humbling to hear from someone who had so much less material wealth that they were perfectly content, something that makes me question the almost ingrained American materialism.

After some time at a local house, we went to the Self-Help Group (SHG) of one of the villages, where we heard how Christ University’s Centre for Social Action had aided some of the local women to band together and raise money. Through this, the women act collectively to better their community and empower themselves in the home environment.

Pictures:

View from just outside of the orphanage. I am sad I couldn’t take pictures with any of the children, but I hope I will be able to see them one more time before I return back to the States. This time gave me much hope for the future of these children.

The women of this local Self-Help Group were kind enough to invite us to their meeting place and introduce us to how they come together as a community for a collective goal of empowerment and community strengthening.