Life in Holland!

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Windmills, grazing sheep/cows, wooden shoes, and cheese are all stereotypical things one might think of when Holland is mentioned, but they’re all very real! I have been in The Hague, Netherlands for several weeks now and have loved every minute of the experience thus far. From the moment I arrived, I have been trying to make the most out of the time I have here. All of us from U of L got bicycles within the first week of being here (which is SO Dutch). Being a “horse girl” (and Equine major), it was important for me to find a stable where I could ride regularly. I ended up in the center of the city (a very unlikely place for horses), where there is an old, hidden, brick stable that dates back to the time of Napoleon. Apparently, it was a gift to the city of Den Haag from his full brother. I am having a great time learning a different style of riding. Soon, they will begin taking group rides out on the beach of the North Sea! I couldn’t be more excited.
I have also been attending a church that meets in one of the oldest church buildings in The Hague. It is absolutely gorgeous.
The food is incredible- from fresh produce to Holland cheese to delectable European desserts. I am trying as many “local” dishes as possible, wherever I go. My favorite so far are called “Stroopwaffels.” They are super sweet, thin waffle cakes that are sandwiched together with some sort of a caramel/syrup. They are served hot and fresh on the streets, or pre-packaged at the grocery stores.
One of the decision factors that came into play when choosing somewhere to study was the access to modes of travel, and The Hague has proved to be invaluable in that the train station is literally right down the street from my student residence building. The proximity to trains (both intercity and international) makes travel convenient and easy. Over Spring Break, I went to visit some of my friends studying in Germany and England. I also trained down to Brussels, Belgium and enjoyed amazing Belgian chocolate and waffles!
The Dutch culture is very laid back. If you ask someone for help, they will gladly offer their assistance, although not without being asked. I am slowly but surely picking up on some Dutch. It is a rather difficult language, but the good news is that everyone also speaks English, so there is no communication issues.
I am so happy to be on a study abroad, and it has already proven to be the most exciting and profound experience of my life!
Until next time,IMG_5220
Ashley

Traveling from The Hague!

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So I have been in The Netherlands for about a month now and it has been nothing short of amazing. I am so happy with my decision to study here in The Hague because it makes traveling so easy! Since arriving at the end of January I have already been able to travel to France and Spain.

Since we arrived in late January we had about a week and half with no class. Sophie, Evan and I decided to take full advantage of this opportunity and booked a trip to Paris! I was surprised by how easy it was to get there (a five hour train ride). We stayed at a nice hostel called Le Regent Hostel Montmartre that was very reasonably priced and located in a super fun area. While there we got to see all of the major attractions like the Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, the Palace of Versailles, etc. Besides the amazing sights that Paris has to offer, the other reason i would definitely recommend going there is THE FOOD. SO. GOOD. A Madame Croque will change your life, I have no doubt.

After returning from paris we began our first week of class, but luckily for us we only had two weeks before our Spring Break (if you call February spring…). Evan and I decided to try to find a cheap beach destination so we spent one night searching all of the internet and finally came across a great deal to Palma de Mallorca in Spain on Expedia. I would definitely recommend Expedia when flying somewhere because usually by buying a package deal you end up with a nice hotel a flight for about the same price you be paying for a flight and hostel were you to do it separate. Anyways, Mallorca was BEAUTIFUL. The beaches are not like beaches in the U.S., they’re much smaller and more like coves. Just to warn you, so you aren’t surprised like we were, wearing a top at the beach is apparently not required in Spain. The actual city of Palma is also very beautiful. There are tons of great stores to shop at and lots of little places to eat. However, my favorite part about the city was its compact size, you could walk from one side to the other in just an hour. While we were in the city we visited La Sea, the Cathedral of Mallorca and it was breath taking. We also hiked our way up to the top of the hill to visit the Castell de Bellver, a 13th Century castle. The view from up there was absolutely amazing. Besides these tourist attractions, Mallorca is known for its nightlife. February is part of the “offseason” in Mallorca, but you could still find crowds of people in the streets at 5:30 in the morning on the weekend. Some locals told us its like that EVERY night May- October so I definitely wouldn’t recommend going to Mallorca if you’re trying to get you’re beauty sleep.

The places I’ve been so far have been amazing and I’m looking forward to continuing my travels!

Settled In A Second Time Around

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So, I find myself settled in half way through my second semester in Germany, and I realize my post is long overdue. Much has happened in the six months since my arrival last August, and I still have six more months to go, but already I feel I have grown exponentially and learned quite a bit. I have had some wonderful experiences thus far, the highlights of my first semester being as follows:

  • Arriving in Germany homeless, and showing up in Oestrich-Winkel with only a backpack and without a clue.
  • Finding one of the only apartments left in my tiny village on my first day here; where I found myself in the company of a Korean boy, and two German master’s students.
  • Purchasing a bicycle and riding it every day along the Rhein River on my way to and from classes.
  • Experiencing the joy of wine season in Germany. Everyone must do it once in life. There are wine festivals in almost every village in the region, and along the Rhein River you can also find quaint little wine stands. I spent several enjoyable evenings sipping nice Rieslings by the river in the company of great new friends.
  • That brings me to my next point, of meeting around 200 exchange students from all over the world. I was fortunate enough to be able to surround myself with people from many different cultures, and we would often take turns hosting dinners of traditional foods from our countries.
  • Sharing the tradition of Thanksgiving with over 35 exchange students at my apartment. Despite being a lot of work, many students were able to experience their first Thanksgiving, complete with bird, sweet potatoes, green been casserole, mashed potatoes, and apple crisp – a very memorable night.
  • Landing myself in the hospital for a week – in the most German way possible. While attending a soccer game, I ate an undercooked bratwurst, which in turn gave me salmonella, which in turn gave me a reactive arthritis infection in my knee. Silver lining of the whole event was the quality of the German healthcare system. For eight days in the hospital, I only paid €90.
  • Of course, being my first fall in Germany, I had to go to “the Oktoberfest” in Munich. To sum up the trip, I spent 24 hours in Munich, bought a dirndl (traditional Bayerisch women’s clothing or what the girls wear when men wear lederhosen), drank beer in the rain because it was too full inside, and then spent the night in a train station trying to get home. I don’t know if I will ever feel the need to go back again.
  •  Last but not least, one of my favorite parts from last semester – Christmas Markets. If you don’t know what a Christmas Market  is, it’s exactly what it sounds like. A market full of Christmas things. You can buy wonderful handmade pieces of art, ornaments/Christmasy thigns, or traditional German nick nacks, but the best part is without a doubt, the food and drink. So many warm, delicious meals, and candies and snacks, it’s difficult to decide what to eat. And then there’s the Glühwein, which is a hot, spiced wine everyone drinks. Simply to die for.

So far this current semester has been pretty laid back. I have moved apartments and am living with one of my former roommates from last semester. Readjusting was difficult in the beginning. I went home to the States for Christmas, and when I returned, the majority of my friends from the previous semester had return to their home countries. So I had to start all over meeting new people again. I have been fortunate enough to find a new group of people whom I really connect with. Some of the happenings so far are:

  • I went to Berlin last weekend, and was able to soak up all of the sights and sounds of Germany’s capital.
  • I’ve been improving my German and trying to speak it often. I’ve found the little joys of just being able to schedule my own hair cutting appointment in German are very rewarding.
  • Recently, I have begun tutoring a local woman in English to fill up some of my free time.

For the most part, I am going to class and taking it easy, trying to enjoy the time I have left. The weather here is starting to get warm, and I can feel spring coming. I can’t wait until it is pleasant to be outside again. Life here is really wonderful, and I looking forward to all that the rest of the semester has in store for me!

That’s all for now,

Claire

Settled In Sunny Dubai

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Hi Cards,

After 20 hours of flight, I finally made it to the sunny Dubai.  While home may be icy with delays and cancellations, I’ve been making my way to the great outdoors.  I spent my first few days here settling in and checking out the area before my internship began.Dubai

I went to the infamous Dubai Mall, which is the largest shopping mall in the world!  It seems to be a shopping festival, and many of the shops are 50% off.  Too bad I am only window shopping 🙁 .  On the outside of Dubai Mall there is a walk with the Dubai Fountains which are a larger version of the fountains in Vegas.  They are amazing!! They are also shooting up into the sky in front of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.  It is huge!! I want to book this weekend to go to the top of it as they have an observatory.  Oh and I had lunch at Texas Roadhouse haha, who would have thought I’d get to enjoy steak and cinnamon buttered rolls here!

So far, I am enjoying life in the sunny Dubai and my internship has been going well as I have been settling in this first week and getting to know the people and tasks.  I hope to have more adventures to share as I go on and post pictures as well.  I would like to explore some of the surrounding Emirates on the weekends!

Until next time,

Lauren

Back Home Again

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It has been just over a week since I returned home from the Netherlands. I did not realize that the adjustment of returning would impact me as much as it has. The weirdest thing about it is that after you have been away for a semester traveling and doing all of these awesome things and you finally return home, it almost feels like it was a dream. I feel like I was leaving for The Hague yesterday. Definitely make the most of your time abroad as you will be home before you know it. When you come back, people will ask you how your trip went and about your time abroad, but it is hard to describe a semester in which you have so many experiences. All that comes out of my mouth is, “It was great!” Others who have gone abroad before told me about this feeling before I left but I did not really understand it at the time. But now, I do. Some other tips for you in The Hague, is that it takes a while for professors to post their grades. They are not required to post grades immediately like they are here. But if you email them and explain your situation, they more often than not will help you get your grade back quickly. Also, the exams are often a majority of the grade for the course. Most of mine were between 60-70% of the total grade. So there is a decent amount of pressure to do well on the exam. I recommend not traveling the last few weeks of the semester and dedicate that time to studying for finals. It is hard to believe that the semester of my dreams is finally over. I keep thinking about the work that everyone put in to make it possible, the friends I made, the memories in each city, and the different cultures. It was definitely the best 5 months of my life. I highly recommend studying abroad. Thanks for reading my posts throughout the semester! Feel free to contact me if you would like to know more about my experience abroad.

Chiraag Bhimani

London, Fall 2013

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Studying abroad is by far the most enriching thing I have ever done in my life. For the past semester I have been in London, aka the best city on earth. I say that, because it literally has everything you could possibly want in a city. Looking back on the semester it was one of the best times of my life. Going to a country where you do not know anyone or anything can be rough, but in London they speak English, which makes life a lot easier. While in London I studied at the University of Westminster, located right in the center of London, the students and professors are very helpful with anything that you need, just like in the states. I was able to go through the program of ISA, they sat everything up so all I needed to do was show up in London on the date specified and they would take care of the rest. It was a very stress free experience. The history there is amazing, the buildings have amazing architecture, and the city does not seem to even have been effected by the war. While I was abroad I had the opportunity to visit France, Belgium, and Germany. Since London is so close it is very easy to get to all of these places either by air or train. Even though I went and visited those countries London topped all of them. While I was overseas talking to everyone back in the states is just as easy as when you are home, almost everywhere you go has Wi-Fi. I have been back for just a week and I already want to go back. The past 14 weeks have flown by and I wish they didn’t. While abroad you don’t think about when you will be coming home because you are having such a good time with new friends and the new culture you have just been introduced to. If you have the chance to study abroad anywhere do not think twice about it, take advantage of the situation. Trust me it will be the best time of your life!

Nothing Comes Closer To Home

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http://youtu.be/5-KswdZ2Ihw

Nothing Comes Closer To Home
The title of this post may be a Stoufer’s jingle but it has complete relevance, here. After months of living in a different country and years of living in the states I’ve decided that…(drumroll please)…home is what you make it, honestly. I’m not saying that from the standpoint of “you can find a family anywhere” but with the perspective of how we view our homes.
In Spain and a lot of the other Mediterranean countries, it is not uncommon for the people walking in the streets to keep to themselves; no head nods, no finger flips, no wrist waves. Just straight faced, runway-worthy walking. I would probably think I did something wrong if a stranger and I crossed paths and I acknowledged both of our existences but they simply looked passed me in the states, particularly in my Ole’ Kentucky home. At first, it’s easy to look from the ethnocentric perspective – the view that your home country’s ways are superior – to make the generalization that Spaniards are rude and don’t know old-fashioned, southern hospitality. And truth is, they don’t know southern hospitality, but they have their own version.
The essence of the Americas is one of exploration, liberty, and freedom. We’re known as the guys with the “frontier spirit” and manifest destiny- to spread from coast to coast and such. Remember that song from elementary (or grade school for you private, catholic folk) “this land is my land, this land is your land, from california to the new york islands.” It has a lot more implicit meaning than I ever realized. Sure, we’re not a perfect society and we have had and still have our problems but despite this we are a open society where PERSONAL space is at a minimum. We’re quick to share, quick to greet, quick to befriend. This land belongs to all of us and it makes up our “ home” in its totality.
Just because I’ve spent a few months here doesn’t make me an expert or local by any means but between my classes, my personal experience in my homestay, and the accounts of Europeans I have spoken with, I have a little bit of an idea of how it works here in Espana. Remember when I said that the Spaniards keep it a little more on the straight faced side compared with us Americans? Well, Spain’s place in the history of the world has afforded it a little different view of society. They are a people who look at the history for their answers more so than the future or event the present. Thus, it’s kind of important for them to have a history with you before they go on exchanging all the pleasantries of a familiar friendship. The Italians, French, and Spanish are sort of famous for their kissing-as-a-greeting and their bypass of the tradition hug. Well, it turns out that the hug or “abrazo” is reserved for special relationships. Neat, huh? And all this time we thought they just moved really fast in relationships. What more? A common perspective is actually that American “friendships” can be a little superficial and surface. After all, how much can you really know about someone you just met? Here, time spent together and a common knowledge of one anothers backgrounds is a contract of a solid relationship in itself. In this case, actions speak louder than words. In Spain, the home isn’t necessarily everyone you meet but those with whom you have taken the time to build something special.
There are advantages and disadvantages from all perspectives, as with most things in life, but there is no wrong answer here. Now, however, I will stop to think about the differences in perception of personal space and how relationships function in different parts of the world. Furthermore I can apply this learning to the different cultures represented by the salad bowl that it the U.S. Also, I will reflect on the amount of time and effort I put into my relationships in the states and how I’m building “my home,” while continually sharing the “frontier spirit” and letting everyone, no matter where they’re from that “this land was made for you and me.”

A Few Tips for You

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It is hard to believe that within 6 weeks I will be back in Louisville. It feels like just yesterday I was walking into my room at The Hague for the first time. I wanted to share some advice about some of the things that can have an impact on your study abroad experience.

Make a list of the countries/cities that you want to go to: This was one of the first things AJ and I did when we got to The Hague. We have been able to visit 10 countries on our list. The key is to travel early and often. That way, you are not traveling around the end of the semester when final exams and big assignments are due. Save the local areas for the end. Make use of any school holidays you may have. Fortunately, we did not have any tests during the first exam period so we had an extended fall break of about 10 days.

Stay on top of school work: It is important to get work done, even if it means giving up a night out during the week. You do not want to carry your books and notes around on a weekend trip trying to get work done. It is a hassle. Balancing school with traveling is not the easiest thing, but it is important that you do so.

Research the places you are going: By this I mean take an hour or so to look up some info on the places before you get there. Ask friends and family for recommendations on things to do. I have been able to use info from previous posts on this blog by others. You might be able to find a nice local restaurant, bar, or attraction that is not known to tourists. Also, look into events going on in the cities during the time you will be there. You never know if your favorite artist or author may be in town while you are there.

Pack light: Whenever you travel, pack light. Take only what you absolutely need for a few days and leave the rest. Make sure all your liquids are travel sized. I recommend walking whenever you can, you’ll see more of the city that way and you do not want to lug around a heavy backpack.

Be creative in your travel plans: Look into trains, buses, and planes. Buses are often dirt cheap, but the downside is a long travel time. Trains and planes are pretty affordable given that you plan well in advance. Look into other airports around you. Often, the low cost airlines fly out of secondary airports. You can travel to a city one way by train and then return by plane or by some other combination.

That is all I have for now. I will try to add more as I think of them. If you have any questions or comments, let me know and I will get back to you. Thanks for reading!

Chiraag Bhimani

Happy Packing!

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This is a post for those UofL students who will be studying abroad this spring and aren’t exactly sure what to bring with you. This is not an exhaustive list by any mean, just a few things that I brought that came in handy when traveling.

Swim Towel – Most hostels will not have towels available for travelers. However, it is often not possible to bring a big towel with you when traveling, as space is a precious commodity. Before leaving, I bought one of those towels swimmers use that you just ring out and it’s instantly dry.  You need to keep those towels in their small case, but overall it has served me well and has taken up next to no room in my backpack.

Both a SMALL lock and a BIG lock – Hostels have all different kinds of lockers. Some are big vertical lockers like you would find in a sports locker room; others are ones you pull out from under the bed. The difficult part is that these lockers vary in size and don’t always fit a big combo lock. I brought a smaller lock and a bigger combo lock with me on each trip. I would say half the time I had to use the smaller lock because the combo lock was too big.

Small 3 oz. plastic containers – When flying, you are only allowed to bring liquids that are equal to or less than 3 oz. and these must be put in a plastic see through bag. If you pick up some clear 3-ounce (or less) containers before you leave, you will be able to put shampoo, lotion, or whatever else you need in these smaller containers so you have them available to you when traveling.

Money Belt – This is a super thin fanny pack that you wear under your shirt and basically in your pants that helps protect your valuables from pick pockets. You can put your passport, credit cards, cash and more in here. This way, if the worst-case scenario happened and someone pick pocketed you, they would not get these valuables in your money belt. You can look them up on Amazon.com. I promise you won’t regret this purchase.

Happy packing! – AJ

The Hostel Life

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I have been living in The Hague for nearly two months now. It is a great location considering how close it is to other major European countries. This makes it very easy to travel by plane, train, or even bus. So far, I have traveled to several different cities and countries. Amsterdam’s airport is close by and has flights to almost every city you could think of. Many of these flights are affordable for a college student looking to do some traveling.

Up until my trip abroad, I have never stayed in a hostel. When the word hostel came to mind, I imagined a giant room with an endless row of metal bunk beds. The hostels we have stayed at have been nothing short of great. Some are right in the middle of the city, some are on the outskirts. You can use sites like booking.com and Hostelworld to find a hostel. Usually, it costs around 15 to 30 Euros depending on the day and location. Often times, the price includes a free breakfast. A good rule of thumb to follow is to pick a hostel that has at least an 80% rating on the website.

Hostels are an interesting place to meet other travelers. It is almost like getting a random roommate every time you stay in one. In most cases, the rooms are mixed which means you can have roommates of the opposite gender. More often than not, many hostels also have different room types to choose from. Some offer a big room like ten or more beds, some offer smaller rooms for two to four people. The smaller rooms usually cost a bit more. Some of the smaller rooms have a private bathroom in them while the bigger ones have to use a community bathroom. Hostels are basically a cross between hotels and dorms.

The people working at the front desk are usually pretty good resources when it comes to finding out the local spots to hang out or get something to eat. Two things I would invest in when staying in hostels are a lock and a small towel. Every hostel has a locker in the room for you to use. But they do not give you a lock to use. I recommend bringing your own lock, something smaller than a combination lock as those are usually too big. Also, you do not want to carry around a normal sized towel when you are traveling. You want to travel light and a big, bulky towel will not help. Something like a swimmer’s towel or a small washcloth works. It is light and gets you dry enough.

I hope this gives you a better idea of what to expect when staying at a hostel. If you have any questions or comments, let me know and I will get back to you. Thanks for reading!

Chiraag Bhimani