Throughout my time in Mahajanga, I have had a song from my childhood running through my head every day as I walk to class. It is a song from the original Winnie-the-Pooh film, and because it is the rainy season here, the lyrics are all-too relevant: “And the rain rain rain came down down down.” My host family told me that this year, they have … Continue reading And the rain rain rain came down down down
This City Only Works For A Few I started school last Monday. Hard to say, but I kind of missed school in a weird way. As much as I “dread” going to school, not being in school for 3 months I was eager to get back to learning. I am taking three courses this semester, because classes here are worth more credits than in the … Continue reading This City Only Works For a Few
Probably the number one piece of advice I was given before embarking on my study abroad adventure was to have no expectations. I definitely tried this but there are a lot of things I wish I had known before leaving. The first is that apparently not everyone enrolled in university is a bleeding heart liberal. I’m kind of exaggerating, of course, but it can be … Continue reading Unexpected Changes
The past week and a half has been crazy! Everyday was a new adventure. I’ll try to do a little recap. I had class registration a week and a half ago. THE MOST STRESSFUL THING EVER. The University of Cape Town DOESN’T have online registration. Which means to add, drop or change classes you have to walk to different buildings and have different signatures. Holy … Continue reading Lions, Elephants & Ostriches
I was very surprised to find out how common it is for Austrians to know English. German is their most widely spoken language, but English was everywhere. Every restaurant had English translations on the menu, every server spoke a decent amount, and some street signs were even in English without any German accompanying it. Speaking so much of my native language that weekend was a … Continue reading Speak slow
We (Gabby, Brandon, me) knew Vienna was going to be cold, so we bundled up like eskimos before we ventured outside the hostel. The chilly air met our faces (the only body part exposed) and the confrontation actually felt nice for awhile, like a splash of cool water after a long day. Something happened, though, and the refreshing breeze got upset and started slapping us … Continue reading I went to Vienna (not to be confused with Venice, guys!)
Over and over we are warned about culture shock – when we will experience it and when it will go away. While I have one roommate who is having a hard time adjusting, overall I think that in Florence culture shock happens much less than in other areas. The reason being that it is a university city – Italians, Erasmus, and a high population of … Continue reading American Insulation in Florence
This past week has truly been one of many firsts for me. Apart from just being in Madagascar, I have experienced, and I suspect will continue to experience, things that are entirely new and exciting. A week ago, we left the capital city for a three day journey to our first home stay location in Mahajanga, a city on the west coast, north of Tana. … Continue reading Inona no vaovao? [what’s new?]
Can you name the First Lady of the United States who both was renowned for her fashion sense and studied at the University of Grenoble? Read on to find out. The Musee de Grenoble recently celebrated its 20th birthday, and my host mom and I went to celebrate. As we were meandering through the modern art collection, swerving the masses of elated cultured French people, … Continue reading France is as American as the Kennedy’s! (Apparently)
My internet is very slow and will not let me upload pictures, I will have to upload them when I find better internet. Also, this blog is all over the place -so I apologize! (Thoughts prior to my arrival in Cape Town) I am currently on the airplane flying from Seattle to Amsterdam (9 1/2 hour flight) to make a quick 1 hour and 50 … Continue reading T.I.A.
Redhawks Abroad 