Last week in Honduras

Posted on August 15, 2012 by pricemv

This last week was quite emotional, one because I was leave and two because I missed my family who were constantly calling me, to tell me that they’re very excited to see me again. Everyone who we met wanted to celebrate are departure. As a token of their appreciation I was given a bag pack by my supervisor, a wallet from my host mom and a bracelet from an organizer. I was not expecting any gift from them because they had already done so much for me. It was nice to be surprised with little fiesta to wrap. The next day workers coordinated to take us to the beach and had lunch prepared for at the office. It was truly a week of thank you’s, not just from the workers but also for us interns.

As for the family that we got to know and to live with, they were very heart broken that we were leaving. I will say that I will miss all of them but I am lucky enough to have their contact information, so I can keep in touch. I have already received Facebook messages were the workers are emailing me about the next visit. Although I made it clear that the internship programs like to give everyone the opportunity to learn about the maquila industry they still are very hopeful that one day I will return. I’m sure that Honduras has not seen the last of me and I am sure that I will come back to visit my family in Honduras who have told me many times that I will always have a home in Honduras.

Joanna

Bingo, Tango, Bongo

Posted on August 14, 2012 by pricemv

These last couple of days in Argentina have been amazing! There is no other way I would have liked to spend them. Every since I got my breath taken away by a stunning performance of the Argentina born tango, I have wanted to try this intimate ballroom dance. This last Thursday, I finally had my chance.

Testing the waters of TANGO!

Our group and the other program of exchange students went to a beautiful ballroom to meet for our first tango lesson. We were first told to circle up and watch as the instructors walked slowly though an eight count. Next, it was our turn to try. As happens many times, the girls outnumbered the guys significantly. I went through the steps with one partner a couple of times and then would pair up with someone else to give them a chance. After we were fairly comfortable with this first phrase, they stopped us to add another phrase with a little twist at the end (and by twist I mean kick). Our choreography ended with the lady delivering the trade mark kick of the tango between the gentlemen’s legs. As I was practicing correct form, I got corrected being told I looked like I was playing air guitar. Everyone found this comment amusing. When I did achieve correct form the lady instructor told me to wait right there as she rushed across the dance floor and gave a quick kick between my legs. We continued to practice among ourselves until we were almost out of time. They called couple of people up to show off their newly acquired skills in front of the whole group, but unfortunately I was not chosen. After the students, the instructors took their position to show off their skills. Their performance was fantastic and a great way to top off the lesson.

Gaining confidence and command of the dance floor!

The next day, I had made plans to go to a fund raiser with one of the other students. There are a lot of stray dogs that wonder the streets of Rosario. This fund raiser was to give food and shelter to some of these dogs. The fund raiser was a tea bingo. I thought that sounded delightful and asked if I could join. I met her at her house and we started to walk over. The place the bingo was at sat right on the river. She had the name of the place as we looked for this center. She said that it would be a bigger building, but when we finally found the name of the place, the sign was above a staircase with no building. We joked as we went down the stairs that this would the stair way down to our death because it was so sketchy. When we reached the bottom of the staircase there were a couple of mean setting and asked use what we wanted. It looked liked people would pay them to fish off the dock there. Once we asked if they knew where the event was, they automatically pointed us in the right direction. We continued through a long dark room until we finally saw some people in bright orange shirts happy to see use. We went up to a lady setting next to a large poster with a lot of dogs and a money box. We got our tickets and went in to find a table. There was an enthusiastic worker that spoke a little bit of English. She made sure we were comfortable.

Tea Time!

We started to drink our tea and went and got our slice of pie. Eventually, they started to hand out bingo card, but these bingo cards did not look like the ones I was used to in the States. The cards did not have to word “BINGO” anywhere on them. Instead, they had eight columns and six rectangles. Each rectangle was made up by 4X8 boxes. Various boxes were blacked out. These were all free spaces. Every card had every number from 1-90 on it. One through ten was on the far left and then the rows of ten went up from left to right. The first person that got a line won a prize. Then the first person to get a black out in one of the rectangles wins the game. The real fun actually happened before the game actually started.

What’s behind the paper?

There were candies in a bag that people were baying for 5 pesos each. Mary decided that she would go ahead and buy four because it was for a good cause. Each of the candies had a number on it. She asked what the numbers where for and one of the workers grabbed them from us saying they are a gift, so we supposed they were gone to the dogs. Then she came back shortly with four little presents for us. This was a pleasant surprise, so we enjoyed every little bit our each present. People around us went crazy for all of these little gifts. We quickly found out that there was no limit to what could be behind the wrapping paper. A woman sitting at our table held up a tong, so that made things more interesting really quickly as I slowly opened our last couple of present. On that same note, I was the only male at this event besides a little boy and one of the workers. I really enjoyed this tea that felt very much to me what I would imagine a shower to be like. The next day, I was able to take the girls to a stereotypical event for guys.

Game day baby!

Saturday night was easily one of the craziest events yet. We decided to go to one of Rosario’s soccer team’s match. When I told one of the university staff I was going to buy tickets, they said, “In Argentina, soccer is not a sport. It is a religion.” We all met Saturday afternoon to catch taxis over to the soccer stadium. To groups of us quickly managed to get taxis, but there were a couple guys that got cut off from us. We waited at the stadium for half an hour and then called them. They said they were just one there way. We waited another half an hour and called again. This time they had just been dropped off, but in a different place than we were. We met up with them and headed for the stadium. Signs of game day were everywhere. They whole area was a sea of the team’s yellow and blue colored gear and flags. People where car pooling by filling the back of a truck as full as possible or cramming in buses until no more people could fit. In that case, people started to sit on the rough. Everyone was egger to get to the game. When we finally reached that stadium, there were a lot of police. A line of men in riot gear watched us seriously as we walked to get patted down. Once we got pass the security check, we scanned our tickets and head to our seats. It took a little while to find where we were sitting, but we still had plenty of time to enjoy the buzzing atmosphere and people already cheering. We went to buy a pop and hot dog for very cheap compared to the steep prices of refreshments at U.S. stadiums. There were no ushers like in the stadiums I am used to either, and when we returned to our seats we discovered assigned seats turned out to be like many rules in Argentina, just a guideline. We stayed in the general area of our seats as the excitement started to grow. People were collectively yelling cheers before the team even touched the field. When the team did come out, the place exploded almost literally. People throw confetti and lit smoke bombs. The place erupted with chants in unison just organically. No one needed to call out or lead. Everyone just knew and felt. There were signs that said, “If you don’t feel, you don’t understand.” I may not have felt the connection to the team, but I felt the energy that the fans gave off.

Learning the “religion” from the locals.

The game started and the other team score in the first three minutes. This did not even put in the energy of the fans. If anything, this upset them into cheering louder. The score remained the same as the game went into half time. Usually many people in the states would take this time to grab a cold beer. Not in this stadium. All you could buy was water. My friend said if they need people with riot gear to control fans without alcohol, they do not need to put fuel on the flames. This was an excellent point and incredible to actually see played out. Despite the lack of alcohol, the fans never let down. They continued to be crazy. Some sat on rafters or others banged drums, and all joined in a constant cheer. At the end of half time I wanted a picture, so I stood at the railing with my Messi Argentina jersey one. Someone grabbed me and asked me why I had on a Messi jersey. When he realized I didn’t really understand, he wanted nothing to do with me, which was better for me. Another guy next to me was very nice and explained the Messi played for the rival team of Rosario Central. I knew that Messi was from Rosario, but did not know he actually played for Newell’s Old Boys, which is the other team in Rosario and the rivals of the team we were there to watch. I casually put on my jacket to enjoy the rest of the game. In the last five minute, the crowd when crazy. People lit flares and yelled, but Rosario Central did not score. This lead the crowd to whistle loudly. Not a happy whistle, but a mean spiteful one the echoed through the stadium. The immediately started to cuss out their own players accompanied by some flying objects. Eventually things died down after the team was in the locker room and we went to leave the stadium. Actually getting out proved to be a harder task than anticipated and the wall of people stood stagnant. I joked to one of my friends that this meant if there was a fire, we would be in really big trouble. There was finally a steady slow flow and people pushed up against one another. We made sure we were in contact with someone from our group, so we did not get split up. The streets were literally full of people. There was no chance of getting a taxi, so we started walking. We continued walking all the way home. We stopped at an ice cream shop about two hours later. Then on my way back to my house I saw lighting.

Going out with a bang!

I’ll miss you Argentina!

Cain

The First One off the Curb

Posted on August 12, 2012 by pricemv

My last day in Argentina. Wow. Did I really just say that? My last day in Argentina. It feels like just yesterday I was faced with the challenge of being away from my family for over 3 weeks. 24 days loomed ahead of me like an unknown abyss, and a large part of me was unsure of whether or not I would be able to successfully cross it.

This trip has taught me so many things. Things about Spanish and teaching, yes. But also so much more about myself, my priorities and values, people, culture, and all the little things that make each day sparkle and shine with meaning.

I have learned that I never, ever could have completed this journey without the presence and assistance of several others. Those who I have come to see as my Argentine Family were a large part of the ‘make or break’ of my trip. These people include instructors, programs coordinators, peers, and home stay members. I tend to remain very close to my own family under normal circumstances. When I am not with them, I can be a bit of a loner, enjoying quiet time alone over constant socialization. As a result, I often will separate myself from others when in situations such as this.

But it was through the kindness, warm reception, open hearts, empathy, concern, and solidarity with all of the above people that I navigated this journey so successfully. People who took the time to get to know a little bit about me, and then used that information to constantly check in and converse each day. People who shared their own stories and foraged bonds through shared experiences and commonalities. With my program being such a short (relatively speaking) 3 week curriculum, a part of me envisioned getting plowed through a program, just another of so many students who come to Argentina to experience something new and different. Instead, my life intertwined with those of others on this opposite hemisphere. As opposed to just visiting, I truly lived in Argentina.

I do believe the greatest lesson I will be walking away with is the importance and value of opening your mind to new and different cultural experiences. It is so very easy, after a lifetime of living and determining through personal experiences, to have set definitions of what is ‘normal’ and ‘acceptable’. One can truly believe they understand the world and not realize that they have merely been looking through only one of thousands of different lenses. When those lenses are taken away, that which you thought you knew can all of a sudden become meaningless.

For instance, there has been a part of me that has continued to feel shocked at how ‘rude’ Argentines appear to often speak to one another. When giving directions, asking someone to get or do something, or giving instructions, there is never a ‘please’, ‘thank you’, or questioning intonation to their voices. They speak in what first appeared to me as orders and demands of one another.

But instead of just jumping to the conclusion that Argentines are simply rude, I continued to listen and learn. I made note of the fact that, despite the apparent abrasive discourse I witnessed, those being spoken to never appeared to take offense. There was never any sense of insult in reactions and replies.

It was though a conversation with my Spanish instructor, Karina, that this discourse was clarified for me. As she was teaching imperatives one day not long ago she said to me “it probably sounds to you like people here are always being rude to one another”. Yes! Yes, yes, yes! I listened intently as she described the standard use of the imperative form here in Argentina. She then gave me the perspective of another culture as she explained how silly it seems to them when they hear Americans voicing desires, directions, and instructions in the form of questions (would you shut the window?). We went on to discuss our value of polite words (would you please hand me that pencil?), and how they are simply not necessary to convey the same intentions here.

It was though this conversation that I realized how very easy it would be to simply write other cultures off with generalized and negative connotations. And just how very often people do just that. How many times do you hear people state things voiced in frames such as “oh those_______________ Argentines/Mexicans/Americans/French/British”? I have learned the importance of taking new cultures in perspective, and realized the impossibility of judging their characteristics through the lenses of my own culture. Because my cultural experience, regardless of how much it may appear to be, is not the ‘right’ one. It is simply the only one I have ever been brought up in. And there is a lot of meaningless, wasted, and avoidable hatred that tends to build walls between people who could otherwise have great experiences with one another, simply based on cultural misunderstandings and a rush to judge and categorize.

For me, this has been experienced most directly in my contact with Argentine pedestrians and drivers. The pedestrian has absolutely no rights here. Traffic signs are merely a suggestion, and crosswalks hold no meaning. When I first arrived, I admit I would chant as I walked along the street “these drivers are crazy. These drivers are crazy”. And my chantings were very passionate and full of intonation. Despite the fact that they existed only in my head, I would draw out the “crazy”, elongating the vowel sound into 3 or more syllables and placing considerable accent on the final “y”. It became, as I saw it, a mantra of survival and comprehension.

But as my days passed, I began to observe how others reacted around me. When a group of us stepped off the curb at a walk signal and nearly got plowed down by a taxi driver making an illegal turn with no signal, I was the only person who appeared to want to scream obscenities at his receding bumper. The others, all the others, would merely step back and then proceed to cross in his wake. There was no insult or anger. The people here moved in a seemingly organic flow with one another, and I was the odd one out.

And so I went with it. Although I became fond of using human body shields when entering any street. That’s right, I said it. Human body shields. Because so many people walk here in Rosario, you are seldom ever crossing a street alone. So rather than risk having my toes clipped by a one ton vehicle, I got into the habit of placing myself smack dab in the middle of crossing groups. Follow the person in front of me, and ensure that I had padding on either side. Because whatever it was they were understanding about the natural flow at these intersections, I wasn’t getting it. And I was scared.

But then came The Day. I don’t know if it was a result of my weeks of experience, nurturing relationships, impatience, or simply a reckless and fantastic mood. But about one week ago, at a busy intersection, I saw an opening and stepped off the curb. And I was the first one! The group of pedestrians followed behind me, their leader in this navigation of unstructured and fast paced intermingling. I valiantly led my people to safety, taking pride in the 3 speeding cars who halted for our crossing.

Now, my smugness didn’t last too long. My life was nearly cut short two intersections later, which brought me back down to earth and leveled my sense of capability. But the seal had been broken on my capacity for navigating Argentine traffic intersections. I am not always the first one off the curb, and I admit to using human shields now and then at the scariest of intersections, but I am most definitely a part of that organic flow. I no longer feel like the rock in a naturally flowing river, causing ripples and white water. I am a part of the flow, and with that comes great release. I no longer have to grasp tightly to my judgements, which only serve to tire me out as my hold is battered by the flow of Argentine culture. I am floating along a peaceful current, and it is a beautiful ride.

And so I reflect upon the loss so many may have when their experience stops at “those crazy Argentine drivers”. Those who never see beyond their own cultural experiences and sense of normalcy. Because they never get to stop being the rock. And the rock is a very hard, tiring, and stressful place to be when a river flows as beautifully as it tends to. And as we all know, the true beauty and power of any river is found within its natural current.

Homeward Bound

Posted on August 10, 2012 by pricemv

Well it’s almost time to head back to the States. I am certainly excited to see my family again but I am also very sad to leave. London has been so much more than I ever thought it would be the people, the sights and the culture was just amazing. Being able to sit down and talk to people and compare differences and marvel over similarities was absolutely the best.

Out of everything I experienced over here I think some of my top favorite differences would have to be:

The Food, it really didn’t matter what you were eating it still tasted cleaner than the food back home. I even went to a Burger King to test my theory and the food still tasted cleaner!!! I was very surprised. The same can be said for their pop, they use natural sugar no fructose corn syrup for them. It is amazing the difference it has on your body too!!! This was something that I never really thought about, yes I thought the food would be different, but I didn’t think about how different the same foods would be.

Attitude towards drinking: We got into a conversation with a couple people regarding the attitude that Americans have towards drinking. The one of the gentlemen said that it really bothered him that Americans feel that if you’ve had four or five beers already and it’s not even 5pm yet we automatically assume that ‘you’re a functioning alcoholic’ (I admit I laughed because that’s exactly what I was thinking) he argued that Londoners can just hold their drink better than we can. It was really interesting to see how the different cultures not only viewed the topic (drinking) but also each other in light of the topic. We discussed the frequency of consumption and how in the US we don’t usually start till after 5pm which caused dismay in one women who responded “But, what do you drink with lunch??!!”

The entire trip was absolutely fantastic and meeting people and making friends with people was my favorite part. It will be great to go home, but it will be sad to leave. I will just have to find a way to go back some day!!!

Angela

Jude Law and a Semester Abroad

Posted on August 9, 2012 by pricemv

Thinking about going home is heart breaking. I am not looking forward to it. It’s not that I don’t miss home, it’s that I’ve had such the time of my life here in London that I never want to have to leave this place. A good analogy I thought of for my situation was that I’ve now spent an entire month in Eden and now I’m being forced to move to the garden east of Eden.
This new culture that I have thrown myself into has exceeded my expectations. Since living in London has always been a dream of mine, I imagined it as the greatest city in the world, and that’s exactly the experience I had.
Returning home will get me into a boring summer routine that I have practiced for the last few summers. The only reason I’m considering coming back home is for my two best friends (and my mother of course).

I have a list of things I will miss in London and this is a great place to write them down.
I will miss

the hussle and bussle of a big city.
the new friends I’ve made (british and america)
my class
the castles all over England
Warwick Caslte
all the beautiful museums with my favorite artists in them
political picture from the Louve
the rich history of a city that can date back centuries
the gardens I found
Hampstead Heath
being lost then finding something beautiful
ect.

This was a trip and an experience I will never forget. It definitely changed my life for the better. I will forever in my heart call London my home and count down the days until I can return.

xoxo Allison

La Fin

Posted on August 6, 2012 by pricemv

It is so interesting looking back to my pre-departure post as I feel like so much has happened in the four weeks that I spent in Angers! I was completely correct about the people of Angers being welcoming; I did not have a single bad experience with the people of the city, the school, or my fellow exchange students. Angers feels like home now, making it more difficult than I originally anticipated to say good-bye although it has only been a month. I learned so much more than French during my time here, and as my previous blogs might hint I am in love with the food culture of France. I was excited to learn more about the foods and meals while I was abroad, and my school and host family worked hard to make sure that we received that experience.

There are four courses to the typical lunch (and slightly less commonly for dinner). The first course is the appetizer which usually is some sort of salad. In the States when we say salad we are usually referring to a green salad, but in France the term is given more generally to many different mixes consisting of fruits, vegetables, meats, and bread served at this time. The main dish is next followed by my favorite course: the cheese course! A small variety of cheese and a refill of bread are necessary; a glass of red wine is optional. The final course of the meal is dessert, although there is very limited space after the first three! The food is different, but the social rules are also different than at home. In France, it is impolite to have your hands out of view (under the table). Instead it is polite it keep them on the table even when not eating. Meals are also a much longer and social occasion than what I was used to. Dinner is always eaten together at the table, and an hour is a short dinner.

I was ignorant to many of the particulars of the culture before my arrival, but I suppose that I did interact with the culture in the way I had envisioned. I embraced the language, my school, and my host family perhaps outside of my comfort zone at times, but it was worth the experience and the knowledge gained. I was surprised how much I did learn because I was worried about a month being so short a time abroad, but I believe the biggest setback in only being abroad four weeks is the desire to stay!

Preparing to return home is bittersweet to say the least. I am terribly excited to see my family and the familiar setting of the United States. There are many things that I miss about home, so I anticipate returning with enthusiasm. On the other hand, I have found that I absolutely love being in France. I love living in Angers and places I have been lucky enough to visit during my time here. I joked with my sister that when I leave I will cry twice: once of sadness for leaving France and once for happiness of returning home.

I will certainly miss the many people I met during my time in France, especially the amazing couple that housed me for four weeks, Therese and Jean:

The other students in my AHA group will also be missed as we spent so much time together and adventured France together:

What I missed most from the US was my family (now if I can just convince them to move to France….)

But especially I missed seeing my 5 month old niece growing so much!

I have continually been amazed and inspired during my time in France, and as my return home approaches at an alarming rate, I hope that I can share even a sliver of my exposure to France. I have not yet left, and I already cannot wait to return!

Safe travels to everyone still abroad!
Maggie

New Generation of Leaders!

Posted on July 31, 2012 by pricemv

As July comes to an end, it makes me recall all the memories I have made in Honduras. It’s sad to think that my internship is almost over! Already my host family has been asking me “when are you coming back?” But I know very well that I might not come back. What can someone say in a situation like that? It breaks my heart to plan out the next week in front of them, because the family would love us to stay. This crazy week was full of factory visits, final visits to union and workers. However, the most exciting plan this last week was a visit to the CDM (the center for women’s rights). The CDM is a non-profit that serves women of the community to learn about globalization, domestic abuse and law violations among other topics. The center certifies women as union promoters at the end of the 12 week program. There I attended a class that was made up of unionized women from different industries (farm/maquila) with two lawyers and community organizer as their teachers. It was amazing to hear all the women’s point of view on society and the treatment of women in everyday life. All the women at their graduation which I attend as well spoke about the importance of the CDM because they don’t even teach that type of material at universities. This organization highly impressed me and even inspired me, because the women really were transformed into great leaders.

Joanna

Adios, Barcelona

Posted on July 28, 2012 by pricemv

Good morning – or good evening, depending on where you are. Although “morning” is a bit of a stretch, since it’s 3:45 am right now and still dark out. I woke up at 3 and couldn’t fall back asleep because I was too excited! I love Barcelona and hope to come back someday, but I’m not sad about leaving. I saw lots of places, tried new things, made friends, and used my time well. I’m ready to go home, with lots of good memories and no regrets.

Besides, there’s peanut butter at home.

And I miss my cat.

Before I left, my ideas about Barcelona weren’t inaccurate, but they were incomplete. For example, I knew that Catalan was widely spoken, but I didn’t know how proud many people here are of Catalan and their roots. I’ve learned a lot from living in Spain that I don’t think I could learn from a book.

However, I wish I could have interacted with more Spanish people. I did get to talk to people a little at work, and sometimes I made smalltalk with cashiers and waiters, but I didn’t really get to know anyone who lives here. I didn’t know how to meet people. That is, I didn’t know how to meet people safely. Plenty of people approached me, but they were almost always a) trying to pickpocket, b) asking for directions and possibly also trying to pickpocket, c) creepily hitting on me, or d) trying to sell me stuff.

There are a lot of things I love about Barcelona that I’m going to miss:

The architecture

The ancient buildings in el Gotic, which are older than any buildings in the United States

The Metro! It’s so convenient. I never had to worry about finding a parking space.

The food, the diversity, the history…Barcelona is a beautiful city and I’m glad I got the chance to live here, even if it was only for a month.

– Cicely

Farewell Paris

Posted on July 23, 2012 by pricemv

About to head home, trying to get all that last sight seeing and souvenir buying in. Its so sad to leave after meeting so many people, granted they were mostly the people in the program. We just had our farewell dinner with all the staff and students of the program. I’m trying not to think about the fact that I probably wont see these people again. But looking back on my pre departure post, things turned out a lot different than I thought they would, but not in a bad way. I did indeed go to all the tourist spots and did all the important sight seeing, but surprisingly didn’t go to that many museums. Something that I wish I would have done earlier in my trip is getting to know more locals, all the Parisians that I met I didn’t meet till the last week, and it was pretty sad to tell them we had been there for a month but were about to leave. I was also really lazy with my french until the end of the trip, it was just so easy to revert back to English. I am however very happy with all the pastries and different foods that I tried. But there are still so many that I didn’t try. But I still cant wait to go home, although I’m going to miss Paris and all the walking.

Lauren

Almost Time to Leave….

Posted on July 22, 2012 by pricemv

I can´t believe that I am leaving next week. I´m shocked that it´s been three whole weeks already but at the same time it feels like I´ve been here forever. I´ve become so used to my routine here already, and it´s strange to think that in eight days I will be leaving.

There are still some things that I find difficult or haven´t adjusted to, but for the main part I feel very comfortable here. I know my way around the city, and I even have a favorite grocery store. I still sometimes struggle when people speak Spanish too quickly to me, but even when I don´t quite understand someone, I can figure out what they mean through societal context.

Last weekend I went with a group of people from my program to Portugal. Being there made me realize how well I have adjusted to life here. In Portugal I constantly had to stop to try to figure things out, and it made me realize that I no longer do that here. I remember the first time I went grocery shopping here and I didn´t know that I had to weigh the fruit I bought before I took it to the checker, but now it´s second nature and I was surprised when I didn´t have to do the same in Portugal.

In such a short time I have become so accustomed to life here. The first couple times I saw the cathedral I was totally amazed by it, but now I walk past it every day without giving it a second thought. I still admire it, but it no longer seems strange to live next to something so old and beautiful.

I will try not to take things for granted in my last week here. I´m glad that I have been able to adjust so well, but at the same time it is important for me to notice how different it is here for me to fully appreciate it.

Annelise

WOU Students Abroad

Tag Archives: Preparing to return home