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Study Abroad

On Studying Abroad

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How failure to meet expectations and lack of communication can sour a student’s perspective on global education.

As a prospective student, one of the things that drew me in about Goucher was the opportunity to broaden my perspective internationally. However, as an actual student, I found myself met with requirements that overshadowed the importance of a study abroad trip. 

Goucher College is one of three universities in the United States that are 100% study abroad required. One of this institutions’ selling points is the study abroad requirement, with the philosophy that “the global community of the 21st century demands that you have an international perspective.” It’s constantly advertised to prospective students, spoken of on tours, and pushed on the official Goucher website as giving students a special edge with “global experience.”

Despite this constant messaging of advantages and integrated education, many students feel this requirement can be isolating, and puts them at a disadvantage when it comes to graduating. A lot of this isolation stems from the financial barriers that a study abroad trip poses, and the gap in communication between administrative offices and the student body.

The study abroad page of Goucher College’s website claims to have an expert team of staff and faculty dedicated to supporting students in their study abroad planning. Despite these claims, the study abroad office has seen frequent turnovers in staff since 2019, these changes not being effectively related to students in a timely manner.

The person employed in that office during my study abroad quit while I was abroad, leaving me with no line of communication to Goucher during that time. Much of the information and experience within the study abroad office is not passed down among emerging faculty, as people in the past have left the office abruptly.

It can be jarring to start a journey whether it be financial, emotional, educational, etc. and have it go in a completely unanticipated direction. Many students may come to this institution with an understanding that they are required to study abroad, with the expectation of help and clear communication from those facilitating the experience.  

In addition to these emotional and financial barriers, COVID’s impact has harshened the idea of traveling abroad for many students as well. International travel can be a daunting experience, and it can be especially difficult to prioritize your health while navigating highly trafficked areas with people coming and going from different places.

With each Goucher student’s experiences and perspectives being unique, how can just one person be expected to curate the ideal global education for everyone? Since the foundation of this requirement, Goucher has evolved in more ways than one. Could it be time to reassess this requirement and whether the global experience outweighs the burdens students may take on?

Dance Ensemble Performance Recap

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Goucher Repertory Dance Ensemble held their fall concert on Friday, November 17 and Saturday, November 18 to close out a successful semester of contemplative choreographic processes. 

The curated evening opened with a tap solo created and performed by individualized interdisciplinary major Tess Seibert ‘25 entitled rapt//wrapped in sonder. The piece began with an unexpected entrance from the lobby that captured the audience’s attention instantly, establishing a dramatic tone that was subsequently interrupted by Seibert’s comedic sense of timing. 

Next was One Ocean, the preliminary draft of a larger work set by guest artist Gabrielle Lamb on six students this past September. The movement quality was calm yet held tension—a delicious dichotomy with which to execute organic shapes that mimicked ocean waves. Complemented by the voice of naturalist and free-diver Craig Foster, iridescent costumes by Hannah Brill, and soft light washes, the work exuded a meditative ethereality.

Third, faculty member Linda Garofalo was represented by her original work What Lies Dormant. Set on a 13-person cast, this piece was a conflation of the natural cycles of life, death, and rebirth with the four seasons. These themes were accentuated with costumes hand painted by Carter Hinton-Ayodele ‘25 and the use of fake snow in the last segment of the work. Garofalo effortlessly manipulated simple movement vocabulary with her intriguing use of stage space, at one point crafting a geometric formation contained to the right of center, making stage left heavy with emptiness. 

After a brief pause in the program came Hands Passing by dance major Nalani Brown ‘26. Driven by the motif of intricate hand gestures, the work set on five dancers was an agonizing inquiry into how isolation affects our communal capacity to heal from it. Viewers were stirred by Brown’s impressive command of visceral empathy and the performers’ emotional commitment.

“Lady” Peaceful, “Lady” Happy was screened penultimately as the only dance film of the night. Triple major Sam Koseff ‘25 with cinematographic assistance from Amelia Lazzini ‘25 created a luxuriously theatric solo to Natasha Richardson’s rendition of Maybe This Time. The piece was recorded in Kraushaar Auditorium with the camera almost exclusively capturing Koseff’s back against the backdrop of row after row of empty seats. Not only did this create an eerie effect as audience members were confronted with the desolate venue they actively occupied, it clearly encapsulated Koseff’s vision of questioning what it means to perform for oneself versus others.

The show was concluded by ingrained…!, a dynamic scrapbook of everything faculty member Mustapha Braimah loves in performance art: movement, spoken word, live drumming, and singing. Backlighting kissed the dancers as they moved from multiple centers of their bodies, creating a strong silhouette of the group performing as one. Ending with the recitation of Mutabaruka’s Dis Poem, this finale challenged the apathy that is too commonly observed in the face of systemic oppression and socio-political injustice.

By Tess Seibert ’25

Changes in Global Education Office Show Positive Effects

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Major changes regarding staffing, scholarship assistance, and pre-departure courses are underway in the Global Education office. These changes are intended to positively impact students who will be studying abroad soon.

Studying abroad at Goucher College is required, making it 100% essential to both general credits and gaining global experience. To start the process, students must go to the Office of Global Education (OGE) to attend Study Abroad 101 – an information session intended to educate students on OGE’s resources and study abroad options, as well as complete the application.

However, many students do not know where to begin or who to go to for help since the departure of study abroad advisor Bill Funk in fall of 2022. Students have reported a mixture of experiences with OGE, with their study abroad being either positive or negative.

The study abroad process is typically very independent. You do your own research on what programs work with your major, the places you want to go, and what you need to bring. Goucher’s study abroad website has links for where to find programs and advice for parents and faculty.

Janine Sande ‘23 studied in Sevilla, Spain at the University of Sevilla during this past fall semester. Sande explained that she did not talk to the staff about the programs after doing her own research, but she did go to them, specifically Bill Funk, to get help on completing the paperwork.

On December 21, 2022, an email from the Office of Global Education was sent out that Bill Funk was no longer a study abroad coordinator. Dr. Luchen Li, associate Vice President of Global Education left a few weeks ago. The college gave no explanation for their departures.

Despite those two departures, Hyemee Kim, a Study Abroad and International Student Support Assistant, and Yin Star, the Director of Education Abroad, have been getting positive feedback. Kim and Star are kind to students and quick to respond to emails, students said. 

“Kim has been super helpful. There were times where I may have asked dumb questions, but she turned them into a fun conversation and was responsive when it came to helping me out,” Eliza Abady ‘25 said.

Star said she will be opening more Intensive Courses Abroad (ICA) programs. ICA programs are shorter than semester-long programs, benefiting students who might not be able to study abroad for an entire semester. Many of them are led by faculty members and the spots are filled by other Goucher students.

Star said that OGE is looking to add a program coordinator and a student-abroad advisor for all students.

To help students with applying for scholarships for study abroad, Star will hold Benjamin Gillman and Fulbright U.S. student program writing workshops. However, the Benjamin Gillman scholarship is for students who are on the Federal Pell Grant, and the Fulbright U.S. student program is done in students’ senior year.

Yin Star and Hyemee Kim have positively improved the experiences of students, but there are still some areas where students would like to see adjustments.

Before the advising process, students are required to complete Study Abroad 101 and 102. 101 covers information on the programs available, how to apply, organize financial matters, and academic credits. 102 looks at the more specific information about the program a student is interested in.

But, according to Sande and Abady, 101 and 102 are very similar. The classes and the PowerPoints used in the classes were repetitive and did not cover certain important information, such as cell service and courses abroad.

“Study Abroad 102 is redundant; I do not think it is needed,” Yin Star said.

Sande also expressed her difficulties with taking courses abroad. She explained how difficult it was to get signatures done on time and did not know which faculty to go to. When she arrived in Sevilla, Spain, she found out she had a time conflict with classes and had to switch classes, resulting in her taking courses that were not approved by the Goucher faculty.

Another issue that was mentioned by Sande was the cell service. Before she arrived in Spain, she called her cell provider, AT&T, to see if they had an international plan. It never occurred to her to ask them if her phone would be blocked or unblocked from the company. She had to go to Vodafone to get a prepaid sim card, which didn’t work with her US phone because it was blocked by AT&T, so she had to purchase a whole phone entirely.

“I wish that the Global Education Office reinforced that class courses had to be re-approved when rearranging schedules and checking to see if our phones are blocked or not,” Sande said.

By Shelby Meek ‘25

University of Limerick Offers an Excellent Study Abroad Experience

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To those unsure of where to study abroad: if you want a primarily English-speaking, LGBTQ+ friendly country, freedom to choose whichever classes you want, a rich culture, and even an opportunity to ride horses for college credit, I highly recommend the University of Limerick.

I wanted a study abroad experience that reflected my academic and cultural interests, and I intend to work in thoroughbred horse racing after graduation, so an equine studies program was essential. Secondly, I wanted to study somewhere with acceptance towards LGBTQ+ people and a culture different from the one I was used to. Ireland was immediately on my radar due to the cultural significance of thoroughbred racing as well as their strong record on LGBTQ+ rights as of late. The unique culture of Ireland drew me in, as it is primarily English-speaking yet vastly different from the United States in many ways. Because Goucher had no programs in Ireland, I decided to look beyond Goucher programs. Finally, I stumbled across a program which ended up being the perfect fit for me: The University of Limerick.

A view overlooking part of Limerick City and the river Shannon. Photo courtesy of Sophie O’Connor.

The University of Limerick draws a significant amount of study abroad students each year due to the ease of application and acceptance into the program. During the 2023 spring semester alone there are approximately 500 study abroad students from countries ranging from the United States, to Taiwan and Spain. International students can take almost any class they desire from any grade level, so long as it fulfills requirements set out by their home university. 

Because Goucher gave me freedom to take almost any class, I chose to take four equine science classes and one Irish history class. One of these equine science classes, Equestrian Skill Analysis, is a class which involves a two hour riding session every week, in addition to lectures and assignments. Yes, at University of Limerick, you can gain college credit by spending half a day at an Irish farm learning about horses and spending two hours riding. This class has been an unforgettable experience.

The city of Limerick is known as a large Irish city, but pales in comparison to the size of Baltimore. Coming from Goucher, Limerick was hardly intimidating and I learned my way around almost immediately. There are a myriad of shopping centers, parks, coffee shops, nightclubs and bars to spend time at. There are also many historical sites to explore, such as King John’s Castle, St. Mary’s Cathedral and museums to explore Ireland’s rich history. Finally, there are the traditional Irish pubs. This is practically a mandatory experience when studying abroad in Ireland. If you haven’t grabbed a pint of Guinness (or alcohol-free Guinness, which is served in many pubs) and listened to a traditional Irish music session (“trad session”), you haven’t fully experienced Irish culture. While other study abroad students spend their time at the bars or nightclubs, I am drawn to spending time at the pub, listening to a trad session and grabbing a pint. The drinking age is 18+ and despite alcohol being such an integral part of Irish social culture, you can have an amazing time here without drinking. After all, trad music sounds just as good when you’re sipping a Coke as when you’re sipping a pint!

Left: A traditional Irish Breakfast, Right: Sharing Guinness in a pub. Photos courtesy of Sophie O’Connor

Ireland may be a small island country, but there is plenty to explore. Some must see sights include the Cliffs of Moher, the Dingle Peninsula and the Aran Islands. These are all beautiful natural sights, some of which have been used in movie franchises such as Harry Potter and Star Wars. Must-see cities include Galway and Dublin. I have been told by Irish students that Galway is “the most Irish city in Ireland.” It is a smaller, gorgeous seaside city with plenty of history to explore. Dublin is by far the largest city in Ireland and is significantly more international than Limerick. Here, you will see many more nationalities represented compared to the majority Irish population in Limerick. If you wish to explore outside of Ireland, I have one word of advice for you: Ryanair. This Irish airline has incredibly cheap (as low as 20€!) plane tickets across the EU and UK. Many study abroad students at University of Limerick will spend weekends traveling Europe.

Finally, the attitude towards LGBTQ+ people in Ireland has gone from extremely hostile several decades ago, to one of the most liberal in the world. Ireland was the first country to pass marriage equality by public referendum in 2015: 62% to 37%. Acceptance of queer people in Ireland has only grown since then. I have never felt ostracized or uncomfortable because of my gender identity or sexuality in Ireland despite it being a largely Catholic country.

I cannot say enough great things about my experience so far at University of Limerick. I have felt accepted and welcomed for who I am by everyone I have met, and I got to take classes which fulfill my exact interests. I have enjoyed this experience so much, I am looking into summer internships in Ireland instead of coming back to the United States right away. The most amazing part of this is how willing everyone in the Equine Science program is to help me find an opportunity here for the summer. I seriously cannot recommend University of Limerick enough. If Goucher does not have a semester abroad program you find appealing, I encourage you to consider the University of Limerick’s semester abroad program. It has been a life changing experience for me.

Written by Sophie O’Connor ’24

Feature image: O’Connor at the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare.

Why I Recommend a Non-Goucher Study Abroad Experience

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Trying to plan a study abroad in the midst of a global pandemic was no easy task. The class of 2023 was away from Goucher for over a year, and by the time we came back in Fall of 2021, it was already time to plan out when we were going to take off again. 

In my case, I needed to find a program or university in the same field as my major or minor that worked around my Fall sports schedule and did not take me away from my position as Editor of The Q. To graduate on time and plan around other academic commitments, such as summer internships, a winter break program made the most sense.

Goucher only offered one 2023 J-term Intensive Course Abroad (ICA), which was Arts, Music, and Culture in Bali, Indonesia. While it sounded like an amazing program, it was not my area of study, and I’m sure airfares to Bali in January are another obstacle.

Several of my friends had gone abroad through Goucher last Fall, and none of them had good reviews about the additional study abroad course students take through the Office of Global Education (OGE) – I heard assignments were unclear and time consuming, taking away from their time abroad. 

All these factors pointed me to non-Goucher study abroad organizations that had J-term programs in closer countries and within my field of study. Eventually, I stumbled across the American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS), which has great reviews and a vast array of programs.     

I ended up choosing their J-term program in Berlin, Germany and taking a course called Interreligious and Intercultural Tensions in Germany at Humboldt University to count towards my minor in Religion and Justice. Long story short, I learned an incredible amount in just three weeks and had a blast! 

AIFS has staff in Berlin who help students get acclimated, provide recommendations of places to go and things to see, as well as taking the group on educational excursions (which are included in the program fee). My AIFS group consisted of students from all over the country, and in my class at Humboldt I met students from all over the world – a global experience I would not have gotten through a Goucher ICA. 

My advice to all students trying to navigate studying abroad while dealing with the pressure of an ongoing pandemic and OGE building back from the period of remote learning is to not limit yourself. If Goucher doesn’t have the experience you’re looking for, look elsewhere! The world is truly your oyster.

Feature Image: Chatterjee on the roof of the Bundestag (Germany’s Parlaiment building) at night. Above from left to right: a view of Museum Island and the East Berlin TV Tower at night along the Spree River, the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church at Sunset in Charlottenburg, and views from Tiergarten on a cloudy day.

From One Student to Another: Advice for Studying Abroad

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My name is Jackie Hall, and I’m currently abroad in Pontevedra, Spain. I have both some specific and some broad advice for you all. 

For anyone considering studying at the University of Vigo through ISEP: if you study in Pontevedra, live in Vigo. (Study in Vigo? Live in Vigo. Study in Ourense? Live in Ourense.) The campuses here are far apart and you cannot take courses at different campuses because of it. 

Pontevedra is a beautiful city with wonderful views, restaurants, shops, and people, but if you’re looking to be connected to other international students or be active in Erasmus student events, you need to live in Vigo or Ourense. Vigo is a much bigger city with an airport, local bus system, and resources for international students such as yourself. The buses to Pontevedra are frequent during the day and are no problem for commuting to class. 

I can’t deny that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time here, but it was a major hurdle trying to communicate with the International Relations office at the U of Vigo campus because they were just so far and inaccessible. 

Additionally, all the events for international students and parties are in Vigo or Ourense which means if you do live in Pontevedra you have to either leave early in the night, find a place to stay, or not sleep until the morning buses start (which is very much possible with the nightlife here in Spain.) 

For people studying in Spain: be prepared to play a lot of waiting games. The Spanish people take their breaks very seriously and will simply not work when they don’t have to. For me, my first month here was spent scrambling trying to set up a bank account, phone plan, classes, and apartments as well as figure out what the heck Erasmus was. I spent many days waiting for emails and calls back.                                                                                                                                                                           

lf out there, make friends and experience once-in-a-lifetime things. But if you’re in any way introverted like me and need to rest after being so social, studying abroad can be exhausting and taxing. You may experience culture shock, homesickness, and general fatigue that comes with any typical semester of college. So allow yourself the time to rest. It’s okay if you don’t go to one party or squeeze that excursion in because your well-being is important. And if the students at the university you study abroad at socialize in a different language than English, you will need to put in a lot of effort to find connections. You’ll find the right people, and when you do, you’ll have friends for life. So, take care of yourself and allow yourself the space to have these cycles of socializing and resting.

Written by Jackie Hall ’23, guest contributor

Feature image courtesy of SurferToday.com.

A Collection of Study Abroad Experiences in Europe

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The Quindecim’s Study Abroad section is a section for students both preparing for and returning from their study abroad experiences. This article features interviews from Paige Beverly (‘20), Olivia Robertson (’20) and Esther Tulchinsky (‘20) who spent the Spring 2019 semester in different Francophone cities through the Institute Field Exchange (IFE) programs in Brussels, Paris, and Strasbourg, respectively. Here, they talk about what it was like to live and intern in a new place for five months. 

Why did you choose the city that you did?

Paige Beverly (Brussels): “I had honestly heard a lot of great things about Brussels…and it was recommended to me by my advisor. At first, I wasn’t sure…but after weighing my options, I saw that Brussels had a lot to offer in a small city…I felt like Brussels offered me the best of both worlds – a place where I would feel comfortable, but also have an enormous amount of opportunities.”

Strasbourg Cathedral. PC: Esther Tulchinsky

Olivia (Paris): “So, as an art history major, I chose to go to Paris because I thought that that would have the most resources for both French and art history…because they put you in an internship…I thought that they would probably have better art history internships in Paris, because they have a strong museum culture, and because I’m more interested in specializing in French art.”

Esther (Strasbourg): “I didn’t want to go to Paris because it was way too big, and I felt like everyone there spoke English, and I wouldn’t have the same kind of experience in French. Brussels seemed very…architecturally frigid. I’m very happy with how small and nice Strasbourg was.”

What were your goals for the semester?

Paige: “So, going in, my goals were honestly to gather research…I do plan to pursue a career in education, so it was really important to me to see how different education systems worked in comparison to the United States, and I felt like that could give me some more perspective on the education system that I was used to…Another thing was just to gain…more of a sense of independence, and truly experiencing something outside of my comfort zone.”

Olivia: “I wanted to get better at French … [and] hopefully make friends, but all my friends ended up being Americans, just because they were the other IFE people. I definitely thought I was going to hopefully make some French friends, but it didn’t really happen; I kind of had a French friend that I made after [the study abroad] at an Italian camp later in the summer, but not while I was in Paris.”

Esther: “To learn French, to get some experience, because I got lucky with an internship that actually had to do with what I wanted to do in my actual career, so speaking French in a workplace environment was what I wanted.”

What was a routine that you enjoyed there?

Paige: “I had an internship in a primary and secondary school, so, of course I was following a routine schedule, Monday through Friday … I really did enjoy that because it gave me insight on what my life is going to look like after graduation if I decide to go into teaching, and the dedication it’s going to take. Also, I lived fairly close to shops and things in Brussels, so I just enjoyed taking time for myself, taking walks on Sundays, just enjoying the nice and quiet because nothing’s open.”

Olivia: “During the first half of IFE, at the Paris office, there’s this nice little bakery that’s kind of behind it…I would go to for lunch and stuff. It was a lot cheaper than all of the other ones [and] it had really good sandwiches for less than four euros, which is pretty sexy. When I was at my internship … I listened to podcasts and stuff on the bus.”

Esther: “Since Strasbourg was pretty small, it was easy to walk from one place to another, and from where I lived, you could see the cathedral…Walking to work, and walking past Petite France, is just a very nice experience – to see all the architecture and be a part of all of that.”

What was the most difficult aspect of the experience for you?

Paige: “I think it was difficult to get comfortable enough to make friends there; a lot of my coworkers were a lot older than me, and it was hard to branch out and meet people outside the IFE. They encourage you to do it, but it’s easier said than done, so it was a lot of me time, …so that was a hard thing for me, not having the people around me that I was used to but also branching out to meet new people – eventually it became easier with time.”

Olivia: “I feel like getting used to the language and culture is a very obvious thing. I think European men are a lot more aggressive, so if you go out…or even just walking on the street, you’re a lot more likely (in my experience) to get catcalled. For me, adjusting to the internship [was difficult]; … some of my friends had internships that were a few days a week but because the French laws say that if you have someone full time for a certain length of time, you have to pay them, a lot of places didn’t want to have full time interns…I was one of the few people who was 9:30 AM to 6 PM every day, and then … adjusting to that and being in that kind of work environment was hard.”

Esther: “In the beginning, it was definitely the language, because Strasbourg – part of the reason I chose it is because not as many people spoke English – but, in Strasbourg, there are a lot of people that don’t speak any English at all. So just navigating at first was a little difficult, … but you figure it out.”

What would be some recommendations for students preparing to go abroad?

Paige: “Do your visa on time, that’s so important…Also, go in with as much information as possible, no matter what program you’re interested in or what you’re doing so that you kind of know what to expect. Also, don’t be so afraid to go outside of your bubble.”

Olivia: “Something that I did when applying to IFE is that I tried to start doing all of my IFE application stuff as early as possible. So just trying to get stuff moving kind of early if you can and not waiting until the end to get everything done. Travelling when you’re there, trying to hang with people, I wish that I had done a foyer with meals and that I’d made more French friends and that didn’t happen, but that’s my recommendation. 

Esther: “Be yourself out there…people in Strasbourg are like the people around here, except they speak French. So don’t be afraid to hang out with them because they’re actually really nice.”

By: Emmanuelle Peterson

Pictures from Australia

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Fairy Pools at Noosa Photo Credit: Moe de La Viez

Me and a Koala at the Australia Zoo 🙂 Photo Credit: Moe de La Viez

Me with a snake during orientation! Photo Credit: Moe de La Viez

The beautiful Noosa Heads beach Photo Credit: Moe de La Viez

A drive through Rainbow Beach. Those “rocks” are completely made of sand! Photo Credit: Moe de La Viez

Argentina: A beautiful country full of friendly people

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Vista de Córdoba Photo Credits: Kate Longabaugh

From the overlook in Parque Sarmiento, this photo is above a grand old staircase that people run up and down to work out or sit on the benches and talk with friends. The old abandoned Ferris wheel sits inside the zoo and the apartment buildings to the left look like the ones I walked by every day in Córdoba that had a distinct look. 

La Cañada a la noche Photo Credits: Kate Longabaugh

A nighttime view of La Cañada near El Paseo de los Artes, a weekly artisan fair full of tempting things to buy. I crossed La Cañada every day to go to class at the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba and when I went almost anywhere since my host family lived right next to it downtown.

Andes de Patagonia Photo Credits: Kate Longabaugh

Monte Fitz Roy or Cerro Chaltén is one of the most beautiful, if not the most beautiful, mountains and hiking locations in Andean Patagonia in southern Argentina and Chile, so I made sure to see it before I left. My friends and I got lucky with a clear day and good weather when winds and storms are notorious for keeping people off the trail.

Andes de Jujuy Photo Credits: Kate Longabaugh

A view of the Quebrada on the trail from the town of Tilcara to the Garganta del Diablo. La Quebrada de Humahuaca in northern Argentina is known for its colored mountains, trade route of the Incas, and indigenous Quechua people.

Amigos en La Cumbrecita Photo Credits: Kate Longabaugh

Some Argentinian, French, and German friends I made in the UNC Trekking program and a local language practice group. We hiked around one weekend in La Cumbrecita, a Swiss/German village in the mountains of Córdoba.

Danzas Irlandesas Photo Credits: Kate Longabaugh

As an Irish Dancer I was excited to find a twice-monthly Irish Cultural Organization in Córdoba. Here I am with one of my Irish Dance friends/teacher Andrea when her dance school Celtic Argentina came to perform at Argentina’s famous Oktoberfest in Villa General Belgrano, a town with Bavarian roots in the mountains of Córdoba.

 

BY KATE LONGABAUGH

 

Musings: Three Weeks in Spain

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Calle San Fransisco. Photo Credit: Skyler Aikerson

The train glides away from the stop at Plaza Mar 2. In seconds, I see Castillo de Santa Bárbara above me, the Mediterranean Sea stretched out in all its sparkling glory below. I feel myself getting overwhelmed and choked up. I know this sense of being overwhelmed comes from both the sadness that I am leaving Alicante, Spain tomorrow, and the great sense of happiness that I had this study abroad experience.

For about thirty seconds, Castillo de Santa Bárbara moves from the right side of the train window to the left. I think about my first day in the city, when the sight of the castle was unfamiliar but still just as glorious. It was my first experience traveling abroad, and the day before had been a traveler’s nightmare, with my connecting flight taking off just minutes after I’d arrived to the gate. An unexpected visit to Heathrow Airport and a train ride from Madrid later, I was in a taxi to my host mom’s house at 9:30 p.m. I was jet lagged and upset that the airline had lost my luggage. My host mom, however, brightened my mood with dinner –– which included my first Spanish omelet.

The next morning I woke up early, a busy day of touring the city ahead of me. I met my class at Plaza Luceros, which served as the primary meeting place throughout this three-week Intensive Course Abroad. We rode on a bus past the sea, then up a steep mountain where we reached Castillo de Santa Bárbara. At the very top we could see the whole city, its low buildings glowing and other mountains in the distance. After leaving, we walked down the mountain through a picturesque neighborhood of brightly colored homes with tiled door frames. I was quickly enveloped in a sense of awe at this city I’d only been in for 12 hours.

This sense of awe kept coming back to me during my time in Alicante. Whether I was walking down the quirky and fun Calle San Francisco with its hopscotch painted streets and fun mushroom sculptures (some of which you can go inside; it was a great place for selfies), or when I visited Playa del Postiguet, a nearby beach, and watched the sunset with my friends, this awe was ever present. It came back when I ate at the many different restaurants, cafes, and heladerias – I had some of the best food of my life there (I’m tasting my host mom’s paella as I type this…mmm).

Villajoyosa. Photo Credit: Skyler Aikerson

Excursions to places like the MARQ (an architectural museum), the Valor chocolate factory in Villajoyosa, and La Alhambra in Granada were both educational and fun (and the visit to the chocolate factory was delicious). Whether I was in Alicante or somewhere else in Spain, I was always able to find something interesting and enjoyable to do (one evening after leaving the Día de Reyes parade, I stumbled on a night market near Plaza Luceros that was full of vendors selling everything from jewelry to hot chocolate. It was absolutely delightful).

Oh, and the academics? (This was an ICA, after all.) Muy fácil. What originally was fear and intimidation about condensing 16 weeks of material into a three-week course turned into genuine excitement about learning after my first day in class. Professors Maria (lovingly known as Chitty) and Sonia effortlessly kept the entire class’ attention throughout our five-hour long sessions. And even with all the excursions, I never found the amount of work for the class to be overwhelming. In fact, despite the fact that this was a three-week course, I found it easier to handle the amount of work that was required since I was only focusing on one class, rather than having to juggle work for four (or more!) classes like I do during the semester.

Starting around my second week in Alicante, I began developing a routine that helped me relax into the slow, easy pace of the city. I was able to overcome my feelings of self-consciousness and communicate with my host mom (albeit slowly). The mistakes I made in communicating with her were essential to helping me get a better understanding of the language. And let me tell you, there was no greater joy than when I was able to speak with my host mom and others around me in Spanish and not only understand them, but to be understood as well.

Castillo de Santa Bárbara disappears as the train enters the tunnel, which signals the last three stops on my final train ride in Alicante. At the beginning of the trip, the castle was unfamiliar, but on this last day, going towards Plaza Luceros, the castle, and the city of Alicante, were starting to feel familiar. Like home.

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