Sierra in Italy

Ciao Ragazzi! 

First let me start off with saying, If any of you know me, you know that going to Italy has always been important to me as I am an Italian American. Sadly, I can’t speak Italian and there are many things that have not been passed down by my family. Being able to come to Italy and study abroad has been such a wonderful opportunity for me! 

Of course it is always a bit stressful traveling to a new country on a different continent. I arrived with my father about a week earlier then my check in date. My biggest issue arriving here, and so far my only big issue, was that on the first night staying in Fiuggi, a very small and beautiful Italian town outside of Rome, I lost my Lloyd Dragon on the first night ….. (I’m sorry Dr. Muich!). I was not very happy, but at least I got a picture with him. Really, it wasn't as awful as it seemed, but I spent the next day soothing myself with my first gelato (It worked). 

Capri, Italy. The water is so blue. So beautiful there. 

Statue looking over the ruins of Pompeii 

Besides that, Everything else has been wonderful. Here is Firenze (Florence), I live with an Italian family, and it was probably one of the best choices I have ever made. They gave me such a warm welcome. Caterina, my host mommy, makes the best food I have had in Italy. She understands how much I love dolce (dessert). She is so warm, welcoming, and hilarious. She pushes me to learn and speak Italian, all while teaching me about all of the culture while I tell her about what it is like where I live (Which is not as exciting as Firenze of course). I also live with two other students which is very nice. One comes from Hawaii and the other from Taiwan! How Interesting! So I am also learning about their cultures as well! 

Sitting on the ancient steps in the Coliseum in Roma, Italia. 

Standing at the back side of the Ara Pacis

Yes, I have been eating as much food as I can. Mostly Gelato. If I hear any student comes to Italy and is on a diet, then we just can’t be friends. It’s impossible. I just can’t let it happen. But let me just say, sometimes I feel like I really was meant to be Italian. Why? I have a good example. Here in Italia, breakfast (La colazione) is usually sweet food. I always have sweet food for breakfast. I don’t care for bacon and eggs. Also … Nutella … Nutella everywhere … Is there any other place you can really call paradise? I think no. My sweet tooth is at a true paradise here.

Standing at the front side of the Ara Pacis! 

Selfie with The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli, in the Uffizi Gallery. I live 5 minutes from it. 

Besides the food, I’ve already traveled to Rome, Pisa, Pompeii, and Capri. I plan to see much more. It’s just so beautiful here, where ever I go. I’ve fallen in love with Capri. It’s so beautiful. The water is truly clear and a deep, rich blue. I got to swim in the water. Truly blessed. 

look at how beautiful this gelato is. Gelato -- 2.50euro, happiness -- priceless 

 First glass of wine in Italy, Right before I lost my dragon!

I live right beside the river here in Firenze, This is the gorgeous view from the bridge. 

It’s been so weird, yet so great, for me to all of a sudden stand in front of all of these important art pieces or historical Italian monuments that I would study in class in the United States. My freshman year at UNCG I took Dr. Muich’s course “Trojan War Narratives” (Great class, I recommend). Towards the end of the semester, I remember sitting in class learning about Augustus and the Ara Pacis (The Altar of Peace). Now here in Italy, I have already found myself standing in front of it, looking at it and walking up its steps. It’s so crazy! It had the same feeling when I saw the Coliseum, Statue of David, Pompeii, and all of the other places I’ve explored. 

My first Tiramisu in Italy, Not only did it look stunning, but it tasted stunning .. amazing 

If you consider coming to Italy, please do it. Not only is Nutella everywhere, but the people here are so kind and welcoming. At Lorenzo de Medici, I am required to learn Italian, and I always test my Italian when buying anything or talking to any Italian. They are so nice to someone who butchers their beautiful language. I have never been so happy with myself. I pushed myself so hard at UNCG, and now I get to be here and live like an Italian. I plan to see so much more .. (and buy more) in the next 2.5 months. I hope to come back to UNCG with more amazing stories to tell and more pictures to show. Right now all I can say is …. Io amo i gelati (i love gelato!) 

The side view of Michelangelo's David. You can see his rib cage! How flawless

Sierra Rufino

Lorenzo De Medici

Florence, Italy

Tori in Cape Town!

Leaving home and heading across the world to another continent, timezone and even hemisphere is a pretty daunting task. Before leaving in July, I had my own set of worries, most of them being getting lost in an airport. Thankfully I was able to navigate through all the airports and landed in Cape Town, South Africa safely. After a few minor bumps, I was able to settle into my new room and start my journey through the University of Cape Town and the city and country itself. 

Traveling alone to a foreign country to study has its ups and downs, and I have not been immune to this at all. My first bump came when I had ended up being mislabeled on the airport pickup list, and was stranded for a bit of time. Thankfully I wasn’t the only study abroad student trying to figure their way to the school, and we both managed a safe travel and were welcomed by the international community at UCT. My next bump came in the form of what I like to call, FOMO (fear of missing out). I saw all my friends moving and starting classes back home and desperately missed that time. I had already been in school for a month and was knee deep in papers, tests, and group projects. It wasn’t until my friends told me how jealous they were of my experiences, and extremely warm winter, that I knew I was still enjoying myself and having a great time in South Africa. My most recent bump came on a trip. A few friends of mine and I had discussed what we were doing for our short vacation, similar to spring break, when most of my friends made plans that didn’t include me. Scattering last minute to make plans, two other friends and I signed up last minute for a tour of the Eastern Cape through a travel company, which ended up being the best decision for my break. I overcame my fear of heights by bungee jumping off the world’s tallest commercial bungee bridge, became better friends with students I hadn’t met yet, and learned about conservation efforts for many animals in South Africa. Many of my downs and doubts ended up revealing great experiences and wonderful memories, everything that helps make up study abroad. 

I wish I could say I have only been traveling and having fun exploring, but school is a real thing. Getting used to a new grading system and set of expectations was a bit easier than I imagined, but didn’t mean I could put in any less work. While my classes have been challenging, they’ve helped me understand South Africa as a country more, and even the world from a different perspective. School is something that brings a lot of people together, and I’ve had incredible discussions with students from all different backgrounds about many different issues facing South Africa, America, and the world in general. It was moments like these, conversations like these that were the reasons I wanted to study abroad. You can learn so much more by just engaging in conversation with different people, and I can honestly say it has changed my perspective on some ideas. 

 

Despite my enjoyment of classes, I haven’t actually have had class for about two weeks. Students around at different universities, from Joburg to Cape Town, have protested and shut down campuses, in response to the government saying they are raising fees. This has hit close to home, especially seeing all the protests taking place at home, and has opened up even more conversation between students. It was inspiring seeing these students stand together so they could have an affordable education, just as it has been inspiring to see students at home banning together and supporting each other in their own protests and movements. 

In all, I have had a whirlwind of experiences so far in South Africa. I’ve hiked mountains, studied late for tests, made friends with a cheetah, and created lasting and deep friendships with the city and the people I’ve met here. I still have a few months to go, and I can’t wait to see how the protests resolve, and how my journey continues. 

Tori Crook

University of Cape Town

Cape Town, Africa

Abigail and Finny in Finland!

So far Finland has been great. I have not even been here a month but so far I have had many adventures. I arrived here August 15th  and the first week was basically settling in time. I actually went to Kemi and Helsinki the first. My mother got the opportunity to come so we visited a near by town and went to drop her back off in  Helsinki to catch her flight. Since the first week was so crazy I forgot to bring my dragon Finny along but I have included a couple photos of Kemi and Helsinki.

 Since being here I have made many friends. I actually have two American roommates and one from the Czech Republic. They are all extremely nice. We got the opportunity last weekend to go and stay in a cabin in the woods. We hiked 20 miles in just two days. The paths weren’t the best either, a lot of fallen trees and muddy areas. Finny did get to tag along during this journey. The sights were beautiful from the lookout. We also got to see reindeer!

This past weekend we got the opportunity to go to a small town just 30 min north. The towns name was Ii. It was very small but filled with history and art. It was also quite beautiful. Finny got a chance to go to the beach here in 50 degree weather.

My time in Finland so far has been great. I have learned so much about different cultures and how to use a map. Not a lot of people speak English well, mainly because it is their third language to learn, so it is difficult to speak and figure out things. But as long as there is a will there is a way!

Abigail Kidd
University of Oulu
Oulu, Finland

Cory and Bean in Tanzania

Jambo from Tanzania,

I was able to spend the last month exploring the beautiful country of Tanzania, all while taking part in archaeological excavations at Olduvai Gorge. Olduvai gorge is an important site for those interested in human evolution because it is home to some of the earliest fossils that belong to the genus Homo, meaning it is one of the few places in the world where we can study the remnants of our earliest ancestors and the cultural material they left behind. 

My dragon Bean with a collection of bones at the campsite.

A view of the Olduvai gorge from the museum on site.

Bean hanging out on the top of our tent.

Bean at the BKE preparing to excavate.

The entire trip wasn’t just digging up fossils and stone tools, however. We were able to hike the quartzite outcrops near our camp, such as Naibor Soit, go on safaris so we could view the stunning diversity of wildlife that lives in the region, and even witness the (re)unveiling of the Laetoli footprints, which provide evidence of hominins walking on two feet 3.7 million years ago. We also had the opportunity to interact with some of the people native people to Tanzania, the Maasai. The Maasai were kind enough to invite members of our group to take part in many of their rituals, such as dances, markets, and even a circumcision ceremony, which occurs when a Maasai boy transitions into a warrior.

Water buffalo in the Ngorongoro Crater

Vervet monkey just moments before breaking into our truck looking for food.

A giraffe peeking at me from behind a bush.

A picture of my Massai friend Samson, taken on a hike to see an abandoned lion's den.

Lemagerut, a volcano positioned to the south of our camp.

Zebras we saw on the way to our site.

If anyone is reading this and considering taking part in a study abroad experience, I can’t urge you more to take the opportunity to see more of the world. This has been my second time leaving the country thanks to the study abroad program at UNCG, and these experiences have not only helped me to learn more about the vast diversity that exists within the world today, but to catch a glimpse of how much we have changed over the course of our evolution. 

Bean and I collecting rock hardness samples for my research project.

Best of luck,

Cory Henderson

The Olduvai Paleoanthropology and Paleoecology Project

Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania

Allison and Jamie in New Zealand!

Kia ora!

It is crazy to think I’ve been living here in Palmerston North, New Zealand, for three weeks already! I have already created plenty of fun memories in Palmy (I haven’t made it outside the city yet!) and I have had plenty of opportunities to get to know my flatmates. While I have adjusted pretty well, there are some things that have required adjusting. The biggest change from the US I have experienced is the weather. With New Zealand in the Southern Hemisphere, I arrived in the heart of winter. It took a bit of adjusting to board a plane in 100-degree weather and then get off another plane in 50-degree weather.

Jamie (named after James Cook) was excited for classes to start!

The biggest tool I have used to get to know my flatmates is a pretty simple one: Pokémon Go. We’ve spent many cold nights walking around campus catching Pokémon (Team Instinct, because we’re all about the underdog!). We’ve balanced our Pokémon catching with movies and TV shows during the rainy days since I’m pretty movie illiterate. (Rest assured, all professors reading this, I have been doing my schoolwork!)

This sign lights up at night and during one of our quests for Pokemon I had to stop and take a picture!

I love how naturally beautiful campus is.

I am so content with choosing Massey University’s Manawatū campus as my new home. Palmerston North reminds me so much of Greensboro in so many ways. It has a bus system that is free to students, campus is a manageable size, campus is beautiful, and some of the activities are similar! The first Wednesday of the semester was known as “Club Day,” so for a couple hours all the clubs gathered in the concourse so people could sign up (sound like fall kickoff to anyone??). I’m also not missing any of the food trucks from home either because there are food truck festivals in the town Square!

Town is just as beautiful as campus.

The sun setting with the clock tower in the Square (once again we were out catching Pokemon)

I know everyone who posts becomes an advocate for study abroad, and that’s exactly how this is ending. DO IT! You will regret nothing – I’m a solid 3 weeks into living here, 2 weeks into classes, and 1 week away from my first adventure outside of Palmy. Within a week, this place felt like home and it’s hard to imagine having to leave in four months. Don’t be afraid to go somewhere new and unknown and try something you normally wouldn’t! 

When it gets dark, the clock tower in the Square lights up and changes colors.  Its is probably one of the coolest things about town.

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” - J. R. R. Tolkien

Cheers!

Allison Smith

Massey University

Palmerston North, New Zealand