This is my dragon Hans. Hans has been a very busy dragon and is making the most of his time in Germany!

A stein just big enough for a dragon!

Hans got an early start and landed in Frankfurt, Germany on December 19, 2013. From there he  wanted to go visit one of the many famous German “Christkindlesmarkt” (Christmas market.) He visited one of the biggest markets, which is located in the German city of Nuremberg. The Nuremberg  Christkindlesmarkt is the only place you can buy Zwetschgenmännla (prune men). Hans made some new friends while at the market!

Hans blending in with the Nuremberger Zwetschgenmännla

After the holdiays, Hans went exploring as many places as he could in Germany! He went to Bamberg, Seligenstadt, Würzburg (where he visited his good friend Ann-Kathrin, who he met at UNCG while she was on exchange from Germany last semester!,) Erlangen, and Köln! Hans was especially amazed by the Köln Cathedral which is an architectural marvel!

Even a dragon looks tiny in relation to the Cathedral

Hans then stayed in the city of Herzogenaurach (which is quite a mouthful to say) for two months where he worked at as an intern. Right before he went off to the University, he went to Amsterdam! He was amazed at the way the city was structured and loved taking a boat tour through all the canals. After his trip to the Netherlands he headed to Konstanz, Germany for school.

Hans taking a canal tour in Amsterdam and getting a little to close to the camera

Hans loves Konstanz! He says that Konstanz in beautiful and the fact the it is right on the Bodensee (Lake Constance) makes it only that much better! One of his favorite things is that the Mensa (cafeteria) looks right over the lake, and it makes a stunning view, just like dinner and a show!

Hans always wanted to live on the beach!

He can't wait to go on more adventures with all the new friends he made at orientation! This weekend he is looking forward to exploring Meersburg and then a little later going to the famous islands of the Bodensee! And he cannot wait for summer: sun, sea, and fun!

Hans pretending to breathe fire!

Mit freundliche Grüβe!

From Dragon Hans and his human friend Nicole Schachter

University of Kontanz, Germany

Follow Nicole at nicoleisingermany.blogspot.de (linked on the right)

 

I came into this semester with few expectations. I knew I had fun classes about Korean history and the intensive Korean class from hell. But other than that I didn’t now how I was going make over the mountain(the hill that is between my dorm and the main campus) every day, multiple times. I also didn’t know how I was going to make friends, Korean and exchange students alike.

Camille dressed in hanbok

g-dragon learns Korean

All you can eat barbeque

 

But this week has proven to be better than I expected. The mountain is conquerable! And I will have wonderful legs by the end of the semester. The communal lounge is full of life here. At lunch ajummas, older Korean ladies, sit with me. We may not be able to talk but it’s fun to just sit with someone and exchange Ahnnyeonghasyeos. 

 

 

 

 

 

Around campus

Going into Sinchon is fun! It is so different than back home in Creedmoor. I have rarely seen so many people at once! The sounds of stores calling out specials and pounding Kpop are not so strange now. I have managed to try lots of street food and eat more Korean food that I thought possible. Spicy food has no effect on me now, or even less than before. I plan on exploring other districts soon. I will conquer the subway, eventually.

 

Camille Knudsen

Yonsei University

South Korea

Oliver enjoying an ocean view

This is Oliver the dragon. The two of us arrived in Melbourne, Australia a week ago and have been happily on the move ever since. Not even a full day after landing from our 25 hour flight, we were off to participate in our uni’s three day international student orientation on the beautiful beaches of Lorne. As you can see, he has been enjoying the wonderful views and warm sun of the Great Ocean Road. The little guy even caught a wave or two surfing on our first morning! 

Over the past week, he has been adjusting well to Melbourne.  Day one back in the city, we enjoyed Night Market, a cultural gathering at the Victoria Market characterized by live music, delicious foods from all of the world, shops, and dancing. With how huge the city is, the two of us have quickly become masters of navigating trams. Overall, Oliver may not be used to cars driving on the left side of the road or money coming in such bright rainbow colors, but the people have been lovely and food has been to his liking. Oliver and I are now certified chocolate Tim Tam addicts! He also says that though kangaroo burgers are a yes…Vegemite, not so much.

To make this journey even better for our little Oliver, he feels right at home here at Deakin University knowing that their mascot is the dragon! With all of his new mates, he shall soon be flying out with the biggest and best of them. Where will he land next? Sydney? Fiji? The Great Barrier Reef? The dragon homeland of New Zealand? We’ll have to wait and see where the wind takes him. 

Ash Mcleod 

Deakin University

Melbourne, Australia

Froid the dragon makes a snow angel!

Froid the Dragon and I arrived on the campus of Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, on January 5^th, 2014. We immediately knew we would be right at home in the north when we walked into the campus apartment and saw the display of hockey posters and jerseys. The first week was full of excitement, uncertainty, and adventure. I met my professors and teaching assistants, received the syllabi, and was introduced to the multitude of cafeterias. The week concluded with a day trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake and Niagara Falls, and watching the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Toronto Maple Leafs with my new suitemates. And of course, there has been plenty of snow and ice on the ground.

Froid seeks warmth after playing in the snow all day.

Fast forward a month and a half, and there hasn't been too much of a change. I’ve become more familiar with the university, the courses I am enrolled in, and the bus schedules. The usual is still present. The Hurricanes-Leafs rivalry may be on hold, but it has been replaced by a USA-Canada rivalry, as the Olympics are underway. My suitemates dedicated a wall in the main room to Canada, full of shirts and a Canadian flag. However, this week is Reading Week - think Spring break except it’s too early and too cold to call it that - and my suitemates have left for the week. (I myself am fixing to take a bus to Ohio for the rest of the week to visit my Grandpa.) Thus, their Canada display has been replaced by a USA display. It will be an amusing surprise for when they return.

My adventure to the north has been exciting thus far, and it looks to continue for the rest of the semester. And of course, there is still plenty of snow and ice on the ground.

Andrew Clark, Brock University
Ontario, Canada

Patrick, the Friendly Maltese Dragon

Patrick, a fearless but friendly dragon came unto one of the dungeons of Malta.  As an American citizen, he plans to not only make his stay memorable, but makes sure that everyone around him knows that UNCG has brought Dragons to Malta!  Mwahaha!  But he is surely not as mean and scary as it may sound.  As you can see from this picture, Patrick is quite small but is sure to wave at everyone he meets.  He loves greeting people and wants to show that not all dragons are as terrible as fairy tales portray them.

Nicholas Ptak, University of Malta

Margaret and Bebek in Istanbul

My little dragon, Bebek, traveled with me (and my husband and two teenagers) to Istanbul, Turkey over the winter holiday. (Bebek is ‘baby’ in Turkish.) We flew into Istanbul on Christmas day and remained for one week. Bebek, an agreeable adventurer and companion, accompanied me to many wonderful places in Istanbul. This photo was taken at Taksim Square, on December 28^th. We were at the Republic Monument, which commemorates the formation of the Turkish Republic in 1923.  We walked a great deal each day, setting out from our lovely small hotel in the old part of the city (Sultanamet.) Bebek and I got a lot of exercise, and greatly enjoyed interacting with people and hearing numerous beautiful languages. We had special times with many new Turkish acquaintances, as well as fellow travelers from Sri Lanka, Germany, England, France, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, and more. We shared a meal with an Australian woman on vacation, who teaches English and Italian to high school students in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Our explorations, by foot and tram, took us to the Hagia Sophia Museum, the Blue Mosque and other mosques, the Topkapi Palace, the Basilica Cistern, the Galata Tower, the Istanbul Archaeological Museum, and to many unique restaurants and shops. There were fantastic discoveries when we visited the Islamic Museum of the History of Science and Technology in Islam. We marveled at the mazelike shopping environment of the Grand Bazaar. Our boat trip on the Bosphorus, and a later walk along the edge of the Sea of Marmara, were lovely experiences. The old city walls, some 1500 years old, were part of the rich history we enjoyed in this beautiful city. Bebek and I encourage anyone who loves to travel and be welcomed with great hospitality (and delicious food!) to add the great city of Istanbul, Turkey to your list of places to someday visit. I hope to go again; one week is not nearly enough time to experience this grand city, and its rich culture and history. 

Margaret Patton, Administrative Assistant for the Honors College 

Lloyd admires the view from his warm apartment.

Laura Silva, University of Oulu, Finland

Lloyd and I left for Finland on New year’s Eve, and landed in the evening on New Years after about 12 hours of flying and a seven hour time change. Finland was having a heat wave and there was no snow on the ground in Helsinki, with temperatures around 1C. After spending a few days there and learning my first phrase in Finnish – “Do you speak English” or “Puhutko Englantia?” – I navigated the train system and boarded a ten hour train north to Oulu. Oulu is a coastal town on the Gulf of Bothnia, and about as far North as Iceland and Fairbanks, Alaska. There was snow on the ground when I got here but it was still relatively warm, around -5C, and for the first week or so it was often colder in Greensboro than here. But now I’ve seen temperatures down to -23 And I don’t think I’ll ever complain about temperatures above freezing again.

When I arrived my Kummi, or sponsor student, met me at the bus station and showed me to my apartment. The first few days were slow -- figuratively, though, because the days only lasted about 6 hours with the sun rising around 10 and setting around 4. After orientation and a few international events I made a small group of friends. Last weekend, I and another American girl taught them the rules of American football while we watched the Panthers’ game. Classes haven’t begun for most of us yet so it’s been very laid back and we’ve had plenty of time to hang out and get to know each other.  At the university, every student belongs to a student guild based on their field of study, and each guild has a specific color of overalls. They look a little like a space uniform, but mostly they’re good because they’re waterproof and warm and there’s snow everywhere. The students sew patches on them for a lot of different events and wear them during student rallies and spirit events. For exchange students, they’re overalls are blue and we were all given some patches to spice them up. They also say that you can’t wash them unless you’re in them, so one of the only ways in the winter is to go ice hole swimming. It’s really popular with the students here, especially if there’s an opportunity to sauna afterwards. The sauna originated in Finland and it’s very popular, most people have them in their homes and offices. It’s common to sauna at about 150F and then immediately roll in the snow, repeating the cycle a few times, but I haven’t tried it yet!

Those overall might not fit you, Lloyd.

Lloyd considers the challenges of being a "northern" dragon.

I’ve gotten much better at converting gallons to liters, feet to meters, and Celsius to Fahrenheit because the United States is stubborn and the metric system is infinitely easier. In the past two weeks I’ve learned the essential Finnish words – I’m sorry, thank you, excuse me, I don’t speak Finnish, and of course, cheers. I’ve learned the bus routes, though waiting for them at -17C always make me feel like they’re running late, and I’ve found my way around the city center. There is so much more to explore, but I feel like I’ve learned so much in my first few weeks, I can’t wait to see what the coming months have in store!