Monday, July 13, 2015

Tennis is life, at least at Wimbledon

3:07 AM Crystal Hult
                Do you know where you were on July 11, 2015? It may not seem like an important date to many people, but for this woman it was by far one of the greatest days of my life. 
                When I was accepted into the Columbia College Study Abroad program for the 3 week session in Oxford, England I was beside myself with joy for many reasons.  One of those reasons was the possible opportunity to attend the Wimbledon championships.  I have adored the sport of tennis since I started playing my freshman year of high school.  I have followed various athletes and really disliked others.  One of my life goals is to attend all four grand slam tournaments.  For those of you who do not follow tennis, the four grand slam tournaments are the Australian Open (February), Roland Garros/French Open (June), Wimbledon (Late June & Early July), and the U.S. Open (Late August/Early September).  It felt like a pipe dream, as life was not being very conducive to the travel required to achieve that dream.
                On July 11, 2015, I was able to check attending Wimbledon off that list.  A fellow classmate that also enjoys tennis accompanied me to the All England Lawn Tennis Club where Wimbledon takes place.  We were given directions by both a member of the staff at the OSAP (Oxford Study Abroad Program) office and a very helpful gentleman at the train station.  With their help we were able to navigate the Underground system in London (which is no easy feat when you look at a map of the Tube system) and we arrived safely in Wimbledon.  We trekked down the street toward the grounds, just to catch a glimpse of the grounds.  We figured there would be no queue (line in England) for grounds tickets and had resigned ourselves to sitting in a pub to watch the women’s final match.  The first security guard we spoke to assured us there was no queue for grounds tickets but advised us to continue toward the grounds to experience Wimbledon Village.  We followed his suggestion and continued down the street.  We came upon another security guard about a block or two away that asked us if we wanted to join the queue. We were beside ourselves! We had just been told there was no queue. We gladly followed his direction toward the grounds.  We received queue tickets that state there is no guarantee we will be able to get on the grounds and we passed through security where I had a pleasant conversation with the gentleman searching my bag about selfie sticks (they are all over the place here, but banned in Wimbledon).  We briskly walked the designated path to the grounds and for £15 ($23) we were able to access the grounds at Wimbledon! We were one step closer to fulfilling a dream.
                Upon entering the grounds at Wimbledon you are exposed to a wide variety of individuals.  Some have dressed very casually for their day of sun and tennis, others look as if they are going to church right after watching a match.  There were hats galore, though few baseball caps as they are frowned upon in England.  We walked around in a daze for a few minutes as we couldn’t believe we had made it onto the grounds.  Now, being on the grounds does not mean you will get to see a match in person, but there is a grass covered hill on the grounds that you can access with your grounds ticket.  This hill faces a jumbo-ton type screen where you can watch the matches in real-time.  My classmate and I decided to visit the souvenir shop first. I think we were still in a bit of disbelieve of our luck being on the grounds.  Anyway, we found some souvenirs for ourselves and a few others we know that appreciate tennis as much as we do.  After shopping I had her take my picture in front of the men’s draw board showing the progress of the tournament so far.  I had hoped the women’s draw would be included in the picture, but it’s okay that it wasn’t, I prefer watching men’s tennis more.
 
             After the brief photo opportunity we wandered around the grounds.  There are practice courts that are available for the public to see.  One of the men’s double teams was practicing, so we watched for a few minutes.  A little bit after walking away we noticed there was a crowd gathering at the intersection of the walkway by a practice court.  We decided to be nosy Americans and check it out.  Being such a short person, seeing things over a crowd is very difficult, however I was able to see what the crowd was about when there was a brief parting of some of the crowd.  Novak Djokovic was practicing! I almost lost my cool! I was so excited! We took quick pictures and moved along so others could see him practice also.  

             We made our way to the lawn and found there was a section of bleachers at the top of the hill.  We quickly procured some seats (with backs) and prepared to watch the women’s final between Serena Williams and Garbine Muguruza.  It was a great match! As tennis players both my classmate and I were critiquing the players in regard to both good and bad points.  When the crowd applauded, we were part of that.  When the crowd sighed or ohhed or ahhed, we were part of that.  
               It was great to be part of such a momentous day!  Serena won, making this her 6th Wimbledon championship, but Garbine put up one heck of a fight!  We prepared to exit the facilities only to discover that the winner of the final is expected to come out on the balcony at the Club and show their trophy to the crowd.  We patiently waited in the crowd for Serena to make her appearance.
                While we were waiting a lady slightly behind us on our left talked about wanting to see Drake, the singer who is currently in a relationship with Serena and there to support her bid at Wimbledon.  She went on about wanting to see him as opposed to seeing Serena for 3-5 minutes.  It was interesting hearing an English woman be so open about her feelings toward Drake.  She got her wish, Drake walked right in front of her.  She was able to reach out and touch him.  He touched her upper arm and said something along the lines of “Sorry, baby,” like it was his fault she touched him. He was about two feet behind me and had no security detail with him, like you would see in America. 
                Not too long after the Drake encounter, Serena walked out on the balcony and showed her trophy to the crowd. It was so cool to be a part of the crowd.  There is even a picture of her with her back to the crowd holding the trophy. I’m a part of that crowd! You can’t really see me, but I’m there.  After she exited the balcony, we decided it was time to leave the All England Lawn Tennis Club and head back to Oxford.  We navigated the Underground again, took some pictures in Paddington Station and headed for our train.
                As I told my husband and many friends, with the exception of the day I married him, gave birth to our son, and purchased our home, this was one of the best days of my life.  I do not think it will be topped anytime soon.  It’s two days later and it still doesn’t seem real!
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Saturday, July 11, 2015

Kyoto in Style

3:02 PM Gabby

  

(left to right) Darby, Amanda and I suited up to stroll around Kyoto!
Not every town is like Kyoto in the fact that on any given day, it is normal to walk around in yukata. Of course, with all magic comes a price. It was a little expensive, but I bought mine with the obi, and geta and had my hair done for about 116,000 yen (which comes up to just at 116 US dollars). What is a geta and obi? Geta are the tradition flat wooden shoes that have cloth to throng your big toe and second toe. So basically older looking flipflops that may hurt after a while. On the other hand, an Obi is is the sash that ties around the waist to keep the yukata and kimono closed in a beautiful way. 

Now, if you're somewhat savvy to the Japanese clothing, you may wonder, what's the difference between a yukata and a kimono? Well here it is simply, the yukata is a summer kimono. It has shorter sleeves and it is made of lighter material so you don't die of heat stroke. 

Yukata in Burger King? 
 For lunch, half of us went to sushi and the other half came to the ironic place of Burger King. While everyone chowed down, I couldn't help but chuckle at all the traditional Japanese clothing in an American fast food restaurant.

"Makin' my way downtown, walking slow (because the yukata/geta combo only allows small steps) faces past and I'm Kiyomizu dera bound!"
 Okay, so the "thousand mile" song by Vanessa Carlton song doesn't work too well with yukata, but seeing all the yukata in a row was really pretty! Funny enough, some Japanese people thought we were working while on our stroll. Occasionally, kimono shops will hire gaijin (foreigners) to wear thier products to make Kyoto seem better for tourism.

Rika Sensei told me that when a temple's outer wall has white lines, it signifies that that temple is a royal temple. Every so often the royal family will drop into that temple and either rest or pray there. 

Here, you can see all the wishes written on the monkies!
Walking up the street towards our main destination were a bunch of these hanging stuff animal looking things. Not knowing the traditions, I asked Rika sensei what they were. Apparently the stuffed animals are monkeys, who greatly resemble humans. Always wanting many things and having many desires. So, to attain a single wish you need to do some thinking on what you truly need. This is because in order to have a wish fulfilled, you first need to give up a desire. The hanging monkey will keep your desire protected and this will help make your wish come true.

Pausing for a moment, Darby and Amanda pose for a photo along the main road to our final destination.  


Ah, finally made it to our destination! Kiyomizu dera!  Kiyomizu-dera is a historic temple that was established in 778, even before Kyoto became the capital of Japan. Since its foundation, the temple has burned down many times. Most of the current buildings were rebuilt by the third Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu in the early Edo period (1631 to 1633). 

Jo's attempt at lifting the heaviest weight (to no avail)
Morris Sensei + Stranger = still nothing
高 （kou)'s attempt at lifting the second heaviest weight.

   Now, you might be wondering as to what my fellow classmates, strangers and teacher are doing. To the right there are iron shoes, the left (14 kg = 30lbs) the Shoshakujo staff and at the center (90 kgs = 198 lbs) Tetsushakujo staff. I'm not sure if there is a purpose to it all other than testing your strength! However, it was worth the laugh to see everyone struggle. 



I just wanted to be like Thor...
There is temple within the Kiyomizu dera that is a love temple. Apparently, if you shake this hammer you'll get luck in love. Unfortunately for me, I just wanted to look more like Thor son of Odin from the Marvel comics.
A pretty (probably diseased) plant that I found. It looks like sun rays are reflecting off the surface of the plant, but those are just spots. I was rather fascinated by it! 
Going down the stairs in geta and yukata was a lot harder than anticipated! 



 I think at the end of the day, the part that made everything so fun was that I got to experience wearing traditional Japanese clothing with my friends. We all struggled a bit at first, adjusting to taking smaller steps, and our feet were tired by the end, but we all admitted we had a lot of fun! That and I got Matcha (green tea) ice cream, so all is well that ends well.


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Friday, July 10, 2015

Living in the Moment

10:48 AM Abbie O'Brien
Italy has officially left me absolutely speechless!  Everything from seeing the Sistine Chapel, going inside the Colosseum, going up Mount Etna, visiting Pompeii, and so much more was breathtaking and an experience I wouldn’t trade for anything.  But, before I get caught up reminiscing about my experience in Italy, I will tell you a little bit about myself.  My name is Abbie O’Brien and I will be starting my junior year at Columbia College this fall.  I have always seen study abroad as an amazing opportunity and visiting Europe has always been a dream of mine!  However, since I had never been out of the country I was nervous to spend an extended period of time away from home.  I thought that study abroad wasn’t an option for me because of this fear and also financially until I heard about the short term study tours that Columbia College offers!  This study tour was affordable, roughly ten days long, and still included a trip packed with the rich history, culture, art, and so much more of the place(s) you visit.  I was so excited about this perfect option for a student like myself and signed up for the Rome and Sicily study tour!  I couldn’t have asked for a better fit regarding finances, duration, and location of this tour!

Now, enough about myself, let’s talk about Italy!  If I shared all the things I learned about the places we visited this blog would turn into a novel, but I’ll do my best to share about my favorite stop, the Sistine Chapel.  Walking into the Sistine Chapel was incredible.  Being able to see Michelangelo’s amazing works was an absolute privilege.  The Last Judgment painted across an entire wall was not just beautiful and a masterpiece but it evoked emotion as everyone stood in the quiet packed chapel.  As I looked around the room I noticed that over half of the people had their necks craned back, taking in arguably Michelangelo’s most impressive and difficult work covering the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.  Michelangelo captured the book of Genesis in incredible detail and beauty on this ceiling.   I was immediately in awe of the amazing art before me. 

I think a big reason I was able to really appreciate this amazing place was because the rules took away the distraction that cameras and talking can cause.  Since pictures were strongly prohibited and talking discouraged, we were all forced to be in the moment.  So instead of experiencing the Sistine Chapel from behind the lens of my camera I was able to experience it to its fullest by giving it my entire attention.  Simply standing in the chapel was almost an emotional experience in itself.  I think stepping back to enjoy each place you visit is an important thing to do during travel or any study abroad program in general.  It is not always easy to set aside your camera but in the end it is more important to focus on experiencing the place at hand.  That would be one piece of advice I have for anyone in or considering any study abroad program; don’t be afraid to set your camera down for a moment to take in your surroundings. 

I hope one day you take some time to visit Italy and see the wonderful and beautiful art, architecture, history, culture, and views it has to offer!

P.S. I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing the pizza and gelato is, so you will absolutely have to try that for yourself when you visit Italy!! 
-Abbie O’Brien


The Colosseum
Vatican City





 



Gelato with Lauren
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Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Japanese vs American Etiquette

9:25 AM Gabby

Salt Takoyaki (Fried Octopus balls) and Shouyo Ramen
Takoyaki, octopus fried in a batter that gives the food a round shape. Can come in many flavors, and many Japanese make Takoyaki machines (like Americans waffle makers) in their house. Shouyu Ramen is soy-based broth, and instant Ramen does not compare to the glory that is Japanese Ramen. 



Look mom, I can now loudly slurp my soup, hold my dishes when eating and greet with gestures in two languages!


   When two cultures collide, especially etiquette, it can be strange yet interesting. Many times I have bowed in greeting to my Japanese friends but also shot up my hand in a wave. It usually ends in an off-beat salute, but, I my friends usually get that I am attempting to greet them. As for slurping and picking up dishes, it actually a Japanese cultural thing. To show that soup / noodle dishes are delicious, one must slurp rather loudly. Being the American I am, my mother always scolded me when I slurped due to it being bad manners in America. So, trying to catch on to Japanese customs and I have been practicing slurping, a harder task than I had previously imagined! The same goes for hands at least touching the dishes you’re eating from, a daily Japanese custom. While it is considered polite in Japan, it begs the question, “when was the last time you ate?” at my home in America. So, to urge my hand to be on the table was another task I was not expecting to be difficult in Japan. Here, I thought learning the Japanese Language would be the hardest task!


Soba Noodles with Shiitake mushroom
A type of noodle soup that has thick broth (almost gelatin like) and thick noodles. Can also be cold served cold.  Excellent for cold weather! 


   While my Japanese friends cannot tutor me in how to slurp, bow without throwing my hand out there, or holding my dishes, they are kind enough to continuously help me with Japanese. Here at the University of Shiga Prefecture (USP) in the Communications department, everyone is friendly and helps whenever requested. Whether it be the correct Kanji order, or sitting with me for ten minutes pronouncing a seemingly silent “n” I was astounded at how kind the people are here. While opening the door for someone is not a “norm” here, people go out of their way to treat you kindly. For example, I was taking on my largest task in Japanese (as of yet) and writing a journal entry. When my friends Chisato and Yumeno saw I was struggling, they looked over it for me and explained how some sentences would sound more natural, and how to better phrase things. I took up a good hour of their time, but they weren’t impatient with me at all.

At an earlier welcome party, see a familiar face? Why It's Mineka! She studied at CC in 2014.

  That is another thing I have enjoyed about this exchange program; seeing friends that I met in America in their home prefecture.  Madoka, Chisato, Haruna and Yusuke, previous Columbia College (CC) exchange students came home this semester! I just about tackled Madoka when I first saw her again, and I was able to go to Nagoya with her. Hanging out and having the complete reverse situation is so very eye opening. Seeing how hard it must have been for them to come to America, and realizing how hard they studied really made me appreciate them. When I see any exchange student at CC again, I will definitely go more so out of my way to help them, like everyone here has helped me.


My friend Momo being gracious and helping me with my Japanese homework!


  I’ll be going to Kyoto on a field trip this Friday, so I will update you all with plenty of photos of the trip!

-Gabriel (Gabby) Lewis 
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Friday, July 3, 2015

Musings from airports

1:52 PM Crystal Hult
Hello again! I have taken to writing a physical journal on this trip so I can document as much as possible while away from my loved ones.  I hope these typed journal entries are enjoyable and promote you to think about traveling in the future.  Here is my first journal entry. Thanks for reading!

July 1, 2015
                The website said to show up 2 hours early for International flights. Too bad I showed up, as requested.  I was one of two people at the airport for about 30-45 minutes.  Oh well, I read and it gave time for my nerves to calm.  I was afraid my check baggage would weigh too much, but thankfully it was half the maximum requirement! Woo hoo! While waiting in the TSA line I had a conversation with a guy who works with the UN. He was headed to Siberia to watch the countries version of Tribal Olympics.  I thought my day was going to be long. This poor guy is traveling across like 12 time zones. Oh my!
                I remember why flying freaks me out. It’s like riding a roller coaster that is thousands of miles above ground.
                I safely landed at Chicago O’Hare and began my 4 hour layover.  Thankfully they have fairly easy to understand signs, lots of ways to get updates on your flight and places to get some grub. I found a market that sells fresh fruits and veggies so I have a little food to keep me full without eating a bunch of junk fast food. 
                While in Chicago I was taken under the wing of a couple flying back home to North Carolina after a U2 concert.  The wife and I talked quite a bit. She had an accent from NY. It was fun to listen to her. The couple are retired teachers! They watched my luggage when I had to go to the bathroom. I am so thankful for that alone, as I had to go to the bathroom multiple times while we waited.  Speaking of waiting, airports will teach you patience.  According to the constant updates from American Airlines, our flight appeared to be on schedule.  It wasn’t.  I am thankful we weren’t on our original plane as it was grounded for mechanical problems.  I’ll spend time chatting up an awesome older, retired couple over getting on a broken plane! The additional time to get a working plane eats into my layover before London.  That’s okay as long as I can walk for a little bit, go to the bathroom and make my flight.
                While in Chicago I had a few interesting thoughts.
1.       It is amazing how many people take an airplane to a destination only to part ways, join others and continue on their journey.  You never really know another person’s story or life.  You should always be kind. You never know how someone is feeling, you are a spectator in a moment of their life, make the most of it.
2.       Sitting hurts after a while. Period.
3.       There are still nice people in the world.  You’d be amazed how many of them are waiting for their plane to show up.
4.       Kids can be entertained by the simplest things, like simply seeing an airplane through a window.
5.       Four hours of sleep isn’t nearly enough when you’re traveling all day, internationally.
6.       Having my feet touch “ground” between the legs of the flight helped me cope with the distance, both from friends and family AND my body and the ground while on the plane.

I hope I am able to sleep some on the way to London from Raleigh. I am so very tired.



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Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Ciao from Florence!

7:58 AM Unknown
Ciao!

Greetings from Florence, Italy! Today marks my 9th day in Italy and it has certainly been a wonderful nine days! To start things off, I am Hailey and I chose to study in Florence primarily because of my interest in art. Florence is considered to be the birthplace of the Renaissance and is noted for its Renaissance art and architecture. Although I haven’t been here for very long, it does not take long to know that Florence is an old city that flourished during the Renaissance, and is a city that is still flourishing today!

To give you a visual, the streets of Florence are narrow, made of cobblestone, and are shadowed by phenomenal cathedrals, towers, and a variety of homes occupied by Florentines and other study abroad students. On nearly every street you can find artists creating and selling their work, whether it be paintings, etchings, hand-crafted bags, or jewelry. The level of creativity and artistic talent in Florence is quite spectacular. The city of Florence is busy, however catching a break from the city is rather simple. With a short bus ride, we have been able to explore the Chianti valley, famous for Chianti wines. And, here in a few days, we will take the train to Cinque Terre to enjoy the beach!

While I write to you, I just want to share a few of my favorite experiences here in Florence. The first would be getting to see Michelangelo’s “David.” The sculpture is breathtaking to say the least, and I honestly can’t even begin to describe how magnificent viewing the sculpture is. “David” is 7 feet tall and was carved from a solid piece of marble. In addition to Michelangelo’s “David,” I also got to see Donatello’s “David,” which is made of bronze. The Renaissance art that decorates Florence is fantastic. I definitely plan to share more when I visit the Uffizi Gallery, where I will see many works by famous artists, such as Da Vinci!

I’m going to head out to sketch for a while, but I plan to update you soon! P.S. today is my 22nd Birthday, and I must say I can’t imagine a more beautiful city to spend my birthday in! Have a splendid day!

-Hailey
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Saturday, June 20, 2015

Look out Oxford, I'm headed your way!

3:50 PM Crystal Hult
Oh my goodness! Time flies so fast when you are preparing for an adventure. I guess I kind of know how Bilbo and Frodo Baggins felt before they went on their adventures.  I find it hard to believe that in a little over a week I will be in a completely different country.
I should probably start with a brief introduction. I’m Crystal, as the profile name states. I am currently a graduate student at Columbia College pursuing my MAT (Master of Arts in Teaching) and my certification in special education.  I am a married woman with 1.5 children, work two jobs and attend in-seat classes through Columbia College. My son is 9 and the .5 is about 5 months old in utero. I’ve been married for two years to a great guy who supports my dreams and does his best to show me his support, such as prompting me to take this trip.  Speaking of this trip, I am going to be attending Oxford University in Oxford, England in July through the MOSAIC program.  I am very excited for the opportunity to participate in a course on educational policy, considering I eventually want to get into advocacy in education.  I am looking forward to entering the hallowed halls of Oxford, and also the halls of area British schools to compare the differences in educational culture and policy.  I won’t lie, I’m also looking forward to the accents too! I even warned my husband that if I heard enough Scottish accents, I might not return home!
Preparing for the trip has been quite interesting, as I am pregnant. I am not quite in maternity clothes yet, but I fear packing anything besides maternity clothes due to my expanding waistline. Most of what has been packed is business casual clothes for the school visits and some activities in which MOSAIC students will participating.  One piece of advice that I have taken to heart came from Jim Harf, the MOSAIC coordinator; “Lay out all the clothes you want to take with you on the trip. Now, put half of them back in the closet because you won’t need them.”  As a serial overpacker, this has been very hard to do.  I try to always be prepared for an emergency, but I think I just have to let that part of my brain shut off for a while. I can’t afford two check bags!
Also, in preparation for this trip, I have to write a brief essay based on an interview with a school administrator along with reading three articles.  I have conducted the interview and the paper is almost complete.  I will be reading the articles this week so they are fresh in my mind when I land in London.  I have taken a class with Dr. Mason before and he is quite the easy-going teacher.  He does not get overly excited over things and seems to be as “cool as a cucumber” when it comes to teaching.  I think he will make this course very pleasant and I look forward to working with him again.

With time drawing near for the trip to begin, I have gotten very nervous about leaving my family and loved ones behind.  For a 19 year old student, this has to be so very liberating.  For a 34 year old student, it is quite shocking! As most mothers and wives know, much of the house runs on my schedule and I tend to be the one to get things done.  It’s just the nature of the beast.  I fear that things will crumble without me at home to take care of it, but thankfully my husband is a bit pushy when it comes to me pursuing this dream.  We have talked about when we will be able to Skype with one another, due to his job and the time difference, it is a little difficult to pencil in that needed contact.  I have seen friends and family that mean the most to me this month, and I’ve brushed up on some British vocabulary, so I think I’m almost ready to go.  Now, I should probably finish packing my bags and double checking my lists to ensure I’ve got all I need to make this one of the best experiences of my life!
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