A sample text widget
Etiam pulvinar consectetur dolor sed malesuada. Ut convallis
euismod dolor nec pretium. Nunc ut tristique massa.
Nam sodales mi vitae dolor ullamcorper et vulputate enim accumsan.
Morbi orci magna, tincidunt vitae molestie nec, molestie at mi. Nulla nulla lorem,
suscipit in posuere in, interdum non magna.
|
Last week I mentioned that I was lucky enough to study abroad in Scotland for two months this summer (although given the recent Indepence Referendum there, I probably should have gone this fall). It was an amazing time that I can’t sum up into a few words, but I’ll try: fun, history, traveling, friends, dances (Ceilidhs), Highland Games, parades, new people, zip lining, Edinburgh Dungeon, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, pubs, short stories, hiking, and last but not least, beauty.
Studying abroad gives you an experience that will make everyone you know ask “So, what was it like?” as soon as you set foot back on US soil. You’ll know that you can be independent, make your own travel plans, find your way around foreign cities (even if you get lost), and do things that are pretty terrifying but so worth it (even if that’s just getting on the plane, but for me it was the zip lining).
 This is one of the smallest ziplines. Studying abroad isn’t easy for everyone. It takes a lot of planning, and financial issues come up for most people. However, the International Programs Office (IPO) is full of wonderful people willing to help you every step of the way, from deciding a program to finding/applying for scholarships to all the application paperwork you need for the program and McDaniel. Plus, there’s always our sister campus in Budapest. Some of my friends are there right now and they absolutely adore it.
Majoring in languages requires you to study abroad for a semester or live in that language’s house for a year, and everyone I’ve talked to says it’s so much more fun to go abroad, and you learn a lot more from being immersed in the language.
I didn’t go to Scotland for the language, although I did pick up a bit of Scots Gaelic while there (and promptly forgot a lot of it from disuse). I went for the beauty, the culture, the classes, the history, and yes, to pick myself up another kilt. It didn’t fail me in any aspect I wanted from it, and being there in the summer before the Independence Referendum meant there was a lot of campaigning and debates about it. People would randomly bring it up on the streets, to tell us about it or to ask what we thought as Americans. It was wonderful.
There are so many things I could share, but here are some highlights:
 This was taken in Stirling Castle, where they have jester outfits to try on while you’re learning about history.  There was a hill near campus called Dumyat. I hiked it multiple times. This is one of the views from the hike.  This is taken with “Nessie” on one of the Ness Islands. I did get to see Loch Ness the next day, but I think the islands on the River Ness near Inverness were my favorite of the “Ness” things.  This is Loch Carron on the Isle of Skye.  My Gothic class went here on an excursion so that we could live the gothic/horror. It was one of my favorite things.  This year was the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn, which was a simple bus ride away for my friends and I to attend the festival. There was food, music, Ceilidh dancing, live reenactments (shown above), and a whole village set up as if it was 700 years ago. Of course, every study abroad experience is different, but there is a consensus about one thing: It’s totally worth it.
Affinity housing is a new experience for me this year. Affinity housing is where you live in a house which is filled with members from a certain campus organization. Currently, I am living in the Puppy House., a house for members of the Canine Companions for Independence (CCI), a.k.a. McDaniel Puppy Club. We are a campus organization which raises awareness for CCI. We also raise funds in order to raise a dog and train the dog to become a service dog.
Living in affinity housing is such a different experience from living in a regular dorm. I live with five other wonderful ladies who are all working hard for the same cause. We have learned so much about each other and we all work hard.
Right now we are working to raise funds to get another dog to live with us and to complete all the paperwork we need to make that happen. We also work hard because as an affinity member we have an obligation to represent McDaniel in a good light. We have to do a set number of service hours, our house is substance free, which means no alcohol, we hold house meetings, and we hold club meetings once a week.
I love living in this house and I would not trade it to live in a dorm. I love learning about the wonderful people I live with, working for good causes, helping the organization I belong to out by co-leading one event a semester, and I love the access to a kitchen and how much that has forged bonds between members of the house.
I still vividly remember visiting McDaniel three-and-a-half years ago. I was sitting in my father’s minivan reading Frankenstein for my senior English class and I was trying to hold in all my nerves. This was the last college tour I would be going on and I was really hoping McDaniel would be the one. Before visiting McDaniel, I had visited Penn State University Park, Penn State Berks, Penn State Abington, Philadelphia University, and Ursinus College, not of these felt like a good match for me. (Also if you could not guess from the schools I had visited, I am from Pennsylvania. )
I was having a real life Goldilocks and the Three Bears moment. This is too big, this is too small, this is too close to home, and this is too far away. Then I got to McDaniel.
I toured the entire campus starting in Lewis Hall of Science where my future biology lab professor stepped out of his office and gave me a tour of the lab–which made me feel so appreciated. We ended at Alumni Hall, McDaniel College’s theatre. Ironically enough I would call both of these places home within a year’s time of my tour.
After the tour, I got home and called my high school counselor and said that I loved it at McDaniel. I described my tour of the biology lab, how helpful the tour guides were, how welcoming the staff was, and how open the campus was to me exploring after my tour if I wanted to see more. I was so excited in a way that I had not been after any of my other campus visit days. I knew McDaniel was the one for me.
Here is another post that focuses more on my reflections after the Balaton trip:
In addition, if you are interested in reading more about McDaniel students’ adventures in Balaton and other study tours, here is a link to the other blog: https://studytoursmcdaniel.wordpress.com/
While I was studying abroad in France, one of my friends from Ukraine immediately raved to me about Lake Balaton once she discovered that I was studying abroad in Hungary. So, with her small introduction, I was already looking forward to the school trip to the Balaton region. When we received the itinerary for the trip, I immediately googled each location and site listed and read some of the historical points in order to gain some basic knowledge. And while I enjoyed every minute of the trip, there were two moments/excursions that were exceedingly remarkable for me.
The first “most memorable” moment took place when our professor led everyone to a monument dedicated to a group of people who perished in Lake Balaton (Pajtas tragedy). I passed by this monument earlier that day and it instantly impacted me because of the striking visual of a hand reaching out of the monument. However, the first time I passed it, I was not able to understand the meaning of the monument because of the Hungarian description. When I visited the monument again with our professor, the story behind the monument was even more forceful. Our professor explained that this monument is dedicated to the individuals who drowned in 1954 and that the communism system at the time covered the tragedy; citizens could not discuss the event. Recently, there has been an increase in discussion and monuments are in the process of construction in order to assist in the creation of a shared memory. Our professor mentioned that Hungarians in general are not accustomed to talking about these tragedies because silence was such a habit; with much effort and organization, there have been initiatives to foster dialogue and discussions throughout the country.
The topic of memory and constructing a shared memory is an immense topic that has such controversial and differing ideas- how does this process begin? In my Holocaust and Memory class, we discuss the construction of memorials and monuments and it was interesting to see the depth and reach of this topic. It was also fascinating for me to compare this idea to the American perspective and culture where discussing feelings is more often than not encouraged and even expected at certain times.
The second event in our trip that I found memorable was our trip to the Herend Porcelain Manufacturer. This unique experience enabled us to see each step in the porcelain making process- from the basic molds to the elaborate painting. Before this trip, I had absolutely no idea about this delicate process and I could not help myself from gaping at the immaculate details in each piece of porcelain. This tour gave me an entirely new respect for the artists and the porcelain manufacturers. Although the art pieces were well beyond my financial means, watching the artists paint was a priceless experience.
After each excursion, I was able to reflect about these events on the bus ride and I could analyze each experience with the beautiful scenery as a backdrop. I can truthfully say that each site we visited enabled me to learn something, whether it was a piece of history or insight on culture.
 I think perhaps the hardest thing for me this year has been finding a really great spot to study. Last year, I used to study on the entry floor of the library with friends, but as much as I love my friends, I never get any work done when I am around them. Hence, my problem was finding a place where could study and not see anyone I know.
While this may sound like an easy problem to solve, it most definitely was not for me. I tried sitting in Caseys’ Corner, different office areas, even the Honors Lounge, but do you know what all of these spaces have in common? There are wonderful, friendly, interesting people that I cannot help but talk to.
Luckily, one day I went to study with Kara on one of the library’s quiet floors. Down there, I found the perfect study space! It was perfectly hidden away from people so that I could hide there and do my work. Even while Kara was studying with me, I was unable to get distracted because we had our own little cubicles.
Today, I went to my cozy little spot and read half of my assignment for Spanish. This spot is extremely helpful! Now the trick will be making sure no one else finds it too.
|
|
