It's been a long time and a lot has changed....
Well to start off, this post will be long. There is too much to say to make it any shorter. I am back in Lansing and re-adjusted to my life. Sort of. I never really believed people when they told me that travelling abroad would change me, but now I realize that I was just being naive because it does. Going on that study abroad was the best decision I have ever made. Period. End of story. Getting to travel with a group of people from your university and with a professor is such a great way to learn and experience new things. Also, going to these countries and being at the universities with the students and professors was wonderful. There is no better way to learn about a country then to actually be there and experience it first hand.The lectures were fabulous and the professors were truly glad that we were there.
As far as the group dynamic goes, it couldn't have been better. Were there people that had different opinions and ideas? Yes. Were there some disagreements? Yes. That is bound to happen even in the tightest of groups. Overall, however, the ten of us were incredibly close. For not having even met some of the people before the trip, I was amazed at how quickly we all bonded. This is another great aspect of study abroad that is much better then travelling alone or only with a few people. Even if I got nothing else out of the trip, I gained nine friends that are all incredible in their own way and shared an experience that is unique to us forever.
As far as highlights go, here they are: Budapest--an amazingly gorgeous city. I loved every minute of it. The city is separated into the Buda side and the Pest side by the Danube river. The city is very old and yet also very modern. The Hungarian Parliament was beautiful and very gothic looking. Budapest at night is by far the most romantic city that I have ever seen. When the buildings are lit up, it looks like a scene from a movie. We saw lots and lots of couples together. Another great aspect is that for right now, Budapest is affordable. Hungary is in the EU but they don't have to adopt the Euro until 2010. So that means go to Budapest soon if you want to be able to afford it!!
Cluj, Romania--Romania was by far the poorest, yet most hospitable country we travelled to. To see people still using horses and wagons as transportation and people using their hands to till the fields, you quickly realize how impoverished these people are. The university was nice and the lectures by the professors were great. One professor even got teary-eyed when we thanked him because he wanted us to realize how much it meant to him for us to be there. During communism, intellectuals were not allowed to teach or to spread their "ideas" about democracy, etc. to others. Therefore, many were sent out into the countryside and left basically to die. They were given no food, water, or shelter and depended soley on the kindness of others to survive. This professor Ardevan was old and he has gone through that. So to him, having the ability to teach students from the US was an experience he thought he would never be able to have. The students with us were great and very friendly. They truly tried to help us out in any way they could.
Istanbul, Turkey--what an incredible place. To be walking along the streets and hear the call to prayer surrounded by all these mosques was awesome. The mosques were beautiful, each one different in their own way. One of the things that makes Istanbul so neat is all the water that surrounds it. The boat cruise on the Bosporus was fantastic and very nice. The Black Sea was great and definitely not black..lol. I would go back to Istanbul in a minute because there is so much to see and it is also very modern.
Germany--Probably my least favorite place on the trip and that was mainly due to circumstances beyond my control. First, if you plan on travelling to a Western European country that is a part of the EU...BRING A LOT OF MONEY!!!. I am not joking on this. The dollar was doing horrible, so the Euro raped us every chance it got. If you think things can be expensive here, you haven't experienced the Euro. I spent the most money in Germany and we stayed at a friend's house free and bought and cooked most of our food at the apartment. Rarely did we go out to eat. There are hidden costs everywhere and you just have to be very frugal with your money. Other than that, it was a good experience. I would have done some things differently but I guess that just means that I will have to go back there. Munich is beautiful and the German countryside is great. Also, German cities are the cleanest in the world. It is amazing how they have rebuilt that country after having most of it destroyed in WWII.
Home, Lansing,MI--Home sweet home. Or not. After being home for a week and getting to do all of the things that I missed from home, I was ready to be back on the road again. It's not that I don't love my family, but I realized on this trip that I am a lot more independent than I thought I was. As long as I could email them, I was fine. I didn't have this overwhelming feeling to see them. Actually, I quite enjoyed my time away from the chaos that is my family. I now know that I could move across the country or to another country and be fine. That is exactly what I intend to do when school is over. Trying to get a job has proved a little more difficult but I am determined to get a job that I actually like, and not some bs thing at the mall. This weekend is Matt's 21st Birthday in South Haven. I am excited. For right now, life is good and hopefully only getting better....
As far as the group dynamic goes, it couldn't have been better. Were there people that had different opinions and ideas? Yes. Were there some disagreements? Yes. That is bound to happen even in the tightest of groups. Overall, however, the ten of us were incredibly close. For not having even met some of the people before the trip, I was amazed at how quickly we all bonded. This is another great aspect of study abroad that is much better then travelling alone or only with a few people. Even if I got nothing else out of the trip, I gained nine friends that are all incredible in their own way and shared an experience that is unique to us forever.
As far as highlights go, here they are: Budapest--an amazingly gorgeous city. I loved every minute of it. The city is separated into the Buda side and the Pest side by the Danube river. The city is very old and yet also very modern. The Hungarian Parliament was beautiful and very gothic looking. Budapest at night is by far the most romantic city that I have ever seen. When the buildings are lit up, it looks like a scene from a movie. We saw lots and lots of couples together. Another great aspect is that for right now, Budapest is affordable. Hungary is in the EU but they don't have to adopt the Euro until 2010. So that means go to Budapest soon if you want to be able to afford it!!
Cluj, Romania--Romania was by far the poorest, yet most hospitable country we travelled to. To see people still using horses and wagons as transportation and people using their hands to till the fields, you quickly realize how impoverished these people are. The university was nice and the lectures by the professors were great. One professor even got teary-eyed when we thanked him because he wanted us to realize how much it meant to him for us to be there. During communism, intellectuals were not allowed to teach or to spread their "ideas" about democracy, etc. to others. Therefore, many were sent out into the countryside and left basically to die. They were given no food, water, or shelter and depended soley on the kindness of others to survive. This professor Ardevan was old and he has gone through that. So to him, having the ability to teach students from the US was an experience he thought he would never be able to have. The students with us were great and very friendly. They truly tried to help us out in any way they could.
Istanbul, Turkey--what an incredible place. To be walking along the streets and hear the call to prayer surrounded by all these mosques was awesome. The mosques were beautiful, each one different in their own way. One of the things that makes Istanbul so neat is all the water that surrounds it. The boat cruise on the Bosporus was fantastic and very nice. The Black Sea was great and definitely not black..lol. I would go back to Istanbul in a minute because there is so much to see and it is also very modern.
Germany--Probably my least favorite place on the trip and that was mainly due to circumstances beyond my control. First, if you plan on travelling to a Western European country that is a part of the EU...BRING A LOT OF MONEY!!!. I am not joking on this. The dollar was doing horrible, so the Euro raped us every chance it got. If you think things can be expensive here, you haven't experienced the Euro. I spent the most money in Germany and we stayed at a friend's house free and bought and cooked most of our food at the apartment. Rarely did we go out to eat. There are hidden costs everywhere and you just have to be very frugal with your money. Other than that, it was a good experience. I would have done some things differently but I guess that just means that I will have to go back there. Munich is beautiful and the German countryside is great. Also, German cities are the cleanest in the world. It is amazing how they have rebuilt that country after having most of it destroyed in WWII.
Home, Lansing,MI--Home sweet home. Or not. After being home for a week and getting to do all of the things that I missed from home, I was ready to be back on the road again. It's not that I don't love my family, but I realized on this trip that I am a lot more independent than I thought I was. As long as I could email them, I was fine. I didn't have this overwhelming feeling to see them. Actually, I quite enjoyed my time away from the chaos that is my family. I now know that I could move across the country or to another country and be fine. That is exactly what I intend to do when school is over. Trying to get a job has proved a little more difficult but I am determined to get a job that I actually like, and not some bs thing at the mall. This weekend is Matt's 21st Birthday in South Haven. I am excited. For right now, life is good and hopefully only getting better....