Pre-Departure Orientation

April 18, 2012

"If ye are prepared ye shall not fear." - Doctrine & Covenants 38:30

Guess what?! An admissions officer from JCU came to visit us today and gave us some tips for our upcoming trip. It was actually a helpful (and brief) orientation. A few things that he told us really shocked me and are going to be difficult to adjust to:

• No hoodies allowed! So in the evenings when it gets chilly, we have to still look fancy!
  
• No blue jeans...black jeans are okay!
• No flip flops
  
• You drink water straight from local fountains that are around because the water in all of Rome is perfect...if you know me well, I am very picky when it comes to water! But apparently Romans have always been geniuses and they figured out a way to engineer their watering system perfectly.
  

But he told us some things that I'm SUPER excited about:

• Our campus is a 20-minute walk away from The Vatican.
• Our campus is located on the river, kind of like Rutgers but even closer! And the river is not smelly, like the Raritan.
• There are gelaterias on the corner of every campus!! Yummy!
  
• Romans love Americans so you can meet random people in cafes and have wonderful conversations :) 
• He showed us what our apartments look like (and they seem gorgeous, look)!
• 
  

Overall, this orientation got me psyched for this upcoming summer. I also met a girl that will be in Italy when I'm going, and we're hoping to plan some trips together! She seems really nice and easygoing! All of the faculty members at JCU seem extremely helpful. The Rutgers Study Abroad Office is also amazing with keeping us on top of things. I'll be registering for classes soon! I was thinking about taking Adolescent Psychology to finish up my minor, but here are some other options if any of you want to let me know what you think!

• Ancient Rome and Its Monuments (On-site class!)*
• Midieval Rome and Its Monuments (On-site class!)
• Baroque Rome and Its Monuments (On-site class!)
• Business Communications
• Intro to Italian
• Digital Photography*

*These seem to be the easiest according to the syllabi...but who knows!
Hope you are all enjoying the end of this semester (if you're in college, that is). Good luck on finals!
So long.

- Dhara Patel

John Cabot University

April 13, 2012

"John Cabot University is an American institution of higher education in Rome, Italy. The mission of the University is to provide an educational experience firmly rooted in the American tradition of the liberal arts and solidly international in orientation. The academic programs are designed to use to the fullest extent the special resources of a multicultural faculty, an international student body and the extraordinarily rich culture and history of Rome and the surrounding region." - JCU Website

Look at how gorgeous my host school is!



No offense Rutgers, it looks a lot more welcoming than our school, despite the clouds and all! I know I just blogged less than an hour ago, but I'm testing a few things out to make sure that there are absolutely no glitches when I'm there!

So here's what I've done so far:

• Finished my JCU application (to be officially accepted by the school)
• Filled out my housing application! Hopefully I'll find out who my roommates are soon
• I officially am insured through RU and JCU for the five weeks that I'll be there, yay for safety!
• I researched other countries that I want to go to...seems that a four day weekend trip will cost about $200 with traveling, housing and meals. That doesn't seem so terrible! I'm not made up of money, but hey if I'm going to Europe, I'm living it up!
• I looked into an amazing volunteer opportunity in Rome where I'll be able to help local high school students practice speaking in English. Once I get more details, I will share!
• I also made a list of things to do in the near future...and the list is too long and boring to share.
  

Once I know more, I'll let you know!

So long.
P.S. If you are thinking about visiting Europe, you should think about coming for the Tomatino Festival that takes place in Spain!



- Dhara Patel

Excited!

April 13, 2012

“Never forget that anticipation is an important part of life. Work's important, family's important, but without excitement, you have nothing. You're cheating yourself if you refuse to enjoy what's coming." - Nicholas Sparks

As I repeatedly visit my Study Abroad Home Page to look at the checklist provided and research my host country, I keep getting more and more excited! I honestly feel like I am going to burst with excitement soon. ...but that's not stopping me from working on my night off! Right now, I'm trying to set up this blog so that I can easily access it when I'm away but am having issues. But since I'm here already, I might as well leave some food for thought!

Have you ever thought about traveling to explore other lands, learn about different cultures, volunteer in other communities or for any other reasons? Have you gone yet? If yes, that's wonderful! I'd love to hear about your travels! If not, why not?! What's stopping you? Honestly, the only reason I'm actually studying abroad this summer is because I was so angry at myself for not going earlier. I have the resources (a partnership between my host school and Rutgers University) and I have the support from my family. The only thing getting in the way is me. But not anymore!

I'm ready to study at John Cabot University and live in Rome, Italy for five weeks. I cannot wait to travel to other countries in Europe while I'm there, because there's so much to learn in this world. I'm excited to leave my comfort zone and explore. Honestly, if you've always wanted to go to Europe, then come! Pick a country and we'll explore together!

Alrighty, time to figure out how to link this to the Rutgers Science Summer Abroad Web Page. Wish me luck!

So long.

- Dhara Patel

Bom Dia

May 21, 2012

Only a little over a month now, and I will be on a plane to Rio De Janeiro! the ticket is purchased and the visa will be ready to go tomorrow. Now all I can do is prepare with a little Portuguese here and there. I've already started, as a result of my excitement.  It is such a beautiful language.  Being able to speak Spanish helped me pick it up a little better. Some of the words are cut short, and is more fluid than some of the Spanish words. For example in Spanish good morning is Buenos dias, and in Portuguese it's Bom Dia. I'm so excited, now I have to get back to picking up some of other terms. The excitement continues. Keep in tune, more to come!

- Maria Torres

Week 1: Exploring the city

Week 1:  The first week in Oaxaca has officially gone by. Its been a good week thus far. We had our Pro-world Orientation and we got to meet our home stay moms. The first few days were tough for me as I had problem communicating with people, as everybody speaks Spanish. Things got better after a couple days. We spent the first few days exploring the city and i was impressed by the people, their culture, their history and the atmosphere. The people are nicer then the people back home and are open to conversations with strangers. navigating through the city is easy and the availability of public transport makes it even more easier.

Walking street Macedonia Alcala, Oaxaca, Oaxaca.  

The city is historic and beautiful. The architecture of the city is influenced by Spanish colonial architecture. The center of the city is called Zocolo. Numerous restaurants are located by the Zocolo and it is common to see people hanging out in the Zocolo even at midnight. Also, the city has numerous markets where you could buy hand made arts and crafts that represent the indigenous culture. It is good place to find Oaxacan regional dishes like mole, tylayudas etc.

Skulls excavated from Monte Alban that
show incisions
made in the skull for brain surgery.

Past weekend we also had our first group weekend excursion. We went to Monte Alban, a pre-columbian archeological site. The site dates back to 500 B.C. It was a center of Zapotec culture. The site consist of numerous pyramids, a ball court and an observatory. The thing that stuck out the most to me was Los Danzantes or the building of dancers. It was covered in carvings of human in tortured and strange positions. According to our guide, the distorted bodies and pained expressions might connote disease or suffering; some have clear features of childbirth, dwarfism, and infantilism. Last but not the least the Zapotecs were very advanced for their time and were conducting brain surgeries in those days. The proof can be seen in skulls that were excavated from the site.
Overall first week was a great week, I looking forward to see whats in store for me for the following week.

Introduction.

Hello my name is Jai Patel and I am a senior majoring in biological sciences. I am enrolled in a publuc health study abroad program in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Im want to persue medicine once i graduate from Rutgers. This program is will provide me knowledge and experience that will help me in the near future. I will be placed in a community healthcare clinic that provides healthcare services to the poorest members of community in Oaxaca. Also, I will learn medical spanish at a local college. I will be in Mexico from june 5 to july 8.
Im at the airport waiting to board the plane, Im excited and nervous at the sametime. Im excited because this is my first study abroad trip. Besides, i will be exposed to a new culture, cuisine, and a lifestyle that is different then mine.  Also, every weekend we will have our weekend excursions around the area. We will meet local artist and we will get to see their work, this is something im really eager about. Im nervous because I dont speak any spanish. It would be a challenge to get around and interact with the local people. Im hoping I will get better at it as time passes.  Overall im looking forward to this trip and since im aboard id like to say adiós, but i'll posting more posts once i get to Mexico.

Akwaaba

                                                                                                                                   5/30/12

            Akwaaba!!!!!!! It means welcome in Twi, which is one of the many languages spoken here in Ghana, English being one of those languages. Sometimes I still can’t believe I’m in Ghana, after fighting to get here and not knowing if it was possible, I’m in awe that this trip actually came together. 

            Things have been running smoothly in Ghana, I’m finally adjusting to the heat, getting use to the culture, people and way of life. I started my internship YAY!!!!!!!!!! I’m interning at a non-profit organization entitled CareShare, I would attach the link but I’m currently working on the website so I will attach the link when it’s finalized. CareShare works to connect people with one another so that everyone’s needs can be fulfilled. Hopefully in the days to come I will be working on documenting how a maternity clinic has been affected since CareShare provided them with running water, kind of like a before and after. I’m really excited to see what a maternity clinic in Ghana is like and to speak with the midwife and discuss her day to day life.

          In other news, I finally have a social life. It all began with a Bow Wow and Keri Hilson concert last weekend, which was very interesting to say the least. The concert was suppose to start at 7:00 and didn’t start until 9:30; I guess nothing in Ghana begins on time. Once the concert actually began, it was painfully obvious that we were American, photographers kept coming up to us and taking our pictures, we felt like we had paparazzi. All in all we had a great time and were happy to finally interact with people in our age group. In addition to the concert we also went to a cocoa farm and the botanical garden, at the cocoa farm we got to see cocoa beans and learned how it is made into a form we could actually recognize. The botanical gardens had a lot of similarities to our botanical gardens, we got to see the usual flowers and tress but we also got to see trees that spices come from like cinnamon, pepper and things of that nature.

            In addition to sight-seeing, we got to go to the beach on Memorial Day and had our own little BBQ complete with hamburgers, steaks and all the typical American foods, with a little Ghanaian twist to it. Things are going well in Ghana, I look forward to the various adventures that I’m sure will soon occur. 

 

A cocoa bean

Cocoa seeds