Foster Students Exploring the World

May 2008
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
« Apr
	1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	30	31

A Truly International Experience

By Hans | May 5, 2008

Why limit your exposure to only one foreign culture when you can study abroad in the Netherlands and get hundreds? At Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands you’ll find yourself surrounded by people from across the globe.

The Netherlands (commonly, though incorrectly referred to as “Holland“) is situated in the heart of Europe, and draws students from across the continent - and the world. I share a classroom not only with Dutch students, but also Norwegians, Fins, Germans, Brits, Italians, Canadians, Australians and other Americans, just to name a few. I’m not only immersed in one culture; I’m surrounded by many. This is a truly international experience.

The common language is of course English, so while it’s nice to learn Dutch, it’s totally unnecessary. Though seemingly a minority, try to meet at least a few Dutch students. The Dutch have got to be some of the nicest people in the world and are always willing to help you out or show you around (and they’ll happily do it in perfect English).

My Recommendations: When in the Netherlands do as the Dutch, and get a bike! Although public transportation is ubiquitous, reliable and affordable, you’ll be missing part of the experience if you main mode of transportation isn’t a bike. You can do it the legal way and pay 150 Euros at the bike shop, or you can bump into one of the many street salesman where you can usually find one for 10 Euros. But be warned: spend twice as much on the lock as you did on the bike, otherwise it’ll be your bike that’s for sale.

Also, travel! The Netherlands are ideally situated in the middle of Europe, and all the history it has to offer. School here isn’t as intense, so you should have many long (3-5 day) weekends to explore Holland and neighboring countries. Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Amsterdam, Prague, and Italy are all weekend trips away, and with affordable airfare within the continent (see: skyscanner.net) you may get round-trip for under 100 Euros.

Holland itself has tons of places to visit, most of which are within a few hours train ride away. Of course you need to visit Amsterdam, be sure to check out the Red Light District. And know the difference between a cafe and a coffee shop. The capital, Den Haag, the quaint city of Utrecht, Castle de Haar, Keukenhof (flower gardens), and St. John’s Cathedral in Hertogenbosch are all worth the trips.

If you can, try to come during the spring. With a maritime climate, the Netherlands have weather very similar to Seattle. It gets pretty cold, rainy and windy during the winter, so coming in spring when all the tulips are blooming is perfect. This way you’ll also catch Queen’s Day (April 30th), which is a national holiday on par with Carnival, an experience you won’t want to miss.

Topics: Netherlands, Hans, Europe, CISB Student, Business Exchange Program | No Comments »

Morocco

By Elizabeth | May 2, 2008

This weekend I took a trip to the country of Morocco. We went with a group called StudyTravel and I highly recommend this because it was much cheaper and faster than traveling alone. We got to visit three cities in three days; it was a jam-packed weekend.

We started our journey in Malaga where we met with the group. Once there we drove to Algeciras to take the ferry down to Cetua. Cetua is still run by Spain so we had no problems there but once we drove from Cetua to Tétouan the border was packed. We spent a good two hours trying to get across the border. The driving there is insane, it looks like there is going to be an accident any second. Finally, we crossed the border and made it to Tétouan where we took a bus tour of the city and went to our hotel. The cities instantly look different once you cross the border because Morocco is a Muslim country so all the signs are in Arabic. They also used to be run my France so the only other language on the signs is French. This would make it very difficult to get around without a guide. The nice thing about it being so close to Spain is that most people speak Spanish. Once at the hotel we had a traditional Moroccan dinner of meat, vegetables and couscous and went to bed exhausted after a full day of traveling.

The next morning we got up early and headed to the city of Tanger. This city is quite a bit smaller than Tétouan. First, we went into the small center of the city, which is a market. It is gated off so that only people on foot can get though. At some points only one person at a time could walk along the passageways. People of Tanger like to get their food fresh every day so the market is open 7 days a week and they have everything to make their traditional food: huge bags of spices, the freshest produce and very fresh chicken (in fact, they kill it there on site). After this we went and saw where the Atlantic and Mediterranean oceans meet. The view was spectacular but I only wish there hadn’t been such a down pour or we would have been able to enjoy it longer. We also got to take a camel ride a long the way. We headed back to the hotel again for some R&R because we had to get up pretty early the next morning.

On our final day we headed to Chechaouén. It is a very small city way up in the mountains. Our tour of the city was breath taking. Their neighborhoods are all painted one shade of blue or another; there are also magnificent views of the countryside below from almost anywhere in the city. The center of town is the cathedral and a bunch of cafes where the locals all sit and drink tea. Its something you need to see for yourself but I really hope to return someday. I am so glad I took that trip it was a last minute thing for me but sometimes those turn out to be the best.

Topics: Elizabeth, UW Exchange Program, Spain, Europe | No Comments »

Aprile a Milano

By Jenepher | April 18, 2008

Ciao everyone,

April at Bocconi University means midterms. There are no classes for these two weeks, but still campus is abuzz with students. The library is so busy these days that on Monday my roommate, and I couldn’t find seats together! Like nothing I’ve seen at a library before. It’s been an experience, to say the least. I myself have two midterms to study for. One is a finance topic, and I’ve been studying with classmates, half of which are fellow exchange students, half of which are Bocconi students. The other midterm I have been spending more time preparing for, as the course is in Italian and the exam is timed. Fortunately it’s multiple choice, that helps!

I’m really enjoying taking courses in Italian. It’s been a challenge, but my Italian has improved so much. The experience of being an Italian-as-a-second -language student has developed my studying skills. Also, I feel like the class environment is different, and in that respect I’m having a real immersion experience. For instance, the students in my Italian classes applaud at the end of every lecture. It’s nice!

Last weekend I went to a soccer game and it was a blast. This was something that I was looking forward to when I came to Milan. I wasn’t especially a soccer fan before coming, but it’s definitely a part of Italian culture, given the coverage it gets on TV and newspapers. San Siro stadium is an enormous structure, and the fans come looking serious about their soccer. The crowd in the section below mine stood and sang and cheered through the entire game! It was so much fun! Although it was a smaller game (AC Milano vs. Cagliari), the stadium was nearly full. We’ve already bought tickets for our next game. It’s AC Milan playing Inter, which are both Milan teams, and they call it the Derby; so it should be an exciting event.

So next post I’ll have the results of two suspenseful events. Bocconian midterms and the Derby!

A presto!

Topics: Jenepher, Italy, Europe, CISB Student, Business Exchange Program | No Comments »

Primavera en España

By Scott | April 10, 2008

It has been six weeks since my last post, and I have been very busy as always. I have done many things and gone on several adventures since my last update. Everything is going well and there is definitely never a dull moment here. School is going very well. I am still learning many things in class and outside of class. I wrote my last post just before going to Ronda with my friends Oli and Fabien. It is said that Ronda is one of the most beautiful cities in Spain and I would have to say, it certainly is. It is a lush green oasis in the middle of a very brown and yellow Andalusia. It is an ancient Arabic style town situated on top of an enormous cliff over a green farm valley. There is a beautiful old stone bridge connecting the new and old parts of the city over a very narrow but deep river gorge. It is also the birthplace of the modern bullfight. While we were there we took a tour of the famous Plaza de Toros (bullring) - it was very cool to see. We also tried to take a hike through the valley but as usual, we got lost. After avoiding several killer dogs, crossing a live railway and walking along a main highway we decided we had too much fun and headed back to town. But the weather was excellent and the scenery even more so. We spent most of our time just relaxing, which wasn’t difficult to do. All in all, a very successful trip.

After returning from that trip I just stayed in Granada for a few weeks anxiously awaiting the arrival of Emily (my girlfriend)! I managed to stay fairly busy with school, tapas, siestas, playing soccer, watching soccer, and hanging out with friends. One day a few of us went to the beach (an hour away by bus), which was a lot of fun. The week before Easter is a very big holiday week in Spain - they call it Semana Santa (Holy Week). Which, for me meant “No school all week!” and “it’s impossible to buy anything because everything is closed.” It was a very interesting time. Every day they have religious processions throughout the city, which are basically just parades with marching bands, people wearing traditional costumes carrying candles, and men carrying giant altars from various churches. Each day and each procession is supposed to tell the story of the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ. I watched a few of them during the week and got trapped by a few others as I was trying to walk somewhere else. The most exciting thing for me during the week of Semana Santa (besides March Madness beginning) was Emily’s arrival! She came in on the Wednesday of that week. Although one day that weekend we took a day trip to the Alpujarras in the Sierra Nevada. Since I had been there before we were able to successfully navigate the trail that Oli and I got lost on back in October. The weather was very nice and we had a nice time. But this trip was just a warm-up for bigger things to come. It has been very fun to show Emily some of my favorite spots around the city. I have even discovered some new things and places that I hadn’t known about before. She has been enjoying herself very much and she is even learning some Spanish – both from me and from our Rosetta Stone computer program.

The last weekend in March and Emily’s second weekend in Spain was our three day trip to Madrid! Prior to this I had only ever seen the airport and the bus station in Madrid, which doesn’t say a whole lot for the city itself. Read the rest of this entry »

Topics: Scott, UW Exchange Program, Spain, Europe, CISB Student | No Comments »

Spring Break

By Elizabeth | April 1, 2008

Just returned form a two week Spring Break. I was so luck to be able to visit 5 cities in such a short amount of time. First I was off to London for three days. I chose to see Les Miserables and Wicked while there and I am so glad, they were wonderful productions. The second day I was there I walked through the whole city and did some major site seeing but didn’t have much time to go into any of the more popular sites or museums. I did however get to see the Tate Modern. I did a quick walk through; wish I could have stayed longer because it was very impressive. The next day we went to an Arsenal Game at night. The energy of the passionate fans was indescribable. I wish soccer was as popular in the states as it is in Europe; in my opinion it’s as fun to watch as college football.

The next day we took off for Dublin just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. Though it’s a religious holiday in Ireland there was quite the festival in Dublin. We were lucky enough to have a hotel on the route of the parade so we watched it from the roof. It was a beautiful day, definitely a St. Patrick’s day I will never forget. We spent the next day meeting up with friends from Dublin and exploring the city. For our final full day we took the train down the coast and saw some beautiful towns along the water. It was great to get a change of pace and see the countryside after having been in cities for so long.

From Dublin we were off to Paris. We were very lucky to find an apartment for only 100 euros Read the rest of this entry »

Topics: Elizabeth, Italy, UW Exchange Program, Europe | No Comments »

Esto sólo se vive una ves (You only live this once)

By Josue | March 23, 2008

I left for my study abroad experience in Santiago, Chile on July 24, 2007 with hundreds of emotions/thoughts running through my head, seriously considering canceling my trip after my first layover in Dallas. I knew I was going to be gone for a long time and I was going to miss my family. On top of that, it seemed as though EVERYTHING was pointing for me to return home on that 18 hour trip down south. Flight delays, excess baggage weight, lost documents, etc… Although, knowing that upon arrival I still had to find a place to live, I was hoping that my situation would better.

After living in Santiago for two months, with three more to go, who knew that I didn’t want to ever leave?

My name is Josué David Mendoza and I’m a senior at the Foster School of Business double majoring in Business Administration with a focus in Finance, Spanish and also committed to completing the Certificate in International Studies in Business (CISB). As mentioned above, I’m currently on a direct exchange program at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile taking up economics, finance, and culture courses in Spanish.

Throughout my stay, I’ve tried explaining to many people my experience here in Santiago and have found that the only way has been through an analogy using my first time snowboarding.

In this risky sport, half the battle is deciding to take it up. Once you are up at the top of the mountain, the other half begins. After the first time falling, I convinced myself seconds later that I would never take up this sport again. My decision disappointed me and only motivated me to throw myself back at the top of that mountain to only keep on falling. After about 5 hours, and several ice packs, I had a change of heart.

The next morning I realized that I had muscles in places that I didn’t think even existed. I hurt like no other, but knew that I had conquered that mountain, even though it had literally beaten me up.

My experience getting to and in Santiago has been very similar to this experience I had one day on that mountain. Early on my freshman year at the University of Washington, I took the risk of enrolling in CISB which I knew would “force” me to take upon myself an experience abroad. The trip to Santiago, Chile was hectic and the first month in the country was lonely and literally cold in many respects. At one point, the first month in Chile, I couldn’t wait to return to Seattle in December 2007 until finally I was able to get the “hang” of things.

Seven months later after first stepping foot on the country, I was glad I had extended my stay from December 2007 (when I was supposed to leave) to September 2008. I have seen a lot yes, but most importantly have been able to make best friends who have taught me a lot about myself and continue to learn every day.

Topics: Josue, Chile, South America, CISB Student, Business Exchange Program | No Comments »

Sevilla

By Elizabeth | March 12, 2008

This past weekend I attended a one day overnight trip to Seville (North of Granada) with my program. The city was over run with flowers that filled the air with the most amazing smells. We were fortunate the weather was absolutely perfect because most of the things to do in Seville were outside. I quickly came to the conclusion, that if I had to pick another city to study in it would definitely be Seville.

The first day we had a small bus tour of the city and went to Alcazar and Plaza de España. The Plaza de España is a modern semi-circular building centered around a beautiful fountain. There is a tiled alcove for each province of Spain. The Alcazar is kind of like the Alhambra here in Granada, there are gardens that seem to go on forever. It made me excited to see the Alhambra when all the plants are in full bloom. The architecture and history surrounding it is very interesting and our guide really held our attention.

The second day we started with a tour of Real Maestranza, the plaza del toros. It is the oldest bull-fighting ring in Spain. We discuss the traditions of bullfighting in my culture class a lot, so it was interesting to finally see a ring, especially such an important one. It was a beautiful day out so after our tour we had lunch on the river.

We spent the rest of the day wondering the streets. We saw the cathedral and the Girlada, both very intricate buildings, I could have looked at them for hours. We had to catch the bus at 5 to get home, we were all exhausted from walking the entire day so it was perfect timing. Hopefully I will get to go back to Seville, it’s a truly beautiful city, and I have so much more to explore.

Topics: Elizabeth, UW Exchange Program, Spain, Europe | No Comments »

Adventures in Singapore and More…

By Neal | March 11, 2008

Hey everyone! My name is Neal Mulnick and I am an accounting and information systems major in the Foster School of Business studying abroad in Singapore at the National University of Singapore. I have been in Singapore for about two months so far and am having the time of my life.

School has been surprisingly similar to life at UW, with the nice benefit of being located in clean Singapore while being in the proximity to some of the most culturally rich countries in the world. Singapore itself has an interesting mix of developed skyscrapers while remaining green everywhere you look.

So far I have had the opportunity to visit Malaysia, the Philippines and in a few hours Thailand. In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia we visited the Petronas Towers and the Hindu Batu Caves, in the Philippines we went scuba diving and snorkeling with whale sharks, and much more! The absolutely amazing thing about Southeast Asia is the drastic change in culture with every border you cross. Not to mention Singapore, the multicultural meritocracy with a Chinese majority, surrounded by a Malaya world.

Well, I have to leave for the airport in twenty minutes for my flight to Bangkok, Thailand…so until next time, I look forward to sharing more adventures.

Topics: Singapore, Neal, Asia, Business Exchange Program | No Comments »

Class in Bologna and weekend in Venice

By Cecilia | March 6, 2008

Early Wednesday morning our class left for Bologna pronounced “boloɲa” which is a large University town. As a class we were required to create a lesson plan and do presentations on Bologna while we were there. We had a creative lesson plan, presented some history on the town and planned a field trip to Grom’s gelato shop which is said to have the best gelato in town. We went to lunch at a restaurant that our concierge recommended and were welcomed warmly and directed to the second floor of the restaurant which provided a private atmosphere. We took turns deciding what the restaurant had previously served as because there was an abundance of red and lamps which led some to think it had been an Asian restaurant. At the same time there were some metal handrails around holes in the floor and an eccentric wall texture which alluded to a potential club scene. One of the girls eventually called our waiter over to bring menus to us and he came bearing just two for our group of 15. Though we tried to make the best of the shortage of menus we eventually caved in and requested two more. In the end we had a good first meal in Bologna and looked forward to our next couple of days walking around the University area, visiting Modena, the Ferrari Museum and the Porticos of San Luca which encompassed a 3 mile long stretch up a hill and over 660 arches.

After our class ended in Bologna, many of us continued on to Venice to spend the weekend. Venice was an even bigger tourist attraction than Florence Read the rest of this entry »

Topics: Cecilia, Italy, UW Exchange Program, Europe | No Comments »

Ciao da Milano!

By Jenepher | March 4, 2008

My name is Jenepher Schulte, and I’m a finance student in my junior year. For spring semester I am studying at Universita’ Bocconi. So far studying abroad has been an exhilarating experience. I arrived January 8th and took an Italian course through the university for the first month, at which I made friends with many other exchange students from around the world. Each weekend we took the train from Milan and explored another part of northern Italy. During the week between the language course and the start of the semester I went to Florence with some girls. Florence was beautiful! There was so much history and art to see there! I look forward to traveling more on the upcoming school breaks.

This is the second week of the semester and I’m enjoying my classes very much. The majority of my courses are on business topics, and I’m enjoying greatly the experience of being a student in another country.

The weather has been such a treat, at least to me a Seattle native. It’s consistently sunny and around 65 degrees. One thing I miss from Seattle is the coffee, and for that matter, the coffee was the last thing I expected to miss. An espresso and brioche is a delicious breakfast; I’ve embraced it entirely! But during that early morning class a big, warm mocha would be nice.

A presto!

Topics: Jenepher, Italy, Europe, CISB Student, Business Exchange Program | No Comments »

« Previous Entries