Packing (and Mapping) through Pompeii #HogsAbroad in Italy

Taking pictures of the ancient city.

Austin Kreulach, a rising computer science junior, recently spent two weeks of his summer in southern Italy with a faculty-led program led by Dr. Dave Fredrick and Dr. Rhodora Vennarucci. Throughout his time, Austin learned how to map, how to pack, and most importantly how to eat! 

Two weeks of southern Italy, where to begin? The heart of the experience was the lectures in the ruins. We walked an average of twelve miles a day through dusty, sunbaked ancient history, while our professors covered a combination of abstract urban analysis and a potpourri of Roman life. At first it felt like a more in-depth version of a normal tour of Pompeii, but as the program went on the tone shifted from covering a huge swath of the city to the virtual reality aspect. We learned how to use photogrammetry software to create 3D models from any given physical object by taking a mountain of pictures. This was the point where the program went from enriching my understanding of both ancient and modern Italy to giving me directly applicable skills for future projects.

The food was an adventure. One evening we went to a seafood restaurant, where a friend of mine ordered fedelini and I had capellini. Neither of us had any idea what those names meant, but eating at random in Italy rarely fails. When the food arrived, the dishes looked so similar we had to ask the waiter if he made a mistake. After a bit of working through the language barrier, he brought out the packages. I still couldn’t tell, but my friend assures me one is thinner. If France has two hundred cheeses, Italy must have a thousand pastas.

One thing that surprised me more than I expected was the lack of stereotypical Italian things. Terrible of me, I know, but when you go to Italy and find out that alfredo is a man’s name, not a sauce, it’s a bit of a shock. The most “Italian” episode of the program was our last evening in Pompeii. We had just left the hotel determined to go find a good pizza restaurant when a thin Italian boy, about fifteen years old, rolls onto the sidewalk ahead of us on a moped, says “Pizza?” and drops a few fliers into our hands. He drove off immediately. We followed the directions and had some incredibly cheap and excellent food. The big man himself came out of the kitchen near the end of the meal and, in his English and our Italian, had a short, broken conversation about the boy and the food. It was one of the most memorable parts of the experience and it’s a shame we left Pompeii for good the next morning.

Plaster body casts outside Pompeii.

The closest thing to a regret I have about the program is how I packed. I’m really glad I packed light (only about five outfits) but I still have a list of things I should have had.

Easily topping the list is an umbrella. It only rained once but that’s all you need to ruin a pair of shoes. Just under that is a clothesline. It was a lot of fun doing laundry in a bidet, but having most of our hotel room covered in soggy socks was a bit unsightly and without the Italian sun clothes took ages to dry.

Hindsight makes this one more shameful than it felt at the time, but I didn’t have an Italian language dictionary. One of the perks of a faculty-led program is the easy access to people who know what they’re doing, so not having a dictionary wasn’t as bad as it could have been. The times I was out with just another student I definitely felt the absence. Other than those, clothing and a notebook covered most needs.

Pompeiian Theater

One of the things I missed the most while I was in Italy was potatoes. I know I’ve spent most of this blog talking about food, but I think Italy has given me a lot to digest. Sicilian crocche saved me with the occasional deep-fried potato ball, but America spoiled me with an overabundance of spud. Pasta is great but the second I’m back in the states I’m having a massive baked potato.
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For information about international travel through the Honors College, please visit the Honors College blog. 

For funding opportunities for study abroad, check out http://studyabroad.uark.edu/funding.

Fearless: Tips and Tricks To Calm Your Study Abroad Jitters #IFSAButler #HogsAbroad

Article courtesy of IFSA-Butler"Unpacked" Blog    

 

Amy Wu is a student at Brandeis University studying Business and Computer Science who studied abroad with IFSA-Butler at University College London. She is an International Correspondent for IFSA-Butler through the Work-to-Study Program.

As if the process of choosing a program, applying, and preparing for the logistics of living abroad aren’t enough, there are some common worries we all have about life on the ground. IFSA-Butler student Amy Wu addresses some of the biggest anxieties she had about study abroad, and tips she’s learned from first-hand experience abroad.

 

On “Coping with a New Environment”

 

 

“Financial Constraints”

 

 

Just General Jitters…..

 

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What is Unpacked?

Truth is, no matter what your major, the world isn’t getting any less global. Every industry in America is affected by globalization, and study abroad is a way to get ahead in the marketplace. But, we know it’s not as easy as it sounds. We all have obligations, concerns, time constraints, jobs, responsibilities, hesitations. So that’s why we’re here.  Unpacked is a place to sort through the stuff you need to know from what others are telling you (or not telling you) straight from the source: each other. You don’t have to take it from IFSA-Butler, you can take it from the stories of your fellow students. 

Discovering the Daily Life of an Emirati #HogsAbroad in UAE #APIabroad

The United Arab Emirates is a country only 40 years old that has seen rapid economic and social change due to the discovery of oil in its capital Emirate, Abu Dhabi. A once Bedouin society that survived economically on pearl diving has become an economic and tourist powerhouse of the Middle East. The people of the UAE are made up of 20% citizens and 80% expatriates, who came into the country for the enormous job market. 

The Emirati citizens isolate themselves from the rest of society both financially and culturally. Citizens do not pay for taxes or land, they receive the best jobs, and they get a lot of support from the government. Also, they tend to keep their culture to themselves by only socializing with other locals, having large walls around their houses, and marrying amongst each other. I chose to go to the UAE so I could learn about Arab culture and was surprised to discover this isolation. Therefore, I made a goal for myself to have the opportunity to see the inside of an Emirati home.

It wasn’t the second week before I accomplished this goal. My study abroad coordinator in the UAE introduced me to a local that had just gotten out of the English program at my university. He was unlike most Emiratis and immediately included me in his social sphere. I went over to his house, met his family, and became friends with all of his friends. 

It wasn’t a few weeks before I had been in countless Emirati homes and learned so much about their culture. They taught me a lot of new Arabic words, took me to the desert many times, introduced me to lots of new foods, and showed me the life of an Emirati.

My favorite experience from my time here in the UAE was the Youth Entrepreneur Competition in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. My local friend, another American, and I built a 3D printer and created a business at this competition where we printed custom solid 3D designs as well as 3D busts of our costumers. We had high hopes for our idea placing us in the competition but were facing the obstacle of being against 800 other teams of which 80% were Emirati teams. Nevertheless, after 48 hours of manning our booth, we were awarded second place! 

We attended the awards ceremony a few days later where Sheikh Majid, Crown Prince of Dubai, handed us our trophy as well as a large monetary award. It was a proud moment for the other American and I as we were the only non-Emiratis standing on the stage. Experiences like this in the UAE has provided me with many new skills that will help me out greatly in the future.


Alex Moix is a student at the University of Arkansas and a guest contributor to the API Blog. Alex is studying abroad with API in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. 
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Find our more about Alex' program with API in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates at https://www.apistudyabroad.com/programs/united-arab-emirates/sharjah/. 

Or find your own study abroad program to accomplish your personal and academic goals at: http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search 

The Zoo #HogsAbroad in Belize

We all took a trip to the zoo and saw some pretty amazing animals. The toucan is the national bird of Belize and it very fascinating to see in person. There was lots of different things to see from alligators to tarantulas and almost all of them had a story behind them.

Most were rescue animals and they had before and after photos on the cage. Seeing all the natural creatures of Belize up close was spectacular.

We had ordered our lunch in advance at the cafeteria and after we finished that, we continued browsing before our trip back to Dangriga. On the bus ride back, everyone was asleep and tired from the weekend.
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Read more from Austin at https://thehogabroad.wordpress.com/

Learn more about the U of A Community Development in Belize summer program at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/belize

Community Day #HogsAbroad in Belize

Today was unfortunately our last day, but we still had a really good time!

A local DJ came to perform while we hosted our event making the experience that much better.

The business and social work teams setup face painting and had a relay race for locals.

Engineering had students building arches while the health team had sponge tag.

Kids from different schools came in different shifts while locals would just show up. I remember Devin, one of our Cayes to Business graduates, stopped by and played soccer with us for a while.

It was a really awesome experience seeing a lot of people you had gotten to know over the last 3 weeks. Being back home now, I wish I was back in Belize.

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Read more from Austin at https://thehogabroad.wordpress.com/
Learn more about the U of A Community Development in Belize summer program at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/belize

IT Graduation #HogsAbroad in Belize

Our First Graduates!

It was very well earned because the substation is hot, humid, and there was 16 people in a small room! These were students from Dellile Academy, a school Officer Ferguson drove us by, and their IT Teachers on the far left.

Officer Ferguson was a huge help in wrangling in numbers, but also he brought in the right people. The IT teachers on the left were just as excited if not more excited than the students. They stayed afterwards and we talked about how they could make this a lesson plan in their school as they played through the various levels.

My favorite part of this was just being able to make an impact. While I thought the stuff we were doing was pretty basic, I had to keep in mind they had never seen anything to do with computer programming. I hope that this is now or soon to be curriculum at Dellile Academy and congrats to all the attendants!
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Read more from Austin at https://thehogabroad.wordpress.com/
Learn more about the U of A Community Development in Belize summer program at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/belize

Visiting Xunantunich #HogsAbroad in Belize

Welcome to Xunantunich, a Mayan ruin that has been around since 600 AD. We had a very long walk up a hill to get here, but it was well worth it. The tall structure in the back is named “El Castillo” and is the second tallest structure in Belize. While we were on top of El Castillo, we could see the Guatemala/Belize border divided by a white road.

Walking around this site was very surreal because I couldn’t wrap my head around how long ago this was built. It makes you realize that stuff was taking place way before you were even born. The ability to have a structure still standing after so long also impressed me because they had no machinery and did everything manually. This was a stop after San Ignacio and now its back to Dangriga for our final week!
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Read more from Austin at https://thehogabroad.wordpress.com/
Learn more about the U of A Community Development in Belize summer program at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/belize

Bus Rides in Belize #HogsAbroad

Above in this picture is The Sleeping Giant. It is named that way because on the right hand side of the mountains you are looking at a face and to the left are his feet. This was one of the first major landmarks we passed on our way in and was very noticeable on other drives. 

As we drove past this and some citrus farms I couldn’t help but think of how beautiful Belize is. You can also tell just on bus rides that you are in another country. Here there is little to no advertising via billboard and also buildings cooperate with nature allowing for a much more scenic trip. Even riding a bus in Belize is something enjoyable.

The flamboyant tree is also fairly common in Belize. When we got to San Ignacio, I remember looking out over the entire city and seeing bright flamboyant trees scattered among the green forest below us. The scenery in Belize in unparalleled in America.
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Read more from Austin at https://thehogabroad.wordpress.com/
Learn more about the U of A Community Development in Belize summer program at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/belize

Caye Caulker #HogsAbroad in Belize

This was our last night on a breath taking island. Yes that’s me on the far right! After a hour long boat taxi, we arrived at Caye Caulker and everyone was very excited. Once everyone got settled in their hotel, we started to explore and found this awesome place called The Split.

The Split is a bar on the island, but is unique in that it lies where a hurricane had come through and split the island in two leaving a channel of water flowing between the used to be island. The channel I’m talking about can actually be seen right behind me in the picture. Across the channel is a rope swing and a tree that you can jump off of! I took complete advantage of both of these options. Afterwards, the people in the picture above and I watched the sunset and talked for a while.
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Read more from Austin at https://thehogabroad.wordpress.com/
Learn more about the U of A Community Development in Belize summer program at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/belize

Shadowing Engineers #HogsAbroad in Belize

Today I woke up and had breakfast on the rooftop of the chaleanor and shadowed the Engineers while they put the footings in for their archway at Alejo Beni Park. It was a lot of work making the concrete to pour the footings.

Later in the day, we hosted a girls computer session and it went great! We had about 16 participants and they were all very excited. We had some issues with the WiFi hotspot, but Peacework got it settled right before our session started.

It is really rewarding enabling our students to do the basics of computer programming. Officer Ferguson was a great resource to round up participants from local schools.
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Read more from Austin at https://thehogabroad.wordpress.com/
Learn more about the U of A Community Development in Belize summer program at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/belize

Computer Training and Float Trips #HogsAbroad in Belize

Today the entire business team took a trip to Sandy Beach in Hopkins to see where they were at regarding a loan we had given them last year. We also got to enjoy the beautiful ocean there while they made us a famous dish called Hudut. Hopkins is only about thirty minutes away from Dangriga and you can actually see Dangriga across the ocean. While we were waiting we saw a manatee and a possum which reminded us of Belize’s natural beauty.

After lunch, the Cayes to Business team talked about Sandy Beach’s loan while the computer training team went to a local school and hosted a computer training session. We only had about four computers for about thirty students so we had to group students together and go with the flow. They were still very excited and enjoyed what we had to offer them.

After the computer training session, we got to go on float trip for Hump Day, marking the half way mark (time flies). The water was really low, but it was a very enjoyable trip and definitely relaxing.

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Read more from Austin at https://thehogabroad.wordpress.com/
Learn more about the U of A Community Development in Belize summer program at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/belize