Not Europe #HogsAbroad

Now that I’ve been home for almost a full week, I’ve had plenty of time to sleep, eat Mexican food and reflect on the life changing 5 months that I just experienced. There are plenty of things I’m happy to come home to, but there are so many more things that I miss about Europe. I’ve complied a list of what I consider the best of the best for my time abroad, as well as a few lingering stories that I haven’t told y’all yet. So if you’re wondering what I’ve been daydreaming about since my plane landed Saturday night, here goes:

Favorite City: Barcelona, Spain
Honorable Mention: Paris, France

Favorite Place in Rome: the Pantheon
Honorable Mention: Piazza del Popolo

Best Column Hugged: Temple of Hephaestus, Athens, Greece
Honorable Mention: Roman Forum, Rome, Italy

Best Building: Pantheon, Rome, Italy
Honorable Mention: Barcelona Pavilion, Barcelona, Spain

Best Church: Notre Dame, Paris, France
Honorable Mention: St. Vitus, Prague, Czech Republic

Best Dome: San Carlo alle Quattro Fontana, Rome, Italy
Honorable Mention: Sat Ivo, Rome, Italy

Best Museum: Jewish Museum, Berlin, Germany
Honorable Mention: Acropolis Museum, Athens, Greece

Most Beautiful Place: Oia, Santorini, Greece
Honorable Mention: Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland

Best Hike: Fira to Oia, Santorini, Greece
Honorable Mention: Corniglia to Vernazza, Cinque Terre, Italy

Best Food: Barcelona, Spain
Honorable Mention: Athens, Greece

Best Gelato: Giolitti’s
Honorable Mention: Gelato del Teatro

Best Bar/Club: Shari Vari, Rome, Italy
Honorable Mention: Dow Jones, Barcelona, Spain

Best Shopping: Istanbul, Turkey
Honorable Mention: Florence, Italy

Best Public Transit: Barcelona, Spain
Honorable Mention: Berlin, Germany

Best Train Station: London St. Pancras, London, England
Honorable Mention: Milano Centrale, Milan, Italy

Best Airport: London Heathrow, London, England
Honorable Mention: Athens International, Athens, Greece

Best Airline: Aegean Air
Honorable Mention: British Airways

Best Drivers: Interlaken, Switzerland
Honorable Mention: Prague, Czech Republic

Friendliest People: Edinburgh, Scotland
Honorable Mention: London, England

Most Attractive Men: Budapest, Hungary
Honorable Mention: Edinburgh, Scotland

Furthest North: Stirling, Scotland
Furthest South: Fira, Santorini, Greece
Furthest East: Istanbul, Turkey
Furthest West: Stirling, Scotland

Countries (13):
France
England
Italy
Vatican City
Spain
Germany
Greece
Turkey
Czech Republic
Hungary
Austria
Scotland
Switzerland

Cities (37):
Paris
London
Rome
Florence
Pompeii
Positano
Sorrento
Milan
Venice
Barcelona
Berlin
Athens
Oia
Fira
Istanbul
Prague
Ostia
Caprarola
Bagnaia
Budapest
Vienna
Capua
Paestum
Tivoli
Orvieto
Pisa
Manarola
Corniglia
Vernazza
La Spezia
Edinburgh
Stirling
Munich
Hohenschwangau
Luzern
Interlaken
Lauterbrunnen

Currencies (6):
Euro
British Pound
Hungarian Forint
Turkish Lira
Czech Crown
Swiss Franc

Things that are better in Europe:
-Cheaper and fresher groceries
-International travel is easier
-Public transportation (except for Rome)
-The beauty of everyday things

Things that are better in the US:
-Free public bathrooms
-Greater variety of food in a single city
-Eating dinner before 9 pm
-DRYERS


I’ve gained about 10 pounds. Yes, TEN. When you eat nothing but pizza, pasta, paninis and gelato (literally every single day) for 5 months, it’s not really a surprise. I don’t really regret anything. In fact, if I had to do it over, I’d eat gelato twice a day, every day. I miss Giolitti’s SO MUCH.

I have to admit; Rome didn’t truly feel like my home until near the end of the semester (even if I told you guys otherwise in this blog). Sure, I liked the cobblestones and delicious gelato, but for me, Rome was just a vehicle for other international travel. It was my chance to see the world. It wasn’t until April, when we weren’t given any travel weekends and we were “forced” (as if it’s a bad thing) to stay in the city, that Rome actually began to feel like home. I started getting attached to the dirty streets and the loud Italian arguments, just in time for me to have to leave it.

Now I miss Rome dearly and wish I would have appreciated it more in the first month or so that I was there, when I was more focused on getting out into Europe instead. I consider Rome my second home behind Dallas, and one of the most comforting things about it is that if I go back in 10, 20, 30 years from now, I know it will be exactly the same, standing as beautifully as it was when I left it.

Speaking of leaving Rome, I have a dramatic story from my last day. After dropping off my luggage in storage before my two week travel with Robby, Caity and I walked across the city and said goodbye to all of our favorite monuments. The Colosseum and the Forum were busy as ever, but luckily those monuments give everyone equal amounts of attention, so we found our moment to say goodbye. We ordered our last (large) cone of gelato from Giolitti’s and ate it by the Trevi Fountain, where we threw in another coin to ensure our return to Rome… you know, just in case the first one didn’t count or something. We strolled down the Via del Corso, waving goodbye to the 4 story Zara and H&M as we passed, towards Piazza del Popolo. We stood in front of the obelisk and looked down all 3 diverging streets. We found one of those annoying flower salesmen and actually purchased flowers, for once. We then walked to the tomb of Augustus and Caity weaved her flower into the fence around his mausoleum.

By this point, we had said goodbye to everything else, so we had only the Pantheon left. As if to make this into a movie, the sky opened up and started raining as soon as we headed to the Pantheon. We stood silently outside in the rain and stared at the temple front… for like, a really long time. I started to tear up, and I heard people around me whispering from underneath their umbrellas. We finally mustered up the courage to walk inside one last time, to find that they had roped off the center because of the rain coming through the oculus.

 It was my last day in Rome and all I wanted was to stand in the center of the Pantheon, so after checking for guards, I hopped the rope. I stood and enjoyed the rain for a moment before bending down and placing my rose on the wet marble floor. That’s when I lost it. Tears, everywhere (not very well masqueraded by the rain). I returned to the proper side of the rope where Caity and I just stood and cried for a solid 5 minutes. People were probably wondering what on earth was going on, but after a few minutes had passed, we started to hear the excited gasps newly arrived visitors surprised by the rose. It was then that we decided to leave, but not before hugging one last column.

Many people know that the semester before Rome, or “Comp Studio” as we call it, is a brutal one. The late nights that architecture school is known for are pushed into even later nights, which usually end up being early mornings with no “night” at all. Class is held every single day, Saturdays and Sundays included, and you have to say goodbye to even the least time consuming extra curricular activities. You wake up every day feeling inadequate and stupid and beaten down. There were days I cried to my mom on the phone telling her I couldn’t emotionally handle going to school that day. If Rome weren’t the light at the end of that long, dark Comp tunnel, I would have quit.

But getting to go to Rome after a semester from hell was an unbelievable rejuvenation. The world went from being somewhere I didn’t want to be anymore to this beautiful, wondrous, inspiring place. And what’s more, I started thinking of myself as an integral part of it. I realized that I, as a living soul and human being, mattered more than what I, as a student, can produce in a studio. I started living (reasonably) selfishly, putting myself before my work, seeing the world that I wanted to see in a way that I knew could bring me back to the happy life I lived before the fall of 2015. I found myself the streets of Rome (YES yes I KNOW this sounds incredibly cheesy!!). In my Travel Writing class, we read Eat, Pray Love, and there was one particular quote that stuck out to me in describing my semester, and my transition back to my happy self:

“I came to Italy pinched and thin. I did not know yet what I deserved. I still maybe don’t fully know what I deserve. But I do know that I have collected myself of late – through the enjoyment of harmless pleasures – into somebody much more intact. The easiest, most fundamentally human way to say it is that I have put on weight. I exist more now than I did four months ago. I will leave Italy noticeably bigger than when I arrived here. And I will leave with the hope that the expansion of one person – the magnification of one life – is indeed an act of worth in this world. Even if that life, just this one time, happens to be nobody’s but my own.”

On a lighter note, some of you may be interested to learn that my Turkish coffee-ground fortune came true. I met a man named Benjamin about 2 weeks before I left Rome. He was from Israel, but lived in Rome to study medicine. Just as the Khave Fali predicted, we shared romantic walks along the Tiber River and engaged in great conversation. I taught him about architecture and he taught me about medicine. He played an instrument (the guitar), just like the Khave Fali said he would. Of course, the prediction that it would be short lived and end amicably was also correct, seeing as I left Rome shortly after meeting him. Benjamin and I still talk often, and he shares his dreams of moving to the United States once he becomes an official doctor, so maybe I’ll see him again someday. But even if not, wow, what a great way to end my time in Rome (also now my friends are even more optimistic about their romantic fortunes coming true, too).

Oh also, I met Cindy Crawford. She was filming a commercial at our school one day during finals week. Perks of going to school in a palace.

So that’s… it. I guess I’m officially out of things to share. I’ve had lots of people ask if I am going to continue this blog now that I’m home, but as much as I love traveling and as much as I love writing, I think I like the idea of having a little, self-contained European journal. I love that I can look back at this whenever I need to remind myself of how beautiful the world really is (probably while I’m working in studio at 2:00 in the morning).

So since I don’t really know how to summarize this semester in my own words, I’ll use someone else’s:
“Live, travel, adventure, bless and don’t be sorry.” -Jack Kerouac



Number of Columns Hugged: 0 (BECAUSE AMERICA IS TERRIBLE)
Days Since Mexican Food: 1
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Read more from Haley at https://haleywalton.wordpress.com/
To find out more about the U of A Rome Center semester program for Architecture, visit http://studyabroad.uark.edu/romecentersemester/ 

Istanbul #HogsAbroad

Spring Break Part 2: Istanbul, Turkey. Despite the general opinion that Istanbul isn’t a safe place to visit right now, my friends Ashley, Sarah, Robby and I made the decision to visit this amazing city… and I am SO glad we did! I feel like I learned more from this city than any other place I’ve been (and that’s what studying abroad is for right?). Istanbul was beautiful in both its architecture and its culture. It was unlike anything I have ever seen before.



Our travels to Istanbul were off to a rocky start as we stood on the plane at the Athens airport, realizing we needed a Visa to get into Turkey. The flight attendant asked “Visa?” as she looked at my passport. Assuming she was inquiring about my Italian Visa, I nodded and boarded the plane. Her comment stayed with me and I grew paranoid, so I texted my cousin Jake who visited Istanbul a few years ago. He told me I needed a Visa. I have never felt a greater jolt of panic. I was boarding a flight to a country that I did not have legal access to. My fingers have never shaken so vigorously as they did when they stumbled across the keyboard of my phone Google-ing the Turkish Visa application process. I found a link online where it was available electronically, and my fingers scrambled to fill out the form before having to turn my phone on Airplane Mode for our flight. I completed the form and received the Visa in my inbox just in time, but even that couldn’t calm my shaking body. Luckily, I enjoy flying a lot, so all I could do was sit back, look out the window and think about my mother’s reaction as she reads this in my blog (sorry mom). Not even a week later, I can already laugh about it.
We were picked up from the airport by our hostel’s transport car. The driver left the windows down because the weather was so beautiful (sunny and 75). When we checked into our hostel, the manager Olga greeted us with a free cup of tea and an orientation to the city. We were also shown the bar upstairs, which had a stunning view of the Hagia Sophia.

From the hostel, we headed straight to our first destination: the Spice Bazaar. Even after seeing the rest of the city later in the week, this remained my favorite place in all of Istanbul. I have never had all of my senses stimulated the way they were in the Spice Market. The smells were exotic, the sights were colorful and the sounds were chaotic. The vendors of each stall were charming, knowing exactly what to say to bring you in. Ashley, Sarah and I got called the Spice Girls and Charlie’s Angels, in addition to a plethora of other (respectful) names. We began speaking to a young man whose shop offered a variety of teas and traditional Turkish tea glasses. His name was Omar, and he was actually born in Italy. He spoke 7 different languages, and taught us how to say thank you in Turkish. He talked his way into selling me both a glass and some tea.

 



We had a quick dinner of pide before meeting back up with Olga who took us out to her favorite place. I looked around, noticing that the four women at our table were the only four women there, but Olga told us that she comes here at least twice a week and the staff knows her pretty well. She told us about growing up in Russia and wanting to get out as soon as possible. She ended up in Istanbul 3 years ago (much to her parents disappointment) and has loved it ever since. Her happiness and spontaneity certainly made me reevaluate my life plan. Corporate America sounds fun and steady and everything, but wouldn’t it be more fun to move to a foreign country and open a hostel? Later we returned to the hostel and had ourselves a Turkish beer at the bar overlooking the mosque.
The next morning we woke up early and went straight to the Hagia Sophia: a Christian church turned Muslim mosque turned museum. This is a level of cultural palimpsest that Rome will never achieve, despite its age. This one building has seen so many rituals of different faiths, and its flexibility is easily seen in all areas of the building, layered with different ornament and furniture. Because it is currently a museum, we weren’t required to wear a headscarf, so we tucked them away for our later mosque visits. The Hagia Sophia was beautiful, as expected. The gold and black color scheme was a nice change from the colorful baroque interiors of Rome. The chandeliers hung low, adding to the flooding of light coming from the windows surrounding the base of the imperfectly round dome. Everything was so light. Another major difference between this and Roman churches was the severe lack of ornament. There were several portions of Christian mosaics still on the walls, but that was it. No sculpture, none. We wandered around, exploring both the lower and upper levels of the museum. Sadly, the entire left side of the church was covered in scaffolding. Ashley described it as “the saddest of all scaffoldings.”

 



After crossing a small (and very green) park and passing the Hippodrome, we arrived at our next destination: The Sultan Asmed Mosque, more commonly known as the Blue Mosque. Here we were asked to wear a headscarf and put on a long skirt. We removed our shoes before entering the mosque, which I forgot was customary. My socks had llamas with red lipstick and pearls… I was pretty embarrassed. I slowly stepped into the carpeted space and suddenly remembered how great carpet feels. Since being in Rome, I haven’t been around carpet at all… it’s been months. I wiggled my toes and smiled, forgetting for a moment that I was in a mosque because I felt so at home. Unlike Christian churches, mosque visits don’t allow much access. We were only permitted to stand in a specific area and crane our necks to see around the great pillars. Nonetheless, it was a beautiful space full of rich décor and colorful paints.



After leaving the Blue Mosque, we stopped by a small bakery that Olga recommended to us. Walnuts are a pretty big deal in Istanbul, and they are in almost every delicious pastry. We ate our pastries while wandering the streets of Istanbul, before ending up at the Grand Bazaar. Perhaps I had too high of expectations, or perhaps I bought into the movies too much, but it felt like a mall more than the cultural experience I was expecting (one like I experienced at the Spice Bazaar). The shopkeepers used similar tactics to bring us into shops, which offered a huge variety of goods. Many shops were selling beautiful stained glass chandeliers. I wanted one so so so badly, but knew I couldn’t afford to ship it home.



As we passed one shop, I found a beautiful pair of shoes that the man kindly let me try on and fall in love with before telling me the price, which was 180 Turkish Lira (about 60 USD). I followed Olga’s advice and bargained, eventually getting the price down to 50 Lira (about 17 USD). I think I have Ashley to thank for getting the price that low, because the shopkeeper kept calling her beautiful and asking her out to dinner. He probably only cut me a deal because he was in love with her. “I really can’t fit these in my suitcase,” I whispered to myself as I pulled 50 Lira out of my wallet.
We continued on to the Suleymaniye Mosque, where we also had to cover our heads and take off our shoes. I was reluctant to allow the llamas to make a second appearance, but I didn’t want to offend anyone, so the shoes came off. The mosque is on top of a very steep hill, so the courtyard around the mosque provided stunning views of Istanbul. We were able to see to Asia across the water, and we were determined to get there at some point during our stay.



For lunch, we ventured across the bridge to the other European side of the city. Next we were determined to get to the top of the hill to see Galata Tower. For studio research purposes, we took the funicular up the hill to the tower. Galata Tower was an old lighthouse, and it now has some of the best views of Istanbul. Honestly, Istanbul isn’t a very pretty city, collectively. Individually, everything is beautiful, but the view from the top of the tower was pretty average (in comparison to say, Greece where everything was heavenly). What really made the experience amazing, however, was hearing the call to prayer echoing from all the mosques across the city at prayer time, which was a welcome change from the church bells of Christian Europe. This was the most foreign that a city had ever felt to me, and I loved that I was getting to experience a very different culture from my own.



As we descended from the tower, we walked along one of Istanbul’s main shopping roads. The only thing preventing me from buying everything I saw was the fact that my suitcase was already about 5 pounds overweight and stuffed to the brim. Our walk ended at Taksim Square, which was fairly anticlimactic compared to the way everyone talked about it (were we missing something…?).
Sarah, Ashley, Robby and I decided to descend the hill on the road less traveled, hoping to distract ourselves from the shopping temptations we had seen earlier. We stumbled upon a small Turkish coffee shop that had a Khave Fali, which is a fortuneteller that uses the coffee grounds from your cup to tell your future… something we had been looking for this whole trip! We sat down, excited to have our fortunes told. I hate coffee of any kind, but I dealt with it just to have my grounds read. Our Kahve Fali told me that I would have the opportunity to go west when I return to the United States, and that I should take it. He also told me that I would find a new relationship soon with someone older than me, who I would meet near a river and have good, intensive conversation with. He warned me that it would be short, but that it would end amicably. He predicted that I had a younger sister that missed me very much, and that I had a headache (which I did). He told me to let go of some negative energy that day (which was causing my headache), because it was a new moon and anything is possible. Sarah was predicted to have good fortune in the work force, and the next morning she got an email stating that she had been selected for an internship competition through school! Ashley was told that she would be going to an island country, which she is doing this summer. She would also have an old, forgotten wish come true soon. Robby was told that he would have good luck with relationships, but not until later, and that a baby was involved (yikes). Our Kahve Fali offered us free tea and Turkish Delight while he read our grounds, and we stayed for almost 2 hours. This was one of my favorite things that we did in Istanbul.



After our fortunes were predicted, we made our way back down the hill, excited to fulfill our prophecies. We started with dinner along the waterfront, eating fish sandwiches that were made on a boat. Sadly, I was not approached by any men, but I guess there’s lots of other rivers to check in the world. Istanbul is much prettier at night than it is during the day. All of the mosques are lit up beautifully, highlighting their minarets and domes perfectly. We were determined to go our and experience nightlife that night, but we were so exhausted by the time we got back to the hotel that we ended up falling asleep very early.



Day 2 started with Topkapi Palace, which was the palace of the old sultans that is wedged between the Hagia Sophia and the water. This palace was huge, and put even the most ornate Italian Villa to shame. There were quite a few exhibits within the palace, so we stayed for a while to explore Ottoman history. There were beautiful jewels and relics in every room. Outside, the courtyards contained massive trees with bold green leaves, something we greatly appreciated after being stuck in a paved Rome for months. Laura Terry told us we would miss trees, and she was right.



Our next stop was the Basilica Cistern, which is an unbelievably cool underground hypostyle hall full of water. Sadly, the columns were too far away from the raised walking path, making them impossible to hug. The lighting was perfect and the ambience was calm and quiet. There are two columns in the back that have Medusa head bases, and no one really knows why they’re there, adding to the eerie atmosphere.

 

For lunch we found a small restaurant selling sea bass, which was delicious. We followed lunch up with a chocolate truffle dessert at a local café before heading to our next mosque. This mosque was recommended to us by Olga, who said it was her favorite in the whole city. Unlike the others, it was not a tourist destination, so we were a bit hesitant to enter. It wasn’t prayer time, so we followed the typical protocol of removing our shoes and covering our heads. It was a smaller mosque than the others, and the stone carving detail looked like white lace. I’m really glad we went.



We visited the ancient Roman aqueducts of the city, which don’t have the same majestic appeal as the ones in Rome. Nonetheless, we felt like Rome was following us, no matter where we went.
It was now time for the main event: ASIA. We excitedly walked to the ferry dock to catch the water taxi to the Asian side of Istanbul. The ferry ride only took about 15 minutes, and it felt great to be on a boat out on the water on a warm day. As soon as we stepped off the boat, we squealed at the thought of crossing continents… but then realized shortly thereafter that we didn’t know what there was to do there. We meandered along the riverfront, stopping at a restaurant for some sweet desserts (I swear all we did in Istanbul was eat). I ate my slice of cheesecake slowly, enjoying my view of Europe across the water. The sun began to set behind Europe, so we got up and found the perfect viewpoint along the pier. The colors of the sunset were beautiful, rivaling those in Santorini just a few days prior. As the sun sunk behind the land, it aligned perfectly with a mosque, making the silhouette of the domes and minarets (towers) stand out boldly in black among the pink sky. We were only in Asia for about 2 hours, and I don’t think we strayed more than 50 feet from the water’s edge, but the important thing here is that we went to Asia.



For dinner I had traditional Turkish lintel soup with a side of pita bread before heading back to the hotel to prepare for our early morning flights. We all split up the next morning: I was going to Prague to meet up with Caity, Ashley was flying to London, Robby was traveling to Berlin and Sarah was headed to Venice.

Getting into and out of Istanbul was pretty stressful (I went through security 3 times and got the most intense pat down of my life), but my time in the city was nothing but calm and enjoyable. Not once did I feel threatened in any way. I’m not trying to suggest that there aren’t bad things happening in the world, but I am trying to suggest that those things can’t prevent you from experiencing different cultures. I am so glad I went to Istanbul, no matter what the US State Department says about safety. The Turkish people are wonderful, and very proud of their beautiful country. Interestingly, they seem to care more about the natural areas of the country, insisting that cities like Istanbul aren’t all that great (opposite of the mentality of most other places I’ve been thus far). I wish I had more time to explore more of Turkey, but I suppose 3 days was enough for this round… and for my mother, who was happy to have me back in the EU as I flew to Prague.



Number of Columns Hugged: 5
Days Since Mexican Food: 82
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Read more from Haley at https://haleywalton.wordpress.com/
To find out more about the U of A Rome Center semester program for Architecture, visit http://studyabroad.uark.edu/romecentersemester/ 

A Taste of Istanbul: Sketching Connections in Turkey and Denmark #HogsAbroad

Article courtesy of Anthony Blake, originally published on the Honors College blog in January 2016 

Last summer Adel Vaughn and 12 other landscape architecture students from the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design explored two very different 21^st century cities: Istanbul, Turkey and Copenhagen, Denmark. For Adel, a sketchbook assignment became much more than an exercise in observation – it helped her to connect and bond with locals.

Sketching Connections  
Since much of studying landscape architecture in the built environment is done through observation and documentation of form, structure, physical elements and overall character of a space, the sketchbook acted as our medium for this documentation. The sketchbook went everywhere with me – every day, for hundreds of miles. I would normally start the drawings on-site and get as far as I could, then finish it out later while sitting at a cafe or restaurant.

A group of Turkish kids stopped by when I was drawing at Ephesus. I was telling them in the little, broken Turkish I knew: “I’m a student studying landscape architecture,” “I don’t really know much Turkish, but I’m learning,” “I’m from America” (when they asked), and “Thank you!” (when they told me the drawings were very nice).

Drawing at some of the cafes led to unique and unforgettable interactions with the locals, because they would give us insight on the symbols we were drawing, tell us a story about the sites we were drawing, or ask about the sketchbooks. There was one cafe in particular that my friend and I went to many times – we became friends with the guys who worked there, and they would even give us free çay (Turkish tea) and dessert. It was actually a tearful goodbye on our last night in Istanbul because we had grown close to the people there in such a short amount of time. We ended up doing some paintings for them to keep so that we all could remember those times.

This is Courtney and I with Omar, our very kind and outgoing waiter at Falls in Galata Cafe. We sat at this exact table almost every time we came – right on the edge of the patio watching what was happening on the tiny adjacent street.

The Sketches

Click to see Adel’s sketchbook at full size.

The water spigot, to me, is a symbol for Istanbul. They were all over the city – many right outside mosques where people would wash their hands and feet before entering, and others in seemingly random places. The one that I painted was in Gulhane Park near Topkapı Palace. It was such a beautiful element in the park, carrying a rich sense of history while embracing the newly blooming, bright red roses surrounding it. I actually put the final touches on this painting later in the summer while doing research in Berlin, so the memory of this one spans Europe!
       

The blue door is one of my favorites.  I love painting things that are clearly weathered and worn, and this door captured the heavy use of the while building in an area of Istanbul called Beşiktaş.  I just loved the character and colors in the door. Each drawing carries a meaning and a many memories for me.
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For the full article and more information about scholarships for international travel through the Honors College, please visit the HonorsCollege blog.

Learn more about studying abroad through the College of Architecture at: http://fayjones.uark.edu/academics/study-abroad/index.php

Instagram #HogsAbroad Food

Food is one of the most accessible representation of culture out there. As James Beard said, "Food is our common ground, a universal experience."

Here are a few of our U of A students sharing that experience with us...

Last one of the trip! #slomofood #hogsabroad

A video posted by Lincoln Gimnich (@lgimnich_) on Jun 25, 2015 at 8:50am PDT

Host family took us out to try a Peruvian delicacy Anticicho- cow heart. So good!! #cisabroad #hogsabroad #peru #cusco

A photo posted by Katie Greenway (@kgruth) on Jul 11, 2014 at 6:49pm PDT

#tbt to our first dinner in Rome. #nofilter #ItalianoJoe #hogsabroad

A photo posted by Joe Burns (@joe.n.burns) on Jul 23, 2015 at 4:33pm PDT

Paella con mariscos, a popular Spanish rice dish with shrimp, oysters, squid, etc. And of course wine to drink. 😋 #madrid #hogsabroad

A photo posted by Cristina Carrillo🐘 (@_triplec) on Jul 6, 2013 at 10:32am PDT

Fresh orange juice, anyone? #Istanbul #HogsAbroad

A photo posted by Zach (@hogfann89) on May 22, 2015 at 9:12am PDT

Chandi Chowk // we went to one of the most well known markets in Old Delhi. Two square miles of stalls and shops with each street a different "theme." From books to bridal to jewelry to spices. Here's a picture of one of the spice shops, which was one of my favorite areas to walk through. #suitsandsaris15 #waltonimpact #hogsabroad

A photo posted by Megan (@studyinginsuitsandsaris) on May 23, 2015 at 12:33pm PDT

I could get used to this life. #hogsabroad #SanIgnacio

A photo posted by Morgan Riddle (@meriddle33) on May 31, 2015 at 7:24am PDT

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See more photos at https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/hogsabroad/
 
Don't miss out on these meals! Search for study abroad opportunities like these in over 40 countries: http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Backpacking through Greece

Hi! My name is Kristen Hoover. I’m in Fulbright College studying English with a concentration in Creative Writing and a minor in Classical Studies. This summer I participated in a study abroad program through Greece and Turkey. 

This trip was by far the best thing I’ve ever done. At first I was not interested because of the price. But after doing some research and speaking to Laura Moix I felt like studying abroad was something that could really happen. I will always remember the trip I took to Greece and Turkey and the people I went with. 

The way this program is set up really allows you to submerge into the Greek culture instead of being stuck in a classroom. Instead of sitting at a desk, the professors led us around Greece and Turkey. The longest time we stayed in a place was five days. It was always “go go go” because there is so much to see everywhere! 

Breakfast started at 7 usually and we would leave the hotel around 8 or 9 in the morning. At first it was hard getting up so early but having roommates helped a bunch. We would always go down to breakfast at the same time. The breakfast was always scrumptious. In Greece we had delicious yogurt and peaches with honey every morning. In Turkey there were a lot of different options for breakfast. But in both places there was delicious hot coffee offered. The coffee in both places was a lot different from the American coffee I was used to. It had a really great flavor but towards the end of the cup it was always sludge-y.  After breakfast we would head out to different sites. I think the coolest site we went to was in Delphi. There were so many ruins in one spot. Mt. Parnassus was sort of fun to walk up if you could see all of the ruins.  Another cool site was Olympia in Greece. We ran on the track that the original Olympians ran on. I got 14^th place out of 15 but I didn’t care! It was awesome to say that I’ve done that. Usually after visiting a site we would go to the museum of the site that held all the artifacts found there. The professors would tell us about each site in detail or a fellow student would give their site report on that certain site. One of my site reports was in Eleusis, Greece. It was really neat to be able to educate my fellow students on the mysteries of the ancient sites. In the museum of each site the professors would show us a few items they thought were important. Then they would give us time to roam around the museum ourselves. Usually the professors assigned us journal entries. They told us to pick two or three cool artifacts from the museum and write about it in your journal. The professors would collect the journals maybe around once a week to make sure we’re doing our assignments. 

Lunch was always fun during the day. The professors would take us to a part of town that had lots of restaurants and give us an hour to go eat wherever we wanted. It was a fun experience being on our own trying to find food. One of first Greek phrases I learned was how to say “I would like chicken gyros”. Sometimes, if we were pressed for time, the professors would buy our lunch! That was always fun too because the professors knew what was good to eat.  Sharing was always encouraged at meal times. Everyone would take a little from everyone’s plate so we could try everything. I think the weirdest thing I ate was cow innards. Aside from that, the food was wonderful. So many fresh vegetables and fruits! I especially loved the orange juice. Most of the Europe’s veggies and fruits comes from the island of Crete and their orange juice is a delicacy.  In Chania, Crete there was a restaurant by our hotel, which looked out over the port, which had the best fish I’ve ever had. I tried swordfish, calamari, octopus, and shark and ate a whole lot of shrimp. 

After lunch we would go to a couple more sites. Students gave two site reports so there was always a day when we would listen to a lecture from the students. A typical day for us wouldn’t end till around five or six. After our last site the professors would gather us to talk about what the plan was for the next day and what time we would leave the hotel. Then they would set us free for the night!

We always tried to stick together when going out for dinner but sometimes our group split up into two smaller groups. We tried to alternate between sit down restaurants and cheap gyros places so we could save a little money, especially in Turkey. After dinner most of the time we walked around whatever city we were staying in.  In Istanbul we sat in front of the Blue Mosque and drank chai, in Lesvos one night we went dancing with the professors, and in Nafplion we enjoyed the sea air and ate gelato on the port. After dinner was a really fun time to go out and see the city. It didn’t matter how tired we were or how far we had walked, everyone always wanted to see as much as they could.

I am so happy I got to see another side of the world and explore ancient sites with the professors and the people who went on this trip. It was such a great experience and I would recommend it to anyone. Don’t let the price get you down, it is worth every penny.

Record Number of Gilman Scholarships Awarded for Study Abroad

Fifteen University of Arkansas undergraduates have been selected to receive the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, for their study abroad program during the spring and summer 2013 term.  This award allows undergraduate students with high financial need the opportunity to study or participate in an internship abroad, develop valuable career and language skills, and prepare themselves for the global economy while serving as citizen ambassadors in their host country.

The awarded students selected study abroad programs in Chile, China, Costa Rica, France, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, South Korea, Turkey and the UK for the spring or summer of 2013.  Gilman Scholars receive up to $5,000 to apply towards their study abroad program costs, and a limited number of students will also receive additional funding for language study through the Critical Need Language Awards, for a total award of $8,000.  

One recipient, currently studying abroad on an exchange program in Spain, commented, “As with any scholarship I earn, I feel very blessed and extremely honored to have received it. With the Gilman scholarship especially, though, I feel impeccably proud to have been chosen as a recipient. It means immensely to me because knowing that I have received a national scholarship to do what I love – study and travel – freshly reminds me that I do have remarkable opportunities to pursue my goals. I am reminded by the Gilman foundation that achieving my aspirations is possible, and I am reminded to never forget to give back to others on the way to reaching all those goals.” 

Another recipient, who received the Gilman for his spring 2013 exchange program with South Korea, had this to say about the award, “Receiving the Gilman scholarship really does mean everything to me. When I transferred to UARK, I had no intention of studying abroad at all because I mistakenly thought that I would never be able to afford it. After finding out about the Gilman scholarship and its generous awards, I finally saw the plausibility of going abroad. With growing student loans, rent, and all the other costs of being a college student, I honestly would not have been able to consider this extraordinary opportunity at all.”

Since the program’s inception in 2001, over 13,000 bright, well-deserving American students have received a Gilman Scholarship to study in more than 130 countries and hail from 1,160 universities across the nation. The full list of students who have been selected to receive Gilman Scholarships, including students’ home state, university and country of study, is available at www.iie.org/gilman.

Applications for spring 2014 Gilman Scholarships will be available online in August 2013 and due October 1, 2013.  Undergraduates receiving a federal Pell grant who will be studying abroad or participating in an international internship for academic credit are encouraged to apply.  The Office of Study Abroad at the University of Arkansas is happy to help discuss this scholarship with any interested students, as well as advise those searching for the right study abroad opportunity to meet their personal and academic goals.