Snapshots from Sevilla #HogsAbroad in Spain

Hello! My name is Reagan White and I'm currently a student at the University of Arkansas studying supply chain management and international economics with a Spanish minor! While I'm originally from Fayetteville, AR and have been a Razorback for all of my life, I will be living and taking classes in Sevilla, Spain during Spring 2022.

Ever since my freshman year, I have been interested in studying abroad, because of my interest in international business, passion for learning new languages, and love for experiencing other cultures. I'm beyond excited and grateful that my dream is becoming a reality this spring semester. My Spanish minor and desire to experience Europe made choosing a country quite easy, since my main reason for studying abroad was to immerse myself within the Spanish language and culture. However, selecting a host city proved to be quite difficult, since Spain is full of beautiful towns, each with their own distinct characteristics and cultures. During my research process, I considered Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Granada, Salamanca, and of course, the charming Sevilla.

While I plan on visiting several of the other cities mentioned above, once I learned about Sevilla, I immediately knew it was the city for me. Geographically located within the Andalucía region in southern Spain, the city boasts numerous historical landmarks, museums, the world's largest Gothic cathedral, the Real Alcázar, the Plaza de España, the origin of flamenco, and countless other hidden treasures. During my time in Sevilla, I will be completing the ISA International Studies, Business & Spanish Language Veritas Program. My courses will include the Veritas International Missions/Service-Learning Practicum, International Finance, International Trade in the Global Economy, and Spanish Culture and Civilization.

I'm excited to share my journey with you all through this blog as I have always loved writing. It is my sincere hope that my shared experiences inspire you to travel and seek new experiences that may be outside of your comfort zone. My next post will be coming from Sevilla, Spain, but until then, ¡Chao y espero que tengas una buena semana!

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International Economics and Supply Chain Management major Reagan white spent the Spring 2022 term in Sevilla, Spain with ISA with support from the Office of Study Abroad Scholarship and Walton College. Read more from Reagan here. 

You can start planning your adventure abroad today! Dive in to our Explore page at https://studyabroad.uark.edu/explore/index.php, and start your program search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Almost Halfway There #HogsAbroad in Hong Kong

Sorry for not posting in a while. We had a week-long break where I met up with my parents and visited Taiwan, the Philippines, and Japan! Now back to the show.

The last few weeks were filled with basic school things. Go to class, study, eat, sleep, and repeat. I did, however, get to explore some more of the island with my roommate and a couple other exchange students. Whampoa is a pretty cool area with some ritzier places and great spots to hang out. The MTR (Metro) makes it so much easier to get around than driving and it’s something I am going to miss.

Regarding school, I finally had my first quiz of the semester during week 5. It was in Chinese and it went fairly well. It’s very strange to me to not have tests or quizzes, but with the final being 50% of your grade and group projects being up to 35%, what can you expect? My advice is that even though there are no tests, make sure to study along with the class. This will make it much easier when the time comes.

That’s all for now! I’ll leave you with some pictures!

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Junior Kyle Phillpott is spending the spring 2019 term in Hong Kong through our U of A Exchange program at City University of Hong Kong.

Read more from Kyle at https://americaninhongkong.home.blog/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Sure I’ll go to Dinner (Week 2) #HogsAbroad in Hong Kong

First let me clarify, yes this is my third week in Hong Kong, however, this is the second week of class. :)

This week was a long week. I basically had a sinus infection all week which made this week go that much longer. Classes were pretty good; the classes here all have a large project so we selected our groups this week. One thing to note was that most classes have little homework, so no “mylabsplus” or “connect”. The last comment on the classes for the week is to wait to buy books until this week as you may not need some.

On to daily life here at CityU.

The school has a lot of societies and resident hall events. This week we had the Resident Hall basketball competition which was fun because one of my new friends made the team. There was also a dance competition, where many of the groups had a dance style similar to K-Pop. There is a photography competition coming up so I’m figuring out how to enter that.

The weirdest situation I have been in so far has to go to the random dinner to which I got invited to. I had taken the MTR to Hong Kong island to eat and take pictures around the city. I ran into this cool park which had abstract light-up displays and thought that it would make a great photo-op. As I was taking pictures, this group of 30 something-year-old bankers noticed my camera and asked me to take a picture of them – although with their cellphone. After that, they invited me to dinner and we talked a bit about what I was doing here and how long I was going to be here. They took me to a Japanese restaurant. I got their contacts and we are going to get together after the Chinese New Year break.

Sorry for the short post, I am sick, hopefully, will be better next week.

Here are the photos of the week!

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Junior Kyle Phillpott is spending the spring 2019 term in Hong Kong through our U of A Exchange program at City University of Hong Kong.

Read more from Kyle at https://americaninhongkong.home.blog/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

One Week Down #HogsAbroad in Hong Kong

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect for my first week of class. I learned that there are what are called tutorials, what we call SI, separate from many of the classes. Although at CityU, they count as credit hours! My marketing class, for example, had two hours on Monday and then an hour of tutorial on Tuesday. These tutorials are just supplements or classes that review the material. The other information I can share is that you should wait to buy the books until after the first class. One teacher said the book store was out so to see if you can download it off the web from a link. The last thing I can share from this week is that most of my classes are lectures in a single session, so expect the first day to be a “real” class with material covered.

During the week I got to explore some more. I recommend that you explore as much as possible until you get busy, because when classes start it will be a little harder. I visited Victoria Pier, and a few markets. The Goldfish Market was a little underwhelming, however, the bird garden was very cool. An elderly man let me take his picture and even put some birds on my hand, although I didn’t get a picture of that. The Pier had a fantastic view at night although it is much better if you go after a sunny day when it's clear due to the smog making it much less visible at night.

If you’re like me, you love breakfast food. I recommend AC2 canteen. It’s in the Li Dak Sum Yip Yio Chin Academic Building. You can buy scrambled eggs, potatoes, toast, and a cup of hot coffee or tea for $16hk. If you’re a bit hungrier for $20hk you can get three main items. This is a great price and if you like American style breakfast to start out with, this is a great option.

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Junior Kyle Phillpott is spending the spring 2019 term in Hong Kong through our U of A Exchange program at City University of Hong Kong.

Read more from Kyle at https://americaninhongkong.home.blog/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Move In! #HogsAbroad in Hong Kong #TravelTipsTuesday

I arrived the night before the first available move-in date option, which I highly recommend so that you can be well-rested the next day. I stayed at a hotel near the airport; however, no amount of rest could have prepared me for the following week. I was lucky enough to get a dorm room in the lottery this semester so this is how it was for me — your mileage may vary if you are off campus. On Monday I was picked up at the airport by a CityU shuttle and taken to the University. The bus ride wasn’t too long and honestly, it was great to talk to the other exchange students. Looking back on it, the students I met on the shuttle were many of the people I hung out with that first week. 

Once arriving at the University, we were checked in, and we went to our dorms where we quickly realized we had no idea what to do next. Given our “completely lost” status and the fact we were the only students on campus, we met up to try to figure out what to do. I believe it was the first or second day when there was a welcome session in the Yeung Kin Man Academic Building. At this session, we met the exchange student helpers and received the paperwork to get our student ID’s. Later that day with that same group of helpers, we went on a trek to IKEA to get things we needed for our dorms. This was good as another night without a pillow was going to wreck my neck! Personally, I felt IKEA was a pain and I probably could have found things cheaper elsewhere, but hey, they gave me free travel to and from the store. 

For the rest of the week, I followed the schedule sent to me by Jasmine Wong which gave me time slots and places I needed to be that week. This schedule was significantly more structured than the first day’s schedule. One key point is that once you get your student ID you can apply for a student Octopus Card. The student card gives you half off most MTR (Metro) rides. The Octopus Card is used for payment for the metro, food, and a bunch of other places. You will need a 50mm by 40mm picture so if you can bring that from home it makes life easier than trying to find a print shop in Hong Kong. In addition, in the early days, it’s easiest if you have Hong Kong currency. I ordered some from my bank before I went which I highly recommend.

How did I spend my free time you might ask? I spent a good chunk of time running around completing this form or getting this stamp, but I did get to explore and handle some personal stuff too. Make note, the dorm rooms DO NOT HAVE WIFI. You must buy a router, I recommend going to the Sham Shui Po Markets, but if that is not possible go to Fortress in Festival Walk. Routers are not technically supported, but all students have them and they run about $200 HK. My technical how-to advice:

You set routers up by doing the router “quick set-up”, and then on the router set-up web page, you need to find the tab that allows you to clone the MAC address of your computer to the router. Then in Google type CityU Hong Kong Internet on your phone or go to the WIFI room (common room) and fill out the “Connection in Residence” form after logging in with your EID and password. You fill it out with that cloned MAC address and chose the side of the room (when you face the window) that the router is plugged in via ethernet. For the type and OS pick “other.” Give it 1-6 hours and in theory, it should work… it’s not an exact science.

Worst case try to find someone who is in the residence hall already who has it set up to help you, or get your Floor Tutor (their version of an RA) to help you. The method stated was how I got mine to work.

When I wasn’t dealing with technology issues, I was hanging out with other exchange students. Everyone uses Whatsapp here so make sure to download that and get your family and friends to as well (although if you have an unlocked phone and plan to get a sim card like I did, you may want to wait to set it up until you have that card so you can do a phone verification in case you have to restart your phone for whatever reason.) I met students from all over and it was really interesting to see how others dealt with the situation of being slightly lost. One thing we made sure to do was to travel with someone so that if you get lost, you’re at least lost together. Groups of us would go to the markets or to get food and that made things less lonely and you felt like you had a better idea about everything. Basically, the first week everyone went out every night. One place called Mr. Wong’s was very popular due to the cheap unlimited food. Many of the other exchange students had a great time there; it wasn’t my kind of place, but I could see how it would be a fun bonding experience.

My advise for now is to bring cash and and try to befriend the exchange students! Those are the best things I did this first week. See you next week!

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Junior Kyle Phillpott is spending the spring 2019 term in Hong Kong through our U of A Exchange program at City University of Hong Kong.

Read more from Kyle at https://americaninhongkong.home.blog/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

The Journey Begins #HogsAbroad in Hong Kong

Thanks for joining me!

My name is Kyle Phillpott and I am an Economics student at the University of Arkansas. This semester I was given the opportunity to study in Hong Kong. The following Blog will be a week by week update of my thoughts, feelings, and experiences while at City University Hong Kong.

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Junior Kyle Phillpott is spending the spring 2019 term in Hong Kong through our U of A Exchange program at City University of Hong Kong.

Read more from Kyle at https://americaninhongkong.home.blog/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Lectures, Seminars, and Readings… OH MY!! #HogsAbroad in England

As you probably guessed, this post is mainly about lectures, seminars and my sea of readings I have to get through each week. That’s right. Education.

So what is my schedule like? Well, allow me to explain:

Monday: 9 – 11am (Economics of Organization SEMINAR); 2 – 3pm (Politics and Economic Policies LECTURE)

Tuesday: 9 – 11am (Games, Strategies, and Politics SEMINAR); 12 – 2pm (International Economic Development SEMINAR)

Thursday: 12 – 1pm (Politics and Economic Policies CLASS)

At this point you might be wondering what the difference is between a lecture and a seminar. A seminar does not have a separate class for students to attend during the week. It is two hours so discussions and group presentations can occur during the time allotted.

It might not seem like a busy schedule but that is quite deceptive. While we don’t have homework assignments, we do have LOTS and LOTS of readings to get through, and I’m not talking about “light readings to do before class”. These are 120+ pages front and back for ONLY one class (differs depending on major). Yet in American culture, students would typically blow off the readings and obtain the knowledge through lectures and notes, that is not possible here. Grades here are strictly based off of one essay, an exam, and depending on the class, a presentation. All derived from these weekly readings and/or lectures, seminars, and class.

There is an upside though (tip for future students) – there are a lot of great places on campus to get your work done. Some include: the business building, zest cafe, the library (great views over the lake on campus), the SU Bar (there is a Starbucks inside plus you can order some food if you get hungry or a drink if you get overwhelmed), and finally the Secret Garden (it is very quaint, secluded, and very peaceful).

That is it for now folks!! Thanks for Keeping up with Kelsi, Cheers.

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Business Economics major Kelsi Reyes is spending the Fall 2018 term in England with our U of A Exchange program at the University of Essex, Colchester.

Read more from Kelsi at https://keepingupwithkelsi.wordpress.com/

For more information about study abroad & internship opportunities within Walton College, visit http://walton.uark.edu/global/index.php

Starting Classes in Colchester #HogsAbroad in England

Hi everyone! My name is Kelsi, I’m from San Antonio, TX and this is my blog.

I am a 3rd year student, studying Economics in the Walton College of Business. This fall I am going abroad once again. This time to the University of Essex in Colchester, England, for the semester. I choose this program due to the courses they offered at their university and my interest in the culture and rich history of the UK. I believe it will be an excellent opportunity to branch out into another country’s learning culture. All thanks to the Walton College of Business and McLarty Scholarship.

Here is a breakdown of some key information:

• Classes for the autumn term begin on October 8th (a little late compared to the US) and end on December 21st.
• Registration happens only a week before classes start (which gave me a lot of anxiety).
• Move-in happens for new students one day before Fresher’s week. (Fresher’s week is when all the technical boring welcome to college intro stuff and paperwork for exchange students get completed; And events for students to meet other students).

Before arriving to Essex, I felt clueless. I had been so used to classes starting in August, but with a delayed timeline, it was hard to stay calm because I wanted to know what my classes were two weeks in advanced. However, that was not the case. I finally knew my final schedule a day after classes had started. It had helped that being a 3rd year student, you know the basics of college life, so it didn’t make me feel completely lost.

Overall, I am thrilled to spend the next few months studying at the University of Essex!!!

**One tip for students studying abroad in the Spring or future: Get involved as soon as you arrive!!! Whether it be joining societies/clubs or simply talking to the person behind you in line, get to know others and be involved on campus! It will take your mind off of missing home or your friends.

Cheers, and thanks for Keeping up with Kelsi :)))

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Business Economics major Kelsi Reyes is spending the Fall 2018 term in England with our U of A Exchange program at the University of Essex, Colchester.

Read more from Kelsi at https://keepingupwithkelsi.wordpress.com/

For more information about study abroad & internship opportunities within Walton College, visit http://walton.uark.edu/global/index.php

Keeping up with Kelsi #HogsAbroad in England

Hello everyone! Welcome to my blog.

I am a 3rd year student at the University of Arkansas studying Economics. This fall I will be studying abroad at the University of Essex in Colchester, England! I am super thrilled to spend my fall here and meet new people.

I will try to update this blog as much as possible but life abroad doesn’t give you much free time, and if it does then you are out and about exploring the world. But feel free to browse around or check out my photos abroad on my VSCO ! If you want to know more about studying abroad or have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me by commenting below.

Hope you enjoy!! CHEERS xX and thanks for Keeping up with Kelsi

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Business Economics major Kelsi Reyes is spending the Fall 2018 term in England with our U of A Exchange program at the University of Essex, Colchester.

Read more from Kelsi at https://keepingupwithkelsi.wordpress.com/

For more information about study abroad & internship opportunities within Walton College, visit http://walton.uark.edu/global/index.php

Recap #HogsAbroad in Belize

Sorry I haven’t been keeping up with this blog! Since I’ve been home I’ve been very busy, but I will be posting the rest of the series soon!

Until then here is the long upbeat vid and the slower shorter vid! I made two, because if you know me then you know I’m indecisive. Enjoy!!

Longer video (not on insta)

Slower Shorter video on insta

Cheers Xx – KUWK

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Business Economics major Kelsi Reyes spent the Summer 2018 term in Belize.

Read more from Kelsi at https://keepingupwithkelsi.wordpress.com/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

The Chaleanor #HogsAbroad in Belize

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Hello Friends and Family!!!

My time in Belize has been an interesting journey. I’m going to break it down to y’all in few week increments, since I did not keep up with it in real time (sorry folks). Let’s start from the beginning shall we…

Here is a breakdown:

We are a group of nine students from the University of Arkansas, all with different majors. Decidedly we all came to Belize to work with members of the community in various projects to complete our thesis as well as an internship. When we first arrived we didn’t know each other very well, but right off the bat there wasn’t any awkwardness. In fact, we all seemed to mesh extremely well.

The first two weeks we lived in a hotel called The Chaleanor, because we couldn’t move into the PeaceWork house yet. It was honestly a small blessing due to the fact that it had just rained for a few days before our arrival. Sooo it was VERY VERY humid and our rooms had A/C :’) However, the mosquitoes were absolutely HORRIBLE. I completely doused myself in bug spray every time I went outside but somehow still managed to get at least 5 bug bites no matter what.

The Chaleanor Hotel

The first week was spent going to everyone’s project site and learning a little about them before we had to start working. Aja, our PeaceWork coordinator, gave us a small orientation of the area and made sure we knew where the bank, police station, and all the other good stuff was at. I met my project leader, Rosella. We discussed her vision for Dangriga and what she believes needs to be improved. We made a list of things to try to accomplish before I departed, but the business culture here is very slow regarding communication.

A typical day during these two weeks included going to the Bonefish Hotel and working on the VisitDangriga website, going to lunch at the Blue Shop or some other stand where we could get a burrito for under 3 BZ. (As of right now, I don’t think I can ever eat another burrito because I ate that many in those two weeks). After lunch, we would go back to our hotel and continue to work on our projects or curriculum. Then the Poultry team would come back from work and eventually we would go to dinner. At this point in time the 3-week study abroad program was still here so we would meet up with them. That was a typical day during those first few weeks.

There were some minor set backs with all of our projects due to the culture, which we learned to just deal with. It was and still is very hard to focus at times because it is very hot, and time runs very differently here. We all wake up before 7:30 am and by 10pm we are all ready for bed on most nights. Except the night we all attempted to learn how to Punta. Punta is a Garifuna dance that is native to Southern Belize. On the last night for the 3-week group, we decided to go to their BBQ and dance, and boy did we try to learn how to Punta. The whole night we were all determined to nail it. I am sad to report that I still do not have it down, but I have 2 more weeks to get it down.

Our first weekend in Belize, we all decided to go to Hopkins which is about 40 minutes away by bus. It is a little vibrant town. The main street area is very local and cute with lots of bright colored buildings. We stayed in a hostel known as the Funky Dodo. It was a quaint place filled with backpackers from all over the world. Our day was mostly spent visiting little shops. The nine of us had bonded before this trip but this was the first time we had relaxed and let loose as a group. For Dinner, we invited anyone staying at the Funky Dodo to join us. A few did, Becky from Jersey England, a man from Canada, another man from Switzerland, and Thomas from Iceland. It was a fun night full of Punta-ing, laughs and good memories. Overall it was a good first trip by ourselves in Belize. 

When we got back, I started to notice a few things. First, there are a lot of stray dogs in bad conditions here. It is very heartbreaking to see on a day-to-day basis. Second, Dangriga has the best mangos I have ever eaten in my life and that I already miss eating them and I’m not even back in America yet. Finally, I don’t think I have ever sweated this much in my life. EVER. And I am from Texas.

The next few days, me and a few others (not on the Poultry team) went to town council to discuss upcoming events, took pictures of the area, and interviewed local artisans. Later in the week, the same people and I helped the poultry team tear down a chicken coop and move another one to replace the old one. If you can’t tell their project is completely different than the rest of ours. All in all, we all have different struggles regarding our project, that we each try to deal with. Anyway after the moving of the glorified chicken coop, we finally got word that we were able to move into the PeaceWork house which is a post of its own… which will come very soon.

Until next post of things that already happened check out my photos of the trip on Instagram (@keepingup_withkelsi) or my personal VSCO & Instagram account (@kelsireyes)

cheers xX, and thanks for Keeping up with Kelsi!!

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Business Economics major Kelsi Reyes spent the Summer 2018 term in Belize.

Read more from Kelsi at https://keepingupwithkelsi.wordpress.com/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Keeping Up with Kelsi #HogsAbroad in Belize

Hi everyone! My name is Kelsi, I’m from San Antonio, TX and this is my blog.

To get to know me, here is some background info about me and the purpose of this blog:

I am a Junior at the University of Arkansas and I am studying Economics. This summer I will be studying abroad in Dangriga, Belize as an intern with Peacework. I will be there until the end of July and I am super thrilled to work along side Peacework’s staff, the business owners in Dangriga, and my fellow students from the University of Arkansas. I will be posting about my experiences, the country and culture of Belize, my fav foods, and pics, etc. I hope you tag along for season one of Keeping up with Kelsi!!

If you like it sooo much then you can also check this blog in the fall for season two of Keeping up with Kelsi. What is season two you ask? Well, I will be studying abroad (again) at the University of Essex in Colchester, England. Before my semester starts in October, my mother and I are going to be traveling around Europe. Then after my finals, I will be spending a few weeks by myself in Europe before starting my Spring semester at Arkansas. I will try my absolute best to write and share my fav moments, or life abroad in general.

My blog posts might be all over the place with topics or out of order but I will do my best to be cohesive. I won’t see most people until 2019, and I am not completely sure when I will have have time to update everyone on my journeys via FaceTime or WhatsApp. Soo the best way to be updated on my life is hopefully this blog. I am super excited to see what this summer and fall brings, and to share my adventures with y’all!!

P.S. For lots of pictures of my journeys follow the Instagram for this blog (@keepingup_withkelsi) or my personal accounts — VSCO & Instagram (@kelsireyes)

Cheers, and thanks for Keeping up with Kelsi :)))

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Business Economics major Kelsi Reyes spent the Summer 2018 term in Belize.

Read more from Kelsi at https://keepingupwithkelsi.wordpress.com/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Exceeding Expectations #HogsAbroad in Italy

Hello! My name is Jacob Velliquette and I am studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Arkansas. This summer, I was blessed with the opportunity to travel abroad to Rome and spend five weeks studying at the Rome Center. I took a Basics of Economics course along with a Basic Art History course and learned far more than I ever expected. I am currently blogging as I sit back at my home in Springdale, Arkansas only two days after arriving back in the states and just finally getting over my jet lag completely. As I reflect upon my time spent in Europe, I can’t help but smile and laugh in disbelief of everything that I was able to see and do. Upon arrival to Rome, I knew two other people on the trip. Now I have fifteen new lifelong friends that all go to school with me in Fayetteville.

Potentially the greatest highlight of my time spent abroad was all our travels on the weekends, but in particular, that very first weekend. Within the first three days of the trip, we managed to plan a weekend excursion to an island off the Amalfi Coast with nine other people that I had never met before in my life. We booked a large Airbnb to accommodate us all then set out for the beautiful island of Capri at 3am Saturday morning. This experience is something so unique and special to study abroad because in no other circumstance would I plan a vacation to travel away and stay in the same house as nine strangers who I had only just met days before. There is something about all being in the same boat of living in a totally foreign country without the comforts and familiarities of home that brings people together and creates friendships like nothing else.

I cannot think of a better way to learn art and economics than to visit and explore the markets, museums, and rich architecture of the city of Rome. Each day for class we would leave the classroom to observe a real-world lesson in art or in the practices of market exchange and supply & demand. I was able to make economic observations of things that at the surface seemed to not contain any economics at all. This class taught me so much more than economics; it taught me to look beyond the surface and to become a watchful observer of the world around me. You cannot learn that in a classroom in Fayetteville. I do not think that I have ever truly appreciated art until I was able to experience it in the context of Roman culture first hand. You can look at pieces of art on a screen or in a textbook all day and not be interested at all until you are living it, walking in it, and taking in every detail with your own two eyes. 

In preparation for the trip, I expected to feel more uncomfortable than I did. I didn’t expect to find joy in living in an apartment of our own and having to cook and clean and do our own laundry like independent adults, but I did. I didn’t expect to enjoy waking up early in the morning to walk a mile to class every day, but I did. I certainly didn’t expect to create as many new and lasting friendships as I did in such a short time, but I did. Absolutely everything about my trip and experience studying abroad completely blew my expectations out of the water. I could write a novel on all my adventures from the past month and must hold myself back from doing so. From seeing the inside of Saint Peter’s Basilica and the Colosseum, to feeding wild Reindeer on a Greek island, to learning to cook magnificent Italian dinners in my own apartment, to standing on top of the Florence Dome, to floating in the Mediterranean Sea without a care in the world, this last month has been the best of my life.

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Jacob spent the summer 2018 term at our U of A Rome Center.

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

The Ugandan Food Experience #HogsAbroad in Africa #FoodieFriday

Hi! My name is Hannah Oldham, but I go by Alex. I am a Fulbright College Honors student majoring in International Studies and African/African American Studies with a minor in Economics. I spent the spring semester studying development in Uganda through the School for International Training (SIT). I am writing this blog post because I received the STAB scholarship.

I spent the previous fall semester in South Africa on another SIT program and found the food to be, on the whole, rather unsurprising. Uganda, on the other hand, has a unique food repertoire. And, as much of the SIT experience is based on homestays, my food experience was a surprisingly central part of my semester.

The students on my program made the joke that Ugandans only make ten types of food, and seven of them are carbs. I made a list, and this isn’t entirely true, but the hyperbole is based on fact.

The carbs, which are like the baseline of all meals, are as follows: chapati (a flatbread similar to naan), rice (white), bread (store-bought, dry, and the whitest, most Wonder-bread-like I’ve eaten), Irish potatoes (which they just call Irish), and matooke (a type of banana related to the yellow ones we eat – picked very green, peeled like potatoes, and steamed wrapped in banana leaves). There is also sweet potatoes, yam, and cassava, but my families did not make these.

The other food included greens (cooked – apparently there was a variety, but my family made a bitter kind that put me off trying other kinds), beans, groundnut sauce (a sort of gravy-textured sauce made from peanuts, which they call groundnuts), and meat – predominantly chicken, pork, and beef in my house, although goat is also fairly common. Despite the variety and cheapness of fruits and vegetables, these did not make up significant portions on my meals with my families – the occasional avocado with dinner, jackfruit (the huge, bumpy green fruit that costs something like $26 at a supermarket and is used as the flavor of banana Laffy Taffys) for a snack, and bananas all the time. At the SIT office, there was watermelon, pineapple, papaya, and mango.

While the food itself was not bad (except, in my experience, the greens and the meat that was cooked in a weird, watery sauce), the relative monotony of it made for a challenge. When we went into the six-week research period and did not live with host families, I did not eat any Ugandan food, and I found I missed beans and rice, or beans and matooke.

There are two notable street-food phenomenon. The first is what we unceremoniously referred to as ‘street meat’ – any meat cooked on the street. 95% of Ugandans rely on wood and charcoal to cook their food, so street meat was cooked over open flames on metal grills. My friend and I tried it once, but we didn’t choose a good vendor from the multitude near our house. The chicken tasted like smoke and was rubbery. I also got pork on a stick, which I think was wrapped in chicken skin, and it made me unreasonably squeamish and I couldn’t try it. Again, other students had amazing street meat, and we even stopped on the way to the airport for two to buy their last meal.

The second phenomenon are Rolexes – like the watch, except the gritty part isn’t diamonds, it’s dirt. It is essentially a flat omelet – I think they’re called frittatas – put on a chapati and rolled into a burrito shape. Rolled = Rolex. If you’re lucky, the vendor cuts up onion, tomato, and/or green bell pepper into the eggs. When the frittata is flipped, the chapati is placed on top and then flipped over one last time when the eggs are done to warm the other side. It is greasy, cheap (UGX 1,500, which is less than 50 cents), makes you feel a little sick, and completely delicious. Rolexes are the food I will miss most.

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International Studies and African/African American Studies major Alex Oldham spent the spring 2018 semester in Uganda through SIT with the help of our our Office of Study Abroad Scholarship.

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I’m a local, not a tourist #HogsAbroad in France

So, this was my last weekend in Paris, and it was a crazy weekend!

La Tour de France was taking place on Sunday, July 23 and pretty much every single major avenue was closed. This made traffic horrible and confused people (mainly the tourists) because they did not know how to get to places because every avenue was closed. My friend Hannah, who is an RA at Humphreys Hall, studied abroad in France, and came to Paris this weekend before heading back to the States. I offered to give her a little tour of the city I have called ‘home’ for the past 10 weeks.

We took the metro to go to see the Arc de Triomphe (Arc of Triumph) & Champs-Elysees. We had to go through security because the Tour de France was taking place around that area. We walked all the way down Champs-Elysees, visited La Bisilique du Sacre-Coeur (Sacred Heart Basilica), walked around the beautiful Jardin des Tuileries (Garden of Tuileries), took a little walking break at Angelina and had the best pastries ever, and then walked across the Seine Riviere (Seine River) to the Latin Quarter where she bought macarons for her family and friends. To end the day, we took the metro to go see la Tour Eiffel at night.

(Here are some random pictures too)

Sacre-Coeur Basilica

You already know what it is
Petit Palais Museum
Alexandre III Bridge
La Tour de France @ Champs-Elysees

Angelina Cafe

Eiffel Tower at night (Fun fact: every night, every hour on the hour, the Tower it’s lit up with golden lights and sparkles for 5 minutes. Times are: 9 – 9:05 pm,   10 – 10:05 pm,    11 – 11:05 pm,    12 – 12:05 am,    and 1 – 1:05 am)

Much love,
Julio Ibarra, Jr.

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