Travel and Politics #Hogsabroad in France #TransformationTuesday

"It is only when you move, when you travel, that you find yourself.  You become free when you step outside your inner walls."  These words were written by Azouz Begag, a French writer and sociologist.  For me, this quote sums up why I think studying abroad is so vital for a good college education.

I studied abroad in France for a year, a country known for wine, cheese, and scarves.  I fell in love with goat cheese, as disgusting as that sounds.  I also wore scarves and sweaters – judge me if you’d like.  As for the wine, it was pretty darn good.

More importantly, my time abroad challenged my own beliefs, political and otherwise.  Indeed, my time abroad did influence my vote in this last election.  On a general level, I saw a system that worked, and it challenged me to think about how we may learn from other nations to fix our own system.  The United States does not have a monopoly on good ideas.  For example, I came face to face with a system of socialized medicine – the equivalent of the f-bomb in American politics – and I survived.  In fact, I walked away from the experience very pleased.  I did not have to wait in any long lines, my care was not rationed, and had I needed medicine it would have been readily available.  On top of that, I received basic insurance (social security) from the French government; around $350 covered me for the entire year. 

I also benefited from France’s great infrastructure, particularly their public transportation.  I relied heavily on trains, metros, trams, and buses to get from place to place.  I thrived without a car – and since I hate driving, I loved every minute of it.  The USA needs to step up its game; our infrastructure, particularly our public transportation system (or lack thereof), needs to be revitalized if we hope to remain competitive in a globalized economy.  Investment in infrastructure must be a priority.

Finally, some of my fundamental political beliefs were challenged.  France and the United States share a lot of the same beliefs.  But I do remember a particular instance in a class called campus soir.  It was a French language class for foreign students.  I was the only American present.  We had a debate on the role of the media in society.  I found myself alone in my unwavering support for the Freedom of the Press, one of the freedoms guaranteed by the first amendment of the Constitution.  My European friends were not as trusting of the media, and my friends from Yemen explicitly blamed a lot of the Arab Spring’s violence on the media.  I considered their opinions, but came back to my conviction that a free media is essential for a democracy.  (I’d like to think I persuaded some of them to think about the media a little differently, as well.)

Studying abroad made me step outside of my inner walls, and I came back with a greater sense of who I was and what I believed.  The purpose of studying abroad isn’t to make you more liberal or more conservative, but rather to challenge the beliefs you take for granted and show you different viewpoints.  It gives you perspective.  This perspective allows you to come to more informed opinions once you come back home.  Who knows?  In the end, it might even affect the way you see the world and how you vote.  It did for me. 

Mark Nabors, Political Science & French Major
Le Mans Exchange Program

My New Zealand Adventure

My name is Joe Delnero, I am a senior broadcast journalism major and former station manager of UATV at the University of Arkansas. My career ambitions lie in fieldwork as a photographer, shooter, and video editor. I am an outdoors man; fishing, snowboarding, scuba diving, hiking and Ultimate Frisbee are my passions. My dream job is photographing for wildlife documentaries. Whether it means scuba diving (I am certified), camping with Grizzlies in Alaska (my summer 2013 plans), or even traveling unknown regions of the world alone (I have been exploring New Zealand for the past 6 months and I toured Europe for six weeks with my brother), I want to have a camera in one hand and adventure on my mind.

The University of Auckland in New Zealand exceeded all expectations providing me with creative learning opportunities both academically and outside the classroom in the tramping club.

 

I focused my studies on New Zealand specific film, media, and advertising to contrast what I have learned over the past three years at Arkansas. My film class featured Maori culture with “Whale Rider,” paralleling a chieftain daughter’s coming of age to the transition of tribal traditions to fit in the 21^st century. My New Zealand politics class went in depth into political coverage of Maori issues and how stories are framed, spun, or perceived. Close to 70 percent of stories involving Maori people are in negative contexts, most deal with assaults or murders. Separately, in  advertising, I learned about the commercialization of New Zealand symbols to appeal to national discourses. Through globalization, global products become localized to fit specific audiences. In New Zealand, McDonald’s marketed the KiwiBurger as a claim to fame for the egg-on-burger sandwich. The KiwiBurger inspires national pride for locals calling themselves kiwis and for tourists wanting to experience a burger reflecting the rare flightless kiwi bird inhibiting parts of the North and South island.

Outside the classroom, the Tramping Club provided ample opportunity for extreme adventures. Student leaders organized trips for every week. My first weekend, I tramped with a group to Waiheke, an isolated island just an hour from Auckland. The next weekend, I enjoyed a potluck Mexican meal in a hut with students in the Hunua Ranges after hiking 15 kilometers up and down the picturesque mountains. I explored the Pacific’s most recent volcanic island of Rangitoto where birds land in the palm of your hand. I wandered through the mystic Waitakeres, famous for black sand beaches and west coast surfing. I trudged through marshes and rivers, over low-tide muck, through Lord of the Rings sets, and over the mountains Peter Jackson filmed for scenic wide shots. Over spring break, the tramping club did two overnight hikes in the south island where we slept in isolated huts beneath shooting stars and a nearly full moon lighting snowcapped peaks around us.

Through the tramping club, I learned about the environmental impact of hikers, and the recent accomplishments of research and studies around the country. Currently, much of New Zealand is threatened by similar plant viruses and invasive species that have hit the United States. Before each and every tramp, we were required to coat our boots with antibacterial spray killing fungi and any potential seeds that may be lodged within. Many of the tracks face landslide problems from recent earthquakes, storms, and trampers setting up campsites outside their designated spots. Environmentally speaking, New Zealanders say they are so far behind, they are ahead. It’s true. The huts and tracks, overall, have minimal environmental impact because they are minimalist structures with just a firewood stove, a sink, and small mattresses. One single room hut along the Kepler track in the South Island only had space for eight hikers. 

For more pictures and videos of my New Zealand adventures, visit my website at joedelnero.weebly.com.

           

Travel and Politics

"It is only when you move, when you travel, that you find yourself.  You become free when you step outside your inner walls."  These words were written by Azouz Begag, a French writer and sociologist.  For me, this quote sums up why I think studying abroad is so vital for a good college education.

I studied abroad in France for a year, a country known for wine, cheese, and scarves.  I fell in love with goat cheese, as disgusting as that sounds.  I also wore scarves and sweaters – judge me if you’d like.  As for the wine, it was pretty darn good.

More importantly, my time abroad challenged my own beliefs, political and otherwise.  Indeed, my time abroad did influence my vote in this last election.  On a general level, I saw a system that worked, and it challenged me to think about how we may learn from other nations to fix our own system.  The United States does not have a monopoly on good ideas.  For example, I came face to face with a system of socialized medicine – the equivalent of the f-bomb in American politics – and I survived.  In fact, I walked away from the experience very pleased.  I did not have to wait in any long lines, my care was not rationed, and had I needed medicine it would have been readily available.  On top of that, I received basic insurance (social security) from the French government; around $350 covered me for the entire year. 

I also benefited from France’s great infrastructure, particularly their public transportation.  I relied heavily on trains, metros, trams, and buses to get from place to place.  I thrived without a car – and since I hate driving, I loved every minute of it.  The USA needs to step up its game; our infrastructure, particularly our public transportation system (or lack thereof), needs to be revitalized if we hope to remain competitive in a globalized economy.  Investment in infrastructure must be a priority.

Finally, some of my fundamental political beliefs were challenged.  France and the United States share a lot of the same beliefs.  But I do remember a particular instance in a class called campus soir.  It was a French language class for foreign students.  I was the only American present.  We had a debate on the role of the media in society.  I found myself alone in my unwavering support for the Freedom of the Press, one of the freedoms guaranteed by the first amendment of the Constitution.  My European friends were not as trusting of the media, and my friends from Yemen explicitly blamed a lot of the Arab Spring’s violence on the media.  I considered their opinions, but came back to my conviction that a free media is essential for a democracy.  (I’d like to think I persuaded some of them to think about the media a little differently, as well.)

Studying abroad made me step outside of my inner walls, and I came back with a greater sense of who I was and what I believed.  The purpose of studying abroad isn’t to make you more liberal or more conservative, but rather to challenge the beliefs you take for granted and show you different viewpoints.  It gives you perspective.  This perspective allows you to come to more informed opinions once you come back home.  Who knows?  In the end, it might even affect the way you see the world and how you vote.  It did for me. 

Mark Nabors, Political Science & French Major
Le Mans Exchange Program Year 11-12