Staying in the Moment

If you’re anything like me, you enjoy the comforts of home and familiarity. Before studying abroad, I had never been out of the country. For most people, their first time out of the country would not be for five straight months and 4,000 miles away. However, I had always dreamt about traveling the world since I was little.

I studied Sociology in Brighton, England for the entire spring semester. In preparation to leave for my study abroad experience, I had rose colored glasses of what my time would be like overseas. The initial culture shock was almost too much for me to bear when I first stepped onto English soil. No one had warned me of the small but very important differences in cultures before my experience abroad. Between the differences in food, everyday interactions, and classes I was completely overwhelmed in my first few weeks. At one point in time we all get a feeling of homesickness being away from what is familiar, whether it just be missing home cooked meals or friends. Eventually, I learned to adapt to my new surroundings and ultimately grew to love where I was at. The accessibility of facetime and texting eased all my feelings of homesickness. Even though I finally felt excited and comfortable where I was, homesickness comes in waves. No one discusses the highs and lows that come with studying abroad. For me, the lows were extremely low due to an increasing desire to be home and surrounded by familiar things. However, the highs were amazing and in those moments I never wanted to come home.

Every trip I went on, distracted me from thinking of home and brought me out of my comfort zone. In total I got to travel to France, Italy, Spain, Scotland, Greece, and Ireland.

Studying abroad challenged me to learn more about myself in so many different ways. I have learned to be more independent while also enjoying spending time by myself. After the homesickness started to subside, I realized the importance of staying in the moment and to take as many pictures as I can! Throughout my study abroad experience I got to take a trip to Scotland, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, and Greece! If I had let the feelings of homesickness take over me, I would not have been able to enjoy my experience to the fullest extent. Remember that homesickness comes in waves for many people, to live in the moment, and take every opportunity at your fingertips.

Travel Tuesday #HogsAbroad in England

Hi! My name is Caroline Johnson. I’m in the Fulbright Honors College double majoring in Criminology and Sociology. This spring, I got the incredible opportunity to do an internship abroad in London! I worked for Breaking Barriers; an amazing non-profit that helps refugees resettle in the United Kingdom.

I lived in student housing in the Whitechapel/Shoreditch area, which is a super cool part of East London. I have never lived in a city before, but I found that I loved living in such a busy area. There was always something to do every single night, and the public transportation made it so easy to get there. I went to trivia nights, speakeasys, plays, markets, ping pong tournaments, escape rooms, and a ton of other cool places. I’m also a big foodie, so I loved trying out all the new restaurants and cuisines!

While I really loved living in London, the best part of the entire study abroad experience was the travel. Every weekend, I flew out to a different city thanks to the very cheap Ryanair airline (£17 roundtrip to Germany!). I went to:

Barcelona, Spain

Paris, France

Brighton, UK

Cork & Kinsale, Ireland

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Heidelberg, Germany

Bath, UK

Salzburg & Vienna, Austria

Looking back, I am so glad I decided to study abroad. I had the time of my life running around Europe while also having an incredible internship doing real, important work. If you are considering doing a program like this, I would 100% encourage you to do it. I’m already planning a trip to go back!

Returning to Madrid #HogsAbroad in Spain #TravelTuesday

Hola! My name is Danni DeLozier. I’m a senior who is majoring in Criminal Justice, Sociology, and Spanish. Last year, I participated in the faculty-led summer program in Madrid, Spain, and am now blogging again as I just finished my study abroad trip in Madrid again this fall. It has officially been 2 weeks since I returned to the U.S. and I am missing my city dearly. I spent a total of 6 months in Madrid in 2018 and can confidently say I will be returning for a third time.

I have made so many memories in such a short period of time and I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to return to Madrid. I have honestly never felt so at home anywhere else. During my time abroad, I traveled to many cities in and outside of Spain. In total, I went to 12 different cities in Spain and 8 cities in other countries (Paris, Amsterdam, London, Munich, etc.). During my travels, I made many friends from all over the world and had the chance to visit their cities with them. It is nice to visit an unfamiliar city with locals to show you around!

As far as school, I took all courses in Spanish while in Madrid. I feel very confident in my Spanish after studying for 2 months in a language school and for 4 months in the university. Of course I have had many Spanish courses over the years, but my conversation skills definitely improved while I worked on my conversational skills in and outside of the classroom. I think the most helpful way to practice was speaking with my host mom at dinner every night. She would always just ask about my day and what plans I had for the week, things like that. We could talk for hours about anything and that is what really gave me a confidence boost in my language skills.

Now, being back home with my family, I am very happy to see everyone, but my heart is aching to return to Madrid. As I write this blog, I am also working on my application to teach English in Madrid starting in September! I graduate in May and after that, I plan to work all summer so that I can save up enough money to move back to my favorite place in the world. I will cherish all of the friendships and memories I have made over the last 6 months, and I will never forget how this experience helped me grow into the person I want to be.

Nos vemos pronto, Madrid!

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Criminal Justice, Sociology & Spanish major Danni DeLozier studied abroad in summer 2017 with our U of A Faculty-Led: Spanish in Madrid. She also spent the fall 2018 semester in Spain with through our U of A Exchange program at Universidad Nebrija, Madrid with the help of our Office of Study Abroad Scholarship.

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

Living in a Water Crisis #HogsAbroad in South Africa

happy monday!

well, i have been in cape town for two weeks now and i’m honestly dreading the day i have to leave in four weeks. but, here is to another month of classes, papers, and fun adventures!

the city is beautiful, each district filled with different cultures, architecture, and history. while cape town itself is filled with a dark history, it has been a journey learning more about it; i believe this aspect has added an important layer of depth and complexity that has only benefited my time here. but that’s a story for another day.

onto the subject! the water crisis!

for those who do not know, Cape Town is in the middle of an extreme drought; it is the first city in the world to come close to fully running out of water. originally, when i knew i would be spending my summer here, “Day Zero” (the day the city was bound for completely being without water) was set for September 2018. Due to rationing and the current rainy season, “Day Zero” has been set for late 2019, or maybe even into 2020. bless the rains.

because of the need to conserve water, each person living in Cape Town has been rationed to use around fifty liters of water per day. to put this in perspective, the average American shower is eight minutes long and uses sixty-five liters of water. so, obviously, coming from a country that is not in a water crisis, there are a lot more habits to put in place. in our dorm, we are not monitored by how much water we use, but it’s kind of an understood rule: do not use all the water.

to be honest, i feel a definite awareness of being a foreigner using the resources of a country in crisis. i do not necessarily feel guilt per se, but this feeling of: “it is a privilege to study here and you must respect their circumstances. you are not entitled to the fullness of resources.” i mean, yes, i need to shower and drink water, but there is a certain level of respect i much have as a guest in this city.

day – to – day, i am conscious of my water usage. a lot of conservation is in the little things that you do not really think about. for example: not leaving the water running while brushing your teeth, washing your face, or washing dishes. a simple trick is also using hand sanitizer instead of soap and water to wash your hands. other things we are asked to do are only doing laundry once a week and when we do, to either have a big load or pair up with other people… and obviously, take short showers. and i am not talking five minutes short… i am talking like, two minutes. maximum. i am slowly but surely getting the hang of this one.

even in the shower, there is still conservation. in the dorms, we put buckets on the floor of the shower. while waiting for the shower water to heat up, the excess water that falls in the bucket goes into the kitchen sink for washing dishes. but while you are actually taking a shower, you must switch out buckets for the “gray water” bucket. this “gray water” bucket becomes filled with excess shampoo, body wash, and water. we use the gray water to manually flush the toilet as one automatic toilet flush uses anywhere from six to thirteen liters alone. yes, i know this is kind of gross to talk about, but we gotta do what we gotta do. again, as this country’s guest, there is extra responsibility to respect the city’s circumstances.

adjusting to the water crisis has been a little easier than i originally perceived it would be. a lot of times, the line between need and want is quite clear when you learn what you are actually capable of living on.

while the “Day Zero” situation is becoming more hopeful, it is far from being finished. while riding in an Uber the other day, i heard a water report over the radio. the radio host’s concluding words perfectly summed everything up: “yes, we are having rain. things are getting better. but we must keep going. the crisis is far from over.”

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International Studies major Layne Coleman spent the Summer 2018 term in South Africa.

Read more from Layne at https://lifeoflaynecoleman.wordpress.com/

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

I Thought This Week Would Be Easier to Sum Up #HogsAbroad in South Africa

well, as of tomorrow at 9:51am, i will have officially been in cape town for one week! i honestly thought that when i would write this post, all i would have to say was: “great first week! these are pictures of the people i’ve met and the cool touristy things i’ve done! yay traveling!”

and while all of those things are true and i will talk about the fun things i’ve done, that is only the surface. if we’re being completely honest, this week has been extremely stretching: emotionally, mentally, spiritually, insert adverbs here…

i guess before i explain a little how this week has been stretching, i want to clarify that i am in no way trying to gain pity. being stretched is good! being stretched is real! i also don’t want to portray this experience thus far as disappointing, or even unenjoyable because that is not the case: this week was a great start to what i will most likely call “one of the greatest journeys of my entire life.” i will also note that i prayed to be stretched and spent. when studying Jesus’s words, “ask and you shall receive,” i think i somehow disillusioned myself into thinking that He will not deliver in fullness at the time in which He declares…. which we all know is far from the truth. so, for these six weeks, i prayed for growth, understanding, and to be stretched like never before. i couldn’t help but laugh at myself when the middle of this week hit and i was wondering why i was feeling discomfort. it was in that moment when i could hear the Lord whisper, “this is when the real faith begins. don’t shove what you are feeling back down. push through the discomfort.” that statement is becoming a daily reminder, and sometimes even hourly, depending on the day. and i think ultimately at the end of the day, it is still a challenge from the Lord: “do you trust who I say I AM? will you choose Me?”

now to actually describe the discomfort. i don’t think i have actually told many people the classes i am taking here, but they! are! really! cool! i am taking a class on Poverty + Development in South Africa, as well as having an internship with a local non-profit organization (more on that to come!). in my poverty + development class, we immediately began tackling the hard conversations, topics, and even had to work through extremely tense moments as a class. i really won’t go into details about these discussions because it would take a lot of time, but i will say that, what i believe, what i think, and even how i think has been challenged — but all for productive means and long-term benefits that i can’t begin to fathom right now. and i am becoming okay with that.

moving on from my classes (which i will definitely write more about later on), on to the fun things! this week, outside of class, i have made/deepened friendships, written papers, explored different districts of the city, gone to the top of Table Mountain, toured a township right outside of the city which was followed by a traditional south african BBQ…

honestly, there’s not really a good way to explain what i’ve done through words so….

here is the view from the apartment balcony!

you can see Table Mountain National Park in the distance with the Rondebosch district below. I spend most of my time in Rondebosch because this is where our group lives + takes classes.

on wednesday after our first morning of class, our entire program took a walking tour of the Central Business District and the beautiful Company Gardens! here is another glimpse of Table Mountain from the Gardens: the entire city is basically centered around the mountain so it is never really out of sight!

wednesday afternoon/night, my friends and i took the cable car up to the top of Table Mountain since it was a clear and beautiful day! for those who don’t know, it is currently the winter season in south africa so it is a little chilly and rainy quite often! the best time to do anything outdoors is to wait for the clear and sunny days that are unpredictable.

i was in awe as we reached the top of the mountain. i honestly felt as though i was weightless at the top of the world… it was also a mesh of feeling small, but limitless. like, i have nothing to bring the Lord, but He still allows me to bask in His glorious creation? it’s humbling, yet empowering… actually maybe this is more of a “you had to be there” to understand kind of moment. idk.

i also made friends! wowowowow these girls are freaking fantastic. who would have thought that after only seven days, i would have created long-lasting friendships?? i definitely did not think so at first. kaitlyn, haley, becca, elizabeth, and mia, you all have surprised me in the best way possible!

i guess these photos portray the real aspect of why i am in south africa… taking classes. the picture above was taken at a hole in the wall coffee shop my friends and i went to in the Observatory District of Cape Town on Thursday night. not the most fun thing we could have been doing, but there was such a relaxing/peaceful feeling about escaping Rondebosch and drinking coffee/eating fifty percent off pizza in the local neighborhoods of the city.

Friday, we went to the Cecil Rhodes Memorial Restaurant for lunch and had class overlooking the city (photo above). not a bad view for a cold + rainy day with class in session.

on Saturday, our group traveled to the Langa Township and received a tour! the people of Langa were extremely kind and i am very grateful that they allowed us to enter their homes and communities. i learned a lot about townships and the various communities of cape town due to the apartheid era through this tour, but that merits a blog post of its own. soon to come. swear.

after this, we had south african bbq and it. was. delicious. i apologize in tenfold for not taking a picture of the food.

well, if you made it to the end of this, congratulations are in order and also thank you for reading what i have to say. i am definitely not an expert on anything i have discussed and will continue to discuss, but i am growing in knowledge and am trying my best!

upcoming posts (hopefully):

-what’s it like to live in a city that has a water crisis?

-how can i see the effects of apartheid twenty (ish) years later?

-the complexity of south african society

-leaving my christian bubble

-the adventures of twenty-somethings trying to do touristy things without being stereotypical american tourists

and the clock just stroke midnight! happy monday 

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International Studies major Layne Coleman spent the Summer 2018 term in South Africa.

Read more from Layne at https://lifeoflaynecoleman.wordpress.com/

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

Cynthia In Alicante #HogsAbroad in Spain

Hola!

My name is Cynthia Edwards and I am a Fulbright student studying Political Science with minors in Legal Studies and Sociology. I went through the USAC program to study abroad in Alicante, Spain, which is on the South Eastern coast of the country during the summer session of 2018. I chose to study abroad because I knew that it would be a once in a lifetime opportunity and I would absolutely regret it if I did not go during my undergraduate career. I specifically chose to look at the difference between cultural customs and laws in Spain with comparison to the United States because they are vastly different, and I want to attend law school after graduation (yay more school)!

(Number 12 is where Alicante is)

I first flew into Madrid for a three-day field study, where other USAC students and myself were able to go to multiple museums and travel to Toledo and Segovia. Personally, Segovia has been my favorite travel destination so far, because it is absolutely beautiful and full of amazing architecture and history. On the way to Segovia, we visited the Valley of the Fallen (Valle de los Caído) which is a Catholic basilica and monumental memorial for those who passed during the Spanish Civil War. It has been a site of controversy since the memorial was eradicated by Franco, the dictator of Spain from 1939-1975. However, I found it to be a peaceful and beautiful site and a must-see if you are ever near Madrid.

(Valley of the Fallen)

When I arrived in Alicante, I was a little overwhelmed because I had become accustomed to Madrid and it is entirely different than the culture and pace of Alicante. However, my host parents, Rosa and Pedro, really helped with my assimilation into the daily life here. Culture shock is real, and it did affect me, but now I love the city and plan on travelling to Amsterdam next week since I feel more comfortable with travelling in Europe now. My favorite part of Alicante and living with a host family is the FOOD. If you are thinking of studying abroad I highly recommend living with a family because they will treat you like one of their own, feed you amazing food, and tell you all the best places to go locally.

(Below is a picture of Paella, which was created in this area!)

If you are ever near Alicante, I suggest visiting the city of Altea, which is only a two-hour tram ride away and costs a whopping price of $2.30. It is absolutely gorgeous and reminds me of Greece with all of the white and blue buildings. It is a much quieter and slow-paced area with a beautiful beach and amazing restaurants. Perfect for a day trip!

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Cynthia spent the Summer 2018 term in Alicante, Spain through USAC, with the help of our our Office of Study Abroad Scholarship.

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

Global Community Development #HogsAbroad in Belize

Hi! My name is Carley Brown. I recently graduated with a major in social work and a minor in sociology. I had the opportunity to do community development as my last internship in the beautiful country of Belize. I spent three weeks in Dangriga. Belize is located south of Mexico and east of Guatemala and is composed of Mestizo, Creole, and Garifuna ethnic origins. 

Our time in Dangriga consisted of serving the local community by providing alternative interventions in the local schools. We taught lessons in various schools in the community. These lessons included topics such as respect, bullying, conflict resolution, self-esteem, and self-care. A week prior to leaving the country was spent preparing multiple lessons for the classrooms and small group sessions. One lesson we found effective was a lesson on respect. Each student made a chart about what respect looks like in the classroom, at home, on the playground, and in the community. Respect and bullying are prominent issues in the schools. We also did small group sessions, which consisted of doing group intervention with students. This was the first year the University of Arkansas students did small groups. Behavioral issues that the students may struggle with include blurting out, disrupting peers/teachers, disrespect, bullying and violence. Our team was able to teach students positive affirmations, empathy, respect, and conflict resolution. Many of the activities focused on regulating negative and positive emotions. As this was the University’s first attempt at implementing therapeutic small groups, students were able to identify areas for change and growth for future student groups including a need for one on one sessions, teen groups organized by gender, and involving the family unit to enable a more comprehensive approach to change.

As a team, we worked with Youth Cadets, those in the community who are facing adverse situations. We spent time doing activities that involved communication skills and emotional regulation. One activity that was effective was group yoga. This activity was followed by a lesson on ways to maintain emotional distress. In the afternoons, we worked with the elderly women in Dangriga. We played memory games and made arts and crafts. During our first meeting we had close to 30 members and we played memory bingo. The women love Bingo so this was a huge hit! The second week we played Belize trivia and made memory flower crafts. The women loved the trivia questions about their country and enjoyed writing life memories on their pedals of their flowers. We also served in a special needs classroom. We read with them, exercised motor skills through arts and crafts, and sang and danced with them. We organized a royalty themed parade to educate community members on Special Needs. They loved the parade! 

Lastly, a few Social Work students had the opportunity to do home visits and hospital visits. During these visits, we were able to care for the ill through emotional, physical, and spiritual support. Rapport was built within the community and we learned about various family dynamics and caregiver roles provided primarily by the family unit. In comparison to western hospice care, Dangrigan care followed more of a spiritual/emotional model as compared to a medical model within the United States. Spiritual support was incorporated in every visit and students engaged in Christian prayer and song with patients.

Through this opportunity to study abroad, I gained a deeper understanding of cultural competency. I grew in professionalism as a social worker by being immersed in a diverse culture. Overall, this experience has challenged and changed my perspectives to become more inclusive.

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Carley spent the 2018 summer term in Belize with our U of A Faculty-Led: Global Community Development program with the help of our our Office of Study Abroad Scholarship.

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

Reminder: LAST CALL Info Session TODAY for University of Arkansas Rome Center Spring 2018 Opportunities #HogsAbroad

Interested in studying at the U of A Rome Center this coming Spring? Come to this LAST CALL information session this afternoon! Spring Rome Center applications are due Friday, September 15!

Come learn about semester programs in Rome. The program is open to all majors, and major credit hours are available for Journalism, Communication, Political Science, Sociology, International Studies, Economics and Ag Communication students!

Visit studyabroad.uark.edu/romecenter for more information.

LAST CALL Info Session: University of Arkansas Rome Center Spring 2018 Opportunities #HogsAbroad

Interested in studying at the U of A Rome Center this coming Spring? Come to this LAST CALL information session! Spring Rome Center applications are due Friday, September 15!

Come learn about semester programs in Rome. The program is open to all majors, and major credit hours are available for Journalism, Communication, Political Science, Sociology, International Studies, Economics and Ag Communication students!

Visit studyabroad.uark.edu/romecenter for more information.