Posts represent students’ in-progress documentation of their overseas program experiences. Below are some featured posts, see here for all recent posts, and here for a map of geotagged posts.
Bath, Stonehenge
You might not be able to get that close to it they said. It might not be that impressive they said. Somehow, the distance was perfect And I wouldn’t even have felt comfortable walking among such hallowed ruins. Bath itself was a welcome break from the …
Culture Shock
I was expecting on having a hard time adjusting to a different country, a new culture, and living with a family. It has been shockingly easy, to be honest. I recognize that there are ups and downs in expereinces like this, and I probably owe the ease o …
Ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism is judging another cultures’ traditions as being inferior based on the idea that one’s culture is the best. Family is the most important thing here in Ecuador, which the people are very proud of. One thing that struck me as being really d …
Ethnocentrism Assignment
The topic of “ethnocentrism,” looms large in my life and thoughts here in Ecuador. Daily, I struggle to rationalize my emotions and visceral responses to the culture shock I experience while traveling in South America. I try to take into consideration …
First Impressions of Cuba
My group landed in Havana, Cuba after our subsequent red eyes to Atlanta, Georgia, groggy and ecstatic and generally overwhelmed by what we were getting ourselves into. Despite a history class and a few orientation meetings, any logistical details and …
History was made in the life of me
Taken from a post from my blog: okayzoeyk.com I know this is a bold title, and after you’re done reading it you may be like “Wow really Zoey seriously? A painting?” but if you know me, than you know this is no ordinary painting. This is the Arnolfini …
Home
Arriving in Havana was like waking up in a submarine after a night of half-awake haze. I look out the window feeling confident that I have left my home but am not yet sure that this new life is all too different from that I am accustomed to. Soon I rea …
La Idea de la Familia
De niña, siempre he sido una persona muy independiente. Porque de eso, no pienso que quiero casarme o tener hijos. Es difícil para imaginar comprometerme con alguien. Desde estar en Cuenca, me he dado cuenta que la gente empieza buscar una pareja de vi …
Locality First, Nationality Second
How long do you have to live in a city before you can say you’re “from” there? How many people do you have to know? How many restaurants do you have to eat at before you can say the words, “I’m from this city,” and not feel like a phony? The question, …
On paying someone to carry your groceries for you
I fancy that I am not ethnocentric at all—although I certainly make comparisons from others cultures to my own, I don’t think of myself as making judgements. And after living in a couple different cultures and really trying to understand them (to the b …
One Australian Nation?
On January 26, Australia Day, I attended two festivals in Sydney. The first was the Aboriginal Yabun festival, held in a park with vendors, food, music, and performances embracing Aboriginal culture. The second was a “traditional” Australia Day celeb …
Q&A: The London Program
This is from a post from my blog, okayzoeyk, answering questions my followers had about the program when it was halfway. Have you started talking with a British accent? Haha no I have not! I think I’ve started picking up some of the lingo though but n …
Reflections: In the Big City
The semester is – incredibly – almost over, but I suppose I can take a look back to the beginning and my first thoughts. Initially, I was a bit surprised at the extent to which London is so fully globalized. Classical English literature and history (wi …
The Closest You’ll get to Yelp
Eating in Havana has been a challenging, fun, and confusing part of living in Cuba. During our time on the program we’ve found great food and not-so-great food. The hardest part of eating here has probably been the lack of variety that we’re used to in …
The Value of Cultural Comparison
Ethnocentrism is a term that describes the tendency for people to view another culture through the lens of their own cultural upbringing, placing their culture at the center and scaling all cultures in reference to it. I can see how this can easily be …
Typical Day in Cuba
I woke up to the standard breakfast of eggs, fruit, bread, butter, jam, coffee, and a smoothie—a start to every day that I particularly love. The city was bathed in a fuzzy golden light as the sun rose to burn off some of the lingering fogginess. It’s …