Northumbria U 101 – The UK’s (and TCNJ’s) Best Kept Secret No Longer!
(Amanda Coe ‘11 provides us with an update from Northumbria U in Newcastle, England. TCNJ students interested in participating in this exchange may meet a representative of Northumbria U at the TCNJ Spring Career Fair, to be held on Friday, February 19, from 9am to 1pm in the TCNJ Rec Center.)
Amanda's picture of the Tyne Bridge, shrouded in fog and mystery!
So far, studying abroad in Newcastle upon Tyne has definitely been everything I had hoped for. The people are friendly and the city is beautiful. My dorm is nice and I’m pretty much convinced that single room in Claude Gibb Hall is bigger than the double I had in Brewster my sophomore year. While there were some small things to get used to – British food, looking the opposite way when crossing the street, and those tricky coins – it was really quite easy to feel at home here.
Since Northumbria is a city campus it is easy to walk everywhere in Newcastle. We are right by Eldon Square – the city center – and a short walk to Quayside, where the city’s famous bridge is located over the Tyne River. There is great shopping, indescribable nightlife, and you can see St. James Stadium from almost anywhere on campus.
Downtown Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Classes are very different and British students find themselves with much more free time than in the States. I am taking courses in Screenwriting, Corruption, and Jews, Christians and Muslims in the Middle Ages. British students spend the majority of their semester on one large project or paper and the professors are happy to let you focus these projects towards your individual interests or studies; for example, since I am a Film/Television/Radio Communications Major at TCNJ, I am writing my major essay for my Corruption seminar about corruption as portrayed in American cinema.
My “field trip class,” that I attend with other American students has already visited Hadrian’s Wall – a 1,900 year old Roman built wall and fortress – the Bowes Museum, art galleries and libraries located around Newcastle, and the Newcastle Royal Theatre. We will also be visiting castles, cathedrals, and the famous British lake district. (Find out more about “the Colloquium” on the Facebook Fan Pag As for myself – I’ve been to Newcastle United football matches and should be going to major Premier League matches within the next two months. In about ten days I’m going to be taking a mini-break cruise to Amsterdam with a friend and I’m already planning spring break trips to Spain, Italy, France, and Ireland.
- Amanda Coe ‘11 at Hadrian’s Wall
For more information about Amanda’s adventures, go to http://fromamandaabroad.blogspot.com. For more info about TCNJ’s exchange with Northumbria U., please go to http://www.tcnj.edu/~goglobal.
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Carolina Chica, TCNJ '12, visits the pyramids near Cairo, Egypt, during her study abroad semester at the American University in Cairo.
Since the moment I arrived at Cairo International Airport I knew that these four months might either be the best four months of my life or the worst. To begin with, I automatically thought to myself, “I should have taken Arabic classes.” It was difficult to communicate with the driver taking me to the New Campus at The American University in Cairo. He tried his best to point out interesting sites such as the President’s Palace, and I tried hard to understand. The first thing one will notice on their way to anywhere in Egypt is the traffic. Egyptians are among the fastest and could be considered one of the best drivers around. They make a two lane road into a four lane road. The locals should be considered artists in crossing the streets. There are no such things as the traffic lights, and people are constantly dodging fast paced cars. Once on campus it took two other study abroad students and I 20 minutes to explain that we needed to get into the campus. At this point I was ready to turn around and head back to TCNJ, but thankfully we were able to get inside and escorted to our rooms. Although the stated above can seem one’s worst nightmare come true, it turned out to be one of the funniest experiences ever. One week in Cairo and I have learned that if I am to survive in Cairo, I better pick up the language. Since then I have been on a mission to learn as much as possible.
Two of the thing that have amazed me the most have been both the people and weather. It is cold in Cairo! I have been in boots and sweaters since arriving. Another thing that has impressed me even more is the passion Egyptians have for their country and culture. The most obvious way people demonstrate their passion is through soccer. I was lucky to witness one of the more anticipated games, Egypt vs. Algeria. For those of you who do not know, Algeria and Egypt have serious issues with each other. Last time Egypt and Algeria played against each other and Algeria won, Egyptians took to the streets and tried burning the Algerian Embassy down. With that said, going to see the game had most of us on edge. We decided to go to The Hard Rock Cafe near the American Embassy in case anything would happen. Thank God, Egypt won. The streets of Cairo were literally filled with people running down and up the roads with Egyptians flags yelling “Misr!!” which translates to Egypt. It was amazing to see people united over the win. At that moment, it did not matter whether you were a local or not, we were all part of Egypt. It took about 2 hours to get back to our dorms because of the massive amounts of people on the streets. That without a doubt was one of the highlights of this trip so far. To make it even more exciting, a couple of days before the game, my new friends and I ran into Mahmoud El-Khatib “Bibo”, one of the greatest players in Africa, at a restaurant. Seems like you can run into just about anyone in the streets of Cairo.
Christina Mirisis '11 reacquaints herself with downtown Torino, Italy
Ciao dall’Italia!
After six months I have returned to the familiar surroundings of Torino, Italy. Honestly, the prospect of studying in Torino once again seemed like a distant dream last semester, but as the airplane descended upon the city and we flew over Lingotto (former Fiat factory on Via Nizza, the street I lived on last summer) I thought to myself I am not dreaming anymore, I really am back in Italy. I will be spending the next four months of my life in a city that became my second home and was my introduction to this fabulous country and culture. Although I am an American student living in a foreign country, I did not feel as though I were a foreigner upon returning to Italy because I gained a greater understanding and appreciation of the Italian language and culture last summer and last semester.
My first two and a half weeks in the city I have grown to love have been very busy and memorable. After dinner the first night our group walked around the city center where we strolled through two of Torino’s historic piazzas (Piazza Castello and Piazza San Carlo) which are flanked by Savoy residences (Palazzo Madama and Palazzo Reale). It was quite fitting to begin my study abroad experience by walking through the same piazzas I had walked through six months earlier at the beginning of my first study abroad program in Torino. Last Tuesday night I went ice skating at the Palavela which hosted the figure skating and short track speed skating events of the 2006 Winter Olympics. Not too many people can say they ice skated on an Olympic rink! Last Saturday my roommates and I visited the beautiful alpine city of Aosta in the neighboring region of Valle D’Aosta. Aosta, located near the French and Swiss borders, is a picturesque town surrounded by the Italian Alps.
Christina and her roommate vying for glory on Torino's Olympic ice!
Although I thoroughly enjoy visiting other cities and further exploring Torino, one of the most enjoyable and memorable aspects of my experience here is speaking with local shop owners in Italian. I am fortunate enough to live next to a bakery, Zio Pagnotta, which I visit every day to buy fresh bread and my favorite Italian cookies, Baci di dama (ladies’ kisses). I have also become a regular customer of the bakery across the street from my apartment, Pane e Amore, where I have become friends with one of the workers, Elissa. Every day I go to Pane e Amore Elissa greets me by saying Ciao Christina! The first time Elissa greeted me I was delightfully surprised because I have never been personally greeted by local shop owners back home. Interacting with such kind and welcoming shop owners and locals further reinforces the feeling that Torino has become my second home.
Some of the goals I have established for myself this semester:
1. continue making friends with locals
2. speak in Italian every day
3. become a language partner with local students
4. visit every, or almost every region of Italy (I’ve already been to eight)
5. spend my spring break in Greece
6. go skiing on the bunny slope in the Italian Alps
Alla prossima!
(Christina Dimato ‘11 spent the Fall 2009 semester in Siena, Italy, focusing on language acquisition and cultural immersion. In her own words, Christina relates her experiences from her study abroad program. For more infomation about this opportunity and others, come to the weekly information sessions on study abroad on Wednesdays at 2pm in Social Science 103 or check out our website at http://www.tcnj.edu/~goglobal.)
I recently came back from studying abroad for 3 months in Siena, Italy. For those of you who may not know, Tuscany is the birthplace of the Italian Standard language that is spoken today. When selecting a city for my study abroad experience in Italy, my main goal was to find a place where I could further develop my Italian and where I could feel comfortable. Siena was a perfect match for me because not only there is no dialect spoken there (in Italy there are so many dialects that it is easy to be influenced by them), but this quaint little city has also a visible history and culture within its walls. You realize this when you walk down the streets and the residential buildings you see are the same the people of Siena have inhabited since the Middle Ages. The structure of the city makes it easy to navigate and its geographical location makes it perfect to travel to other places; I had no problems taking a bus or a train to see other famous cities in Italy. Within a week one begins to understand the lives of the Sienese people and how they revolve around the Palio, the famous horse race that has been a tradition since the Fourteenth century. I was overwhelmed by the traditions this city has and I only wanted to learn more. I actually made my professor talk about them for an hour during class and she was more than willing to teach her students about the city’s history and express her love for Siena.
Beautiful Siena, Italy - from the air
Studying in Siena was just as good as living there. Each professor that we were assigned to (I had a total of 6, 2 a month) had their own story to tell and their own point of view on important issues. My classes were filled with discussions on politics, family issues, cinema, history, news, and of course grammar. They were held in Italian and having so many professors helped my Italian because not only was I taught in different ways but I was also exposed to the everyday speech of Italian and I became aware of the little nuances the language had. Perhaps the best part of studying in Siena was the fact that there were students from all over the world. There were no American students in my classes and I was very grateful for that. I was forced to speak in Italian to my peers because they couldn’t speak English, whereas in other study abroad locations I may have found myself in an American school. Studying with people from China, Japan, Indonesia, Poland, France, and Saudi Arabia opened my eyes and deepened my curiosity for other cultures. I was able to make a lot of friends and talk about different cultures and points of view.
I would highly recommend going to Siena to anyone who wants to perfect their Italian and is interested in history art and culture. Siena may not be as large as other Italian cities but it will quickly become your home and you will soon feel a part of this small but fascinating place.
(Hannah Pagán is a Communications Studies major at TCNJ and will be studying at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey, in Spring 2010.)
Hannah Pagán ’11, ready for her semester in Ankara, Turkey, at METU
In two weeks I’m headed back to what is currently probably my favorite place in the world: Ankara, Turkey. I’m going to the Middle East Technical University, a unique choice, I know! I’ve heard it over and again since I chose it, but I’ve basically been planning for this over the past two and a half years since I first got to TCNJ and learned it was a possibility.
When I was 12, I got to go to a wedding in Turkey, the son of a friend of my grandparents was getting married to a woman his parents arranged for him. It sound cliche, yeah, but man I got hooked! I loved it! Turkey has some of the most incredible sceanery: from deserts and fairy caves to lush waterfalls to ancient city walls to just everything! The history, culture, FOOD and the people have made me go back. And now, my third trip, is definitely going to prove to be the most exciting. I’ve definitely had my fair share of roadblocks getting where I want to go, but each one has fallen, and I’m finally getting ready to get on my way!
I’m a Communication Studies major here at TCNJ, planning on law school and an animal rescue in my future, but my absolute fascination with Turkey has given me this opportunity. TCNJ currently doesn’t have a program with METU, but it definitely goes to show how far determination and willpower can get you…and in my case, it’s getting me to Turkey. I’m currently planning on taking Turkish language, music, art, and perhaps an economics or International law class. I’ll be staying on campus, but will be able to visit our family friends out in Ankara, and a girl my age in their family who is at Bilkent University. I established relationships in Turkey as a child, but to solidify them as an adult is an opportunity I simply can’t turn down. I have preliminary classes for study abroad students on Turkish language and culture for two weeks, and the rest of the school starts on February 18th. I’ll be there until mid-June, beginning my finals as TCNJ begins her Maymester.
Excited? Beyond definitely. Nervous? Yeah. I’m going to miss my sisters, friends, family and boyfriend. But they’ll be here when I come back. I’ll have my entire senior year to enjoy TCNJ and their company. This semester however, is for me and Turkey.
Find out more about SFS at http://www.fieldstudies.org
Students at TCNJ benefit from our affiliation with the School for Field Studies, which offers study abroad programs in Australia, Costa Rica, Kenya, Mexico, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. While biology students will find a lot of opportunities to gain great experience in fieldwork, students interested in having an overseas academic adventure while earning liberal learning credits might also consider SFS programs as well.
Last semester TCNJ Magazine profiled three TCNJ students with positive experiences in SFS programs. Jessica Kafer ‘10 spent a semester with SFS at their field stations, combining an intense academic experience with work in a hospital. Jessica was able to learn more about public health within an African context and take that experience home with her, as she returned to TCNJ and plotted the course of her plans after graduation in May. Learn more about Jessica’s experience in her TCNJ Magazine profile.
Sara Jackrel ‘10 chose a semester in SFS’s program in Queensland for its focus on rainforest studies. Not only did SFS deliver an intense academic experience, both in the classroom and in the field, but it also provided Sara with a number of travel opportunities within Australia. Sara found the program to be a great preparation for the intensity of graduate school. Her TCNJ Magazine profile has some great pictures and quotes about her Aussie experience.
SFS is great for non-science majors as well. Political Science major Madeline Emde ‘10 went to the SFS program in Mexico to enhance her environmental studies concentration as well as to learn more about sustainable development in a new context. Madeline maintained a blog during her time in Mexico: http://maddiemexicotrip.blogspot.com. Madeline has some great words of wisdom about the value of the study abroad experience in general and the advantages of SFS programs in particular. Check out her TCNJ Magazine profile, too!
A representative from SFS will be on campus on Wed., March 17, to present these study abroad options to TCNJ students. A special information session will take place at 2pm in Social Science 103 that day. If students are interested in Summer 2010 and Fall 2010 options, they need to remember that the TCNJ deadline for applications is February 26! Please contact us in 111 Green Hall (or e-mail us at goglobal@tcnj.edu) for an advising appointment.
As we welcome back students to the TCNJ campus this January, we have a number of excellent study abroad options for them to consider in the United Kingdom (which includes Great Britain…which includes England…which, yes, includes London). With our Feb 26 deadline for Summer 2010 and Fall 2010 creeping up, we want students to have as much information as possible about a number of these great opportunities.
Wednesday, January 27: TCNJ Study Center in London – TCNJ offers its students a program where they can combine academic coursework with internship, service, or research experience in London. Hosted by the Foundation for International Education, the TCNJ Study Center divides the semester into two phases that last seven weeks. During Phase I, students take one of the four “key courses” available. One key course focuses on business in Britain, so this would be a great class for TCNJ business majors to take. Another key course presents a study of the arts in Britain, and two others investigate Britain’s role in Europe and British society. All of these courses would fit in a TCNJ liberal learning program nicely. Students then choose one more course from a long list of available offerings in Phase I.
In Phase II, students can continue to take courses, but there are incredible opportunities to gain practical experience in major fields of study by participating in the internship option in London. Students take the International Internship course and serve their internships at a London location that fits the needs of the students with the needs of the company or institution hosting the student. (Students should consult with their department advisors and TCNJ Career Services in preparing for their internship experience.) Similar opportunities exist for students interested in a significant service-learning experience in London.
Summer 2010 options exist, with an eight-week program structured along similiar lines available.
Erika Richards from FIE will be on campus on Wednesday, January 27. She will present an information session at 2pm in SB 103, but she may be available at other times to discuss the possibilities with TCNJ students. Application materials may be found here. Check out the TCNJ London Study Center website or stop by Green 111 for a brochure with more information.
Monday, February 1: Northumbria University in Newcastle – Northumbria University and TCNJ are exchange partners, meaning that students pay what they normally pay to TCNJ and then travel abroad for that semester (as long as they can afford the room and board in Newcastle, plus the plane ticket). This is a very affordable study abroad option for students, especially those on scholarships that may only be used for TCNJ tuition payments.
Newcastle, in the north of England, gets students out of the hustle and bustle of central London into a truly “English” city. Northumbria is one of several universities in Newcastle, so there is a vibrant student life, plus opportunities to travel throughout the UK (including Scotland, which is relatively close to Newcaslte). Northumbria University offers many course options for study abroad – students who need both liberal learning and courses in their majors will find a wealth of opportunities at NU. Northumbria also offers a very attentive international office that prepares students for the bureaucracy of overseas study with good cheer.
Rob Carthy and Prof. Jon Robinson from Northumbria will be on campus on Monday, February 1, and they will present an information session at 2pm in SB 103. We have four students at NU this semester, so we can also link current TCNJ students to them for more information. (Students looking to see what NU looks like should go to this great page: http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/brochure/visit/el/campus360/citycampusgeneral/.)
Wednesday, February 24: Oxford Study Abroad Program – TCNJ students have studied a wide variety of subjects at the University of Oxford, England’s oldest university and perhaps the world’s most prestigious institution of higher education. Students from the schools of business, arts and communication, science, and culture and society have all found rich academic experiences there, and there is no reason why students in TCNJ’s other schools won’t find things that are similarly enriching.
We will have a special entry about OSAP in the next few weeks, but students may mark this date on their calendars that Brendan Petersen from OSAP will be on campus all afternoon to present information about the program. There will be a special info session at 2pm in SB 103 and ample time afterwards to talk to faculty and students who have studied at Oxford in the past.
For more information about any TCNJ study abroad program, please come to Green Hall 111 or contact us at goglobal@tcnj.edu.
Angy Plata, TCNJ '11 - Study Abroad Student and Gilman Scholar in Spring 2010
TCNJ’s Angy Plata is studying abroad at Veritas University in Costa Rica in Spring 2010, and she is one of the lucky recipients of a Benjamin Gilman International Scholarship to help fund her studies there! Angy is a psychology major and a criminology minor, and she’s taking courses in Spanish with Costa Rican students at VU.
What better way to find out what Angy’s doing but to read her blog – http://angyincostarica.blogspot.com?! Her first entries introduce her host family and discuss her classes as well as upcoming fun activities.
For more information about the Gilman International Scholarship Program, go to http://www.iie.org/gilman, and for more information about TCNJ and study abroad, check out our website at http://www.tcnj.edu/~goglobal! We would love to connect students to scholarship opportunities and sources of financial assistance.
Aimee Fiorini, TCNJ '11, looking ahead to life in Japan later in Spring 2010
(Aimee Fiorini ‘11 is planning to study abroad in Tokyo, Japan, in the IES Abroad program at Meikai University. While she is a Spring 2010 study abroad student, her program does not start until April! We look forward to reading about Aimee’s experiences through the summer months.)
I am quite excited to study abroad next semester in Tokyo, Japan! My major is Music Performance with a minor in Japanese language. The particular school I am going to runs on a Japanese schedule, which means the semester will not start until April 1st and will end in July. But, this does not mean I will be on a four month break. I still will keep myself busy preparing for my semester abroad.
The idea of leaving is still seems like such a long time from now, but time always has a way of sneaking up before anyone notices. So, I will keep myself busy until I leave. My goals and aspirations for this trip are to improve my Japanese language skills and take in the new sights and people. I am also planning to live with a host family so that I can improve my language skills and cultural knowledge of the Japanese people. Of course, I am slightly nervous at the idea of being the stranger in a family’s home and being the new student again, but I am also very excited and can’t wait to experience a new life away from my home country.
(For more information about TCNJ study abroad options in Japan, please check out our website at http://www.tcnj.edu/~goglobal/undergraduate/locations.html#japan. We offer Japanses language classes on campus, but TCNJ also has a student organization dedicated to Taiko – learn more about this musical organization at http://tcnjtaiko.org/.)
(Elliot Stein ‘11 just returned to the US from the University of Wollongong in Australia, where he studied in the Fall 2009 semester. An electrical engineering major, Elliot studied Power Engineering, Communication Systems Modeling, Text and Gender, and Aboriginal Australia, earning grades of “distinction,” which isn’t easy in Oz! Elliot shares some of his adventures in text and photos below.)
Wow, where to start! Studying abroad in Wollongong, Australia was easily one of the best decisions of my life. From surfing everyday to learning Aussie slang and from taking classes at a beautiful top notch university to traveling all over the country, when reflecting upon my trip I can truly say I did it all.
An Australian kangaroo welcoming Elliot Stein "down under" in Fall 2009.
It started the first weekend hanging out with kangaroos on the beach to the final week camping with four mates in the Outback. I made lasting friendships with people from all over the world, Americans to Aussies to students from Germany, Norway, China, and UAE just naming a few. My Aussie suite-mates were the best, from talking rugby and sport with one to paddling out for early morning sessions with the other. Time management was ideal to get school work done, but the best parts of my Australian journey were the experiences I had traveling all over the country.
The one question I have been asked the most since arriving back in the states is: “What was your favorite part?” After many attempts at answering this complex question, I have boiled the answer down into three favorite parts. First, camping for a week in the Outback with four mates I met in Australia. We saw landmarks such as Uluru, Kata Tjuta, and Kings Canyon and not to mention the clearest night sky ever. Second, a trip into Sydney where I was hundreds of feet in the air for most of the day.
Sydney Harbour Bridge, Fall 2009
Uluru - aka "the Rock"
I went to rugby league and union games and became a true Wallabies fan after watching Australia battle New Zealand in the Bledisloe Cup. This brief overview only touches the surface of the great experiences and memories I created Down Under. Australia is the place to go if you are looking for the adventure of a lifetime.
(To learn more about study abroad opportunities for engineering majors as well as in Australia for all TCNJ students, please check out http://www.tcnj.edu/~goglobal and come to our weekly information sessions for study abroad on Wednesdays at 2pm in Social Science 103.)
