I used to not like mosquitoes with a passion.
Now I absolutely hate them.
I counted 15 bits on my arms, legs, and even my ear! I'm dying of the itchiness and have bought just about every protection and treatment possible. Blah...
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Catch Up Time
First, I have to admit again that I am a horrible blogger. I just realized that my last blog was in the middle of my HIA Fellowship in Berlin, and I never even updated on how the rest of the program turned out.
The short answer: absolutely amazing.
I ended up writing my final paper with Anton and Oscar on upward educational mobility, specifically regarding the challenges that low-income and first-generation students face in accessing higher education. It was a fantastic and extremely eye-opening experience to say the least.
We presented our findings to an audience of our fellow Berlin Fellows and supporters. They liked our presentation so much they voted us to present in front of everybody in Copenhagen (i.e. all 108 HIA Fellows from the five national programs as well as a whole host of Senior Fellows, Country Chairs, and supporters. 'Twas a fun experience. =]
I returned to the US on July 9th after the international closing ceremonies in Copenhagen. Then spent the next few weeks in Seattle, going from one meeting to the next to gear up for the next year for Dream Project and Scholarship Junkies. It was a pretty nuts three weeks that was extremely intense and not as productive as I'd hoped.
I then spent ten days at home in Spokane with my family since I hadn't really been home in quite a few months nor seen them much with the five weeks in Berlin. Plus I wouldn't see them again until Thanksgiving.
After a productive leadership and planning retreat for Dream Project, I took off again for more international travels. This time I was heading for Italy for my Exploration Seminar on Immigration, Education, and Identity in Rome. Just like my trip to Berlin last year, this year's program is from August 25 to September 19.
Brukab and I took off a few days early so we could do some traveling before our program. We left on August 19 from Seattle on a 10-hour non-stop flight to Frankfurt, Germany, before we boarded our short one hour and 15 minute flight to Venice. Frankfurt was a nice break to relax and practice my German again. =]
We stayed two nights in Venice and got to do quite a bit. We had both heard that there wasn't much to see in Venice and that it wouldn't be worth more than a day there. After staying there for two nights, we both had to respectfully disagree.
Venice is a small, quaint city floating on massive amounts of water. It's a city that you actually want to get lost in since you're on an island and basically can explore every corner it had to offer. Not to mention the major tourist stuff (which I did not care for too much) like St. Mark's Square, the Doge's Palace, the Campanile, and the Basilica of St. Mark. Plus the oh-so-(in)famous gondola rides. No, we did not get sucked into that tourist trap with the smelly water and ridiculous rates, but we did take tons of pictures.
However, we did do some things that revived my AP Art History memories again. We saw Palladio's Church of San Giorgio across the water from St. Mark's Square and Tintoretto's Last Supper hung majestically on the church wall. I had a field day sitting in that church with barely anyone around.
On Friday, we took a 2 and a half hour train ride from Venice to Florence. It was a completely different city--from a completely water-surrounded haven to a drier, larger, and more geographically diverse city, I wasn't quite sure at that point how much of a fan of the city I was.
Then we started walking.
Friday night when we arrived we made our plans to visit the Uffizi where Botticelli's Birth of Venus and La Primavera are, as well as the Accademia where Michelangelo's David stands. Since the lines tend to be long, we wanted to go buy our tickets for the weekend on Friday night. When we got to the Accademia, there was literally no line and it was 2 hours before closing. So we entered.
All I can say is: Wow.
That was only the beginning of my AP Art History escapade though as on Saturday we visited the Bargello National Museum (saw Donatello's David, albeit while it's lying on its face for restoration, as well as Ghiberti and Brunelleschi's panels of the Sacrifice of Isaac for the Baptistry door competition), the Church of Santa Croce (saw the tombs of Machiavelli, Michelangelo, and Galileo as well as Giotto's great artwork), the Church of Santa Maria Novella (saw Massaccio's Trinita), and then the Duomo Museum (saw Donatello's Mary Magdalene, Michelangelo's Pieta, and the original panels from Ghiberti's Baptistry doors. Amazing!
I ended up journaling in a little corner on the Pontevecchio Bridge (pictured above) overlooking the Arno River with a view of the Uffizi Gallery just behind the row of rounded arches on the water's edge. Later that night, I journaled on the steps outside of the Pieta exhibition (pictured below--thanks, Brukab, for taking my picture). It was amazing to be able to sit in peace in front of one of the most impressive art pieces to write my thoughts. Other journal entry locations: in front of Michelangelo's David in the Accademia, in San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, and in front of Botticelli's La Primavera in Florence's Uffizi Gallery.
There's so much art history in Florence though that I just need to go see it all. Anyway, I'm exhausted right now and am falling asleep as I write this, so time for bed. More later.
Sam
The short answer: absolutely amazing.
I ended up writing my final paper with Anton and Oscar on upward educational mobility, specifically regarding the challenges that low-income and first-generation students face in accessing higher education. It was a fantastic and extremely eye-opening experience to say the least.
We presented our findings to an audience of our fellow Berlin Fellows and supporters. They liked our presentation so much they voted us to present in front of everybody in Copenhagen (i.e. all 108 HIA Fellows from the five national programs as well as a whole host of Senior Fellows, Country Chairs, and supporters. 'Twas a fun experience. =]
I returned to the US on July 9th after the international closing ceremonies in Copenhagen. Then spent the next few weeks in Seattle, going from one meeting to the next to gear up for the next year for Dream Project and Scholarship Junkies. It was a pretty nuts three weeks that was extremely intense and not as productive as I'd hoped.I then spent ten days at home in Spokane with my family since I hadn't really been home in quite a few months nor seen them much with the five weeks in Berlin. Plus I wouldn't see them again until Thanksgiving.
After a productive leadership and planning retreat for Dream Project, I took off again for more international travels. This time I was heading for Italy for my Exploration Seminar on Immigration, Education, and Identity in Rome. Just like my trip to Berlin last year, this year's program is from August 25 to September 19.
Brukab and I took off a few days early so we could do some traveling before our program. We left on August 19 from Seattle on a 10-hour non-stop flight to Frankfurt, Germany, before we boarded our short one hour and 15 minute flight to Venice. Frankfurt was a nice break to relax and practice my German again. =]
We stayed two nights in Venice and got to do quite a bit. We had both heard that there wasn't much to see in Venice and that it wouldn't be worth more than a day there. After staying there for two nights, we both had to respectfully disagree.
Venice is a small, quaint city floating on massive amounts of water. It's a city that you actually want to get lost in since you're on an island and basically can explore every corner it had to offer. Not to mention the major tourist stuff (which I did not care for too much) like St. Mark's Square, the Doge's Palace, the Campanile, and the Basilica of St. Mark. Plus the oh-so-(in)famous gondola rides. No, we did not get sucked into that tourist trap with the smelly water and ridiculous rates, but we did take tons of pictures.
However, we did do some things that revived my AP Art History memories again. We saw Palladio's Church of San Giorgio across the water from St. Mark's Square and Tintoretto's Last Supper hung majestically on the church wall. I had a field day sitting in that church with barely anyone around.On Friday, we took a 2 and a half hour train ride from Venice to Florence. It was a completely different city--from a completely water-surrounded haven to a drier, larger, and more geographically diverse city, I wasn't quite sure at that point how much of a fan of the city I was.
Then we started walking.
Friday night when we arrived we made our plans to visit the Uffizi where Botticelli's Birth of Venus and La Primavera are, as well as the Accademia where Michelangelo's David stands. Since the lines tend to be long, we wanted to go buy our tickets for the weekend on Friday night. When we got to the Accademia, there was literally no line and it was 2 hours before closing. So we entered.
All I can say is: Wow.
That was only the beginning of my AP Art History escapade though as on Saturday we visited the Bargello National Museum (saw Donatello's David, albeit while it's lying on its face for restoration, as well as Ghiberti and Brunelleschi's panels of the Sacrifice of Isaac for the Baptistry door competition), the Church of Santa Croce (saw the tombs of Machiavelli, Michelangelo, and Galileo as well as Giotto's great artwork), the Church of Santa Maria Novella (saw Massaccio's Trinita), and then the Duomo Museum (saw Donatello's Mary Magdalene, Michelangelo's Pieta, and the original panels from Ghiberti's Baptistry doors. Amazing!
I ended up journaling in a little corner on the Pontevecchio Bridge (pictured above) overlooking the Arno River with a view of the Uffizi Gallery just behind the row of rounded arches on the water's edge. Later that night, I journaled on the steps outside of the Pieta exhibition (pictured below--thanks, Brukab, for taking my picture). It was amazing to be able to sit in peace in front of one of the most impressive art pieces to write my thoughts. Other journal entry locations: in front of Michelangelo's David in the Accademia, in San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, and in front of Botticelli's La Primavera in Florence's Uffizi Gallery.
There's so much art history in Florence though that I just need to go see it all. Anyway, I'm exhausted right now and am falling asleep as I write this, so time for bed. More later.Sam
Monday, June 16, 2008
Human Rights in Berlin
It's been a few days since my last blog, so there's a lot to catch up on. We've stayed busy during our time in Berlin with our program schedule. We've had different lectures and site visits during our time here. Last Wednesday, we went to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp in Oranienburg. It was my second time visiting the former labor camp as I had visited it during my first trip to Berlin last year, but the feeling of standing in the vast courtyard is still a surreal experience.
On Thursday, we spent the day listening to different speakers, including a former labor camp inmate. It was remarkable to hear his first-hand experiences. We met at the Anne Frank Center in Berlin, which was sort of hidden in a small alley in the central part of town. The picture below is of a few of the German Fellows in our program waiting for our morning event.
On Friday, we went to Hohenschönhausen, the former Stasi prison in Berlin. We were given a great tour by Hans-Eberhard Zahn, who was imprisoned there from 1952-1954. He had a charm and charisma about him that is even more impressive considering what he went through at the prison. He showed us his cell, where he was kept in solitary confinement for many months. He was able to joke about how comfortable the bed was and the limited space in the confines as well. Below is a picture of him wrapping up our tour with a word about the nature of freedom.
We didn't have a program on Saturday, so I spent my afternoon wandering around many of the sites I had already visited in Berlin last year. I started off at the Zoologischer Garten where I took a picture of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church that had been mostly blown out during WWII.
It got too touristy for me there, so I hopped back on the S-Bahn to go to the Hauptbahnhof
where I walked across the Spree River to get past the Reichstag and into Pariser Platz. The American Embassy there is finally fully constructed versus the massive amounts of construction I saw last summer. I took a picture of the Brandenburg Gate just for good measure although I got my fill of it last year.
I met up with our Bosnian Fellows, Ljobo and Dajana at Alexanderplatz and ended up walking with them and Anika, one of the German Fellows. We visited Nikolai Quarter and the Lustgarten before heading to Gendarmenmarkt.
I took a picture with the status of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels again too.
The weather was nice all day but rain threatened every few minutes with a few drops of water. We ended the evening by getting dinner with some of the other Fellows in Kreuzberg that night.
On Sunday, I ended up going to Potsdam since I live less than 15 minutes away in Nikolassee. I went with Neaka and Alli, two of the American Fellows, to Schloss Sanssouci, the palace of Frederick the Great. I had gotten a tour of Potsdam and Sanssouci last year with my program, so I was able to navigate the city pretty well. In fact, I had to practice my German at the Hauptbahnhof because we had bought the wrong tickets for the bus and S-Bahn.
The weather was very cooperative for our little outing in Sanssouci. We had nice sunshine in the afternoon for our whole trek through the massive gardens. We walked more than 2 km from the east end of the park to the west end and then back. We went to visit the Chinese Palace where we decided to pose as the gold statue on the top of the building. It was pretty fun!
The castle itself is not very large by German castle standards. It does, however, have an amazing view of Potsdam and all of the land. The picture below looks out over the different layers leading up to Sanssouci Castle.
Today, we had a few discussions that were really fruitful and great presentations. We talked to some asylum seekers in Germany and learned about the challenges facing folks who are seeking asylum. We also had some time to hear from a former Neo-Nazi who shared his experiences with us and also what he is doing now to help Neo-Nazi's discover life outside of that scene. Very interesting indeed.
This week will conclude our hectic schedule, but starting next week, we'll begin our research period and begin laying the foundations for our final presentations on July 4.
Until next time,
Sam
On Thursday, we spent the day listening to different speakers, including a former labor camp inmate. It was remarkable to hear his first-hand experiences. We met at the Anne Frank Center in Berlin, which was sort of hidden in a small alley in the central part of town. The picture below is of a few of the German Fellows in our program waiting for our morning event.
On Friday, we went to Hohenschönhausen, the former Stasi prison in Berlin. We were given a great tour by Hans-Eberhard Zahn, who was imprisoned there from 1952-1954. He had a charm and charisma about him that is even more impressive considering what he went through at the prison. He showed us his cell, where he was kept in solitary confinement for many months. He was able to joke about how comfortable the bed was and the limited space in the confines as well. Below is a picture of him wrapping up our tour with a word about the nature of freedom.
We didn't have a program on Saturday, so I spent my afternoon wandering around many of the sites I had already visited in Berlin last year. I started off at the Zoologischer Garten where I took a picture of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church that had been mostly blown out during WWII.
It got too touristy for me there, so I hopped back on the S-Bahn to go to the Hauptbahnhof
where I walked across the Spree River to get past the Reichstag and into Pariser Platz. The American Embassy there is finally fully constructed versus the massive amounts of construction I saw last summer. I took a picture of the Brandenburg Gate just for good measure although I got my fill of it last year.
I met up with our Bosnian Fellows, Ljobo and Dajana at Alexanderplatz and ended up walking with them and Anika, one of the German Fellows. We visited Nikolai Quarter and the Lustgarten before heading to Gendarmenmarkt.
I took a picture with the status of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels again too.
The weather was nice all day but rain threatened every few minutes with a few drops of water. We ended the evening by getting dinner with some of the other Fellows in Kreuzberg that night.On Sunday, I ended up going to Potsdam since I live less than 15 minutes away in Nikolassee. I went with Neaka and Alli, two of the American Fellows, to Schloss Sanssouci, the palace of Frederick the Great. I had gotten a tour of Potsdam and Sanssouci last year with my program, so I was able to navigate the city pretty well. In fact, I had to practice my German at the Hauptbahnhof because we had bought the wrong tickets for the bus and S-Bahn.
The weather was very cooperative for our little outing in Sanssouci. We had nice sunshine in the afternoon for our whole trek through the massive gardens. We walked more than 2 km from the east end of the park to the west end and then back. We went to visit the Chinese Palace where we decided to pose as the gold statue on the top of the building. It was pretty fun!
The castle itself is not very large by German castle standards. It does, however, have an amazing view of Potsdam and all of the land. The picture below looks out over the different layers leading up to Sanssouci Castle.
Today, we had a few discussions that were really fruitful and great presentations. We talked to some asylum seekers in Germany and learned about the challenges facing folks who are seeking asylum. We also had some time to hear from a former Neo-Nazi who shared his experiences with us and also what he is doing now to help Neo-Nazi's discover life outside of that scene. Very interesting indeed.
This week will conclude our hectic schedule, but starting next week, we'll begin our research period and begin laying the foundations for our final presentations on July 4.
Until next time,
Sam
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Crossing the Atlantic
After a few busy days in Washington, DC, visiting the US Holocaust Memorial Museum and discussing more about human rights and minority rights issues with the other Fellows, I finally made it to Copenhagen today. Most of us didn't sleep more than one hour on the whole flight from DC to Copenhagen. We arrived this morning around 8 am and took a charter bus northward to a nice resort place near the coast. Today's headline in Die Zeit (German newspaper) was "Ein Präsident für die Welt?" with a picture of Barack Obama.
Everyone in Europe is extremely excited about Barack Obama. =)
Today, we met up with all the European Fellows from Germany, Netherlands, France, Poland, and Denmark. They're a great group of students too. The food was pretty good, although I'm not entirely sure what I ate. The appetizer was a very red looking meat that had been sliced thin and had veggies on the side.
The meat was pretty chewy, and some people weren't too fond of its texture. The rest of the food was great though as we had potatoes, salad, and what I believe was pork.
After dinner, a bunch of us went down to the beach which was only 15 minutes away on foot. The area was beautiful and the temperature was really great. We sat on the beach and watched the sunset which, in Denmark, is much later (the sun didn't go down until 10 pm).
It's been awesome getting to hang out and meet all the other Fellows. We have a full day of workshops and lectures tomorrow and then head to Berlin on Tuesday.
More to come,
Sam
Everyone in Europe is extremely excited about Barack Obama. =)Today, we met up with all the European Fellows from Germany, Netherlands, France, Poland, and Denmark. They're a great group of students too. The food was pretty good, although I'm not entirely sure what I ate. The appetizer was a very red looking meat that had been sliced thin and had veggies on the side.
The meat was pretty chewy, and some people weren't too fond of its texture. The rest of the food was great though as we had potatoes, salad, and what I believe was pork.After dinner, a bunch of us went down to the beach which was only 15 minutes away on foot. The area was beautiful and the temperature was really great. We sat on the beach and watched the sunset which, in Denmark, is much later (the sun didn't go down until 10 pm).
It's been awesome getting to hang out and meet all the other Fellows. We have a full day of workshops and lectures tomorrow and then head to Berlin on Tuesday.
More to come,
Sam
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Arrival in DC
What a crazy past day and a half it's been! This weekend, I packed my dorm room into a bunch of boxes and Brukab, Nestor, Fredolyn, and Jessa were so kind as to let me store my stuff at their apartments. I took my History and German finals on Monday morning though there is still a week of school left. Then after Dream Project class on Monday, I finished up the rest of my stuff before catching the red-eye to Washington, DC, at 10 PM.
I spent most of my flight studying for the Astronomy final I had to take upon my arrival in DC. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep (I think about an hour and a half total). I finally touched down in DC with the sun now shining brightly which was sort of weird because I was still operating on 5:35 AM West Coast time. In any case, I spent my morning in Reagan National Airport, eating some breakfast from Starbucks, cramming in my last hour and a half before my final, and then taking the exam after my professor emailed me the test.
I finally finished the final and my work at 1 pm before I realized I was supposed to be at the Hostel at 2 pm. So I caught the Metro to the nearest station to the Hostel (which really is not near at all) and ended up walking several blocks (in the wrong direction at first) to my final destination.
It was a lot of fun today meeting all the Humanity in Action Fellows. They were an extremely friendly and energetic group. People were saying hi and introducing themselves as soon as someone walked in. Pretty neat stuff. Today was mainly program orientation and then food together. I think it was the healthiest meal I've eaten in several months.
The wireless internet here has been pretty crappy, so I'm glad I brought my ethernet cord. Tomorrow, we'll be spending our morning at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum before having an afternoon discussion about what we saw and then a panel with some directors of the museum. Should be fun. Then in the evening, one of the HIA board directors invited us to his house for a BBQ and a pool party. We'll see how it goes. I played phone tag with Alula today, so not sure if we're meeting up tomorrow.
In any case, I should finish my German homework and then hit the sack. Another full day tomorrow. Can't wait till Copenhagen on Friday.
Cheers,
Sam
I spent most of my flight studying for the Astronomy final I had to take upon my arrival in DC. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep (I think about an hour and a half total). I finally touched down in DC with the sun now shining brightly which was sort of weird because I was still operating on 5:35 AM West Coast time. In any case, I spent my morning in Reagan National Airport, eating some breakfast from Starbucks, cramming in my last hour and a half before my final, and then taking the exam after my professor emailed me the test.
I finally finished the final and my work at 1 pm before I realized I was supposed to be at the Hostel at 2 pm. So I caught the Metro to the nearest station to the Hostel (which really is not near at all) and ended up walking several blocks (in the wrong direction at first) to my final destination.
It was a lot of fun today meeting all the Humanity in Action Fellows. They were an extremely friendly and energetic group. People were saying hi and introducing themselves as soon as someone walked in. Pretty neat stuff. Today was mainly program orientation and then food together. I think it was the healthiest meal I've eaten in several months.
The wireless internet here has been pretty crappy, so I'm glad I brought my ethernet cord. Tomorrow, we'll be spending our morning at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum before having an afternoon discussion about what we saw and then a panel with some directors of the museum. Should be fun. Then in the evening, one of the HIA board directors invited us to his house for a BBQ and a pool party. We'll see how it goes. I played phone tag with Alula today, so not sure if we're meeting up tomorrow.
In any case, I should finish my German homework and then hit the sack. Another full day tomorrow. Can't wait till Copenhagen on Friday.
Cheers,
Sam
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