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Month: October 2016

Matt Stein | London, England | Post 3

Matt Stein | London, England | Post 3

As the end of October dawns upon us, London is heading into the Halloween festive mood. While certainly not as monumental a holiday here as it is in the U.S., several pop-up shops have appeared in London, and the baristas are making foam designs of spider webs instead of leaves and hearts. Strangely enough, there’s already been talk about Christmas two months in advance. Just last Saturday, I was in Harrod’s in Kensington, one of the largest department stores in…

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Jennifer Williams | Cairo, Egypt | Post 3

Jennifer Williams | Cairo, Egypt | Post 3

Taking a deep breath, I dove below the surface, letting the cerulean blue enshroud my body. As I looked to my right, my eyes took in the beauty of a coral foundation teaming with life; as I looked to my left, I observed the entrancing waters of the Gulf of Aqaba. Yet everywhere I looked, dozens of bubbles and my clunky snorkeling goggles distorted my perception. My mind was brought back to my childhood dreams of being a mermaid and…

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Jennifer Pineda | Bremen, Germany | Post 3

Jennifer Pineda | Bremen, Germany | Post 3

This weekend, my European Healthcare and Welfare class, which is a seminar specifically for study abroad students, went on an excursion to Berlin. (Thanks Vassar for footing the bill!) There is a lot of American history in Berlin, from the separation of the city into four sectors and the subsequent Berlin Airlift to the fall of the Berlin Wall. The experience of visiting the city and the history it encompasses was definitely a weekend well-spent. A really nice touch to…

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John Ammondson | Rabat, Morocco | Post 4

John Ammondson | Rabat, Morocco | Post 4

After a month in Vietnam, with its mid-90s temperatures and humidity ranging from 70 to 100%, stepping out of the airport in Casablanca into the dry, cool Moroccan air felt like paradise. Even if the weather wasn’t so perfect, I’m sure I would still be thoroughly in love with this country! Before making it to Rabat in Morocco, where we are now, our last few days in Vietnam were a bit of a whirlwind. On Sunday (October 9th) we said…

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Antigone Delton | Paris, France | Post 3

Antigone Delton | Paris, France | Post 3

As the halfway point of the semester approaches, so does the cold. I quickly realized that I did not bring enough scarves, that the leaves won’t be changing color, and that these gorgeous neoclassical facades provide about the same level of insulation as paper. This is excusable, seeing as I’m in Paris. What’s harder to come to terms with is nature’s relentless reminder that my study abroad clock is ticking. The farther we descend into the cold, the more I…

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Claire Harper | New Delhi, India | Post 3

Claire Harper | New Delhi, India | Post 3

Hi, all! Here some snapshots from the past couple of weeks! The Taj­ Mahal: Six of us went on a trip to Agra to do some sight seeing­,—the Taj included. We also visited a Mughal fort where Akbar lived. The architecture was beautiful, and there were little areas designed for each of his wives. He was very liberal in some ways­: he had a Christian wife, a Muslim wife, and there was one more religion that I can’t remember, but…

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Fernando Braga | Beijing, China | Post 1

Fernando Braga | Beijing, China | Post 1

I consider myself fortunate. This semester, the fall of my senior year, is my second semester abroad experience since being at Vassar. The first was sophomore summer. Both then and now, I enrolled in Hamilton College’s ACC (Associated Colleges in China) program in Beijing because I wanted to be in a big city in mainland China doing an intensive Mandarin language pledge program. More than halfway into the fall semester, I feel happy about my choice and hoped to share…

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Caleb Zachary | Amsterdam, The Netherlands | Post 3

Caleb Zachary | Amsterdam, The Netherlands | Post 3

Well, I’ve just finished my first batch of midterms here at UvA. After summer it’s always hard to get back into an academic mindset, and though it’s been almost two months now, I feel as if I’ve only just gotten back to it. I’ve been noticing that when I’m not surrounded by the trappings of college all the time, it’s a lot easier to forget about how important my schoolwork should be. When the library isn’t a four-and-a-half minute, sweat-panted…

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Katie Hoots | Rome, Italy | Post 2

Katie Hoots | Rome, Italy | Post 2

It had been a long day of traveling, and I was honestly desperate for a moment of inspiration. Our group had just travelled for hours from Rome to Paestum headed towards Sicily, preceded by a tough week for me with a Latin test, an Ancient City (ancient art, culture, architecture and archaeology) quiz and an art history presentation. It’s like the week before October break at Vassar when the professors feel the need to cram in obligatory midterms. On top…

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John Ammondson | Hoi An, Vietnam | Post 3

John Ammondson | Hoi An, Vietnam | Post 3

Many people on my program have been saying that they can’t believe our time in Vietnam is almost over and that we’re headed to Morocco in less than a week. Although time does fly when you’re having fun, my Vietnam experience has been so jam-packed with different activities and places that I also sometimes feel like a whole semester has passed already! One of the most important parts of my time in Hoi An has been my homestay. I had…

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