This Week Abroad - 2/20/15
Blogs Abroad: So, How Do You Study Food?
This is Arcadia's weekly roundup of highlights from student blogs abroad.
This week, students are continuing to orient themselves to their new homes (or preparing to leave), while others are experiencing some unexpected winter weather. Kristi, however, is asking all the right questions here, namely: How do you study food? Check out all these things and more below!
So, How do you study food?
"I think that events like these are so important, and not just because I like to eat a lot of food. When you study food here, you take a holistic approach so that you are learning about the history of how the industry came to be, and also different ethical dilemmas that it faces. They also connect me personally to the food makers, and really force me to think about what choices I make when buying and eating food."
Orientation: A Sweep through the North Island
"In four days, it's impossible to gain a real understanding of a country. But you can collect pebble-sized samples of experiences, and put some into your pocket to take out and build upon on down the road. That was the idea of Orientation with Arcadia, and it was an absolute blast. We swept through most of New Zealand's north island from Auckland to Rotorua, and sampled some of New Zealand's finest, hottest and gnarliest. The trip felt like a montage of quick polaroid snapshots, a different scene each moment that became a blur of brilliant green farmland through the tour bus window, bubbling geysers and rainbow pools, Maori chants and a pyramid of sheep."
BU Meets NZ! Arcadia Orientation Week
Meredith in Auckland, New Zealand
"Traveling here was not as torturous as I thought it would be at all! In fact, getting to travel with the wonderful other Arcadia students was quite fun! We all met each other at the LAX Air New Zealand terminal, shared in our excitement for leaving to such an amazing country, and bonded over our similarities like mutual friends and being from the same state. About 12 hours later and an almost sleepless night, we arrived in Auckland! Tired and a little nervous, we were all met by the wondrous and enthusiastic Arcadia staff. Kate, Jane, Annabelle, Tom, and Max all answered our numerous questions and gave us a delightful Kiwi welcome!"
More Sight Seeing!
"In addition, on Valentine’s Day, my friend and I took the train to the mountains called the Monserrat Mountains. We were able to hike up them and the view was mind-blowing. The scent of the mountains just smelled like nature and it was really relaxing being up on top. Even though I miss my friends and family, studying abroad has been one of the most challenging and exciting obstacles that I have been through thus far. It got to me that I came to Spain by myself, not knowing anyone and had to adapt to a different culture. It was tough but I love meeting locals, trying new food and seeing new things!"
Walking in a Winter Wonderland
"So, it’s snowing in Istanbul! One of the things that drew me to Turkey was it’s “Mediterranean climate,” which I thought would result in warm weather for the entirety of the year. Little did I know, that Turkey experiences winter too and, although their winter is milder (37°-50° F) I did not think it was capable of snowing. This snow is both a blessing and a curse. School was cancelled (an obvious blessing especially because it would be near impossible to walk to school in this snow) and a curse because Istanbul is not equipped to handle this weather. It’s similar to what happened in Atlanta last winter."
Looking Forward
"I bought an entirely new wardrobe so I could be comfortable, and I packed all of it with the tags so it will be super fresh when I arrive. I may not feel ready for this experience, but I have planned for my future self to be thankful to this past self putting so much thought into packing. I've thought through all the scenarios and printed out maps of my airport terminals, I have my travel guide, I've packed extra stuff in my carry-on for the first week, I'm prepared physically."
Sunday in the City
"As I thought about my morning spent at my choice of a coffee shop, I coaxed myself out of bed and out the door. Costa Coffee sits right on the end of Galway’s most famous street, Shop Street, and is conveniently located right around the corner from my apartment. I welcomed the morning with a piping hot latte and a delicious breakfast scone. It was nice to be able to relax and spend time writing as I thought about the many opportunities I could choose from today."