one

Hello, folks! Emily here, writing from the University of Reading in England. Although it seems that most of you have already pushed through the first round of midterms and into the relief of fall break and fall retreat, this is only my third week of classes.

I am taking courses solely in typography – Design Practice 1, Introduction to Editorial Design, Typeforms, and History of Graphic Communication – which is quite a departure from the chemistry major. It’s delightful to finally be able to study something I’ve dreamed of for a few years. I enjoy enjoying homework. On average, I have a rather alarming seven (or fewer) hours of class per week. It’s been an exercise in time management and diligence, as well as an opportunity to hop on trains and travel hundreds of miles.

Free time and longish train rides to faraway places have left me the space to read, think, and talk to God. It’s excellent. Although I’m away from InterVarsity and West Club, God has definitely met me here (including but certainly not limited to providing a church and a campus fellowship) and is pushing me to grow. I am learning about pride, idolatry, and faith. They are inextricably bound to each other, which simplifies everything yet makes each step towards change seem that much harder. Leaving the first two leaves me little to cling onto but the third. Which is the point, I think.

Let me know how things are going at Duke! I can catch a glimpse through facebook, but I’d prefer to chat – I have AIM, gchat, and skype. Less stalking, more talking ;]

the basics

Duke-In-Madrid Courses:
Spain in the 21st Century
Recent Spanish Cinema
Communication Skills

Universidad San Pablo Course:
Trastornos del Desarrollo y Dificultades de Aprendizaje
[Development & Learning Disabilities I]

This is the second week of class. It's not bad so far. I always miss something because the classes are taught in Spanish. My USP class is really interesting, probably my favorite out of all my classes. Although my professor speaks very quickly, he lectures with powerpoint, which helps a lot. The only thing about taking a psychology class is that it's offered on a different campus from the main one. If I take the metro, I have to pay 1 euro because it's not a part of central Madrid (not to mention that it takes about an hour on the metro). They have free shuttle buses (20 minutes) to and from Montepríncipe (campus where psych classes are offered). BUT, the hours are horrible. They have buses running early afternoon and then evening time. So, on Tues/Thurs I'm stuck on this campus for 3 hours after my class ends. Wednesdays, I have to take the metro back (sad face for what it's going to cost me; I wish Duke would cover it) because I have class back on the main campus at 6 pm (shuttle buses leave at 6:30pm). I'm actually at Montepríncipe now. una hora más!

Beatriz Diaz

is my host mom. :) She is pretty much wonderful. It's just us two in her apartment. Most of the other DIM students have roommates. At first, I really wanted one, but I think I enjoy being by myself. I don't speak English as much as I would if I had a roommate. Also, I'm not overwhelmed by a Spanish family because it's just Beatriz in the house. I feel really lucky too: I don't do my own laundry and also Beatriz is a great cook. We barely have breakfast, lunch is served at around 2pm and is the biggest meal of the day (people go back home for lunch), and dinner is at around 9pm. There isn't much snacking so I'm always super-hungry before meals.

Puerta del Angel

is my metro stop. I really like the metro system here. I haven't figured out the buses though-they confuse me. They have C1's and C2's here! :D It's different seeing small cute cars everywhere (I'm from South Carolina where people drive trucks!). I enjoy walking around. I actually haven't been in Madrid that long because we have been traveling a lot (Andalucía & Galicia! Barcelona next week!). I'm going to make an effort to go on walks often to see what's around~

Amigos

Luckily, I've gotten close to a few of the other DIM kids. There's a group of us who go out together. This I'm thankful for. :) Last week, in my USP class (about 10 kids, which is nice), I forced myself to turn around and introduce myself to some other Spanish students. Haha. There is a girl in the class who can speak English, and she's been really nice. We're partners for projects we have to do for the class (err, I don't know what kind of projects yet because I didn't catch that part while our Professor was explaining). Also, today, I met a girl on the busride here. She studied in Ohio for a year before so she empathized with me. Yay for Spanish friends. :)

Tomorrow

will mark my one-month stay here. It's weird to think that I've already been away for a month! I'm slowly adjusting to everything. I'm thankful that I get to be on a routine now that classes have started. Thanks for the prayers lovelies. I've been praying a lot more as well. Although, I haven't found a church yet, I've been listening to sermons online~ Hopefully, coming Sunday, I'll check out a church. :) I hope you peeps are doing great back at Duke. I miss you!

games

jenga.

the strong tower i once was is no more. there are gaps and holes and emptiness. blocks of comfort, friends, family, home is quickly removed. new pressures, surroundings, people, language are added one by one. i am wobbling and the slightest blow will make me topple. dear Dad, please fill the emptiness with Your love, please help me stand firm with the knowledge that You are with me.

catch phrase. charades.

my señora and i communicate. there are words and phrases i don't know how to say. i fill the space with umms and uhhs. i jump from one word to another trying to express an idea. she moves her arms and makes facial expressions. i match these with what i think she is saying.

telephone.

it is physically draining because i feel the need to understand everything. but, i find myself easily zoning out. spanish so quickly becomes background noise. to prevent this, i mentally slap myself back into reality. i think i'm getting better, but it's difficult to understand. i hear things that aren't said.

maria (what i hear): "quieres ver algo?" [do you want to see something?]

me (thinking: hmm, i don't know what else there is to see in this pueblo, i'll just say i don't know): "no sé"

everyone stops and just stares at me for a second. i find out later:

maria (what was actually said): "quieres beber algo?" [do you want something to drink?]

at the swimming pool:

a friend of my señora (what was actually said): "sabes nadar?" [do you know how to swim?]

a friend of my señora (what i hear): "sabes nada?" [do you know nothing?]

at first, i was quite taken aback. (what i was thinking): excuse me? i'm not the best at spanish, but that doesn't mean i know nothing!

tarzan & jane

Uff! What a day... I arrived at the Barajas Aiport at about 10am (here). This was my first time riding a taxi alone. [I think the last time I rode a taxi was with my mom when we went to Korea 13 yrs ago]. The driver and I had a decent conversation; I tried to sound as confident as I could speaking Spanish. haha. When I got to my Señora's house, she was waiting for me outside; she greeted me with a hug and a kiss on each cheek. :) After we took all my luggage up, she showed me around. She is super sweet. Then, I took a nap and woke up around lunchtime. After the meal, I unpacked everything and then watched some Spanish tv. Later, my Señora and I took a walk around Old Madrid. She even bought me some helado! The architecture was quite beautiful. As she took me around, she explained things/places to me. The sad part was that I could only understand about half of what she said. Although I got the gist of what was said, I wish I could make out all the details.

[My Señora knew my name as Sang. I told her she could call me Jane. She kept forgetting and asked me several times. Then, a few hours later, she came by my room and said "Jane! like Tarzan's girlfriend, Jane!" :) ]

When I first departed, my biggest worry was that I wouldn't make my connecting flight. Then, my next worries were finding my baggage, calling my Señora, exchanging money, and taking a taxi without being ripped off. Once I was in bed to take my nap, I was relieved to know that the worst was over. It was then that it hit me. I hadn't even thought about my time here yet! A part (a very small part) of me was excited about traveling and learning. But, a bigger part of me wanted to beat myself up for being here. This part wants me to pack up again and go back to Duke. What am I doing here in a foreign country? My biggest fears now are that I won't have any friends [I don't know the other Duke-in-Madrid kids], that I'll run out of money, and that I won't get the language down. :(

It's like when I ride a roller coaster. As I wait in line and get in the seats, I'm uber-excited. But as the ride gets going, I'm like "What did I get myself into?". This happens to be all in vain because I end up enjoying the ride.

Hopefully, my time here will be like my roller coaster story. Dios mío, ayudame por favor.

Settling In at the Biological Station

Hi Everyone! Not sure how often I'll post on this blog, but I thought I'd at least say hi! I'm in Costa Rica with the Organization for Tropical Studies, on their program in "Tropical Medicine and Global Health." There are 4 guys + 15 girls = 19 students total. I like everyone so far and have even been blessed to find 2 Christians, which is an answered prayer for sure. God has been so good to me on this trip: He helped me get over homesickness on my first day, has protected me so far from stomach issues and from bee stings :), and the classes have been interesting. I go to bed around 11 pm and get up at 5:30 am in order to shower and make it to breakfast by 6:30 am. Class is 6 days a week. We have field trips in the morning, lunch, 2 class sessions in the afternoon, dinner, and 1 class session. But there are breaks throughout; in fact right now I'm sitting on my bunk, resting after a nature walk, waiting for the lunch bell to ring.

The first few days we were in San José, which is a city but not like a "city" in the United States for sure. I haven't found it to be culture shock because I've been to Puerto Rico and Malaysia and there are some similarities. Now we are at a biological station right outside of the little town of San Vito. The large house we live in is right in the middle of a botanical garden: not manicured like the Sarah P. Duke Gardens, but beautiful nonetheless. It's probably cooler and less humid than Duke, in fact, because we are on a mountain, 4,000 feet above sea level.

Yesterday we visited two clinics and I saw firsthand how different the healthcare system is here compared to that of the United States.

I know that I'm going to have moments of homesickness, or feeling like I'm stuck here for so much longer, but for now it's enjoyable and I've already learned a lot.

I hope all of you who are abroad or are about to be abroad are doing well. I pray that you find Christian fellowship wherever you go, that you learn a lot, and that you bless the people around you. For everyone at Duke, have a great NSO and Fresh Start!

Perfect timing, the lunch bell just rang. Sounds a little like a cow bell! :)

~Liz

ich hab' noch einen Koffer in Berlin

DISCLAIMER: This one's really long. I wrote it first as an email update to family and friends back home, but I wanted to share this with you guys too.

The subject line is the title of one of Marlene Dietrich’s songs and the official translation is “I still keep a suitcase in Berlin.” We watched a play about this Berlin born actress-singer that featured Judy Winter, who’s known for her depiction of Marlene Dietrich. This song describes how Berlin is wonderful; how, although other places are nice too, berlin is where the heart longs to be. Here’s a link to an English translation of it in case you’re interested: http://german.about.com/library/blmus_hknef_kofferE.htm
I have this as the subject of this email because I’m actually starting to feel a lil pained knowing that I’m going to leave in 3 weeks. I didn’t expect this to happen since it didn’t happen until recently. Throughout these couple of months, I’ve had bouts of homesickness and would long for the sun and friends and food and family back home. I think what really triggered the release of this feeling of attachment was the week-long Brussels trip last week.

I went with my polisci class to Brussels to learn more about the EU and NATO (more EU than NATO actually) as well as the people who work there and the city. The weather and noise at night reminded me of Taiwan (suuper muggy; what made it worse was having to wear our nice clothes most of the time). We got to listen to presentations/participate in discussions in the European Economic and Social Committee building, the European Commission building, the Consilium, European Parliament building, and NATO headquarters. Every time we had one of these opportunities, I almost wished I was a European polisci major (does that exist?) just so I could’ve been forced to know background on a lot of the topics. Unfortunately my companion, narcolepsy, overpowered me way too often (it was most likely just my brain shutting off after a blockage in understanding occurred). Don’t get me wrong, the material was indeed very interesting; my body is just weaksauce. Oh, that and my German and knowledge of political issues aren’t that great. I tried fighting off the sleepiness in all sorts of new ways: doing random drawings, creating abstract art/doodles, pinching myself, biting myself, clenching my fists real hard, etc. all to no avail. I’m so glad other people were more awake and/or prepared and so could engage the presenters in some good discussion after asking a not too simple question. I was glad to learn what I DID learn during those times I was awake. I found the city of Brussels to be of interest as well because it’s where all these important EU and NATO buildings lie, meaning people from all over Europe are there. Although the official languages are Flemish and French, you can hear people on the street speaking German and Italian and Russian and many more languages there all the time. Although I started wearing a laughing smile after noticing that our professor introduced us each time as a group “representing 9 different countries,” I really do feel proud to have been a part of such a diverse group (we represented Germany, Hungary, Turkey, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Moldova, China, and the USA…and if you count our international duke student from Taiwan, that’s 10 countries (: ). I got to know the non-Duke/Davidson-in-Berlin-program students much better, and I think they’re so cool. :) Not only do they individually and collectively know so many languages (and have cool accents!), they’re all pretty knowledgeable in current topics and carry with them experiences and backgrounds that were so new to me. Regarding the number of languages: A NATO representative said one time (paraphrased), “If people know you’re American, they’ll admire you for knowing one other language. The western Europeans know an average of 3, maybe 4. East Europeans are scaring everybody else because they know 6.”

And this was the start of my true growing love of Berlin. I feel so blessed to be able to study abroad here in Berlin where I can take a class with people from all these different countries and experience going on a trip with them. During the trip, the weather kept making me long for Berlin, although Berlin does not have ideal weather by far (it's supposed to be summer right now, but it still gets cold and we get thunderstorms and other random rainshowers). On the last night we had in Brussels, I and three other people stood together to watch a festival/show being put on to celebrate, based on what I saw, the union of the many different member countries of the EU. When I saw the German flag (and later the flags of the different federal states), I remember thinking, "yeah! go Deutschland (germany)! woohoo! We're all part of one Europa." I felt as if I were a proud German onlooker. A few minutes later, however, I realized, "hmm, that's a strange thing to think. I'm American and the US isn't part of the EU, so technically I don't have much of a part in this celebration." That didn't stop me from feeling like a proud German however, and I simply stood there watching on. I started thinking about all the things Berlin has had to offer me, and there really is a lot. Diversity, knowledge, relatively cheap prices for basic foods, history, cultural events, etc. By being here as long as I have, I've also been able to add German as another language that I can actually use (hopefully I don't lose it after going back to duke). So along with souvenirs like official EU stationary, a mini-flowerpot, 2 kg of weight, and a bruise (from being stuck between fast-closing train doors and falling through the gap between the wagon and the platform after the doors released me), I've brought back with me a new spot in my heart for Berlin.

I wish now more than ever to explore more and experience more in Berlin. I unfortunately have a couple things in the way. I'm taking the TestDAF (German equivalent of TOEFL) this coming Wednesday. I've still got a semester paper to write for my polisci class on migration in Germany. And I've got my semester finals (only graded components of the classes) for Statistics and Signals & Systems the first two days of my sister's visit (yes, she's visiting!). I luckily have finished my Berlin research project paper and presentation, which had taken over the majority of my time for a few weeks. Prayers for focus during these next 2 weeks would be appreciated, esp. since I seem to be a lil ADHD too. :)

Pictures: I didn't receive my newly ordered camera until this past wednesday, so I have no original pictures from the Brussels trip. I'll attach some from diligent facebookers, but I don't know how good the quality will be.
1) napping DURING A BREAK during a seminar at the EU Commission

2) at a bar for the 20th birthday of Rebecca (duke student). Our professor got us a nice deal for cocktails.

3) before going to the EU Parliament, we rested at a nearby park, and during this time, Anna (girl from Moldova) made this amazing flower crown (apparently all the east european girls knew how to make them. talent.)

4) this one's actually in Cologne, but I thought it was a nice picture that showed everyone (minus our professor).

deja vu

Marine Lab Part 3. Chiseled veteran. Rawr, I'm gonna skip orientation tomorrow. That's how veteran I am :D. I like how familiar salty-air smells now. I don't even notice the bad taste of the oceany water anymore either. Other than taking the highly anticipated marine mammals class, I'm excited, spiritually, to be back. At home, my prayer life was weak, my devotional life was marginal, and my focus was not on target at all. That's not to say God hasn't been at work though. I really feel like He put a LOT of things on my mind in the past 3 weeks about next year and other things. However, being at home puts me in too much comfort and complacency. Spending time with Duke people is very fun, yet time consuming with the commute.. It's weird how being at the marine lab changes things. Maybe it's due to my introverted nature, but when I'm away from my friends and family, I am more disciplined spiritually. I don't have distractions, and am forced to a regular sleep schedule. Instead of playing basketball, I read. Actually it might also be the set-up of our bunks.. They're really devo-friendly..

They're triple bunks, but I've always chose the bottom which is pretty much a mattress on the floor. There's a reading light at the head of the bed and a gap that's conveniently large enough to fit scrap notebooks, books, my bible, and my journal. Being a triple bunk made of wood, directly above me is a convenient place to tape papers and to write down prayer requests so I can't forget. I accidently left my lists taped on my bunk from last session.. I'm now living in the room next door (a bigger one.. so yay upgrade) but I wonder what will happen to the list. I haven't met the people yet. That'd be cool if they prayed. It might also be awkward to ask them for my list back..

Supposedly I only have class mon, wed, thurs.. which means.. 3 DAY WEEKENDS! which probably means I will be easily suckered into visiting Duke.. If my career paths fail I can always be a cab driver. I'm getting really good at driving unnecessarily long distances and keeping track of the gas prices in a 180 mile stretch.