Student Dispatch: A Note from Istanbul

Hristo Alexiev, an MA candidate at the Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center (REEEC), recounts his experience in Istanbul as a FLAS fellow. Visit the FLAS website for more information about FLAS fellowships. This article original appeared on REEEC's blog. by Hristo Alexiev One of the panoramas visible from Boğaziçi University  Coming to Istanbul is always a special experience, even if it is not the first time you’ve set foot in this former capital of three empires. The city is now...

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SUMMER IN ATHENS

by Nathan Yan Coming into college, I really didn’t expect to learn much. I was going to get my bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, spend a couple years working in consulting firms, and then apply to business school and enter into the world of finance. College was simply a stepping-stone, a requirement to get to the next step of the overall plan. In retrospect, I realize now how ignorant I was about society. To me it seemed like the mentality of every college student in engineering only...

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AN UNFORGETTABLE TRIP

Santorini by Jialing Ye I appreciate coming on this trip with my fellow students this summer. It is a very fun and meaningful trip. I am learning a lot about renewable energy, and I have fun by visiting all the beautiful places in Greece, too. Before I came to Greece, my parents and I were both worried about this trip, because we heard that the economic situation is very bad in Greece. I thought that this trip might be dangerous. Obviously, I was over-thinking too much. This trip has helped...

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NEW PERSPECTIVES, COURTESY OF GREECE

by Sarah Freriks Hello, Everyone! I’m writing to you from a private balcony off the Pagrati apartment I’ve shared with my two roommates for the last month or so in Athens, Greece.  It’s bright and sunny, the sky that otherworldly early morning blue that promises another day of beautiful weather.  My neighbors are just waking, drawn out onto their balconies for sunshine and the orange trees in our private courtyard. These weeks have centered around lots of travel.  In the past four...

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CHALLENGING CURRENT PERCEPTIONS OF GREECE

by Kevin Banas When preparing for my study abroad experience here in Greece there were a couple factors that people around me, and the media were making a big deal about. Everyone was saying that the Greek economy is on the verge of catastrophe. They said that the country was heading for a “great depression”, and that riots are occurring all over the place, making it a dangerous and unstable environment to be in. Not to mention, Greeks dislike Americans, and I will be treated badly. However,...

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Local Food and Hospitality in Athens and Volos

by Carina Hilber Sweden, New Zealand, France, and the UK are all places that were visited this summer by University of Illinois students, including some of my closest friends.  I remember talking with others about summer travel plans and seeing their reactions of surprise and awe.  I also remember the many puzzled looks I received when I said that I would be going to Athens, Greece. I learned that I was going to Greece at the same time the media reported riots, political unrest, and...

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Kalimera from Greece!

by Antonia Nepomuceno Kalimera! Good morning from Greece! It’s amazing how quickly one can adjust to a new environment, and respond with a “ghia sas”(pronounced ya sas) or “kalimera” instinctively. At the same time, it is not until you put yourself in a new place that you realize some things will never seem normal. Like toilet paper not going in the toilet. Whether or not I have adjusted to some things, staying in Greece for four and a half weeks has been an exciting and worthwhile experience. Being...

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Merhaba From Turkey!

by Natalie Cartwright Images of touring infamous European landmarks like the Colosseum in Rome, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Alhambra in Granada are usually what people conjure up in their minds when they think of study abroad, but so far, my current experience abroad has been far from such picturesque destinations. Maybe the reason that my experience is playing out differently than the typical experience is because I am actually in Asia and not Europe, but I think a few other things make...

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Magnificent Sights and Friendly Faces in Greece

by Liyu Lei The study abroad group in front of the Parthenon I am Liyu Lei, and I am studying renewable energy concepts in Greece. This has been an awesome program that has given me the opportunity to learn about renewable energy including solar, wind turbine, hydro-power, biomass, and geothermal energy, as well as travel to Greece! The Greek financial crisis was dominating the news in the couple of months prior to my trip. My family and I worried about safety during my study abroad trip. When...

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Mine 2B, Airships, and Twenty Years of Tourism

By Alexandra Wright and Jane Rivas Today we started bright and early.  It was our intention to scale the cliff face directly behind our guesthouses with the goal of exploring the remains of Mine 2B.  Of all the mines present in the mountains of Longyearbyen, Mine 2B is the most complete.  It was created in 1937 after its adjoining mine, 2A, became too long, so an alternative, and more practical, entrance was created: 2B.  The mine used the long wall technique, where long...

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Svalbard Museum

by Georgy Petukhov and Noel Piatek Today the group was pretty exhausted from the extensive reindeer hike the day before. We started a little later so that everyone could catch up on some sleep. During the day we split off into our project groups and were able to walk around town to observe the built environment and to get some interviews from local townspeople and tourists coming in on a cruise ship. We were able to find a plethora of helpful information to write about in our final paper...

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2ND PLACE WINNER: "IN THE HEART OF PARIS, SHE HELD PARIS IN HER HEART"

The Illinois International Photo Contest invites students to submit a photo and accompanying essay of their studies abroad. Recent MAEUS graduate Lauren Turk was awarded 2nd place in the Personal Connection category for her essay and photo of the Louvre in Paris.  Lauren's essay originally appeared in the Study Abroad July newsletter. by Lauren Turk Paris is an overwhelmingly enchanting city; the buildings adorning the streets exude beauty and brilliance, while the contents within these...

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Embracing Arctic Nature: Glacier Valleys

by Robert Nystrom and Miriam Zarate Our sixth day at 78 degrees north provided another exciting adventure for us all. The day started off with a hike from our guesthouse in Longyearbyen to Endalen and Advent Valley with the intentions of studying reindeer and also learning more about the environment as a whole. Ironically the only reindeer we saw on our hike was on our way out of the city of Longyearbyen. This fact however did not make the hike any less valuable or breathtaking. On the...

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Below the Surface

by Sarah Rivard and Nick Musso Friday the 13th turned out to be a great day despite superstition. As usual we woke up bright and early, had breakfast and set out for another day of interviews and exploration, this time about what lies beneath the surface of Svalbard. First, we met with Morten Often, the Vice President of Exploration for the Store Norske Spitsbergen Coal Company. Mr. Often presented a PowerPoint that offered information such as Store Norske’s history on Svalbard, its current...

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Goodbye Barentsburg!

By Rebecca Herrmann and Aaron Letterly  Our second and final morning in Barentsburg found our group enjoying a traditional Russian breakfast of eggs, sausage, fruit, and drinkable yogurt! After filling ourselves to the brim, we went on a visit to the Pomor Museum.  There were exhibits on Geology, Nature, History, and Art.  There was little information in the exhibits so we had a tour guide, Vadim F. Starkov.  Starkov knew very little English, so we had a member...

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Barentsburg, Svalbard

by Dariusz Hareza and Lauren Ceckowski Our third day in Svalbard began our adventure to Barentsburg, a Russian mining town.  To get there, we were split into two groups to journey across the arctic waters by zodiak! Our adventurous tour guides at Spitsbergen Travel suited us up in survival suits and lifejackets for the ride of a lifetime. On our way out of the dock we got our first glimpse of a seal basking in the sun beside the boats. Our two hour boat ride was exciting, but also full...

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