“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” – Miriam Beard

This is the final week of my study abroad trip to Oaxaca and I have so many mixed emotions. I remember back to when I first started this experience, I felt scared, nervous, and mostly excited. I was worrying about my classmates, homestay family, and my experience at the clinic. As I quickly found out, these were trivial things to worry about, and the real thing I should be concerned about is taking in every moment. In other words, to not be concerned with the past or counting down the days I have left in Oaxaca, but to live in the present.

Before I started this journey, I lived inside a bubble. I had never traveled outside the country before, let alone the tri-state area. My perspective on life was purely one dimensional and I had no idea what the world had to offer. That was one of the main reasons that I joined this study abroad program, so that I would have the opportunity to experience a different side of life. My first impressions of Oaxaca were that of intrigue and wonder; I became so fascinated with their lifestyle.

I have also had a lot of first-time experiences, some of which were completely unexpected. I left America for the first time, swam in the Pacific Ocean, saw wild dolphins and sea turtles, gave injections at a Clinic, took vitals, and saw breathtaking sites. I think one of the most important experiences that has happened to me in Oaxaca was seeing a baby boy born in the clinic. I never anticipated that I would be able to hold the hand of a mother giving birth. The experience was incredible, one that I will never forget. To be able to witness the first moments of someone’s life in this world was such a grounding experience. I was reminded of how precious and fragile life is. I am incredibly thankful for that experience.

There is another occasion that I will hold in my heart with pride. Before I start, I should mention that my Spanish skills when starting this trip were next to nothing. Thankfully, I have been taking Spanish three times a week in Oaxaca. Well, this week I went into the Zocalo (town center) alone, something that I have never done before. While I was there I managed to use my Spanish to change money for smaller bills, buy some books, and order some food. Towards the end of the day, I was reading and this older man comes up to me and tells me that he is a professor. In Spanish, we proceed to talk for a half an hour about several different topics ranging from his culture, Shakespeare, hippies, and Obama. Although I had to intermittently use a Spanish dictionary, I had never been so proud that I was able to communicate with a native speaker. Before starting this trip, I thought I was a lost cause when it came to learning and applying a new language. During the trip, I have heavily depended on those who speak Spanish to make my way around Oaxaca. For me to be able to go most of the day relying on my Spanish is a huge step for me in my life. I always thought that if I were to travel I would be limited by the language, because I thought I would never be able to pick up any language. It gives me so much hope and pride about my future to know that I can do things I put my mind too.

As the trip is coming to a close, I remind myself, as I said in the beginning, to live in the present moment. It is hard to not get upset when I think that I will be ending this journey shortly. But all things must change otherwise they would have no meaning or value. I hope with all my heart that someday I will be able to come back to Oaxaca, and I encourage anyone who is reading this to travel there. I have had an experience of a lifetime and have gained so many new experiences and perspectives on life. I want to thank Rutgers and Proworld for this amazing opportunity! Adios!

from the beach to mountain tops

This week has been full of amazing adventures. At the beginning of the week we traveled to the beach in Puerto Escondido. This excursion involved a seven hour bus ride through many potholes and twisting roads. The ride to Puerto was adventurous, but nothing could have prepared us for what lay ahead. We arrived at our cabana which is basically a fancy term for a hut with palm fronds for a roof. We soon discovered that the Pacific Ocean (which I had never seen before) was only half a block from our cabana. The next day, we left early in the morning for a boat ride in the ocean. To our amazement we were able to swim with wild dolphins and sea turtles. The rest of the weekend was spent exploring the town and sampling the local food. Then we had a long ride back through the winding mountains to Oaxaca

Puerto Escondido opened my eyes to yet another type of lifestyle, one of nonstop adventures and excitement. How often does one get the chance to swim with dolphins and look back to the shore and see a beautiful mountainous landscape? As much fun as Puerto was, I soon realized that the lifestyle was not for me. I often found myself becoming overwhelmed with the amount of activities available. For example, it was common for us to walk down the street with waves crashing to our left, venders selling crafts on our right, and a couple of stray dogs following us from behind. I enjoyed our stay at Puerto Escondido, but I was also glad to return to my home stay mom.

The rest of the week continued on as normal, but there was another trip in the back of our minds… Benito Juerez. Benito Juerez is a mountainous range located near Oaxaca. The part that our group hiked on had an altitude of 10,000 feet! We hiked up part of the mountain; I surprisingly did not have any difficulty breathing even though I have asthma. Every inhale was deliciously fresh compared to the polluted city air found in Oaxaca. When we got most way up the mountain we were greeted by a set of zip lines, which stretched over a small valley. I was the first to go across the zip line! It was an amazing experience, to let go of all control and trust completely in someone else’s engineering and equipment. When I finally reached the other side, I was jittery from the adrenaline rush and I immediately hopped in line to go again. By the end of the day everyone had gone across the zip line at least once and we all left with a new sense of accomplishment.

The next day I was thinking about the events on Benito Juerez. I thought to myself, if I had never come to Mexico then I never would have had the experience of zip lining. This then led me to recall all of the amazing adventures that I have had over the past couple of weeks. It was almost scary to think that I could have missed out, because several family members and friends had advised me not to go to Mexico. As I was thinking, I felt an extreme sense of happiness and pride that I had put my own desires first, and accomplished the goals that I had set. After this past weekend, I realize how important it is to take chances, trust, and never let fear prevent you from attaining your dreams.

France Days 11-22

France 2011 Day 11- Visiting a Maconnais Winery

France Day 13- Tasting Epoisses

France 2011 Day 14- Market Day

France 2011 Day 15 - Visit to Chateau Cromatin (Still mispelling it as chromatin)

France 2011 Day 16 - Journey to Beaune

France 2011 Days 19 & 20 - Into the Jura Mountains Near Switzerland

France 2011 Day 21 - Farewell

France 2011 Day 22 - Back to Paris and a Final Dinner

Introduction to FRET, FCS, FCCS, and FRAP

A light introduction into a quarter of what I have learned this summer.

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A Glimpse of Dusseldorf and the Ruhr Region (2/2)

Benrath Baroque Palace










One of the many Palace Gardens













From Bike Tour #1, the terraced park we rode to the top of, you can faintly see the observation tower at the top












The view of an indoor ski slope from the observation tower, about 5 stories up in the air.












Duisburg Nord, the vegetation reclaiming the industrial past

















Some of the old industrial buildings within the park

















A vine covered wall of a small courtyard garden














This was an area of extreme soil contamination, a soil cap was placed and an ornamental garden planted on top













One of the canals cleaned and filtered by plant material, now safe to swim in or sunbath on one of the several docks

A Glimpse of Dusseldorf and the Ruhr Region (1/2)

Entrance to the Zollverein complex


















Staircase to the museum entrance on the 3rd floor
















One of the old coal chutes in the factory
















A small portion of the complex turned into a public swimming pool














A house from the Margaretenhöhe neighborhood
















The current, active sewage treatment basin from our bike tour












The adaptive re-use of another basin, planted with seating areas and a surrounding playground and cafe









A Sunday afternoon on the banks of the Rhein in Dusseldorf, reminded me a bit of the Seurat painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte

Week 2 in Oaxaca

One of most memorable experiences that happened this week was going to a weaving cooperative. There is a little town not too far from Oaxaca, which bases its economic income off of the making and selling of rugs. The cooperative was started several years ago by a group of women who wanted to become economically independent from their husbands. In rural parts of Oaxaca it is tradition for women to be bound to their duties at home and thus, they rarely have a chance to leave. Some women who wanted independence created the weaving cooperative to change this. At first, the men resisted the change and tried to keep women “in their place”. The cooperative went through some ups and downs over the years; most recently the business has settled down and become more stable. According to the women, when the men began to realize that the rugs were a good source of income, they began to encourage their wives in the cooperative. This complete turn-around surprised many of the women, but the women openly accepted the men, some of whom are still weaving with the cooperative today.

When I heard the story of the weaving women, I was not surprised at the hardships that they received from the men. To me, it seems that even though Mexico and the United States are completely different countries they still experience some of the same stereotypes about men and women. Men are looked at as the “breadwinners” of the family. However, after just spending some time in Oaxaca for a couple of weeks I am starting to see that this stereotype is falling away, similar to American culture. In the clinic, it is common for men to bring in their children to receive treatment. This behavior breaks the gender roles and is probably something that could only be witnessed in the last couple of years.

After learning the story of the weaving cooperative, one of the women there performed a cleansing ceremony, also known as a limpia. The limpia is a ceremony that is meant to cleanse a person of their physical and mental ailments. Because we attended a group limpia, we received a mild version of the ritual. The ceremony started off with the mixing of herbs and alcohol, then a handful of herbs was rubbed over specific points on our arms and head. The herbs were then placed in our hands and we were asked to remain sitting with our eyes closed until everyone had received their treatment. I thought it was ironic that the majority of our group is pre-medicine, but we were all receiving an alternative treatment.

The limpia reminded me of the value in alternative medicine; and that just because I am premed, does not mean that I should discount such practices. In fact, after the ceremony I began to think about my own career and how I would love to combine all forms of medicine. To me, it is upsetting that most people in America are quick to discredit alternative treatment. But here in Oaxaca it is common for people to receive many different kinds of treatment, ranging from clinical physicians to witch doctors. This open-mindedness is something that I hope to carry back with me to America.