Courtney: Nicaragua – Global Works

Recently I got to talk to a friend of mine from home who also attends Penn State and her experience abroad in Nicaragua. Courtney took a trip to Central America through Global Works, a program that allows high school students to travel and give back to poor communities. In Nicaragua, Courtney got to meet locals, stay in a renovated hostel with other members of the Global Works trip and build a home from a family in need.

Courtney’s experiences in Nicaragua were “amazing” she said. “Sometimes, it got really difficult. I got sick from the food, I had bug bites, I was homesick – but I met some of the greatest people, I got to help some of the greatest people on this Earth and that’s what I got to take from it.” Courtney described that the family had 5 children and their home had been rotting and falling apart. She said the parents were so thankful and brought to tears when they walked into their new house, which according to Courtney, was standard by all means, with absolutely no frills or luxuries that we have here.

Courtney described the language barrier, saying communication with locals was often done through broken Spanglish, but she said there were a lot of simple commonalities between Americans and the Nicaraguans. Children love to play soccer and tag, and dance and music is important to the family structure there as well.

I know there are people in the United States suffering from poverty just as these people in other countries, but I think it was so self-less and kind of Courtney to give up time of her own to go to Nicaragua to help a family she had never met before. “The ability to change someones life really hit me when I saw how appreciative they were.” It’s amazing that an essential thing such as a home can link people from different parts of the world together.

From Naples to PSU

With Thanksgiving coming up I’ve been thinking lately of family (and of course the food) that I’ll get to be with at home. One of my favorite parts of this holiday is the fact that my very large family all comes together for a big dinner and “coffee and cake” a.k.a. more family shows up for dessert… My cousins grandparents are from Naples, Italy and to me, they are family. This past year, my cousin’s grandfather, Antonio, was sadly diagnosed with the onset of Alzheimer’s. This debilitating disease is so sad because you watch someone who once knew you so well forget almost everything. His wife, Andrina, still takes care of him, and she constantly speaks of old stories and memories, some of which Antonio speaks of, some of which he has no recollection.

In May, I was at a bridal shower and I was talking to Andrina. She told me she loved my dress and proceeded to tell me a little about her life (without my prompting). She began to tell me how she came to the United States when she was 16 years old, after completing 10 years of schooling and spending every day after school working with her mother who was a seamstress.

Coming to New York was a huge change for Andrina, she didn’t speak any English and she came to stay with a distant cousin of hers. She said that although learning English was difficult and took time, gradually she began to understand it, and finally she began to speak and write it. What she was good at, she said, was understanding the fashions of the time. According to her, regardless of where you’re from, if you’re a teenage girl “fashion is relatable to everyone.” As a seamstress living in Little Italy at age 18, she walked into a local store to buy fabric. There she met Antonio, who was working for his father in the fabric store and as a tailor. Immediately the two connected, both being from Italy, but she was not allowed to date at this time.

She recalls sneaking out to meet Antonio on Friday nights to go to the movies with him, teaching him bits of English, and writing to her sisters back in Italy about him. Although Antonio cannot remember this now, Andrina said being 18 was one of the best years of her life. She says she remembers how much she missed Italy coming to America, but that along with this new culture came new friendships and a new life.

Although this post doesn’t have anything to do with the background of a Penn State student, I think Andrina and Antonio’s story is relatable to many of us here. No, none of us in CAS137H have lost our memory or are from Naples, Italy, but so many of us are here, starting new friendships and relationships, with each of us coming from such different places. This might sound cliché but I think history really can repeat itself. You never know who you will meet or what you will learn at this huge campus and I think regardless of the different places we all come from, we all do a great job of living together here in Happy Valley. I like to think that if Andrina came here speaking no English, working for a small amount of money and she found her way, all of us will be able to find our way here at PSU.

 

My love for…this random place!

Ever since I was little, I told myself that I wanted to “go where Maria sang in The Sound of Music.” I found out that this movie was filmed in Salzburg, Austria and Bavaria, a state of Germany. To my even bigger surprise, I found out you can actually take a Sound of Music tour while in Salzburg! The website of this tour boasts:

“Come and join us on a wonderful ride with breathtaking views of the landscape where the opening scenes of the movie The Sound of Music were filmed. Relax and listen to the Original Sound of Music soundtrack. You will not just see lots of highlights of the movie “The Sound of Music”, but also get to know historical and architectural landmarks in the city as well in the Lake District area.”

Salzburg-Winter

I still to this day think this movie had some of the most beautiful scenery, and I’d probably be the first one to say let’s do this tour. For people who enjoy winter sports as well, I found out that Salzburg has great ski areas as well. I’m usually a fan of going on vacation in the summer but I couldn’t think of a cooler way to spend a winter- in a beautiful city with the great mountains nearby for skiing.

The city of Salzburg has caught my attention because of it’s ability to attract risk takers and sports enthusiasts (you can go hot air ballooning over Austrian mountains) or visit museums such as the Zell am See. Besides the fact that I just seem to like the scenery of Salzburg, I found out it’s actually a city very attractive for tourists!

sound of music

 

 

 

Barcelona

I was talking on the phone with my Aunt Sue recently and I was asking her recommendations for where I should plan on studying abroad. I know I definitely want to study abroad my sophomore or junior year of college, I’m still unsure of where I want to go. I’m torn between Australia, a place on the opposite side of the world in which I have no connection to, or somewhere in Europe.

My Aunt is the most well traveled person I know. She works from home and is older with no children, so her husband and her take the time to travel now that they’re in their 50s. In response to my question, she said she loved the city of Prague, France was great, and Germany was fun too. In all honesty though, she said Barcelona, Spain was by far the most amazing place she had ever been to. She said in Barcelona, they have their own culture that’s almost distinct from the rest of Spain. I then asked her to recount my favorite story of hers, the time she went to the number 1 restaurant in the world (food & traveling – there is no question why this is my favorite story of hers…)

For my aunt & uncles wedding present, their friends, another couple, gave them the generous present of a dinner at El Celler de Can Roca, in Spain. The couple knew that my aunt and uncle planned on visiting Spain after their wedding and thought they would enjoy this.

As my aunt recalls, the process of this dinner took about 4 hours. There were multiple courses and each piece of food was presented in a traditional “tapas” style. Each piece of food was presented elaborately, in decorative boxes and such. What was interesting she said, was that each course was presented with a story. The worlds finest meat, where it came from, and about the people of that land. The best part about this dinner was the presentation, said my aunt. “You can only take one bite of each piece of food that is presented to you, because you become so full after these bites of delicious food!” I couldn’t imagine having only a bite of the world’s finest steak or potato but it sounds great to me.

I find it funny that my Aunt had to refuse one of the delicacies that was presented to her…pigeon. She said to me she just couldn’t stomach the thought of eating something she has seen on the streets of New York her whole life.

Regardless of where I study, I hope that one day I can visit this restaurant in Spain as a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

http://www.cellercanroca.com/menu/menu_a.html

“irish I was irish”

My family is very Irish and it is a huge part of who I am and who my family are. Growing up I never thought twice about the fact that my Grandma has a brogue or that she attends church daily. It was just who she was. As I got older, I began to see how some of her traditions are instilled in her, from growing up on a farm in County Leitrim, Ireland, a place where your nearest neighbor can be 2 miles down the road. It’s such a stark difference from the place she lives now, in the Bronx, where neighbors are literally a foot away and it’s always busy with people and traffic.

This past summer I decided to ask her what life was like growing up and what life was like when she first came to America. The greatest difference I could not get over was that she rode a horse and carriage to school, known as a “jaunting car.” To me, although she is old (87 to be exact) I cannot fathom the thought that she actually did that. But no, it did happen.

jaunting car

I’ve noticed here at Penn State that many different ethnicities often bond together, forming societies and organizations that celebrate their heritage. Back in the 1940s, this wasn’t so different in New York City.

My grandma said she met my grandpa, also an immigrant from Ireland, at a local dance, called a “ceílí.” These ceílís were dances where traditional music was played, and immigrants from all over New York City would come to meet others like them. Everyone lived near each other and walked each other home after these dances, and it reminded me of how today, we have friends in frats and apartments at Penn State, and oftentimes we become friends with people who are like ourselves. This is not to say that we don’t branch out and make friends with people who are like us, but sometimes, it’s nice to know others who come from similar backgrounds as yourself.

This last piece applies very directly to me- I recently met a few girls who live in East also and to our horror, we all realized that we all used to irish stepdance… And we all wore those horrible wigs for competitions, what we call a “feis” (pronounced fesh) and “oíreachtas.” (Prouncounced awe-rock-tuhs) This past time, though none of us dance anymore, brought us together and helped us find similarities between ourselves, even though none of us are from the same hometown.

DNEWS Rhythm of Ireland

I love coming from a heritage that binds people together so closely through music, dance, and tradition. Coming to Penn State, I’ve noticed this is so true about so many other cultures. If I ever study abroad one day, I’d hope to find American’s that can bond over our own culture as well.

Salsa: From Quito to Frat Row

One of the most interesting people I have met here at Penn State, Iván Hernández Cely, hails from Quito, Ecuador, but has lived in the United States for the past two years. When I first met Ivan, I had no idea that he was not from the United States because his English is impeccable. Although Iván is very accustomed to America, he loves all things Ecuadorian, specifically music, food and dance. His favorite line he likes to repeat to all of us non-Ecuadorian’s on our floor is, “As told by a Cuban thinker, if there is a God, he must be Ecuadorian.”

Iván, unlike some other international students, has already had two years to become accustomed to the United States, as his mom is the ambassador for Ecuador and he has lived in Washington D.C. I had the chance to ask him one day what was one of the most noticeable differences between the United States and Ecuador? His response: Dancing.

“When I got here, I thought that the way everyone danced here was a complete insult to women. In South America, dancing is like a battle between a man and a woman. Not in a violent way – but more that each works in unison, but shows off their moves and styles separately as well.”

Salsa academy for Children

I had trouble understanding what Ivan meant, a slight cultural barrier stood in the way. He then explained it to me in simpler terms. “The dancing in South America is a product of the poor people who inhabit it. For example, the Samba is drawn from the culture of Brazilian slaves, the Tango developed from the gauchos in cantinas. Dancing in South America brings happiness, it never degrades anyone, it is not meant to glorify the body, but glorify the dance itself.”

Iván believes it’s so difficult to define an Ecuadorian – being that the country, though small, is made up of four culturally diverse regions. “Each region has their own social customs, food, dance and dialects.” He finds that it is dance that gathers the people of Ecuador together and helps to define their culture. Iván’s taste in music ranges from traditional Ecuadorian bolero, to Franz Ferdinand and the Kooks. Regardless, he says, “I’ll be at a frat party and when I want to salsa – I’ll just salsa. The girls sometimes look at me like I’m crazy but then they find it interesting! I like teaching them how to dance.”

On a side note, entering college, I never would have thought that I’d make friends on my floor from so many different countries. I wouldn’t say learning how to salsa with a group of people in the hallways of our building, Sproul, or listening to French music is something every college student experiences, but it definitely has been interesting and funny to say the least.

From Jordan to Findlay Commons…

Talking to Aya Bseiso, my floormate who hails from both Jordan and Palestine respectively, I couldn’t help but laugh in agreement when she told me what she misses most from home, “THE FOOD!” I can definitely relate to Aya. Being from New York, I don’t think Pennsylvania pizza or pasta sauce will ever taste right, but I guess it’s just all about what you’re used to…. In Aya’s case, she couldn’t wait to tell me about her favorite dish, called “maqluba.” It is a dish that is cooked in pot with layers of rice, meat, eggplant and onions. This dish is then flipped upside down (the term maqluba means “flipped upside down” in Arabic) and served. For some meals in Jordan, Aya explains that everyone crowds around the table and does not use utensils, rather, like appetizers or “finger foods” over here, people eat with their hands. “It’s similar to eating a cheeseburger or fries over here – no utensils are necessary.”

I thought it was interesting that in Jordan, children and teenagers attend school Sunday – Thursday and Friday is considered “family day” or what is similar to Sunday’s in America. Every Friday, Aya says that her Grandmother would come over and cook for all of her aunts, uncles, cousins and her immediate family. This reminds me so much of Sunday dinners at my own home, when oftentimes, my aunt and uncles and cousins who live nearby will come over with dessert and eat dinner with us. Aya says she prefers the homestyle feel of eating with her family in comparison to the rush of the dining halls (as I’m sure many of us Penn Stater’s do) but she is used to fast food.

In Jordan, they have McDonald’s, but she is new to Chick-Fil-A (“It’s good but too fattening – I can’t have it often!” she says) and she is not a fan of Chipotle. Fast food is reserved solely for the weekends with friends, according to Aya. She thinks its easier to be healthier in Jordan because she is usually eating at home and usually eating less junk food. I find Aya’s situation very relatable to my own. I’ve never lived right across from a “Good To Go” or had Big Onion chicken fingers and fries available at almost all times of the day.

I also find comfort in knowing Aya misses eating at home with her family too. I’m a big believer that family, friends and food are three things that go hand-in-hand in life, and it’s obvious that in both the Middle East and America, that is true for many people.

*Recipe for Maqluba (also known as malooba) 

Peace at the Western Wall

Example of those meditating, praying and writing down their wishes and dreams at The Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem

Example of those meditating, praying and writing down their wishes and dreams at The Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem

Gabby, an 18-year-old freshman from Fairlawn, New Jersey looks like any other student here at Penn State. She attends the football games and frat parties; she studies regularly, and is American by birth. What not everyone would know is that she’s travelled the world with her parents and older sister. Her passport shows that she’s been to Italy, Israel, France, Prague, and Greece amongst other places. For Gabby, the biggest difference she notices between the United States and other parts of the world, specifically Europe, but also in places such as Israel, is that there, “People live to live and appreciate life, rather than just work for money. There are so many people with small homes, large families who just love life.”

“It’s not easy to understand,” she says. For instance, waiting for dinner for an hour in a restaurant in Tel-Aviv was extremely frustrating. It took awhile for her family and her to realize it wasn’t because the staff was rude, or the restaurant was busy. It was because in Tel-Aviv, that is the lifestyle that is promoted. “It’s simply more laidback.”

In comparison, on television, Israel is made out to be a land full of tension, the fight over the Holy Land ever prevalent. Instead, Gabby recalls a time when she visited the Western Wall, a site in Jerusalem often argued to be one of the most sacred Jewish sites in the world. Ironically, when Gabby visited here, she found that it was not just Jewish people making a pilgrimage to this site, but Arabic, Chinese, European, American, Christian and African-American people alike. Gabby describes this place as peaceful, with each group coming together as one, regardless of what religion they practiced or the color of their skin.

At the Western Wall, each person writes down “the wishes for their life” and they put this paper on the cracks of the wall. According to Gabby, “Everyone’s dreams are different – a woman standing next to me was wishing for her sister’s health to improve – she had cancer. Another woman in a wheelchair just sat with her palms on the stone – and she looked so comforted.”

Gabby recites this experience and points out that what people don’t understand is that peace can be found in places such as Israel, even though it is often depicted as a place of tension through the media and news. For travellers such as Gabby and her family, finding peace in a tumultuous land was one of “overwhelming and powerful emotion,” something she hopes many other travellers can find one day.