THE TRAVEL MENU:
First up: Playa Gigante, Nicaragua. June 21st-August 6th.
DU Geography Professor Matthew Taylor began this as a sister project to his work with DU in Guatemala (http://www.geography.du.edu/taylor/Site/home.html). Basically, this particular trip is a student-led project, and our group will be using DU research grants to create a fully functional and sustainable organic garden and nearby structures. The premise of the project is giving back to the local fishing community by generating produce and income. The locals paid a small fee for ownership of part of the garden, and they are to be an integral part of the formulation of our project and the work we do.
I am not sure how often I will have internet while I am there, but I will take every opportunity to communicate here and on email.
I will also be quite safe. I am with a group of DU students and graduates that I completely trust, and we are not the first group of students to work on this garden. Taylor and volunteer students have been working on this project for nearly a year now. The community knows Taylor and DU, as well as a couple students coming with us, and they are very warm and welcoming.I expect this to be an immense learning experience for me. I will get to experience hands-on the concepts I have been learning about in classes like Ecology, Feeding the World, and Peacebuilding. I want to be able to incorporate myself into the local culture as much as possible by speaking Spanish and spending time with community residents. I think that is the part I am most excited about. Should be amazing!
Second up: Nanzan University, Nagoya, Japan. August 27th-May.
My Junior/Senior year will be spent in--that's right--Japan!
Nanzan University started as a Christian Missionary school, and eventually evolved into a well-known and respected international learning institution (http://www.nanzan-u.ac.jp/). I will be travelling with the Institute for International Education of Students (IES Abroad). Basically, they connected me with Nanzan and help me organize all my paperwork.
This trip is particularly significant, because ever since my family hosted our first Japanese exchange student I have been in love with the country, and all aspects therein. I don't think there is any place that I have wanted to go as badly as Japan. Serendip had it that my high school taught the only public school Japanese language program in the county, so I of course took advantage of it. I learned under the fantastic guidance of my teachers Scott Harguth and Atsuko Frederick for 4 years. But in college, figuring I would without doubt study abroad in Japan, I learned Chinese and Spanish instead. And traveled many places, none of them Japan. Finally Japan is tangible, and that is in the form of Nanzan University!
I applied to a home-stay option, but I don't hear about that until August. What I do know is I will be taking intensive Japanese courses the whole time. My courses taught in Japanese will include those on Japanese literature, teaching English as a foreign language, and various art courses. My English-taught courses for my International Studies major will be Japanese Economy, Japanese Foreign Policy, Japanese Politics, Political and Social Issues of Japan, Asia and Japan in American Foreign Relations, and Japanese Religions. I want to participate in clubs, language learning partners, and volunteerism as well.
But the food. The foooood. That will certainly be one of my favorites.
Japan will be foodie heaven. You will hear much about food.
Basically as the details roll in I will write about them. Watch my blog!!
Hooray for Google Maps!
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