Sally Rountree is an official CAPA blogger for summer 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Sociology major and Public Health minor at Simmons College, she is studying abroad in Buenos Aires on a custom program this semester.

In this week's post, Sally tells us what she learned in her first class, and how she observes the city because of it.

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When I first walked into Universidad Austral in Buenos Aires I was amazed that I would be taking classes in such a beautiful building. As soon as you walk in there is a large round entrance way with gold trimmings around multiple paintings. The ceiling is a large dome that doesn’t look like it belongs in a school. Even though I have been here for a whole week I still stop to look at the entranceway every time I walk in. I am studying public health, so classes involve a lot of discussions about culture, economics, politics, history, and health structures. Our very first class at CAPA started off with a guest lecturer who spent three hours talking about Argentina’s history. The class was riveting and I took six pages of handwritten notes.

Argentina has a rather tumultuous history, with a series of dictatorships and military coupes. Europeans, especially from Spain and Italy, migrated to Argentina in huge numbers, especially in the 1800s. There was a large movement to eradicate indigenous populations, whether it be through absorbing them into European culture or killing them. While this history sounds very violent, it is extremely comparable to colonization of the United States. Native Americans were also eradicated and forced to assimilate or move. European conquest is a common history in the Americas. However, unlike some other Latin countries, there is very little sign of the indigenous population in Argentina.

"Thoughts on Education Abroad" is a monthly column written by CAPA The Global Education Network's Deputy President and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Michael Woolf.

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Reading the signs

Coming from suburban America, where people drive from one place to another, walking for no particular reason was a bit of an eccentric thing to do. I could walk for hours in Paris …looking at the way the city was put together, glimpsing its unofficial history here and there, a bullet in the façade of an hotel particulier…or a row of cobblestones revealed by roadworks, several layers below the crust of the current city, slowly rising ever upward. I was on the lookout for residue, for texture, for accidents and encounters and unexpected openings. [1]

Lauren Elkin’s comment resonates with the experience of many American students when they study abroad. They learn modes of engagement with the environment that may be unfamiliar.  What Elkin calls being “on the lookout” precisely describes the habit of spatial consciousness that we try to inculcate in our students.

Photo: public domain

A student of urban environments is a kind of archaeologist or a reader of signs: deciphering that which might be missed by a tourist or incidental visitor. Interpreting visual signals requires us to go from merely seeing to active observation. Then, we need to translate those perceptions into language; to move from exploration to analysis -- to occupy rather than just pass through in a myopic blur.

As you enter college and embark on your study abroad journey, you'll begin to realize how important your resume is. There's an emphasis on having impressive jobs and skills to put on your resume, but many people think that's all you need. Few realize that things like layout of your resume could actually make or break getting the position you're applying for. Some employers will take one look at a resume, see that it is unorganized, and move on to the next. When applying for internships abroad, here are a few things to keep in mind.

The first thing to point out is that many countries outside the US, particularly in Europe, use to term CV which stands for "curriculum vitae" instead of resume. In Latin, this term means, “course of my life”, and it's the same exact thing as a resume. It is important to highlight experiences, skills, qualifications, education, and your personal information.

Niah Humphrey is an official CAPA vlogger for spring 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A communication major with a minor in Spanish at Auburn University, she is studying abroad in Buenos Aires this semester.

In this week's post, Niah heads home after her semester abroad, and shares with us how she's changed.

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Thanks, Niah!

Niah's journey continues every Thursday so stay tuned.

Madeline Messina is an official CAPA blogger for summer 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. An Advertising major and a French and Francophone Studies minor at the University of Florida, she is studying abroad in Dublin this semester.

In this week's post, Madeline delves into foodie paradise, telling us the history of Irish food and reccomending some places to eat.

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Before I came to Ireland, I had a lot of people warn me that the food in Ireland is dry and bland. According to them, all I would eat were potatoes and corned beef. The only person who told me that food in Ireland is good, was someone who had been there them self.

Photo: tea and strawberry scones

So where do these stereotypes come from? In my research about Irish food history, I learned that a lot of the stigma against Irish food comes from the wave of immigrants during the Irish potato famine. When the Irish came in to the United States, they needed to support themselves, so many opened restaurants. Since they didn’t have much money, they used cheaper alternatives in their cooking, such as beef instead of pork (hence corned beef). This may be where the stereotypes stem from.

Seth Neu is an official CAPA blogger for summer 2017, sharing his story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Marketing & Management Information Systems major at the University of Minnesota, he is studying abroad in London this semester.

In this week's post, Seth takes us to three different museums and a fashion show, teaching us about style and design.

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London, being one of the “big three” fashion hubs, has an abundant supply of fashion-related things to do. Whether it be museums, shows, shopping, or festivals, I was excited to explore it all. Initially, prior to arrival, I had assumed that I would be visiting all the events alone; not many people—in particular males—have the interest to invest hours into clothing. However, to my delight, another CAPA student found out about my fashion interest whilst reading my blog, and suggested we explore London together. I was thrilled to have found someone willing to indulge my interest.

Photo: view from inside the Design Museum

Our first trip together was to the Design Museum for a Cartier exhibit. The Design Museum recently relocated to the Kensington area, taking over the former Commonwealth Institute building that had stood abandoned for over a decade. John Pawson, the architect in charge of the renovations gutted the place, only electing to keep the anomalous copper-covered hyperbolic paraboloid roof, building a modern museum beneath. The end result was a juxtaposition between a harsh, industrial exterior and a modern, fine-tuned interior; the perfect building for a design museum.

Jiwon Choi is an official CAPA blogger for summer 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. An Art History major at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, she is studying abroad in Florence this semester.

In this week's post, Jiwon gives us her list of 10 things that will help you out when you study abroad in Florence.

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1. Summer in Florence is very hot

The average temperature in Florence is around 90F and being around large group of tourists doesn't help. Bring something to keep yourself cool, such as a fan, cooling pad, hat, water spray…etc. You will find them extremely helpful especially in crowded, enclosed museums.

Skylee Lawton is an official CAPA blogger for summer 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Public Relations major at SUNY Oswego, she is studying abroad in Sydney this semester.

In this week's post, Skylee visits Auckland and Queenstown in New Zealand, describing some of the incredible sights she saw.

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Update from my last blog: I am no longer sick! I felt better on my flight from Auckland to Queenstown, New Zealand and I have not looked back. Instead, I'm looking up! Queenstown is easily one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. It was also a lot warmer than I was anticipating. It's completely surrounded by mountains and is based at the second largest lake in the country, Lake Wakatipu.

While packing before you travel abroad, you’ll probably want to find a magical way to bring everything you own without needing 50 suitcases. It can be pretty difficult to only bring what you need considering the amount of clothes and other items you have. If you really can't decide what to bring with you, you can keep these tips in mind to make sure you've got the essentials for your study abroad adventure.

1. Define needs vs. wants

Elizabeth Withers is an official CAPA blogger for spring 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A double major in English literature and history & philosophy of science at the University of Pittsburgh, she is studying abroad in Buenos Aires this semester.

In this week's post, Elizabeth talks about how packing her bags to head home is a bit different than packing for her arrival in Buenos Aires.

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This was my last week in Buenos Aires, and although I’m excited to go home, I’m starting to miss just about everything about this city already.  Walking through the verdant plazas and winding, narrow, art-filled calles, I’ve had some time to reflect on what I’ve learned from my four months here in this enormous, dynamic, lively city.  Some of this is a little hard to put into words; it’s not always easy to realize the gradual changes that come with learning about new places, cultures, people, ideas, attitudes, and ways of living.  That said, I’m going to try, with this post, to take you once again through my packing process.  This time, though, I’ll be taking a lot more with me than clothes and toiletries and books, and leaving behind some things, too.

Photo: one of my favorite landmarks in Buenos Aires, Floralis Generica by the artist Eduardo Catalano.  This giant steel flower blooms everyday with the rising and setting sun.