CAPA WORLD

Trisha is an official CAPA blogger for summer 2018, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. An International Business major at Champlain College, she is studying abroad in Shanghai this semester.

In this week's post, Trisha visits the Yu Garden on a My Global City outing and shares some fun observations from her experience.

---

During my first two weeks in China, one of my favorite first places that we visited during a My Global City event arranged by the CAPA staff here in Shanghai was something that piqued my interest at an earlier outing. Our first weekend here, CAPA resident director Colin Speakman took us to see the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center, which was filled with scale models of many of Shanghai’s most famous sites and tourist attractions. One of the models that most caught my eye was Yuyuan Garden.

On the way to Yu Garden.

The following week a small group of students and myself were led by CAPA on the metro to see this beautiful place for ourselves. The Yu Garden was originally built in 1559 during the Ming Dynasty by Pan Yunduan as a pleasure for his ancestors in their old age. The garden itself is more temple than garden, with beautiful structures spanning the entire course. You can walk through almost the entire thing without ever having to step out from the shade of a rooftop! Amongst the beautiful foliage there are meticulously placed small tiles forming stone paths spreading out in every direction and bordering the ponds of giant koi fish.

Claire Shrader is an official CAPA blogger for spring 2018, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Pre-Occupational Therapy major at Mississippi College, she is studying abroad in Buenos Aires this semester.

In this week's post, Claire shares how going on a walking tour of Buenos Aires brought an academic course to life.

It’s so easy to learn language on the colectivos chatting with the people who press in around you, asking where they’re headed and finding out what their day holds. Or in time with tango as you let your feet learn a new language of their own. Or in the plaza where the kids play and shout it out in a way that only kids can. Or in the phrases you need to request a café con leche, with azucar, please. I’ve found that my time in Argentina has stretched and grown my Spanish in ways I never even imagined it would.

Bianca the friendly cat is a must-visit attraction!

Buenos Aires has been my greatest teacher this semester, and my Global Cities class has given me a great chance to learn more about the city. We talk about the city in regards to the world, and what makes it unique from the rest of South America or even the cities we call home. We’ve learned its history and discussed class issues and economic issues, and last week we took the class to the street to combine what we observe in our day to day with what we learn in the classroom.

"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.

---

Laughter is a serious business, and comedy a weapon more dangerous than tragedy which is why tyrants treat it with caution. 
—Joe Orton

The world is sick, and I'm the doctor. I'm a surgeon with a scalpel for false values.
—Lenny Bruce

All humor is rooted in pain.
—Richard Pryor

Photo: public domain

In America, anyone can become president. That’s the problem.
—George Carlin

Washington couldn’t tell a lie, Nixon couldn’t tell the truth, and Reagan couldn’t tell the difference.
—Mort Sahl

In these troubled times when bigotry is political orthodoxy and, paradoxically, political correctness is used as a weapon to constrain freedom of speech, it seems to me that we are in urgent need of the power of comedy. Throughout our history, comedians, satirists and humorists have pricked the balloons of prejudice and self-righteous pomposity, exposed idiocy and cruelty to ridicule. Offending orthodoxy is a moral obligation in outrageous times. Two figures, the Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin and Mr. Schneider of New York, separated by almost 250 years and 6,000 miles, demonstrate the power of humor and ridicule; our openness to these voices is some measure of moral health. Comedy is, as these two figures demonstrate, a political scalpel cutting through the flesh of corruption, cruelty, idiocy and indifference.

Brandon is an official CAPA blogger for spring 2018, sharing his story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Political Science major at Clark University, he is studying abroad in Dublin this semester.

In this week's post, Brandon brings us along for a class field trip in Dublin and learns more about the city's history.

---

My favorite class at Griffith College so far is a CAPA-directed course called Analyzing and Exploring the Global City: Dublin. The Global City: Dublin class is meant to give students a well-rounded picture of Dublin looking at both the contemporary period and historical past. In doing so, there is a focus upon dissecting the individual phases of Dublin's, and Ireland's by extension, growth. The class is taught by Dr. Darren Kelly, who works closely with the CAPA team here in Dublin and also presides over the Global Internship Program class that meets every week for those participating in an internship while abroad.

Christchurch Cathedral is located right in the city center, and it is my favorite cathedral in Dublin because of its historical value and being built right next to the original Viking settlement of Dublin.

In class, we have recently begun a discussion and investigation of Dublin's original settlement and creation by the Vikings. Fun fact: Dublin got its name from the Irish word Dubhlinn, or "black pool." This refers to the dark tidal pool formed by the River Poddle meeting the River Liffey in what is now the city center of Dublin. This created a favorable, deep point for the Vikings to land their ships.

"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.

---

I have written and spoken recently about Europe in the light of the Brexit referendum. Whatever your view of the outcome, history has been curiously absent from the debate. We have tended to demonstrate collective amnesia in that there has been little consideration of the role of the European Union in leading, whether by accident or design, to over 50 years of relative peace within the region. The traditional and bloody animosities between the major nations of Europe, France and England on one side and Germany on the other, have given way to a sense of common interest, if not quite common identity.

The question of collective memory was alternatively illustrated by the extended period of World War I commemoration that culminated in the ceremonies of remembrance in London, throughout the UK, and in many other parts of the world on November 12th, 2017. Remembrance Sunday takes place every year on the nearest Sunday to Armistice Day when the hostilities of World War I ended at the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918. This event was rendered even more potent in contrast to the amnesia demonstrated by Brexit. Two versions of Europe paradoxically coincided. One is marked by what is for some political expediency of the moment. The other is the product of historical continuity.

"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.

---

Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet
—Rudyard Kipling The Ballad of East and West (1889)

Making Space

The idea of space is critical in education abroad. We believe that exploration of unfamiliar space is of educational value and, consequently, we have developed a wide range of teaching strategies that take students beyond the formal classroom. A primary distinction between domestic study and education abroad is precisely the exploration and analysis of space through some combination of what we call situational learning and/or experiential education.

"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.

---

Neighbor is not a geographic term. It is a moral concept. It means our collective responsibility for the preservation of man's dignity and integrity …in Berlin under the Hitler regime, I learned many things. The most important thing that I learned under those tragic circumstances was that bigotry and hatred are not the most urgent problem. The most urgent, the most disgraceful, the most shameful and the most tragic problem is silence.

-Rabbi Joachim Prinz, August 28, 1963, The March on Washington.

The Roma in Europe

Photo: Roma flag

This summer I had a two-month sabbatical which gave me the space to pursue my interest in the history of the Roma, “gypsies” in Europe. I revisited some of the issues I first raised in November 2016 in my column “Sounds familiar? Roma & Memory” and was able to conduct some in-depth research that is ongoing.

Maureen is an official CAPA vlogger for fall 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A BFA major at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, she is studying abroad in London this semester.

In this week's post, Maureen remembers the 5th of November and experiences Guy Fawkes Day with her study abroad friends in London.

---

Thanks Maureen!

Maureen's journey continues every Monday so stay tuned.

Tylor is an official CAPA vlogger for fall 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Business Communication major at Arizona State University, she is studying abroad in Dublin this semester.

In this week's post, Tylor visits Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin and gets to know more about Ireland's history.

---

Thanks Tylor!

Tylor's journey continues every Friday so stay tuned.

Hanna is an official CAPA blogger for fall 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Marketing, Finance, and International Business major at the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities, Carlson School of Management, she is studying abroad in Sydney this semester.

In this week's post, Hanna visits a historical Sydney site and tackles the issue of homesickness abroad as well as how to deal with it.

---

I've been slowly getting back into the routine of my program since we had a couple of events come up. Last Saturday, we went to the soccer game, which Aussies as well as Europeans call "football." This was an A-League Match; Sydney F.C. was playing against Sydney Wanderers, which was one of the highly anticipated rivalries.

Modern soccer was introduced in Australia in the late 19th century by mostly British immigrants. The oldest club in Australia currently in existence is Balgownie Rangers. They formed in 1883 in Wollongong. Soccer is the most played outdoor team sport in Australia, and ranks in the top ten for television audience. Although the match was quite boring in terms of playing technique and it ended tied with score of 2:2, I really enjoyed it and the atmosphere was amazing.