Study Abroad Programs Blog

Outlook, Grim

By Kayla Allen I'm sure everyone knows by now that the always beautifully illustrated and happily ever after bedtime stories that we've come to know and love came from much more grim origins. The Brothers Grimm are a mainstay of children's literature worldwide and it strikes me as funny that the stories that we know to inspire hope and a sense of magic, in their original form might instead inspire terror, nightmares and possible bedwetting. Not that it was the Grimm's intention to be frightening but the stories were intended to teach a lesson and most likely to be strong enough that it would not be forgotten. Not to mention that the world was just a tougher place back then and their stories were likely never intended to be children's stories. The Grimm brothers were linguists and traveled extensively through Germany and other countries to do field work.. To get the information they needed for their field work it was imperitive to find ways of convincing people in small villages to feel comfortable enough to talk at length. To accomplish this they asked the people they met to tell them their favorite stories. In the end the brothers not only attained the data necessary to do their linguistic work, they also took along with them stories from various regions which they compiled and would eventually make them a household name. If you would like to see what a difference decades can make, follow these links to the original versions: * Cinderella * Hansel & Gretel * Snow White

A Kiss Hello

By Kayla Allen Hand gestures can mean completely different things depending on where you are in the world. A peace sign in the U.S. turned around in Britain could start a fight. The easily recognizable sign for O.K. in the U.S. means zero in France, in Japan it means money or coins and in Brazil, Germany, and the former USSR, it is obscene gesture. Head movements are the same; what means yes in one country might mean no in another and while handshakes are generally looked upon favorably, how you do it and what exactly the handshake means can also be up for interpretation. While the handshakes origins are speculation, it is widely thought that it was developed to show that neither party was armed and therefore friendly. Now its used as a greeting, as a goodbye, in business deals as well as a sign of mutal respect. A kiss hello has none of that confusion. The Romans distinguished three types of kisses naming the hello kiss osculum. While the kiss hello can vary by how many kisses you give or receive, whether it be on the cheek or the mouth the general sentiment remains the same, "Hello, nice to meet/see you!" Americans don't tend to be big kiss hello-ers but in some areas the practice is gaining popularity. Given the amount of things people touch with their hands in a day compared to how many things people kiss in a day I think I'd actually be happier kissing someone hello than shaking their hand and most importantly less likely to get sick. Maybe the fear of sickness is what's driving some to adopt the "air kiss", all sound and movement, no exchange of germs. Whether you shake, bow, press together or kiss hello, non-verbal gestures have an evolution all their own, who knows how we'll greet each other in 2206.

Another side of Quito

By Robin Fillner - SALUD Program Guest blogger traveling in Quito. Yesterday, I went with some people from the school to the women's prison in Quito. Patty, the main administrator at the school, is very compassionate and wanted us to experience this. She is trying to start a school for the young children that grow up there. When women are put in the jail, their children must go with them if there is no one else to care for them. Some of the women get pregnant in the jail, as a way to reduce their sentences. Unfortunately, this does not always happen and the children must spend their childhoods in jail. Patty is trying to explain to these women that this is not fair to these kids. Some of the children are unable to read, count, draw, anything. They have never seen anything farther than the walls of the jail. Pregnant women do not get incarcerated, they are set free. Going inside we had to show our actual passports and get searched. We brought things that they could use: food, cleaning and hygienic supplies, books, etc; those had to be searched as well. Then we got two stamps on our arms. If these were missing for some reason we would not be able to get out.. We entered into a big hall (past a couple highly guarded courtyards) where hanging above was lots of laundry. The hall was covered on top and three stories high with rooms on either side. There were small children running around and tugging on us for money, supplies, and just to say hello. The women were so happy we were there and gave us a welcome speech. They introduced themselves and told us how long they had been there. They had just had a party for a missionary who had been with them for 16 years and was now retiring. It was amazing what they could do with so little. There were about 10 foreigners there whom we talked with in groups. Indonesia, Thailand, Ireland, USA, Brazil... I spoke with a woman from California. She had met up with a guy who completely lied about himself: His name, nationality, job, everything. She was with him for 2 years and he eventually lured her on vacation to Ecuador with him. When she was leaving he switched her luggage which had had 3 kilos of coke sewn into it, she was nabbed at the airport. She told the police where he was and when they went to get him, his place had absolutely nothing in it - like he didn't exist. It turned out he was actually from Colombia. There is a lot more to the story of course, and I wonder how much of her perception agrees with what happened. She said that she was in jail for 2 years before even having a sentence! In Ecuador, it is illegal to hold people longer than one year without a sentence. But, they imposed a harsher allegation for the same crime on her. Double jeopardy?? She ended up getting a lawyer from California who worked pro bono on her case. He was able to speed things up but, at the same time, I think it was in 2004 when Ecuador was going through political turmoil and the judges didn't want to pass any judgments so everything was working very slow. I asked her about any human rights groups she may have had contact with and she said she was able to get a documentary film out, something like: packed, wrapped, and stuck. She also has an article in Glamour Magazine 2004 May or June. She is amazing; just her spirit after all she has been through. She said when you get to the prison you have to make your own bed, you have to buy the materials, and of course you have to somehow earn money to buy the materials. They make all kinds of little things and sell them to the visitors. Also family members bring them money and material, or food too. But being a foreigner you would have no one. So the missionaries help them out a lot. They also email for them to get messages out to their families. I brought her toothpaste and toothbrushes and pads. She was so thankful!!! I hope to go again and see her before I leave.

Along the Seine River

By Alexa Boyce One theory on the origin of the name Seine has it coming from the Latin Sanctus, or sacred. Today when walking along the Seine in Paris, France, you can still feel the tranquility that may have precipitated this name, even among the hustle and bustle of this capital city. The beauty of this river has inspired many painters over the years, including Claude Monet, Charles François Daubigny and Emile Othon Friesz. From the popular Bateaux Mouches tourist boats, one can travel the waterway located between the famed Rive Gauche (Left Bank) and Rive Droite (Right Bank). Many of the most famous sights in Paris can be seen from these boats, which could explain why they are so popular among tourists. These sights include: among other sites, the Eiffel Tower, "Notre-Dame" Cathedral, the Alexander III Bridge, Arc du Triomphe, the Orsay Museum, the Louvre Museum and the "Les Invalides" where Napoleon's tomb is located. You can also travel under the Pont Neuf, whose name means "new bridge". Actually, the Pont Neuf was built in the early 17th century, and is the oldest standing bridge in Paris. This bridge is west of the Ile de la Cité, and connects the Left and Right Banks. The bridge also holds the famous equestrian statue of Henry IV. The Rive Gauche is the romantic district of Paris past: Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald are among the artists of the Montpamasse. Besides being just a neighborhood, Rive Gauche can also refer to a certain type of fashion or way of life. This bohemian attitude was captured most recently in the film Moulin Rouge. The famous university district the Quartier Latin is also found on the Rive Gauche. The Rive Droite is less artsy then its sister to the south, but it has attained a level of elegance due to the fact that it houses the Place Vendôme plaza built by Jules Hardouin-Mansart. In this plaza, you can find the Column built by Napoleon in order to commemorate the victory at Austerlitz. It was supposedly built by the captured cannons of the combined armies of Euroope. The Rive Droite is also home to the stylish shopping streets of the Champs Elysées, and Rue de Rivoli. SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seine, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bateaux_Mouches http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pont_Neuf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rive_Gauche http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rive_Droite http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Place_Vend%C3%B4me