Study Abroad Programs Blog

Travel & Scuba

Scuba Diving – By Glenn Rigby I have had the opportunity to scuba dive on a few occasions, mostly when I was younger. It is an activity I would love to do again, and probably will do when I decide to visit some fun and exciting locations. Because a great way to enhance the fun-factor of any trip is to strap on scuba gear and go diving. Let us look at a few spots that may be of interest to the scuba enthusiast and beginner alike. Puerto Rico- Being exposed to northerly swells, the north coast has only a few dive sites, and divers staying along this coast are usually taken by road to the east coast for diving. East coast diving is easy as the sites are relatively shallow and the seas rarely rough. Fine white sand creates idyllic beaches but reduces visibility after ground swells. The diving terrain is typically gently sloping fringing reefs with both hard and soft corals, especially bushy gorgonians. This is a gregonian: Costa Rica- Most good diving is on the Pacific side of Costa Rica. The Caribbean reefs were decimated some years ago due to pesticide runoff from the banana plantations although the last two or three years have seen a definite return of life to the region. Dive operations are not very sophisticated but if you happen to be on that side of the country a day of diving can be fun. The best months are in September-November. There are three main areas for diving on the Pacific Ocean side. The first area is Isla del Caño, located on the Osa Peninsula in southern Costa Rica. The other two lie in the northern province of Guanacaste. Chile- Chilean beaches are easily accessible and generally have similar characteristics: a small sandy bay of approximately 1 kilometer (.6 mi) of extension limited at both ends by cliffs. This is important for your orientation when in the sea. The bottom of the sea alternates between sand and generally large, round stones. Once in the water you will quickly notice a great difference from other coasts: the abundance of seaweed and the variety of sea life. The abundance of fauna is remarkable, even near the coast, which is due to the almost total absence of divers. This amount of fauna living in relatively shallow waters coupled with excellent visibility makes for ideal conditions for marine photography.

Volunteer at an Orphanage

By Emily Hogge - Guest blogger traveling in Mexico. This week I have been hanging out at an orphanage, la Casa del Buen Pastor, here in Morelia. I had heard about it from a friend who studied abroad here in college, and so when I came, I poked around and finally found it. I started going there this week, just a few days, and I'm glad that I have. I suppose it's really more a foster home than an orphanage, and right now houses about 20 kids. Jacky, a girl who is working there for the summer, says that during the school year there are about 40. I'm not really sure how that works, but 20 kids now anyway. You would think that hanging out there would be depressing, and sometimes I have been sad, but in general it's not a sad place. The kids seem pretty happy, and they take care of each other. Of course, they're kids, so there's plenty of horsing around, and teasing, and even fighting, but from what I've seen in general they seem happy. When I go I don't really do much other than sit and play with a few kids, whoever wants to. Two kids came just a month ago, and I like to play with them the most. I think it would be a hard thing, leaving home, for whatever reason, to go to a new place. Today as I left, it was just so peaceful, so tranquilo as my host mother would say. This afternoon I mostly just sat and played with one little girl's hair, and played ball with another kid. The clouds were so beautiful as I left, and though it does give me a lot to think about, being there, I still feel peaceful. One thing that has been interesting, impressive, surprising, about going there is how other people from the language school want to go too. Just when I talk about it when people ask what I did the afternoon before, quite a few people have expressed interest in going. And today, my third day there, three people came along. One, a seminary student who will be here in Morelia for a while longer is going to go back again, I think. It just amazes me how people are so willing to help. I guess I don't always look for the best in people, but this has been very encouraging, just seeing how when I barely mention it, people jump at the opportunity. It's kind of funny, because apparently the orphanage has had a longstanding informal relationship with the school. I feel like that's a good thing, though it would be great if it were more well-advertised. Maybe I'll suggest it on my closing evaluation next week. Going to the orphanage is not really what I expected (I'm actually not sure what I was expecting), but it has been great, and really made me think about things, and I'm just glad to be there.

Markets in Cusco

By Tina Lin - Guest blogger traveling in Peru. I left the hospital earlier today with Marcy (another student in the Salud program) to visit Museo de Arte Contemporaneo and Museo Historico Regional. These museums are located across from each other, which makes them easy stops. I liked the artwork at the contemporary museum, they are not as contemporary as I had imagined. The paintings consisted of objects you can make out and the sculptures are of people. My favorite painting of all was a woman bathing in the rain. The painting where done in dark and light shades of green. It gave a sense of exhilaration and joy. Both Marcy and I wanted to see more after we finished all the exhibits. Museo Historico Regional consisted of Pre-Incan/Incan art on the first floor, then religious art on the second floor. Unlike the contemporary art museum, we were not allowed to take pictures there. My favorite piece was stonework of puma (puma is the animal that served as guardian of the land). I did not learn as much from this museum as Museo Inca because we did not have a guide. After our visit to the museums, Marcy went home. I walked to the Central Market and visited a book fair. I was so excited to see cookbooks and anatomy books. They were 5 sols each. I cannot wait to show my friends these awesome books. Then, I went into Central Market to buy some fruits. My favorite fruit that I've only seen in Cusco is granadilla. It is this fruit with an orange colored shell on the outside and soft white meat enveloping seeds in the inside. How do you eat this thing you might ask…. you suck out the seeds. The juice left on the seeds is delicious. I bought half kilo for 1.5 sols. In the afternoon, we had Spanish lessons as usual. A few of my friends decided to head over to El Molino together after class ended. El Molino is a market that sells cheap common electronics, clothing, shoes, sport gears…etc. A lot of students in my program bought cheap DVDs and brand name clothes there. I bought some CDs and films. I am getting ready for my weekend trip to Machu Pichu. I think I will use up at least four rolls of films. Around 8pm, I went home to eat dinner with my family. I have a Spanish quiz tomorrow.