O FFICE OF O FF -C AMPUS S TUDY
T HE C LAREMONT G LOBETROT TER
V OLUME 3, I SSUE 2
S PRING 2012
Tales of the ônibus
Isabelle Heilman ‗13
SIT: Brazil: Social Justice & Sustainable Development
Never having taken a bus in the
United States, I was a little hesitant to use the
bus as my main source of transportation while
abroad in Brazil. The bus system is fairly well
connected here in Fortaleza, and a rumored
metro is on the way in preparation for the
World Cup. By now I have taken the bus so
many times it has become routine, but that
doesn‘t mean that I haven‘t had some pretty
memorable trips along the way. Here are some
of the most entertaining:
On a particularly hot evening,
seven American students and I ended
up taking the bus home together. The
bus was crowded to begin with, so
seven big kids didn‘t fit very well inside, especially carrying our bulging
backpacks. To add to the annoyance
we appeared to be causing, we were
talking loudly in English, and at one
point a student in our group began
singing. To top it off, there was an
accident and horrendous traffic so a
One day on my way home I almost
25-minute bus ride turned into almost
didn‘t make it on or off the bus. As I was runan hour. To say the least, the Brazilning to catch the bus, a ton of people rushed in
ians clapped when we got off at our
front of me and I just managed to push myself
stop.
in as the door nearly closed on my arm. Everyone before me had taken the seats, so I was By now I have taken the bus so many
left without anything to hang on to and ended times it has become routine, but that
up falling on my knees as the bus turned. The doesn’t mean that I haven’t had some
bus was packed, and when it came to my
pretty memorable trips along the way.
neighborhood I found myself yelling in portunholglish for the bus driver to stop and let
Recently I had another close
me off. Finally, after a hectic trip, I climbed
call when I just barely made it onto
over the other passengers to alight at my final the bus. After I squeezed in, there was
REALLY no more room for anyone
destination.
to get on. However, at our next stop
some people managed to find a way to
push their way onto the bus. It was so
packed that in order to find a spot a
small woman actually grabbed my leg
and hoisted herself up. She continued
to climb into the bus by wrapping her
arms around my waist and pulling
herself up the stairs. Instead of holding a bar to stabilize herself as the bus
moved, she decided to continue to
hold onto me tightly. Needless to say,
as soon as I could, I swiped my bus
pass and moved into the waiting area.
A Note from the Editor:
Each semester CMC students
travel to destinations around
the globe to learn of new cultures, immerse themselves in
a different way of life and
return to campus with a
unique perspective of the
world around them. Through
vibrant images and carefully
crafted words, the essays in
this issue will open a window
into some of the experiences
CMC students have while
studying abroad. Enjoy!
Julia Starr CMC ‘12
INSIDE THIS
ISSUE:
Tales of the ônibus
1
By Isabelle Heilman
Among the Ruins
2
By Elise Yoshida
Argentine Adventures 4
By Pyper Scharer
Too Many Fish Bones
7
By Priscilla Hsu
Exploring Aotearoa
By Blake Weber
9
The Claremont Globetrotter
PAGE 2
A MONG
THE
R UINS
B Y E LISE Y OSHIDA ‘13
Trinity College in Rome - Italy
Here I am at one of the
best delis in Rome with
two girls from my program and Alin, who
makes incredible sandwiches. We‘re regulars,
so the second we walk in
Alin gives us all a huge
hug and prepares special
sandwiches just for us.
Sometimes, he even gives
us free snacks like fried
ricotta, desserts, or pieces
of freshly baked bread.
Basically, Volpetti‘s is
my go-to place for a
quick, delicious meal.
This is a pizza for two that I
ordered in Naples. It has
prosciutto, mozzarella
along the crust, a fresh ball
of mozzarella in the middle,
loads of shaved parmesan,
cherry tomatoes, and
roasted bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, and eggplant in the folded corners
of the crust. Even though
this is meant for two people, it was so tasty that I
couldn‘t help but eat the
whole thing. It was definitely one of the best things
I‘ve eaten so far. For any
foodie, it‘s hard to go
wrong when you‘re in Italy.
The Claremont Globetrotter
PAGE 3
These two pictures were taken
during a tour of Pompeii. I‘m representing my CMS Stags with an
old Track & Field singlet while
taking the copious amounts of
notes my professor required. We
were running through the city in
90-degree weather with 80% humidity in order to make sure we
saw everything. Despite the less
than ideal conditions, the picture
on the right is proof of how happy
I was. I felt practically giddy because I‘ve wanted to visit Pompeii since I was 8 years old; finally being there was utterly fantastic.
PAGE 4
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Argentine Adventures
By PyPer Scharer ‘13
CIEE - Buenos Aires, Argentina: Liberal Arts
A distinct local culinary experience,
the Argentine "parilla," or grill, is a
delicious component of my study
abroad experience. This is a photo of
a wonderful dinner shared with CMC
classmates Kelsey Gross and Wade
Vaughn (and our friend Hanna!). On
each of our giant cutting boards of
food, we have: French fries topped
with a fried egg, rice, mashed pumpkin, grilled red pepper, half of a
grilled onion, a slab of grilled/herbed
provolone cheese, and a massive
steak.
As part of my service-learning
course, I'm volunteering with the
well-known human rights group, the
Madres of the Plaza de Mayo. The
sons and daughters of these incredible women were kidnapped as part
of the systematic forced disappearances of the military dictatorship of
1976-1983. Since April 30, 1977,
they've gathered in the Plaza every
Thursday at 3pm to conduct their
weekly "ronda" around the Plaza's
central pyramid. The handkerchief
they wear to identify themselves has
become symbolic of their relentless
fight for truth, memory, and justice.
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The Claremont Globetrotter
The petals of this iconic Buenos Aires flower actually open and close with the sun.
Atop Cerro Catedral, one of the ski resorts near Bariloche, Argentina in Patagonia. October 9th, the day we
were there, was the last day of the ski season, because it's springtime.
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The breathtaking
waterfalls of
Iguazu, in the
northern province
of Misiones. An
Argentine (or Brazilian!) must-see!
This is me and my extended host family on
Sunday, October 16th –
Argentina's Mother's
Day. I really feel like a
part of the family, for
which I am very fortunate! My host mom is
an AMAZING cook!
The Claremont Globetrotter
PAGE 7
Too Many Fish Bones
By Priscilla Hsu ‘13
SIT: China: Chinese Culture & Ethnic Minorities
I woke up with fifteen minutes to spare before my Chinese class. The building our language
class was in was only a five minute walk away—
three if we hurried—which meant I had just enough
time to prepare a water bottle of tea before leaving
my room. I took a sip before closing the door to my
room, but a sharp pain in my chest told me the day
was not off to a great start. Was the water too hot? I
took another sip. Nope, but that was definitely chest
My teacher informed me
that I was looking pale,
which in Chinese culture is
normally a compliment, but
I’m pretty sure she meant
sickly.
pain. Whatever. I figured I‘d just ignore it until I
had time to see a doctor in the afternoon. I didn‘t
want to miss a minute of my Chinese language
class, considering there were only two people in it,
myself included.
As I sat, well, more like slumped through
my morning class, it was obvious something was
wrong. It hurt so much to swallow that I hadn‘t even
bothered trying to eat breakfast. I had tried sipping
soymilk but as it slipped down towards the end of
my esophagus, searing pain ripped through my
chest. I was hungry, and thirsty, and trying to comprehend why I would ever need to talk to a farmer
about agriculture in Chinese. (Ironically, I am currently living in a village where the main livelihood
is agriculture.)
My teacher informed me that I was looking
pale, which in Chinese culture is normally a compliment, but I‘m pretty sure she meant sickly. So as
soon as class was over, I made the executive decision to see a doctor. The thing is, in China, seeing a
doctor (or in the States, seeing a family physician) is
synonymous with going to the hospital.
Our student coordinator was busy attending to
relatives at another hospital who had eaten wild mushrooms, so I was instructed to take a cab to the hospital
myself, and that she would meet me there shortly after.
The cab driver proceeded to light and smoke
his cigarette after I told him I wanted to go to the hospital, but at least he delivered me to the right place. I
watched a mother coddle a baby wearing odd-looking
bottomless pants, very common in China for children
to wear in lieu of diapers, as it peed directly onto the
street in front of a sign. I read the sign in broken Chinese. ―Kunming.. something something… hospital.‖
Oh, good. If this was what the outside was like, I
couldn‘t wait to see the inside.
I walked past a group of elderly people hanging out on the benches outside and walked into what
felt like a small city. There were people everywhere.
My student coordinator finally arrived and together we
walked to the main desk to buy a blue registration
booklet to start my medical records. I think people in
China carry around their own medical records because
there was no way that hospital had records for all the
people milling around.
Oh, good. If this was what
the outside was like, I couldn’t wait to see the inside.
Registration book in hand, it was time to find
the doctor. However, not before we waited in some
line that I didn‘t understand, then off to another line,
then to a different floor to find the respective ward for
my ailment, and finally into another line to see the
doctor.
The doctor himself was just as roundabout as
the hospital. He looked puzzled, but I‘m not sure if it
was because my student coordinator was translating or
if it was because I described my symptoms in
Chinglish.
continued on page 8
The Claremont Globetrotter
Page 8
But Chinese people are not reserved when it comes to
saying what‘s on their mind, and pretty soon he asked
if I was a hua yi, a person of Chinese origin who doesn‘t hold Chinese citizenship.
―Uh, sort of. I guess I‘m a Taiwan yi…?‖
―Oh, I have a lot of friends abroad who bring their kids
back to study Chinese too.‖
―Okay… so what‘s wrong with my chest?‖
―You have esophagitis.‖
―Infection of the esophagus? How does someone even
get that?‖
―So are your parents part of the Guomintang*?‖
― Uhh… I don‘t know but my family has been there for
a long time, even before the Guomintang came. So how
did I get esophagitis?‖
―Who knows. There are plenty of reasons why. Also,
you should probably try to avoid anything spicy or oily
in the meantime.‖
I never really learned how I got esophagitis,
nor did I manage to avoid food that wasn‘t spicy or
oily in a country overloaded with MSG. However, I
did gain insight into the healthcare system in China,
and I will definitely never under appreciate my family
physician ever again.
*The Guomintang (also spelled Kuomintang or referred to as the Nationalists) was the political party in
power until 1949, when Chairman Mao and the People‘s Liberation Army kicked them out and founded
the People‘s Republic of China. The leader of the
Guomintang, Chiang Kai-Shek, and many of his followers fled to Taiwan shortly thereafter. The Guomintang currently holds power in Taiwan and continues to
be one of two major political parties today.
Priscilla and some of her friends sporting beards in China.
The Claremont Globetrotter
Page 9
Exploring Aotearoa
By Blake Weber ‗13
Arcadia - University of Otago, New Zealand
Over spring
break a group of
friends and I
decided to explore Aotearoa
(the Maori name
for New Zealand). We
started the trip
with a long 12hour drive from
Dunedin to
Marlborough
Sounds. This
picture is from
the top of Mt.
Stokes, the highest point in the
area.
After the full-day
hike up Mt.
Stokes, my friends
and I set up camp
and relaxed by the
fire. During our
late night conversations we realized
the waves were
glowing a faint
blue. We scrambled to the shore
were we realized
our camp site was
surrounded by
Bioluminescent
algae.
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The Claremont Globetrotter
After leaving Marlborough Sounds, we drove to Abel Tasman National park where we spent
the next three days hiking along the turquoise water.
Upon leaving Abel Tasman, our group decided to explore the west coast before returning to Dunedin.
This is one example of the western coastline -- notice the snow capped mountains in the background.
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The Claremont Globetrotter
This is a large cave
we discovered while
exploring the West
coast.
This photo is from
the end of our week
-long road trip.
Here we are driving
to Queenstown, and
then back to Dunedin.
For more information on study abroad, please contact:
Off-Campus Study Office
Center for Global Education
Heggblade Center, 1st Floor
850 Columbia Avenue
Claremont, CA 91711
(909) 621-8267
fax: (909) 607-8690
studyabroad@cmc.edu