May 2018 – Hamilton Abroad

May 24, 2018 From London with Love Post a Comment

Chasing Waterfalls in Iceland: Part 2

On the third day we visited the Strokkur Geysir and the Gulfoss Waterfall. The geyser was so cool, but you had to wait for a while to see it. We stared at the geyser intently, with our cameras poised to capture it. When we finally saw it, the water bubbled up and rose in the air spraying mist all around and my mom was able to get a video of it. We then went to the Gulfoss Waterfall. When we walked up to the waterfall, I made a wish and sent it into the rushing water.

On the fourth day, we saw three more waterfalls. The first waterfall we saw that day was the Seljalandsfoss. My sister and I literally went behind the water fall. Can you believe it? We saw the water cascading down in gentle waves and I felt so happy I could’ve cried. Glittering water droplets fell all over me, kissed my cheeks and rested on eyelashes. I was nose to nose with a water fall and I smiled so hard because I felt like I was behind a shower of love, magic, and sparkles. It is almost indescribable. Then we walked in between two massive rocks to the hidden Gljúfrabúi waterfall. We each climbed a rock and took a picture in front of the waterfall. I felt like I could literally lift the waterfall in my bare hands. I felt free.

The third waterfall the Skógafoss waterfall had so many birds sitting in the ridges of the mountains near the waterfall. We walked to the very top of the waterfall and looked down. I had gotten to know waterfalls on deeply personal level on this trip and I felt renewed. On the last day we went to the Blue Lagoon where we swam around in toasty warm water and went into two saunas. It was so funny though because my family and I were overwhelmed with all of the heat and left after two hours, agreeing we had had enough.

As we drove around Iceland for the last time, I peered out the window. I saw the ocean, with water that was a richest aquamarine blue I’d ever seen. Overall, in Iceland, I felt such a deep inner peace, hope, and freedom that I wish I could bottle them up and heal the world. We saw birds flying in the wind, wild horses and their babies galloping gracefully. It was so amazing to be immersed in nature. I looked out my window to see thin trees standing tall, burnt-red plants forming a blanket over the rocky land and snow-capped mountains lounging. The mountains’ ridges and layers looked like they were painted on—it was breathtaking. I kept expecting to see fairies or elves emerge from the forests, to see selkies resting on the rocks near the ocean, or to catch a nymph skipping on the mountains. There could’ve been dragons in those mountains, flapping their wings, and preparing to take flight. In Iceland, I had found my “world of pure imagination,” and my own Narnia. As Stephen Chbosky says in The Perks of Being a Wall Flower, “I swear we were infinite.”

May 24, 2018 From London with Love Post a Comment

Chasing Waterfalls in Iceland: Part 1

I have just come back from Iceland, which was one of the most magical experiences I have ever had. The movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty inspired my family and I to visit Iceland. My younger sister Ana planned the whole itinerary! I am so grateful for her planning skills and my mother’s excellent driving skills which allowed us to have the best time ever in Iceland! Our trip started on May 17^th and the first day there was pretty chill. I met my family in the airport and we went to the grocery store, then watched the Truman show. I was happy to be reunited with my family and eager to start my vacation.

On the second day in Iceland, we went to the Reykjadalur Steam Valley and the Kerid Crater. The mountains were so gorgeous I felt like I was in a National Geographic magazine. Ana said it would be a thirty-minute walk to the hot springs, but it was an hour walk each way and about 4 miles in total. My sister is a dancer so this walk was nothing to her, but my mom and I hung back and took our time walking to our destination. It was freezing and the mountains were steep. Our path was treacherous: on the side of the walkway there were hot pools, my mom said if I were to fall in, I would get 3^rd degree burns so I had to be careful. To make matters worse, as we were walking in the freezing cold, there was a hailstorm and it seemed angry at us. There were hard bits of ice that pelted our faces. Funnily enough, my mom said the walk was like giving birth: you think you can’t handle it anymore and you’ve endured enough pain, then you realize it’s only the beginning and it’s only going to get a lot worse. Thankfully, we finally reached the hot springs and swam in the steaming water. I relaxed, resting my head on my hands and felt like I could take a nap in the water, I was so comfortable.

As we walked back I appreciated the nature more. The mountains were majestic, magnificent, and so incredible it was unbelievable. We were in the depths of the mountains, true explorers on an expedition. After I was done hiking, I felt really good both physically and mentally, to have completed something I wasn’t sure I could do. Isn’t that the way it usually works? Everything is always better in retrospect. On the way to the Kerid crater, we drove past more idyllic geological wonders and played the song House Key by Lolawolf in the car. We were all jamming to the song and it reminded me of a scene from the movie Before I Fall. We then went to the Kerid Crater which was beautiful, with water rippling in the wind at the bottom. We went back to the house and I was so happy that I had experienced such rich experiences on my second day in Iceland.

May 22, 2018 Creativity and Blackness in Indonesia Post a Comment

Creativity and Blackness in Indonesia

One of the last things I had to do during my time abroad was my Independent Study. I titled it: “Responses to Balinese Perceptions of Blackness.” It contains eleven poems that I created as responses to my experiences and interviews with Balinese people regarding the quality of being black. The poems, aside from the numerous other ventures I had while abroad, detail my experience in Indonesia and growth.

I interviewed ten Balinese people throughout the Kerambitan, Tabanan, Denpasar, and Sanur areas in Bali. In these interviews, I questioned subjects about their knowledge of Americans, the black community, their opinion of blacks, their opinion of the different shades of brown people in Indonesia, colorism, bleaching, and their perception of me. I interviewed ten people: seven females and three males. Nine people identify as Hindu, one is Christian, most of them eight at least high school education, three were under the age of eighteen years old, three fell between the ages of eighteen and thirty years, two were under the age of fifty-five, and two were over the age of fifty-five. Most of them have the ability some ability to speak some English.

From interviews and personal experience, I have concluded that Balinese people have a complex view of ‘blackness.’ Mostly, Balinese people believe that everyone is the same because God created everyone. But, this becomes complex as practice meets principle. There is a desire to not become darker in complexion, although there are Balinese people with dark skin and Bali is a tropical island where anyone is prone to developing darker skin. Becoming darker can make a woman less beautiful in the eyes of society, or can cause one to bully another. There are skin whitening products (i.e. soaps and lotions) and doctoral procedures to keep one from being ‘too dark.’ Some Balinese people may be xenophobic, and possibly racist, but that is not the majority by any means. Because Balinese people have brown skin, a black person that comes to Bali is not likely to experience oppression in an overt manner. But, because of how black people are displayed in media (i.e. as thugs, drug dealers, rappers, and murders), along with a constant beautification of whiteness, there are still some stereotypes and disdain towards darker skin, and the black community.

May 17, 2018 Afrocentric and Abroad Post a Comment

Re-Entry

I will admit that in entering Ghana, I did have the romanticized expectation of a homecoming experience as an African American. Now, I don’t underestimate how places can change just as much as people do. In many ways, my experience was not a return. In my opinion, such an experience is no longer possible considering the centuries of different histories shaping Africans, African Americans, and Africa itself. I compare these experiences to my returns— or lack thereof—to New York City over the past 6 years from a boarding high school and now college. I have seen and experienced the effects of gentrification and how displacement remains an issue for African Americans. These experiences compound on one another and the latter made the homecoming sentiments of the former stronger.

From transitioning into Ghana, to transitioning back to the states and now having returned to Hamilton, the last few months have been filled with changes. Not only had I changed, but the lives of friends and family had changed too. I had to catch up on important updates with loved ones, which quickly became a huge part of my winter break and my social re-entry.

Overall, I knew that I have gone through and continue to go through a lot emotionally and physically because of the demanding work of traveling then adjusting to various environments. In accepting this, I began thinking of ways to make time to process all of my experiences in the best way.

After making the decision to not study abroad during the spring semester and return to Hamilton, I did affirm the importance of incorporating creative expression to my semester. Specifically, knowing my passions for reading, writing, and videography, I wanted to open academic and creative outlets for me to constructively process my thoughts as well as experiences over this past year using those mediums. My current semester includes courses about African-American literature, Caribbean literature, advanced videography, in addition to philosophy and social movements. All of these courses allow me to delve deeper into my identity, creativity, and knowledge about many of the concepts I have been thinking about recently.

Along with my courses, talking with other people who have been abroad continues to help me understand the experience. This constant mental revisiting of Ghana shows how knowing the meaning of the semester will not necessarily take place during or even months afterward. Additionally, the programming that I am doing with the Off-Campus Study office serves as a way to actively and effectively understand how I am transitioning back to everything from being in the United States to Hamilton routines. So, both in my course work and on-campus employment, I have my re-entry experience built into my weekly routines. Through blog writing and talking about my semester away, I found that if I was not deliberately unpacking my experience, I would be confused as to why I had the semester I did. So, my transitioning needed to be planned because it wouldn’t happen naturally or easily.

May 17, 2018 Afrocentric and Abroad Post a Comment

Hearing My Body

In high school, my track coaches would always advise me to listen to my body during the season and act accordingly based on what I heard. The intensity of workouts required that I know when I needed to rest and recover to avoid injury. My health became increasingly central to me during that time and in college. The control I gained over my healthy body made track along with the supplemental best practices of eating right and sleeping enough all parts of my lifestyle. To me, this self-care directly contrasted the stress of living in a country that has multiple ways of targeting and oppressing my body. Then, to build on these experiences, my sophomore year courses at Hamilton highlighted the marginalized body in academic and larger societal spaces. During the summer before going to Ghana, I had done research about how marginalized students can best become aware of their bodies in different contexts. So, my body was at the forefront of my mind as I prepared to study abroad.

The physicality of the semester surprised me and caused a range of feelings from enjoyment to discomfort. I will forever be grateful for the days the sun blessed my melanin. Ghana’s black soap and Shea butter exfoliated and moisturized my skin respectively as the climate did not dry out my scalp under my full head of hair. The exercise I got from walking around the University of Ghana’s campus and its scenery faithfully improved my mood. I listened to this and appreciated what I heard. I also listened to my stomach and learned that I have a sensitive and stubborn digestive system. Additionally, my sleeping patterns did not ever fully adjust to the different time zone. Though these were just two challenges, they were fundamental and reoccurring to the point that they affected other areas of the semester at times. I did manage to listen to my body and be flexible in finding food while also getting as much sleep as possible. In the end, these challenges proved valuable in teaching me what traveling demanded of my body.

Studying abroad is work, and certainly physical work. This is also the case with being a student in the states, but the self-care best practices I do at Hamilton are different than the ones Ghana required. After returning from Ghana, my next multi-destination program would have required that I adjust to a new diet in 3 places. In the final month of my fall semester abroad and the first week back in the states, I listened to my body in a way that I never had to before. Ultimately, I made the decision to not study abroad during the spring semester. Putting my health first definitely did come with the sacrifice of not experiencing the opportunities of my spring semester program. However, it came with knowledge that studying abroad truly affects the body in multiple ways and, so, it was important for me to listen to my body and act accordingly.

May 17, 2018 Afrocentric and Abroad Post a Comment

A Weigh in on A Way Out

My academics are tightly linked to my personal self and at times they are one in the same. In the months leading up to my semester in Ghana, I was reminded that my experiences and learning took place in Trump America during the Black Lives Matter era. Therefore, studying abroad in Ghana was, in many ways, supposed to be an escape from multiple problems I dealt with in the states. Though this was naive to a certain extent, I believe my willingness to overlook my somewhat illogical plan for leaving shows the severity of those issues. In my intellectual and physical search for some solace, James Baldwin has been particularly relatable because of his experiences as an expatriate. He’s voiced these sentiments throughout many of his essays including one titled “The New Lost Generation.” While reading it, I continued to grapple with the inescapability of the Americanness that comes with my blackness, and the inseparability of my blackness to meaningfulness beyond America’s borders.

The following quote from Baldwin’s essay perfectly describes how I felt sometimes in Ghana because of both my studies and my identity: “Once, in short, one found oneself divested of all the things that one had fled from, one wondered how people, meaning, above all, oneself, could possibly do without them.” I saw this paradox that characterizes my feelings and thoughts both in Ghana and, now, back in the United States. Race has become crucial to understanding the way I walk through the world. Though this is thankfully not the sum of my identity, it is a uniquely important aspect of me and my life. Unfortunately, race, racism, and fighting racial injustice is necessary to understanding me, but it is not sufficient. Therefore, I did want to travel to Ghana to find other ways of seeing myself that America cannot provide. While that did happen, I found myself conflicted because of the heightened emphasis on my nationality and, specifically, the blurring of Americanness and whiteness.

In confronting these feelings, I found that my solace isn’t an escape, but any moment when I have my racial identity and the resulting experiences in my life validated by others. In some instances, I was grateful to have that happen with Ghanaians. When it didn’t happen, I was disappointed and disheartened. Both situations required that I deliberately immerse myself into Ghana and my African American identity in Ghana. As Carolyn North in Hamilton’s Off-Campus Study office frames it, studying abroad is not a semester off, but a semester on. I was meant to find a better understanding of all of these ideas rather than leave them.

The United States continues to be a place that drives people, particularly black people, from the nation over 56 years after Baldwin wrote the essay I mentioned above. In leaving, returning, and now enduring, I would not apologize nor regret seeking a way out. I believe that doing so honored my awareness of America’s grave issues and my aspirations to help change the U.S. as I made my way back into it.

May 17, 2018 Afrocentric and Abroad Post a Comment

Residing and Writing

While in Ghana, I used a range of practices to help myself acclimate to a new environment. From hours of discussion with fellow students on my program, to going for a run, to listening to music, knowing exactly what cleared my mind and left me refreshed helped me give my best self throughout the semester. Note-taking, blogging, reading, and writing in general proved especially beneficial to reflect on my experiences and comprehend their significance to the best of my ability. In addition to its personal benefits, documenting my semester served as a way to help future students by providing information that would better prepare them for studying in Ghana. Lastly, writing notes and blogs would have a range of audiences including my friends, family, and anyone who frequents the Hamilton website. Overall, writing enabled me to manage the different but connected ways studying abroad held meaning from the most personal to the most global.

The process of writing became a way to do the work of critically analyzing my abroad experience and not only reflecting on what happened, but why things happened. Many times, understanding my experience needed the careful and lengthy process writing about it created. While I definitely tried to document my semester by taking pictures and videos, writing about my experiences captured them in a different way that pictures and videos cannot. For example, my posts on social media were mainly superficial while my blogs were on websites made for sharing experiences in more depth. It also tested my willingness to and success in accomplishing one of my main goals for studying abroad: understanding myself better in a new environment.

Before arriving in Ghana, I knew I would need to deliberately and thoroughly be introspective to consider how my identity and the national climate I was leaving would affect my study abroad experience. Then, while in Ghana, I would continue to do this carefully, giving this process the time it deserved due to its complexity. I kept in mind my own ignorance as an American who has only studied the continent in an intellectual setting and not through experiential learning. I also kept in mind my writing’s impact on the various audiences that would access my blog posts in addition to the global perceptions, misconceptions, and prejudices about not only Ghana, but Africa. Thus, as I revised my blogs, I was able to contemplate many perspectives about my experience and not just my own. Writing gave me a necessary degree of control to write responsibly and honestly, respecting the truth of my experience while realizing the reasons for it and their implications in various contexts.

Whether formally or informally, writing can make the difference of traveling abroad. It’s not just about how much you take from your travels, but how much of your travels you can translate into larger constructive conversations about global as well as intercultural fluency. With that in mind, writing about my semester has been as important as residing abroad.

May 8, 2018 From London with Love Post a Comment

An Adventure of a Lifetime: Days 2-8

The following day I took a ride aboard a steam train. Before we got on the train I held and pet an owl. It was so soft and it stared right into my soul with its big, black eyes—a black so pure it was refreshing. After I reluctantly parted from the owl, we boarded the train.

The train struggled to carry all of us, the poor thing. Once it got going, we took in some beautiful sights and then made it to the cruise on lake Windmere. Outside was freezing, but there were breathtaking views. The clouds parted to reveal a heavenly sunlight that shone upon the mountains in the distance.

Next, we went to Glasgow and heard a street performer singing the song Hallelujah. He sang it softly and wistfully, yet with a passion that made me feel like his rendition of the song belonged at the end of a poignant, hopeful movie.

The third day, I saw the Edinburgh castle which looked just like Hogwarts, I swear. After riding the Knight bus, a steam train (Hogwarts express), petting an owl, going into wizarding shops, and now seeing Hogwarts, I felt like I was living my Harry Potter dream! We also passed by a small tea and coffee shop called the elephant house which is the “birthplace” of Harry Potter.

I then went into the National Museum of Scotland. My friend and I dressed up in 18^th century Scottish clothing, (look at the picture above!) While in Edinburgh, I sat down in the park and a squirrel came right up to me and looked me in the eye, cautious and curious. It got so close and it was kind of funny the way we were both wary of each other. Eventually the squirrel left and I got back on the coach.

While we were in Scotland the travel director played the songs 500 miles by the Proclaimers, Sail Away, and Loch Lomond. Some of us sang along, swaying to the music. Outside was gorgeous—there were rolling hills of grass laid out in neatly combed patches. All throughout the trip we continually saw the most adorable little lambs with their mothers. I felt like I was in a natural state of happiness, as natural as when I drew my first breath in this world.

I then went to Glendalough which is a monastery in Ireland. Surrounded by nature on all sides, I felt like I was in the Earth’s heart. I then hugged a tree like the wood nymph I am. The abundant nature reminded me of the movies Pan’s Labyrinth and Spirited Away and like the protagonists of these films, I was being transported into another world. A few days later, I went to Cardiff Castle. It was grand, filled with ornate, intricate and detailed decorations and designs.

On the eighth and last day, I visited a park in Bath and I saw four birds land in water at exactly the same time, wings flapping in synch. Behind me, I could hear the crackle of more birds landing in tree branches. As I relaxed in the park and soaked up the sun, I recited some poetry in my head and I later saw more street performers! I heard a violin player who sounded like a fiddler. The music was so sweet and enchanting I felt like I was in a fairytale.

We left Bath and then it was time to say our goodbyes. My last day I was sad because my trip was over, but then I remembered, the saying “don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened,” and I smiled and smiled.

May 8, 2018 From London with Love Post a Comment

The Adventure of a Lifetime: Day One

I’ve just returned from a short holiday, which was like the adventure of a lifetime. It is difficult to find the words to describe this experience, but I will try. I have always wanted to go to Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. I told my mom about this dream and she found a guided tour group called Trafalgar. We visited ten cities: Bath, Belfast, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Kilkenny, Stratford-upon-Avon, Waterford, Windsor, York, and Cardiff. While on this tour, I saw the most amazing feats of architecture and nature, so beautiful I felt I was in a painting. As I took in the sights, sounds, smells, and colors, I felt every corner of my being fill with joy, purpose and love. This is exactly how I imagined my study abroad was going to be and here it was unfolding in the most wonderful way.

On our first day, I woke up at 5:30am to ensure that I would make it to our place of departure by 6:45am. I closed the door to my dorm room quietly on my way out. Once outside, I rolled my noisy suitcase behind me and fretted over how soaked it was becoming in the rain. I worried my bus wouldn’t come on time, but eventually it arrived. It reminded me of the Knight Bus in Harry Potter, there to take me my next adventure! I arrived at the Trafalgar London Center at 6:30am and was excited to embark upon my new journey.

We went on the road promptly at 7:00am and arrived at Stratford-Upon-Avon by 10:30am. The first place we visited was Shakespeare’s birthplace. We then walked under a tunnel of trees and a canopy of leaves to get to his grave in a church. Once we were done seeing the sights, we returned to our tour bus where our travel director played Shakespearean sonnets, which made me feel like I was being transported back in time.

We arrived in York by 3:30pm and saw Clifford’s Tower on a hill, and many Harry Potter wizarding shops. I am a huge Harry Potter fan (Ravenclaw for life!) so my heart wanted to sing when I entered these shops. The music from the soundtrack played in the background, creating an atmosphere of magic and wonder. We then passed by the Shambles, a row of tightly packed old-timey shops with names like Ye Old Inn. As I walked around the town I heard a street performer singing the song Feeling Good like a soulful ballad, and the song Rhiannon with a folksy twist. I just stood there for a while, enveloped by the warm melodies and lyrics. Afterwards, we went to our hotel. My roommate Joy gifted me a key chain from her native country of South Africa. I laid in bed content with the beautiful start of my holiday.