Adventure Time- Abe

This past weekend, myself and two other Kzoo students (Abby and Joe)went to a nearby cheap bar for a chill night.  on the way their we stopped by the baobab center, there are security guards posted all night if we need anything.  A couple guards on duty chatted us up and showed us to a senegalese traditional wrestling event occurring in the streets.  There were male adult drummers playing around a ring made of rice bags filled with sand and probably 60 children of various ages running around and challenging one another to duels.  We continued to the bar after we attracted a bit too much attention and here perpetually asked for money from the children.  The bar we went too is an outdoor tiled bar about two blocks from our school.  Bars and drinking are both more common that i thought.  The alcohol is cheap but is not good or much variety, there only exists 4 beers that ive seen so far ranging from light to lighter. 

 On our way home from the bar we run pass by the baobab guards again.  this time they introduce us to a woman passing by in beautiful orange senegalese dress. She had organized some sort of traditional senegalese street dance for women a few blocks away.  Around midnight, she guided us to a gathering of 200-250 people including children but mostly 18-30 year old.  In the street the crowd formed an oval with 5 male drummers and a speaker on one end.  One or two at a time women would run into  the center and dance to this fast paced drumming.  The dancing involved mostly aggressive but rhythmic foot pounding.  The longer we stayed the more women would enter the circle at once and the dancing became more sexual, the women brought chairs as props and danced with the male drummers.   At this point me and my friends became more noticed, its hard to not be noticed as a toubab (white person.)  Abby, my female friend, was persuaded to go into the center.  A man with a micro phone started asking her questions, her name, age, and if she was married.  Misunderstanding the later question as if we was with anyone tonight, she pointed at me and joe.  I was then forced  into the the center of the circle with abby and joe with a couple hundred people yelling in wolof and one guy speaking rapidly into a mic.  Abby, joe, and I along with a couple senegalese women started to dance when another american group from minnesota showed up and joined us.  For the next 5-10 minutes myself and 8 other americans danced to a korean pop song and fast paced senegalese drums while the crowd took pictures and sang along.  

Here are some pictures from a visit to Ngor and Goree, two islands off the coast of Dakar.

Decorated doorway on the Island of Ngor, there is an art festival on the island each December

View from my afternoon run on the coast of Dakar

Kids playing in a tide pool on the coast of Ngor

Goats!

House and gate on the less touristy side of Ngor

 "Share the Road" sign

Not sure who it is, but I pass him everytime I go for a run

Jamm ak Jamm ("Peace and Peace" in Wolof)

Aaron- Rants and Raves

So today I guess was Budapest's annual throw your crap in the road day. I'm not sure if today actually has any significance but as I was walking through the city there were sporadic piles of broken cupboards, ripped up chairs, and all kinds of things that weren't exactly rubbish but at the same time not quite usable or useful either. By some piles there would be a person or two sitting nearby like a storekeeper. I'm not entirely sure if these trash piles are suppose to be a sort of garage sale or not. It might just be me but I didn't really see anything that I thought was worth taking because it looked mostly like trash. Regardless, people walking by would stop and poke around and give the rubble a look over. I'm not really sure what happened here today, I guess Budapest is just a little different than Grand Rapids.

While we're on the topic, there is one other slightly weird thing I want to talk about. So in the EU and a couple other countries there is this retail chain store called Spar and its big brother Interspar. They are kind of like Target and Walgreens. Anyway, my first time shopping at Interspar I get all my groceries checked out and I am about to pay and then the counter-lady scans this sticker pack with Garfield on it. Here's a google image of it; http://www.trademagazin.hu/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/oceanmania.jpg. I'm like "I don't want that!" and the lady just kind of looks at me cause I'm saying it in English and looking like an idiot so I say thanks and take my sticker package and move on. Inside there are pictures of horses and snakes and waterfalls and other random stuff. It just kind of confused me. It may seem like a stupid thing to get hung up on but I just can't wrap my head around it. The stickers are advertised pretty heavily, you can see big posters on bus stops and on buildings, and just why Garfield? As endearing as Garfield is, the comic's not really that funny (ex: http://qph.is.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-03585b0f942fdc841d7a40a7945624bd ) (.... well, some of them can be a little funny...http://wondermark.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/02/recontext10.gif ). They also have collector books available too if you feel so inclined to "collect them all". See the thing is they only give you half of the snake so you have to keep shopping and buying more so that you can get the rest of the snake... That's how they get you.

Anyway, those are my digressions on my misunderstandings.

The Original Study Abroad Site -- Cincinnati, OH, USA

DJ Johnny Lew reporting in stateside: fret not fellow Dude Bloggers, the motherland is still more or less intact.

So, funny thing about study abroad, I'm not on it -- yet. Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, monarch of Great Britain and her subsequent outlying territories, in a final act of revenge against the colonies and their potential study abroad students, decreed that English universities shall not start until the second week of October.

While my classmates have been battling the ferocity of arguably uncharted lands, I remain in the jungle that is the Queen City of Ohio.

I must say, the culture here is like everything I've ever experienced. The people are alright, the scenery is okay, and you have to dig for any sort of historical charm, but I promise, it's there.

                                                            Beauty or Beast?

                                                               BEEEEAST!

The past few weeks, I've found myself in a rather large, albeit empty, house. Friends of old have come and gone to live their own lives, but a few glorified squatters similar to myself with whom I bide my time remain. One does not truly appreciate where they live until they have a solid month of time with absolutely nothing to do.

In preparation for my English adventures, I've been reviewing key British sit-coms and eliminating any colorful aspects of my comedy so I can be sure only the driest of the dry is left. I've also made sure to brush up on the finer points of modern day American imperialism so we can all sit around, share a pint, and spend the evening agreeing. All that's left now is my visa, which will be assigned at the border (hopefully). Because hey, what's life with a little spice?

Bunkie: I can't believe you took a picture of a dude's golden member and only stated the history behind it. I don't even know you anymore.

Abe: Keep killin' it.

Brad: Way to go, man. You're doing great.

This post goes out to Tommy Jackson, lost but never forgotten. Hanging out with that big Guatemalan version of a Sherpa in the sky. Seriously, though, he's on a mountain.

Aaron- Adventures in Prague

Hey peeps, some of our gang took a weekend excursion to Prague and hot cats it's a cool city. To get from Buda to Prague we had to take a seven hourish train ride. Despite the length, the trip had some really great views of the country.

We got there around night time and the city was looking pretty good when it was all lit up.

#artsymetropic  the subways are really fast in Prague.

We stayed at a hostel (Hostel Mango) that is situated real close to the heart/touristy area of Prague. In the mornin we did some explorin and took a guided tour around the city, here some pics of downtown Prague

These next couple pictures are from the Charles Bridge which has some nice views.

During the day the bridge is super-packed with tourists, merchants, and live musicians.(Notice the Kafka museum! He's from Prague from what I understand)

Previous two pictures are of old market square (I think?). They use to execute people there back when that was a thing. Now it's crowded with tourists and clocks and pubs and other kinds of shops. 

There are alot of cool churches (like most European cities). It feels like your in an RPG in here and at any point the end boss is going to stop playing the organ and come rushing at you with a giant sword. Maybe that's just me though.

Here's a view overlooking the city. This is where the castle (don't know what it is called) is situated.

Here's a group pic in front of the castle, it is really big!

And in the gift shops around the castle you can find beer and wine cosmetics. So after a long day of drinking you can hop in the shower and after you are all clean, the wonderful smell of beer still stays.

We also found this statue nearby. The story/rumor goes that the communists took this guys penis away and the people weren't to happy about it so they gave him a gold one as a replacement. The more you know.

Anyway, the city was really beautiful (and clean too). We stopped at a couple pubs and restaurants along the way and I don't really eat meat but the rest of our group does and they said that most of the food they tried was pretty fantastic. The first night we stopped at a little pub next to our hostel where we all had some Pilsners (Czech beer) and quite a bit of sausage and cow liver soup(I think that was what it was?). It was kind of like a little medieval pub with stone walls and barrels and stuff. Everyone seemed to enjoy there meaty meals. Prague is famous for their sausage and cabbage dishes from what I understand. The next day we stopped at another restaurant where one of our group members ended up getting a whole duck (at least that's what it looked like) delivered to them. Meat is a pretty big thing in Europe ( I had some potato soup which I thought was quite tasty regardless :) ) They also have alot of absinthe stores in Prague. Some of the bottles were pretty freaky; there were giant beetles in some of the vials...  I'm pretty sure though all they really do is get a bunch of Listerine and changed the labels and put weird artwork on them. Just my opinion though...

Best

Aaron

Abe- First Week in Dakar

I arrived in Dakar a little less than a week ago.  The journey here was uneventful aside from flying over North and West Africa.  Everywhere else I have flown I am always very aware of human influence to the area.  However as I flew from Paris to Dakar I was able to see a mixture of uninhabited sand dunes, lakes, and wooded areas.
The first night we were housed at a touristy hotel near the airport named "Fana Hotel" and were pampered with a pool, private dinner, air conditioning, and wifi.  It provided a nice transition between the western world and Senegal, but perhaps set unrealistic expectations for some.
The following day we moved into our host families which all live within walking distance of ACI (Africa Consultants International) or the Baobab Center.  There we attended orientation sessions ranging from "Around the Bowl etiquette", trips to downtown Dakar, and a trip to the island of Goree.

Above: Eating around the bowl.  The dish consisted of rice, Yassa (onion sauce), fish, and cooked vegetables

Above: View from the balcony of our class room

Above: A street on the island of Goree off the coast of Dakar.

As for Dakar,  the city is hot, humid, and lively.  The streets are packed with vendors, specialty shops, and  taxis.  I walk less than two blocks from my house to ACI and pass around 20 street vendors.  Every other corner has either a fruit stand, Nescafe (Senegalese instant coffee) booth, or person selling cell phone credits.  As an American or Toubab, Wolof for white person, I am hit up by every merchant I pass.  Thankfully the Senegalese are some of the warmest and hospitable people I've met.  The other night I walked pasted by another students house, as I passed her father was on the porch, before I knew it I was being taken inside offered food, drink, and invited for dinner.

I'll share pictures of Dakar and go into greater detail of daily life once I am better acquainted with the city.  For the conclusion of this post, there is a picture of a goat chillin on a big metal thing.

Aaron-Pictures

Hey folks! Here's some pictures from around the Pest and some commentary.

This is a big area called Hero's square. The guys in-between the  pillars are statues of all the kings of Hungary. Up top on the pillar is an angel, I don't remember her name... She's holding a replica of the Crown of Budapest (it's a big deal). Anyway the square is pretty cool especially with those moody clouds

 Here's a castle I think.... Its something at least.

 Here is a cool statue. The guy on top is King Midas (i think??)

 Here's a church. and people. Its pretty big.

 And I'm not sure what this is.

 and here's some cars and a bus in front of Hero's square. The streets are crowded here.

 Here is another building.

 Here's another something, church probably.

Here is one of the Hungarian bath houses. The guy wearing sunglasses on his head, his name's Levente, hes kind of like our RA person who helps us out and is super chill. He informed us that the college rents this bath house every year for a student party. He notified us that a typical antic that happens is every hour or so the Hungarians will fill up squirt guns and go around shooting people to the song LEVELS. Hungarians really like American music.

Here's a close up of hero's square.
Aaron

Aaron- Classes

This week we began our first week of class. The structure is a little strange because instead of having a set class schedule we have one professor teach his or own individual course for four days (Mon-Thur) and then have an exam on Friday. The following week a new professor then comes and teaches his or her own new course. This week we have Professor Erdi (who teaches at Kalamazoo when not in Hungary). Here are some of the notes that I took in class.

This is usually how I feel during Dr. Erdi's classes.

Hikone: First Impressions

Hello, friends! Brad here to give the DL on Hikone, Japan! For those of you who are just tuning in, I'm studying at JCMU (Japan Center for Michigan Universities), which is a tiny little school located in Hikone, on the east edge of Lake Biwa in Japan.

So, first of all, Hikone is beautiful. The nature is CRAZY. There's so much nature you couldn't take pictures of all of it if you wanted to. So, in the stead of pictures of all of the nature, here is a picture of a hill with trees.

As you can see, Hikone is magnificent. No, seriously. Here is a picture of the view of Lake Biwa around sunset from some 100 meters from JCMU.

Alright, alright, so I don't have too many pictures yet. I hope these two will suffice for now. I assure you, it's a pretty place.

Besides all the nature, the architecture is breathtaking. There is a mixture of modern Japanese architecture (big 6 story shopping malls and electronics stores) and old Japanese buildings that seem almost completely untouched by time. There is a castle in the middle of Hikone that was built in 1622; it's one of only 4 castles in Japan that are listed as national treasures, and it has a pretty rich history. Apparently the dude who ran the show here in Hikone in the 1850s was the guy that signed the treaty which first opened Japan to the outside world; prior, Japan had just had very limited relations with the outside world, permitting only a few trading ships into the country. Hella neat!

So, to speak about my actual experience in Japan, so far it's been excellent. The program I'm enrolled in supplies me with a bike, so I've got a way around town. Bikes in Japan? Sugoi* as hell. (*Sugoi means excellent in Japanese. Sugoi!) Japan is a very bike friendly country, so there are bike lanes pretty much everywhere and you can usually count on being able to ride your bike to anywhere you could walk without getting in anyone's way. Bikes are also a little bit different in Japan than in America. Here's some picture I found on google image of a Japanese bike:

So, the kickstand is different from that of American bikes. It is different in the sense that it actually works. It snaps into place around the back tire, and is a lot sturdier in keeping the bike upright since it doesn't just lean the bike in one direction but is more like training wheels in the way it allocates weight. In addition to the sweet stand, bike locks here are awesome. The lock is permanently affixed to the bike, and essentially what it does is lock the back wheel to the frame of the bike. What this means is that you can park your bike anywhere, even if there's not something to lock it to. While technically this means someone could grab your bike and run off with it, people carrying locked bikes usually look like they're stealing, so they usually don't make it very far, I figure.

The people in Japan are incredibly nice, and always very polite, even in the face of great ignorance and stupidity. This is a great help to me, as I barely speak Japanese and often come off as a rude, brash American. A lot of little things can take me by surprise and make me seem like an ignorant foreigner. For instance, when paying for things in Japan, you don't hand the money to the cashier, but place it in a little tray right in front of them. But they always put the money and receipt right in your hand. Why is this so, you might ask? No one may ever know. It is a highly guarded national secret of the Japanese government that has never reached outside ears. But for three days I walked around oblivious of this fact, forcing my money into the hands of many uncomfortable cashiers. What did they do? Smile, and probably think quietly to themselves, "what an idiot." They were so polite that I had no idea how strange I probably seemed. What a country!

Anyways, this has been Brad, keeping it real in Japan. In the next episode, I might talk about visiting Hikone castle, getting my picture taken by high school students at a McDonald's, and trying to put coins into the bill acceptor at the local Pachinko arcade. Hopefully I'll have some better stories than those by then. Stay tuned!

Signing out,
Brad

Aaron- Falafel

I don't know very much Hungarian and it's been a little hard to get it through this dense skull. Yesterday I tried to order a Falafel Pitaban (a falafel in a pita with onions and a bunch of other shit #supergood and it only costs a little over $2) the server thought my English pronunciation of the word was pretty funny. To pronounce it in Hungarian you would say Fa-la, like the musical notes so-fa-la-ti, and then finish with the English word fell. FA-LA-fell. Then Pitaban is kind of like saying Peter Pan except its Petah ban (drop the r on peter and turning pan into ban). Say it, it's pretty funny. Unfortunately I can't promise this is completely accurate but it's fun to say anyway.

Aaron

Aaron- First post, getting Hungary.

Yo yo peeps, Aaron here to give you the DL on whats good in Hungary. Here's some stuff that’s been happening/what i've been seein.

Budapest is super radical. The city is composed of old architecture and even though it is enormous you won't find any skyscrapers or obnoxiously large business buildings. The city is divided into two parts, Buda and Pest :), with the divide being the large Danube river. Right behind our dormitory that we are staying in we can climb up a giant hill that over looks the city to reach a monument of a woman holding a giant feather. The monument is kind of like the Statue of Liberty of Hungary; it's a visible sign to travelers or residents who cross many of the bridges across the Danube. Super deep, right? Anyway, the city is pretty cool. Here are some pictures to make my ramblings a little clearer:

Commercially the city has all the same kinds of stores that you would find in the U.S. There are stores like Target (Interspar), grocery stores (Spar), and a **** ton of bars and alcohol stores. There's a lot of alcohol. Maybe it's weird because I've lived in the U.S my whole life and have never been to Europe but it is real strange for me to be in a country with open container laws and a low drinking age. Instead of seeing people in a cafe sipping away at steaming coffee you are probably more likely to see them slurpin away at a frothing beer. Surprisingly, Hungary has a rather low rate of liver disease. Just kidding, it's in the top 15 countries in regards to the amount of liver disease. http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/cause-of-death/liver-disease/by-country/ Part of this problem might be that alcohol is so cheap. A bottle of wine costs only 580 HUF which is equivalent to less than $2.50. #notbuyingfranziaforawhile

Anyway, the dorm we are living is pretty cool but at the same time pretty janky. The building is pretty old and the architecture is pretty cool and if I knew more about buildings I would try to explain it better but here is a picture instead:

There are two older men who act as rotating gatekeepers that give us the keys to our rooms when we enter. It kind of feels like we are living in a small castle or even a museum. The bathrooms smell REALLY bad. The rooms are modestly furnished and the ceilings are really high. Like really high. Take a look:

As swell as it is, I'm not feeling real hot about getting on a ladder to get my pj's. The view from the window makes up for it though:

Anyway there’s some quick and dirty deats on young Budapest. I'll post more stuff soon. Apologies for any bad grammar.

Aaron