JYAN Blog

In one of my classes in Chile, we have read essays by several authors who argue that a necessary prerequisite to understanding one’s own nation is studying others. As I live abroad for the first time in Santiago, one image from history classes of my younger years continues to pop into my head: the United States as a melting pot. In contrast, Chile’s population is tremendously homogenous. In pre-orientation materials, my program warned that students of color, sexual minorities, and overweight students would likely receive stares and comments from Chileans. Through the JYAN, I would like to share my struggle to reconcile the facts that while some Chileans point out difference in ways that can appear intolerant, I have also discovered them to be incredibly cariñoso, or loving people.

I just recently began the fall semester abroad program at the McGhee Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies in Alanya, Turkey. My time here in Turkey so far has been incredible and, unfortunately, feels like it is going by too fast. One of the most fascinating parts of my experience to this point has been learning about something JYAN is explicitly concerned with – dynamics between religion, politics and society. Potential topics I intend to write about include, but are not limited to, the legacy of Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) and modern Turkey’s perennial issue of secularism with a Muslim majority, religious minority rights and relations, and/or the social significance of Turkey’s running EU bid.

As a junior studying abroad in Buenos Aires, I am interested in the political/cultural/religious nexus that the JYAN is founded on. Buenos Aires, and more specifically the Universidad de Buenos Aires, is a fascinating place from which to study this relationship. The University is at the heart of political society in Argentina, as it hosts most of the brightest minds - both very young as well as very old - in the country. It is also completely free, allowing its exclusivity to be founded entirely on intellectual grounds as opposed to economic ones. As such, political activism is a huge part of the daily student life; controversial issues - like the ones between religion (90% of the country is Roman Catholic) and gender rights, for example - are constantly being debated everywhere from classrooms to clubs. Comparisons to and critiques of the Northern half of America (students learn here of only one continuous continent, not the North/South division that I am familiar with) are also frequent. McDonalds' abound, as do U.S. music and TV shows, but both the political culture as well as nature of quotidian personal relationships remains strikingly different. As an U.S. citizen who was taught only of the merits of the capitalist, individualistic system, learning about and experiencing life in a far more socialist environment is teaching me a lot about the ingrained culture of the U.S.

The Middle East. A region marked by a common western misunderstanding of conflicting tribes, religions, governments, and nations. Yet for such a conflicted region, I have come to discover an Arab unifying factor is the desire to welcome anybody and everybody: neighbor, a friend, a family member, a foreigner. Anybody. Though the region is changing, I am quite certain about one thing: the Arab’s desire to welcome will always be a constant. I am now living in Amman, Jordan during the first fall of the Arab Spring. It will be very interesting to observe how the country will react to the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the neighboring country of Syria that is inching dangerously close to the end of the Asad regime, and its own Jordanian people demonstrating for reform. I am lucky to have the opportunity to have a firsthand experience of life in the Middle East in such a crucial time for the region. Thus, I hope to share my observations and thoughts through the eyes of an Arab-American, who is currently straddling her life between her two cultures that are in constant conflict.

I was raised by a couple of ex-NASA employees who assumed from a young age that I’d go into mathematics and in a part of the United States known for being progressive and tech-oriented. Now, as a woman studying a historically male-dominated topic in a country with some strong traditional gender roles – I’ve been told I’m the first girl in living memory to have ever taken one of my classes – the issue of gender and hard sciences is something I have to face on a near-daily basis.

Universal themes and concepts have always seemed so daunting to analyze and learn about for me. The differences in culture, as well as community, are always a sort of culture shock for anyone who chooses to live or study abroad. Studying abroad in Khon Kaen, Thailand has certainly opened my eyes to the universal themes and concepts of religion, culture and community. Other than the fact that Buddhism is an ever-present part of Thai life and society, the alternative education program I am a part of constantly requires us to analyze the interactions of so many more movements, developments and ideologies. I’ve been very fortunate to be able to learn about globalization from the perspective of a villager or about meditation in a Buddhist temple. Studying in a country with such a strong religious and cultural history has already enriched my experience and my interactions have left me with discoveries and questions that I’d love to share with others. Additionally, the emerging and changing political stage in Thailand also challenges my ideas of democracy, of human rights and the role of government in a way I never encountered in a classroom back home.

A junior at Georgetown University double majoring in Sociology and Spanish, I am currently spending my fall semester in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The first city of the new world, Santo Domingo has a wealth of history and culture to offer both its residents and visitors alike. I have learned so much in my brief time since being here; not only through my academic courses, but also through my daily experiences. Perhaps, the subject that has most captured my attention has been that of identity. While Dominicans principally identify themselves by nationality, there exists a complex history of racial miscegenation and a current social system of identifying people by their physical characteristics. For example, a person in the Dominican Republic may be identified primarily as Dominican, but also as any of the following: “morena,” “rubia,” “india clara,” “india oscura,” “negro,” “blanca,” “haitiana,” “jabao,” etc.

I am a Science, Technology, and International Affairs major, concentrating in Energy and Environment, and I already feel that I have much to say about my time spent here. Through daily observations, I have found that as stereotypically run-of-the-mill as a Catholic country in Latin America may sound, there exist fascinating contradictions in the way Ecuadorians live against this backdrop of religion. From the visible economic disparity combined with a dominant Catholic doctrine to the extreme pollution in the streets of Quito in one of the most biodiverse and ecologically-valuable countries, I know I have plenty to reflect upon.

For the next four months I will be living in Ecuador and studying abroad at the Universidad de San Francisco de Quito. Ever since I began studying Spanish, I knew that I wanted to study abroad in a Spanish-speaking country in order to achieve fluency. As I began to sharpen the focus of my educational career I realized that Latin America had much more to offer me than simply a landscape in which hone my Spanish skills. A government major and chemistry minor at Georgetown, I chose Ecuador because of the many opportunities it could provide me related to the environmental field. Renown for its abundant biodiversity, Ecuador is an ideal country in which to study climate change because it is already witnessing the effects of environmental change. But even more importantly, it is an excellent place to explore the emerging new topic of biocultural diversity.

I am a junior in the SFS currently studying abroad at Sciences Po in Paris and am very interested in the place of religion in society, as it is a question constantly being discussed and debated in France, a country whose views on the issue differ dramatically from those in the United States.

“The United States has no culture.” Lengthy dinner table discussions with my host family in Buenos Aires have been quickly established as a daily routine. Each day presents ample opportunity to practice my Spanish and to gain perspective on some blunt opinions about the world. However, my initial reaction to my host mom’s proclamation was one of protest. I wanted to word vomit in defense and spouted off cultural examples in DC and New York City. My host mom, a well-traveled psychiatrist, agreed with my comment but continued to explain that she thought the small towns of America lacked true culture. I rapidly thought of the annual chowder fest and family-owned creameries in my small New England town, Thanksgiving and fresh lobster from Maine. But then we discussed about what culture meant to her. Culture, to my host mom, is the classical music drifting from the park on Sundays, the spontaneous tango among strangers, and the mate drink that is shared among friends.

Spending the fall semester of my junior year in Copenhagen, Denmark, I have noticed that while Copenhagen is a culturally homogenous city, it is extraordinarily welcoming to people of all walks of life. There is very little focus on religion, and because of this everyone seems to demonstrate their individual beliefs in unique ways. In general, religion is seen as a very private matter, and therefore there is little opportunity for public worship. Danes do not regularly attend church services, but rather choose to celebrate their beliefs in the privacy of their homes. Despite this, Christmas is considered to be on of the most exciting times of the year in Copenhagen. I am interested to see how the holiday is celebrated without an emphasis on its religious ties. As a Jewish student, I feel rather out of place among the blonde and blue eyed population. It will be interesting to see how I end up celebrating the high holidays, as I have yet to see a temple in the city. I have come to love the culture of this remarkable city, and look forward to being given the opportunity to share its wonders with the Georgetown community.

I am a junior in Georgetown College (double major in Environmental Biology and Government with a minor in Mathematics) studying for the Fall 2011 semester at the University of Botswana in Gaborone, Botswana through CIEE. I hope to share my observations and analyses of culture, politics, and religion in this small but interesting country with a wider audience through the JYAN. Botswana achieved independence from the UK in 1966. The influence of colonialism was not particularly strong here, compared with much of the rest of Africa. (Diamonds were not discovered until after independence, so the British did not have very strong economic interests in Botswana.) Religiously, Botswana is primarily influenced by a variety of Christian and traditional African beliefs. But there is an appreciable Muslim population and a new Hindu temple in the capital city. In terms of politics, Botswana has had a remarkably democratic and stable history, especially when compared to its neighbors. A single political party has been reelected in every election since independence. Botswana’s culture is influenced by globalization and westernization (especially via South Africa), but tribes play a constitutionally recognized role in the legal system and remain highly relevant, particularly in rural areas. Given the wide range of places Georgetown students study abroad, I believe that reports from a developing country with a relatively homogeneous population and fairly low levels of tension over religious and cultural issues could add an interesting and perhaps unique perspective to discussions of religion, culture, and politics.

Studying in the Chinese language in Shanghai, China for a Chinese born American is a cultural and identity whirlwind. I’ve found that not only are the Chinese beliefs distinct from most western principles, but also that their entire system of beliefs and ordering processes is different. The Chinese perspective is dialectic, while the traditional western perspective is more Aristotelian, logical, linear analytical thinking. Shanghai itself has become known for its graceful melding of the two principles; there is no better place to evaluate how both have shaped the spiritual and cultural identity within a developing China. A developing China, which clings to tradition, yet continually looks to western ideas and models.

In my first moment of peace I began documenting life in Dakar. I strove to see my world in words, to raze the barrier of language each idea must surmount before it hits the page and becomes a sentence.

I am studying abroad at the Villa le Balze in Florence, Italy this fall. I have studied Italian for two years and am living with a host family downtown, while taking classes at the Villa. Florence is in Tuscany, right in the middle of Italy, and my host parents both come from a Catholic upbringing. However, they don't regularly attend church and wouldn't call themselves particularly religious, at least not in terms of organized religion. Today, in a country of 60.6 million people, Catholics make up 87.8% of the population. However, only 36.8% of Italians consider themselves practicing Catholics and only 30.8% attend Church every Sunday. Organized religion is also far stronger in the South or rural areas of Italy than in the North or urban areas. As the capital of the Roman Empire, Rome became the new capital of the Catholic Church after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Since then, Italy has been a major center for Christian pilgrimage. However, there's a notable contrast between the beautiful churches that line the streets of Florence and the motos ridden by young people that zip around these churches. This semester, I will explore what religion means to everyday Italians, taking into account the influence of recent North African and Eastern European immigration. I will discuss Berlusconi's relationship with the pope, the extraordinary church art in Italy, the sovereignty of the Vatican, superstitions in Italy, different religious festivals and various holy places throughout the country.

With the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics approaching, it is an interesting time to be in Rio de Janeiro, the city that will host both events. I chose to study abroad in Brazil because I wanted to participate in an intensive Portuguese-language program. I have always been interested in languages, and as an Economics major I had learned about Brazil’s booming economy and potential as a future world power. Before arriving in Rio, I read many articles about Brazil’s rapidly growing industries and the steps the government is taking to eradicate the violence and poverty that plague Brazil’s “favelas,” or slums.

When I began the London study abroad application process, I thought I was signing up for a year at a home away from home, only with people who have better accents and wider range of vocabulary. And, as a practicing Christian, I looked forward to finding a church community with whom I could pursue my faith and enjoy fellowship. However, after reading travel guides, blogs and Sarah Lyall’s The Anglophiles (an American journalist’s testimony of adapting to British marriage and life), it seems the American and British cultures have diverged much more than a simple difference in speaking style. Their approaches to politics, journalism, and social activity, for starters, make one question that America was born of Great Britain. Though in spite of the rift between the Americans and the Brits, our histories are inescapably intertwined; as I check British news, the main headlines are dominated by Obama, Brad Pitt, and the US Open. Then, in the midst of the paradox of same-and-different worlds, I attempt to find Church which is meant to be a universal home for all believers regardless of background or nationality. It may not be my main purpose to analyze the difference between myself and my British peers, but I cannot imagine that discrepancies (or non-discrepancies) between our views on politics, culture and religion would not become evident throughout my year across the pond. I hardly know what I will find out in the months to come, but I am excited to share it with JYAN and Georgetown.

I am currently studying abroad in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the fall semester. My experience since my arrival in June has been incredible, and I can only imagine I will be learning more until my departure in December, hopefully more beyond then.

I am living in Dushanbe, Tajikistan for the next nine months, and I am excited to participate in the JYAN because it will give me to opportunity to look more closely at struggles of Tajikistan's citizens to reconcile their recent Soviet past with their strong, uniquely Central Asian Islamic history. I am interested in exploring topics like the preservation of religious practice and belief through musical tradition, the position of the Ismaili Shia minority in Tajik society, the attempts of the current government to regulate the religious sphere, and the extent to which adherents to Sufism struggle to practice in the modern political environment.

China is an intimidating place. Nothing you read or study about it in advance really prepares you for life here. If I have learned one thing thus far, it is to expect the unexpected. I have learned to check my soup for small—potentially live—shrimp, and I have discovered that every single writing utensil smells like a fruit. I realized that living in China requires patience and a sense of humor, especially when important e-mails do not go through or “the Great Firewall of China” decides to block even the most benign websites.

This semester I am studying abroad in Dakar, Senegal, a city where it is impossible to live without observing the impact of religion on the daily life.

As a junior studying abroad in Jordan for the fall semester, I hope to examine the fascinating cultural and religious dynamics that shape life in Jordan. Islam is the backbone of Jordanian society, and my experiences studying at the University of Jordan and interacting with my Jordanian peers will allow me to look at how the current generation is negotiating a way to both preserve traditional religious values and challenge traditional roles and expectations.