Junior Year Abroad Network 2008/2009

« Bonla laïcité en France est une sujet très intéressant et controverse, Colleenmais cest un bon et courageux choix, nous avons beaucoup pour discuter maintenant»

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The tourist encounters Catholicism in Italy through Churches and museums tangible relics of a once theocratic state. The resident meets Catholicism in the headlines...

On my first day of orientation for international students at the University of Cape Town, I arrived on campus with a nervous crowd of Americans, ready to meet some...

As a tourist in Prague, it is easy to assume that Christianity is prevalent within the city. A momentous statue of reformer Jan Hus looms over Old Town Square while...

From early Islamic occupation to medieval Catholic monarchies and the Inquisition to the modern dictatorship of Franco, Spain has evolved and continues to evolve at...

Every time a student walks past a really urgent, expressive piece of architecture that belongs to his college, it can help reassure him that he does have that mind,...

I always took Church for granted in the States. No matter where you are or what denomination you prefer, you are guaranteed a Church of your variety and flavor within...

London can definitely be seen as one of the most progressive cities in terms of its religious pluralism. However, this is sometimes contradicted by the fact that the...

I have to admit, after 3 months in Ireland I thought I would be done making generalizations about the Irish people. I really thought that once I became engrained into...

After three months in Strasbourg, I thought that I had settled into the Alsatian lifestyle very well: adjusting to the slower pace of life and adapting to the sleepy,...

While living in Spain, I have tried to obtain an idea of every aspect of the culture possible by way of observing, reading and oral dialogue. During my quest I kept an...

Laughter slowly petered out as one by one we came to the stark realization that the policeman was actually serious. " Do any of the rest of you want to hit him?" he...

Since the U.S. Presidential election, my British friends have been asking me for perspective on the American political scene. My politics tutor offered me his analysis...

Christmas in China doesnt exist as a religious holiday. On the other hand, Thanksgiving only exists in western-style hotels, so I guess I should take what I can get....

As I described in my previous letter, of all the German states, Bayern is considered to be the most religious in Germany. This heightened religious atmosphere is...

Pembroke College despises St. Aldates Church.

The Church wakes the college by blasting new life Christian music out of it windows. It often attempts to stuff our...

As mentioned in my last letter, I felt somewhat discouraged by my first experience in a Christian church in Taipei. However, to my great relief I later found out that...

Aspects of Western society regularly appear in China. Young people, especially, pay attention to Western fashions and tastes; Western logos and brand-names are...

London is one of the most multicultural cities in the world. As a demonstration of this one must look no farther than my own flat which consists of eight LSE students....

“Why don’t you pray directly to God?”

Asked a determined first year of an equally tenacious exchange student. The former, a practicing Muslim, and the...

So far in China, I have been to various temples, all Buddhist, that have given me starkly different views on Buddhism, especially considered in a modern Chinese...

Before arriving in Egypt, I was obviously aware that the majority of the country populace was Muslim, and that religion played a crucial role in the social and...

When I decided to go to Ireland, I thought I knew what I was getting myself into.I had studied Irish history more than the average American student. I knew about...

Religious tradition in Munich runs as deep as the city’s name itself; München (the German spelling) comes from the old German word...

What is the first site you expect to see when landing in a Western country? McDonalds? Pizza Hut? Or for you risk takers… Pizza Express? Of course, all of these...

While riding a bus through the streets of Taipei, you will no doubt see many bright neon orange crosses glowing in the night sky. For a place where only 4.5% of the...

Australia is one of the least religious nations in the Western World. Although almost two thirds of the population would identify themselves with a Christian...

The adaptation to daily life in Cairo is not an easy one. Cars honking, vendors yelling, dusty air, dirty streets, people pushing every which way. To an outsider,...

On Cowley Road, a street that runs by my residence, one of the most prominent buildings is a Methodist Church. Its dark stone and towering presence command the...

If you are walking along a bustling intersection or even a small, quiet neighborhood in Nagoya, it is not unusual to find Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples hidden...

The French state has had a very long and tense relationship with institutionalized religion. I doubt very much that the authors of the current policy of strict...

My experience in Egypt has opened my eyes to a radically different and beautiful, though sometimes tumultuous, interpretation of the role of religion in daily life....

Previous JYAN participants have discussed the use of religion as political tool. This essay will attempt to elaborate on their comments by discussing both the general...

Through my Middle Eastern eyes, religion only seems to have eclipsed in this idyllic small town of St. Andrews, Scotland. With its medieval setting and a cathedral...

Throughout high school and my first two years at Georgetown, racial and religious conflicts have been popular topics when discussing French current events. The idea of...

My knowledge of Spanish culture and society was very limited before I came to Spain. It went no further than Paella, siestas, matadors and the Spanish civil war. I had...

Harbin is not your typical Chinese city.  Most historians accept 1898 as the year of its founding, when the spot was selected as the future headquarters of...

In my last letter, I wrote about the changing role of the Catholic Church in Chilean society. It seems that manifestations of Catholicism are more difficult to spot in...

Coming abroad to Brussels, I knew that it was the seat of the European Union and was thus a fairly cosmopolitan city. However, I dont think I was prepared for how...