Crossing Cultural Divides & Having Tons of Fun  

Posted in , , ,

International Day 2012 Università Degli Studi Della Tuscia

This semester I interned with my study abroad program (USAC) in Italy. My major duties were to assist the program director to promote and engage the student body in cultural events. Demographically the University was made up of a large native Italian student body, as well as the European and American study abroad students respectively. One of the major events USAC hosted was International Day. This day was filled with activities set to provide awareness among the various culture groups. Fall semester I had participated and was surprised at how many different nationalities were represented at Tuscia such as Poland, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, America, the Czech Republic, and of course Italy among many others.
Now, having spent a semester already at Tuscia I had somewhat of a feel for campus life. What I noticed was that there was a distinct divide between the various cultural groups on campus. Walking into the student area you would find the Italians hanging out with Italians, as well as the Polish and the Americans sticking to their own cultural groups. My goal for this event was to bring the students together. I wanted to create activities that ensured that the various groups integrated and conversed with one another, and of course have fun. 

We first divided the participants into groups as they walked into the theater, snapped some pictures by our map and began the event with some great activities. We had a hello workshop where the members of the groups had to introduce themselves to one another in there own native language. 

"Annyeong Nanam Cariela-ya" 
Hello my name is Cariela in Korean, Thanks Yu Jin Kim ^_^

Other activities were the animal noise game, where we asked various students what noise certain animals made. You'd be surprised at what noises are given to animals in different cultures. Then we had an Italian Gestures slideshow. After we had students work out a skit using only body language. Lastly, we had a music game, where we played clips of artist from around the world and they had to identify the artist and country. It was a lot of fun! Then we had a breaktime filled with yummy food and we ended the night with live music. A local band and a group of Brazillian students singing the popular song "Ai Se Eu Te Pego" by Michel Telo.


Stefano Pizzetti: Director of USAC Viterbo

The Dean of the Language college and USAC
Dogs in America say woof  woof, but in Europe they go Bow Wow

Gesture skits, it's all about that body language

Rockin' out!


All in all it was a successful event. Goals were met and the participants had a good time. I'm so fortunate to have been apart of it. Thanks for reading! 

0 comments

"La buena vida es cara, la hay mas barata pero no es vida"  

Posted in , , , , , ,

"A goodlife is expensive, there is a cheaper one, but that is no life at all" -Spanish Proverb


Spring Break 2012 | Spain and It's Wonders

The world awaits for more exploration. I set my sights for Spain. I've wanted to head  to the motherland of my motherland (Dominican Republic) for many years now.  With no expectations but a good time with great friends we couldn't go wrong. Although Spain has nearly an infinite amount of attractions ranging from all corners of its land mass we didn't have enough time or money to embark on an extensive trip. We choose Ibiza for the parties, Barcelona for the Art and Architect, and Madrid for...well it the capital.



Sunrise on this beautiful island 

I'm taking over the world and no can stop me!



On to Barcelona. This city has truly changed my life. Maybe not the city on it's own, but the people I crossed paths. I learned a lot about myself in this city. Ara and I promised ourselves that one day we'd come back to Barcelona to live. Hopefully we can make it happy. In my opinion, this city offers everything anyone would want. There's a beach, diverse industires, architectural beauty, a strong educated population, great food, and greater people. Needless to say I L<3VE Barcelona. 



Sagrada Familia by Antoni Gaudi

Parc Guell designed by Antoni Gaudi also used as a runway on America's Top Model ^_^

Mosaic Dragon Fountain of Parc Guell

Barcelona vs Getafe...My First Real Soccer Game. It was So AWESOME
"Venga, Venga, BARCA!!!"

Went to Market and found PLANTAINS. You do not understand in Italy (my current home) there is no plantains and for a Domincan Girl this means hell. I was so elated that I found these bad boys that I brought a couple back with me ^_^ yummy yummy. 

Finally made it to Madrid. Home of Bullfights, Tapas, and Friends. This city sure has a lot to see and experience. This was our last stop on our trip and we were ready to explore what the capital had to offer. 
Sangria and Tapas at El Tigre del Morte. The best place in Madrid for tapas and drinks (according to a native friend). We walked in and the place was packed, you were lucky if you have any elbow room, but according to my Spanish friend it was nearly empty O_o. Either way it was a great time and great food, patatas bravas especially. 

Plaza Mayor
Found a Metro Stop with Dominican Republics Capital. Who knew all I needed to do to get home was take a metro in Madrid. 

Palacio Real where Spain's great kings and queens resided
40's Cafe. Spain's, among many other Latin American countries, top 40's radio station has its own restaurant chain. It's similar to a Hard Rock Cafe. Although, this place is famous for its rainbow color burgers (like the ones found in Spongebob Squarepants). 

This market was a great place to hit up before heading to the club. Great food finds and Drinks from around the world.

Amor y Salud de España 



Thanks For Reading!
Andiamo a Vincere il Mondo



2 comments
Older Posts

Followers

Powered By Blogger