The following courses have reported their safe return to the US:

Honduras
Hawaii
Ireland

Peru: Field Biology

The following courses have reported their safe return to the US:

Costa Rica: Language, Culture and Ecotourism
Cathedral
India

Ghana
Our Ghana WT class is now at Elmina, on Ghana’s coast. Here we have visited the castles used in the terrible trans-Atlantic slave trade, and the nearby rainforest of Kakum. We arrived after a long trip that took us to the Northern Region where we visited Mole National Park and the nearby village of Mognori. The park provided some wonderful opportunities to view wildlife, including close encounters with elephants. Our visit to the village was part of a new program to promote ecotourism; allowing park visitors to learn about the lives of people in neighboring communities while economically benefiting the communities. We also played a goodwill football (soccer) match with the local team. (They easily outplayed us and won, but excellent play by our goalkeeper kept us in the game.) Between Mole and the coast we visited the city of Kumasi, including its vibrant African market; and along the way our travels have been complemented with lectures by Ghanaian professors. The class has provided opportunities for new insights, valuable experiences and many fond memories.

Mexico
Part I
¡Hola Amigos! Esta semana estaba llena de viaje porque salimos de Yucatán y condujimos a otro estado de México, Chiapas. Nos quedamos en Palenque donde visitamos el último sitio arqueológico de nuestro curso. Aprendimos más sobre la cultura maya, pero este sitio era diferente porque las pirámides se construyeron en la selva. Subimos para comparar la estructura y también ver como era similar a los de Dzibilchaltún y Chichén Itzá. Había un museo donde vimos los artefactos descubiertos por un arqueólogo, incluyendo la tumba de Pakal, el rey más conocido de Palenque. Después de algunos días en Palenque, condujimos a las montañas hasta una ciudad, San Cristóbal de las Casas. Tuvimos la oportunidad de visitar a un museo de trajes mayas que mostró: ropa, armas, y tradiciones culturales. Además, había suficiente tiempo para explorar la ciudad e ir de compras. Hacía mucho frio, pero el grupo estaba de acuerdo que era el lugar más bonito y divertido que habíamos visitado.

Hi friends! This week was filled with travel because we left Yucatan and drove to another Mexican state, Chiapas. We stayed in Palenque where we visited the last archeological site of our course. We learned more about the mayan culture but this site was different because the pyramids were built in the rain forest. We climbed to compare the structures and also how they were similar to Dzibilchaltún and Chichen Itza. There was a museum we visited to see the archeological facts that were discovered, including the tomb of Pakal, the king most remembered of Palenque. After spending a few days in Palenque, we drove to the mountains to a city named San Cristobal de las Casas. We had the opportunity to visit a museum of mayan customs that included: clothing, weapons, and cultural traditions. Moreover, there was sufficient time for exploring the city and shopping. It was really cold, but the group agreed that it was the prettiest and most fun place that we had visited thus far.

Part II
¡Hola! Casi llegamos al fin del curso y acabamos de tener unos días llenos de nuevas experiencias. Fuimos a un pueblo zapatista que se llama Oventik. Este pueblo es parte de los siete municipios que apoya el Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (EZLN). Aprendimos sobre la lucha del grupo revolucionario y su introducción al mundo en 1994. Tuvimos la oportunidad de conocer y hablar con el gobierno y otros promotores. Ellos contestaron nuestras preguntas sin problema y estuvieron muy agradecidos que quisiéramos aprender sobre su lucha. El día siguiente visitamos unos pueblos, Zinacantán y San Juan Chamula. Anduvimos por el pueblo y entramos en sus iglesias para compararlas. La iglesia de Zinacantán era similar a una iglesia católica pero con arte muy preciosa, arquitectura impresionante, y muchas flores por todas partes. La iglesia en San Juan Chamula era un poco diferente porque la usan como un lugar de curaciones. Cuando entramos, observamos la estructura y también las familias que hicieron sus ceremonias de curación. Adicionalmente, pudimos ver cómo usan recursos naturales para curar. Vimos cómo matan un gallo dentro de la iglesia y después sacan sus huevos para curar el espíritu. Estos dos días eran muy informativos, pero todo el grupo se divirtió muchísimo.

Hello! We are nearing the end of the course and we have had some new experiences these last few days. We went to a Zapatista village named Oventik. This village is part of the seven municipalities that form EZLN (Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional). We learned about the fight that the revolutionary group is facing and how they went public in 1994. We had the opportunity to meet and talk with the government and other promoters. They answered our questions without problem and they were very thankful that we wanted to learn about their struggle. The next day we visited some more villages, Zinacantán and San Juan Chamula. We walked through the villages and entered the churches to compare them. The Zinacantán church was similar to that of a catholic church, but with precious art, impressive architecture, and a myriad of flowers all around. The San Juan Chamula church was a little different because they use it for a place for curing. When we entered, we observed the structure and the families that were performing their curing ceremonies. Additionally, we saw how they use natural resources to cure. We saw how they killed a hen inside the church and how after they took out the eggs to cure the sprit. These two days were very informative, but the entire group had a lot of fun. 

Ireland
The Ireland class continues its literary and historic trek around Dublin and out into its more natural environs, including a visit to the monastic ruins at Glendalough and the spectacular gardens of Powerscourt, where we finally took a full group photo. We also had the opportunity to attend a modern re-imagining of one of J.M. Synge’s most famous plays at the Abbey Theatre, one of the most famous theatres in Europe.

The following courses have reported their safe return to the US:

Peru: Field Biology
Costa Rica: Jungle Service
Italy: Heritage
WWII
Gutenberg

The following courses have reported their safe return to the US:

Business in the Pacific Rim
Belize Field Biology

Elon’s Winter Term 2009 Study Abroad Programs are coming to an end.  We will also be posting reports of safe returns to the US as we are contacted by the groups.

The following courses have reported their safe return to the US:

Barbados
Guatemala

Peru: Field Biology
Hello from Biology in Peru! We´ve arrived at Machu Pichu and the students enjoyed it greatly. They will explore the town tomorrow.

The students are all in good shape and have learned a great deal about the biology of tropical forests, We have seen the elfin forest at the Amazonian Conservation Center, Spent 5 days at Pantiacola lodge in the heart of the rain forest on the rio alta madre de dios, spent 2 days in the lowland rain forest at Tamboblanquillo and saw many different types of birds, plants and animals. The students have completed their research projects including one on frog calls as well as habitat analysis at each of 3 locations. We´ll see you soon.

Australia: Aboriginal Studies
Part I
On the morning of January 20th we awoke in Hyden to some of the first real rain we have seen to date. The temperatures have ranged from 107 in Albany to around 55 at night here in Hyden. We traveled to many Aboriginal landmarks such as Katta Keech, now known as Wave Rock, and a rock cave known as Hippo’s Yawn with our tour guide Michael, a young Aboriginal local man. Hippo’s Yawn served as an Aboriginal women’s birthing place due to its protection from the elements. We learned that Wave Rock served as an Aboriginal meeting place due to the abundance of food, water, and the rock’s natural ability to serve as an amphitheatre. It was interesting to see how these important Aboriginal sites have turned into popular ecotourism attractions. Before lunch we visited a wildlife park where we saw a large menagerie of native Australian animals including a free roaming kangaroo that stirred a rack of excitement.

In the afternoon we visited Mulgah’s Cave, traditional watering and bathing holes, and a large rock mountain known as the “humps.” Mulgah’s cave is the site of a sad Aboriginal tale that is the reason for the absence of Aboriginal people in the area. It is said that a boy by the name of Mulgah, who was born from a forbidden incestual marriage lived there. His peers teased him because he was born cross-eyed and was unable to hunt. Mulgah became so enraged that he killed two of his peers and ate them. He also killed his mother who had witnessed the act. After this, the Aboriginal people left the area in fear that such a place had been cursed due to the violation of Aboriginal people’s law. The watering holes that we visited showed great insight into how the Aboriginal people used the land. They would heat the large rocky landscape up to the point where they were able to easily break it. By repeating the process over and over they were able to create large holes in the rocks, known as gnamma holes, which they then used to collect water for bathing and drinking. The Humps offered a great view of the surrounding area and served as an Aboriginal meeting place. It was a difficult hike up the Humps, with a fair amount of wind that just about caused Professor Curry to lose his hat; but in the end, it was well worth it to get the full experience of the site. Our last stop was to our guide Michael’s family farm. Here we learned what it was like to be a western Australian farmer. At the farm, Michael’s family grew a wheat blend, and raised all natural chickens and cows. It was interesting to observe how Michael’s Aboriginal roots translate into a continued emphasis placed on sustainability. The farm also gave us our first chance to dawn our very fashionable fly nets. Tomorrow we are traveling to a monastery in New Norcia. It is going to be a long drive, but it will give us all a chance to reflect on our busy day in Hyden, and possibly get some sleep.

Part II
On Tuesday morning, we boarded the bus and set out for the five hour drive from Hyden to New Norcia. Along the way, we stopped in the country town of Northam for lunch, and then continued on to arrive at the New Norcia Benedictine monastery before dinner. After a home-cooked meal and doing our dishes, we met with Dome Chris who told us about his daily routine as a monk: Monday-Saturday 5 AM wake up, prayer 7 times per day including 1 mass and 6 chantings of the psalms, 3 meals per day, daily chores, and watching the recorded ABC news. Sundays are the monks’ day of indulgence; they are able to sleep in until 5:45 AM, not do their daily work, and are able to have longer siestas.

Here in New Norcia, only 12 monks live in the monastery, which was founded in 1846 by Spanish Bnedictine monks. The monks here range in age from 31, a Nigerian man in his 2nd year of training, to 98 years old, who has been at the monastery for 80 years and is the last Spanish monk in New Norcia.

After sleeping in the old convent, where the Aboriginal girls once stayed, we had an early wake up at 7 AM Wednesday morning. We ate breakfast before heading out on a walking tour of new Norcia and monastery with Samantha Brown, our liaison here. After visiting St. Gertrude Church, we took a short break before heading to the St. Joseph Exhibition Museum and Art Gallery. If you notice, there are no pictures posted here form the museum. They strictly prohibit photography because in 1986, 25 paintings were stolen in an attempt to sell the art on the black market. All but 1 painting was recovered after catching the thieves. Today, the museum proudly displays the restored art.

At noon, we attended mid-day prayer with the monks. The prayers consisted of psalms, which the monks pray in their entirety over a span of two weeks. The service is done lyrically in response style while the monks sit on opposite sides of the room facing each other. After prayer, we ate lunch, and then participated in an Aboriginal art workshop with Debesha Yappe. Our creations included traditional colors and Aboriginal symbols, ranging from emu and kangaroo tracks, to campfires, to rain. Afterwards, we had a discussion with Lester Jacobs, who told us about his life on the mission in New Norcia as a child. This was followed by spear and boomerang throwing workshops and a trip to the Prendiville Room, an exhibition showing Aboriginal and the monastery’s history as well as the two groups relations. These included food and meals, sports, games, and hunting, religion and dreaming, music and dance, language, home life, and survival skills. Father Rooney an anthropologist is an adopted member of the Yuat people and he is the consultant for the knowledge of the Yuat people. He was instrumental in the creation of the Prendiville room.

After an informative day and dinner, we packed up the bus and headed back to Perth.

Ireland
If you stand still in Ireland long enough, the moss covers you. Luckily for our group, we haven’t been still very long. In Northern Ireland, students visited the ruins of Dunluce Castle on the rocky northern coast and braved the sleet and rain to walk the basalt landscape of the Giant’s Causeway. Since then, we’ve made our way to the metropolis of Dublin, where we’ve enjoyed James Joyce’s stomping ground. Today, we visited the 5000 year old passage tomb of Newgrange and watched a simulated winter solstice sun rise from inside the mound itself. From great live theatre to a special tour of Parliament escorted by Senator Mark Daly, Dublin keeps us busy. Tomorrow, we head back out into the country to Glendalough and the Powerscourt Gardens.

Ireland
Ok, so now we are currently in Dublin.
There wasn’t too much to do in Sligo, but it was still fun. We got to see Yeats countryside and see places he wrote about, his grave and more. Then the next morning we left early for Derry. We stopped at the Ulster American Folk Park along the way. We had class with people there who told us about emigration and immigration, and we got to look up about our Family names. Then it was a walk through tour of different Irish homes and we got to learn about their life years ago, and how they emigrated to America, and got to walk through a ship to the other side being America. It was interesting seeing the Irish perspective on American life. Our Hotel in Derry was a little far from the city but it was really nice. We got a tour of the Derry Museum and then Derry Walls, got to walk along them and learn a lot of the history of Northern Ireland.The next day we went to Dunlunce Castle which is neat because it’s on a rock on the coast. Then from there we went to Giant’s Causeway. It was awesome! It had a great view and was really neat. But, the winds were hurricane winds and it started to rain and then hail. There are two ways back to the buildings, basically go up first and walk along the top of the hill/mountain/cliff or walk up gradually below it (like we walked down). Up top was the craziest walk we have ever done. We were all soaked and cold and had hail pelting our faces, but it was definitely worth it. For me one of my most favorite things we did this trip. It is a memory and story we will have forever and probably never do again. Sitting on the bus with soaked clothes wasn’t as fun.

The next morning we left early and got to Dublin in 3 hours. We went to the National Museum and had class. On Monday, the 19th, we took the Hop-on Hop-off bus to Kilmainham Goal (Jail). It is not long in use but was used a lot especially during the famine, 1916 uprising and the civil war. One party of it, the newest, has been in a number of movies. We got to have the rest of the day, until class, for exploration or research. A number of people went to the Guinness Factory, which was neat because the building was shaped as a pint and had a great view at the top. Tuesday we went to the Writers Museum in the morning and got to do research and exploration for the rest of the day until class. Most people also watched the inauguration. After class we got to take a tour of Parliament by a senator which was really awesome. The building from the outside looks similar to the White House because the same person designed them both.

Wednesday we had the whole day for research, exploration, and shopping. At 7 we met up and went to the Abbey Theater to see Playboy for the Western World. It was neat because it was a modern version of the play, which we read the original version. On Thursday we actually got to sleep in, which was amazing, and we left at noon for Newgrange. It is over 5000 years old, older than the pyramids. It’s a tomb, and is really neat and hard to believe they were able to do so much manual labor to build it all way back then. Tomorrow we will be going to Glendalough, Powerscourt and the Powerscourt Gardens. Dublin is really neat, and Ireland amazing. We have done so much while we are here it has been great, only a couple days left.

Spain
Everything is going well in Spain. We have a great group of students. This afternoon we’re having our own “Inaugural Watch” starting at 4pm our time at the CCCS. A Spanish television station is coming to interview our students.

It is snowing here in nearby provinces like Granada where we went this weekend and had gorgeous weather.

Barbados
Students in the Barbados course successfully completed the final course challenge on Monday. Presentations were given on Tuesday morning with small groups focusing on a specific special topic. The creativity, depth, and scope of the presentations was impressive! Following the group presentations we watched history unfold as the inauguration was broadcast on televisions and radios all across the island. Large screen televisions were set up at many public venues including Kensington Oval which provided seating for 4000 viewers. Obama t-shirts and other memorabilia could be found in the shops in and around Bridgetown, the capital city. You can read more about Barbados’ coverage of the inaugural events here: http://www.nationnews.com/newnation/story/321527817166006.php. 

Today (Wednesday) is Errol Barrow Day, a national holiday celebrating one of Barbados ten national heroes. As a constant reminder of his life and service Barrow’s image appears on the Bajan $50 bill, popularly known as “an Errol”. You can read about him and Barbados’ other national heroes here: http://www.barbados.gov.bb/bdosnathero.htm.

Students are taking the final exam for the course this morning and looking forward to attending the Plantation Theatre tonight to see Roots and Rhythms, a stage show representing West Indian culture. Tomorrow will be our last full day on the island as we have an early departure for Miami Friday morning. The attached picture was taken during class at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill campus this past week. 

Peru: Field Biology
We have made it through the rain forest and just left Atalaya and headed for Cusco will up date in a few days. all is well. had great weather with very little rain for a rain forest. 

Australia: Aboriginal Studies
After visiting the Kodja Centre, we traveled to Katanning, a small country town of about 4,000 people. After a great supper, we met with a local Aboriginal elder, Les Eades. He is the chair of the Southern Australia Corporation, a large Aboriginal community which spans most of Southwestern Australia. He shared many stories with us about his life as
an Aboriginal person - the struggles he encountered, how his life was different than the average white man’s, and the treatment of Aboriginal people by white settlers. A very important story he shared was that of how he avoided becoming part of the Stolen Generation. He and his brother each carried either bread or water and ran into the bush
immediately upon their father’s cue. This happened several times and they always managed to get away because of their superior knowledge of the bush. Some of these stories were horrific and violent; it was very discouraging to hear of this treatment. Les did an excellent job connecting with us and truly getting us to understand what has happened.

After a restful night at the New Lodge Motel, we set our sights on the Carrolup Community and Marribank Mission, an area where the Stolen Generation of Aboriginal children were sent. We toured the entire area including dorms, prison, and church. In one building the paintings of the young Aboriginal boys were housed. Unfortunately, not all of them are there. Not until recently were they discovered in the basement of the Colgate Museum in Sydney.

Overall we were extremely privileged to spend some time chatting with and learning from such an important Aboriginal man. Hearing hisstories put an entirely new perspective on the Aboriginal struggles, past and present.

Peru: Heritage
The Peru Heritage left Cusco and entered the Sacred Valley for three days. Our first day took us to Pisaq and Ollantaytambo. Pisaq was an Incan city built overlooking the Vilcanota River. It is located such that travelers from the rain forest to Cusco pass by and must stay in quarantine houses before entering the city. Students experienced the use of terraces or “andines” that the Incas used for farming. Ollantaytambo was an unfinished structure where the last great battle with the Spanish occurred.

Our second day took us back in time again as we traveled to 13,000 feet to perform “ayni” with some local families. Ayni is the act of families helping families, possibly by plowing fields or building new houses. A similar practice is seen in Amish country. We were treated to a “pachamanca” - a native way of cooking lamb over hot rocks and were invited to participate in a “hair cutting ceremony”. During the first hair cut of a young child (about 2 years old) participants are asked to “give their strength” to help raise the child. Anyone that cuts the hair is considered a godparent. The local family asked Don Daniel and Don Ernesto to be the principle godparents but all Elon students stepped up. Many of the students felt honored to be part of this ceremony. Students were also given the chance to talk to a shaman about their future. The reading of coca leaves by shaman is part of South American culture.

We traveled to Raul´s hometown of Chinchero on our third day and were taught about the native weaving customs. Many of the girls took the time to try weaving. We also toured local ruins at Chinchero and nearby Moray. Moray is an interesting site in that it was a scientific laboratory where the Incas trained plants to grow at higher elevation.

We leave tomorrow for Machu Picchu, most likely the highlight of our course. I hope to update everyone one more time when we return to Cusco but I am not confident of our timing.