Happy Spring Break!

Alligators in South Carolina (from a safe distance)

Hello from South Carolina! I am spending my very last spring break at Fordham down south with my roommates. So far, I've seen about 20 alligators (very scary), three gorgeous sunsets, and more palm trees than I could count. It's the ideal place for some rest and relaxation before out sprint to graduation.

Exploring Little Italy (the Manhattan version;
it's not as good as Arthur Avenue) my sophomore year.

Spring Break at Fordham always gives students a lot of opportunities. Freshman year, I flew home to celebrate my birthday with my extended family and catch my cousin's play. Some students stay at Fordham over break, and that's what I did my sophomore year. I took advantage of the extra time to explore while helping finish a volume of the Fordham Undergraduate Research Journal. Although some residence halls close over break, students who stay can relocate to on-campus apartments. I lived in Salice-Conley and got a taste for the still-new apartments that seniors (and some juniors) get to enjoy.

I spent my junior year abroad in Granada (you might be able to find a few posts about my study abroad experience here or here), so spending spring break in Paris was a no-brainer. A lot of Fordham students jump at the chance to travel a little further during break. I know friends who have paired off to explore Europe (spending today in Ireland, of course), grouped up to head to a Caribbean resort. or signed up for GO! projects to devote their breaks to immersion and/or service. Some GO! projects this break include San Jose, California; the Adirondacks in upstate New York (which you may hear about later this week-- stay tuned!); and Les Cayes, Haiti.

There is no wrong way to do spring break, but I've found that the best way is to spend it with your Fordham family.

P.S. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Studying Abroad: Living What You Learn

Hola from Granada, amigos! Last weekend, my entire Fordham in Granada program united (outside of our class together) for a weekend trip to Portugal, Sevilla, and Cordoba. We visited three separate cities in Portugal, where oddly enough most people prefer to hear you speak English than Spanish, and then the two Spanish cities. Being together as a group is always fun, but my favorite part was experiencing places that, before the weekend, I had only ever seen in textbooks or powerpoint slides.

The most breathtaking real life visits were to the Chapel of Bones at the Church of Carmen in Faro, Portugal and the famous mosque in Cordoba. The chapel was built out of the bones of monks from the associated monastery. It served as a way to create more cemetery space and was also a very much the fashion in southern Portugal in the late 1700s. The Great Mosque dates from the 7^th century and has housed both Catholic churches and Islamic mosques. After the Catholic reconquest of Spain in the late Middle Ages, a church was actually built in the center of the mosque and it is still in use today.

You may think that bringing history to life is limited to students who study abroad, but the truth is that Fordham is surrounded by history, and Fordham professors know how to make the best use of it, and I’m not just referring to art professors who go to the Met. We’ve got cloisters, zoos, museums of all types, opera houses, art galleries, national parks, and historical houses to name a few. Fordham actually offers courses on New York City—Fall 2014 offers new views of the city from the points of view of English and Political Science. So New York City is indeed Fordham’s campus (as Father McShane likes to say), but so are Granada, London, Pretoria, Shanghai, and all of the other places you can study abroad during your four years here. 

The Benefits of Liberal Arts: Language Edition

Granada and the Sierra Nevadas

Without Fordham’s liberal arts core, I never would have dared to study abroad in Granada. Sure, I always wanted to go abroad, but Fordham’s emphasis on cura personalis and core curriculum made me realize that I could survive (and possibly thrive!) in a non-English-speaking country.

The core curriculum is a hallmark of Fordham’s liberal arts education. It requires all students to take courses in certain areas to expand their horizons, challenge them, and prepare them for life after Fordham. From speaking with high school juniors and seniors who are thinking about Fordham, I know this can seem intimidating. Heck, it was intimidating for me, too. But not only has my liberal arts education opened my eyes to interests that I never knew I had, a liberal arts education is also one of the most popular with employers.

At the Puente de San Martin in Toledo, just a bus ride away!

If I had not needed to fulfill my language requirement, it is entirely possible that I would never have considered studying Spanish after high school. I certainly wouldn’t be a Spanish major living in the most beautiful city in southern Spain. You may dislike foreign languages. You may be absolutely certain that you do not ever want to major in a foreign language. But how much do you know about urbanism or ethics? Have you ever thought of studying either of those subjects? They are two optional courses in the core curriculum, and you’ll never discover why that park is where it is or answer those burning ethical conundrums unless you try them out. And at some point or another, you are going to need those answers. At Fordham, you’ll find them, te prometo. ¡Hasta luego! 

¡Hola desde Granada!

Hola from Granada, Spain! I am spending my semester with 16 other FCRH and FCLC students at Fordham in Granada, a Fordham study abroad program in Andalucía, the southernmost region of Spain. The study abroad process is full of complex, tough decisions: where to go, what to study, how to budget, how to make friends, and where to stay. That last one may sneak up on you after settling on London or Johannesburg or Shanghai or Antiguo Cuscatlán.

A view of Granada from Placeta de la Puerta del Sol, which I found while lost exploring

Luckily for me, Fordham sets up each student in our program with a homestay family, and it’s just that, a family. We live in pairs (you can request a roommate or take your chances; my random assignment is fantastic) with Spanish families. Everyone’s homestay experience is different, whether you are with young parents, a retired couple, or a mother and her adult children. What is the same about every experience (even when our group stayed with families in Morocco for two nights) is that it is a family. We eat together, watch TV together, and talk to each other about our days. 

Our group with some Moroccan friends in Rabat.

The homestay experience makes a huge difference in how the city feels, too. Rather than being a foreign visitor with a bunch of other exchange students, I am living and breathing the Granada lifestyle (including the mandatory siesta!). I don’t need to seek out authentic cuisine, or try to figure out what’s happening in Spanish politics—I just need to sit down at the dinner table and ask.

Obviously, it’s not a replacement for my own family or my Fordham family. But my Granada family is certainly a good substitute. 

Study Abroad Spotlight: Fordham in Granada

A study abroad experience is highly encouraged here at Fordham.  The study abroad office offers amazing opportunities to study in a foreign country.  Students have participated in programs in places like Australia, India, Argentina, and European favorites like England, Ireland, and Spain.  Each program has a ton to offer, but make sure you do your homework before applying to a specific program!  The study abroad office and your office work one and one with you to make sure classes taken abroad will count towards your major/minor back at Fordham--you want to make sure you graduate on time!

In the spring of 2012, I was a student in the Fordham in Granada program, which is based in Granada, Spain.  Applying to this program for me was a no-brainer; I knew I wanted to study in the south of Spain, and since it's a Fordham program, every single class transfers over to Fordham, as does any financial aid or scholarship you may have.  I discovered when working with my advisor that when I finished my classes in Spain, I would be eligible to bump my Spanish minor up to a major in addition to my International Political Economy major.  What a deal!  When looking for a program, I was most concerned with what classes I could get to count for my major and minor back at Fordham, and this program eased all of the worries I had.  I was also interested in a program that only offered classes in Spanish and placed students in a home-stay.  These are two requirements of the program, and not as daunting as they may seem.  Another plus about this program is meeting new people at school.  People from other universities can apply to the Fordham in Granada program, but in the past, it has primarily been only Fordham students.  It is a great way to get to know students in your grade, as well as have a piece of Fordham with you in a foreign country.  Professor Lamas, a Spanish professor at Fordham originally from Madrid, is the director of the program and teaches one of the classes you are required to take in Spain.  He is also a great way to stay connected to Fordham when abroad, as he knows all the ins-and-outs of the study abroad process.  Classes are held at the Centro de Lenguas Modernas, a satellite school of the Universidad de Granada.  Here you will have the opportunity to take classes with students from all over the world--I had students in my classes from more common places like Illinois and California, but also Japan and Poland!  One thing to mention--this program is only available in the spring.  There is also an abbreviated version offered in the summer, but you will need to look elsewhere if you would like to study abroad during the fall semester.

A view of the famous Alhambra in Granada, Spain

One of my favorite things about this program is the planned trips throughout the semester.  While you have plenty of freedom and time to travel by yourself, these preplanned trips relieve the sometimes stressful process of planning a trip on your own.  Within the first week or so, you will have the opportunity to travel to Morocco.  The best part?  You get there by ferry!  Yes, a ferry to Africa!  This is an amazing opportunity to see a completely different part of the world.  You really get to know the people, especially because you will be living in a home-stay for some time with a Moroccan family in Rabat.  You will be eating traditional foods, trying on traditional clothes, and you may have the opportunity to learn some Arabic!  From Rabat, you will have the opportunity to travel to the Rif Mountains and have lunch with another family, and then spend a night in Chefchaouen, a popular market town.

Care to ride a camel on the beach in Morocco?

Sunrise in Chefchaouen

I loved my time spent in Granada.  It is a small, vibrant city situated near the Sierra Nevadas filled with students and friendly people.  I absolutely loved my home-stay mother, and feel that I was really challenged to my best ability to speak and write Spanish in my classes.  I truly feel I was immersed in the Spanish culture during my semester abroad.  I had the most amazing time traveling and seeing different parts of the world, and I strongly encourage interested students to consider a study abroad program, especially Fordham in Granada!

A view from inside the Alhambra