(Another) Eid Banquet!

Tonight, I went to the Muslim Students’ Association Eid Al-Adha Banquet.  (I know, I’m being so interfaith-y this week!)  Now, as I may have said before, I’m not Muslim, so I’ve never celebrated Eid until this year, first at the MSA’s Eid Banquet in September for Eid ul-Fitr, and now for Eid Al-Adha!

I really enjoy all these religion-based events because though I don’t subscribe to any one religion, I was raised Catholic and still celebrate the big Christian holidays.  I knew quite a bit about Jewish tradition because so many of my high school friends are Jewish, but I didn’t have much exposure to Islam (weird given my name and background, eh?)

I’m also a religion minor, so it’s great to see everything I’m learning in all my classes in action, as well as how modern Muslims practice in comparison to all the Middle Ages (and earlier) theologians and philosophers that dominate so much of my religion homework. 

There was also henna!  So I of course had to get all painted up--I love it!  Here are some pictures of my lovely body art:

When it was first applied--the dark stuff dries and crumbles off, leaving behind...

... all this loveliness!

Cute, no?  All that added up to a good night!

With questions about anything, email: shireens@gwmail.gwu.edu

<3 Shireen

Registration for classes from abroad!

Thanks to FOFAC, the Focus on Fall Abroad Community (more info here!) that I am involved in for next semester, I have gotten lots of perks from being abroad this fall semester!

• First, I was able to choose my roommates and have a confirmed room on campus next semester in Amsterdam Hall. We already know where we will be living and don't have to stress out wondering if GW Housing wil find us a place or not.
• Next semester, there will be lots of cultural activities in the dorm emphasizing the sharing of our abroad experiences- everyone will get a taste of each others' time abroad!
• Most importantly: I was able to register super early (Nov 4th when my regular registration would have been today) and get the classes I wanted to with the schedule I wanted to!

Thankfully, my internet was up and running when I needed to register. I logged on and inputted all the classes and wanted and instantly I had a schedule that I am looking forward to! Here are my classes for next semester:

ECON 2180 Survey of International Economics

Basic concepts of international trade and international finance, with emphasis on policy issues.

PUBH 1101 Introduction to Public Health and Health Services

Introduction to aspects of public health and health services, including health services administration and policy, maternal and child health, environmental health, and health promotion.

GEOG 2133 People, Land, and Food

Domestication and dispersal of plants and animals; development of agricultural systems; spatial disparities in world food production, demand, and distribution.

PSC 2337 Development Politics

An examination of how and why political systems develop the way they do. Why do some countries develop into democracies, while others become authoritarian? How do class conflict, the nature of the elite, and the political culture affect the development of political institutions?

WSTU 2120 Introduction to Women's Studies

A multidisciplinary examination of historical conditions, cultural norms, and social institutions that define women's status in Western culture. Experiences of girls and women in various racial–ethnic, class, and age groups. Alternative visions for women's (and, by implication, men's) roles and status. Sophomore standing required. I am really excited for my schedule, and to top it off, I have big chunks of time on Mon/Wed/Fri where hopefully I can find somewhere to intern or volunteer to take up those chunks. I am really looking forward to being back on campus now that I am excited for these classes and my living situation! Questions? marisaw@gwmail.gwu.edu - Marisa

Interfaith Dinner

Tuesday night, my friends and I went to the 10^th annual Interfaith Dinner in the Grand Ballroom.  It was a nice night with food, music, and merriment, but also sharing of religions and cultures rather than the ever-so-common separatism among the religions

The theme of this year’s dinner was “better together”, and each religious student group shared pieces from their holy books that emphasized that theme, often in the native tongue of the religion and then an English translation.  The musical performances also emphasized tolerance, spreading hope and love, and giving peace a chance.  It was just lovely!

It’s always nice to see people of different backgrounds coming together to share common goals and beliefs, but it’s especially nice when different religions come together, especially since religion is so often something that divides peoples rather than its intent of helping people.  This dinner affirmed my belief that religion actually can do good!  Who would have thought, eh?

If you’re interested in joining a religion-based student group at GW, we have them in droves!  I wrote a post about it a while back, but there’s also plenty of info on the student org website where you can find all you need to know. 

Questions? Write me!  shireens@gwmail.gwu.edu

~~~Shireen

Independent Study Project

Now that it is November, I finally get to dedicate all my time to my research, enjoying Arica, and living with friends! Through the SIT abroad platform, we get a month at the end of the program to pursue any project related to the public health theme in any part of Chile. I decided to come back to Arica since I already had connections in the public hospital and want to work with the Aymara population that is most concentrated here.

I have already started getting a few things in order. For my research, I need to identify Aymara ascendance from the birth records in the hospital. I have already been in touch with people from CONADI (National Corporation for Indigenous Development), as they have a ongoing research project identifying these last names in the region of Arica and Parinacota. I was able to get my hands on this precious book and photocopy it so now I have just been going through my data identifying which names could be Aymara! The Aymara keep their father and mothers’ last names, so it is easy to see the Aymara lineage as it is passed down generation to generation.

I also was able to be part of a birth last night in the hospital! A woman had recently given birth to a premature but healthy baby girl when I arrived at the hospital, and since there weren’t going to be any more births last night, my advisor quickly rushed me in to watch the process the mother goes through post-birth of removing the placenta, etc. I won’t go into too many details but it was really interesting to be able to watch and ask questions while the nurse-midwife was with the mother. Afterwards, I watched as they prepared the baby to be with her mother- literally enveloping her in 4 layers of clothing while she was still under a hot lamp. The baby reached her tiny hand to try to grab mine while the nurse and her aunt clothed her.

All of these experiences have been really amazing so far and I’m excited to keep you all updated on my research.


Email me if you have any questions! marisaw@gwmail.gwu.edu
- Marisa 

Chilenismos and medical terms

Over the past 2+ months, I have been exposed to Chilean Spanish. This Spanish is not the kind you learn in the classroom- Chilean Spanish doesn’t only vary in accent, but also in vocabulary. There are so many slang words that are widely used by the population, both young and old, that it took awhile to adjust and incorporate them into my own Spanish. These words are referred to as “chilenismos.” Thankfully, we learned a lot in Spanish class as the teachers wanted to get us up to speed quite quickly and be able to talk with locals. I thought I would share some of the most popular, and some of my favorites:

Po: This is always added to the end of a sentence, like “uhh” or “yeah” in the English language. In answering a question, you could say “si, po.”

Cachai: Do you understand? Get it?

Completo: The new invention of a hot dog slathered in sauerkraut, tomato, avocado, and mayonnaise- a street food favorite.

Al tiro: Immediately, in a second.

Manjar: the Chilean word for “dulce de leche,” or caramelized condensed milk.

Tecito/once: Snack time that replaces dinner here, with bread, cheese, tea

Pololo: boyfriend, as “novio,” the normal word in Spanish for boyfriend, means fiancée

Bajonear: Late night munchies, after the discos close and people go eat empanadas

If you are interested in more, check out this website I found! 

In addition to the Chilenismos, we have been learning a lot of medical vocabulary through our excursions and independent study project work. It’s nice to have a hang of medical Spanish and I hope it comes in handy in the future. In the beginning, we all fumbled a lot to translate specific words and professions in the clinics but now referring to a maternity nurse as a “matrona” is easy, and they are distinguishable by their uniform colors too which is nice.

marisaw@gwmail.gwu.edu

- Marisa

Most Politically Active University FTW!

According to The Princeton Review, GW was rated to have the most politically active student body!  Check it:

So, yay!  Good for us!  I'd definitely have to agree with their assessment--and then some.  Our location just blocks from the White House is a huge plus for everyone who wants to get involved; it's hard *not* to go to that rally you were invited to when it's only a 15 minute walk.  With countless hill/lobbyist/White House/everything else political interns, we work for that credit, and by George, I think we've earned it!  It's hard to find someone here who isn't interested in politics, even med students and the engineering kids have an interest in DC political culture and the workings of politics.  How could you not?  It's literally everywhere around us!

Keep emailing, I love it!  shireens@gwmail.gwu.edu

~~~ Shireen

Lobster and Nostalgia

Today, I continued on my food truck quest by visiting the Red Hook Lobster Pound truck when they were parked right outside of Duques.  This may have been my favorite yet—and that’s quite a statement since I’ve really loved them all so far.  The thing is, I love lobster more than most other foods; I’d totally be ok with eating it every day.  Apparently slaves in New England revolted so that they wouldn’t have to eat lobster every day, and got it cut down to 5 days a week.  How crazy is that?  And now it’s a delicacy.  Go figure.

Now, not only do I love lobster, but I love Maine lobster—I’m all about lobster rolls, lobster chowder, and popovers with blueberry jam and a cup of lobster bisque on a chilly early-summer afternoon in Maine.  These are specific memories I have from many summers spent up in Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park with my family, so I’m a bit of a connoisseur of Maine lobster.  It’s something I take seriously, so I was going to be a tough critic of Red Hook.  They had my childhood memories in their hands.

Of course, I wasn’t disappointed.  I got a classic Maine-style lobster roll, and it was absolutely exquisite. Maine-style rolls are coated with a very light, slightly lemony mayo-based sauce, and Connecticut-style is poached in butter—Red Hook has both, but I’m partial to the Maine, of course.  Also, it’s just slightly healthier!  The Connecticut-style just drips butter.  Anyway, the bread on mine was crisped just right, and absolutely overflowing with big chunks of lobster.  The sauce was perfectly light, not clumpy like mayonnaise can sometimes get, and with just a bit of lemon to compliment the lobster.  A sprinkle of old bay and a pickle on the side sealed the deal: awesome lunch.

So as I said, this was my favorite so far—but who knows?  It’s possible that my next venture will trump this one.  We shall see!  The only way I’ll find out is to keep lunching!

Send me emails!  I love reading and responding: shireens@gwmail.gwu.edu

<3 Shireen

Bariloche, Argentina

Finally- MARISA MAKES IT TO ARGENTINAAAAAA!!!!!!!

While Pucon was beautifully diverse in its eating culture, nothing prepared us for the shock of Bariloche, Argentina. After hopping over the border by bus and eating delicious trout for lunch on the way, we finally arrived in Bariloche, the chocolate and ski capital of Western Argentina. The purpose of the trip was to interact with Argentinean Mapuches and talk about issues of nationality and identity, which would have been amazingly interesting had we been able to. There were issues due to the erupting volcano further south and the lecturers were not able to make it to Bariloche.

Rapanui Chocolates

While this was disappointing for everyone, we had the day free instead to wander around the street of chocolate and taste and indulge in every possible combination of chocolate. I bought a few key treasures- including chocolate covered raspberries (!!!) and orange peels, but those were saved for later since each store gives you a sample and I was already overwhelmed by the time we finished our rounds. It was a fun and relaxing two days in Argentina, but I would have preferred having more time there to soak in Argentinean culture, the accent, and more of the food. I did have a signature Argentinean steak, a cut called bife de chorizo, and it was delicious! 

Chocolate stores galore

The cathedral we saw, but since it's almost summer there was no snow!

I hope to be back in Argentina someday… I don’t think I did the country justice.

- Marisa

Love in the Time of Appendicitis

Last week I had appendicitis, which wasn't so great. But along the way I learned some very important facts about GW, which was pretty great.

Let's explain this by the numbers:

0. The number of dollars it cost me to get EMeRG, GW's all-volunteer, student-run, on-campus paramedic and ambulance service, to drive me to the hospital.

600+. According to folks I've spoken to about this, the number of dollars it would have cost to have been driven two blocks from Student Health Services to the GW Hospital (if there was no EMeRG, I would have had to pay for a ride from DC Fire and EMS).

1. The number of operational ambulances EMeRG has right now.

Sweden's colors are the same as GW's...

So all in all, pretty great deal we have going here at GW. As a senior, I figured I'd never need to be hospitalized while still at college--but life has a way of surprising you. It's good to know that not only do we have a free ambulance service on campus, but we have a great hospital too. (If it's good enough for former Vice President Cheney, it's good enough for me.)

Coincidence, or Conspiracy?

For students with other problems, there's other support services too--Student Health Services for regular check-ups and outpatient care, the University Counseling Center for mental health issues, and a host of others.

In all seriousness, you'll probably never be provided for as well as during your time here at GW.

Adam
--
Questions or comments about Stockholm on the Potomac? Send them to me at ash1290@gwmail.gwu.edu

Pucón, "entrance of the cordillera"

Driving to Pucon was an amazing drive- as we got closer and closer, Volcano Villarica peered down at us, breathing smoke into the air. The lake is picturesque outside of the town of Villarica, but we continued past to our cabins further towards the mountain. 

Volcano Villarica

The town of Pucon was super touristy, which was perfect for those of us craving American style pizza, salads, and vegetarian food. One restaurant called Ecolé had an amazing cauliflower, broccoli, carrot, and zucchini mix with peanut and coconut curry sauce. Basically, a culinary introduction to what we were to encounter in Bariloche! 

Cute Ecolé restaurant

"As famous as the hostal itself, the ¡école! restaurant is one of the best vegetarian (fish included) restaurants in Chile. From the homemade granola and yogurt breakfasts to snacks of vegetarian nachos and burritos, or a spicy salmon yellow curry or robust vegetarian lasagna, you will never be disappointed. Stop by and have a real coffee or Kunstmann in the evening." -LonelyPlanet Guide book

Indoor/outdoor hot springs we went to

Town of Pucón

I also managed to find the Patagonia store and now have a cool Patagonia in Pucón sticker, a beautiful ceramic store where I bought a turquoise bowl, and other artisan shops. The lakes and rivers all around Pucon are full of trout and salmon, and one artist I found had money pouches made of dyed salmon skin!


I can't believe this is part of my program sometimes.. it really has been an amazing adventure and our program has facilitated and planned all these excursions!
- Marisa