Student Videos

The blur of the middle

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By McKenzie Harris

November 3rd, 2023

^sundial painted on a building in Český Krumlov^

I’m now exactly two months into my study-abroad trip. Because I leave in around a month and a half, that means I’m over halfway done with my time in Prague. I was very surprised by this two-month anniversary; after the one-month mark, I’d apparently continued to think I’d been here for “one month” for several weeks after. The rest of this entry will explore how I’ve conceptualized time passing as a study abroad student.

^an old boat by a pond in Český Krumlov^

Sometime after the “I just got here” stage began “the middle,” an amorphous haze of time in which many things have happened, much time has passed, yet the impending “final stretch” still came like a jump scare. Weeks have passed in quick succession, eating up fall, and somehow my mindset has begun to shift to the question of what I will do with my last weekends. So what exactly happened in the blur of the middle? That question was on my mind when I started planning my mid-program blog post, and I decided it deserved a post of its own. Upon reflection, my feeling of empty time passing during October was an illusion caused by the combination of midterm season, health issues, and (paradoxically) my plans and trips. To elaborate:

  • During midterms, students spent a lot of time studying for classes, and less time was given to more memorable pursuits.
  • In the past two weeks, I injured my knee and got a cold, which has kept me apartment-bound. I haven’t been able to do as many adventurous and social things as I could earlier in the semester.
  • Lots of plans made time pass quickly. In addition, it created a mindset where the time in between these trips was allocated for rest and school. With this mindset, a week between trips would zoom by, because I didn’t do anything present-focused. I was just doing homework and chilling, anticipating the next thing.

Despite my surprise at time’s passing, I experienced a lot of fun things in October. Here are some highlights and updates from recently:

^Fisherman’s Bastion^

Budapest! I already wrote a post about this, so check it out if you want to hear more!

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^sundial painted on a building in Český Krumlov^

I’m now exactly two months into my study-abroad trip. Because I leave in around a month and a half, that means I’m over halfway done with my time in Prague. I was very surprised by this two-month anniversary; after the one-month mark, I’d apparently continued to think I’d been here for “one month” for several weeks after. The rest of this entry will explore how I’ve conceptualized time passing as a study abroad student.

^an old boat by a pond in Český Krumlov^

Sometime after the “I just got here” stage began “the middle,” an amorphous haze of time in which many things have happened, much time has passed, yet the impending “final stretch” still came like a jump scare. Weeks have passed in quick succession, eating up fall, and somehow my mindset has begun to shift to the question of what I will do with my last weekends. So what exactly happened in the blur of the middle? That question was on my mind when I started planning my mid-program blog post, and I decided it deserved a post of its own. Upon reflection, my feeling of empty time passing during October was an illusion caused by the combination of midterm season, health issues, and (paradoxically) my plans and trips. To elaborate:

  • During midterms, students spent a lot of time studying for classes, and less time was given to more memorable pursuits.
  • In the past two weeks, I injured my knee and got a cold, which has kept me apartment-bound. I haven’t been able to do as many adventurous and social things as I could earlier in the semester.
  • Lots of plans made time pass quickly. In addition, it created a mindset where the time in between these trips was allocated for rest and school. With this mindset, a week between trips would zoom by, because I didn’t do anything present-focused. I was just doing homework and chilling, anticipating the next thing.

Despite my surprise at time’s passing, I experienced a lot of fun things in October. Here are some highlights and updates from recently:

^Fisherman’s Bastion^

Budapest! I already wrote a post about this, so check it out if you want to hear more!

^An outdoor Signal Festival exhibit on the front of the library where I study (Městská knihovna)^

School: My midterms went well, and without test anxiety! Between now and finals, I’ll focus on a podcast research project for my gender studies class, and prepping for final projects. I have many plans in the works for the next month (trips to Dublin, Vienna, and Dresden, and a Hozier concert!), so school will once again have to be a smaller priority for me. I mentioned this in my mid-program post yesterday, but I’d like to take more opportunities to talk to my classmates and hear about their experiences in different countries before the end of the semester.

Český Krumlov! My flatmate and I took a day trip to this medieval town and fell in love with it. We spent hours by the river, looking at the castle, and walking under autumn leaves. I have many pictures from this trip in my Photos page.

Last week, my flatmates and I celebrated both my 21st birthday and Halloween. My 21st birthday was slightly anticlimactic, being in a place where I could already legally buy alcohol, but it was still a fun day!

Bohemian Switzerland! I went with a group of roommates and friends to hike for a day at the Bohemian Switzerland National Park in the Czech Republic. It was a day filled with stunning views, perfect fall colors, and many mushrooms. Last year, a fire came through the park and left large swathes of destruction, but now, there are carpets of moss and saplings growing from the ashes (you can see this in the left picture above). The park’s main attraction, Pravčická Brána, was unscathed, as was much of the forest. The rock archway of Pravčická Brána (top picture) was beautiful, and we learned that a scene from Narnia was filmed on it! The river was just as beautiful, and our group agreed that the gorge it descended through must be home to fairies.

To conclude this somewhat rambling post, I’ll say that even though “the middle” seems to go by without enough to show for it, all of my time here has been valuable. I look forward to the next two months of new memories!

2018 Video Contest Winner: Adam Hudak “Archeology on the Edge” Scotland

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The video was filmed during the archaeological excavation and field school at the endangered site of Swandro-Orkney, Scotland. Working with some of the UK’s top archaeological professionals, the program aids the excavation racing against time and tide to preserve Orkney’s cultural history from rising sea level. In addition to this field school, I completed independent geological survey of coastal processes, geohazards, and erosion. Upon completion, I contributed 3D photogrammetry survey, field sample geochemistry, stratigraphy, and remote sensing spatial analysis.

Apply for this program here: Hunter College CUNY: Orkney Gateway to the Atlantic, Scotland Summer Study Abroad

2018 Video Contest Winner: Isaac Day, “The Great Canadian North” Canada

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This video is a collection of shots I got during my internship with Young Life’s Malibu Club Camp. Located on the Jervis Inlet in British Columbia Canada this camp is completely off the grid, using a waterfall high in the mountains to provide hydro power to the camp and it’s 300-400 highschoolers that come per week during the summer. My time there was an incredible experience for my Outdoor Recreation major at WWU. This short video contains scenes from areas around camp, stating off with an ariel shot of camp followed by a few of the natural waterfalls in the area. Next is the ride into and out of camp through the Jervis inlet. Sometimes in the pre or post season, guests from the Seattle/Vancouver area will rent out the camp and come up in sea planes and yachts. The Malibu club also offers kids the experience of a downhill mt. bike course as well as waterskiing and wake boarding down the smaller Princess Louisa Inlet. There are many canyons and rivers flowing around camp and this is one of those beautiful hard to reach locations. The primary mode of transportation is water taxis to make it into camp, this is a shot of one entering the Malibu rapids before arrival at camp. This video finishes off with higher altitude shots of the approaching sunset in the Jervis. Thanks for watching and providing education abroad! It truly is a one of a kind experience!

France: “En Route!” by Sebastian Zgirski

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En Route!

 

I have been in France for about a week and a half now, and I simply cannot believe it. It’s been great and I cannot wait to share those stories with you all. But alas this is not my arrival in France blog post rather it is one focusing my on my journey to France ( I would have written this blog earlier but I have had absolutely no time at all for anything in the last week and a half ), and boy did I have an amazing journey.

 

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France: Pre-Departure: “The Start of Something Great” by Sebastian Zgirski

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https://sebiontheworld.wordpress.com/2017/05/30/the-start-of-something-great/

 

Hello!!! Thank you so much for deciding to read this blog, it means the world to me! As I finish up my spring quarter here at Western Washington University, I find myself extremely excited for the journey I’m about to undertake. This summer I will finally be fulfilling one of my childhood dreams of going to France. I will be studying abroad in Lyon, France, for 4 and a half weeks earning credit for my French minor and traveling as much as possible. After the end of my program, I intend to travel for a bit and make my way to Poland where I will visit family and an old childhood friend for a few weeks, and then finally head back to the States. This will leave me with about 2 months in Europe.

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2017 Video Contest Winner: Jacqui Silva, Mexico 2016

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Jacqui Silva – WWU EdAbroad Video Contest – Winner 2017

This video is a short documentation of our time in the Tropical Marine Biological Research class, which took place in La Paz, Mexico. For one month over the summer, we traveled around the Baja California Peninsula along-side students from a local university and learned about ocean processes, native organisms, and the relationships between them and the environment. We snorkeled mass amounts of coastlines, scaled hilltops, and combed beaches, taking copious amounts of notes and observations along the way. Aside from learning about scientific field techniques, we built relationships among our cohorts and instructors and learned what it took to be a team member in a scientific research setting. In our free time, we were able to explore the city with our new international friends and immerse ourselves in the Mexican culture and cuisine. This was my first experience in a tropical water setting and it was exciting to see the similarities and differences compared to the Puget Sound ecosystem. I can’t speak for my classmates, but this educational endeavor was among the best that I have had so far, allowing me to make professional connections and some life-long friendships. I am incredibly thankful to have had the opportunity to be a part of this class with the amazing students and instructors of WWU.

2017 Video Contest Entry: Jhomarie Sadang, Central & Eastern Europe

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https://youtu.be/pgVOBjJDu64

The video contains a few clips of my trip to Central and Eastern Europe with a group of Western Students. We visited Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, and Ljubljana. I also included my weekend trip to Berlin in the video as well. This expereince was significant to me because I never thought I would every visit these places and the group I went with was amazing. We created a bond that can’t be created anywhere else. It really opened my eyes to other cultures and made me want to experience other cultures.

2017 Video Contest Entry: Madison Moore: Mongolia, 2016

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRPwsdsu7FU

In the summer of 2016, a group of WWU students and faculty went to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia to conduct research on women leaders in the culture. Our days were packed to the brim of different interviews, research, and more, and we rarely got a chance to sleep or explore. However, in those moments where we did have a breath of fresh air and got the chance to drink in the culture, we had a lot of great laughs with the close friends we found there. While the trip was full of positive and negative experiences, we all learned a little more about who we are as leaders, who we are as human beings, and who we are as global citizens. While a lot of time has passed since the trip, I recently found the GoPro I used to capture some of the moments in the Mongolian countryside.I had forgotten about these special moments, and before I even knew there was a contest, I had already made this video to commemorate the times that make me laugh and smile. I included some of the spectacular landscape views, but the people that joined me on this adventure meant just as much to me and bring back happy memories of the adventure. I wanted to not only remember the sunsets and views, but the smiles and laughter of the people I was with. They were just as impactful as the history and customs of the culture. While this experience was a hard and difficult one, I know that because of it I learned so much about myself and others. I walk away with new perspectives and experiences, and while some of those moments may be negative, I know I’ve changed for the better. The song is also of significance to me- we would play that song over and over on the trip, and it slowly became the soundtrack of our adventure. Listening to it, I remember drives through the rugged terrain of the Hustai National Park, I remember climbing rocks and discovering abandoned eagle nests, I remember exploring ancient and uninhabited stone fortresses standing alone in a landscape, I remember marveling at the history of Ghengis Kham. But I also remember laughing in our bunk beds early in the morning, walking through crowded supermarkets trying to find an ice pack, playing card games late into the night because the WiFi was frustratingly spotty, and gripping the seats of taxi cabs as we weave through hectic traffic. These seemingly mundane daily activities were made into lifelong memories thanks to the amazing people I traveled alongside. There were lots of tears, lots of laughter, lots of pain, lots of curiosity, and lots of adventure thanks to this beautiful country.

2017 Video Contest Entry: Sarah Berglin, Mexico, 2016

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https://youtu.be/cEQkFpFwgzQ

https://youtu.be/cEQkFpFwgzQ

Although our study abroad trip was only one week, this was an incredible experience. A special thanks to Gigi Beraldi, our professor on this trip, who arranged a beautiful and educational experience for all of us. As my first time out of the country, this experience really opened my eyes to the culture that many of my friends are from. I absolutely fell in love with the desert, the pyramids, the churches, the handmade tortillas, the language, and of course, the culture. We biked dirt trails, hiked botanical gardens, explored the city, and ate more food than we could handle…and we loved every second of it. Thank you Gigi and Western Washington University and everyone else that made this trip possible – it was unforgettable.

2017 Video Contest Winner: Shelby Payne: “Together with Others” Kenya, 2016

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Check out my Video!

“Together, with others”. This was a common phrase among our wise friends in Kochia, Kenya; a rural village in western Kenya that sat alongside Lake Victoria. “Together, With Others” speaks on the idea that we must go through life, hand in hand. That we must work together, and work with others. During our unforgettable International Service Learning trip in Kochia, our team of 11 students from Western continued to learn the power of working together to create lasting friendships filled with joy, laughter, and purpose. This video reflects just that. It reflects the hands we held, the friendships we fostered, and the laughter we shared. Our team was consistently immersed in the fantastic, welcoming, and heart warming culture of Kenya as we continued to build upon friendships with Abba Integrated School of Excellence and Ombogo Girls Academy, both previous education partners of Western Washington University.