Private & Public Education in Brazil

After a month of school at PUC-Rio, the most expensive and prestigious University in the city, I am a little confused.  While the actual content of my courses are up to standard and my teachers are rather knowledgeable about their subjects, my classroom experiences have been shocking.  The source of my disappointment is the relationship between students and their professors.  Whereas at Princeton, professors are often revered and respected by their students, even if students secretly hate their professors,  at PUC, students...

Read More

Sweden: The Land of "Equality"

Hej!  I am currently studying abroad in Stockholm, Sweden.  Before coming to Sweden, I knew very little about the country aside from the fact that it is the home of ABBA, IKEA, and meatballs.  Of course I had also read and heard about the public policies, social engineering, and welfare system.  (There's also the wonderful Daily Show video about Sweden's socialist policies.)  One of the primary reasons I decided...

Read More

Dia Tipico en Habana

7:00-alarm rings. hit snooze.7:20-force self out of bed. steam out sleepiness in the shower. eatbreakfast (coffee + milk + sugar, scrambled eggs, bread + guava jelly)7:49-rush out of residence. speedwalk 9 blocks to the Universidad deHabana for class8:00-8:15-Latin American Literature class begins (maybe). focus ontaking notes while the professor lectures (sometimes quite rapidly).review notes at the scheduled breaktime and fill in the blanks fromincomplete thoughts.9:35-class ends. walk outside for a 2 peso pastelito or to the cornerfor a 1 peso...

Read More

Black in Brazil

Yesterday, I was having a conversation with some new friends (yayy!!!) and somehow the conversation drifted to my friend Rodrigo's race.  Recently, some people had claimed he was black. Now, Rodrigo, doesn't really look African to me; if I had seen him walking down the street in America, he would strike me as hispanic or maybe a mix of European and Native America descent.  He has hair that is closer to straight than kinky and even under the Carioca sun, his skin is still a couple shades lighter than Obama. Now after 5 semesters of...

Read More

First Impressions: Cuba

Everyone has been saying going to Cuba would be like time traveling: We'd step off the plane right into the 1950s. If this is the case, the 50s weren't so bad. We're living better at our Cuban home than we do at Princeton, except for the fact that we don't have access to high speed internet. I may be going through a bit of email withdrawal, but beyond that I am completely enamored with Cuba. After months in the miserable New Jersey winter, I prefer *this* side of Paradise. Word to Fitzgerald. The city of Havana is organized very well; the city...

Read More

Meet Damali!

Hi! My name is Damali James, and I am a Junior in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Relations. I will be studying at the University of Havana for the Spring 2013 semester and I'm excited to bring you all on this journey with me. Born in Canada to a Jamaican family (with a couple Cuban roots!), I have always viewed Cuba a bit differently than my American peers. Having a bit of son in my blood is what inspired me to study...

Read More

Meet Victoria!

Hello! My name is Victoria Seyoum and I’m a junior in the Politics Department also pursuing a certificate in African Studies. I most recently lived in Brentwood, California, but prior to that I was living in the Middle East and Eastern Africa. The summer of my freshman year I participated in a Global Seminar trip to Italy and Poland and the experience was so amazing that it opened the door to the possibility of spending an entire semester abroad....

Read More

Meet Yooni!

Hi! My name is Yooni Ahn and I am a junior in the Woodrow Wilson School studying education policy. I was born and raised in Seoul, Korea, and came to the States for high school. This spring, I will be studying abroad in Cape Town because of my interest in education policy and love for traveling. After taking a seminar on American education system in the fall, I wanted to learn about how education policies are shaped in a developing world. Along with an added dimension to my studies, I hope to explore and try many things such as going on a walking...

Read More

Meet Nikhita!

Hey Everyone! My name is Nikhita Prasanna.  I'm a politics major with an Italian certificate from the Jersey Shore. I'm most excited about immersing myself in the Italian culture and people - getting to know my city and fellow Italians really well.  I really hope to gain complete fluency in the Italian language, and I can't wait to try all the gelatto!...

Read More

First Impressions

Oí! Today was my first day in Rio de Janeiro.  After 15 hours between two flights from New York to Rio I finally made it!  And can I ever be able to put into words how happy I am?  It just so happened that five other people from my CIEE program were on my flight, including Emily Hornsby from Princeton, so I was able to meet some of the other Gringos I would be spending my first few days with.  We arrived, and immediately I was...

Read More

Meet Chloe!

Hi everyone! My name is Chloe Cheney-Rice, and I'm currently a junior concentrating in Sociology and receiving a certificate in African American Studies. I'm originally from Los Angeles, California, and I'll be studying abroad this Spring semester in Istanbul, Turkey! Since high school I knew I wanted study abroad to be a part of my college experience, and I'm so excited to actualize that dream this coming semester by studying in Istanbul. Among...

Read More