By Nina Gehan

UW-Madison received funds from the French Foreign Ministry’s Franco-American Cultural Exchange (FACE) and the U.S. National Science Foundation International Research Experiences for Students Panel to create and support graduate student exchanges with universities and research centers led by Ecole Nationale Superieure Agronomique de Montpellier (Sup Agro) in Montpellier, France. Sup Agro is a small, elite agricultural university that offers a semi-structured Masters program for professional students. The departments are comparable in many ways to UW’s College of Agriculture.

The goal of the exchange program is to train global scientists with concrete technical skills and a broad perspective on how science works within specific social, regulatory, and political contexts. Applicants come from a variety of disciplines that connect to environmental studies.

Benedict Coude

Benedicte Coude is a Master’s student at Montpellier’s Sup Agro school of Agronomy. She is currently studying Dairy Science in Madison as part of the Montpellier-Madison graduate exchange program.

Why did you decide to participate in this exchange program?

I decided to participate in it because it was my dream to go study in the U.S., and Madison has a really good reputation for its Food Science Department–especially dairy science which I’m interested in.

What is your general opinion of the exchange program?

I found the exchange to be a very nice and unique experience. I met people from all around the world and I am still in contact with lots of them. I also really appreciated to discover the American culture, the classes which are different compared to France. I also liked the contact between the teachers and the students here, I think there is much less distance than in France. And students participate more too, there is more motivation.

I had the very nice opportunity to travel with friends, we went to San Francisco, New York, Yellowstone, Salt Lake City and it was a great experience to see different areas of the U.S.

The problem when you are international student is that you tend to stay between international students and you don’t really know the “local students” but the fact that I stayed longer than a semester allowed me to make American friends to travel and live with and it’s very nice!!! And my English started getting much better!!

What is the most valuable thing you learned as part of the program?

I think the most valuable thing I learned is open-mindedness, and also I feel definitely less worried now about traveling and meeting new people.

Everything I learned in classes was great too!! I had the opportunity to take classes which were focused on specific topics which I wouldn’t have been able to do in France because my school has a broader approach to topics taught to the students. My classes were focused on food science: I took a nutrition class, a dairy science class, a class about food laws and regulations, one about the archeology of food and the last one about food chemistry.

How did the program help you in your professional life?

Through the program, I took this dairy science class and my dairy science teacher provided me with the internship that I’m doing right now. Basically, I’m doing a research project about proteins in milk and it’s very interesting!!! This internship was supposed to be from June to December but as I haven’t finished my project yet. My teacher allowed me to stay longer and go on with my internship until June. I’m so happy about it!!! So definitely, I now have the opportunity to do research in the field that I’m interested in–dairy science–thanks to the program!

How has participating in the Montpellier program impacted your life in general?

It was very interesting and it allowed me to see certain topics with new perspectives. All the people I met and the friends that I made. The travels that I did.

Well, pretty much everything! Just the fact to live abroad and to have American friends has changed my life for sure. I realize I really enjoy Madison and I’m thinking about finishing my studies in the U.S.A. We are going to see if it’s possible with the teachers from Montpellier and from Madison. I hope it will be.

What would you recommend to other students who might want to participate in the program?

It’s important to be careful when you choose your classes. Not to be too ambitious. Indeed, it’s very different compared to France because you don’t have a lot of hours in class but one class requires a lot of homework at home. So seven hours of class per week might seem cool but the work required at home takes a long time. I was really busy last semester and sometimes it was too much because I didn’t have time to go out and meet people. So just be careful, the system is different!!

By Nina Gehan

UW-Madison received funds from the French Foreign Ministry’s Franco-American Cultural Exchange (FACE) and the U.S. National Science Foundation International Research Experiences for Students Panel to create and support graduate student exchanges with universities and research centers led by Ecole Nationale Superieure Agronomique de Montpellier (Sup Agro) in Montpellier, France. Sup Agro is a small, elite agricultural university that offers a semi-structured Masters program for professional students. The departments are comparable in many ways to UW’s College of Agriculture.

The goal of the exchange program is to train global scientists with concrete technical skills and a broad perspective on how science works within specific social, regulatory, and political contexts. Applicants come from a variety of disciplines that connect to environmental studies.

Leif Brottem

A Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Geography, Leif Brottem spent a semester abroad studying in Montpellier as part of the Montpellier-Madison Graduate Exchange Program.

How did you find out about the program and why did you decide to participate in it?

I found out about the Montpellier exchange program during my first year in grad school. It was heavily advertised and I was particularly interested in working or studying in a French speaking country because my research focuses on tropical agriculture in francophone Africa. I did this program because it really prepared me for my research in West Africa.

Tell me a little about your experience, what did it bring to you?

I took the full course load that a French student would take and was engaged in a lot of group work and field trips. For example, we went on a fieldtrip in the vineyards to study soil. While I was taking classes I was also working closely with the Centre International de Recherche Agricole pour le Developpement (CIRAD) in Montpellier which was perfect to help me further my own research in this area.

As a matter of fact, after I left Montpellier I went straight to West Africa to continue my research that I had developed a lot in Montpellier. The Montpellier program was an excellent preparation for this field work and provided me with a network of people who can help me in my research and professional development; I’m still in touch with someone I worked with at the research institute as well  as with professors at the school I attended.

What was the most memorable moment of your exchange?

The most memorable moment of the exchange for me was when we visited a park in the Serine region as part of a class I was following. It was great to learn outside from professors and farmers alike, to experience the French countryside while learning at the same time. This was a truly unique learning experience for me.

What was the most valuable thing you learned?

The most valuable things that I learned were while working for CIRAD–a lot of what I learned there became the groundwork for my personal research. Professionally the program affected me in such a positive way! It certainly helped bolster my interest in the research I was already doing and provided me with a successful experience and valuable network.

If you could wish for one thing for the Montpellier exchange program what would it be?

I regret the fact that a joint degree hasn’t been set up yet between the two schools, it seems like a logical evolution of the program and would help to create a lasting and true exchange. If they had one, I would live and work over there. I didn’t want to leave Montpellier, I could have stayed there, my French friends told me to apply for a French degree but I really wanted a U.S. Master’s degree. A joint degree would have been perfect.

I also wish there had been more funding support; I had to take out so many loans to pay for it!

Elizabeth Chadwick

By Elizabeth Chadwick, IAP Study Abroad Correspondent

January 25, 2010

Cape Town is the most beautiful place in the world. People have told me this before but I didn’t really believe them. Trust me though, I can not imagine anything better.

I’ve moved into my semester house now. It is very nice and actually quite large. I’m living with three American girls and one Dutch guy. Two of the American girls aren’t here yet, but so far the three of us here get along really well. We just made dinner together tonight in our kitchen. Our kitchen window has a view of Devil’s Peak, part of the table mountain range. There are bars over every window and door. I have six keys to get into my room! There is also a front gate and an alarm system. The neighborhood (Observatory, “Obz”) is cool, but we can’t really walk outside at night (which is really the case most places here). Instead we have to take cabs or taxis everywhere (yes, there’s a difference between a cab and a taxi here). A cab is what we (Americans) think of as a cab or taxi, but a South African taxi is more of a mini-bus (seats 7-18) that is going in a general direction and you tell them what area you need to go to. They honk and yell out the window where they’re going and some play really loud music.

Today we took a tour of the cape peninsula with the international students and the orientation leaders, stopping at Simon’s Town to see penguins, a township called Ocean’s View for lunch, and Cape of Good Hope–the most southwestern part of Africa and also supposedly the place where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet.

Two orientation leaders, Tongs and Lu, posing in front of Camps Bay Beach

I wish you could all be here to see how beautiful it is…I don’t have any idea what I could write here that could possibly do justice to it-so look at the pictures!

Me at the top of Cape of Good Hope

I’m meeting a lot of really nice people, especially the orientation leaders. On the bus to the cape I was talking a lot with Tongs who is a third year UCT student from “Zim” (everyone calls Zimbabwe Zim here). He is also a microbiology major so we may end up being in the same class or studying together.

I still have two weeks until class starts-one week of orientation and one week free. I don’t know what I’m doing on my free week yet, but Jake (Wisco friend) and some other Int’l students and I might try to make a trip to JoBurg (Johannesburg) and Krueger National Park…we’ll see.

Here is so more South African lingo that I’ve learned:

Robots = stop lights
Howzit = Hi/how’s it going?
Bru = Bro
Ja = ya (Afrikaans)
Lekker = good/nice/tasty

Cliffs in Hout Bay

Liz

Elizabeth Chadwick

By Elizabeth Chadwick, IAP Study Abroad Correspondent

Friday, January 22nd, 2010

We arrived in the Cape Town airport early this morning, after watching the sunrise over the coast of Namibia. The UCT (University of Cape Town) people were at the airport to greet the ten of us coming from that flight. We took a bus to campus, about 20 minutes away. My very first impressions of Cape Town were that the African sun is very hot and that the landscape is beautiful. Also, the divide between “first world South Africa” and “third world South Africa” was evident almost immediately. On one side of the highway you see these huge houses all with pools in the backyard. On the other side you see little shanty houses with graffiti.

Once arriving at the UCT campus we went to the dorm we’re staying in for a few nights. Just as we were about to take the elevator up to our floor the power went out and one of our orientation leaders said very nonchalantly, “Ahh, the power is out. Welcome to Africa!” Thankfully for the people in the elevator at the time, the power came back on shortly. Because students were arriving all day today, and even tonight and tomorrow, we’ve been splitting into small groups and going out and about. Some of us went out to a cafe at Rondeboshe, a nice little quarter of the city and only a five minute walk from campus. It’s quite disorienting to see people driving on the other side of the road, making it necessary to take extra precautions when J-walking (very popular thing here I guess).

Later we took a tour of campus which is absolutely gorgeous. The campus is all on the side of Table Mountain and it’s split into lower campus, middle campus and upper campus. I think I probably climbed the equivalent of 10 Bascom hills getting from lower campus to upper campus. We also took a path up to the Cecil Rhodes memorial which is maybe a quarter up Table Mountain. From up there we had a great view of the Cape Town suburbs. The actual downtown is around the mountain from campus. When I was up there I nearly fainted from a combination of sleep deprivation, heat exhaustion, and dehydration. Thankfully I made it ok, but it was a harsh reminder that my body is not used to this sun or heat and I probably need to condition myself before hiking up all these places.

So far I’ve met a lot of very nice people. The other international study abroad students are mostly from the U.S. (and more from UW-Madison then anywhere else) followed by Norway, Sweden, and Germany. We’ve also had a chance to meet regular UCT students (our orientation leaders) from all around Southern Africa.

Here are a few new words for your enjoyment:

Plakkies = flip-flops in Afrikaans

Molo = hello in Xhosa

-Liz

Sarah Zink

And now for the dreaded blog post, fated to come since the day I bought that RETURN ticket. That’s right folks, tomorrow I get on a plane back to Chicago.

Since I last blogged I took amazing trips to both Amsterdam and Barcelona, but in my current state of mind, there is nothing else I can discuss but Dublin.

Strolling down in city centre for the last time this afternoon, the mess of abandoned work projects caught my attention. When I first came here, I realize I did not even mention this aspect of Dublin — kind of shocking, considering it is everywhere you look. City blocks are riddled with the skeletons of buildings that have ceased being built. I can only imagine that this is something like it would have felt like to live in the ruins of the Roman Empire. Not that Ireland ever came close to world domination (being an officially neutral country with a population of 4.4 million, hegemonic status isn’t really in the cards), but they did go through a period of tremendous growth in the 1990s, enough to garner them the title Celtic Tiger and make them feel invincible.

The Leinster House, inside of which I interned for three months!

Now recession has hit hard, spurred on by outrageous lending to developers who broke ground on corporate offices and apartments, only to go bust. Half-constructed buildings are blocked off by massive sheets of plastic, and on the plastic are computer-generated images of the how the buildings were to look at completion; computer-generated people move industriously along to their appointments in formal business attire, comfortable in their environment of glass offices and an unnaturally sunny sky (by Irish standards).

Jimmy and me on my last day, posing by the GIANT Christmas tree right outside the Houses of the Oireachtas

Next to all this unfinished business are the stores that have closed, and some still managing to do alright. Many pubs are in trouble, but you can still enter one and feel a sort of warm Christmas feeling I previously thought couldn’t be experienced without the accompaniment of snow. This is why I have come to love the city so much I think — the place itself and the Irish people have been through so much, even in the recent past, but there is still an attitude of contentment. Not in as in everyone is happy, in fact to the contrary, people are unhappy, going on strike over public sector pay cuts, for example. What I mean is, they seem content in a solid sense of identity. Dublin feels like a city that knows about ups and downs, and so even during the downs, they are not lost.

Over the course of these past months I have been gaining a more nuanced picture of Ireland and Irish life, beyond the leprechauns and four-leaf clovers. What I have found is a place that manages to be both old and new simultaneously. They push to move forward, but always with thought to what is behind. I feel some balance at work here that just isn’t quite the same back in the U.S.

Family picture of all my intern buddies! Miss you guys!

On a different note, I am sincerely going to miss the friends I have made on this program. Study abroad friends operate on a kind of fast track. A bunch of students pushed together in a foreign environment equals instant buddies. I was lucky to meet some really great people who I will certainly keep in touch with, both friends from my program and from my travels. I was pleasantly surprised that facebook is useful for more than just all those farmville updates, and I will definitely be making use of it to help keep in touch.

I have a funny feeling when I actually get home, this whole European adventure thing is just going to feel like a long dream. A long, excellent dream that did some serious damage to my bank account. Only time will tell I suppose…

Jeff Oloizia

I am sitting in the staff room at school and stewing in self-loathe.  I have the done the unforgivable.  I am disgusting.

It is approximately 8:30 in the morning, and the new social studies teacher with the bad toupee has come sidling over to my desk.  By his manner I can see that he is uncomfortable, that he has a passion for his job that is sometimes betrayed by his demeanor, and that he undoubtedly still lives with his parents.  Like most teachers, however, he seems nice, and I know well enough that he is coming to extend a well-rehearsed greeting, that he will ask me how I came to Japan and where I am from.  Compared to me, he is a shining beacon of integrity, the picture of a self-assured man.  I am Benedict Arnold.  I am filth.

As expected, the man greets me with a smile and a loose handshake.  We exchange pleasantries and bows, and as I tell him about my unusual last name I am for a moment disarmed.  Only for a moment, though, because I know what comes next.  Like a villain in a Western reaching for his holster, the man purses his lips to spring his silver bullet question: “Where, might I ask, are you from?”

This question vexes me, as I know my answer – “Milwaukee, my good man!” – will only confuse him.  Tiny beads of sweat form on my forehead.  “If I answer Wisconsin,” I think, “our connection will die.”  I know without asking that this man has never heard of my home state, and I know that I must find common ground.  “Perhaps he’s heard of Wisconsin cheddar!” I whisper.  Not a chance.  “Perhaps if I find someplace close, some place notable…”

I reek of compromise.

In truth, I know that he has me cornered, that he has played his ace and that despite my two years of assimilation here, I am left standing naked once again.  I swallow hard, contemplating what must be done and telling myself that my decision will pay off, that the spark of recognition in his eye upon hearing my answer will lead to countless late night discussions and karaoke sessions.  I hope that he will like me, despite me not liking myself.  I inhale, knowing that a tiny part of me is about to die.  I answer.

“I am from Chicago.”

Jeff Oloizia ‘07 is a Wisconsin native living and working as an English teacher in Tokushima, Japan.  He asks your forgiveness for the story above.

Step outside the glass doors of Tokushima Station on any day of the year, and you may not be overwhelmed by what you see. Buses pull in and out of the station trading commuters on their way to work, a small shopping arcade looms ahead with only a smattering of retired ladies and truant students meandering about its wares, and a great bank of vacant taxis sits and waits for a rush of traffic that will likely never come.  It is, after all, the capital of what some consider to be Japan’s most rural prefecture.

Step outside these doors between the 12th and 15th of August, however, and you’ll be in for something wholly different. Suddenly the station area has become a smorgasbord of noise and color. Packs of women dressed in beautiful kimono smile as they pass you, their wooden geta clopping pleasantly on the pavement. They know the secret. Distant taiko drums shake you and mark out the beat of your own footsteps as the bright yellow taxis now whiz by. Already you can hear the singing: “Odoru aho ni miru aho; onaji aho nara odoranya son son!”

It’s a fool who dances and a fool who watches; if both are fools, you might as well dance!

You’d be wise to take the tip.

It’s not just a matter of convenience that my tour of great Japanese festivals begins in Tokushima.  With over 1.3 million tourists attending each year, Awa Odori [or the Awa Dance Festival] is a powerhouse of a festival that rips into Tokushima City during Obon, the Buddhist observation of the departed, each August. With nearly non-stop street dancing over its four days, Awa Odori is one of the world’s largest dance festivals, second only to Rio’s Carnival. In its elegant and rhythmic women’s dance, it is a celebration of Japan’s restrained beauty, and yet in its often violent and dynamic men’s dance and outright debauchery, it is a release for a people too often restrained. It is, quite frankly, unlike anything else I’ve witnessed.

The dance is said to have begun in 1586 when drunken locals took to swaying in the streets at the completion of [the now defunct] Tokushima Castle, but you can hardly blame them for their revelry. Indeed, the combination of sake on a hot summer night and the mingling sounds of the shamisen, taiko drums, flute, and bell is enough to stir even the most matronly of visitors into a frenzy.  And that’s for the better too, as despite the participation of countless rens [official dance groups], there are plenty of opportunities for anyone to join in the dancing.

But Awa Odori isn’t just about dance. For these four days, it is the city of Tokushima and its humble people that are on display. If dancing isn’t your thing, take a walk to Tokushima Park and watch the city’s youth gather for socializing while you check out the ruins of her castle. Or, for a real treat, take a 30-minute hike up Mt. Bizan and share a bottle of sudachi-shu [Tokushima’s famous lime-infused liquor] with a friend as you watch hundreds of lanterns light up, marking the beginning of the night’s dances.

I could ramble on and on about why this is one of the great festivals in all of Japan, but I wouldn’t want to spoil all the fun for those inspired to attend. Instead, I’ll let you kick back with a cool Asahi and take a look at a video from this year’s action:

Neal Vermillion and daughter Claire

By Neil Vermillion

One day in 2004, a group of us from the American Embassy in Bulgaria were enjoying a U.S. federal holiday by bowling and then going out for lunch.  Leaving the Sofia bowling ally (yes, I was inordinately pleased to see lanes for a classic Wisconsin sport in the basement of a Bulgarian hotel!) , we started walking to the restaurant when suddenly we heard the sound of an explosion and saw the building in the block ahead of us shake. We quickly  found a different route to go to our destination, but found out later that a bomb had been detonated in the elevator of the building killing an organized crime figure.  While I always felt safe in Bulgaria, such organized crime hits were unfortunately not rare there.

As with many Eastern European countries undergoing the transition from communism to a new system, Bulgaria had its problems such as organized crime, but it was (and is) a fascinating land of contrasts. Even today, you will share the same road with a speeding late-model Mercedes and a creeping, old school horse drawn cart.

A Bulgarian orthodox church monastery

You will spend one day hiking a mountain and the next on a 15km long beach on the Black Sea.  You will walk by a crumbling communist-style apartment building on one block to reach a sparkingly, European-style apartment building on the next.  You will walk over stones left over from the Roman Empire as you look over and see the European Union (Bulgaria joined the EU recently) flag.  Such diversity in a country over 30 percent smaller than Wisconsin is why the country is so intriguing.

Roman Ampitheatre in Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Yes, unfortunate things can happen in Bulgaria as anywhere, but you are also bound to have positive unforgettable experiences in Bulgaria.  The same year as the explosion described above, I found myself eating Bulgarian food at an outdoor restaurant. We were sitting in the historical village of Arbanassi near Veliko Turnovo, an amazing city with a medieval fortress.  I was at peace in the restauarant. Surrounded by family and listening to traditional Bulgarian music and watching dancers whirl around the open courtyard.  Organized crime was far from my mind as I was thinking how fortunate I was to have this experience.  It’s positive memories like that from this land of contrasts that remain with me and why Bulgaria fascinates many visitors.

Elizabeth Chadwick

By Elizabeth Chadwick, IAP Study Abroad Correspondent

November 12, 2009

COUNTDOWN: ONE WEEK

I’m leaving in 7 days! I’m flying out of O’Hare on the 19th, with a 12 hour layover in London (Heathrow) and finally arriving in Cape Town on the 21st. The total trip duration will be about 31 hours..ugh! When I arrive in Cape Town there will be people from the university to pick me up. I’ll be staying in temporary housing for a few days while everyone else arrives, then I’ll move to my house. All of the international students are living in houses around campus. I’ll be living in a 5 person house in an area called Observatory (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Observatory,_Cape_Town) . I don’t know any of the people who are living in my house yet-it could be students from anywhere in the world. Our first week will be attending an international student orientation. Our first day of classes isn’t until Feb. 8th.

PACKING!

For my birthday my mom bought be a really nice suitcase. She checked the airline’s size limitations for checked baggage…and then she bought the suitcase that maxed them out in every dimension (I love you mom!). British Airways only allows one free checked bag, thus the necessity for a suitcase that could comfortably fit a person inside (any takers?). I haven’t figured out everything I need to take yet…it’s hard to know what I’m going to need over the course of the next five months. All I know is that I have A LOT of laundry to do… The only things I have set aside so far are: important papers, computer lock, a frisbee, anti-malarials (for travel to north eastern S. Africa and outside S. Africa) and anti-diarrheals (cross your fingers that I won’t need these)…I’ve got a lot of work to do. There’s also a lot I need to do before I leave, mostly scholarship and financial aid stuff. Right now I’m feeling stressed about getting everything done, nervous about leaving, and excited for this new adventure.

The giant suitcase

I guess I should go get started then…I’ll try and keep you updated regularly from now on.

Peace,

Liz

A lot of people ask me questions about my chosen career path such as “How did you become a diplomat?” or even “Why did you become a diplomat?”  The “why” question is sometimes asked with a sense of puzzlement or even shock as in “why on earth would you leave a comfortable life in Madison and subject your family to a life of constant change  having to move every 2 or 3 years to a new country?!”  This question is relatively easy to answer:  I’ve always had an interest in foreign affairs; my wife and I have always loved travelling; and I wanted a career where I could feel like I was making a difference.

Answering the “how” question about the road to be coming a diplomat requires a longer answer since it is a long path for everyone, including myself.  Even though I didn’t have a chance to travel much outside of the U.S. at a young age, I remember being interested in the wider world — participating in Model United Nations in high school and studying French, for example.  In college, I heard that the Foreign Service Exam was free to take.  I thought becoming a Foreign Service Officer with the Department of State sounded like a great career so I took the test in graduate school.  Like many others who take the test, though, I came away disappointed.  I passed the written portion, but then did not make it through the oral assessment a few months afterwards.  I had to put thoughts of a diplomatic career on the back burner.

A few years passed and I thought I would give it another shot.  So, I signed up for the exam to be given on September 29, 2001.  Two other major events happened that month, but neither shook my desire to pursue the career:  9/11 was shocking, of course, but in some ways brought foreign affairs closer to home.  On the home front, the day after I took the test, my daughter was born.  Perhaps that was a good omen, because I passed the written exam and went to Chicago a few months later to take the oral assessment.  (For those of you interested in the Foreign Service, the process is still pretty much the same.  There is a written portion, the Foreign Service Officer Test, offered periodically. Those that pass that are then invited to an oral assessment.  See www.careers.state.gov for more information.)

In Chicago, I participated in a grueling examination that included a group exercise, a written portion, and an interview with two Foreign Service Officers.  At the end of the day, we were ushered into a room where we were called out one by one.  I was one of the last one called and soon I found myself in a room with diplomats shaking my hand saying “congratulations.”  I had passed!  The day wasn’t through, though. Immediately, the security clearance process began and I was asked several hundred probing questions by Diplomatic Security.  Driving in the dark back to Chicago with my wife, it hit us:  our lives were about to change.

The process after that, however, was still lengthy.  The medical and security clearances took several months to process, but finally I was offered a place in an orientation class in November 2002.  By December, my dream had come true and I was about to find out where I would be sent for my first assignment as a Foreign Service Officer.  That, though, is a story for another time.

Julie Strupp

I’m browner now. My feet are tougher on the bottom from walking and my hair is lighter, curlier, and way more nappy. And I’m usually covered by some sort of sweat, varying from winsome little dots of perspiration to a small deluge that soaks through my shirt—complements of the 107-degree (with humidity) weather. (So I don’t want to hear anything about snow or delightful crisp autumn days, got it?) Those are the outside changes, but this place is already shaping me inside too.

As I mentioned in my last post, I moved in with my host family over a week ago—and I’m still not sure exactly how many people live with me. The Senegalese conception of family is a bit different from in the US—it’s not uncommon for a relative to drop in and stay for a month or far more, often unannounced. To understand why this works, one must first understand the concept of Turanga, or hospitality.

Turanga is highly valued in Senegalese society, and it manifests itself in some seemingly peculiar ways. For example, senses of ownership, of something being strictly “mine,” are much weaker. People take sharing with others as a given. For example, it’s not uncommon for people to borrow each other’s sandals or shirt without asking, and I’ve been asked on multiple occasions by complete strangers if I was hungry and wanted to share their meal. Even “your” room may not be yours if a relative stops by. This karma-like system of give and take of course has a few glitches when greedier individuals take advantage of others’ goodwill—but mothers still rest easy knowing the Turanga they extended will help keep their children well should they fall on hard times. This emphasis on the well-being of the larger community is inspiring, and I’m trying to incorporate this attitude more into my own life.

In spite of this, I do know that I have two host sisters, a host mother, a bunch of older guys I guess are my brothers (but are really uncles I think,) and a feisty, bony little grandmother who only speaks Wolof. The grandmother and I communicate with a smattering of French, my poorly pronounced Wolof, and comically convoluted pantomimes—she’s wonderful. The host brothers and I watch the news almost every night and talk about politics and the day’s events.

My greatest frustration here has been communication. Although I’ve taken French for several years, foreign language retention tends to drop like a rock when you don’t practice—which I hadn’t in a while. I’m beginning to recover my vocabulary and adapt to the accent as well as learn some Wolof, so it’s getting better. Since Dakar is right on the ocean, I eat variations of cebujen, rice and fish, every day—usually twice. For breakfast I have part of a baguette and a cup of Nescafe… all good stuff, but I miss the variety of food I’m used to in the US.

Downtown Dakar, about a 20-minute car-rapide ride from the Baobab Center where I study, is a colorful, frantic swarm of humanities. Tangles of people loudly hawk goods, shop, and run to work. There is little if any traffic control (that’s right, no stop signs.) so traveling in any kind of motorized vehicle or even crossing a busy street can be an adventure. But drivers are horn-happy and usually amenable, so the knots of battered busses and taxis always miraculously work themselves out. I visited the markets again yesterday and bought an airy dress and some traditional peacock-patterned fabric to bring to a tailor. Tubabs (non-derogatory term for white, French, or foreign-in-general people) have no sense of style? We’ll see about that…

I’ve seen a lot so far… I visited a street school in one of the slums of Dakar, bummed around the bustling markets, attended a football (soccer) game, and went clubbing at Youssou N’Dour’s nightclub, Thioussane. (Check out his music, if you don’t know it. It’s fantastic!) The poverty, in spite of the blanket of generosity, is still heart wrenching. Coming here has already helped me appreciate things I wasn’t normally grateful for on a daily basis, like camaraderie with strangers and toilet paper. But more later… I’m off to brave the dusty heat to go barter for some fresh fruit. A bientôt!

By Study Abroad Correspondent from International Academic Programs

Jeff Oloizia

Of all the questions I get about my time in Japan, it seems the one facet of Japanese life that people are most interested in is the school system.

Coming from an education background at Madison, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the differences between the two systems on a pedagogical level, but surprisingly little time thinking about the school structures themselves.

And in some way, I think this is what people want to know about most.  What does a Japanese school look like?  Where do the students actually spend their time?

Today, for the first time in my 2+ years in Japan, I took pictures of my school.

Viewing these pictures, some of the distinctive features of Japanese schools will jump out at you right away (as they did at me).  In other ways, however, these images may very well recall memories of your own schools.

Whatever the reaction, I decided this time out I’d like to let the pictures do the talking.

Welcome to Tokushima’s Josei Junior High School.

An unassuming facade welcomes you to the school.

A shoebox in the entryway invites visitors to leave their shoes in exchange for more appropriate "indoor" footwear.

Indoor slippers made for small feet

The staff room is organized by grade level so that teachers can brief each other about class happenings and the students' daily dispositions.

The principal's office adjoins the faculty room, allowing for free flowing communication. Every morning the principal addresses the staff in a brief meeting.

The third grade (our ninth grade) corridor

A second grade classroom. Each classroom houses a homeroom of approximately 35 students. These students will take all their classes in this one classroom and are responsible for the cleanliness and safety of the room.

The gymnasium is home to phys. ed. classes, team sports, and a number of school assemblies.

Open air (and low-privacy) student restrooms

The quidditch storage closet

Student bike parking

A courtyard separates two of the school's three buildings.

Summer phys. ed. classes are held at the outdoor pool.

A large dirt sports ground provides a training area for a number or school sports teams.

Obviously these pictures don’t tell the whole story, but hopefully they help get it started.

Neal Vermillion and daughter Claire at Uluru: August 2009 - Northern Territory Australia

By: Alumni Correspondent Neal Vermillion

Greetings from Perth, Australia where I serve as United States Consul. Born and raised in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, I am a proud Badger by blood (my mother having received a Master’s degree from UW-Madison in the early 1960s.).  Madison will always be “home” to me as my wife and I married at St. Paul’s University Catholic Center on campus in 1999 and our daughter was born in Madison in 2001. I was thrilled to earn an MA in History from the UW-Madison in 1999 (a week before our wedding!).

My focus academically was on 20th century foreign policy which turned out to be a great stepping stone to my subsequent career as I have become a

June 2009 press conference - Neal Vermillion: Perth, Australia

practitioner of foreign policy. Joining the Department of State in 2002, my Foreign Service assignments have taken me progressively further away from Madison. Fortunately, though, I have been able to return to Wisconsin almost yearly to visit family and friends.  I have the best of both worlds: an international life and outlook nurtured at UW, and a Wisconsin base which will always be home no matter where I live!

I served at the U.S. Embassies in Sofia, Bulgaria from 2003-2005 and Antananarivo, Madagascar from 2006-2008. Here in Perth, I focus on managing the consulate, processing visas to facilitate travel to the U.S., and assisting American citizens in Western Australia. I also have the chance to practice public diplomacy and give talks and speeches to the Australian public touching on a range of topics.

Neal Vermillion and daughter Claire with Colin Powell: December 7, 2004

Thankfully, my UW-Madison education in history, gives me a great understanding of the role I currently play as well as great fodder for speeches! I gave one recent speech, for example, to a local American organization that was founded in 1968. Thanks to my education, I was able to develop my speech around what an eventful year 1968 was around the world. One example of the kinds of things I do can be found in this news clip from a local news Web site.

It is wonderful to see UW-Madison continue to develop such an international outlook, something that will be even more critical in the decades to come.

Neal Vermillion
Consul
U.S. Consulate General – Perth, Australia

Jeff Oloizia

Hello again! Last time out I told you about my history with Madison, and now hopefully I can dig a little bit more into my life in Japan and just how I ended up here.

In the spring of ‘05 as a junior at UW, I had the opportunity to study in London. Admittedly, London is about as comfortable an international city for an American as you can find, but I nevertheless quickly fell in love with the new sights and smells that confronted me and with the idea of travel.

As a kid growing up with parents with were teachers I spent many summers traveling the States, but it didn’t take me long to realize that this was something different. I had “the bug,” so to speak.

When I graduated from UW two years later, international travel was not far from my mind. Resisting the urge to go back to Europe so soon, I made a list of all the places I might like to live. Being slightly cowardly, I crossed Africa and South America off the list. Australia followed soon after, being too western.

Thus, it was almost by default that my finger landed on Asia. A little research pointed me in the direction of The Japan Exchange and Teaching Program [JET], and in just a few months time I was packing for Japan.

There were two small problems with this:

1) I knew virtually nothing about Japan, and

2) I knew exactly zero words of Japanese.

In the weeks before my departure I scrambled to learn what I could about my destination and began downloading Japanese audio lessons in order to learn some survival phrases for when I landed. I imagine it was a slightly odd experience for those who saw me running along Lake Mendota shouting Japanese words from my beneath my ear buds at no one in particular, but somehow by mid-July of ’07 I was more or less ready to face my big move.

Approximately two weeks later, I awoke to find this outside my window:

Going from Madison to Tokyo for my new job’s orientation was admittedly a bit of a shock. At first I handled the transition tentatively, only straying as far from my hotel as eyeshot could afford. But soon, with a little more time to adjust and some more sleep under my eyes, I was able to relax. And just as soon after, I was leaving Tokyo and on my way to my new home on the smallest of Japan’s four main islands, Shikoku.

I’ve now been in Tokushima Prefecture for more than two years, but my memories of the days leading up to my move still feel fresh to me.

In coming entries I hope to tell you more about my little home here and the wonderful places I’ve had the good fortune of visiting, but for the time being I will take a breath and enjoy the serenity of being settled. Wherever you are, I hope you can too.

Jeff Oloizia

Greetings fellow Badgers!  My name is Jeff Oloizia, I’m a ’07 UW grad, and I live in Japan.  Pleasure to meet you.

I’m writing here on the Badgers Abroad Blog because…well, because they’re letting me I suppose.  And hopefully, because I feel I have something unique to say about Wisconsin and its place in the world (which, according to my co-workers, is geographically somewhere between New York and London).

The truth is, I’m a relatively ordinary and unaccomplished 25-year-old who just so happens to be in an extra-ordinary situation.  If this were one of those glowing alumni profiles it would likely start with a description of my various award-winning accomplishments and contain a picture of me smiling with my dogs at home, but, you know, it’s not.

What I can give you instead, through what I hope will be a long series of blog entries, is an inside look at the blessed and sometimes downright weird life of a Badger living in the Far East.

At any rate, before I get into all that, here’s what you need to know about my relationship with Madison:

I attended my first Badger game at age 9 with my parents and older brother, all UW grads.  In my time at Wisconsin, I celebrated a hockey national championship, worried excessively about the welfare of Audrey Seiler, and learned the hard way that it’s neither funny nor clever to put a dried-out Christmas tree in your roommates bed after bar time.

As a freshman, I began my culinary career cooking Uncle Ben’s rice bowls for my dorm floor, and I remember fondly that it was Matt Schabert who connected with Lee Evans to beat Ohio State, because I was there, soaked and standing in Section P.

I, like many others in Wisconsin, consider myself lucky to be in on the secret that, yes, Bo Ryan is one of the best college basketball coaches in the country, and despite foggy memories of what actually happened there, I know what the Duck Blind is.  I also know that the men’s track team is the most underappreciated team on campus.

A rundown on my Madison favorites reads like this:

Breakfast – Bluephies’ andouille scrambler
Bar – Hawks
Pint – The Great Dane Potters Run IPA
Coffee Shop – Electric Earth Cafe
Music Venue – Luther’s Blues
Place to Skip Class – The Union Terrace
Late Night Eats – Pel’meni dumplings
Food Cart Dish – Buraka’s chicken peanut stew
School Building – Bascom Hall

Whether any of these places actually exist anymore seems somewhat irrelevant, but the important thing is that they made an impression on me.  These locations may be easily disposed of in a quick “Best Of’ list, but they are as real and meaningful a part of Madison to me as the knowledge and friendships that I (somehow) retained.

So while my UW experience may not be atypical or worthy of its own special “alumni profile,” I thought it important to tell you first where I’ve come from before I can say how I got from this:

To this:

I hope you’ll stick around to find out, and until next time, On Wisconsin.

-Jeff Oloizia

View Video: 2009 Study Abroad Fair

This video was done by Charlie Gorichanaz, Web director from The Badger Harold.

Catherine Reiland

By Catherine Reiland

July 17, 2009, Part 2

Sitting at the helm of our Toyota Land Cruiser was James, one of the most sought-after guides at  Akagera Park. There was not a creature or plant that he could not name. His keen eyes even led us to the elusive Mutware, or “Crazy Elephant” as James introduced him.

James, a steadily alert guide at Akagera Park.

The elephant had survived the war in the early 1990s, and now roams Akagera Park alone, having been ostracized by other herds. Mutware is known to overturn cars and dabble in other destructive behavior and seems unable to find a mate. When we saw Mutware he stood some yards away from our Land Cruiser, with most of his body obscured by browning foliage.

He was not interested in our rumbling vehicle, and in fact barely regarded us as he lumbered back into the scratchy bush. Ours was the only truck to spy Mutware’s lonely promenade, and we heartily thanked James for his top-notch tracking.

Mutware, the lonely elephant of Akagera Park.

Photos by Catherine Reiland.

Catherine Reiland

By Catherine Reiland

July 17, 2009, Part I

Based at the tranquil Hotel Dereva on the main highway that runs through the sleepy town of Rwamagana we were about an hour’s drive to Rwanda’s Akagera National Park.

As the sun rose we piled into three Toyota Land Cruisers with all the fixings to have an al fresco lunch later in the day among the acacia trees.

When we arrived at the park, trained guides greeted us and briefed us on the history, geography, and zoology of the park. Soon we were back in our respective trucks, each assigned a knowledgeable and friendly park official.

The early morning light cast a warm glow on the landscape as we jostled about the Land Cruisers trying to steady ourselves as we stood looking out of the top hatch. Within the first 30 minutes a family of giraffes came into view.

This was especially auspicious for Jerry Chambers, born and raised in Brooklyn and currently teaching in Manhattan, for he had been longing to see his favorite childhood animal in its natural habitat. His expressive face lit up as the giraffes emerged from the clump of trees.

Jerry Chambers

The giraffes, with their elegant, loping stride, ate peacefully and paid us little mind and we snapped photographs and remarked on their beauty and size in excited stage whispers. Their coats were brilliant, and almost glistened in the sunlight.

Our truck was first in our entourage, and looking back, we could see our colleagues and friends poking through the top of their truck.

Photos by Catherine Reiland.

Melanie Sutherland, Kristofor Ludvigson, Melissa Collum, Sarah Hinton, Sharon Hutchinson

Catherine Reiland

By Catherine Reiland

July 10, 2009

After about a week in the capital city of Kigali we headed southwest to the university town of Butare. Butare’s main street bustles with activity as motorcycle taxis, matatus, and bicycles rumble by.

Maneuvering through pedestrian and wheel traffic past the ever-popular Matar Supermarket (a go-to place for fresh popcorn, Nutella, flashlights, and avocados) we arrived at COPABU (Coopérative des Producteurs Artisanaux de Butare), which specializes in wood carvings while also offering a nice array of handbags, baskets, wallets, and other decorative art. The shop is crammed with merchandise and is no place for the clumsy. Visitors must demonstrate grace and agility to avoid bumping into plentifully laden shelves.

Much of the craftwork is destined for tourist consumption and represents iconic imagery of Rwanda like baskets with elegantly pointed tops, gorillas, and mothers with children. Local Rwandans also shop here for home decorations like wall hangings made of dyed millet, beans and shells.

Wall hangings made of dyed millet, beans, and shells

We had the fortune of meeting COPABU’s current president Annonciata Nyiramisago.

Annonciata Nyiramisago, President of COPABU

She guided the group to a nearby sustainable tree farm where the cooperative harvests the wood that artisans transform into sculptures and other products.

All photos by Catherine Reiland.

Catherine Reiland

By Catherine Reiland

July 9, 2009

Our travels across Rwanda would not be possible without the expert help and knowledgeable advice from Jeremiah and Giome, two guides from the Kigali-based  Bizidanny Tours and Safaris. With a group of 15 people there is a lot of luggage, so before heading for a long journey Jeremiah and Giome lend their agility and brawn to hoist and arrange our baggage—ever increasingly filled with colorful textiles, baskets, and wooden sculptures—on top of robust land cruisers.

Jeremiah and Giome; Photo by C. Reiland