We are happy to announce the results of the CIEE story contest. We asked all Fall 2006 CIEE Study Center participants to submit their story – a reflection of their international experience. We asked: what did you learn about the local culture, people, yourself? How has it changed your outlook? What would you tell other students thinking of going abroad?
We received many wonderful entries. It was hard to pick the winners! For those who participated, thank you. We greatly enjoyed reading all about your experiences on a CIEE Study Center program.
Congratulations to all!
Overall Winner
Rachel Kennedy, College of Saint Catherine
CIEE Thailand, Fall 2006
Glass of Learning
In an exchange with us, the students of CIEE Thailand, P'Suwit, an organizer in Northeastern Thailand, told us that everyone must always keep his or her glass of learning half-full, because if it is filled to the brim, it will spill over, leaving no room for more growth and learning.
Before participating in CIEE Thailand, I would have thought, "Well, that's why I've been going to school my whole life."
But I soon realized that learning is much more than what you learn in a classroom setting with books and a teacher; it's about opening your mind to the hard issues of life, to connecting to the people who surround you, whether that means your neighbor across the street or someone half-way around the world. It's about seeing where you fit into this world that we all live in, and finding what you can do to make it a better place.
So when I found myself living in a landfill for a few days, I thought there was nothing strange about it, though my family and friends back home sure did. But what better way to learn about consumption, the consequences it brings, and the people it affects, than to stay in a landfill community for a couple of days. And not just stay there, but work side by side with the villagers as they go about their daily lives, including, of course, scavenging.
Upon our arrival to the landfill community, we were taken on a tour, the main attraction, of course, being the landfill itself. The first thing that came to my mind as I gazed upon the miles and miles of trash was that there were so many plastic bags. I paid no mind to the fact that a pungent smell was wafting through the air, or that I was walking on top of literally tons of people's thrown out waste, I just could not get over the fact that there were so many plastic bags. But at some point, as I was trampling through the mounds of trash, trying not to sink down in the spots that were not quite as compact as the rest, I took a look around me, and just stood gazing at what had become my classroom. Here I was, standing on top of discarded plastics, papers, and food, and all I wanted to do was take in everything that I was seeing and everything that our guide was telling us about the landfill and the community. And I was really intrigued, if not excited, about my upcoming stint as a scavenger.
To read the rest of Rachel's essay, please click here.
Second Place Winner
Jennifer Gillard, Moravian College
CIEE Senegal, Fall 2006
Being Here
I slipped on my Birkenstock sandals to walk the forty-five minutes to the university in Dakar. It wasn't overwhelmingly hot, so I didn't bargain for a taxi ride. Sometimes I wish I had taken taxis more often, as haggling for prices with the drivers was always an adventure, and taxis were sometimes the greatest places to practice my Wolof language. The drivers were always impressed when I had memorized a Senegalese proverb, and told me that I was truly becoming Senegalese. The comment to follow was inevitably, Am nga jekker? or, Do you have a husband? Every American girl needs a Senegalese husband. Although taxi rides were exciting and humorous, walking to class had its own leisurely appeal.
The first stop was the boutique. I bought a bottle of filtered water for the day - I never went anywhere without one - and I picked up some breakfast. There weren't many options for breakfast in Senegal: half a baguette with my choice of butter, chocolate spread, or fish paste. I opted for the butter, because, believe it or not, no matter how wonderful chocolate on bread sounds for breakfast, it gets old after a few months; and the fish paste? Not a chance. I also bought a bottle of superglue to repair the plywood shelf I broke in my bedroom, and one envelope - not a box full - to send a letter home.
As I ate and began to cross the major road near my host family's house, a thin shepherd and his herd of at least thirty massive bulls and cows thundered by me. I wasn't sure if the shepherd was leading them or if they were leading him, but they navigated the main thoroughfare just as well as I did.
To read the rest of Jennifer's essay, please click here.
Third Place Winner
Natalie Yazdandoost, University of Colorado, Boulder
CIEE São Paulo, Fall 2006
The Empregada (Domestic Maid)
She has five kids
cleans houses three days a week
twelve times a month
one hundred forty-four times a year
Appears two times her age
She’s worked here for twelve years
today was her last day
a Salta Alta key chain she left for me
to remember her
The Empregada
***
Transito
Silver-twinkies
dash in-and-out
up-and-down
through this city called São Paulo
Just like a churro filled with doce de leite
oozing out at every possible end
being consumed by hungry driven
capitalism
escaping the world working so hard
around them
going to their respective areas
riding on their appropriate lines
This is the Metrô
I call it an experience for anyone
courageous enough
to brave between 6-7 pm