AmherstGEO | Beyond the Bubble

6 Jun 2019

Immersion

by Amherst Global Education | posted in: Amanda in Sydney, Australia | 0

In addition to academics and access to my major requirements, cultural immersion was one of my top priorities when I planned my semester abroad. I did extensive research and decided the best way to meet and become friends with Australian students was to live on campus, even though most Australian students live at home or in off-campus housing. In off-campus student accommodation easily accessible to international students, I probably would have been around very few local students. At College, I …

6 Jun 2019

Food Supplies in the Arctic

by Amherst Global Education | posted in: Sustainability Fellow: Olivia in Svalbard, Norway | 0

Greetings again from the far north! I’m now down to about one month left on Svalbard, so classes are wrapping up and we’re moving into the project and exam period. The sun is shining lots and the snow is still sticking around, but the lack of blooming flora (or basically any flora for that matter) makes it feel like a rather untraditional spring. My last few blog posts have been fairly broad explorations of sustainability here on Svalbard, so the …

22 May 2019

Biases within Directed Research

by Amherst Global Education | posted in: Sustainability Fellow: Yuko in Paro, Bhutan | 0

One of my professors mentioned the importance of knowing one’s position in their environment. Throughout our time in Bhutan, the group of students I studied with discussed this at length. One of the questions we tried to answer was that of whether or not we were tourists. We never reached a solid conclusion, partly because of time, but many of the students fell into one of the two categories: 1) yes, we are, because three and a half months is …

7 May 2019

Mid-Semester Break and USyd Academics

by Amherst Global Education | posted in: Amanda in Sydney, Australia | 0

It’s mid-semester break and I am in Queensland (The Sunshine State), three hours north of Sydney by plane. I spent the beginning of the break enjoying Easter in Sydney, which included the Sydney Royal Easter Show, a massive fair with carnival rides, livestock competitions, woodcutting, and showbags (bags of candy and themed souvenirs at low prices). The Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales runs the Easter Show to raise funds to invest in agricultural programs in rural NSW. Here …

29 Apr 2019

Gayborhoods of Madrid

by Amherst Global Education | posted in: Stuart in Madrid, Spain | 0

Spain is well-known for being one of the most accepting countries for LGBT+ people. In fact, Madrid hosted World Pride in 2017. As an openly gay man, choosing an accepting study abroad location was a key deciding factor in my choice of locations. Since arriving in Madrid in early January, I have found several occasions to visit the major gayborhood of Madrid. The neighborhood or barrio, is located a short fifteen-minute walk from the city center and is located just …

18 Apr 2019

Realities of Bhutan’s Economy

by Amherst Global Education | posted in: Sustainability Fellow: Yuko in Paro, Bhutan | 0

A massive Himalayan griffon vulture flew overhead as I and the rest of the students combed the ground for insects to study. It landed behind a cow shed, and we ran over to see what it was feeding on. As we approached, the griffon took notice and flew away, leaving only the sound of her flapping wings in her wake. Where the griffon once stood, a giant cow carcass the size of a small vehicle lay in a lifeless heap. …

12 Apr 2019

Energy and Waste Management in Svalbard

by Amherst Global Education | posted in: Sustainability Fellow: Olivia in Svalbard, Norway | 0

Hi again! I’ve now been in Svalbard for a bit more than 3 months, so I’m just over halfway done with my time here. In the span of the last month there has been a major transition from no sun shining down in Longyearbyen, to now having sun during all hours. The weather is starting to get a bit warmer too, and we’ve had a nice string of completely blue-sky days. Life up North is pretty sweet! However, with all …

10 Apr 2019

Waste Management in Germany: How Do People Know Where Everything Goes?

by Amherst Global Education | posted in: Sustainability Fellow: Bixie in Göttingen, Germany | 0

It’s an average evening. My partner and I have finished our dinner. He washes the dishes while I clean the table and eventually make my way down the three flights of stairs from my apartment to empty our trash cans. There are four cans and it takes me two trips to complete the task. First, I take the compostable bio-trash in its paper bag, and the “yellow-sack” recycling which consists of plastic and aluminum foil packaging. As I dump out …

19 Mar 2019

Intro: Economic and Ecological Sustainability in Bhutan

by Amherst Global Education | posted in: Sustainability Fellow: Yuko in Paro, Bhutan | 0

Landing in Bhutan, a country with one airport and the Buddhist spirit of interconnectedness weaved throughout, I felt the cool air try to penetrate my nose, my ears, my mouth. I took one deep breath in and closed my eyes for a second. It was coming, the inexplicable twitching of my eyes every time I step into a place I’ve never seen before. The Himalayas loomed over me, us, and in the midst of Oohs and Aahs escaping my lips, …

19 Mar 2019

Intro: Mülltrennung, Waste and Recycling System in Germany

by Amherst Global Education | posted in: Sustainability Fellow: Bixie in Göttingen, Germany | 0

Hello! I’m Bixie Eutsler, a third year Amherst student! I’m majoring in SWAGS and German, but I’m interested in a wide variety of topics including film and environmental protection. I am spending this school year abroad at Göttingen University in Germany. Amherst has a very interesting partnership with Göttingen in which every year two to four Amherst students study here. In return, two or more Göttingen students come to Amherst and act as our German language assistants. They also run …