Over the summer, some of our very own collegiettes had the fabulous opportunity to travel abroad. From the beautiful view of the Himalayas to the Olympics, they share their stories with us.
My Two Weeks in Rajpur, India
By Rigzin Taring
This summer I traveled half way around the world and had an eye-opening experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I went to India for two weeks mainly to visit my grandmother who isn’t very well, but I also got to live a different lifestyle and witness things I normally don’t see. Although I’m Tibetan, I was actually born in India and moved to the states when I was eight years old. Since I was raised in India as a child, I did attain many of the values and customs that they practice and I am accustomed to their culture as well. I have already been back a couple of times, and this time is the shortest amount of time spent there. Although it wasn’t very long, I made some memories that I would never forget.
The majority of my time in India was spent in a small village of a couple thousand people called Rajpur. It is located in North India, surrounded by the Himalayas; it is peaceful and serene. Although most of the people lived in shacks or small homes, they seemed to be happy with their lives. This made me realize how foolish I am to think how unfair my life was sometimes, when all these people who had way less than me were so content.
I still remember waking
up to the sound of rain almost every day, then the sound of monkeys running around on our roof. The beautiful hills and the site of the Himalayas were always a joy to see when I walked around the village. I went on frequent jogs or just a stroll around the village whenever it wasn’t raining. The weather right after it rained was absolutely my favorite. There was a feel to the air in Rajpur, maybe the high altitude or abundance of plants and trees, but it just felt like the purest air. This village was like a mini zoo for numerous animals. I would always see stray dogs roaming the streets, cows, goats, and the most common — monkeys!
The best memories in Rajpur were the ones I spent at home with my grandmother. She is about 87 years old and probably one of the funniest and blunt people I know. Even though she has Parkinson’s disease, she treats every day like a new beginning and makes jokes and laughs about everything. I cherish all the stories she would tell me and the random things she would say. She is one individual that reminds me not to take life so seriously, and enjoy it while you’re living.
Although this visit to India wasn’t the most exciting one, I feel like it was the most relaxing and meaningful two weeks of my summer. I got to visit both my grandmothers, spent plenty of time with my family, reconnected with nature, and also made new memories and learned values that I would cherish forever.
Me with Tibetan and Vietnamese future monks
Interning in Dubai
By Swetha Gavirneni
Over the summer I interned in Dubai for 5 weeks at a branding agency called Brandunion. They gave me a wonderful opportunity to work three weeks in the strategic department and two weeks in the creative department. The strategic department involved a lot of research while the creative department was mostly designing but also had research involved in it as well. My schedule was a bit different than the typical 9 to 5 workday we have here in America. At Brandunion, we worked from 9 AM to 3 PM due to the Ramadan holiday.
One of my sweetest memories in Dubai
was getting coffee at a coffe shop called Papparoti. Papparoti was in Dubai Mall, so I had to transport myself by metro. It is not that far, I could of walked; however it was was so hot and humid that I couldn’t stay outside for even five minutes. Papparoti is a coffee bun that I usually ordered with hot chocolate. The bun is sweet and salty, with a crispy, caramelized outer layer, with a warm and soft inside.
Of course delicious Papparoti is not the only thing I miss about Dubai. I loved shopping at Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Marina Mall, and Batuta Mall. All of the malls in Dubai are huge! I went to the mall so many times, and it was so huge that I still felt like I still hadn’t covered all the stores. There is even an aquarium in the mall.
Interning in Dubai was overall a wonderful and a beautiful experience. Not only did I gain valuable work experience, but I had the chance to emerse myself in a far-off culture on the other side of the world. As a vacation spot, I would recommend visiting Dubai to any collegiette.
Summering in Thames
By Aba Mfrase-ewur
London is one of the most fabulous cities I have ever had the pleasure of visiting. It’s rich in music, fashion, and career opportunities — all the things that make most collegiette’s heart stir. However, visiting London was not a part of my original summer plans. My family is from Ghana, in West Africa and we had originally planned to go back home for a while before I left for my first year of college. Unfortunately my father, he was diagnosed with cancer and he would be unable to travel in his condition. This prompted my aunt to contact my brother and me with the prospect of coming to England to stay with her and to see the Olympics. No collegiette in her right mind would pass up this opportunity! So we began to scrounge for money, put in bids for tickets, and find the perfect outfits to land in The Swinging City.
The ending of the second semeste
r led to an incredible building of excitement and anticipation for my trip to London. I had a transfer flight into New York, another of my favorite cities, and then flew seven hours to London. The energy was incredible; the city was bustling and full of love for all of us foreign visitors. Each day was another blooming adventure: I went on the London Eye, took cable cars across the Olympic Park, and rubbed elbows with the Greek god– I mean, Gold Medalist Nathan Adrian at Funky Buddha Night Club. I was able to meet and connect with my family for the first time and had the most epic adventure at Brighton Beach and visited the acclaimed exhibit of Damien Hirst at the Tate Modern.
When I wasn’t filming the gorgeous British skaters down in South Bank, I also looked into internships that I may be able to snag for next summer. London isn’t only famed for the Crown Jewels, but for their advertising agencies as well. This trip expanded my horizons so much more than I could’ve ever imagined and I am so grateful that I had the opportunity.