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Adventures in Spain

9/23/2017

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​By: Alisha Thanawala

Hey USWIB,

It’s been a little over a month since I arrived in Madrid, and my time here has been nothing short of amazing. I have had the opportunity to see about 6 cities here so far on trips through NYU and traveling with friends.

The first week we got here, NYU took us on a day trip to Segovia. We started off by seeing a Roman aqueduct from the first century. Through it has been secured over time, the aqueduct still was made up of the original stones the Romans used to make it. NYU professors also showed us around the charming city and took us to the Catedral de Segovia. It was a gorgeous gothic-style building with stained glass all around the cathedral and rows upon rows of pews. For lunch, I tried out a regional dish called fabada asturiana, which is a delicious stew made of white beans and chorizo. The city was a look into how the older Spanish cities were, as compared to more modern cities like Barcelona and Madrid.

A few weekends later, my friends and I decided to take a trip to Barcelona before the weather cooled down, though that still hasn’t happened. We took a bus at 11:30 at night on Thursday and reached Barcelona at 7:30 in the morning on Friday. Though we were exhausted, we dropped our bags off at the hostel and started exploring the city. Our hostel was centrally located near the high-end shopping, so could conveniently walk most places. We started by seeing the Arc de Triomf and made our way to the Parc de la Ciutadella, which was absolutely gorgeous. There were several greenhouses with trees and flowers and a large lake with row boats. We kept going and found la Cascada Monumental, which was a huge and breathtaking fountain. We then passed through a neighborhood called La Ribera with super cute shops and restaurants to get brunch at a fabulous restaurant called Brunch and Cake. With its name, I couldn’t resist ordering a huge slice of red velvet for dessert! We then split up and a few of us made our way to Park Guell, which is an elevated park and has full views of the city and coast. We chose to keep hiking up even after the park ended and had 360 views of the entire Barcelona. The next day, it was raining, so I went to the Picasso Museum and then made my way to la Familia Sagrada. We went and got tapas for dinner afterwards. We had to take the bus back Sunday afternoon, so we spent time lounging on the beach that morning and hopped on the bus. Barcelona was definitely more touristy than Madrid, but I loved that it was right on the beach and had a very relaxing vibe.

The next weekend, I went to Bilbao on an overnight trip with NYU. We took the bus on Friday, got lunch, and went on a walking tour of the city. It’s not a very large city, but it’s continuing to grow as more people move to Northern Spain. We walked over to the Guggenheim Museum, which was designed by Frank Geary. It’s a very interesting building with a roof that looks like it’s made of silver waves. There were a lot of great sculptures and exhibits there as well, and we all enjoyed looking around. On Saturday, NYU took us to a winery for a tour and wine tasting. Our tour guide took us through the complete process of making the wine, from crushing the grapes to seeing the towers of bottle waiting to be labeled. The winery also had a great view of surrounding towns, including Laguardia, in which we ate lunch. The winery also had a hotel designed by Frank Geary that resembled the Guggenheim in Bilbao but was purple to represent the surrounding wineries. The drive back was gorgeous, since we could see the landscape changing from the mountainous surroundings in the North to the dessert climate near Madrid.

Classes here have been really nice, since they’re all relatively small in size. I’m taking Spanish every day, so I have been able to see the continuous improvement in my grammar and vocabulary, and I’ve even been having conversations with locals in Spanish! I’m also taking a politics class about Spain and the EU, and I’m enjoying learning more about the EU and its role in international politics. In terms of Stern classes, I’m taking Intro to Marketing and Foundations of Finance, both of which I’m enjoying a lot.

So far, I’ve been really enjoying my time abroad and I can’t wait to see how the rest of the semester will go!


Picture
Exploring la Cascada Monumental in Barcelona! Follow @alishathanawala
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Dobry Den, USWIB!

9/23/2017

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By Ruchi Dhandhukia

My name is Ruchi Dhandhukia, and I am one of your Study Abroad Liaisons in Prague. I am a sophomore majoring in Finance and Accounting. Born and raised in South Brunswick, New Jersey, one could not imagine the excitement I felt when learning about the opportunity to study abroad for a whole semester. Before college, I seldom traveled outside of the United States; studying abroad in Prague was the perfect opportunity to learn and explore new cultures.

I had little knowledge about the city before arriving, but was so happy with my location choice. Coming from a suburban town, I was used to the quiet, peaceful life. During my year at NYU, I became accustomed to the bustling city life and constant rush. In Prague, I found a balance of the two and was grateful for the positive change. The NYU Prague Campus is in Old Town Square, both a local and tourist hub. There you will find many interesting sights, such as the Astronomical Clock just across one of the main buildings for classes, horses and their carriages, historical statues, the home of Franz Kafka, and much more! Near my dorm, Slezska, the street life slows down to a peaceful cadence with people traveling at a slower pace.

The classes offered at NYU Prague may not be Stern heavy, but the two that are offered in Prague are taught by great professors who make the classes fun and engaging. As for the non-Stern classes, Prague offers great electives. In addition to Marketing and Organizational Communication, I am taking Czech Art and Architecture and Law and People’s Rights. I encourage you to take electives which interest you and let you immerse the coursework with the city, such as my architecture class; after teaching about different styles of architecture, the professor takes you on several field trips to visit historical monuments! While class is fun and interesting, get used to sitting in that seat since most classes are for three hours at a time. The good news is that most classes only meet once a week, so do not get too worried.

During my time in Prague, I have done a fair share of sightseeing around the city and have also travelled to Vienna for three days. My time at Vienna was a splendid one. Although it was drizzling for a day, we got to see many museums, such as the Art History Museum. One of the best things about Prague is that you can buy bus tickets for cheap and travel to wherever you want to go very easily. In fact, as I write this, I will be getting ready to hop on a bus to go to Budapest for four days. When you first get here, you may be overwhelmed with both travel and work, so it is important to plan ahead and balance your workload to avoid stress on the trips.

I knew almost no one when I first arrived in Prague, since all my friends were either in Florence or London. If you find yourself in a similar position, do not worry! I came to make some really close friends in my three weeks here, and could not be more happy to study in a city filled with rich culture and persona. If you are considering studying in Prague, know that you will have four months of learning, fun, and spontaneous adventures with the people you love!
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NYU Sydney

9/23/2017

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By: Lady Batingan
​

Hey USWIB ladies! I’m Lady and I’m a sophomore studying Finance and Accounting. I am excited to be living, studying, and exploring Sydney this fall.

Since Australia is on the Southern hemisphere, the beginning of this fall semester still falls within the last days of Australia’s winter, so it does get a little bit chilly around here; I suggest bringing a few sweaters and layers to survive the first couple of weeks.

I’ve only been in Sydney for a little over a week and everything has been great so far. Housing in NYU Sydney is probably one of the best arrangements available in NYU. This semester, NYU students reside in the highest three floors, so the views are great. Also, our building is in the Haymarket area, so there are plenty of students and restaurants around. Students here share a living room and kitchen with other suite mates but get their own room and bathroom to themselves; the only downside is that the wifi is limited to 50 gb per month, so I suggest doing all the heavy Netflix downloading, streaming, and FaceTiming at Science House or elsewhere, where the wifi is unlimited.

During our Orientation Week, we had the chance to explore Sydney a bit. We took a ferry around the harbor and saw great views of the Sydney skyline. We also took a walking tour of the Rocks, a historic area where Science House is located. And for our final day, we spent the entire day out in Milson Island, where we played fun games and learned more about Australian history.

Getting to Science House, the building where all NYU classes are held, is an easy 30-40 minute, 1.5 mile walk; however, there is a slight hill towards the end of the walk. The walk is through their CBD (Central Business District, similar to Financial District) and passes by some of Sydney’s popular sights such as the Tower Eye, Town Hall, and Queen Victoria Building. This semester, I am taking Foundations of Finance, Introduction to Marketing, Global Media Seminar, and The Australian Experience. All classes meet once a week for three hours and there are no Friday classes.

Walking around Sydney, I noticed how the city is a great mix between historic and modern buildings. Sydney is a fairly easy city to get accustomed to; it’s diverse and exciting. However, the culture here is more relaxed compared to New York, the metric system is used here, which means kilometer instead of mile and Celsius instead of Fahrenheit, and the Australian slang and accent is different than the American ones. But, so far, I have been enjoying my time here in Sydney and I’m excited to explore more of Sydney, the rest of Australia, and even New Zealand. 


​Caption: View from the Rocks
Tag: @ladyr.b
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Meet the USWIB Fall 2017 Study Abroad Liaisons

9/23/2017

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Every semester, USWIB members leave the NYU Washington Square Campus and our beloved Tisch Hall and head out all over the world. We can’t wait to hear about all their adventures abroad. Meet your Fall 2017 USWIB Study Abroad Liaisons!
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    USWIB Abroad Blog

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