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By
ECUADOR
The first time UP junior Sasha Ramage was grounded was not by her mom or her dad, but by her Ecuadorian host family when she was 16.
During her junior year of high school, Ramage spent five months as an exchange student in Ecuador. She was inspired to go after hearing two of her friends raving about their foreign exchange trips.
"I was ready for something new," she said.
She knew nothing about Ecuador except that it was an exclusively Spanish-speaking country.
She stayed with a host family in Riobamba, a little colonial town in Ecuador. Her host family quickly became simply her family - Ramage was a daughter, not a guest. Her host family included her dad, mom, two sisters and her brother. Living in a conventional family was a new experience for her.
Her curfew was 7 p.m. on weekdays, and was allowed out until midnight only once during the weekends. "They were very strict with me," she said.
One night while hanging out with friends, she didn't come home until 1 a.m. As she crept up the stairs and snuck past her parent's bedroom, the light clicked on.
"We were worried about you," they said.
She was grounded from celebrating Halloween, and was to be the last Halloween Ecuadorians would be celebrating. The next year, the new president decided that because Halloween was an American holiday, they were not going to celebrate it.
"I was really sad because it was the only Halloween I would have been able to celebrate there," she said.
Ramage attended an all-girls, private Catholic school complete with uniforms and nuns. "It was religious, it was weird, but it was them," she said.
She went out often with friends, getting into bars and going to their favorite spot in town.
"It's a big part of it to go out with friends and live their life, do what they do," she said.
Expressing how she felt was difficult at first, and it took about a month for Ramage to start having a good time. She spent that first month carrying around a dictionary, but after a while she left it behind and simply asked how to say things she didn't know.
Ramage has been to Ecuador four times now, and still keeps in close contact with her host family through phone calls, emails and of course, Facebook. Her host dad told her that he will always be her dad, and before she left said, "I'll walk you down the aisle when you get married."
"It changed my entire life," she said. "I'm a Spanish and social work major and there's a reason for that."
- Elizabeth Tertadian
ANTARCTICA
A bucket list is supposed to be a compilation of things that a person wants to do before they die. Alumna Mary Catey's might just kill her.
Among the 103 goals is one that seems simple when compared with "learn how to golf and get good enough to play in a pro-am," "run an ultra-marathon" or "set foot on all seven continents in the world."
When brainstorming about the seven continents, many forget about Antarctica. Well, not Catey.
"After I graduated from UP, I decided to Google jobs in Antarctica," she said. The results were all for research and science, which she said she was not qualified to do. But, she thought to herself, everyone has to eat.
"So I typed in kitchen jobs and I got a phone call a week later telling me to fill out paperwork," Catey said.
Catey left for the frozen continent on Sept. 28, 2008 and flew to Denver for a few days of training. She then flew to Los Angeles and then to Sydney, then to New Zealand and finally, after delays due to blizzards, Catey reached Antarctica.
"When I first got there, it was negative 17 degrees with wind," Catey said. "The snot froze in my nose and I was like, 'Oh my god what did I get myself into!'"
Catey arrived the first week of October.
"It was summertime there, so there were 24 hours of daylight," said Catey. "It was extremely dry; it's the driest and windiest and most barren wasteland, a very stark and isolated environment."
During her time in Antarctica, Catey lived on a base with 1000 others and worked in the kitchen.
"You see the same people all the time," she said. "It reminded me of college, we all lived in dorms on base. It was same experience, the only difference being that there were a bunch of old people around."
Catey noted that the base was ultimately college for old people. Though many of them were scientists studying flora, fauna, the atmosphere and ice core samples, they would all converge at the pub on base after their workday was completed.
"Basically, all we did was drink beer and work. Sound familiar?" she said.
Living in such close proximity to people, Catey experienced a strong sense of community. Though she was a cook, she also doubled as "science support."
"Everybody is in it together," she said. "We were all important."
This was Catey's first trip to the Southern Hemisphere. She left Antarctica on Feb. 8, 2009 having gained more knowledge about both cooking and herself.
"I learned that I'm a whole lot more independent that I thought I was," she said. "And that I can make new friends anywhere."
Catey has a degree in sociology and wants to go back to Antarctica someday to research people, cliques and why individuals choose go to such an isolated place.
Her reason was the completion of her Bucket List. The continents of South America, Asia and Africa still remain before she can check number eight off of that list.
- Olga Mosiychuk
ETHIOPIA
For sophomore Mary Giday, Ethiopia isn't just another vacationing destination, the archeological locale of Lucy or one of the most ancient countries of the world.
It's her home.
And it's the aspect of home she most dotingly remembers: the communal atmosphere, the celebratory gatherings of the community, the spontaneous collective chatter over coffee.
"When the neighbors are coming over, they just knock," Giday said. "There's no need to call."
Born and raised in Ethiopia, Giday immigrated to the United States at the age of twelve. Her family is from the Tigray tribe of Northern Ethiopia. She traveled back to her homeland once during the summer when she was seventeen.
"My mom wanted us to move, she wanted us to have a better higher education," Giday said.
Higher education in Ethiopia is difficult to obtain. In order to attend university, students have to pass a strenuous nationalized entrance exam. According to Giday, if you fail, your life is over. There are fewer options to enroll in a university.
Having lived in the United States for seven years, Giday has noticed plenty of cultural differences between the U.S. and Ethiopia, from the scarcity of taxis in Portland, to the exquisite dress of city folk in Addis Ababa and the unreserved nature of individuals on the streets of Ethiopia.
"People aren't scared to talk to you out of nowhere," Giday said. "In Ethiopia, they aren't reserved or apprehensive when meeting for the first time. There are no walls."
The feeling of community is especially apparent during big celebratory gatherings, which typically feature plenty of dancing, cooked lamb and coffee to spare. During traditional holidays, shepherds travel through the towns and the community members can pick and choose their own little lambs. The host always offers and presents their guests with their very best.
Giday is apt to point out the singleness and uniqueness of her experiences, especially since Ethiopia is often represented as a poor nation. According to her, there's always something bad to the good, like in any country.
"My experience is different than all other Ethiopian experiences," Giday said. "I can't speak for all Ethiopians"
For her, Ethiopia is just home sweet home.
- Ona Golonka
AUSTRALIA
In Broome, Australia, class means bird watching and examining the great vari ety local plant species. It might involve a trip to one of the many biological phenomena that are abundant in the sun-burnt country.
On one such trip UP sophomore Michael Pacholec visited a 375-million year old coral reef, with a prehistoric creature's remains still preserved in the limestone.
"You weren't confined to the classroom," Pacholec said, "We took field trips for our classes, the hands on approach is really cool."
Pacholec spent five weeks in Broome, Australia this last summer with UP students on a summer study abroad trip.
If classes were extraordinary, time out of the classroom provided even more adventure.
Oasis Club, the local night spot and Matso's Local Brewery which serves delicious food, drink and live music became the hang outs of UP students in Broome when classes ended.
Cable Beach was another popular destination for swimming in the warm ocean, barbeques with friends and watch breath taking sunsets.
The students also took day trips to explore. Pacholec especially recommends the Aboriginal Cultural Tour, where he learned about the tragic history of conflicts between European settlers and native aborigines.
Pacholec also enjoyed a tour of the Malcolm Douglas' Crocodile Farm, which comprises a crazy collection of crocodiles removed from habitats where they had become a hazard.
"One of them had eaten a horse." Pacholec said.
Diving into local culture, Pacholec tasted different delicious Australian fare such as potato wedges with melted cheese slathered in sour cream and chili sauce.
He was even brave enough to try the famous Australian goo, vegemite.
"I almost threw up," Pacholec said. "It's super salty and everything you wouldn't want for a taste in your mouth."
Pacholec also mingled with the locals during his trip making friends with the two Australian students that accompanied UP students on their trip.
"They are really laid back and pretty outgoing." Pacholec said.
One of Broome's major attractions is the Staircase to the Moon which is a natural tide phenomenon that happens at the full moon between October and March. The city celebrates with a festival and hundreds of people come out to watch the tide turn and the optical illusion occur when the conditions are just right.
Out of all of the amazing attractions that Pacholec experienced, he is most grateful for the chance to make friends.
"You become such good friends with the people that you are there with," Pacholec said, "Friends that you probably wouldn't have met otherwise."
- Megan Osborn
THAILAND
Not many students can say they researched inside anti-malaria compounds in Thailand. However, senior Josh Parks can.
Parks looked at traditional Thai plants for anti-malaria compounds. The particular plant he was looking at was primarily used for stomach pains, according to Parks.
Parks worked through the program Research Experiences for Undergraduates, based in Thailand.
"I just wanted to get out of the country," Parks said.
Parks found three compounds within the plant that are being tested for biological activity to see if they work against malaria, according to Parks.
During his time in Thailand, Parks traveled and soaked up the Thai culture.
At restaurants, while you eat the waiter will stand next to the table the whole time, and you are not supposed to tip them, Parks said.
Also, the beds are hard, like a board, according to Parks.
"I would sleep on the floor because it was more comfortable," he said.
Parks also spent two days in the hospital due to a minor motorcycling accident.
"Thai medical programs are extremely decent," Parks said. "They have really good programs and doctors, but for really cheap."
Parks noted the Thais were very hospitable, and they never acted like it was a burden to help.
"Thai people are so inviting, it takes you back," Parks said.
In fact, Parks still keeps in contact via Facebook with the Thai grad students he worked with.
"It's the only reason why I got a Facebook," he said.
The research is a possible area of interest for graduate school. Parks wants to go into natural products and chemistry.
"Thai people are happy as a whole," Parks said. "They are the happiest people I've ever meet in my life, as a culture."
- Hannah Gray
