More locations,
more adventures
in Year Two
Latest and last GG Gazette edition for this academic year.
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From the Editors
While adventures were cut short for most, the safety of our students is our top priority. We hope Global Gateway was an unforgettable experience in a positive way for you all. Finish the semester out strong online, and we cannot wait to see you all back in Fairfax this August!
The Global Gateway Team
abroadfr@gmu.edu
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Ireland Corner
By Madison Schofield
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After an exhausting first week of classes we spent the weekend exploring Glendalough!
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Global Gateway Ireland students enjoyed discovering their new home the past 3 months! Here are a few noticeable differences from GG-student Madison:
- Accent – Madison has been able to understand everyone mostly, but there are quite a few different words and phrases that are unique to Ireland.
- Shopping -- No super Walmart’s here! Grocery stores are smaller with limited options, and surprisingly no jelly for PBJ’S!
- Climate – Rain is definitely something to get accustomed to. Don’t forget to pack a good rain jacket and rain boots when coming here
- Bathroom – Showers must be quick! Hot long showers are not feasible, as homes have small boilers or an electric shower that is expensive to keep running for long.
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Chile Corner
By Karina Flores
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Arriving to Chile was really exciting for all of us especially since we were the last group to leave. After arriving at Santiago, we were each dropped off to our host families, which they greeted us well. During our stay in Santiago, the capital of Chile, which is surrounded by the Andes Mountains, we had the chance to go to San Cristobal Hill. There we got to view the capital from the top of the hill. We had the chance to enter La Moneda, where the office of the Chilean President resides. Usually those who go on tours of the Presidential Palace, the President is seen, but the day that we went, the President was away. However, before our tour inside La Moneda ended, we were able to see many reporters interviewing the Secretary of the Chilean President live on national TV! A couple members of our group were lucky enough to have their picture taken with the secretary after his interview. We also went to the beach, which is about an hour away from the capital. Although it is currently summer, the beaches on the Pacific Coast are a bit chilly! We visited quite a few popular beaches of Chile: Isla Negra, Valparaiso, and Viña del Mar.
It has been almost a month since we have arrived! We have enjoyed every day at our stay in Chile. We all have fallen in love with Chile and its’ traditional foods and drinks.
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Morocco Corner
By Joaquín Perez
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Although my time in Morocco was cut far too early, I am so happy I got to experience the wonders and beauty that it has to offer. From the delicious food, breathtaking scenery, and the kindest people you will ever meet I loved almost everything about being in Morocco. I hope I can return soon and for much more time in the future. Every weekend my friends and I who also were in Global Gateway with me would travel to a new city or one we’d been to before, usually Rabat as we loved how well kept and busy it was. We always had the most fun together and those are memories that unlike how COVID-19 ended my time abroad, can never be taken away. Ever. In terms of the things I saw, I think the moments in which I realized I was falling in love with Morocco were when I was near the ocean. The oceans of Rabat and Tangier were where I truly discovered the beauty of Morocco and fell in love with it. I will miss you Morocco!
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“From the delicious food, breathtaking scenery, and the kindest people you will ever meet I loved almost everything about being in Morocco.”
- Joaquín Perez
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Spain Corner
By Maria Falzarano
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GG Spain Spotlight: Watch Video
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My name is Maria and I recently returned from the Spain Global Gateway. Although our time in Madrid was cut short by the current situation, we still had a lot of amazing experiences abroad. I lived with a host family in Spain that had twins. Living with young kids was an adjustment, we would play videos on the TV during lunch and over our meal we would “discuss” the videos in Spanish for practice. I felt supported by my host mom who brought me to the train station on the first day of classes to show me around. Although my host dad did speak English, I spoke in Spanish with everyone else in the family, including their extended family! It was my first birthday away from home and their family came over and they surprised me with a cake, which was delicious. Living with a family brings a completely different perspective, you’re truly immersed in the language and the culture.
While in Spain, I realized that they value the ritual a lot. I ate with my family for almost every single dinner. I tried a lot of foods that I didn’t like in the U.S., but enjoyed in Spain. Our group tried paella in Valencia and we would go out for tapas on occasion. They have so many different types of tapas that it can truly fit any diet.
One thing I had a hard time adjusting to was the school environment, it is a very different world from academics at Mason. The professors assigned more work and I had a seminar each week in at least two classes. In my case, it was a lot more group work and I worked with the Spanish students that clearly knew the system pretty well. I will say that all the Spanish students I encountered were kind, helpful, and ready to jump into conversation in English! UC3M is filled with international students, so I made friends from all over.
About a month into the program, I realized that a lot of us were going through the same struggles and that having someone to talk to while you’re abroad whether they are at home or in-country with you, helps a lot. I loved calling my friends back home to catch up and talk about school. It was weird around midterms because I didn’t have any, so I wasn’t really feeling the same stress. At UC3M, the final exams are weighed significantly heavier than at George Mason.
Overall, I am grateful that I was able to spend some of my spring semester abroad in Madrid. Before leaving, I was already looking at more study abroad programs through GEO because I knew that it was something I needed to do again in college. Studying abroad can be tough and, as a freshman who was still adjusting to college and just left home for the first time, it can definitely be difficult in a lot of different ways. Even though there were some rough moments, I learned a lot about myself. Studying abroad in college is such a gratifying experience. If you’re thinking about the Global Gateway program, do it! It was definitely the highlight of my first year here at George Mason.
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