We Were All Cute When We Were Little

Think about a story your parents like to tell about you. It might be one when you were very little or the most recent one. Is it hard? Think about it really well. Can't imagine anything? Try a little harder, everybody has one. It is either funny, or touching or embarrassing, sometimes all in one. Has anything come to mind? Good. And the story by any chance connected to food? Because, let's be honest, they usually are.
Mine takes me back 20 years ago, when I was two years old. We had a family party, it was right after lunch, everybody was sitting in the living room and chatting - my mom, dad, sister, grandma, uncle, aunt and cousins. And then there was a little angel - ME - sitting on the floor - blond, almost whitish curly hair, the sweetest smile and beautiful violet dress. I was eating yoghurt. And right in the moment when everyone stopped talking to watch me eat and contemplate how cute and beautiful I was, I spilled a drop of the yoghurt on the floor. And there I go, this heavenly little princess, who can barely speak, disappointed by her failure.
"Oh, fuck!" Comes right out of the tiny mouth leaving my grandma close to heart-attack and the rest of family frozen in astonishment.
My parents like this story a lot and tend to tell it anytime they become a little nostalgic. The story usually comes accompanied by teasing: "You were so little and cute then, look at you know!"
Haha, mom, very funny (I think when sarcastic tone floods my mind).
When I told my story Alessandra Fumaggali, it immediately reminded her of her own anecdote.
About food, of course.
"I have one, too," she blurted out: "I was five years old, when my parents took me to a beach. I was having cherries for snack and then suddenly I swallowed one with a pit and I started choking. I didn't know what to do and started panicking. My face turned all red and everything seemed to be happening really fast. And then my dad came to me with absolute calm and hit me once in my back. I immediately spit the stone out and everything started to move on its own pace again. Everybody started laughing including me. It probably doesn't sound very funny, but my parents love this story and I think it is because it reminds them of the times when I was little and they were taking care of me."
We might not like the stories our parents tell about us. They describe us as like helpless, tiresome or vulgar. But at the end of the story there always comes a nostalgic smile on their faces. Whether your story is about food or not, and whether it shows you in good light or not, your parents tell it, because they care about you. It is a strange way of saying "I love you.” So we should set our teeth and say: "Yes, mom and dad, I remember, this one. It was really funny!"
And skip the sarcasm.

The Study Abroad Fair - An International Race

3 PM
It began with a rubber band. Leaflets, postcards, posters and brochures of universities from all around the world tied together. It’s Wednesday, September 22 and the rubber bands have just been taken off, the materials set on marks on the tables, volunteers and workers of the Office of International Education (OIE) warmed up for the 2 hour race.
The Annual Study Abroad Fair at the University of Richmond (UR) was about to break out.
Crowds of contestants/students do not storm the doors of the Alice Haynes Room, the biggest conference space on campus. They stroll in gradually one by one. Tables are strewn all around the place, each carrying a tag with a name of the institution they are representing.
Some contestants hesitated as if they were thinking: "Where do I start?"
"We have the fair every year, roughly around this time," says Amy Bergman, Study Abroad Advisor from the OIE. "It is geared toward attracting students to look for their study abroad for the future. We invite exchange students to represent their own country and university. As well as passport students, US students who were abroad and came back. All of which we consider experts."
The University of Richmond has 23 year old tradition of international education and is proud of it tradition. It’s valued on campus and nationally. According to the UR web page, in 2007 Newsweek magazine ranked it: The hottest school in America. The university partners with about 70 institutions from over 30 countries. Some universities participate in the fair every year.
It only lasts for two hours but takes months of planning.
"We have to give our partners abroad enough time, so that they can see whether they will actually be able to come," explains Bergman. "For example this year the representative of university of Melbourne came all the way from Australia to attend our fair. It is very expensive for the partners to come here. When we don't have enough of them, we rely on our students to actually work at the tables."
About ten people from the Office of International Education organize the event. It is their responsibility to cover as many tables as possible, about 70% of tables this year. Students can’t always represent their universities because of classes or school duties.
But those who make it are enthusiastic and proud. "I decided to volunteer at the fair, because I think it is very important to have a witness of the place where you want to study," says Sara Caprioli, a business student from the Bocconi University in Milan. "Brochures are not sufficient to describe what you will find at the foreign university. I personally decided to come to Richmond based on what other Italian students told me about their experience here."
International education is a priority at UR the numbers speak for themselves. In fall 2010, there are 289 international scholars; 9 percent of the total undergraduate population. Conversely 260 UR students are studying abroad. The most popular countries to visit are Spain (with 40 students), followed by Italy (30), Denmark (22), Australia (21) and Scotland (18). On the other hand most international students studying at UR are from China (55), Spain (16) and UK (12).
The goal of the OIE is to send fewer than 10 students at a time to one institution. That’s to avoid students grouping with other students from their home universities, to make them meet new people and culture.
UR’s commitment to international education has led to new Carole Weinstein International Center. It opened in October and centralizes offices, classrooms, art galleries, conference room space and even has a cafeteria.
"It is meant to be a highlighting feature of the importance of international education at Richmond, since Richmond is very supportive of it," says Bergman on behalf of OIE. “It is a symbol of international spirit at UR"


4 PM
Halftime of the Study Abroad Fair. Music is creating a cozy atmosphere and students are already promenading through the room. They all have the the same aim – a search for futures.
But he fair is not the only source of information for those seeking foreign academic experience. The OIE also holds weekly information sessions and led by trained peer advisors. More information can be found on the web site.
But the fair is a unique opportunity to see all the universities in one place, compare them meet institution representatives. They can ask them directly about their school and country.
"The students were mostly interested in where in London Queen Mary is located, what departments were rated the best and whether QM had a wide range of courses to choose from," says Emma Qubain from Queen Mary, University of London.
Caprioli, the Italian business student, agrees: "They were interested in the courses, especially whether they were challenging or not. They wanted to know what the weather and night life were like in Italy and they were worried about the language."
Sarah Covington, a sophomore majoring in biology, is weighing options. "I am not sure, where I would like to go, yet," she admits while munching numerous leaflets in her hands. "But I am tending to a university in some English-speaking country with an interesting science program."
Selecting the desired destination might be the most important step, but is not the last one. After choosing a location, students have to fill in applications and other required materials.
"We review the applications," says Bergman. "We look at students' essays, their transcripts and at information from the application itself. We evaluate the GPA, whether it meets our partners' requirements. If the student has a border GPA, we look harder on their essay and recommendation. We can also check their language background and make sure they are a good match for the program, if language is a part of it. Sometimes we even look at their course background to see if they have good grades and experience in the field they want to study abroad."
Students can study abroad as many times as they want, provided they acquire half of their credits (17.5 units) on campus. Scholarships can be obtained for up to a year abroad. If the students want to spend more time at foreign institutions, they have to cover the expenses themselves. Students are permitted to study abroad beginning the fall term of their sophomore year. If they decide to do so, the fair is a good event to help them decide.
This year of the fair added new table decoration contest. Volunteer students were asked to bring their own decorations and materials to improve the design of their stands and visiting students could vote for their favorites. The University of Hong Kong and the one of University Blas Pascal from Argentina were big winners. The latter won the whole competition, partly because of enthusiasm and lobbying of one of its student representatives, Gabriela Arribillaga.
"We used traditional things from Argentina that we had with us," describes Arribillaga. "It was our flag, some sport jerseys, mate (a typical Argentinean drink) and some postcards with pictures from the most remarkable places in Argentina."
The Hong Kong tabled sported colorful leaflets sent by the university, pens with logo and students Eliza Zhai and Claire Shuo Sun who even bought traditional candies to woo the passers-by.
Small wonder they tried so hard: the grand prize, was a bag filled with hundred dollars worth of UR bookstore stuff.
"I liked the prize a lot," says Arribillaga, who shared her table and reward with her colleague from the Blas Pascal University Exequiel Rafaela. "There was a glass cup, a sweatshirt, a blanket, a cap and some candies."

5 PM
It ends with a rubber band. Different leaflets, postcards, posters and brochures of universities from all around the world are again re-bundled again. Materials have been collected from the tables. Volunteers and workers of the Office of International Education are cooling down. The two hour race is over
Until next year.

Songs, Poems, People and Emotions

It is strange how one song can initiate various feelings in different people. Our emotions are woken up by the seemingly inseparable pair of music and lyrics. Why seemingly, you ask yourself. Well, sometimes when you separate those two, you can get different mood of the song, sometimes one separated element of those two, can be even better than the complete version.

Karel Kryl

Bonnie Raitt

When I was about 15, I discovered for myself Czech folk singer Karel Kryl. But he was more than a singer to me, he was a poet. His lyrics were always very pregnant as well as sensitive. And when I was reading a book of his poems I did not realize there were also included lyrics of his songs. I fell in love with one of his poems, it was so decadent, sad and witty. I learnt this poem by heart. Except it turned out not to be a poem but a song. And of course it had some music to go with the lyrics as well. But I did not like the music at all, even though the mood of lyrics and music was congenial. Somehow, it was just too much to take. I considered this piece not to be a song, but much rather a poem. And I have not changed my mind since then.

Karel Kryl

Bonnie Raitt

I introduced another song called Standin' By the Same Old Love by American singer Bonnie Raitt to two of my peers. One of them only read the lyrics but did not hear the music, the other one heard the song in its entirety but did not see the lyrics written. Haley Jones, 18 year old first year student who read only the lyrics described the songs mood as "desperate and sad". She also noted that she would expect the music of the song to be slow. That was exactly what I personally thought, when I read the lyric. The other student, Laura Marani heard the song and described it as hopelessness and anguish of someone who is losing beloved person after a long relationship and does not want to let him go. And she described the mood to be desperate even though the song had pretty fast music, exact opposite than her peer Jones had imagined.
It is strange how a song can initiate various feelings in different people. It is strange how different parts of song can initiate same feelings in different people.

Living in the International Bubble

I like to say that I had to come all the way from Europe to the United States to meet 16 Spaniards, 12 British and 11 Italians.

As an international student at the University of Richmond I spend most of my time with other foreign students, almost never with Americans. Was I expecting something else when I was coming? Of course. Would I change it? Never!
International students are always the first students to arrive to the campus of the University of Richmond. We come a week before classes start and move into our rooms. Campus is empty and calm and the lake surface seems to be completely motionless. It gives us more space to start feeling like home.
We are followed by freshmen and then all the other students. The campus fills slowly at the beginning of fall semester. Internationals have time to settle in, adjust to campus and meet new people. During orientation week, we get to know most of the other internationals and start making friends. It is easy to bond during never-ending lectures on safety and rules of campus. However this coin has two sides. We create social relationships with people from all around the world except Americans. The international bubble within the University of Richmond is created.
Students study abroad for various reasons. They want to improve their language skills, become independent, meet new people and get to know the culture of a foreign country. And though the University of Richmond is well known for its study abroad program and its approach to people from other countries, it is hard for international students to integrate.
"I came to the United States mainly to improve my English," says Maria Goirigolzarri from Spain, "but it is hard since I spend most of my time with other Spanish students. I have to force myself to speak more English."
The biggest reason why the internationals spend most of their time together within their international group is simple: it is less difficult. At the beginning it was easier to talk to other internationals, to eat with them or chat in the library. We knew each other from orientation, during which we spent a lot of time together, and related to being new in a foreign country.
Internationals live together in dorms or apartments. Amy Bergman, study abroad advisor for the Office of International Education, says accommodation for foreign students is arranged after most of the rooms had been taken by American students and the internationals fill in the gaps. That’s understandable: domestic students hand in their applications earlier than the internationals.
"When I was filling in my housing application, I wrote there that I did not want to live with another Spaniard in terms of improving my English," describes Goirigolzarri. “I don’t live with a Spaniard, but with an Argentinean and an Italian who both speak Spanish fluently,” she laughs.
Socializing with other foreign students is also a matter of common interests. We travel around Richmond as well as the US, spend holidays together and share new cultural experience. We help each other with homework and meet for meals. Internationals are always the last ones in the dining hall: most of us eat much later than Americans. We come at 7:30, when almost everybody else is gone. And we stay until a D-Hall employee kicks us out. We never understand what he shouts with his foggy voice towards our table, but we have figured out that it is probably time to go.
At first most of the students considered it a problem not being completely involved in American culture. Some have been forcing themselves to spend more time with Americans. But views changed as time went by and the relationships deepened.
"I spend most of my time with the internationals," says Veronica Giacomello, an Italian who majors in English. "I think our group is great. We all know each other and it is easier to share our problems, because we are going through the same experience. I had been a little sad about not knowing many American people at the beginning, but then I realized that I know people from all around the world. I like my life here as an international student."
Of course none of the international students are completely isolated. We all know Americans from classes, sport clubs or different organizations. And even though Americans are usually nice and willing to help if needed, they do not socialize or spend much of free time together with us. Americans in relation to the internationals remain acquaintances rather than friends.
“I think some of them show interest in international students and enjoy talking to us,” says Juan Maigler, a Spanish senior majoring in translation and interpreting. “But just few engage in something more than a routine conversation.”
None of the people I have talked to seem markedly disappointed with the situation. They admit their expectations were different and that they imagined they would make more American friends, but they understand why it is that way. They like their life in Richmond the way it is.
“I think we do live in an international bubble,” admits Maigler. “But I do not necessarily consider it to be negative. I enjoy talking to people no matter what their background is. I think we meet a lot of Americans, but they already have their own lives to live and do not pay attention to things that we do. And I completely understand it.”
Giacomello agrees: “They already have their friends, sports and interests. They don’t need international friends, unless they are interested in international topics such as language or international studies.”
International students of University of Richmond do not feel segregated. A lot of different social events have been organized for us and we actively participate in UR social life like games, parties and performances.
“International culture is tolerated but not integrated completely,” says Giacomello. “For example, there are still groups of black people, Chinese people or Spanish people sitting at different tables in THE dining hall. However I don’t think this is a problem. I think it is enough to accept and tolerate each other. Efficient society can have various groups of people that work together when it is necessary.”
An international bubble exists for foreign students at the University of Richmond. However, it is a very thin and transparent bubble with little holes through which cultural influences bubble like osmosis. The internationals live within the bubble, and outside of it.
And most importantly of all, we love it.