Beaune! Cluny Trip Day 10

Recap of Days 7-9: Day 7 was a Saturday, which meant the Farmer's Market was in Cluny. Starting at around 9 am, the streets of Cluny were lined up with booths where you could buy practically anything. These merchants come to town once a week to sell their things, from fresh groceries to fashion and art. Even though the population of Cluny is quite small, the farmer's market is always PACKED! It was as if everyone in town would leave their house to go shopping, even people from other places would come to Cluny for their market day. There, we were able to try some very unique cheeses from private farmers that were top quality. We were given time to spend on our own as we toured each booth to see what they could offer. Just to give you an idea of how diverse the Farmer's Market was: There were booths for fruits and vegetables, spices, cheeses, antique cars, skin care, clothing (from formal wear to trendy), art, jewelry, legitimate furniture, and the list goes on. Day 8 was a free day so we spent it at our hostel working on our final projects. Day 9 was a lecture day where we learned more on the microbiology of cheese and wine. Day 10: Beaune was by far my favorite excursion on our trip. It's perhaps one of the most beautiful cities I've ever been to in my life. Beaune is well-known for its wealth, history, and wine. This ancient town has architecture left dating back from the pre-Roman and Roman eras, through the medieval and renaissance periods. It also attracts tourists from all over the world. It's one of those towns that is just so breath-taking and unique in its character, that there is perhaps nothing quite like it in the world. I'm astounded that I didn't even know about Beaune, until I read it in our Schedule this week. It makes me curious about how many other sensational places there must be in the world that I still don't know about, since they don't have as notorious of a name as Paris, for example. We began our visit in one of the oldest wine establishments in Beaune, called Bouchard Pere et Fils, founded in 1731. There, we learned about the role of a negotiant in the wine trade of Burgundy and visited their wine cellars, located in the chateau de Beaune, which is a royal fortress built in the 15th century. The Chateau was once the home to French Soldiers that belonged to the Royal King of France to show his authority in the city of Beaune. However, in order to gain money, the French government sold this Chateau to the Bouchard family who used it for their wine trade. The oldest aged wine we saw (still drinkable!) was from 1847! The chateau stores a total of 4 million bottles of wine, all of premium quality. This picture is of our professional wine tasting! Our last stop of the trip was the famous Hospices de Beaune. This place was founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, who was the chancellor of Burgundy (so really really rich guy!), as a hospital for the poor and needy. And apparently, Dragon's Blood was one of the medicines used at the time!

- Victoria L.

Reflections: Autopsy

Being home now, there are too many reasons to count why I wish I could just go back to Belize. Some of the things I experienced during my time abroad have been stuck in my head, perpetually replaying. One of those such moments was the autopsy we performed as a class. It was a thursday, close to the weekend break of the first week. We were called out of our normal routine to investigate  a random unknown cause of death for two healthy young cows over in mennonite country.  We drove over to the beautiful mountain country in the Cayo district, the six of us students, our TA, the doctor and his brother. The drive was rather long, almost an hour but rather pleasant with the country scenery humming by through the rickety van windows. We arrived at a modest farm and were immediately intercepted by a lone man in his upper fifties. He explained to the doctor what he knew of the cow and we gathered up to examine the body. The other cows seemed to gather up in the furthest corner of the pen. There she laid, alone and covered in flies. The ground around her rather unperturbed. The farmer followed us out to tell the doctor that he believes this cow contracted rabies, but doc knew better. That was what I really admired about him. His air of confidence mixed with a strong armory of knowledge. It seemed almost to be lifted from a movie or a CSI episode. The doctor looked at the cow from several angles, took a minute to think and scanned the region. He then smiled and gave a confident smile and asked, "Did any of your neighbors use pesticides today?" The farmer seemed annoyed at the question as if it would yield nothing relevant. "I believe the guy over there did", as he pointed to a neighboring property. "Then thats your answer", stated doc, with that candid confidence. He deduced that the cow was poisoned from organic phosphate, a common pesticide carried by the wind over into the  property when sprayed by a neighbor. The doc used the wind direction coupled with the blood from the cows nose and the rather unmoved ground beneath the cow to support his conclusion. If it had been rabies, the cow would have not bled the way it did, and it would have moved rabidly around the yard crushing the grass and ground beneath it. I remember thinking, thats what I want to do. Use the evidence around me to come up with an answer of my own to a problem. We continued over to the second cow. This one was much more ominous. The class ducked one by one under an electric fence into a broad still hilly yard. There was a clearing, flat and expanse, all emptied but a single mass dead center. Ill never forget walking up to the body, the only solid mass divided sharply against the common green background. This cow lay stiff, flat against the ground and cold to the touch as if every last spec of life has been long gone from the body.This one too, thought to be a victim of rabies. But the doc almost immediately denounced the disease from the blood stale around the mouth, eyes and anus. Without warning, he drew his machete and cut open into the body above the shoulder and seemed dissapointed. He then ordered me to flip the body. I heaved it over and he cut into the other shoulder and smiled. "There it is class", as he pointed to a patch of blackened flesh on the shoulder. "Blackleg", he stated. Thats what killed this cow. The cow was killed from a  bacteria that would secrete toxic wastes that accumulate in muscle and cause necrotic black tissue to form. We headed back to the van and off to resume our normal class routine and I frantically wrote every note of the day down in a book that remained closed until just now. It was days like this that make me wish I could just go back to that time that never seems to last as long as we want.

- Andrew R.

Fancy Cheese Tastings are the Best! Cluny Trip Day 6

I didn't include Cluny Trip Day 5 because we didn't do much that day. We had a lecture where we learned about the production of cheese and the history of Burgundy and that was about it for that day. But I will include a picture of what Professor Haggblom had for lunch that day, which was beef tar tar, just because it was really awesome! Prepare your eyes and mouth for raw beef with a raw egg on top! Anyway, today we went on an excursion to Cote d'Or. First destination that we visited where the Gaugry cheese makers. Let me tell you, you've never tasted French cheese until you've been to the Gaugry cheese tasting. Seriously, I never knew that cheese could taste so good until I tried their cheese. My favorite that I ended up doing my project on was called Plaisir au Chablis (more on that later). Here are some pictures that will show you what I mean. By the way, if you're ever in the market and you see a type of cheese called Epoisses, typically sold in a round wooden box, I would definitely recommend you to try it! It's a semi-soft cheese with a strong and distinct smell, but use it almost like butter on top of bread (preferably harder bread, like the French Baguette), and it makes the most delicious snack. Now here's a nugget of wisdom for those of you who aren't big fans of cheese: put a piece of any type of cheese with bread, and suddenly it tastes good! If you ever find yourself in a situation where you must finish a cheese that you just can't bear, remember to add bread! For lunch we visited the beautiful town of Gevrey-Chambertin, which was a Cluniac site on the Route des Grands Crus. We visited a chateau with a wonderful statue of a Cistercian monk. Last stop on our bus trip today: The fanciest Chateau I've ever been to: Chateau du Clos de Vougeot which was turned into a high end hotel for-what I would imagine to be Fancy French Men. I also tasted the most amazing wine there called Beaune Les Aigrots, my first Grand Cru!

- Victoria Lee

Going to Maconnais! Cluny Trip Day 4

Today we departed Cluny early in the morning for or excursion to the Maconnais. The first place we visited was Madame Bourdon's goat cheese farm. They had their own Museum of Chailloux, which contained many different artifacts that were once used for farming in the 1920's and 1930's. We got to try their award winning goat cheeses from fresh to aged cheeses. In Madame Bourdon's farm, they milked cows at 3 am in the morning and 4 pm in the afternoon. Just imagine having to wake up at 2 am every morning so you can milk the cows at 3 am! Unlike many industrial cheese makers, they let their goats roam free to graze on the grass. It was there that I also discovered my love for black current juice, especially paired with goat cheese, it was just the most amazing combination. Next we visited the Lycee Agricole farm where they brewed wine and also made goat cheese. Unlike Madame Bourdon's farm, the goats were milked much later in morning at 7 am (to the workers' joy). Also, these goats were given grass instead of being able to roam around in the fields. We got a special wine tasting after brief lecture on how wine is fermented in barrels. After visiting these farms, it was time for us to have the picnic which we've been waiting for all week. We and lunch at Solutre with the food that we bought at the local supermarket. It was a stunning view of the countryside with the most amazing weather. To my dismay, I almost lost my iPhone while I was there, however a lovely local French man came to us right when we were able to head back to the bus that someone had left their iPhone in the bathroom. I was so surprised by how amazingly generous and caring the locals were. The man and walked a great distance in order to inform us. I am so grateful and lucky that I was able to retrieve my iPhone just in time. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to contact home or take any more pictures along the trip. The last stop of our trip was at Domaine Perraud, which was exclusively a winery. We got to meet the wife of the family owned business, named Sonia early on in the week. And even though she spoke very little english, she had the most amazing sense of humor and personality. Her baby was due soon (and we heard that she was able to deliver before our trip in France was over!) She taught us a great deal about wine making. Starting from the fields and exactly how everything was processed step by step. It was with her that I learned the greatest amount of information about wine making from my trip. Here are some pictures that I was able to take of her factory and her fields, but they don't do it justice. The factory is actually much larger and so are the fields. If you are planning to go on this study abroad program, I'd definitely say that you should be excited to visit Sonia's winery. She is an amazing person and so is her wine.

- Victoria Lee

7/29/13 Minha Família Brasileira

7/29/13 22:19 (Listening to Grizzly Bear’s Shields)

Alec Roth

I am sitting upright in bed, with Mustarda sleeping by my side. I swear this cat is coming with me to Bahia and to America. Brasil is wonderful and the people are equally great.

Ever since I’ve arrived I have been sleeping late! It is not good to get use to. I will try to wake up early tomorrow. Boa sorte Alec… So today I woke up with a struggle at 11:30, had a cappuccino and some breakfast. I laid outside for maybe an hour, hour and a half on the outside terrace. I got some sun and reading time in. Then it was time for another enormous lunch: chicken and legume kabobs, this shaved lettuce, salad, cauliflower backed in cream and cheese, rice with black beans, and pineapple juice. Afterwards, I went to Gustavo’s law office where they are renovating it. I was there for a while Skyping friends and family which was nice. Then I returned to the house around 19:00, read and ate a wonderful chicken and legumes soup with none other than Sriracha sauce. Then I sat down to write this amongst other things. 

Last night I ate at the fanciest pizza restaurant I have ever been to. Pizza in Brasil is only enjoyed for dinner and you must use a fork and knife. Classy. I had a wonderful time, we met up with Gustavo’s parents, Pedro and Eunice and Lilia’s (my Portuguese professor) daughter, Julia and her friend Caterina. The pizza and the caiperinhas were excellent and so was the conversation. Although I received some help with translation from Julia we were able to keep the conversation flowing and in Portuguese. Speaking and learning another language is one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. To be able to talk to another people and to live their culture through their language is priceless. Although my internships have not yet begun I am learning a lot about Brasil and life itself. Anyway, at dinner we discussed education in Brasil and America and talked a little bit about class struggles. Its not easy to have these types of discussions in a new language, but that is not going to stop me from trying. It must have been a funny site watching me get passionate while I grasp for the correct words in Portuguese. But that is neither here nor there… Currently I am making a list, comparing aspects of America to Brasil. At the end of my trip I shall post it, or at least discuss it. Boa Noite Pessoas.

Gustavo and I. Over looking the Mountains that surround Sāo Jose dos Campos. On the other side is the state of Minas Gerias. The basin directly below us is preserved land, once forest but was slashed and now cannot grow anything but tall grasses.

Kayaking and trip to Norway

Kayaking and trip to Norway

Hi all,

July has been a very busy month for me here in Finland.  I have been working on my project most days which means that I am in lab most of the time.  I have had a couple chances to go out on the weekends to go hiking and kayaking. On July 15th had a chance to go on a sampling trip in Norway again.  The trip started off with a 9 hour drive from Rovaniemi to Reisa where we got to drive past some really beautiful landscapes.  In Norway I helped collect soil samples from each of the 16 plots.  It was a lot of work and it got really windy and cold but the views were really beautiful when the sun was out.  After the long day of sampling I got to go to a sauna for the second time, which was nice after being outside.

Sampling site

Because I am here for the summer I was able to try some different berries that are in season in Lapland.  When I was hiking I was able to try cloudberries, which I had never heard of until I got here.  They are small orange berries that have a very distinct flavor and I was glad I got a chance to taste them.  It was also possible to pick wild blueberries while we were walking which was pretty cool.  There are also fresh strawberries that are grown in Lapland that are really tasty.

Wild Blueberries

While I have been here I have also had the chance to go kayaking in Rovaniemi, which was something I have never done before.  I am not very good at it but it was fun to try and the views were really pretty.

I have had a chance to celebrate my birthday here with the people that I am working with.  I went hiking during the day and had dinner in downtown Rovaniemi in the evening.  I have been very lucky to spend time with so many wonderful people.

Now that my trip is coming to a close I have mixed feelings about heading back home.  I am leaving tomorrow for Helsinki where I will stay for the night before I head back to Newark.  I am looking forward to seeing my friends and family but I will miss Finland a lot and I really hope I will have a chance to visit Helsinki again to have more time to experience it. I am really lucky to have the opportunity to be here and that I have been able to live in this country for a little while; I know I will come back again when I can.

-Beryl

7/26 Minha primeira dia em Brasil.

7/26/13 14:00 (I wrote this on the couch, stuffed with Brazilian food)

So far so good!! It is surreal to be in Brazil. My first night was a long one. Gustavo, Lilia’s(my portuguese professor) brother and his wife Daniela picked me up from GRU and they are extremely nice, just like Lilia. They made me feel at home instantly and I do not feel as though I am imposing. They live in a condo type place, with three rooms two bathrooms, it is beautiful. I would love to live in something similar when I am older. It is perfect, not to big not too small and it is furnished very well. They have two animals! Mustarda a cute orange pussycat, a kitten with tons of energy. Right now she is climbing all over me and playing with my sweartshirt strings. And an old pup named Pompeo, super cute and friendly.

Once again I packed poorly(referring to my Eurotrip in which I did not pack appropriately), it is fairly cold here. I have a blanket on me! They said it will be warmer in Bahia though, and it better be because clothes are too expensive to buy here, mainly due to high taxes and inflation. 

Last night Gustavo took me to Habbib’s, a fast food snack place with interesting pizzas and a delicious desert. Then we drove around and he showed me the town, and also went into "Extra," their supermarket. It could have been twice the size of Wegmans. It is enormous, too big. I passed out immediately when my face touched the pillow. This morning, Daniela and I had breakfast together: pão com quejo e montega e café com letche e chocolate. Then we went to this outdoor market. It was great, all fresh fruits and veggies, with some food stands that sold some hot snacks. Very social atmosphere, similar to Europe. I really enjoyed it, I cannot imagine not living next to an open air market; you talk taste and buy for the week. Supermarkets are over rated.

But I am Sachesfeito!!(Full) After we ate and tasted all these fruits we came back to their house and had a huge lunch: Beef, beans and rice, mandioca balls, fried squash, salad, and of course beer. I am so full, I cannot move. The rest of the day I will relax, read and watch tv.

- Alec

Ghana Love It Part 3

Previous - Part 2

Mma Ache everyone, - Now edited with photos!

The Colorful Fishing Harbor of Cape Coast

Another blog update! This one was supposed to contain pictures, however I had taken the wrong flash drive. It may not work anyway, so just pretend I'll still only have pictures at the end of my trip (sorry!) My friend and roommate from the UK is taking better pictures than me anyway, because she has a very nice canon with zoom lens, so I am going to steal her photos.

It was a bit cloudy

Mosque

Last weekend we visited Cape Coast, which was kind of nice; the castle/fort was a whitewashed abandoned slave trade building in which we took a tour around. To get to Cape Coast we had to take a gruelling 4-5 hour bus ride, but we got through. I went with a bunch of my other friends from Projects Abroad, Alice from UK, Merlouse (spelled incorrectly) from Holland, Marine and Alex from France, Sanne from Belgium, Danielle from Austria, and a couple others I'm very unfortunately forgetting at this moment. All of them besides Sanne are in the veterinary program, so we do have a lot of members but unfortunately many of them are leaving soon. Touring the castle was very interesting as we got to see the rooms thousands and thousands of slaves were stowed in for years without light... It was very interesting and horrifying at the same time. Walking through the male dungeon (which was under the church??) was near oppressive with the dark arches crowding us into a small place that would fit thousands of starved human beings. The top museum was interesting as well as it dove into much of America's slave history and 50's civil rights, of which I was the only American in my group to recognize most all of the stories from previous history classes. In Cape Coast we stayed in a small hotel called Prospect Lodge, which was nice considering the price we paid for it.

Streets of Cape Coast and a Fish Vendor

A fish vendor and a cloudy beach

The Historic Cape Coast Fort

The hull of a colorful boat in a harbor outside the fort

History buffs would love to visit here

Inside the fort, cannons ready

Part of a dungeon in the fort

The next day we took a trip to Elmina, which was the first part of Ghana that was vacation beautiful. Cape Coast was small and crowded with many sellers and sounds like most Ghana cities, whereas Elmina was quiet, peaceful, palm-tree fringed with beautiful sand beaches and a light turquoise bottle green sea of the atlantic. There were colorful fishing boats lined up in the beach and as I walked to the beach I could see the much larger and impressive Elmina Castle on the peninsula with its coral roofing and white walls. Here the beach was lovely to sit on, as well as wonderfully quiet with the whoosh sounds of the waves crashing on the shore, as well as the "thunk" sounds to be heard from the nearby workers carving out large wooden boats with axes. At least until the local Ghanian kids found us (though it was still funny). They tried to tell us they were 15 years old (Maddi was 16.. and they looked around 12) and asked us if we were married (of course.) I told them yes, because for the purposes of Ghana I am married (people always ask, so then I usually say yes, then they say "are you pregnant" to which I say no, followed by their "why?" It's just usual talk here, they don't mean it in a bad way. They respect mothers and children in this country.) It was quite funny talking to the children all excitedly telling us about their fake girlfriends. We then went home after that, and had a wonderful relaxing day (in Ghana it's so rare to be in a relaxing atmosphere... so we took advantage of it.) Sanne, Maddi and I were staying I believe in the Almond Tree Hotel, which was a moderately priced hotel for Ghana (50 cedis each, or 25$) next to the more famous Elmina Hotel. It was a wonderful weekend, though I had gotten sick (and was panicking at one point, thinking OH IT'S MALARIA WHAT IF IT'S MALARIA until my roommate Sanne who worked in public health told me I couldn't have Malaria, because it takes 7 days to incubate and I had only been here for 5...) but I had managed to get some relaxing time in before I went back to work.

Wooden boats along the shore

Clearly old enough to marry.

Yesterday I worked in the clinic, the most interesting case of which to come in was a small dog with a Hematoma (spelled correctly?) from which ticks fell out like rain (typical here in Ghana.. most all dogs come in needing deworming and rabies shots). It is very difficult seeing animals treated at a clinic without some means to fully treat them, or if their owners can't afford to give the full treatment (most owners will try not to pay, many dog owners in Ghana do not treat their dogs as family and more as items) and so this dog had only local anesthesia to take care of the hematoma, which was in its ear in a very painful location. The next day we went to outreach, which I enjoy quite a lot as I just love going around to different farms in Ghana and seeing the similarities and differences in farms here vs farms at home. This is where I wish I had pictures the most, because some of the farms here in Ghana are so pretty, liked terraced farms overlooking a valley with colorful houses dotting the other side. I have lots of pictures with me giving vaccinations to and deworming goats, so no worries there - I just wish I could post them! The goats and sheep in Africa are quite small, so they are somewhat easier to handle. Apparently on thursday we are doing pig castrations, so that should be very interesting. Anyway, that will be all from me from now, I apologize for not having pictures but I promise they will be worth the look once I upload them!

EDIT AUG 29th - I forgot to post about Kakum National Park! 

Wow this update has a lot of photos now.

Don't worry it's safe!

Kakum National Park is one of the main tourist attractions in Cape Coast, particularly its Canopy Walkway. It's connected by several large rope bridges that can each hold around 8 elephants' worth of weight. For this tour we had to pay quite a bit of cedi, and we were shown around by a tour guide but only given 20 minutes to view the canopy (though we stayed longer anyway. We paid money, we're going to go on the bridges longer than 20 minutes..) It was a very lovely trip but not for those who are afraid of heights.

Don't go on if you're afraid of heights!

It can actually hold 8 tons 

Maddy on the bridge - She can handle it.
Daniele is to the right!

A thrilling experience

-Marisa S



Next - Part 4