International Fetival

It is always a pleasure to attend large scale international events at OU. My first time was attending the Eve of Nations my freshman year. In the same vein, the International Festival did an excellent job of showcasing the variety of  backgrounds present here on campus. My favorite part was sampling various international foods. In my travels, I have always found food to be the great adhesive between cultures. An experiential language of tastes that transcends words and language. For those with the language skills, shared meal times also create the opportunity for cultural exchange and dialogue. I find that it is in this time of full bellies and euphoria that those of differing cultures can let their guard down and by partaking in the shared experience of cuisine.

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Philosophenweg

I have an old Marco Polo to my parents from my time in Germany saved on my phone. In it, I, with backpack and raincoat on, am announcing to my parents that I didn’t have any plans for the morning and was going to go “adventuring.”

Don’t get me wrong – studying abroad alone is really difficult. And in many ways, I was more than ready to return home at the end. But after some time has past, I find myself feeling so nostalgic for living in a place where so many new sites and experiences were within walking distance.

On the particular day that I sent the Marco Polo, I was heading to Philosophenweg, a place that I frequented often. It is a path on the north side of the river in Heidelberg, called the “Philosopher’s Walk” for the rumored famous thinkers of the Romantic Period who walked the path. According to Britannica it, ” takes its name from the university professors who found the view conducive to intellectual pursuits.” It’s not hard to see why – from the walk there are the beautiful views across the river onto the already-ancient Heidelberg Castle, the ascent to the Philosopher’s Garden, and the woods beyond – there’s plenty of “scope for imagination.”

Beyond the Philosophenweg, the trail continues into the woods and up the hill behind, where a slew of old stone ruins are located. In another direction, the trail branches and winds along the river to the next town and beyond. I spent a lot of free time exploring these trails. The walk was one of the “must visits” for friends and family who came to visit me. And it was the last site my friends and I visited before heading home. I miss it and I can’t wait to return

Study Abroad Stories

I greatly enjoyed this year’s GEF day in spite of the difficulties of COVID. In particular, it felt nice to be able to share my experiences with the next generation of GEF students. It reminded me of my time as a freshman at OU attending GEF day and being enchanted by the stories of others and their studies abroad only serving to make me more excited for my studies to come. It really highlights the power and importance of mentorship in education and the way that this program enables students to find that mentorship and help one another.

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Les crêpes

L’autre jour, une de mes ‘cousines’ est venue chez moi, et nous avons fait des crêpes. Nous avons passé le semestre en France ensemble, donc ce repas était nostalgique pour nous deux. De plus, elle a souvent fait des crêpes avec sa famille en grandissant en Europe de l’Est. La recette est tellement simple, mais le résultat est délicieux. Voici la recette que nous avons utilisé :

  • 400 g de farine
  • 4 oeufs
  • 2 verres d’eau
  • 2 verres de lait
  • 1 pincée de sel

https://cuisine.journaldesfemmes.fr/recette/312498-crepes-simples

Ce repas me rappellera toujours de mon temps en France avec mes amis et ma ‘cousine’ ici en Oklahoma.

On a fait un tas de crêpes !
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UWC Culture Night

Ce mois, j’ai assisté à l’évènement culturelle « Resilience », organisé par le groupe de ‘United World Colleges’ à OU. A cet évènement, il y avait des performances musicales, un défilé de mode, des danses, des récitations de poèmes, et plus. Une performance exceptionnelle était la danse d’un groupe de danseurs africains. J’ai trouvé le rythme et l’énergie de cette performance très amusant et agréable. De plus, le défilé de mode m’a intéressé. C’était fascinant tout d’abord de voir tous les pays d’où vient les étudiants de UWC. Je l’ai trouvé également intéressant de voir les habits traditionnels de ces pays.

Le défilé de drapeaux

Une de mes ‘cousines’ a performé un chant traditionnel serbe. Ce chant est chanté acapella, et c’était d’une beauté envoûtante. Voici les lyrics en tant que la traduction :

Serbe :

Pijani momci prolaze

Duž naše tihe ulice.

Oni u vojsku polaze,

Prate ih tužne curice,

Brinu ih slutnje sulude:

Da rata ne bude.

Ne mogu da me ne sete

Suze na vrhu nosića,

Devetsto-osamdesete,

Ulice Brane Ćosića

I voza crnog k’o da s njim

Zauvek odlazim.

Znas šta,

Neka mora sve potope,

Nek’ se glečeri rasture,

Večni snegovi otope,

Pa šta,

Neka kiše ne prestaju,

Neka gromovi polude,

Samo rata da ne bude.

Znas šta,

Nek’ se doba preokrenu,

Nek’ se zvezde uznemire,

Nek’ se planine pokrenu,

Pa sta,

Vetri nek pomahnitaju

Nek’ se vulkani probude,

Samo rata da ne bude.

K’o zlatni prah

Oreol sna,

Oklopnih malenih glavica,

I tvoja ljubav ranjiva,

Čuva ih kao lavica,

Loše te vesti uzbude,

Da rata ne bude.

Znas šta,

Neka mora sve potope,

Nek’ se glečeri razvale,

Večni snegovi otope,

Pa sta,

Kiše neka ne prestaju,

Neka gromovi polude,

Samo rata da ne bude.

Znas šta,

Nek’ se doba preokrenu,

Nek’ se zvezde uznemire,

Nek’ se planine pokrenu,

Pa sta,

Vetri nek pomahnitaju,

Nek’ se vulkani probude,

Samo rata da ne bude.

SAMO DA RATA NE BUDE,

LUDILA MEĐU LJUDIMA,

VELIKI NUDE ZABLUDE,

PLAŠE NAS RAZNIM ČUDIMA

I SVAKOJ BAJCI NAUDE,

DA RATA NE BUDE.

Anglais :

Drunken boys are passing

Through our silent streets,

They’re leaving for war

As girls greet them in sadness,

Worried by sorrowful thoughts.

Just let there be no war.

Tears are flowing on your little nose

and I can’t help thinking

to nineteen eighty

in Branimir Ćosić street

and to the black train, too,

as if I went forever away with it.

And I tell you:

Let the seas sink down,

let the glaciers break asunder,

let eternal snows melt down

and still

let the rain fall unstopped,

let there be lightning and thunders storms,

just let there be no war.

And I tell you:

Let time go backwards,

let stars go wild in the sky,

let mountains be displaced

and still

let winds blow the world away,

let volcanoes awaken,

just let there be no war.

Like golden dust,

like a dream aureole

on children’s head,

your endless love

defends them like a lioness,

you’re troubled by bad news:

let there be no war

And I tell you:

Let the seas sink down,

let the glaciers crash down,

let eternal snows melt down

and still

let the rain fall unstopped,

let there be lightning and thunders storms,

just let there be no war.

And I tell you:

Let time go backwards,

let stars go wild in the sky,

let mountains be displaced

and still

let winds blow the world away,

let volcanoes awaken,

just let there be no war.

Just let there be no war

no madness among people

the Big offer delusions

frighten us with miracles

and do all fairy tales harm

Just let there be no war!

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