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Your iHome alarm rings relentlessly at 6:00 AM and all you can think of is curling back up in your warm bed, taking every ounce of self control to get up and not hit snooze. They wake up on a make-shift bed of cardboard with the sun's light breaking on the horizon in a home with broken cardboard and mud walls and no roof. You put your frozen waffle in the microwave. They build a fire of trash and use their one pot to make porridge, first grinding the oats by hand, and giving...read more
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Yesterday was our first day at our volunteer placements. It was almost like getting on the bus for the first day of school: you are dressed nicely, don't know anyone, and of course, have the butterflies. We each got on our assigned buses with the other volunteers and our partner volunteer at our placement (if we had one) and headed off to drop each of us off. Most of us in our placements got assigned to a school of some sort, ranging from nursery schools at churches to primary and secondary...read more
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Tanzania is unique and has exceeded all of the expectations we had established about it. Northern Tanzania is humid and warm this time of yet. Thankfully though it has not been unbearably hot, and it is extremely green with banana plants and various agriculture being plentiful, which is contrary to what many people stereotypically think about when Africa comes to mind. Often, when we thought of Africa, we thought of large, expansive plains and deserts, and people dressed in patterned...read more
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The past week has been enlightening with learning about the many cultures that exist in the Horn of Africa, especially our own desination, Tanzania. David Tannenbaum, our instructor, gave us two days full of cultural insight into what we will be experiencing in Africa. It was a broad spectrum of information, especially focusing on history of the region, the various tribes that coexist including the well-known Maasai warriors, religion with special emphasis on Islam, and our favorite part of the...read more
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All the cadets have arrived at Fort Knox and have begun preparing for our trip. With all the time we spend together here, we have been getting to know one another for this great experience. All of us are coming from a wide range of backgrounds from all over the United States, sharing stories from home and what they are hoping to get out of CULP. We have been going to PT in the morning, followed by various cultural and language training classes to prepare ourselves for this new and exciting...read more
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It’s been a few days since my last post and much has happened. First I’d like to say that over the past week I have eaten things that I would never imagine myself ever eating. Some were surprisingly delicious, and others I hope to never encounter again. The food here is the toughest thing for me to adapt to because of the lack of meat such as chicken. I honestly miss American food but this is a great experience for my taste buds. The children in the elementary school...read more
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9 May 2012 We arrived in Seoul, South Korea this past Saturday. In Seoul we were able to experience our first Korean meals. The food is very different from what I am used to and it will take some time to adapt to the diet. I enjoy the seafood here but I’m not crazy about some of the vegetables they eat. Also in Seoul we got the chance to check out Seoul Tower. It was an amazing view of the city and I learned that Seoul is one of the largest cities in the world. On Monday...read more
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At Escuela Militar, The Chilean Army Military Academy, the action starts fast and the standardized training is intense and organized. For the first two years at the Chilean military academy you are woken up by the third and fourth year cadets at 0530. Right from the beginning of your day everything is structured, all the cadets fold their blankets at the same time, put on their pants at the same time, and tie their shoes in unison. from there cadets march to morning formation at...read more
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8 May 2012 I have just returned from the Norybong, the Korean singing rooms, and it was a blast! There’s nothing like hearing a native Korean rap 50 cent’s “In Da Club” flawlessly but with a heavy Korean accent. The Korean cadets were very friendly to us and generous in making sure that we were entertained. This was a fantastic way to end the...read more
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5 May 2012 Seoul, South Korea: We have finally arrived. After months of knowing and this final week of preparing and working out the minute details, we are finally here. Ten ROTC cadets, myself included, have come together from across the U.S. and are about to embark on a life changing experience. Some of us have been outside the United States before, but for many of us this is was our first international flight experience. We’ve flown 13 hours,...read more
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