__ 2003-2004
Experience the World
.Office, Q^.SIniernaiionafCPro^ram^
Caroline O'Leary's Fabulous Year Abroad
October 7, Tampere
£ast weekendwas Cfampere 7)ay) which
meant that aff of the museums in town were
either reducedadmission or free. Cflgroup
of us too A advantage of this and spent (Sat
urday andSunday roaming around.
(Jn Saturday we went to the
fish market and got as many
free samples as we could eat. We then
walked to Pyynikki Ridge, a park
where you can see both lakes on ei
ther side of Tampere. We also trekked
up the five stories of the tower for a
breathtaking view.
7 /
sion of chandeliers down the center
aisle. We sat there for forty minutes,
feeling the space.
October 20, from Tampere
The weekend before last a group of
us went to Tallinn, Estonia.
As we were coming into port on the
ferry, the town rose up along a hill be
fore us. To the left were modem
buildings, and to the right housing
projects from the Soviet era. Our ho
tel was outside of the old town in a
rundown area.
A fortress wall surrounds the old
it. This means that the Danish gov
ernment is finally cracking down—
which may eventually lead to the
squatters getting kicked out.
Now I'm heading to
Luxembourg for a cou
ple of days, then Berlin,
Prague, Bratsliva, and
landing in Zagreb,
Croatia, where I begin
my summer internship.
I'm excited about going
to southern Europe!
Oh, when my family
idea. In studio you know some things
would have to change if it were built,
but you just don't understand the
repercussions until you take it to the
know this won 7 be the end. Jhis country has affected me so much
that 9am considering staging for another three months.
we neaaed Dack to town and
stopped at Alexander's Church. It was
so beautiful, post-Reformation with a
basilica plan, dark wooden trusses,
the pulpit celebrated in color and
carvings, an organ, a balcony, iconog
raphy in prominent
places but
every
where,
and a
pro
ces
part of town, and many of the streets
inside are cobblestone. It is very tight
ly built, crowded. The most memo
rable thing we saw was Aleksander
Nevski Cathedral, of Russia Orthodox
design with the most beautiful lines,
soft comers, detailed, soft colors,
rounded, curved—amazing.
That night, we ate at a medieval
restaurant and had cinnamon beer
(still dreaming about it!), filet
mignon, yams, rice, fresh bread, fresh
cheese, stew, veggies, mashed potatoes
and very full stomachs!
May 22, Copenhagen
I really like Copenhagen. The peo
ple are helpful, there's a lot to see and
do, and the weather's beautiful. The
variety of things available in a very
small area is incredible, and I highly
recommend you visit here.
Be sure to see Christiania, where all
the hippies live, and where they have
Pusher Row—where some biker gangs
have infiltrated the free-loving area
and are beginning to commercialize
visited, we went to the
Netherlands and found the house
where my great-grandfather was bom!
July 21, Zagreb
I'm working for an architecture firm
called Studio 3LHD. They've got me
as the head designer for a house in
Dubrovnik for a football (soccer)
player who's Australian but plays for
England. I'm completely amazed that
they're allowing me to do this, but so
far they like what I've done.
August 26
Zagreb is a lived-in city. There are
tags (graffiti) over most of the build
ings, but the streets are clean and safe.
The people are animated and friend
ly—open to meeting new people and
sharing their views on your country.
Working in the studio and seeing
the design process from the beginning
has taught me that your original con
ceptual design can change drastically
just from the realities of making it an
actual building. I have been working
for a firm for six years and had no
Nighttime in Tallinn, Estonia
next step.
My summer here has been incredi
bly full. At the beginning, we had
about 14 students from around the
world. Taking advantage of a beauti
ful country and the size of our group,
we began traveling to the coast. We
learned that a sunrise from a rooftop
in Zadar and one from a beach in
Pula are two of the most beautiful
things you can witness.
I know this won't be the end. This
country has affected me so much that
I am considering staying for another
three months. It's the life that pulses
through the streets and the people: I
want to see how they grow and trans
form as the seasons turn and the city
changes.
Editor's Note: Caroline O'Leary is a senior major
ing in architecture and political science. She studied
in Finland in the fall semester of2002 and in the
D1S program (Copenhagen) in the spring semester
of2003. Afterwards, she completed a summer in
ternship with an architecture firm in Croatia. If you
wish this described your last year, come see us in 330
Oregon Hall!
'The Rewards Were Infinite': Hip Hap and HIV/AIDS Prevention in Tanzania
6y
' Jtirslin Sunderson
7 could write SooAs-volumes-about
months in Uanzania with the Qlodaf intern
s/jips program, and that in itself is testament to its
potential and its ability to help students grow and
change in a well- siructurea space i/mi is si ill open enouy/j
to allowJ-or creativity.
My time in Tanzania was packed with lit
tle epiphanies and big lessons, and it was an
experience that shaped my path more than
any other here at the University of Oregon. Nestled
into the hanging valley between Mt. Meru and Mt.
Kilimanjaro in northern Tanzania is the United
African Alliance Community Center (UAACC),
where I worked during my three months in the pro
gram. The UAACC is a small, community-based or
ganization that has grown to include an amalgam
of classes and services ranging from HIV/AIDS pre
vention to courses in computer literacy.
My position at the center gave me the opportunity
to both teach and help organize community events,
much of the time, trying out simple phrases like
"how did you sleep,' and having them come out
My time in Ionian ia was pa chedwith (idle epiphanies and6ig lessons.
as well as delve into my own studies on the effects
of hip hop on the fight against HIV/AIDS.
In Tanzania, I lived and worked in Swahili, a
feat that left me smili
more like "and how is you cat?" But I considered
Swahili a welcome challenge, and in the end the re
wards were infinite.
In my time at the UAACC, perhaps the biggest les
son I learned was one of humility, meaning that if
you want to be heard, you must make what you say
relevant to others. The IE3 program gave me the
chance to be a constructive voice, a teacher, and a
student—all in a context that was independent and
yet supported. It is a wonderful opportunity that I
think all undergraduates should consider.
Editor s Note: Senior Kirstin Gunderson is majoring in international
studies and Spanish. Kirstin also participated in the Quito, Ecuador
program in the fall of2002.
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
International Programs
330 Oregon Hall • http://studyabroad.uoregon.edu
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