UT Tyler GATE announces: Ghana 2016

     The University of Texas at Tyler has announced that the new destination for the Global Awareness Through Education program will be in Ghana, a West African nation. This will provide the 18 newly selected freshmen an opportunity to become exposed to international cultures along with studying courses. This study abroad opportunity is a great experience for students to get immersed in different cultures that will enhance not only their resumes but their life experiences.

Tips for Studying Abroad at UT Tyler!

With GATE interviews just around the corner and a new class of GATE students about to be accepted into the program, I have come to realize that my time with GATE is limited. It seems like just yesterday that I was anxiously waiting to apply for the program. I first learned about the group when I was on a tour of the campus and I almost walked into a door with one of their fliers on it. I was immediately curious. The flyer I saw was advertising the opportunity to study abroad and travel! What was this GATE program and how could I be a part of it?

My face upon reading that flyer!

GATE stands for Global Awareness Through Education and it is a two year program for freshman and sophomore students. The classes that GATE students take have a global focus, such as Music of the Americas and World Literature, just to name a couple. Through GATE, I have met some of the best people and I honestly don’t know what I would do if I hadn’t have made those friends. When we were all at the first social getting to know each other, it felt like the Brazil and Argentina trip was so far away. It felt like such a colossal undertaking to get 30 students on the same page in studying abroad! Now that the trip is almost a month away, I have no fingernails anymore because I can’t believe it is finally here.

Here are some tips to make getting ready to go on a study abroad trip less scary:

Italy study abroad opportunity for one UT Tyler student!

     Italy is one of the most popular countries in all of Europe. There is a strong fascination with the culture, language and especially the food. Who wouldn't love to eat the authentic pastas made fresh along with delicious gelato! One lucky student will get the opportunity to visit Italy! The University of Texas at Tyler is offering the opportunity for one student to study abroad for a semester at St. John International University in Italy!

UT Tyler Gate goes to Meiji Jingu Shrine and Imperial Palace

      Meiji Jingu Shrine is a Shintu Shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. After the Emperor and Emperess passed away, people commerate their virtues by donating 100,000 tress throughout Japan and overseas and worked voluntary to create the forest around the Meiji Jungu Shrine.

We had the opportunity to witness a traditional Japanese wedding! 

    Shintu does not have a founder, a holy book, as well as the concept of religious conversation. Shintu values for example harmony with nature and virtues such as "sincere heart" or Magokoro. Shinto believes in Kami, divine spirit, that is seen in mythology, nature, as well as human beings. In Shintu, it is believe that there is an unlimited number of Kami.

You can also purchase Ema, a wooden tablet which wishes can be written down and hung around the camphor tree.

Isn't it beautiful? 

UT Tyler's GATE student's also toured the Emperial Palace! This is a brief description from the Japan National Tourism Organization, which I could not have put any better " The Imperial Palaces, where their Majesties the Emperor and Empress reside, is situated in the center of Tokyo. The palace is surrounded by a water-filled moat and tree-covered grounds - a precious taste of nature within the bustling metropolitan city" 

Imperial Palace

UT Tyler Gate at Sensoji Temple

UT Tyler GATE students and professors with Dr. Kagawa from
 Shimane University

 Sensoji is a Buddhist Temple built completed in 645, making it the oldest temple in Tokyo. Japanese legends says that two brothers in 628 fished a statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, out of the Sumida River. The two brothers returned the statue in the river but it keeps returning to them. The temple was built nearby for the goddess Kanon.

Arriving In Tokyo with UT Tyler Gate

      As promised, I am so incredibly excited to share my experience with The University of Texas at Tyler's Gate Program trip to Japan! I am posting different blogs for each major place I visited. This will definitely be an on going project for the rest of the semester cause I just HAVE to share with y'all five weeks worth of such an amazing experience.

UT Tyler Passport Day!

Hello internet!

The Office of International Programs here at UT Tyler will be hosting it's 3rd annual PASSPORT DAY this Saturday, February 1st! If you don't have a passport yet or are interested getting one, you should come!

The event is going to be held in the University Center here on campus. If you're not sure where that is, you can use this map to find your way! It's going to start at 9:00 am -1:00 pm. If you're a first time applicant, it is required that you apply in person! So don't miss your opportunity to apply right here!

In order to apply for a US Passport, you need to do a few things.

1: Fill out the actual application form 

2: Turn in that application

3: Prove that your're a citizen of 'murica. (you can do this by turning in a copy of your birth certificate or              certificate of citizenship)

4: Submit some form of identification. (You're Drivers' licence would be good!)

5: Pay the application fee 

6: Provide a passport photo (2 X 2 inches)

Once you've turned in the required materials, and pay the fee, all you have to do is wait to get you're Passport to arrive! Oh yeah, The fee for the passport book is $110, and to also get a passport card is $30 extra. Like most things, they do charge you a little fee for processing (so that they can pay their peeps) of $25. 

If you suffer from a severe case of wanderlust, like me, don't miss your opportunity to get your ticket to the world! Get your passport. 

If you have any questions, feel free to call 903-565-5976 (UT Tyler) or 903-579-8674 (Tyler USPS Office)

"The mountains are calling, and I must go".

I'm Back!

       After a semester of being away from the Call Center, I can't express how much I miss this second family of mine! I am so pleased to see familiar faces as well as two new ones:) Carver. and Dallas., I'm excited to get to know you guys better!

Cute Meets Kawaii: UT Tyler Edition

Over the weekend, I went shopping with students from Shimane University here in Tyler at the Broadway Square Mall. This is not the first time I went shopping with students from Matsue, but this group of students was different than the first group I escorted to the mall. It was a new experience for me entirely.

The infamous Octo-Cutie

The first group of students (Group A) had both young men and women in it and they were randomly divided amongst us eager GATE students by whoever wanted to go to which store and who showed up at what time. When my group first showed up to the mall, our advisor Ashley instructed us to find the Shimane students in Buildabear. This baffled us, but once we got to Buildabear, we found our pair of students to show around the mall. One was quite puzzled as he looked at a pink octopus/squid hybrid with lollipop wings and the other student was standing beside him holding a little skeleton costumed hedgehog as though trying to understand why in the world such things would exist. Upon asking me what it was, all I could think to say was: “It is cute.”He smiled, content with my answer and repeated it back to me. “Cute. Kawaii?” While before he wasn’t entirely sure what I was saying because of the language barrier and acting out what we were trying to say with charades, he got the message clearly. 

It's looking into your soul!

After a little deliberation amongst themselves, the two young men from Shimane University asked us to take them where they could buy casual shirts. As we browsed through the racks of JC Penny for men’s clothing, he brought everything that was pink, sparkly, or animal print to my attention with one simple word: “kawaii?” In turn, I tried to figure out exactly the look the two were after. There were so many options: polo shirts, t-shirts, long sleeved shirts? The (all girl) GATE group I led searched relentlessly, finding all kinds of cute t shirts and business shirts, each time the question asked was: “do you like it? We think it’s cute!” Each time, we struck out.

 It wasn’t until we tried Old Navy (where I discovered the fox sweater) that we found the perfect look. It was a simple white collared shirt, with brown shell buttons. Suddenly it clicked with our group. This was the perfect shirt for what we were looking for! Both groups looked at each other and asked the following: “Do you like it? We think it’s cute.” The shirt was so simple and so clean that we fell in love with it instantaneously. While not initially what we (GATE) was looking for, the purity of it was what made it so special. After a makeshift fashion show in the middle of Old Navy, they bought the shirts.

To an onlooker who had no idea what was going on, it would look like a field trip and nothing more, nothing less. To us, it was something more than a quest for a shirt. We could’ve played charades all day trying to figure out what each group was saying, but at the end of the shopping trip, we were both searching for something we found “cute” or “kawaii” that each other liked. The friends that shop together, stay together.

Universal Cuteness <3

Traveling Blues

       2 MORE MONTHS! 2 more short months until I fly over the Pacific (or is it the Atlantic?)  Ocean to Japan! This trip has been the ABSOLUTE anticipated event that 11 lucky students have been waiting on!

If you guys don't know, GATE stands for Global Awareness Through Education. This outstanding program started 2 years ago. My "GATE '13" group (we are traveling in the summer of 2013, hence "13" in the name) is actual the inaugural class! Freshman apply for a spot in the group, which consist of an essay and phone interview.

The intelligibility is restricted to Freshman because it is a 2 year program. Students will be taking "GATE classes ". These classes are core classes every majors has to take anyways so you don't have to add on extra classes, which is always nice :) These classes are taught by UT Tyler professors that have graciously agreed to tweak their class to put in a global prospective on their lesson plan. Students also participate in various global activities held on campus by Central for Global Education ( CGE).

These include from outstanding lectures from FBI agent s to ambassadors at the UN, and even Foods of the World! If you are interested in attending these events, check out the GATE facebook page!

     As I said, 2 more short months, well more like closer to 3 actually since we just started March, but we leave DFW on May 23rd! We have to be there to start check out by 7:30 a.m. I must add! This leads me to the not so glamorous part of traveling that I do not enjoy....

1. Waking up SUPER EARLY  to drive to the airport. 
2. Checking in. Yes, I know this is for safety but it takes FOREVER! (have you guys noticed how impatient I am?)
3. The flight is 13 hours long! 13!!!! This is not good for people who are nauseous the whole time during a flight like myself :(
4. Packing. oh boy... about this, I tend to over pack anyways.. so what do I do when I have limited space and a weight limit to pack for a 5 week long trip?! Our GATE adviser told us to pack for just a week and a half worth of clothes. That's is easily said than done, especially for girls! WE LIKE LOTS OF CLOTHING OPTIONS! 
5. Cell phones, credit cards, computers, student insurance cards, vaccination.. well all those have to be figured out. I must talk to my cell phone providers and bank to inform them I am leaving out of the country!

Fortunately, I will be traveling by plane

In general, these are the knitty gritty stuff that's not as much fun to think about and do. So, as our trip comes closer, I really have to buckle down and tackle these pre-traveling stuff and get them all figured out! Don't get me wrong I am VERY much excited to go, and I probably sound negative talking about the trip, but these are the stuff I get so anxious about when it comes to traveling! Do you guys have tips for me? I have traveled abroad mutiple times but NEVER without my parents, so any suggestions would help! :) I would really appreciate that! 

I will post more stuff about t pre-trip activities and thoughts as the day comes closer! And be ready ready to see LOTS AND LOTS of pictures of Japan when I come back :) 

Take Advantage!

Whenever I get the chance, I am going to be buying some new music, the soundtrack to this legit musical called 1789:  Les Amants de la Bastille [The Lovers of Bastille], a French production based on the events of Bastille Day, the French independence day.  Were it not for French courses that I took a few years ago, I would not be able to appreciate and understand the music.  (Now I just have to get over to France so that I can actually see the musical. :D)

Every year, there are an increasing number of ways to experience different cultures, both in class and outside of class at UT Tyler.  Here are just a few of these opportunities:

• Language courses:  By learning a new language, you learn about another culture.  On top of that, you get something awesome to put on your resume; as companies continue to expand around the globe, they want bilingual employees.  Here at UT Tyler, you can study Chinese, French, Japanese, Latin, and Spanish, just to name a few.
• Culture classes:  There are several courses with a multicultural focus, including courses in art, English, history, political science, and sociology. Of course, the best way to learn about other cultures is to experience the culture at it's heart, which is possible through UT Tyler's travel-study courses.
• Multicultural Events: The Cowan Center offers numerous events that students may attend for free.  The GATE program schedules a variety of programs with a global focus throughout the year;  the Jazz Band and the Choir offer periodic performances as well.   Many of our own students get to have their artwork displayed at the Meadows Gallery, which is open to students free of charge.  If those do not pique your interest, then there are also lots of student organizations to participate in to broaden your horizons.

As you can see, there are lots of opportunities to explore the world around you right on your own university; try to take advantage of these opportunities if you can! :)

Memories of London

When just a few sprinkles of rain fall at the University of Texas at Tyler and everyone begins pulling out umbrellas and rain boots, I cannot help but be amused as I think of how the rain would be perceived in London, England. In a city world-famous for the amounts of rain that it receives annually, people barely pay any mind; Londoners would consider the sprinkle a mere mist. It’s also moments like this that make me think back to the time that I spent in London.

In the summer of 2011, I received the opportunity of a lifetime when I got to spend an entire month in London studying sociology through the British Studies Program. This program is one of the many opportunities to study abroad that UT Tyler offers (though the BSP is also in conjunction with the University of Southern Mississippi), and it was a perfect fit for me.

I really appreciated the fact that while I was in London, I was not there as a tourist. I legitimately was a Londoner for the month that I lived there. Despite being extremely jet-lagged, on the first two days that I was in London, I took several whirlwind tours around the city with the rest of my classmates to get acclimated to the city quickly. I lived in a dorm (also called a “flat”) that was in central London, literally just five minutes from Waterloo Station. I rode “the Tube” and the buses on a daily basis to get to various sites, utilizing a pass called “the Oyster Card” that Londoners use.

The format of my class was unique in and of itself. As opposed to spending day after day in a lecture hall, my classmates and I heard some lectures from our professor in the classroom on some days. On other days, a guest speaker native to England—or another part of the United Kingdom—would come speak on their field of expertise. The experience that was most common for my class, however, was to travel to a specific place and to learn about that place as we were actually immersed in it. While at the Charlton Athletic Football Club, I learned just how important football (or soccer as it is called in the United States) may be to a British person. While in the city of Canterbury, I learned--and witnessed--how destructive the World War Two Blitz was to this city.

There is definitely nothing like learning about the history and culture of a place while actually living there. Have you ever been to another country? If so, where have you gone?  What were some of your best memories?

Mornings in Israel

This sign pointed to all of the important places in or around Israel like Jerusalem or Bagdad.

So I spent the majority of my Spring break in Israel. As in that country across the ocean fondly referred to as ‘the Holy land’ not to be confused with the violent place seen on TV. I went with The Center for Global Education on a Political Science study tour. While there my classmates (who later would become my friends) studied the conflict between Israel and Palestine and talked to some crazy influential people; but we will get to all that later. I have been trying to figure out how to break this blog up, which is why it is slightly overdue. I experienced so many things in Israel and I THINK it is all very important, although the truth is some parts could probably be left out. So I am going to inform you on MY VERSION of the Israel trip and you can fill in the gaps and conclude from it whatever you wish. Deal? Deal. I am going to break this into three separate parts. Mornings, Lunch (because let’s face it meals are basically a time of day and this one happens to be my favorite), and Nights in Israel.

MORNINGS IN ISRAEL

Friendships with a Time Difference

My high school friends and I knew this day would eventually come. We are all literally on opposite sides of the world. At first, I dreaded the idea of making new friends. After moving 37 times before high school, I was not looking forward to moving again and losing these people.

The three of us learned thick lessons of love and money by trial. We sometimes learned by luck. We examined our desperately human parents, and learned to understand our own weaknesses. Fighting hurdles with heart, when other muscles lacked. I was scared I was losing a wonderful support system.

I was worried for my friends, too. Specifically, I would worry about my friend who was always more timid than me. She is studying in South Africa, and we are so proud of her! After seeing how much she has come out of her shell, I've contemplated how I could pay for it, and UT Tyler seems to have it covered. I want to travel, too! Maybe I want to go to France or China? I could go anywhere else. I could do anything.

Before she left to study in Africa, we traveled to Hawaii to see our other friend. She is married now and completing her degree. No matter how drastically things have changed, the three of us are closer than ever, and truly appreciate our maturing friendships. Our worlds are only expanding. So far, I have a vacation home in Hawaii and a couch to crash on in South Africa~