Office of Global Programs Newsletter – Spring 2024

Going Global

The Office of Global Programs

Spring2024

SPRING SPRING

Welcome to the newest edition of Going Global, the quarterly newsletter that provides readers with information and reflections on the international experiences of GCC students.

Director: Mrs. Jennifer Gilliliand

Field Director: Dr. Erik Bardy

Global Programs Coordinator: Mrs. Rachel Anderson

Global Programs Assistant: Mrs. Patti Bardy Student Advisors: Madeline Warburton, Hannah Evans, Tessa Nave, Abi Collier, Hannah Espinosa, Catherine Maher, Mason Nichols

Office: SHAL 319

Instagram: @gccogp

CliffordHughes Prague,CzechRepublic (AAU)

Clifford Hughes is a senior Management major with a minor in trumpet. He is currently studying abroad for a year at the Anglo-American University (AAU) in Prague, CzechRepublic.

Hughes always knew he wanted to study abroad,butCovid-19 interferedwithhisplansto studyabroadacoupleyears ago.Withthingsnowopen,he decidedtotakeanother yearsohecouldstudyabroad fortwosemesters.Hewillbe graduatinginDecember2024.

Hughesspentalotoftimetravelinginthe fall.HecametoEuropetwoweeksearlyto travel before starting classes. He went to Budapest, Hungary and Vienna, Austria. Forhisotherbreak,HugheswenttoRome andtheSouthofFrance.

“This is a golden opportunity to study abroad.”

HughesknewbasicCzech beforecomingtotheCzech Republicwhichcameinhandy sinceEnglishisnotwidelyspokeninPrague. He lives in an apartment with two students from other American universities. He said thetransitioncouldnothavebeeneasier.

AAU is the most affordable study abroad programthattheOfficeofGlobalPrograms offers and is an excellent school for businessmajors.

All his classes are taught in English. His favorite class in the fall semester was Business Ethics. He also took Project Management, Operations Management, and BusinessLaw.

For the spring semester, he is taking HR Management, Business Policy and Strategy, Elementary Czech, and Changing Business DynamicsandStrategiesintheDigitalAge.

His favorite part of Prague is the neighboring streets near his university. There are numerous hidden gardens and parks tucked between stone buildings that he has discovered.

A park near his university has wildpeacocks. Amonghisother explorationsaroundthecity,he has visited the iconic Prague Castle and Saint Thomas Church.

His goal for the spring semester is to make local connections in hopes of getting a job in Prague. It is a dream of Hughes’ to work abroad. His advice for any student interested in studying abroad is to do it now.

Rio de Janeiro Spotlight city:

SUGARLOAF MOUNTAIN

Sugarloaf Mountain is an iconic landmark of Rio and offers a beautiful, sweeping view of the landscape. To get to the top, you can either hike through the Brazilian rainforest or take the third oldest cable car to the top.

CORCOVADO: CHRISTTHE REDEEMER

PARQUENACIONAL DATIJUCA

IPANEMA

Visit one of the seventh wonders of the world in Rio: the iconic Christ the Redeemer monument that gazes over Rio from its perch 710 meters above sea level. It is a spectacular view of the coastal city.

This jungle reserve is all that is left of the Atlantic jungle that used to surround Rio. It is a beautiful place to hike, have a picnic, and see the wide variety of wildlife. You will see multiple waterfalls and caves on your journey.

Ipanema is home to the world-famous Ipanema Beach and inspiration for the song “The Girl from Ipanema.” It is called the crown jewel of Rio. It is a culturally rich area of art galleries, boutiques, and elegant restaurants.

What is it about

Just the word is evocative and alluring. Paris is a city unlike any other for its character and charm. Why is it glamorized in movies? How are there hundreds of novels concerning Paris? Whendiditbecomesuchanenchanted, romanticizedcity?

Do we love Paris for its elaborate architecture with Juliet balconies and gold-encrusted interiors? Is it the cobblestone streets that spill into courtyards full of local cafés and artists setting up shop on the lawn? Is it the history that has seeped into the very stones and bricks people tread over every day where the Romans and Marie Antoinette walked? Is it the local boulangerie with the enticing aroma of freshly baked bread and pastries? Is it the tables and chairs from cafés spilled onto sidewalks for people to enjoy a pastry and espresso? Is it the Eiffel Tower and the multitude of famous monuments and museums like the Louvrethatadornsthecity?

There are a variety of answers to why people are drawn to the City of Lights. I honestlycannotsaywhatmytopreason is, but I can say I have been enchanted byParissinceIwasachild.Ithasbeena childhood fantasy and a lifelong dream tovisitParis.ThisJanuary,Iwasableto makethatdreamcometrue.

Describing Paris in one short article is difficult, almost impossible to do because of its rich history, glamorous obsessionwithartandfood,andpursuit of beauty in all things. The French are bold in their search for beauty, creation of beauty, and surrounding themselves withbeautywherevertheygo.

Paris

Madeline Warburton

Parisisnotjustacityandaplacetolive, butaplacetoloseyourselfanddiscover yourselfatthesametime. Iwentonthe Global Studies France course, which my professor laughingly said was looking at the grittier side of France compared to the HUMA group. Yet, it made it even moremeaningfultoseethetenacityand passion the French have for their country and culture; how they have breathed life and beauty back into their livesaftermultiplewars.

It was bitterly cold when we arrived in ParisinearlyJanuary.Often,therewere overcast skies and a biting wind, but that did not stop us from running around Paris, taking blurry photos, and eatinglocalcuisine.

WhatmakesParissouniquearethesmall details. Nothing is made just for practicality,butfortheaestheticsaswell.

Parisians lounged on chairs in Jardin de Luxembourg in the harsh winter sunlight and practiced martial arts among the trees. We trekked our way up to Montmartre, a beautiful quarter, yet notorious for unforgiving flights of stairs. Weadmiredartistspaintinglandscapesof Paris on canvas for all to admire and purchaseinaplaza.SacreCoeur,awhite, majestic cathedral sits on a hill that overlooks the environs of Paris and you canseethequiltworkofrooftopsandthe spireoftheEiffelTowerinthedistance.

One cold night before attending a French play,wehuddledaroundabistrotableina quaint café, nursing our cups of hot chocolate and tea. We sat in the outdoor eating area that was enclosed by seethrough tarps and outdoor heaters. Locals chatted casually, sipped espressos, and elegantlysmokedcigarettes.

We perused through the bookshelves of Shakespeare and Company, a famous English bookstorethatiskitty-cornertoNotreDame.A piano was being played on the second floor while guests discovered nooks and crannies of bookshelvesstockedfullofbooks.

The antique Shakespeare and Company is adjacent, and gentlemen were outside playing chessonaspindlytable.

We got lost among the floors and halls of artworkintheLouvre,overstimulatingyetaweinspiring, viewing the masters, Greco and Roman sculptures, and a glimpse of Mona Lisa fromadistance.

Yet, I have to admit Musee d’Orsay was my favoritemuseumwewenttoonthattrip.Itisa massive building that was converted from an old train station and most of the artwork picks up chronologically after the Louvre. It holds mostly impressionistic artwork. When we were there, we were able to visit the Van Gogh exhibit.

Monet, Degas, Renoir, and more adorned the walls of d’Orsay; awe-inspiring pieces to see in person. Degas’s “The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer”majesticallypoisedinherglassexhibit; a sense of wistfulness and youthful passion, readytotakeontheworld.

Paris is the city for artists, intellectuals, and writers. We passed the Sorbonne, meandered down college bookstore street, chuck full of uniqueandexcitingbookstores.Parisisthecity formusicians.Wesatinachillystonecathedral andweremesmerizedbytheenchantingsounds of music. Paris is the city for royals. We toured Versailles; it is opulent and rather garish in nature,butstillapalacetovisitandadmire.We passedtheburialspotsofhundredsofroyalsin the Saint-Denis Cathedral, full of realistic sculptures of the influential and insignificant. Paris is the city for foodies. Algerian, African, Lebanese dishes satisfied our palettes with delicious new flavors. Paris is for businesspeople.Thefinancialdistrictisbuilton modern architecture with jagged and swooping silhouettes, crowds of people hurrying on and off the ever-bustling metro. Paris is for nature lovers.

Eveninthewinter,Parisisbeautifulwithits graceful landscapes and water fountains in Luxembourg gardens, the exotic garden within the Grand Mosque, and watching the slowly churning Seine gracefully move bargesandboatsdownitswaterylane.

The sun had set, and lamps were overflowingwithpoolsofsoftlightontothe cobbled stone sidewalks. Car lights flashed and lights from within buildings glowed warmly.IoverlookedtheSeine,admiringthe string lights and noise and chatter emanating from a barge, lively with party goers. Heels clacking on the sidewalk could beheard,andvoicesfloateduptousonthe bridge. The Eiffel Tower shimmered in the distance,castingdownaflirtatiousglance.

This is Paris. The wonderment, beauty, tenacity, and elegance that pervades Parisian culture. It is not just the museums andlandmarks,butthesecretsidestreetsof local life, food markets, and cafés, hole-inthe-wall bookstores and posh boutiques. There is an essence of Parisian culture that isdifficulttoputintowords.

I was scared that I would be disappointed with Paris after dreaming about it for over ten years, but it exceeded my expectations. Once you have visited Paris, it never truly leaves you. It has my heart. Till next time, dearCityofLights.

CostaRica CostaRica

TravelCourse

May2025

MNGT214

MNGT302

INBS205

INBS417

Questions?

ButlerDM@gcc.edu or stop by the OGP in SHAL 319

Business Ethics

Lean Management

Global Business Issues

Global Supply Chains

EDUCATION IN SCANDINAVIA

atravelcourse | may2025

EDUC 488* | issues in education

*all GCC students can take this course for credit!

culbertsonld@gcc.edu or stop by SHAL 319

applications available soon!

Bolivia TRAVELCOURSETO

JULY19-AUG2,2025

$3,975

RELI320TheologyofMissions

GOBL310Latino/aandBolivianLiteraturesandCultures

Questions?ShepsonDR@gcc.edu

GCC STUDENTS STUDYING ABROAD SPRING 2024

Want to know how you can study abroad, too? MorganGuentter

HannahHanson FLORENCE ITALY

LilyannaBarnes LYON FRANCE

DaneIrvine STIRLING SCOTLAND

VinceClay FLORENCE ITALY

CliffHughes PRAGUE CZECHREPUBLIC

JocelynMoores SEVILLE SPAIN

SydneyFinch PARIS FRANCE

GingerSchiffmayer FLORENCE ITALY KinleyBowers FLORENCE ITALY

FLORENCE ITALY

HannahEvans FLORENCE ITALY

MaggieStutz LONDON ENGLAND

FEATURING:

tea | scones | matcha cookies

bruschetta | plantain chips | almond nougat a haiku tree | the leaning tower of Pisa a llama in sunglasses and special guest Krimson Kilts

Ingredients

8 cups of chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb

1-1/4 cups sugar, divided

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup quick-cooking oats

1 cup cold butter

custard sauce:

6 large egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1-1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine the rhubarb and 3/4 cup sugar. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb is tender, about 10 minutes.

1. Pour into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. In a bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, oats, and remaining sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly; sprinkle over rhubarb. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

3.

2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, whisk the egg yolks and sugar; stir in cream. Cook and stir over low heat until a thermometer reads 160 degrees and mixture thickens, 15-20 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Serve warm over rhubarb crumble.