#magellanproject

[lostineuropeforamagellan]

German McDonald’s and ...

Where can we get a McDonald’s with such view and design in the US?!

An event for disable people in front of Brandenburg gate.

I really wanted to try this Segway tour but did not get the chance to...

One of the museums on Museum Island.

Holocaust memorial in Berlin

One side of the Berlin Wall.

East Side Gallery - the wall got turned into several miles long street art “museum”.

I got a spot in the Reichstag Dome tour!

[jonathanweese-blog]

Evening walks with a view of Parliament alongside the river Thames in London, England.

[kmetta]

Swedish Insights, The Real Reason for Massive Welfare?

The conversations I have had in Helsingborg have been very interesting to my project. My host, Gustav, has a passion for learning about International Relations and History. This passion translated itself into interesting conversation for my project. As I gently leaned my back against the kitchen counter, Gustav and I conversed in depth about foreign relations and Sweden. One area of conversation we discussed is why Sweden has a well developed social welfare system. Gustav took time to show me a book he has been reading published by a Swedish researcher who argues that Swedish people have a strong trust in their institutions that dates back 600 years. The author uses a variety of public opinion polls and historical facts to support his claim that this "trust" has allowed Swedes to not only have strong faith in their government's abilities, but also the respect Swedish people have for one another. My next thought becomes: The contrast between America becomes apparent. One could very well argue that Americans have always distrusted large, imposing government. Our revolution was brought about by an anger towards a super imposing government. To this day, we place a strong emphasis on the freedom of American individuals to spend their money as we please and to live lives as we please. To what extent this emphasis translates into actual freedom is debatable, but nonetheless, the emphasis of importance is certainly there. It seems in Sweden, more emphasis is placed on the well-being of society. The Swedish phrase pronounced "low-gohm" translates into "not too much, not too little." Swedes use the phrase fairly often for all matters of life and the phrase dates back to the days of Vikings (Swedish source of pride) where food was passed around on boats...all was to be shared and thus, Vikings were to take neither too much or little. To return to this contrast, I find it quite interesting these ideologies of trust in the institutions and trust in fellow countrymen have the potential to allow Sweden to become the massive public welfare state that is is today. In America, we do not share all the burdens of higher taxes or receive the bounty of benefits this redistribution of income brings. To what extent history and ideology are behind these formulations would be worth investigation. Gustav also brought up an interesting point. He mentioned that Swedes like to think and are probably true to argue that you can make a success of yourself even if you came from nothing but work hard in school to receive a good education. Why? Because the government pays for it. This is a neat sort of idea. In some way, it sounds a bit like the American dream to me. You come to a foreign land, work hard, study harder, and you become a success with the ability to work your dream job or support a family. While I would contend just as much economic opportunity is available in America for immigrants, I would also contend that it may be harder for young immigrants to rise through the ranks of society (even in spite of hard work) because it may be difficult for them to receive an education. Say for instance a lower middle class person in Sweden vs America wants to attend college. If you are lucky in America, you could get all your education paid for or pay very little. Unfortunately, the stats show that college debt is an increasing burden on graduates. In Sweden the opposite is true. In fact, you can even get paid to go to school. Of course, whether the cost of HIGHER TAXES to make this happen is debatable...but...I can sure say that I would rather pay double what I did in taxes this past year and have my education paid for almost in full than pay what I did OR EVEN nothing and receive little benefit federally. That is all for now, I am off to relax on the beach shore and study for the LSAT! :) Til next time. -August 8th

[lostineuropeforamagellan]

CDG - SXF

I was surprised when I did not have to go through immigration once I arrived at Berlin. Instead of sitting on a train for more than 8 hours, I decided to by a plane ticket. As I followed my host’s direction to get back to the house, I got on the wrong subway line due to recent changes that he was not aware of. I found the way German number their houses extremely odd since they do not split into even and odd sides. 

One thing that I love about Germany, the public transportation system! I could choose from buses, the M trains, or subways. Normally, you would not find an officer who check for ticket. People automatically purchase tickets once they get on the train. The problem that I ran into more than ever wanted is getting on the wrong train due to standing on the wrong side... However, those time lead me to unexpected places and I fall in love with all of the street arts. Unlike the romantic vibe that Paris gives, Berlin appeared as a more “industrial-city”. Construction sites pop up all over the city! Strangely I adore this mix of new and old structures. 

Lucky for me, Alex reached out and told me that Brooke and her were studying in Berlin. Us three then met up for dinner and some ice cream afterward. DubJay students are truly world travelers!

[lostineuropeforamagellan]

McDonald’s in France

We lined up for the McDonald inside of the Lourve. Here, people ordered on giant tablet and then got their receipts. They only came to the counter to pay and pick up their orders. 

I love how all the information are printed big on the containers. Price of a Big Mac Meal was 8.40 euros. 

Here is another McDonald’s, but in Maurane’s home town, which is an hour and a half away from Paris. The logo is a deep green because a few years ago, McD had a “going green” campaign all through out Europe.

Incredibly clean and well designed!

An outdoor playground for the kids. This McDonald’s is very family friendly. Maurane said the mayor of the city refused too let McD open in her town for three years until the company agreed to build a playground and turn it into a family friendly restaurant. 

[lostineuropeforamagellan]

Self Assessment

I was awfully wrong when I thought my journey to Europe will not be that much harder than my trip in South Korea. Needless to say, from the language barriers to the lack of knowledge about each country’s culture, I was well challenged by this project. But despite the countless times I got on the wrong trains or turned the wrong direction, I have completed my Magellan project successfully.

Before I left for Paris, I contacted an exchanged student, Maurane, whom I had a business class with for a semester and asked if she could host me for a few days. I was nervous because the two of us were not that close to begin with. However, to my surprise, she kindly said yes! I was extremely excited because that meant I get to spend time as a local. I embarked on my European journey and flew to Paris: my first stop. Spending time with Maurane was truly unforgettable. Not only did she show me around Paris, she brought me back to her house which was an hour and a half away from the city. I checked with Maurane on whether I must greet her mother the French way: kissing her on the cheeks. She laughed and said I can do whatever I am comfortable with. During the four days I stayed with her, she taught me how to utilize Paris’s public transportation system, show me which place is the best to eat at, and everything that I need to know about Parisians. I also picked up a few French phrases, enough to order myself a croissant and a cup of coffee. I never knew I could fall in love so quickly with a city that I have never been to before.

           The flight from CDG to SFX in Berlin was not too long. I was utterly shocked because there was no immigration line. No one stamped my passport. I just picked up my bag and walked straight out the door. As I followed my host’s direction to get to the Airbnb, I got on the wrong train. Good thing I asked another passenger and she kindly redirected me. Another problem that I ran into: houses in Germany are numbered in a different system. The houses are numbered continuously – 12 would be standing next to 13 - instead of having an odd and an even side. Needless to say, it took me a while to find the Airbnb since I could not figure out the system at first. It turned out that the host gave me the right direction, just that he was not aware of the recent changes in the route due to construction. To me, Berlin was a magnanimous construction site. The new buildings pop up against the old ones, turning the entire city into a contemporary art museum. I never got bored walking around the city since the sceneries vary from place to place.    

           When another W&J student, Alex saw the picture of Berlin that I posted on my social media, she reached out and offered to advise me on where I should go and what I should do in Berlin. Needless to say, I got so excited knowing that I have friends from W&J here with me in Berlin! Alex, Brooke met up with me for a nice dinner in their favorite restaurant in the city. Fun facts that I learned from the two ‘locals’: Fanta and ice cream bars taste much better in Germany. It was incredible how all three of us could meet up in a foreign country! Once again, I can proudly confirm that us Presidents are world travelers.

Denmark left a deep impression on me because someone in that country still has my wallet. I vividly recalled when I sat on the stone steps outside of a building that I could not remember, my head buried in between my knees, grieving for my stolen wallet. I scolded myself for being so ignorant with my surrounding. In my defense, I have always kept my wallet in my backpack, and it was with me through Paris and Berlin. The only day when I walked around with two of my friends, my wallet got picked in Nyhavn, Copenhagen. I was scared. Scared because I still have another country to go to, a journey to complete. Even more scared because I was all by myself in a strange city. Luckily, I still had my passport and some money set aside. From that point on, I learned that important documents must either be on me or in the hidden compartment on the back of my backpack. Another lesson that I jotted down in my traveling notes is that I must split my money into different portions and keep them in different places, just in case if my wallet is stolen again, I will still have money with me.

I left Denmark with a heavy heart. However, I could not stay upset when I knew that my dream of meeting Travelling Kat will come true after the flight from CPH to ARN. During the time I stayed at her house, I listened to many stories from not only Kat, but also from her parents. I now fully understand how Kat can pack her words with inspiration, with positivity – she has a loving family who always support her unconditionally. Those moments when I visited the places that she mentioned in her book will remain in my heart. In Stockholm, I randomly found a good friend, Rebecca, through the free city tour. She was very impressed when I talked in Chinese to her. Us two girls ended up exploring different aspects of the city together. Before, I thought making friend is a challenge since it always seems like I am bothering others. Now, I can comfortably strike a conversation with a stranger. I strongly believe that each person has a story to tell, and all of those stories should be heard.

           Simply put, the best lesson that I learned from this Magellan is if I do not know about something, ASK. I ran into problems now and then so people’s help was what helped me go through the journey. I now appreciate questions, whether they are for someone else or for me. Through series of questions, I gain a better understanding on a tourist attraction, a city, or even a person. I also never knew how studying in W&J could prepare me so well for the real world. All of the connections that I made here through classes, clubs, and organizations benefit me in so many different ways. I now have connections with students and alumni who come from different part of the world. With that being said, from now on, I will reach out to our student and alumni network before I plan for my next adventure.

[lostineuropeforamagellan]

HAN - SGN

One thing that you might not know about Vietnam, McDonald’s established their first store in 2014. Yes, very recently. It is not because we do not have fastfood chains, KFC has been in Vietnam for two decades! As of now, we only have McD in Ho Chi Minh city, the south of Vietnam; therefore, I have to fly in from Hanoi. 

A special feature from the Vietnamese menu: RICE! 

The size of a regular drink here is probably the size of a kid’s drink in the States

I came when Despicable Me 3 was out in theaters so the entire place turned into a minion “shrine”.  

A separate counter for McCafe. Love it.

[lostineuropeforamagellan]

Why I love Stockholm...

First thing first, SWEDEN IS BECOMING A CASH FREE COUNTRY! HAH! Bet you didn’t know that before you read this post! Please actually take a moment to read about this ingenious movement!  Obviously, I have to talk about the McDonald’s here. Great service! They also offer many specialties that only exist in Sweden. According to Travelling Kat, McD has to signed a contract agreeing to only use Sweden beef instead of importing them! I think this is an excellent move to support domestic products and cut down cost. 

A notable detail: this large size drink is approximately the size of a small drink in the US... Also, another country includes nutrient info on the packaging. When will US start doing this? 

You have to pay to go to the bathroom in a McDonald’s! Kat explained to me this happens because the stores do not want homeless to spend the night in their bathrooms... Strange...

I visited the ABBA museum. Yes, yes I did. You may not know who ABBA is and that is normal because this band is famous during the 70s and early 80s. I have a love hate relationship with ABBA’s music. My dad would turn on their songs all year around ever since I was a little kid. In a way, it was a special torturing method since I am not the biggest ABBA’s fan. But when I came to this museum, I felt like a special place in my hard got shook. Despite looking around and realizing that I was the only person in their 20s visiting this museum, I wandered around and soaked in everything about ABBA. Their is something special about their music, catchy, trendy, and addictive. I never thought that I would say this, but I am thankful that my dad raised me with ABBA’s music.

This is the helicopter in ABBA’s Arrival album cover!

Ah, the Vassar museum. That is an anciant Viking ship, stored in door. This ship is as tall as a 6 floors building. Guess how many hours did this ship sail in the ocean! Unfortunately, it is only 20 minutes... 98% of the original ship is preserved until today. Please read up on it, it is fantastic!

One of my favorite place, Old Town

This is the statue of Astrid Lindgren, the renown children’s books author. My favorite work from her is Pippi Long Stocking. Pippi and Mrs. Lindgren actually appear on the 20 SEK bill! I could not get into her museum since the line was too long. Oh another interesting point, on the side of Junibacken museum is a stroller parking lot since this museum is made for little children!

I watched a sail boat competition through the window of Fotografiska. I loved all of the exhibitions that the museum currently has on display.

Once again, a quick shout out to Rebecca. Thank you for wandering around this lovely city with me!

[lostineuropeforamagellan]

CPH - ARN

Last stop: Stockholm, Sweden.

By this time, I have been travelling for more than two weeks. Losing my wallet, hearing bad news from back home, moving constantly... everything drained me completely. At that point, I was not hyped about travelling anymore. During the plane to Stockholm, I was exhausted and not very excited for the trip...

However, Stockholm changed everything!

See that?! Stockholm truly has my heart!

This is Travelling Kat! The author of the book “Thế Giới Nhỏ Xinh Như Bàn Tay Con Gái” (Temporary translation: The World is as Small as a Girl’s Hand) - the inspiration of my entire Europe journey. Getting to know her and her family is truly an honor of mine. They gave me the family love that I needed right then to recover fully. Her parents took care of my as if I am a relative of their own. The fact that I get to met Kat - the author that I admire is truly insane. I got to discuss with her about the book, told her about my journey, etc.

I woke up to the smell of the homemade Pho (Vietnamese chicken noodle soup) on a daily basis! It does not get much better than that for a severely homesick Vietnamese girl! 

Another person who made my journey in Stockholm so much better is Rebecca! We met each other during a free tour around Stockholm. We quickly became friend since both of us are young girls who are travelling by themselves. Not only that, I can use both English and Chinese to communicate with her. Rebecca is a great photographer. Lucky for me because not only did I get tons of picture taken, she also taught me how to use a camera efficiently.

[lostineuropeforamagellan]

TXL - CPH

As the journey continued on, I flew to the next destination: Copenhagen, Denmark. First thing that stroke me about this city: bicycles. Lots and lots of bicycles. The picture below was taken in Norreport. I have never seen such a big bike parking lot! Here in Copenhagen, the order goes side walk - bike lane - paved walkway for a bus stop - bus lane - regular traffic lane. Bikers here are the most aggressive participants in the traffic. They would scream at pedestrians if we are walking in their lanes.

The Little Mermaid statue - symbol of Copenhagen was much smaller than I thought. The people around here said that this statue is often painted over by those who protest against the government. The statue therefore has been cleaned over and over again. 

Mia and Luke, my roommates in one of the hostel that I stayed at. When I told them that I go to W&J, they were not surprised - which made me surprise since not a lot of people outside of PA has heard of it. Turns out both of them were brothers of FIJI (Phi Gamma Delta) - and their Alpha chapter is in W&J! I realized that by joining different groups and organizations at school, I can connect with people in so many ways. 

MY POCKET GOT PICKED AND MY WALLET WAS STOLEN. Tragic. I remembered calling my sister and cried my eyes out after a minor mental breakdown. Needless to say, my mom was more than worried and angry at me for being so careless. Good thing I still have my wallet and some cash. It was not a pleasant experience but I definitely became much more careful with my belonging afterwards!

Tip for travelling: Keep your passport on you! Split your money into different portions and keep them in several places instead of storing them all in our wallet. Call your bank and check whether or not there are any extra transaction cost if you swipe your card oversea. 

[lostineuropeforamagellan]

CDG

The Mona Lisa... So close yet so far... Also, much smaller than I thought. 

Eiffel tower by night. The park was only a five minute walk from our house.

Pont De Bir-Hakeim - the bridge in Inception!

In front of the symbol of Paris

She made me climbed up the Eiffel tower... Over 700 steps... But after seeing this breath-taking scenery, everything was worth it. 

Notre-Dame de Paris. We had to go inside on another day because the line was too long the day of. 

Arc de Triomphe 

I love every single bakery in Paris

A random culture shock: people were sunbathing in a park in the middle of the city...

Montmarte

In memory of Princess Diana. This is the place where the accident happened.

The Lourve

[lostineuropeforamagellan]

HAN - CDG

I only obtained my Schengen visa a day before I departed for Paris. France is the first stop in my Europe tour. During that 12 hour fight, I was questioning my life decision: “Here I am, going to a strange continent, a country where I don’t speak there language. Great...” To my surprise, my friend could not come pick me up at the airport. That was my first challenge: finding my way back to Maurane’s space.

Travelling around Paris was easy enough since I have Maurane with me. I got to experience the life of a local. She taught me some simple French phrases so that I can hold simple conversations. I love how French people enjoy sitting outside for a cup of coffee or a meal. People never seem to be in a hurry here in Paris. I am attracted by the way Parisians dress and present themselves: simple yet polish. Every tourist attractions were packed since the summer is the high for tourism. As I look around, I realized that almost everyone is skinny. Maurane said the tip for staying in shape is to walk everywhere. There were cars but people here prefer using the public transportation. I love how everything was easily accessible. P/s: do not come to Paris if you are single or travelling without your significant other. Paris loves love and Parisians are not afraid to showcase the world that they are in love.

Maurane - My lovely friend/ tour guide/ roommate during my time in Paris. We only talked to each other for a few times during a class back in Fall semester. Both of us were more than happy to see each other again in her home country.

[lostineuropeforamagellan]

Magellan in Seoul Day 12 - Moving out I moved from Gangnam to Hongdae today. As I walked around to familiarize myself with the new setting, I realize that Hongdae is nothing like Gangnam. *details will be reveal with more pictures tmr* My roommate is a Japanese this time and she gives me a Monsta X's album just because she has a few to spare. I found out that she actually spent a year studying in Korea so her Korean is really good. I tried my best to use my broken Korean to talk to her and somehow, we both understand each other 😂 Random fun fact that I learnt today: in Japan, the bathroom and the toilet are often separated. Strange. But it makes a lot of sense! Japanese packaging is also on another level. She lend me her shampoo and conditioner. The shampoo bottle has grids on it while the conditioner doesn't. Blow my mind! Because if my eyes were blinded by soap, I can still tell with bottle is which!!!

[lostineuropeforamagellan]

Magellan in Seoul Day 6 (part 1): 명동 at night is a street food heaven 😘

[lostineuropeforamagellan]

Magellan in Seoul Day 14: Shopping mall made out of shipping containers?!

Sound strange enough but that is Common Ground. Located near by Konkuk university, Common Ground showcases the endless creativity of Koreans. For the food truck area, they flip a giant trash can upside down and put a piece of round wood on top to turn it into a table. Skateboards are also used as chairs. Common Ground embraces the freshness of the new generation in Korea. I love it. However, the clothes and merchandises that are sold here are on the expensive side. As someone who travel on a budget, I enjoyed my time window shopping here…

Perk of living in a guesthouse, always have friends to go out and eat with!!! It is cheaper to eat out than to cook by yourself in Seoul. With just $4-5, you can have a hearty meal, which can be rice, noodle, or soup. Us two ate at a street vender. I felt bad because the ahjumma said that she won’t go home until 3 am. She gave us some 순대 aka blood sausage as service. I must say I don’t hate it as much as I thought.

My new roommate from Netherlands is extremely cool. She is spending 10 months to travel around the world!!! Such life goal! Oh and she wants to learn more about Kpop 😈

[lostineuropeforamagellan]

Magellan in Seoul Day 13 - Hongdae and Hangang As I mentioned before, Hongdae is a college town and it differs vastly from Sinsa. Walking through the streets, I fell in love with the street arts. Shout out to my one-day-Japanese roommate. You have been extremely nice and friendly. Thank you for introducing me to 족발 - pig's feet. I love it so much! *Strange moment when a Japanese and a Vietnamese communicate using Korean. I am now a true third-culture kid.* My host invited me and some other guests to go to Hangang river and have some 치맥 (chicken and beer) today. Now I understand why Koreans do that. The food combination is absolutely incredible. In the evening, the temperature drops down to ~ 18oC (65oF), making it perfect to spend time out for a family picnic. What is there to even hate about Korea???