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Sister Says Semester Away Is A Step Towards Yourself
By Carla Molelte
Just one year and five months ago
I was in a new dty, a different country
where I was forced to speak Spanish.
In retrospect, I could have never
imagined the positive change that
would take place in my values, my
lifestyle, or my personality.
In late August of 1989 I took a
plane from Baltimore, Maryland to San
Juan, Puerto Rico and I finally arrived
in Puerto Plata in the Dominican
Republic. After four days of
orientation in Puerto Plata Dorada
(Golden Beach), a group of students
composed of men and women from
universities across the country,
including three women from Spelman,
left for Santiago. For the next few
days the resident director had informal
interviews to place us in our dominican
families and we registered for classes
at La Universidad Pontificia la Madre
y Maestra.
I lived with a wonderful woman
named Juanita in a small house with
our maid Estella. Each morning
Estella prepared my breakfast. I
usually ate toast with cheese, a mango
or papaya and freshly squeezed
lemonade. By the time I returned
home from morning classes Estella had
fixed my lunch of rice and beans with
chicken. After the "siesta" (nap time),
I went back to school for afternoon
classes and then came home. Before
eating dinner around 8:00 p.m., I
would watch the soap operas, read the
newspaper, do my homework and talk
with my Dominican mother.
Although getting adjusted to
Dominican life was short and easy, like
most Latin American countries, the
Dominican Republic does have its
problems. Each day, for at least three
hours, the electricity on the entire
The Globetrotter
By Gretchen Cook
As Gretchen travels the world on
her Watson fellowship, she will send
the Spotlight periodical reports on her
travels. This is her second entry.
In the past three months, my mind
and my will have been stretched
beyond my wildest dreams. I have
been fortunate enough to have been
blessed with absolutely beautiful
weather everywhere I have been. That,
in itself, was unbelievable.
Since the first of September, I
have watched the changing of the
guard near Buckingham Palace, toured
London Tower, and partied with the
"funky dreads" in Soho (London). I
have walked the halls of the Prado
Museum (Madrid), and seen the
countryside of Spain. I have strutted
on and driven by the beaches of the
French Riveria, and moped along the
tropical coast of France through
Cannnes, Marseilles, Nice, and
Monaco. I have climbed a mountain
in the Swiss Alps (which was both
terrifying and exhilirating), watched the
sun set on quaint chalets and walked
alongside Swiss cows through green
mountain valleys, and eaten gelati
while being serenaded on a gondola in
Venice. I have gone up the Eiffel
Tower to view the beauty of Paris, (or
as the French say "Paree"), appreciated
the history that is in the Louvre, and
window-shopped down the Champs-
Elysees. I have listened to the cool
jazz at Jezzebel’s (Paris), and heard the
hot sizzle of Greek food made to
perfection in the Latin Quarter. I have
praised the Lord with African-Parisians,
and sipped wine with the Sikhs in
India.
I have ridden hours in rickety auto
rickshaws in 95° heat in Bombay. I
have donned Indian Punjabi dress to
camaflouge myself for safety in Delhi
and have itched for days from bites of
mosquitoes, ants, and other
undescribables. I have eaten Indian
food so spicy that my tongue could
still feel the sting from it days later,
and slept on beds so hard that I
thought I would have permanent back
damage.
I backpacked through England,
Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, India,
Thailand, and Korea, (even had a
layover in Pakistan!) I have loved it
all, but not everything has been wine
and roses. I was nearly mugged in
Madrid, which taught me a lesson:
when travelling, carry all money and
other valuables underneath your clothes,
(they even went for my money belt, so
I got rid of that too). But luckily, I
also had with me a pocket knife, which
I proceeded to pull out and dared them
to come any closer! I was actually
rpbbed in Delhi when someone burned
their way through my backpack and
relieved me of most of my possessions.
All was not lost, however, because I
was not harmed physically. These
occurences were not pleasant, but they
island is turned off at different times.
t vividly remember my dominican
mother saying, "Carla, la luz se fue"
(the lights went off). I used these
occasions to talk on the telephone, and
go to the discos to dance and hang out
with Dominicans. Dominicans are very
friendly and enjoy telling jokes and
talking to anyone who will listen.
Everyone spends a great deal of time
talking with their neighbors and friends
by telephone or in the street. If you
see someone you know passing,
according to Dominican etiquette, you
must stop women and kiss them on the
cheek and stop men, hug them, and
chat a while.
Having had a chance to evaluate
my four months abroad, I came to one
very important conclusion; my
experience in the Dominican Republic
was the closest that I had come to a
utopia. I was in the Carribean on a
gorgeous, rich island, rich in African
heritage with my sole purpose to learn
Spanish and explore the island, its
people and its culture. The exquisite
beaches and fine men were definitely a
plus.
Granted, some mornings I would
wake up and question why in the
world I left Spelman, but life there was
a learning experience. The chance to
spend time away from Spelman is
always enlightening and enriching.
You learn to appreciate and accept
other ways of life, eat different foods,
and meet new people. Trite as it may
sound, I truly learned about Carla. I
was immersed into another environment
totally different from my own. I now
know that I can survive anywhere even
away from my loving sister Andrea,
my supportive parents, and the
nurturing atmosphere of Spelman
College. This feeling of
accomplishment has prepared me for
graduation and the thrust into life
outside of Spelman’s gates.
Therefore, "mis hermanas (my
sisters), as you are watching Univision,
eating at a Latin American restaurant,
or hearing my Salsa or Merengue
music blaring from the first floor of
Morehouse-James, consider taking the
chance of a lifetime...study abroad!
SPANISH HAPPENINGS
SPANISH TABLE
Wednesdays
5:00 - 6:15 pm
Spanish Newsletter Nuestra Hermandad
Send entries to:
P.O. Box 1290
If interested in joining the Spanish
Club, submit your name, address, and
phone number through Campus Mail
to:
P.O. Box 1290
When you walk in to take your graduate level exam, you want to be armed and
dangerous. Let College Bound give you all the ammo you need. Our preparation
classes can raise your score as much as 30% or more. And that’s just one part
of our complete program. We also offer Grad School Counseling-a service that
helps you target and win entrance to the right grad school for you.
JANET RONKIN’S
CollegeBound
DUNWOODY 404-452-7074 VININGS 404-952-0311
‘ OTHER LOCATIONS: 1-800-2-TEST-HI
I have learned so much from the
experiences I have had and the
wonderful people I have met during the
past three months. I have met clergy,
businesspeople, cult followers,
environmentalists, a New Zealand sheep
herder, an Indian fortune teller, an
African tribal chief, ambassadors,
journalists...even Mr. Nelson Mandela!
(I’ll save that story for the next
edition). I only hope that more of you
in the future will opt to see the world
by travelling abroad. Again, please
contact Dr. Margery Ganz at Spelman
for more information. The programs
and scholarships are out there waiting
for you!
After landing finally in Japan, I
thanked God for guiding me through
safely, and I am now prepared to
tackle the five month challenge in the
Land of the Rising Sun (and rising
yen!) Until next time, Cheerio!