UGRAD Post

Dear UGRAD Post,

I used my cultural allowance during my fall break for my travel to Chicago. I used it to visit some of the biggest attractions in Chicago and to improve my knowledge, have fun and find out more interesting things about US. During the whole trip I was with UGRAD students Varinia Ruano from Guatemala and Vena Boupha from Laos.  Our first destination was the Shedd Aquarium. It was impressive, with lots of fish and other sea creatures that I had never seen before. The best part was the dolphin show, when they explained how they work and how they train dolphins for exercises and shows. Also, the whole dolphin tank has glass walls and it is on Lake Michigan so you really feel that you are on the sea.

Museum of science and industry

Our second destination was the Field Museum and we spent the whole day there which still was not enough time to see everything because it is so large Most of the museum is about dinosaurs and other huge creatures that are extinct, but also I visited a special exhibit about the underground world of bugs, worms and spiders which was impressive because they were enhanced more than 25 times and visitors can see all their details. Our third destination was the Museum of Science and Industry and this one was my favorite! Since I am studying engineering and management, this museum was great for me and it fulfilled all my expectations. With my friends we attend a special simulation of a military aircraft flight, but beside that, ordinary exhibits such as tornado simulation and an ocean wave simulation were also cool. In this museum, we accidently met up with another UGRAD student from Arkansas, Milan Stojkovic, who is also from Serbia.

– Andreja Ignjatovic (Serbia) with Varinia Ruano (Guatemala) and Vena Boupha (Laos), Tennessee Tech University

 

 

Dear UGRAD Post,

If you go to San Francisco and do not take a ride in the cable car, you are missing out on a funny and wonderful experience! I took a ride in this traditional and famous means of transportation throughout the most historic landmarks and Cable Car SF places in San Francisco. The ride was only fifteen minutes, but I enjoyed so much because I was standing on the side of the cable car. As it doesn’t have doors, I just waved my hand to every person that I saw in the street and the funniest thing is that they thought for while probably “who is she?”, but then they ended up saying hello!

– Judith Campos, Costa Rica, University of Utah

 

 

 

 

Dear UGRAD Post,

This is my photo with one of my host families in New York City where I spent most of my winter break. My friend’s niece was holding my UGRAD Post for me. My stay in New York was really unforgettable and I know that it would not be that fun and fulfilling without the warm welcome of my host families. Patriluz C. ManongsongThey really took care of me and I truly appreciate how they treated me like part of their families. This reminded me of two of the traits we, Filipinos, are known for: hospitable and family oriented. I truly cherish opportunities like this because these experiences make me realize more that our differences are not hindrances to building good relationships with one another.

 – Patriluz C. Manongsong, Philippines, Bennett College

 

 

 

Dear UGRAD Post,

This is the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas and I loved visiting it. What I liked the most was that it was not only about different airplanes, but I learned about the parts of the airplanes, like the motor. AirplaneThey had an astronaut outfit exhibit which was really nice to see in person. I took the picture outside of the museum, if you can see, there is a big red and blue airplane that is half outside and it is huge. In the picture I have a frozen smile because it was really cold outside!

 

– Brandol Ortega Cruz, Panama, Utica College

 

 

 

 

Dear UGRAD Post,

It took three hours from Maryville, where I live, to get to Nashville, the capital of Tennessee. I went there by Megabus, and it was my first time traveling outside of my city. Travelling by Megabus is one of the cheapest ways to go, and there is wifi connection available on the bus. My host Mom and Dad drove me to the bus station in Knoxville, which is fifteen minutes away from my city, Maryville. Nashville is known as Music City, and I also visited the Adventure Science Center with my friend.

Ja Mun Mai maryville

It was my first time visiting scientific exhibits in a museum. Although this Science Center was designed for kids, it is also appealing for adults. Within the first ten minutes of being there, my friends and I went upstairs and pumped the heart with all of our energy to save one life in a simulation. We played a laser game of pathogens versus the immune system, looked at the stars, answered quiz questions about the body, pretended to be in space, and got a great sampling of the star and laser shows in the Planetarium. There are a lot of interesting things such as the skeleton of a body, the exhibit of human internal organs, the fetus in preserved liquid, and dinosaurs. We went into the house of hurricane and in just  a few seconds, we had a hard time breathing because of the wind! I would not recommend the hurricane house to anyone! It was one of the scariest things that I have ever done. However, all the exhibits are educational tools for better understanding science.

– Ja Mun Mai, Burma, Maryville College

 

Dear UGRAD Post,

New York City is an amazing place. One of the things that I really enjoyed is visiting the Empire State Building. The view from the top of the building is beautiful and I realized how big New York City is, because I could not see the end of it. I also had opportunity to buy presents for my friends, as I know that they would love to have something from this place. I would recommend everyone to visit this place to expand their horizons.

wonderworks

I would love to go back one day because this city offers so many opportunities for young people. After my trip I was also able to travel to Wonderworks in Syracuse, New York. This place was very interesting, and I had an awesome time visiting. Before the visit, I did not know that this place existed at all. I was able to try on astronaut clothing, sleep on a bed of nails, understand the different materials each planet is made of, and even got to play some astronomic games that were so much fun! In Wonderworks I also have seen art gallery that had 3D art. I have never had chance to see 3D art before, so it was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me.

– Magdalena Vasovic, Montenegro, Utica College


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