¡Hola! I have officially been in Madrid, Spain for over a week now, yet I feel like this has been my home for months. Unfortunately, I left my purse in a taxi on day 2. Of course, my passport, phone, and wallet were in the purse. It has been quite the process getting everything replaced. …
17/1/2014 7:20am (Chicago Time 12:20am): I’m here. The promised land is upon me. All these months of paperwork, emails, packing, and research have finally culminated in my arrival to Amsterdam. The airport is just like any other airport when you look at it. You really don’t realize the difference until you sit down for some …
What a trip! I’ve been back for a week now, and it already feels like a dream. But the people that we met and things we learned about human rights issues and the refugee situation will not be forgotten. Here is a link to my photos: https://plus.google.com/photos/101050359093516642141/albums/5970312231126176625 These are mainly from the sightseeing aspect of …
I could do a clichè post about how beautiful Italy is so far, or how excited I am to start my semester abroad here. But I’m sure you already know this. I’m going to give you an honest opinion on my first few hours here at the JFRC (later in the night finding out people …
Tonight is our last night in Malta. We had a final dinner with our professor and new friend, Edward Zammit, and his wife Carmen. It was sad to say goodbye, as they have been wonderful travel companions. We have now become honorary family members. Today we traveled to a government-run open center in Hal-Far, which …
Over the past few days we have heard presentations from a number of individuals involved in different aspects of the refugee situation. Some of these include: the director of Jesuit Refugee Services Malta, the Refugee Commissioner responsible for determining whether or not an applicant receives refugee status, a Police official who handles arriving “boat people” …
Part of our coursework is to keep a field journal recording observations of our visits to refugee centers in detail, and reflecting on our personal experience. Thus, please forgive my over- or under-reporting of events, since I am essentially keeping two different journals with two different purposes and intended audiences. On Sunday, we attended Catholic …
Lots of catching up to do! The visit to the Centro Astalli (Jesuit Refugee Services is the name of the international organization) was informative and eye-opening. We first met with a representative who related some of the history of JRS’s origins, as well as the current workings of the legal processing of political asylum permissions …
I am sad to say we are leaving Rome behind. Although I think arriving in Malta will make me feel better. The past few days have been a whirlwind of Roman ruins, Catholic Churches and tons of gelato. I’ve walked so much I’ve worn a hole in my shoe! One highlight was the Gesu, an …
It’s early Saturday morning here in Rome, and we are preparing to head back to Fiumicino airport for our flight to Malta! The flight is only about one hour, and the weather is reportedly warmer there. Time to go, so I will post more soon on our visit in the past few days to two …