We are happy to announce the results of the CIEE story contest. We asked all Fall 2004 CIEE Study Center participants to submit their story – a reflection of their international experience. We asked: what did you learn about the local culture, people, yourself? How has it changed your outlook? What would you tell other students thinking of going abroad?
We received many wonderful entries. It was hard to pick the winners! For those who participated, thank you. We greatly enjoyed reading all about your experiences on a CIEE Study Center program.
Congratulations to all!
Overall Winner
Coming Back Home
Jared Sacks, University of California-Berkeley
CIEE Cape Town Fall 2004
As the plane touched down on the runway, my keen eye peeked through the plane’s restricting window – I was revisiting what it had felt like to live here. In a sense, my sentiment was similar to what people generally identify as “culture shock”. However, it was more akin to a deep seeded connection that I had always carried with me. I am coming back home, I thought to myself, I missed you.
No, this was not Los Angeles, my home for the past 13 years; this was Cape Town, South Africa. I am what people often call an ex-South African, except I never felt that way. I always felt that South Africa was my real home to which I had always yearned for a return. Although I had never lived in Cape Town, - only in Johannesburg – this was a true homecoming. My juvenile eyes remembered the City and its surroundings with intricate detail. I felt nauseated as we passed the township shacks of Crossroads and Nyanga. Driving further, I recognized the University of Cape Town where I would be studying this semester - its extensive vines reaching up the older buildings, its pompous look of authority as it survey the deprived Cape Flats and its dominant position on one of the most picturesque mountains in the world. As I entered downtown Kapstaad, I enquired Quinton (the CIEE coordinator), “are those unfinished highway ramps still there? The one that was never finished and is suspended smack in the middle of downtown?” “Yes, they use them for movie stunts now…” I remembered so much visual images that had remained the same; yet so much underneath had also changed during the first 10 years of democracy.
So I came home. The first few weeks were exactly what I had always dreamed Cape Town would be like. But during those three weeks, I, nonetheless, did not feel completely at home. In fact, I still felt like a tourist as I was caught up visiting Cape Point, learning about the horrors on Robben Island, and kayaking with the whales.
Read Jared's entire story...
2nd Place Winner
Santo Domingo
Jenny Rettig, Lewis & Clark College
CIEE Santo Domingo Fall 2004
The warm Caribbean sun gently kisses my skin as I walk out to greet the day. The morning air feels light and fresh, but I know the oppressive heat will envelop the city within a few hours. Hopping over a gapping crack in the pavement and sidestepping a pile of trash awaiting the infrequent garbage pickup, I pat the block’s resident stray dog on the head to wish him good morning. He’s not the nondescript mutt you would expect. With shaggy white fur and a long wagging tail, he looks like he should be someone’s beloved pet. His little bottom sways as he moseys down the street to keep the homeless man on the corner company.
Turning the corner, I’m greeted by the busy Independencia street, full of morning commuters. Black smoke emits from guaguas (public buses) careening wildly through the busy traffic while carro públicos (beat up jalopies carrying passengers on fixed route) stop to cram a fourth person into the back seat. The sidewalks are filled with students in freshly pressed uniforms, stopping to buy a mango or papaya from the multitude of fruit stands on every corner.
I walk down this street practically every day, and I have my regulars. First on my route is my friend who parks cars for a Spanish restaurant. Seeing me, his hazel eyes light up, and he throws his arms out in a gesture of happiness. We kiss on the cheek, chat for a few moments, and then I continue on my way. The same scenario repeats itself with David and Antonio from my favorite fruit stand, Felix from the colmado (corner grocery store), and the limpia-botas, little boys who shine shoes for about $0.20 a customer. Jonny is working in his stand, making delectable chiani keke, a deep fried bread stuffed with cheese, meat, and other goodies. He’s surrounded by his regulars but smiles and waves as I pass by. The old zapatero (cobbler) with rheumy eyes puts out his hand for me to shake as he greets me with a sweet, “Buenos días, señorita.”
Read Jenny's entire Santo Domingo story...
3rd Place Winner
Don William
Jenny Rettig, Lewis & Clark College
CIEE Santo Domingo Fall 2004
Don William, my Dominican host father, was in his mid-eighties. He was fragile and quiet and spent the day lying in bed or watching TV. I was skeptical that any sort of close relationship would develop between us, and I felt awkward and timid around him. One night as I was getting ready to go out dancing, Don William sat watching a baseball game on the old, fuzzy television in the living room. As I walked out the door, he caught a glimpse of my high heel shoes and called out, “Vas a bailar?” (Are you going to dance?) I was worried he would warn me about staying out too late, but instead, a slow smile crept across his face as he wished me a good night.
The next morning at the breakfast table, Don William shuffled into the room. Catching sight of me, he broadly grinned and asked if I had danced the night before. Then, as fast as his crippled feet could carry him, he hurried into the next room and came back with a photo. It showed Don William as a dashing young man, handsome, strong and smiling, dancing with a woman in a short flashy skirt. This was me in my younger days, he explained as his eyes lit up in excitement.
Read Jenny's entire Don William story...
Submit Your Story!
Did you miss the story contest but want to submit your story for possible inclusion on the website or in our catalogs? Please click here and send it in!