Think of the perception that most likely comes to most people's mind when they think of Africa: rural place, men who have multiple wives, people barely wearing any clothing and staying in small villages, a lot of singing and dancing despite poor living conditions? That is exactly what we saw. In many rural parts of South Africa, these perceptions are a reality.

First we walked into small huts, and our guides explained that this is where a typical Zulu family lives. The man is responsible for building this hut, while the woman is expected to fix the ground and any inside decorations.

Then, he went on to explain that the man is considered the dominant figure in the household, and because of that he is allowed to have as many wives as possible ... even up to 10 or 21! ... as long as the man can pay for a wife, which is done by giving the father of the bride a minimum of 11 cows. As long as the man can pay for the lady, he can marry her.

So in the Zulu culture, I learned that the more cows a man has, the more women he can marry. Also, while the man can have as many wives as he wishes, the woman can only have one husband. Of course, by that point I just kept thinking how grateful I am to be living in the U.S., where not only is polygamy against the law, but where women's rights are held to a higher standard.

After getting a depressing yet quite intriguing lesson about the Zulu culture, things got much more exciting when we were taken out of the villages and introduced to Zulu dancing and singing. The entire audience was just blown away by the performance. When the show ended, we kept asking for more and more, till finally they said it was way past our time and we had to leave. The African drums, tribal singing and dancing definitely got all of us singing and dancing, and we even stood around afterward to ask the performers to take pictures with us.

After the performance, we saw some of the oldest, largest and most exotic crocodiles and snakes. I enjoyed all of this by keeping my distance, while a few students braved the journey and wrapped snakes around their head or got near the crocodiles.

By far the best day ever!

Prior to arriving in Durban, my classmates and I had 10 days of classes at the SMU campus, where from 8 to 10 a.m. we were in our Literature Cultural Formation Class and in the African Diaspora, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. we did music and dance rehearsal. Now, we have to teach the students here what we learned, and they have to teach us what they learned.

There are eight of us from SMU, and most of the students are either music or dance majors. I am the only one of the group without any music or dance experience, so I gladly accepted the role of assistant stage manager. When you are trying to coach over 50 students in less than a week, you need all the assistance you can get, so my role is both needed and appreciated. I was quite busy the first day, but enjoyed assisting the production. I get to spend a lot of time watching the performances, and seeing SMU students work with Cape Town and Durban students is just absolutely remarkable.

There are not a lot of abroad programs that integrate with other foreign students on the same level this class does. Lead by SMU's music professor Barbara Hill-Moore, and music professor Millicent Johnnie, the West Side Story music production works with dancer professors and students from the University of Cape Town and University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Day two concluded with a lot of hard work and much productivity. As we were leaving campus and heading back to the Pastoral center, I saw the cute monkeys, and of course had to include a picture of one!

WHAT?! That's right, words that will take me forever to remember:) Actually not too bad - I got cracking on the homework right away.

That also means we have a test coming up, in Arabic. First one, eehhh. I hope I do well.

So what did we do this weekend? Our first excursion was to the city of Fez. Wow, I love Fez.

Right: The old quarter of Fez. When I say old, I mean centuries old.









Left: Our tour guide. Didn't I say I love this guy? Awesome dude.









Right: This is the musallah where they hold their Eid or holiday celebrations.







Left: This fort was built in the 10th century and has been restored many times.






I will give a brief rundown of what the tour guide gave us, I love that guy. He was awesome really. Fez is literally the city of art, and you will see why with the pictures. But short history.

Berbers are the indigenious people to Morocco. There are approximately 280 tribes of Berbers in West North Africa. Islam came with the Arabs in the year 808. Islam today is the official state religion of Morocco, where the King has taken it on himself to be the commander of the faithful.

The Arabic in Morocco is a dialect that is influenced by French and Spanish as well. Which is pretty typical in most of North Africa, which would include Morocco, Algeria, Libya and Tunisia.

The mountains that run through North Africa are the Atlas Mountains. The city that is seen in the distance there is the Jewish quarter of Fez.

By the way, the Moroccans are very proud of the Jewish people in Morocco and talk about them fondly. The reason for such a large Jewish population in Morocco is because of the Spanish Inquistion of 1492, where they fled Spain for their lives because the Christians were persecuting them. The Jews fled to Muslim countries, which also included Tunisia and Egypt, because the Muslims were more tolerant of other faiths than the Christians. The Jews and Muslims have coexisted in North Africa peacefully for centuries.

Right: These are the doors of the King's Palace when he comes to Fez. The capital of Morocco is Rabat, where he and his family reside. Fez is one of the royal cities, which also includes Meknes, where we are staying.









Left: The is our super nice professor, Liljana Elverskog. I love this person, too.





Right: This is where they make pottery and mosaic tables, fountains, you name it. Mind you, everything is made by hand.









Left: This is the door to the old city of Fez.



Right: Leading into the market.

On Friday we went to Amboise, a small market town in central France. It really looked like an old town from centuries ago. You could see the chateau in Amboise from miles away; it was huge! From the top of the castle, you could see the entire town of Amboise and beyond.

After Amboise, we traveled to Blois, another small town in the Loire Valley, to visit the chateaus Blois and Chambord. Catherine de Medici and Napoleon's wife, Marie Louise, both lived in Blois. It was very cool seeing all the rooms and areas in which all the kings, queens, and noblemen lived. These chateaus were built in the 1100s, so it's quite surreal to imagine walking in the same place as others from 900 years ago!

The chateau at Chambord was one of my favorite castles! Francis I built it to be a show castle to display the wealth of the French monarch, so it was definitely exactly what you would picture when thinking of a magnificent castle.

The Chateau de Chenonceau was my absolute favorite! This was a chateau that was beautifully decorated on the inside and out. Everything about the chateau was so intricate and detailed, from the staircases to the tiles on the floor; it was wonderfully constructed. I loved visiting the chateaus because they have such a rich history that dates back hundreds and hundreds of years.

Today, a group of us went to the Catacombs of Paris. The Catacombs of Paris, or Catacombes de Paris, is an underground burial site that holds the remains of 6 million people. We had to walk about 60 feet below ground before we got to the burial site.

The catacombs are filled with caves, tunnels and old prison cells. It's very spooky and creepy! Bones and skulls were stacked and lined all around tunnels of bodies from the 17th century. It was very morbid, but also incredibly fascinating.

There were old quotes in French around the tunnels from various philosophers of that time reminding us how short life is, as well as various passages throughout the catacombs (thank goodness our graduate advisor was there to translate for us). We weren't allowed to use the flash on our cameras, so unfortunately we weren't able to get the best of pictures.

We had to perk ourselves up after such a chilling experience, so we found this amazing gelato place and headed to the Luxembourg gardens and the St. Sulpice Church.

The Luxembourg gardens were breathtaking! The flowers, trees, and statues were absolutely beautiful. To our good fortune, an orchestra was playing in the park while we were there, so we stopped for a while to listen before heading on to Saint-Sulpice; the entire scene of the park was very picturesque.

The Saint-Sulpice Church is referenced in Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code. The church was enormous! It's also placed on what the world originally used as the prime meridian, before relocating it to Greenwich. Shortly after entering the church, we realized that we were in the middle of a wedding! So of course, we stayed for the wedding and a little afterward. As the newlyweds left the church, everyone outside was clapping and throwing rose petals; what a wonderful way to get married!

We ended our day with nutella crepes from a wonderful small creperie off Saint-Michel. The entire group had a full weekend, from shopping at the Champs-Elysees, to hanging out by the Eiffel Tour and the River Seine, to bar hopping at Saint Germain-de-Pres. I'm sure our Sunday will be spent studying for the upcoming week. One thing we learned quickly here, studying abroad isn't just sight-seeing; you definitely have to study!

After arriving in London we had an eight-hour delay, and of course I did not want to stay in the airport for that long. Instead, a few of us decided to take a risk and step out to explore London. It was cold and rainy, but I am so glad I got to see such a unique city. My classmates and I decided to take a tour bus to get the best experience in the limited time we had. Unfortunately, traffic and rain kept us from seeing all of London (as the tour bus guaranteed); however, we did get to see many exciting places. We got to eat London's famous fish and chips, and took pictures of palaces, homes worth more than 18 million pounds, and spent over four hours in one of the most diverse cities in the world.

When it was time to get back on the plane, luckily we did not have any trouble getting through customs and were all relieved about that. However, none of us looked forward to a 10-hour flight all the way to Johannesburg, South Africa. After finding yet another friend to converse with on the plane, I was designated the social chair of the group. Talking with a lady from Trindad and Tobago, on her way to London for a midwife association conference, also helped to hasten the long flight. On top of that, we heard that the Mavericks won the NBA championship, which definitely revived all of our tired spirits.

Just when I thought I had enough of flying, after landing in Johannesburg we had to catch yet another plane to Durban. By now I was both tired and hungry (not a fan of plane meals), but I must say being back in Africa for the first time since I left 11 years ago instilled a sense of wholeness in me. I was blown away both by the beauty of the country and the people. It just felt great to be back in Africa again.

Durban, our home for the next two weeks, is absolutely gorgeous. We are staying at the Pastoral Center, which is about a 15-minute walk from KwaZulu-Natal, the university we will be attending. The campus is surrounded with breathtaking scenery consisting of beaches, trees, plants, gorgeous skyline and sophisticated buildings. After registering at the university, we had dinner at an Italian Resturant, Olive and Oil, with the other South African students who will be attending class with us.

One of the classes I am enrolled in is a musical production class of West Side Story, and dancers from University of Cape Town, as well as singers from the University of KwaZulu Natal, are joining us to put this production together. Our dinner started at 6 p.m. and lasted until nearly till 10 p.m. because we all enjoyed conversing with the 50 other South African students! They looked forward to working with us just as much as we had anticipated meeting them.

Good dinner and great company in a beautiful city = perfect ending of day one in South Africa!

Finally we are pushed off, the engines are started and we taxi to the runway in preparation for takeoff. "Hello, this is your captain speaking, but we have just been notified by dispatch that Chicago is experiencing extreme weather conditions and we will be held here until cleared." WHAT!!?? We are stuck on the tarmac for 45 to 50 minutes until finally we get the ok to go.

Pretty much an uneventful flight, except for a passenger snoring like a lumberjack. We finally land at Chicago O'Hare at 6:30 p.m. We get off the airplane and run for the terminal to find out that our connecting flight had left us (out of breath panting with head hanging low). We then wait in customer service for about 3 hours to get rebooked to fly out of Chicago the next morning. Montreal then to Casablanca. Intercontinental Hotel, that place was off the hook, no doubt. After a short sleep we are back to the airport waiting on our flight.

FINALLY!!

We finally made it. Got on a full loaded plane to Montreal with screaming kids. 7 1/2 hours later we made it to Mohammed V Airport at 7 this morning. Hopped on the train to Casablanca for a very brief lunch and coffee. Continued to Meknes after that, and I was able to take a shower at the hotel we are staying at. The drama doesn't end there - our bags did not make it and I am wearing the same clothes since Friday. AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day One

The masjids in Morocco are no doubt beautiful. Something must be said about waking up at 3:30 in the morning for fajr prayer (salat). I was anticipating the muezzin as he called the faithful to prayer. Subhan'Allah (How perfect is God) there is nothing like it.

Did some light shopping as my clothes, which have remained on my body for 4 days, are taking on a life of their own.

Classes start this afternoon.

First day of class was a drag because they put us in a different classroom in a different part of town. I thought Dallas Hall was confining. Really a poor rendition of an American classroom. We need serious review as we were trying to remember vocabulary. Got lost in ???? (the market) - pretty cool. Went to the language center and enjoyed Cos-cos (local dish). Wrapping it up and calling it a night.

Day Two

Our baggage arrived in Fez and it is in our possession. It is the greatest feeling in the world to be able to unpack and change clothes.

We started class immediately returning from Fez. I think we all felt a little more confident today as we continue with our review. ... Nice clean clothes, huh .... oh sorry, I am still a little excited over the fact that I have my stuff here. Started our new lesson with new vocabulary and of course HOMEWORK or what we call ????. Had to interview a Moroccan native as part of the assignment. Really ????????

We all went, minus Liljana, on a small excursion to find something to eat in what is called neulle neville. A French restaurant somewhere downtown. Good food, actually, but the staff there didn't speak a lick of Arabic or English. But thankfully we had our trusty sidekick Lee, another student, who knew how to speak that snobbish jibberish called French.

The food was good. Back to the hotel we went to do that is right ???? (wajib). Well, some of it anyways.

Because of our phenomenal advisers and professors on this trip, we were able to walk among the stones, an experience that many Stonehenge visitors aren't able to partake in. It is still a mystery as to how the constructors carried massive rocks to and from the site. I'm a complete history buff, so it was a pretty epic way to start out my birthday.

Afterward we traveled to the posh city of Bath and toured the architecturally genius Roman baths. It is unbelievable how intricate the engineers were in the designing of the baths during a period where everything was manual. The baths are all located underground and enclosed within a traditional Roman edifice. The baths have been renovated many times since their origination, but the brilliance behind the initial engineers is fascinating.

Afterward we had lunch at the adjoining restaurant, the Pump Room, and felt quite English while doing so. Some of us ordered tea and crumpets while we all sat outside and enjoyed the talents of the street performers.

The train ride back was strictly set aside for sleeping, as we experienced the London nightlife later on. People say New York is the city that never sleeps, but they have it mistaken. Following our night out we had to ride the buses because the tube (underground transportation) closes at a certain time.

Someway, somehow, we ended up at Abbey Road, which is the title of The Beatles' last studio-recorded album. We had no choice but to re-create the original album artwork and take many photos late into the night. And with that, my 20th birthday was complete. Celebrations mixed with history, friends, and a remarkable day across the pond.

The church has been an integral part of London for almost 300 years. John Newton, the songwriter behind "Amazing Grace," penned the universal hymn at St. Mary Woolnoth.

Our lecture was given by the director of the SMU-in-London program and Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Professor Rita Kirk.

She reminded us of the vast history within the walls of the church we were sitting in. How the exact man we are reading about came here to worship and have discourse with John Newton. Wilberforce was only a college student when he first addressed slavery in an essay contest and 21 years of age when he first took office.

Wilberforce took on the institution of slavery, which has never been completely abolished throughout the world. Dr. Kirk cited numbers of present-day slavery that elicited a sense of trauma in all of us. During Wilberforce's time, slavery was amplified much more, yet he still chose to bring down the immoral establishment.

Dr. Kirk reminded us to take intellectual responsibility of the precious time we have in the historical city of London, as we are the world's cream of the crop. Only 4 percent of the world has a college degree, so we must use our experience to its full potential.

An amazing way to start our lectures on the common reading novel, and an even more invigorating way to appreciate our education.

My first thoughts: Everyone smokes, it looks dreary, and someone is going to get hit with these narrow streets.

However, as I ventured past Heathrow airport into the urban sphere of London, I became infatuated. Within 2 hours of exploring the city I made the decision that London surpasses New York City as an international metropolis.

London is huge and extremely diverse, like NY, but the quaint nature, cascading trees, historical buildings, and international vibe is something that I have never experienced in the States before.

Yesterday there was a HUGE soccer match that England was playing in, so everywhere you heard fans screaming, holding flags, and singing in unison. It was fantastic to see the pride of this nation in full effect.

I'm still trying to get my bearings straight, but tomorrow will definitely help me out. I'm really going to try to write every night since experiences will be fresh in my head, but there is a FULL day planned with some amazing visits so I am off to bed!

In photos, from top: At Hyde Park, Trafalgar Square and Speaker's Corner.

This trip does coincide with my 20th birthday, however, that is not the reason I'll be in lovely London town. I am taking two courses (Post-War European Cinema and Philosophy of Freedom of Speech) within my major of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs. I'm used to filling my summers with internships and other learning experiences, but this is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will aid in the progression of my degree since I will a junior in the fall (crazy)!

We are staying at the beautiful Regents College and have some amazing professors traveling with us from SMU. The program already has trips planned to Scotland and Wales, but we are allotted two travel weekends, so I will definitely make the most of those.

There are so many things that will always remind me of the amazing semester I spent in Spain with 13 SMU friends. The study abroad group at la Fundacion became like family, especially Noemi, who was the best coordinator and helped us daily with anything we needed.

The school atmosphere was welcoming and friendly, and I learned so much more because of the intimate class settings. The SMU-in-Spain program organized several trips throughout the semester, which took us to multiple regions of the country and gave me some of my fondest memories.

Living with a family in Spain could have been the most meaningful part of the experience. Carmen, my host mother, became literally like a mother. She would get frustrated when we left clothes on the floor, and we would roll our eyes when she told us for a sixth time what time we were eating dinner. Yet on our Saturday nights out at Pizza Jardin, the bond we formed was evident, and I will always treasure the love and hospitality she gave us over the four months we shared in her home.

I will miss so much the Spanish lifestyle and attitude toward living: working to LIVE rather than living to work. I loved the restaurants with terraces to enjoy beautiful afternoons, and countless bars and clubs open nightly as late as you wanted. Madrid is a vibrant city, and I was blessed this semester to call it home.

Things I didn't realize about Spain before living there:

• Shopping for shoes and shopping in general is inexpensive and abundant
• Like the United States, every region of the country is unique
• Spanish isn't even spoken in Barcelona, so Madrid is the place to go when studying abroad
• Spain and Latin America couldn't be more different, the food isn't spicy and the language doesn't always directly translate
• How you order food, when you eat food, and how you eat it is VERY specific; don't mess it up unless you want to pay more or look like a tourist
• There are thousands of other students studying abroad in Madrid, and it actually bothered me when I heard a lot of spoken English
• Madrid is clean, safe, historic, inexpensive, friendly, and once of the most exciting cities in the world!

I work with six other interns, and we usually start the day with discussions on multicultural and international current events and issues related to history, culture and the economy. Some of our past discussions include the ethics of infanticide in India, illegal immigration and politics.

This past week, understanding the concerns of newcomers in the purchasing of a home, we held homebuyers' workshop to introduce the basic steps in purchasing a home and addressed any questions they had.

We also went to an elementary school in Richardson and gave a presentation to 50+ immigrant mothers; providing them guides to economical health services, ESL classes, scholarships and where to access social events.

Now I am working on writing grant proposals and on planning a dinner with the mayors, which will take place June 14. At the dinner, we are going to discuses issues immigrants face in Texas and how to solve the problems. We have more than 20 Texas mayors as well as U.S. congressman/women and Texas state representatives attending the dinner. We are also going to have a speech by successful international leaders, international foods and entertainments.