Vamos a Costa Rica!

Hello from the Tegucigalpa airport!

As I sit at Puerta 4 in the Tegucigalpa airport, I can’t help but think about how fast this week in Central America has gone! My travel colleague from Lynn University (FL) and I have visited many places and had the opportunity to meet an amazing number of students over the past few days- I can’t believe that it is already FRIDAY!

With our travels, we have visited Managua, Nicaragua where we visited the American-Nicaraguan School and Lincoln Academy. While in Managua, we were also fortunate to go to a local market and eat some churrasco (my personal favorite!)as well as some yuka.

Next we flew to San Pedro Sula and had a quick visit to the city in order to visit Escuela Internacional Sampedrana (EIS). Both Managua and San Pedro Sula are two locations where Elon has or had students from in recent years – thus the turnout was excellent.

From San Pedro Sula, we flew to Tegucigalpa and have been on-the-go since we arrived! Yesterday we visited 3 schools (Del Campo School, the Discovery School, and Escuela Americana) and also did a Junior Parent Night in the evening – whew! Tegucigalpa is a city where Elon hasn’t done much travel to in the past but I am confident that we will be back in the future!

And now as we sit waiting for our next flight to San Jose, Costa Rica, I can’t help but think how much I have learned from traveling internationally in a smaller group setting compared to the Asia tour in September 08. It is amazing how much detail goes into planning these trips – everything from booking schools, hotels, flights, and transportation to knowing exchange rates, how much information to pack, etc. It has been a wonderful travel experience – both professionally and culturally as well!

Well it is close to boarding time here in Tegucigalpa – more information from me later!

Hola from Nicaragua!

Hello ETA readers! I know it has been awhile since you have heard from me (I apologize!) – I was very busy with reading applications and getting ready for my international trip!

Currently, I am located in Managua, Nicaragua. I am traveling with another school (Lynn University) and much like my fall Asia travel, we are going around visiting various Central American countries & schools. Today took us to the American-Nicaraguan School where we spent more than half of the day visiting and talking with students! It was a great visit and it allowed me to meet some of the seniors who had applied to Elon and also have a chance to talk to some juniors as well! We will be visiting more schools tomorrow but also flying to San Pedro Sula, Honduras in the evening.

On a side note,last night I had a local specialty called churrasco that was muy delicioso! I would highly recommend it if you travel to Nicaragua.

25 Random Things About Elon (cont’d)

Good evening ETA readers!

Without further ado, I present to you the 12 remaining items of the “25 Random Things about Elon”.

1. Every January, students participate in the traditional “Polar Bear Plunge” in Lake Mary Nell.  This is a time where students literally jump into the lake in the middle of the winter!
2. Like waffles for breakfast?  Harden Dining Hall has a waffle maker that imprints the word “ELON” onto the waffle as it cooks.
3. The new Lindner Building (which should be completed this spring/summer) will be the “greenest building” on campus.  As part of this, the building will have electricity generated from photovoltaic panels and a solar hot water heater, among other features.
4. Keeping with the “green” theme, Elon University also participates in the ZipCar program.  Students can reserve a Toyota Prius to drive off campus!
5. Elon’s average temperatures for the different seasons:
   1. Winter (January) – 38.7 degrees F
   2. Spring (April) – 58.6 degrees F
   3. Summer (July) – 79.3 degrees F
   4. Fall (September) – 70.7 degrees F
6. I am not the only blogger on Elon’s campus!  Read the Dean of the School of Communications’ blog or a CIS professor’s blog or the Isabella Cannon Centre for International Studies’ Study Abroad blogs or some of our alumni Service Learning blogs.
7. There are a few scenes in the 1998 movie “He Got Game” (directed by Spike Lee and starring Denzel Washington) that were filmed at Elon University.  There is a scene outside of our Octagon Cafe!
8. Dr. Earl Danieley has been at Elon for over 50 years!  He graduated from Elon in 1946 and was President of the university from 1957 – 1973.  He continues today as a professor in the chemistry department.
9. Interested to learn what student events happen on a given day?  Visit: http://www.elon.edu/e-net/Calendar.aspx  and check out all of the student organizations & their events!
10. The results from The Elon Poll, the university’s student-driven survey center, has often been quoted in local, regional, and national media outlets.  Students call citizens of North Carolina to ask them their opinions about various local, regional, and national issues.
11. Want to know the goals of Elon University for this year?  Check out our 2008 – 2009 Institutional Priorities.
12. For our currently enrolled students, faculty and staff of Elon, as well as parents and alumni, Elon University offers “E-Squared“.  E-Squared is a social networking site for those in the Elon community.

I hope you enjoyed learning 25 new, but random facts about Elon University!