Kelvin in Cadiz

I thought I’d start with a bit of a detour, and instead of taking you to Geneva, Switzerland, I’ll head south to Cádiz, Spain. Even though this won’t be posted until later this summer, I’m spending five weeks in June and July in Spain on the Davidson in Cádiz program. (I consider it a warmup to my semester abroad.)

Even though most students find a non-Davidson program when they study abroad, Davidson also offers a diverse array of programs, from Ghana to Peru toIndia to Spain. The Davidson in Cádiz program first took us to Madrid for a week of sightseeing and touring, and now we’re in homestays in Cádiz on the southwest coast, living in pairs with local families and taking Spanish language, art, and culture classes for four hours a day. Continue reading →

“No, no, I was just wondering if you had any medical adhesive tape. I hurt my toe,” I repeat in Spanish for the fourth time to my host mom.

“Now I understand,” she says in her rapid-fire Andalusían accent. “You mean you need cream. I have it right here. This will help.”

“No, no, it’s inside – the bone; I need tape to… put it together with my other toe.” Why don’t I know how to say attach?

“Oh, esparadrapo! Why didn’t you say so in the first place?” So apparently there’s a single Spanish word for medical adhesive tape. Good to know. Continue reading →

Kelvin chills out in the Alps

I’m writing this by hand on a mountainside in the Swiss Alps – when else will I be able to say that? We’ve finally embarked on the KSU Geneva program, which starts with 3 nights in a chalet in Les Mosses, a tiny, picturesque village built into steep hillsides that becomes a popular ski town in the winter months. Now, though, the only snow to be seen is on distant alpine mountaintops, and the hills here are deep green with pastures and forests.

Continue reading →