Category: Other experiences

Other experiences

Alumni Abroad

The Office of Global Education and Study Abroad is pleased to republish this article from The Record with Pierce Buckingham ’10. The Adventure of a Lifetime By Karen Huggard On the windswept plains of the Mongolian Steppe last August, a group of extreme adventurers recreated the famed postal relay routes of Genghis Khan. Dubbed the world’s longest horse race, the Mongol Derby pits riders against each other in an endurance race across the rugged territory of northern Mongolia. Although more than 40 riders attempted the 1008-kilometer course with its varied terrain of flat grasslands, steep hills and valleys, river crossings, […]

Other experiences

Spending the winter in South Africa

This winter, Thomas Vinyard, III had a wonderful experience when he joined some VCU students to study biology in South Africa. Learn more about VCU’s South African Summits to Sea course through the VCU Education Abroad Office. The Global Education Office is pleased to share this article, including a few excerpts from Thomas. Beautiful South Africa from summits to sea VCU students take the trip of a lifetime during winter study abroad course Shira Lanyi climbs through the mist on the famed chain ladders route in the Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa. By Leah Small University Public Affairs 804-828-8355 smalllm@vcu.edu […]

Other experiences

International Student Reaches New Heights

The Office of Global Education and Study Abroad is pleased to republish this article from The Record about one of our international students, Gui Guimarães, who is studying abroad by earning his bachelor’s degree here on the Hill. International Student Reaches New Heights By Karen E. Huggard Through a translator at a youth basketball clinic in Brazil, Guilherme “Gui” Guimarães ’18 and his parents received an offer for the then 17-year-old to finish high school and play basketball in United States. The catch? He had only two weeks to make the decision, secure a visa, and get himself 4,500 miles […]

Other experiences

International Club Celebrates Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival

By Nay Min Oo ‘12 The International Club celebrated on October 7th the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, one of the biggest festivals in China.  More than 80 students, faculty, and staff attended the event at Crawley Forum. Among them were Eric Dinmore, Assistant Professor of History, and Dr. J. Z. Zhao, Assistant Professor of Economics. The celebration started with a video to introduce the Mid-Autumn Festival.  The Chinese have a special affection for the moon, and there are many stories about the Mid-Autumn Festival.  The most popular is the myth of Chang’e, the lady who lives on the moon with her […]

Other experiences

International House Hold Open House

By Nay Min Oo ’12 On September 16, the International House continued its annual tradition of an Open House.  The event was a huge success with a turnout of more than a hundred enthusiastic guests including faculty, students, and staff who were eager for a taste of exotic Asian food.  The foods served at the event did not disappoint the guests as each was gone shortly after it was served. The specialties were Shan rice noodle, Kung Pao chicken, Chinese meat pies, spring rolls, stir-fried bean sprouts, fried rice, and Navajo fry bread. The celebration started at 5:30 PM, and, […]

Other experiences

A Hampden-Sydney Man in Tiajuana

by Bryan Hicks ’06 You can do anything with a degree from Hampden-Sydney College.  That is only partially true; a Hampden-Sydney Man can do anything.  Along with eleven high school students and five other adults, I spent a week in Tijuana, Mexico, at the end of last July. During this week, we built a house and a retaining wall, and we also spent two of the days working at a local orphanage.  Working in the orphanage gave us the opportunity not only to work with the kids in the orphanage but also in the surrounding community.  The orphanage system in […]