After 27 hours of traveling, including eight which were spent on an overnight flight with a migraine and an annoying child kicking my seat, as if from a movie, I am happily unpacked in Munich.  I have spent the majority of this day finding my way around and shopping for dorm-related things.  The theme for my journey around the city on my first day is “clean and efficient.”

I was picked up from the airport by a friendly girl, a little older than me, named Bärbel (I was not sure if that was a girl or a boy name from the email, so it was good that she had a sign with my name on it), and we stood and waited for a few of the other program kids to show up.  After we had gathered two more, the four of us headed for the parking lot.  Coming from a suburb where the only means of transportation is a car, I assumed that we were headed to Bärbel’s lovely European vehicle.  False.  We went straight for the public bus.  The driver begrudgingly helped us load our luggage (maybe he was cranky because we had a ton of bags) into the bottom of the bus.  We spent about 15 minutes on this spotless bus, chatting in German and receiving our room assignments and keys.

At our stop we hopped off of the bus, walked half a block, and went down the coolest escalator ever into the U-Bahn.  This escalator can move both ways, and only moves when it knows that people are on it.  Bärbel put in a few coins and got tickets for the four of us, which were stamped with the time, date, and stop by a small ticket post.  We then waited in the amazingly clean subway station for the quiet and spotless train to arrive.  The train was wood paneled on the inside, with large, comfortable brown seats, and had no garbage or spills or, to be honest, anything that could be considered dirty.  Bärbel told us that this particular train was a very old one, and the newer ones are even quieter and more stylish.  After three stops we pushed the small levers that open the train doors, and walked right out into the Student City where we live.  I only had to walk about two minutes until I was at my dorm, and ready to get unpacked.

After realizing that there was a lot of little stuff that I needed to get for my dorm room (new sheets, ethernet cord, hand towel, etc.) I decided to venture out and try to navigate the city myself.  I knew that there were a lot of stores in the Marienplatz, which surrounds the Frauenkirche and is the central area of Munich.  I walked back down to the U-Bahn, bought my own ticket, and asked a man which track went to the Marienplatz.  He was friendly and pointed to the one that I was standing next to.  It took me about 15 minutes and six stops to get to the city center and go shopping.  I found my way back just as easily — the public transportation here is outstanding.  I am continually impressed with how well they save energy (the non-automatic doors, and reversing escalators), and still manage to keep a heavily used mode of transportation so clean.  It makes me realize just how much more work the CTA has to do.

Finally, a political note (sorry, but I have to).  The moment that I walked into the airport, all the TVs were talking about or showing clips of Barack Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention. The topic of conversation with Bärbel for the entire train ride, the topic of local news that I saw later and the front page of a popular German newspaper all concerned the presidential race. Europe is buzzing with talk of this election just as much as America.  Here is a wake up call for all of those who don’t think that the upcoming election matters, or their vote doesn’t count:  The rest of the world cares, so you definitely should, especially since you have the power to vote.

So far, everything is going well here in Munich, and I am glad that I have figured out how to get around.  Today’s mission is to find a grocery store.  I’ll have an update about life in my dorm next time.  Until then, tschüss!

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Salaam Alaikum! After two days of buses and planes, I have arrived in Jordan – and 24 hours later my luggage did as well, alhumduhlilah. The only slightly unnerving part of the journey (other than when my plane’s engine broke in Utah) was when we flew through Israeli airspace and had to remain in our seats with our windows open.

My jet-lag meant I slept through the morning prayers around 5 a.m., but in the afternoon I heard the call as it drifted over the bustling city. Again this evening, I walked out of the supermarket to hear the call coming from a nearby minaret shining with a green light. No one around me seemed to take much notice, but I thought it was beautiful.

Listen to the afternoon call to prayer:

This morning as our taxi drove through Abdoun, the nicer part of Amman, we saw goats on the side of the road near the British embassy compound, complete with a machine gun out front. My classmates reported that another herd of goats passed by the window during our morning lecture. We’re perched on one of Amman’s twenty-odd hills that cluster around the old Roman ruins dating from when the city was known as “Philadelphia.” By 1 A.D., Amman was part of the cluster of commercial cities know as the Decapolis, stretching through Jordan, Syria and Palestine.

Now, however, the hills are dotted with construction cranes, minarets and lots of square beige buildings. I’ve never seen such a monochromatic city, but perhaps I’m just not attuned to the variances in shades of white and brown yet. Of course, the ubiquitous McDonalds billboards permeate even the back neighborhoods of Amman and most street signs are in both English and Arabic. I knew I wouldn’t see many trees in the desert regions of the Middle East, but the lack of greenery is jarring, especially for someone used to tree-lined Sheridan Road. The smells of the city are a wonderful mix. Amman is scattered with trash, but sometimes the stink is muted by the heavy, sweet perfume of hookah from sidewalk cafes. The breeze, when it comes, brings a whole bouquet of smells I haven’t yet identified.

A lot of my fears about coming to Amman have been assuaged. Despite the warnings of my doctors and professors, I haven’t gotten sick yet (although I’ve only been here a few days). I packed mainly long skirts and tunics, but the clothing restrictions are much more liberal and varied than I expected. I’ve seen women dressed entirely in black, with only their eyes showing, but I’ve also seen women in tight pants and short sleeves. I see a pretty even mix between veiled and unveiled women, but I’ve also been in a more Westernized part of Amman so far. So long as my knees and shoulders are covered, I should be okay just about anywhere, apparently.

During orientation today I learned about a few interesting cultural differences from a sociologist. In America, eye contact is used to show focus and honesty during a conversation. In Jordan, and many other parts of the world, eye contact should be avoided. Between men and women, eye contact implies a sexual relationship. Making eye contact with someone older or of a higher rank is seen as a challenge to their authority. I think that will be very hard to get used to.

I’m off to study some Arabic and hop into bed. Tomorrow we’ll be exploring the old section of the city. But now that I finally have my suitcase, I feel ready for just about anything.

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Rhythm and dance group Boomshaka debuted its tenth annual spring show, “Restore Chaos,” this weekend in McCormick Auditorium at Norris. The show featured drumming, movement and fast-paced poetry mixed with beats. Boomshaka members also acted out comedy skits between acts.

In the video, we speak with Danielle Spencer about the team’s graduating seniors, with comments from Hilary Bowen and Christy Finch on team traditions in the following slideshow.

They’re called Rube Goldberg contraptions, and the Northwestern Organization of Design Engineers (yes, NODE) had students compete to build their own on Saturday in the Ford Design Center. Working in teams of four, students had materials such as playing cards, balloons and string, and five hours to put it all together. Here’s how they did, in photos and video:

Video by Asha Toulmin and Hannah Fraser-Chanpong. Photos by Tom Giratikanon.

In our video slideshow: photos from the event and an interview with KASA President YeEun June Sung.

Photos by Rachel Koh, video by Hannah Fraser-Chanpong