A double major in Studio Art and Art History, Ruth Salazar selected Humboldt Universität zu Berlin in order to get involved in the city’s rich art heritage and vibrant art community. Ruth enjoys painting, drawing and creating art from found objects. She has also played violin in orchestras, sung in a choir and enjoys playing guitar. As part of a summer 2005 German-American exchange program, Ruth visited a town in northern Germany named Elmshorn. This experience solidified her interest in learning about other cultures. Prior to her departure Ruth wrote, “Ever since that visit to Germany, I’ve been wanting to go abroad again. I’ve been working towards this goal, and am happy that it is finally going to happen. I really think this experience will truly help me grow as an artist, a student, and a person. Many people tell me that I will definitely change after this experience, but I don’t view it as a change so much as an expansion of who I am.” Ruth had a chance to visit Sweden and Norway before starting classes. She has also been in contact with fellow Berliner and former Borton-scholar Yukio King (Germany, 2000-01). Her course load involves a variety of different art classes, but her favorite course thus far is called Aktuelle Kunst, which involves trips to galleries and museums and discussions of the art viewed. Ruth e-mails that, “I love encountering new things…it can be a challenge in many ways, but I feel like a greater person for it in the end.”
Laura Summers (The Netherlands, 2008-09)
Laura Summers, a Linguistics major with a minor in Middle Eastern Studies, is attending Universiteit College in Utrecht. She has studied Muslim immigration into the European Union and wants to pursue a career aiding Muslim immigrants adapt to their new lives in Western nations. Laura has already taken a volunteer job in Utrecht working with five refugee women (from places like Togo and Albania) and their children. In San Diego, Laura lived and worked at the International House fulfilling a desire to meet international students and scholars and learn about their cultures. She also sang in a choir and likes to play intramural volleyball. Since arriving in Holland, Laura has enjoyed visiting relatives in Middelburg, and traveling to Munich, Vienna, Budapest and Prague with a group of other exchange students. She had great things to say about the efficiency of the rail system, but was happy to be back on a bike in Utrecht upon her return. Laura writes that “it wouldn’t be a truly Dutch experience without biking to town in the rain.” She is taking courses in Linguistics, Art History, Dutch, and Development Studies. The latter involves discussing the geographical development of nations and its social and economic impact. She is looking forward to the special Dutch St. Nicholas holiday when she will sing the Dutch song “Sinterklaas Kapoentje” that her grandmother taught her as a child.
Kipp Trieu (France, 2008-09)
Kipp Trieu, a Communications major with minors in French Literature and Education Studies who wants to become a teacher, is studying at the Institut d’études politiques de Paris (known as Sciences Po). He captured the spirit of the scholarship program when he wrote in his application that he desired to be an exchange student “both in the sense of being a student studying abroad and in the sense of being a well-educated, well-rounded student of the international arena.” Kipp is taking courses covering topics that include an introduction to a globalized attitude; the socio-political elements of decentralization and democracy; society and media; French opera as a political art form; and a French language course. He highlights that all of the courses are taught from the French perspective. In addition to his academic work, Kipp is an accomplished pianist and enjoys cooking, eating and photography. Ray and Verena were excited to be able to host him in Davis, including a trip to the Farmers Market, before he left for Paris. At Sciences Po, Kipp has been hired as an intern (vacataire) at the Center of the Americas, the office that handles incoming and outgoing exchange students to North and South America. In addition to gainful employment, his position as a “study abroad advisor” is allowing him to help coach French students wishing to go abroad. Kipp writes that, “Most French people, or those I’ve seen and met, don’t have pencil thin moustaches. Or eat frog legs every meal. Most of them, anyway. The point: the only way to know how something is is to see it for yourself.”