semper aliquid novi

One of my cousins had her first holy communion last weekend, so...

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:04:00 -0400

Mom, Susan, Diane, and me

Excited for cake!

Grandma, Mom, Susan, Diane, and me

One of my cousins had her first holy communion last weekend, so we drove down for a visit!

I returned to the US last week, and although I’m happy to...

Wed, 15 May 2013 12:34:00 -0400

I returned to the US last week, and although I’m happy to be back and with my family, it’s impossible to not miss Riva! Here are some pictures from my last couple of days in Switzerland.

the pgs superlatives

Tue, 07 May 2013 16:57:07 -0400

As the semester winds down and we depart, I think it is necessary to recognize the unique contributions of every student to the PGS 2013 dynamic. And what better way to do that than with yearbook-style superlatives? Behold, Grace Mulholland’s PGS 2013 Superlatives:

Erika: Most likely to tactually turn things to art

Grace P.: Most likely to welcome you into personal Skype conversations

Hanna H.: Best at late-night procrastination conversations… and most likely to remind people of the necessity of pants

Tanley: Least likely to call you by your actual name

Gizem: Most likely to be adorable doing absolutely anything

Sarah: Most affectionate towards houseplants… and second-most likely to play mom

Ed: Least likely to be in his actual apartment sleeping in an actual bed

Caitlin: Least likely to sugar-coat

Casie: Most likely to marry Justin Timberlake or any given member of One Direction

Katy: Least likely to admit that sketchy hostel is sketchy… most likely to refer to people as baked goods

Rochelle: Least likely to know what she’s studying

Emily N.: Most likely to fly up the stairs like an airplane

Jonathan: Most unexpectedly hilarious

Emily B.: Most likely to work her vernacular into everyone’s vocabulary

Tim: Most likely to have a signature facial expression

Cameron: Most likely to earn a recurring phrase regarding his lateness… Most likely to criticize your technological outdatedness

Kaylyn: Most likely to argue over the fate of a virtual dog during news roundup

Katie Scalia: Least likely to post-game with Sigma Nu, regardless of familial affiliations

Erin: Most likely to compliment your eyebrows

Morgan: Least likely to wanna be anything other than what she’s been tryna be lately

Daniella: Least likely to win a game of “never have I ever”

Stephanie: Lowest threshold for disappointment when Face Time calls don’t go through

Evan: Most likely to face Starbucks-induced bankruptcy

Hanna B.: Least likely to have an accurate count of the world’s Catholics

Drew: Most likely to sponsor bad decisions

Lauren: Least likely to sing melody… Most likely to take her cat and leave your sweater

MJ Rice: Least cooperative cruise ship

Got anymore? Comment below!

a letter to day one me

Mon, 06 May 2013 20:21:00 -0400

Dear Day One Me,

By this time, you’ve set some goals for yourself for the duration of the Presidential Global Scholars Program, though from past experience, you know not to arrive with many expectations. And that’s a good thing, because you are about to embark on a trip that will be anything but predictable. Before you start learning names and getting settled into your cozy apartment, here is some advice for the semester:

1. You won’t be learning about biological organisms or psychological phenomena here. There will be nothing to memorize, no tests to take, and no curves to consider. This may seem intimidating to you: you’ve operated pretty well in the traditional educational setting so far, but will you succeed here? Don’t worry. You’ll adopt a more independent method of gauging your performance: your own satisfaction with what you’ve produced.

2. You’re not going to make it to every single place you want to visit in Switzerland, though you probably already know this. Reject the urge to cross things off an invisible check sheet. Do things that challenge you (like staying in a shady hostel in Rome and hiking up Monte San Giorgio), but ultimately, prioritize your happiness when making travel decisions.

3. Even though you are the oldest student in the group, you won’t feel isolated for long. Your new friends will call you “Mom” when you count heads in Milan or make extensive trip plans, but you’ll embrace the title. People will ask you for help every now and then. Don’t shouldn’t be afraid of offering advice—people will appreciate you for it, and you’ll feel like your opinion is valued.

4. I know you think you’ll keep your travel local to save money, but you’ll actually find it cheaper to travel outside Switzerland. You’ll figure out the seemingly complex train system quickly, and you’ll employ your Mulholland instincts to track down cheap flights and lodging with ease.

5. It’s going to be more difficult than expected to integrate in the community, not only because of the language barrier but because you’ll have a lot more assignments than you expect. Because you’re somewhat of a perfectionist, your work will keep you cooped up in the villa, especially at the beginning of the semester. Be aware of what you’re missing when you sit typing for hours on end, and, though this may seem like bad advice, don’t be afraid to compromise some work quality for experience quality.

6. While setting goals, you said you wanted to research places before visiting them. Sometimes you’ll do this, but oftentimes you won’t have much time between lectures, class work, and figuring out logistics to delve deeply into a city’s culture or history. That’s okay—in these cases, just find some free walking tours so that you have some clue what you’re looking at.

7. You will get into an excellent graduate school program, and you will get funding. I promise.

8. You’ll work with four people in particular for many hours on your group project (to save you some time, I’ll tell you to go ahead and focus your topic on the Beznau nuclear power plant). Your commitment to the group’s success will drive you more than your interest in the topic, but you’ll produce something you’re happy with and you’ll learn some cool things.

9. At times, you will have frustrations will the program. These frustrations will usually be widely shared, but make an effort to avoid lingering in pockets of negativity. Try to find ways to encourage others to be less negative as well. If you don’t come up with something sooner, know that by the time you leave CERN, you’ll be explaining to your classmates that they are allowed to be protons or neutrons, but not electrons. (Yes, you will make particle physics jokes. I hope you weren’t aiming to get any less nerdy this semester.)

10. Your relationships will change. You’ll be unexpectedly disappointed by someone you care about. Resist regret, and know that you have the most amazing friends, both here and back in the States, who are genuinely interested in your wellbeing and can help you through anything. Let them help. You’ll be okay—really.

11. Intentionally build relationships with people who seem least like you. You’ll learn about their motivations, mindsets, and experiences; and you’ll find unexpected commonalities. This will increase your appreciation for the complexity of all people and make you even more curious about people’s stories… but you’ll also just plain make some awesome friends.

12. The semester will be easier than usual in some ways and more challenging in others. You will only pull one all-nighter, and you won’t feel as stressed about assignments or grades. You’ll exert a lot more emotional energy than usual, though. Even though you do a pretty good job of holding it all together, there will be a couple of nights when you burst out in tears for no easily explainable reason. Luckily, these nights will usually end in laughter, because Hanna H. will be around to validate your craziness and Erika will offer to punch people for you.

You’re already equipped to handle everything that comes your way, and nothing that you encounter this semester will phase you for long. Stay positive, stay humble, and stay confident.

Sincerely,

Grace

Springtime in Lugano, Switzerland

Mon, 06 May 2013 09:03:27 -0400

Springtime in Lugano, Switzerland

Fog obscuring the top of Monte Generoso (viewed from Riva San...

Mon, 06 May 2013 08:58:04 -0400

Fog obscuring the top of Monte Generoso (viewed from Riva San Vitale, Switzerland)

Pictures from a class trip to CERN, just outside Geneva

Mon, 06 May 2013 08:35:00 -0400

Casie, Steph, Kaylyn, and Rochelle at the Large Hadron Collider

Magnet test facility

Pictures from a class trip to CERN, just outside Geneva

This is my favorite picture from my visit to Geneva. This dog...

Mon, 06 May 2013 08:25:36 -0400

This is my favorite picture from my visit to Geneva. This dog was just fantastic.

Here are some of my pictures from the United Nations Office in...

Mon, 06 May 2013 08:23:15 -0400

Here are some of my pictures from the United Nations Office in Geneva! I went on a tour of the building with my class. Altogether, it was huge, and while some rooms and halls were plain, others were spectacular.

I didn’t fully appreciate the quaint beauty of Swiss...

Mon, 06 May 2013 08:01:48 -0400

Basel

Basel

Basel

Bern

Bern

Bern

Bern

Bern

Bern

Bern

I didn’t fully appreciate the quaint beauty of Swiss architecture until I visited Basel and Bern.

At the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo, Wil Wheaton...

Wed, 01 May 2013 08:07:00 -0400

At the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo, Wil Wheaton explains why it’s awesome to be a nerd.

why i love africa

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 21:05:00 -0400

When I stepped out of the plane in Accra, Ghana, the first thing I felt was heat and high humidity. Usually I would describe this sort of weather as unpleasant, but after a couple of mostly cold months in Europe, I gladly welcomed the thick, warm air into my lungs. Twenty-eight of us fumbled off the tarmac and through the airport doors, tired and hoping to make it through the airport uneventfully. Everyone proceeded towards border control except me: I saw a restroom, and, according to my developing country rules, you do not forgo any opportunity to use a real toilet. In the tiny bathroom, there was no toilet paper, the water spurted unevenly out of the faucet, and the hand dryer was broken. I smiled.

Broken things don’t always amuse me. In fact, in my apartment in Switzerland, I sometimes need to remind myself of how silly it is to be annoyed by the sink faucet that won’t stay on or the incessant error message I get when trying to use the dryer. Somehow, though, when I’m in Africa (or at least Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania), everything seems like an adventure. I am more open to novel experiences, but even beyond that, I begin to approach all things as novel.

In Africa, I am hyper-vigilant and intensely intellectually stimulated. I find myself looking for glimpses of culture, politics, globalization in everything. At some point in high school literature classes, I think most students get frustrated with extensive interpretations and conclude that their teacher is overreaching the intended meaning of a text. Well, in Africa, I feel like that English teacher. I am acutely aware that I could be assigning too much meaning to each thing I see, but I enjoy the experience too much to stop thinking about all the choices scattered across the landscape.

When Paul Heilker was with us in Riva earlier this semester, we had a discussion about choices. Paul emphasized that everything, even the seemingly mundane, involves choice. Even if you are not conscious of the reasons, and even if you are not particularly passionate about any of the options, you choose to wear a particular shirt, you choose one word over another, and you choose to buy a certain toothbrush, for instance. This idea of choice was constantly on my mind as I stared out the windows of our bus, breaking my gaze only to discuss something a classmate or I had seen.

My fascination with Africa extends beyond observations. In Kenya, Tanzania, and Ghana, usually-simple tasks often turned into opportunities for creativity. During a group reflection, Christina McIntyre, an assistant director in Virginia Tech’s University Honors Program, expressed concern that Western technology-dependent lifestyles have damaged our innate sense of resourcefulness. I agree wholeheartedly with this sentiment. One of the reasons I enjoy even the most mundane tasks in resource-poor settings is because it offers an excuse to do things in unconventional ways. I might optimize a system for hand-washing my clothing, teach a class with no materials, devise elaborate strategies to protect myself from mosquitos while I sleep, or figure out how to best tie up a flashlight to illuminate a spider-filled latrine. Sure, I could do all these things in America, but in the presence of ample technology and materials and a pressure for time-efficiency, creative approaches are often too cumbersome to feel rewarding.

In addition to those reasons, I love Africa because I am so curious about its people. Earlier this semester, one of my classmates and I had a conversation in which we realized that we both have a deep fascination with learning about other people: how they live, what they’ve done, what they think, and how they feel. We’re interested beyond the superficial, and we’re collectors of stories. I don’t have enough money or time to explore every niche of the world, so interacting with people from different backgrounds helps me to diversify my knowledge. In addition, conversing with Kenyans, Tanzanians, and Ghanaians and collecting their stories has allowed me to vicariously explore African culture in ways that a middle class white American generally cannot.

I am constantly seeking ways to feel so invigorated and curious on my home continent (and here in Europe). I think that camping and travelling to foreign cities, both with as few belongings as possible, are about as close as I have come. The excitement I felt during my brief return to Africa this semester offered confirmation that my search for a comparably stimulating outlet for my curiosity and creativity elsewhere has been unsuccessful. Still, the trip has reminded me of something I am fortunate to feel: a passion for innovation, for discovering the different, and for connecting with people. Africa brings me to life and helps to clarify my purpose, and though I may try to reproduce the effect elsewhere, I think I will always yearn for more opportunities to explore that continent.

science in ghana

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:06:00 -0400

While in Ghana with my PGS class, we had the opportunity to learn from university professors in several fields. We learned about the country’s history, economy, conservation efforts, educational system… there were eight lectures in all. One of the lectures that interested me the most described the very broad topic of science (…just act like you didn’t see that coming).

Many people “live” science, but without knowledge that they are doing so: this is how Professor Yankson of Cape Coast University introduced his lecture. This was an idea that resonated with me, as I am constantly fascinated by the number of people who use science in their everyday life and are simply unaware of their relationship with the field.

Dr. Yankson explained that after Ghana achieved its independence in 1957, President Kwame Nkrumah was determined to prove that science was not a field exclusively accessible to white Europeans, but one in which Ghanaians could make valuable contributions. Accordingly, he implemented several policies to encourage the growth of science in Ghana. Nkrumah incentivized the study of science through increased stipends for science students at universities (relative to students in other fields) and scholarships for overseas studies in science, and he incentivized science instruction by setting higher salaries for science teachers. The Ghanaian Academy of Sciences and the Center for Scientific and Industrial Research were also founded in this early period of independence.

While these policies laid a foundation for the future of science in Ghana, the field did not develop quite as rapidly as Nkrumah had likely hoped. Several challenges have interrupted the country’s progress, including the lack of a functional science policy. Only 0.05% of Ghana’s gross national product is applied to science and technology; this proportion is much less than that recommended by the Economic Commission of Western African States (1% of GNP). Additionally, the working environment can be challenging due to the quality of labs and lack of resources and funding. Also, while Nkrumah was passionate about incentivizing participation in science, these incentives are not offered by the current government. In addition, many university students are dissuaded from studying science because of the increased number of contact hours required over other subjects. “Brain drain” is also an issue in Ghana. Scientists cannot always find the resources to support their work in-country, so many seek education or a career elsewhere.

Despite these challenges, Ghanaians have made significant achievements in science. In agriculture, for example, scientists have produced high-yield, early-maturing maize crops and drought-resistant maize and millet crops. Ghanaians have developed surgical tools, they have been recognized for accomplishments in mathematics and theoretical physics, and they have been pretty extensively involved in aeronautics, Dr. Yankston said. It was exciting to hear about scientific developments that have emerged from Ghana in spite of the numerous structural challenges. Fundamentally, science helps us to understand the world, so in a world as complex as ours, it is imperative that scientific research, education, and applications occur not only in developed nations but across the globe.

a visit from vulcan

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:30:00 -0400

When we returned from Naples, Dr. Bodnar emailed us with an essay assignment. Recently, I emailed him back, asking if I could complete the assignment a little differently… and with Bob’s blessing, I wrote an account of the eruption of Mount Somma over Pompeii in 79 A.D. in the style of “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” I might tweak the poem a bit before the deadline, but after several hours of researching the details of the eruption, rhyming words like “plunged” and “expunged,” and trying to fit in bits of the 1822 Christmas poem (because several hours ago, I thought that would be a fun challenge), I’m ready to have something to show. Please click here to view the original poem—often called “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”—by Clement Clarke Moore.

A Visit from Vulcan

‘Twas the night pre-eruption, when all through Pompeii,

Not a mind was concerned for the fate of the bay.

The Romans built fires, laid feasts out with care,

Honoring the god Vulcan with offerings and prayer.

Pompeiians soon nestled all snug in their beds,

Where visions of savillum danced in their heads.

They sadly knew naught of the impending trap:

What they thought was a mountain would wake from its nap.

The next afternoon there arose such a clatter;

The people went out to see what was the matter.

They gathered their families and flew like a flash

As the volcano threw up a great puff of ash.

The sky was soon filled with scorching white snow

As the Plinian ash cloud continued to grow.

When, what to the Romans’ scared eyes should appear

A shower of pumice to worsen their fear.

Some tried boarding ships to escape by the sea,

But the river soon clogged from the rocky debris.

Roofs were overwhelmed by the expelled rocks

And earthquakes dealt frequent, violent shocks!

Stone burst through the windows; it knocked down the doors

Still, the mouth of Somma continued to roar.

The Peléan stage brought a pyroclastic flow,

Intensifying the threat to the city below.

As rivers that during great hurricanes fill,

When they grow in volume, rush downhill.

So down towards the bay the debris and gas plunged;

Any life that remained was instantly expunged.

And then the ash extinguished the light

Only lightning and fire lit the artificial night.

As tall buildings were destabilized and fell,

The last bits of tephra were cruelly expelled.

When down the mountain, all the debris had been carried,

The city was tarnished with ash and buried.

By the time all of this destruction elapsed

The summit of mighty Mount Somma collapsed.

Pompeii-how it fell! its people ill-fated!

Perhaps Vulcan was insufficiently sated!

Despite trying to appease him, offer him praise

Fifteen hundred lives were destroyed in two days.

At the end, some victims held each other tight,

Some tried to escape, and some curled up in fright.

Some waited for boats that would never arrive,

Whether man, woman, or child: none would survive.

These settlers, drawn in by Somma’s rich soils,

Who used the land to produce their wines and oils,

Would not have believed that this tale would be said;

Surely they thought they had nothing to dread.

Years later, Gaius Pliny was asked to write,

To fill pages for Tacitus recounting this sight.

In transcribing the fateful events he observed

Pompeii’s story has been impressively preserved.

Yet despite lessons this story would propose,

Some people still build around active volcanos.

But here’s advice to prevent Pompeii-like strife:

“Don’t live on volcanos if you value your life!”

Pictures from the summit of Monte San Giorgio

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 10:26:00 -0400

The Two Graces

Exploring my inner Golum with MJ

Forcing a photo with Casie and Johnathan

Pictures from the summit of Monte San Giorgio

No matter how ugly the world gets, there’s always beauty...

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 10:16:00 -0400

Descending Monte San Giorgio, a UNESCO Heritage Site on the Swiss/Italian border

View from Monte San Giorgio, a UNESCO Heritage Site on the Swiss/Italian border

View from Monte San Giorgio, a UNESCO Heritage Site on the Swiss/Italian border

Riva San Vitale in Ticino, Switzerland

No matter how ugly the world gets, there’s always beauty to be found.

Today was a good day for a hike.

For my followers who aren’t on Facebook, I have news: I...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 06:51:00 -0400

For my followers who aren’t on Facebook, I have news: I have decided to attend UNC Chapel Hill for graduate school in the fall!

"The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the..."

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 22:23:38 -0400

““The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.””

- Anna Quindlen (via emotional-algebra)

Here are a few photos from Ghana. I wish I had taken more!

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 21:36:00 -0400

Elmina Castle

Kakum National Park

Canopy walk at Kakum

Cameron on the Canopy Walk

Me on the canopy walk! Photo credit: Lauren Hunt

Weaver birds outside a restaurant

Here are a few photos from Ghana. I wish I had taken more!

Last week, we were fortunate to spend a few days learning about...

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 19:59:00 -0400

Last week, we were fortunate to spend a few days learning about Ghana’s culture and development, not from our classroom in Switzerland, but in Cape Coast and Accra. For me, this was the most anticipated trip of the semester. Many of the students have had a week or two that seemed to be “theirs”: the subject was aligned with their academic interests, they knew the professor, they had taken a course on a similar topic at Tech. This week was one for which I felt I had a little extra perspective. I was excited to get back to Africa, even if I was on a different side on the continent than before, even in the absence of the friends I made in Kenya and Tanzania, even though this time I wouldn’t be making the plans.

Of the sites we visited in Ghana, the most significant for me was Elmina Castle, built by the Portuguese in 1482 to store goods for trade. By the seventeenth century, when the Dutch captured the castle, the storerooms held not inanimate goods but people—slaves waiting to be transported across the Atlantic.

In a large group, it is difficult to be alone, but I tried to take some time for reflection by hanging back during the tour of the castle. Walking through the rooms in which the slaves were imprisoned, envisioning these people living in unsanitary conditions and sleeping on the hard floor below my feet, and standing on the balcony from which the governor would select which slave to rape, I tried to imagine what it would be like to visit this place not as a tourist, but as a captured African woman.

The castle was depressing but moving. The contrast between the beauty surrounding the place and the ugliness of the acts perpetuated within those walls was striking. I caught glimpses of the ocean from the Door of No Return, glimpses that normally would bring thoughts of peace and tranquility rather than the human rights atrocities that continued as the slaves were loaded as human cargo onto ships that sailed through these waters. The whitewashed walls of the castle nearly blended into the cloudy sky; in the courtyard of the castle, they seemed to extend forever, excluding the beauty just beyond the perimeter. The dark, windowless storerooms forbade the captives to gaze upon the sun rising and setting on the beach mere yards from the fortress. In every way possible, beauty was kept out of this place.