EURO-TRIP

LMU’s New Europe Program went on their first long excursion to Belgium and France. From September 19 to the 24th the students had an educational/enjoyable excursion to the wonderful cities of Brussels, Bruges, and Paris. They met early Monday morning in front of the AIB where the bus to take them was. Their suitcases were packed, the bus was ready to go, and the excitement for the trip was inevitable.

During the long drive the student’s watched movies to kill time. Amelie and Moulin Rouge were the films featured on this trip. After a four hour drive they finally arrived at Brussels, Belgium.

They met at the European Union Parliament where they enjoyed a presentation and a tour of the building. Once the tour was finished the students went with Nils on a walking tour of the city. They got to see many beautiful sites. And after a long day of walking, hunger kicked in, and they enjoyed Belgian fries. The students then boarded the bus, and were off to the city of Bruges.

After a two hour drive the students arrived to their hotel in Bruges “the Venice of the North”. There they checked into their lovely rooms on a boat, and then were off to a group dinner.
The following day the students had a guided bike tour through Bruges. The wonderful scenery was out of a movie. The country side was serene and enjoyable. The tour guides were wonderful, and showed the students the beauty of Bruges.

Hearing the legend of the “black dog” from the tour guides was intriguing. They enjoyed themselves riding around on a bike, and also survived a sheep stamped encounter. Before leaving the students enjoyed an a uthentic Belgian waffle (Delicious!). Bruges was a beautiful city, but after a long bike tour, and walking around; they were off to Paris.

After another four hour drive the students arrived to the beautiful city of Paris. There they met up with their tour guide for the next five days, Julien. Paris was an exciting city filled with many sites to see, and many places to be, but also very tiring for the students. The next couple of days were filled with amazing tours.
They had a guided bike tour of Paris; From the Eiffel tower to the Ente de Triomphe; it was an amazing bike tour riding around in the streets of Paris. The Ile de la cite, Quartier Latin, the Notre Dame, Louvre Museum, Musee d’Orsay, walking tour to the Montmarte, Moulin Rouge, and many sites of the featured film watched on the bus Amelie were visited. They had an educational visit to the OECD “better policies for better lives.”
An unforgettable day was going to the top of the Eiffel Tower at night. It was memorable seeing the Eiffel tower in touching distance, and then being on it. The lights, the view, and being there was just beautiful. The day was done with a Paris city bus tour at night where the students were able to see the whole city at night.
In the farewell dinner some students were adventurous and had an authentic French dinner. It was perfect because everyone was enjoying themselves eating the last dinner in Paris together. On the last day the students visited Versailles and had a picnic in the gardens of Versailles. The excursion was truly amazing and no doubt a success. Everyone enjoyed themselves, and it is something that is going to be unforgettable for the students.

WHEN IN KÖLN…

Our excursion to Cologne (Köln in German) took place on the eighth of September. Cologne is a major metropolitan center with over 30 museums and it is Germany’s fourth largest city. It is also home to the famous Cologne Cathedral. As soon as we got off the morning train, we were greeted by two tour guides and they took us to various sites around downtown Cologne. We learned that it is rumored that the Cologne Cathedral buries the relics of the three wise men and it took 632 years for its construction to be finished. Cologne is also the site of a very large festival known as “Carnival” which occurs annually and dates back to when Cologne was a colony of the Roman Empire. At the end of the tour of the cathedral and the city, we walked around and tried the local cuisine.

After lunch, we broke off into two groups and toured two different museums. The first visited the Romano-Germanic Museum where the emphasis was on the historical development of the city. Cologne was originally a colony of the Roman Empire and this is where its name derives: Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium. The other group took a tour of the Museum Ludwig where the emphasis was on the significance of modern art in Cologne. The city has hundreds of galleries displaying many different forms of art and they serve to maintain Cologne’s status as a cultural center in Germany. At the end of the day both groups gathered at the cathedral once again to tour the upper levels of the structure. After a long ascent filled with narrow archways, heavy doors, and steel rafters, the tour culminated at the very top of the cathedral. The panoramic view that this spot offered was incredibly scenic as we could see several kilometers in every direction. The excursion to Cologne proved to be very intriguing and many in the New Europe Program will definitely be returning in the near future.
Written by Emilio Garcia, NEP Fall 2011

HOWDY FROM BONN!

The Texas A&M Landscape Architecture and Urban Planing Program 2011 started off with an action-packed first week. Aside from getting to know each other and learning what Bonn has to offer, the group went on their first bike-ride all across the city to learn about its history, get to know the site of their design studio project and experience the city's infrastructure. We were led by David Baier, head of the city of Bonn's Department for Green and Open spaces, who had agreed to support the students as their service-learning design project provider.

Following later that week, the group visited the spectacular Upper Middle Rhine Valley and experienced its romantic beauty. From Bacharach we took a boat down the Rhine past the Loreley Rock to Braubach, where, after some good Schnitzel, we visited the legendary Marksburg. The day was capped off by visiting a winery co-op in Mayschoss where we learned a lot about the region's wine-growing history and culture.



The final highlight of the week was the traditional welcome BBQ for all AIB students, host families and friends on the AIB premises. Our group presented a sample of A&M's most famous Aggie yells under the leadership of Luca Olivarez, which were met with great applause from the audience.

HERZLICH WILLKOMMEN IN BONN!

Our first weekend in Bonn started off with a competitive twist as the whole AIB program took part in the annual AIB Soccer Cup. The tournament took place on the beautiful garden area known as the Hofgarten Wiese which is in front of the main building of Bonn University. Although there were a few falls in the game, those who were playing could not help but be inspired by the cheers and applause coming from the audience (especially Viktoria and her loud-speaker.) After many fierce games, one team emerged victorious and received the coveted AIB Soccer Cup Trophy. At the end of the tournament, all of the students left the Hofgarten Wiese with a greater sense of camaraderie and went home to prepare themselves for the evening ahead.

Later on that evening the AIB hosted their annual welcome party for the various programs participating in Fall 2011 study abroad.  The faculty, students, and host families joined at the AIB building for this celebration. Deputy Major of Bonn Angela Kappel enlightened the guests with a few words, as well as Christine Di Girogi, from the Italian Consolate Generale d'Italia a Colonia. Everyone enjoyed the great music, free drinks, and the delicious food as well.  The various AIB programs had to present themselves in a creative way to the guests and all were very entertaining. LMU’s Engineering program constructed a human pyramid, the New Europe Program went poetic and recited an original poem, the Film program showed their artistic side by performing a skit, Texas A&M students from the LAUP entertained the crowd with their chanting, and the Italian students had the crowd singing in three different languages. The welcome party had everyone united in celebration of this wonderful experience on which the students will soon embark. It surely was a great success!
Written by Emilio Garcia, NEP Fall 2011

FAIRY-TALE LAND - THE EIFEL TRIP

The Eifel is a low mountain range in Western Germany and Eastern Belgium, only an hour away from our new home in beautiful Bonn. The LMU Film Students, in the company of the lovely LMU Engineers, took a bus ride out to the area. We would be staying in the town of Monreal for 3 days, the other students accompanying us only for a day visit to the nearby Gregorian mass held in Maria Laach’s Parish (Over 1000 years of amazing tradition in a valley created by an ancient volcano explosion).

After a beautiful mass and a visit to the gift shop (The Monks have a full retail/gift shop) we headed over to Monreal. The town itself is very quaint, less then six square miles in size with a population of less then a thousand. And it’s beautiful. It’s amazingly green, only broken by the tall white windmills in the distance and the quiet venerable castle overlooking the town.

Our main location was a large inn just on the outskirts of town. A young, kindly couple took care of us, making us food and walking us through the delicate steps of cheese tasting (Allgau for the win!). The six men of our program stayed with an amazingly welcoming wife and husband just down the street in a second story flat (wonderful bonding time) and the girls were across the street in their own house.

The next three days were spent doing a variety of activities, most of all just taking in the world around us. We had a few small projects and lessons, one of which was shooting a variety of nature shots to portray a specific emotion. In my own personal experience, with the company of the infamous Patrick Murphy, the two of us wandered around the village and farmlands, tracking deer and shooting lone shoes to convey the emotion of loneliness. We were guided by the lessons of famed Serbian film director Slobodan Sijan.

When we weren’t learning or eating wonderful food (And the desserts!), we trekked many hikes up to the beautiful castle overlooking the town. Up the keep you could go, rolling hills and green valleys stretching into the distance. We even went on an old-fashioned torch hike at night (with much singing of classic 80’s and 90’s songs) and the next morning had a very early hike with our constant trusty guide, Rainer. One of the most amazing ways to start the day.

A celebrity appearance was even made by the most beautiful dog in the Rhineland, Cosmo, whose proud owner is our very own Olaf, our wonderful program director.

The Eifel is a wonderful place. There’s something about looking up into that beautiful sky at night to see a thousand hovering stars twinkle over the waves of green, of feeling that crisp morning breeze blow past as we hike through streams of sunlight and to look at the generous (chicken-filled) nature.

CONGRATULATIONS TO VIZZERS KEVIN PRIMM AND JAKE ROSS

The Texas A&M VIZ students Kevin Primm and Jake Ross got selected to present their project “Running out of Steam“ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-FMdfuc3vM), created during their AIB study abroad semester 2010, at the SIGGRAPH conference in Vancouver next week.

The SIGGRAPH conference is is the premier international event on computer graphics and interactive techniques. Kevin and Jake will have the chance to present their animation to an estimated 25,000 professionals from five continents. Congratulations to these two and good luck in Vancouver!

“Running out of Steam“ by Kevin Primm and Jake Ross


Given a character description we were to design and incorporate our character into a live action environment... or small universe.


The project is a testament to just how expansive a project can be. It utilized elements such as 3D objects modeled, textured, and lit in Autodesk Maya; special steam and blur effects created in Adobe After Effects; final composition done in Final Cut Pro; and live action footage taken with a professional-grade video camera to create a setting for the character and an introductory time lapse video. Unique elements that also influenced the project were interactions with the German culture, as well as the pre-determined aspects of the assigned character’s personality. All these elements were combined into one immense conglomerate of innovative design.


Using creative problem solving skills, we were able to combine all these parts to our project in a relatively short amount of time. The project also forced us to step outside our comfort zone and interact with a culture completely different than what we were used to. This caused us to open our minds up to more than just the bubble that we were used to living in, and learn knew and exciting things about Germany, and the world as a whole.

SABINA 2011

STUDENTS FROM TEXAS A&M, UAF, LVAIC AND UMKC JOINED THE “DEUTSCHE WELLE” GLOBAL MEDIA FORUM IN THE FORMER BUNDESTAG IN BONN, TOGETHER WITH 1300 PARTICIPANTS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD


I was standing at the Heusalle U-bahn at eight in the morning waiting for other people from the SABINA program to arrive. We were going to attend the annual Conference on Human Rights at the Deutsche Welle. This year, they were focusing on global media, and the way it can help or hinder human rights causes. I was excited, but had no idea what to expect!
When we arrived at the old German National Parliament we were instantly loaded with papers and schedules, and surrounded by colors and people and displays. After a few minutes to get oriented and decide which programs to attend in the afternoon, we were ushered into the plenary session to hear a debate on the economics of human rights. I was hooked instantly. The whole room was an edge, hanging on every word being said by the speakers, poised to contradict or approve. As soon as the floor was opened, everyone was clamoring to get a chance to voice their opinion. When they finally cut off discussion, I had no doubt that it would be a day to remember.
After the exhilarating start to the day I went to sessions on women’s rights in Latin America, ways to clean up the slums in Kenya, and using mobile phones to capture local stories in Africa. I learned a lot, but more than anything I got inspiration. I was surrounded by people who were passionate about some of the same things as I. Having discussions with people from all over the world, including someone from the at the time soon to be South Sudan, was enlightening. It made me realize some things I hadn’t even realized I took for granted.
That day was ended with a boat cruise on the Rhein that included, not only food and more discussions, but also a dance party. By the end of the night, I had met so many people I couldn’t remember all of their names! I was lucky also to meet numerous people from the Deutsche Welle Academy who I was able to meet again before I left Bonn. One of girls I met became my best friend from the entire trip. The experience for me was eye-opening, and I would even stretch as far as to say life changing. The day in itself, added onto the friendships I made was more than I could have asked for.

By: Ashley Kaminski, Lafayette College / Pennsylvania

BTHO France! Halfway around the world, the twelfth man trades in its maroon for red, white, and blue.

This past Wednesday, students from Texas A&M University had the opportunity to support a football team of a different kind.
Aggies from three different study abroad programs at AIB attended the Women's World Cup semi- final game between the USA and France in Mönchengladbach, Germany. In true aggie fashion, no corners were cut in our efforts to display team spirit and to support the good old U S of A. We prepared by making posters, sporting our red white and blue, and going a little overboard with patriotic body paint (A bit of cold and rainy weather was not going to deter us from reaping the full experience of this once in a lifetime opportunity).
 After hours of preparation, faces were spotted with stars, stomachs were adorned with red and white stripes, and a row of shirtless boys read "USA!!!".
Finally, we got on the bus and headed towards the stadium.

We weren't quite sure how we would be received upon arrival since we were fitting the obnoxious and loud American stereotype.
The French and Germans alike greeted our enthusiasm with open arms and flashing cameras. Before we could even reach our seats a mirror image of us, (the french in blue, white, and red) wanted a photo to document the friendly rivalry and the good sportsmanship between the countries. Minutes later we discovered a group of Germans with a "Germany loves USA" banner. After being in Germany for about a week and a half we were still getting used to everything and felt a little awkward being out of our element, but that sign instantly made us feel welcome and honored. We took a picture with the women who had brought the banner and it could be seen on their faces how much they enjoyed our appreciation. The energy extended beyond the walls of the stadium, as students from the A&M Sports Management Program provided live updates on Twitter. Their news feeds were eventually posted on The Eagle, an online newspaper for the Bryan College Station area, sending our excitement back home to friends and family. (http://www.theeagle.com/local/15-Aggies-in-the-study-abroad-program) People from various parts of the world were united by a commonality of mutual respect and the love of soccer.

Congratulations to director Scott Oller!

The FITS Europe student documentary "Steps" got selected for the NFTTY Festival (National Film Festival for Talented Youth) in Seattle. Congratulations to our student and director Scott Oller!

Curiosity leads the subjects of his film "Steps" on a journey through the abandoned buildings of Europe. From a warehouse in Germany to a mountaintop in Bulgaria, experienced urban explorer Mike Beegle seeks out places of rich history and deteriorating beauty.

The NFFTY (National Film Festival for Talented Youth) is the flagship program of "The Talented Youth", a non-profit arts organization that was founded in 2007. The NFFTY has grown into the world's largest youth film festival. Each year the festival showcases films by directors 22 and under.

AIB Soccer Cup 2011

The AIB hosted the second annual AIB Soccer Cup on a beautiful and sunny Wednesday afternoon in the “Hofgarten” of the University of Bonn!

There were a total of 6 teams competing for the very prestigious, AIB cup. The prize for winning was a beautiful trophy that contained delicious Haribo gummy bears! From business majors to dance majors, the competition had great diversity… it was like Germany during the World Cup in 2006!

Once the two fields were set up, music playing, cheerleaders cheering, and whistles blowing, the AIB students were off and running. From miraculous saves to dangerous tackles, the competition was fierce. One team that constantly stood out from the first couple of games was the FC Bonners. Nevertheless, teams such as The Wieners and Louis and the Gang, were vehemently pursuing to win the prestigious AIB Cup.

After upsets and blowouts…and a few yellow cards, the FC Bonners and The Wieners faced off in the championship game. The game was very even. Both sides had clear opportunities for goal, but the defenses were of world class caliber. At the end of regulation the score ended 0-0. The referee announced that the final match would be decided through penalties. The crowd grew wild and the players nervous.

The penalties turned out to be a battle of the goalies. Both goalies blocked 4 at of the 5 initial penalty kicks. The game was decided when the FC Bonners’ captain, Jesse Jovel, nailed his second penalty kick in the upper right hand corner of the goal leaving the goalie no choice but to watch the ball go by! The FC Bonners triumphantly hugged and congratulated one another and were then greeted with the beautiful gold trophy and certificates. Oh, and of curse, the delicious Haribo gummy bears.

After the coronation, all of the AIB student athletes were able to enjoy some delicious hot dogs and the beautiful spring weather that Bonn has to offer. Once again, the AIB was successful in bringing people together for one common goal!