Frostburg State's Short Term Summer Study Abroad Trips

(Courtesy of Lynn Valley Insurance)

The goal of this blog has been to give ideas and discuss student travel, both around the FSU campus as well as abroad.  As this shall be my final post of the semester, I found it only fitting to discuss two study abroad opportunities that will take place over the Summer of 2014, as sponsored by the College of Business Global Experiential Learning.  These two programs which are open to any student in any major are: "Destination China" and "Experiencing Ecuador."  Both of these trips allow students to take a small trip to the corresponding countires in the middle of taking an online class, where the trip would serve as a gap in the online class.

Photo of me sitting on the Great Wall during my trip to China last Summer
as a US Student Ambassador. 

For "Destination China," students will go on a trip to China from 5/30-6/11 where they will be able to see some of the historic and world renown sights that China has to offer in a short time span.  Some of the highlights that the trip includes are the following: visits to China's capital Beijing, as well as their economic capital of Shanghai, a boat trip down the Yangtze River, a modern factory tour, as well as first hand experiences of Chinese culture and cuisine.  The students will visit four areas of China which have been chosen to show students the fast diversity of modern China.  The four areas which were chosen for this experience are: Beijing, Xi'an, Rural Shaanxi Province, and Shanghai.  Now when it comes down to the academic aspect of this experience, the classes which students are to choose from would be: IDIS 350 China in the 21st Century, ECON 490 Special Topics in Economics, and MGMT 699/690 Special Topics- Management in China.

FSU students in Ecuador last summer.
(Photo from FSU's Study Abroad Facebook Page)

"Experience Ecuador" will take students down to South America to allow them to become culturally immersed in the rich and ancient culture that is that of Ecuador.  This program, like "Destination China," will take place right after the culmination of the Spring 2014 semester, with the online class starting on 5/27, yet the trip will take place from 6/4-6/14.  Whilst in Ecuador students will be able to: visit the capital of Quito which sits at 9,000 feet above sea level, visit with Ecuadorian business leaders, visit and tour Banos Mineral Springs, engage in service opportunities in local villages, as well as visit shop in traditional markets.  The trip will take students to the following major areas: Quito, Otavola, a city know for artisans, Banos, Cuenca, an arts rich history center in the Andes, and Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city and seaport. The classes that students will be able to take corresponding to this trip are the following: IDIS 150 Leadership for Success, IDIS 350 Leadership in Latin America, or MGMT 490/690 or LEAD 499 Special Topics in Leadership in Latin America.


I had the opportunity to briefly speak with Dr. Jeffery L. McClellan, one of the Faculty Leaders of "Experience Ecuador" about the advantages of these programs and why students should capitalize on these great opportunities.  Dr. McClellan started off by telling me that, "In all the educational experiences that I've been involved in, nothing has been as life changing as study abroad."  When asked to explain this he said, "The amount of learning, personal growth, and change that one experiences while abroad is astounding."  I completely agree with that statement considering the amount of personal growth I experienced during my 7 months abroad in 2012 and how big of an impact that experience had on me as both a person and as a student.  When asked about the experiences that make these two trips worth it, Dr. McClellan said, "Its cool and fun.  You get to meet people and learn about a culture while being involved in a once in a lifetime opportunity."  Finally before Dr. McClellan had to run out for a meeting, I asked him to leave a one sentence pitch or tagline for the trips, to which he left me with the following message about these trips, "Incredible experience to combine learning with a one in a lifetime experience."

Program info:

1. Application Deadline is 12/6/13!!!
1. If you are interested, pick up an application and work on getting staff recommendation letters now.
2. Contacts:
1. "Destination China:"
1. Dr. Suzanne McCoskey
2. "Experience Ecuador:"
1. Dr. Jeffery McClellan
3. You must have a valid passport for both trips since you will be traveling outside of the US.
4. The cost of the trips are broken down into 3 payments to make them affordable.
1. There is an $150 Administration fee do at time of application.
5. Scholarships and Financial Aid are available for these trips.
6. Finally, take advantage of these great opportunities!
1. I know that if it were not for me graduating this Spring I would take full advantage of these opportunities.  

I'd like to take this time to thank everyone for reading my blog and hopefully I was able to give ideas to people and help them get out of their dorm room and experience the world that surrounds us!!

Thanks again!

-JAscher

Penn Alps Artisan Village: The Perfect Place To Grab A Gift For Mom

As the end of the semester nears we also approach the holiday season.  Granted, the holiday season is one of the most sought after times of the year since everyone is in high spirits and the mood is generally positive.  Yet, there is one aspect of the holiday season that some people, including myself do not look forward to:  getting a gift for my mom.  My mother, like many others is very hard to shop for.  It's not the fact that she is very picky, rather the complete opposite.  My mother is the type of person who will appreciate any gift from anyone, so the real struggle that my brother and I have every year is to find something that she really likes and this year I believe that I may have found it.

Penn Alps Restaurant and Craft Shop is located in Grantsville, just 15 miles away from the Frostburg Campus and is home to the Spruce Forest Artisan Village.  The Artisan Village is a small area at Penn Alps with resident artists who practice their craft daily for any and all to see in small restored log cabins located on the property.  The artisans range vastly from blacksmith to soap maker and have items for sale in the studio's.  The artisans are very friendly and are more than willing to talk to you to explain their craft including the process as well as showing your what they are working on.

Screenshot of Directions to the Artisan Village

While there are a range of artisans, there are a few whose work I really enjoy.  Gary Yoder is a master bird sculptor, whose pieces are sheerly amazing.  He takes a few months to create intricate carvings of birds which can be almost identical to the real thing.  I would strongly suggest clicking on the link above and viewing his artwork, as for it is truly amazing.

A few of the cabins from the Artisan Village. (Image From: Panoramio)

 

I first heard about the Artisan Village from my roommate Martin Proulx who took me there earlier in the semester when his parents came up for a weekend to visit.  In a brief interview, Martin told me a few of the reasons why he goes to the Artisan Village a few times each semester.  When asked how he first found out about it, Martin said, "We took a field trip there my first semester up here (Fall 2010) for a class in my learning community "Experiencing Appalachia"."  I later asked him what his first thoughts of the the Village were and what makes him go back every semester, to which he responded, "Just the artists.  I find it really cool that these artists are able to set up shop in a cabin and area able to work on their craft at their own leisure as long as they med the required hours per week of being in their workshop." Martin continued with, "I also like to go and see what else they have completed. For example the man who carves wood into birds says that it can take a few months for him to finish a project so its neat to go back and see the finished project."

The Spruce Forest Artisan Village is a place that I would strongly suggest that students go and visit for the following reasons:

1. To check out how cool and neat the area is.
1. It is a small compound of cabins that resemble an classic artisan villages.
2. To view some great artwork and craftsmanship which is something which is a relieve compared to the mass produced decor that is found in stores such as Crate and Barrel and other home good stores.
3. To meet and talk with some amazing artisans.
1. They are very friendly and enjoy talking to people about there crafts.
4. To gain a sense of "culture."
1. There is something that can be said about the feeling one has after view some great pieces of work that is handmade by professionals.
5. To purchase some really cool stuff.
1. You can get anything from soaps and lip balms to handmade metal jewelry that is made personally for you or someone for this holiday season.

Winter Is Coming: A Brief Rundown of Local Ski Resorts

When  many people ask me why I chose to go to Frostburg State, rather than other schools in the University of Maryland System my answer is always the same: snowboarding.  I, like many other students here at FSU, enjoy the pleasures that come from going down a snow covered mountain and cannot wait for the slopes to open up.  At FSU, we are lucky enough to be located within a little more than an hours drive from three great resorts.  The purpose of this post is to give the reader basic information about the following resorts: Wisp Resort, Seven Springs Mountain Resort, and

Wisp Resort:

Image via skimap.org

Wisp is a personal favorite of mine, and is a very well rounded resort.  It's location just west of FSU makes it easy to reach and great for spontaneous trips when one finds out that a class is canceled.  Wisp has a good mix of trail types, and is great for beginners.  While Wisp does not offer the best skiing on the East Coast, the level of connivence it has to FSU students makes it second to none.

• Wisp is the closest ski resort to FSU, located around 50 minutes away in McHenry, MD, right on Deep Creek Lake.  
• Wisp has 32 trails, which amount to 10.5 miles of skiable terrain.
•  Hours of Operations
• Lift Tickets
• Interactive Trail Map
• Directions

Seven Springs Mountain Resort:

Image via skimap.org

Seven Springs may possibly be the best skiing on the East Coast south of New York State.  While Seven Springs only has one more trail than Wisp, its wide breadth of trails and vast skiing area set it apart.  Seven Springs is offers a unique type of diversity that many other resorts in the Mid-Atlantic region do not offer.  I would recommend Seven Springs to anyone who is looking to go riding from first to last chair since it is only 47 miles and about an hour away while offering some of the best skiing around.

• 2012-2013 was the 4th consecutive year that TransWorld SNOWboarding readers rated Seven Springs to have the Best Parks and Pipe on the East Cost, as well as in the Top 5 Resorts on the East Coast.
• They have 11 different lifts to maximize the efficiency of skiers getting up the mountain.
•  Trail Map and Mountain Info
• Operation Hours and Lift Ticket Rates
• Directions

Whitetail Mountain Resort:

Image via skimap.org

Whitetail is a resort that I attend frequently during winter break since it is about midway from my house in Germantown to Frostburg.  Whitetail is in my opinion the lesser of these three, yet is still a quality resort for the Mid-Atlantic region.  Whereas Seven Springs and Wisp's trails tend to be wider with more room to cruise around, Whitetail's trails tend to be much more narrow and steeper on average.  Whitetail is also the furtherest away at 71 miles.

• Whitetail has 23 trails and a Vertical Drop of 935 feet.
• Whitetail has 9 ski lifts to get riders up at a rate of 15,000 skiers/hr
• Winter Resort Map/Info
• Hours and Rates
• Directions

Ski season is approaching rapidly, so get ready. I will be bringing my snowboard up when I get back from the Thanksgiving Holiday to maximize my potential to go snowboarding this season.