Willamette Abroad

"Jerusalem"

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:51:24 -0800

In keeping with the food and drink theme, I thought I'd share a little bit about one of my favorite places to eat in Vina del Mar, a Mediterranean/Arab restaurant called "Jerusalem." One of my favorite things to have there, at a very reasonable price, would be falafel in pita (probably the best falafel I've ever had, with lettuce, tomatoes and flavorful sauce). Other tasty treats include fresh juice, dolmas or shwarma. Often I would go there on friday nights after shabbat services with my fellow international students and enjoy the company, food, and casual atmosphere. Another great thing about "Jerusalem" is that it is one of the few places I've found that is actually open on Sundays! (When the rest of town pretty much shuts down).

El Gato en la Ventana

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 10:36:06 -0800

Valparaíso, Chile is well known for its rich night life, which includes a wide variety of dance clubs, everything from salsa to tango to my personal favorite, wool-sweater-wearing, warm-wine-drinking, unshaven, flute-playing Chilean folk dancing.

My favorite place to enjoy such an atmosphere is a place called El Gato en la Ventana, located in the Cerro Alegre area. Here you can sip on delicious vino navegado (a version of mulled wine) from quaint clay mugs while listening to some great live folk music and dancing it up with a friendly group of easy going Chileans.

By the way, this picture... a cat...in a window...was appropriately taken across the street from the famed Gato.

Alcohol in Sweden

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 11:20:05 -0800

Alcohol is very expensive in Sweden; to help offset the cost of the excellent national health care, alcohol--a potential health risk--is sold at very high set margins by the government monopoly, Systembolaget, popularly referred to as Systemet--The System. A bottle of cheap gin is 200 SEK -- that's 30 USD. Because of this, many Swedes make their own alcohol using an orchestration of widely available and makeshift equipment. Note that acquiring, or god forbid, distilling this alcohol yourself is Highly Illegal and does not come with my recommendation At All.

Now comes the question of what to do with a large amount of Totally Legal Vodka you have acquired by Great Fortune. The first step is to diversify. If you live in Linköping, Hemköp in Ryd has rum and whisky essences you can add to your vodka to provide an approximation of said liquors. You will find a lot more variety of essences at Vinland--a store which you will Not have already gone to to acquire Other Equipment, in Gottfriedsberg just across Rydskögens bike trail.

Then you may want to use this product to create a tasty beverage. WILLY:s in Skaggetorp has Eldorado brand kolsyrat vatten (carbonated water) for enormously cheap, which you may want to flavor using a wide variety of flavor syrups available everywhere with the greatest variety again at Vinland. Skål!

Foraging for food in a foreign country

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 10:50:18 -0800

It does not hurt to repeat that as you arrive in your host country, many of your ideas as to how the world works will be challenged and seen as assumptions tied to a particular location. Beliefs around food as one of the first survival needs will be the first one to go.

Introducing Abroad Talk

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 11:21:40 -0800

It is not everyone's 'thing' to write personal blogs about goings-on in your abroad lives. Even so, it is indisputable that everyone abroad has a lot to offer and that offering will enrich even the most introverted blogger. Here we have created a new blog, the Abroad Talk, which aims at capturing the little things, practical tips, suggestions on coffee shops and pubs et cetera. The present blog serves the purpose of helping other students going abroad, as well as acting as a forum for ongoing discussion, both generic and country-specific.

We hope this blog will act as a guide for students abroad to share places and activities that will direct current and future students away from the obvious touristy activities and get them into the "real" parts of the country/city.