GIT: Halfway Update
This post was originally written on Sunday, July 2, 2023. I am publishing it now on the train journey from Oxford, England to Inverness, Scotland!
In my second visit to England along my GIT, I had a research meeting at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, appreciated wonderful art, reconnected with dear old friends, and gave a guest lecture on interdisciplinary approaches to modern wastewater challenges for a history of medicine course at the University of Oxford. In Scotland, I will be taking time to reflect on my Tour thus far as I hike the Great Glen Way, along the famous Loch Ness.
After Scotland, I will visit France again, then Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Italy, and Greece. I will return to the States in time to begin my Masters of Environmental Engineering at UA as a Graduate Council Fellow! More to come then (during the fall semester).
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Hello from the flight from Reykjavik, Iceland to London, England! I am officially halfway through my Great Ideas Tour, so I wanted to post a brief update to let everyone know I’m safe and happy! (More detailed posts for each location are coming, but as a reminder, they will be delayed for the intention of being as present as possible during my travels.)
Since May, I have visited London, England; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Paris, France; Brussels, Belgium; Munich and Berlin in Germany; Copenhagen, Odense, and Camp Adventure in Denmark; Stockholm, Ystad and the south of Sweden; Oslo, Bergen, and many destinations between via campervan between the two in Norway; and Reykjavik and many sights along the Ring Road in Iceland. I am headed back to England now for a couple academic meetings and to reunite with old professors and friends!
The tour so far has been nothing short of incredible. I travelled abroad to study the waterways of Western Europe, and unsurprisingly, I have been blown away by the natural-made and man-made/utilized beauty and power of water here.
I have had the extraordinary opportunity at this point in my trip to have seen beautiful well-maintained waterways as well as some with quality concerns. From the polluted Thames and Siene that bravely serve as the backbones of London and Paris to the gorgeous and highly valued natural water features of Scandinavia and Iceland, people interact with water differently, and water serves different purposes. But in reality, it is all the same water, in the same continuous water cycle, enjoyed and relied upon by every single inhabitant of Earth — it truly is what connects all of us.
I’ve also talked to people all over the world about Dr. Ramsey and this Award as well as shared my research in the Black Belt of Alabama. In my travels, I’ve experienced what is referred to in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist as the “universal language” of enthusiasm that we all share and the wonderful serendipity of life. For example, travel delays and even looking up at the perfect moment have led to meeting the most amazing strangers who have turned into treasured new friends. I have also cherished the time spent traveling with my friend Eli, my mom, and my boyfriend David. I feel that I can truly say I’ve been enjoying every place and moment to the best of my ability!
My future blogs will include stories of my adventures and more information about the waterways I have visited. But for now, I wanted to go ahead and post something to say I’m safe and well, and I am absolutely loving my time here!
Please enjoy a sneak peek of my travels: below you will find one picture of a water feature from each country so far :)
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England (1)
Water as a source of enjoyment: the pond in Hyde Park (check out the London eye in the background!)
Netherlands
Water as a source of transportation: the canals of Amsterdam (featuring my dear friend Eli who celebrated her 25th birthday in May!)
France (1)
Water as a source of reflection: looking upon the Siene River in Paris, you can see the dreary clouds are reflected. We were also talking about the deep history of Paris as we walked through the city and how much has happened along this waterway, which led to personal contemplation and awe at to be experiencing the same streets and visiting the same landmarks where history has been made.
Belgium
Water as a source of cultural memory: the famous and beloved Mannequin Piss in Belgium with my friend Rasha from Egypt who I met in my hostel! The story behind this statue is that a little boy saved Brussels by putting out a fire with his personal water stream; the statue commemorates his heroic deed.
Germany
Water as a source of community: this water sculpture/pond outside the Frauenkirche (Cathedral) in Munich was a central gathering space for people to enjoy the lovely architecture and lively square.
Denmark
Water as a source of stories / legends: the famous Little Mermaid in Copenhagen modeled after Hans Christian Anderson’s tale.
Sweden
Water as a source of food and merriment: this photo was taken before we enjoyed a fresh seafood lunch right on the Baltic Sea! To my right is my wonderful mom and her Swedish host parents Bengt-Arne and Bodil, who she stayed with when she was an exchange student her senior year of high school and who we had the pleasure of staying with and spending time with while in Ystad.
Norway
Water as a source of beauty: I am not kidding when I tell you I cried when my boyfriend David and I exited the tunnel and saw this view of the Kjøsnesfjorden Fjord in Norway! I was overwhelmed by the breathtaking beauty, and it was incredibly special to experience with the person I love.
Iceland
Water as a source of power: this is Seljalandsfoss, one of the many waterfalls we visited during our Ring Around Iceland tour. We got to walk behind it and the picture hardly captures its might: the sound was deafening and we were completely soaked by the mist!
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