Leighanne, Co-Site Director

Hi everyone,

Please carefully read the important information below regarding vaccinations for the H1N1 flu virus in Greece. This information is from Doctor Katerina. If you have any questions, please ask me immediately. I will need to have a list of students by tomorrow Thursday, November 5 at 5pm who fall into the “high risk/first priority” category as outlined by the doctor below. I’m guessing those folks from our group that fall into this high risk/first priority category are those with asthma. Please speak with your parents immediately, if you haven’t already, to determine whether you would like to get the vaccine in this round.

Leighanne

EMAIL FROM DOCTOR KATERINA

New flu vaccines will start to be given to first priority individuals on November 10-25. This first group will include health care personnel and people in high-risk groups, listed below.

First priority individuals include:
- parents of very young children
- women in the 2nd and 3rd trimester of pregnancy
- young people with:
- lung disease, mainly asthma, or recent bronchitis or pneumonia
- heart disease
- compromised immune system due to chronic conditions and/or medication
- diabetes
- obesity may be factored in as a risk factor but not given priority

For those not belonging to any of the above groups, but still interested in being vaccinated, there will be a second round by early-mid December. Priority group then will be healthy individuals between the ages of 15 and 40.

For all practical purposes, as most of you fall under the 2nd category, you may have to spend the gist of this semester relying basically on your own immune system. This is not terribly problematic, since (regular) flu outbreaks in Greece typically don’t occur before January or February, which means that actually this is a low-risk season. Also, you may have heard that the numbers and severity of new flu cases in Greece have so far been (fortunately) quite low. In case, however, any of you feel you might benefit from some extra protection, the regular flu vaccine available at all pharmacies for 5 euro provides partial immunization for the new strand also.

On Thursday, the students saw the theatre performance of the British musical Billy Elliot. This is the story takes place during the mid-1980s in the UK during the miners strike. Billy Elliot is the son of a coal miner affected by this strike and develops a love for ballet instead of boxing.

On Friday we left for our much anticipated trip to Edinburgh Scotland! We took the four hour train ride from London and arrived in Edinburgh just before the sun set at 4.30PM (yes, the clocks changed last week!). That evening the students explored Edinburgh on their own by getting their bearings of the city. The next morning, a few students joined me on a hike to the top of Arthur’s Seat where we were able to get a 360 degree panoramic view of the city.

As it was Halloween, later in the evening, we all met up to go on a Ghost walk entitled “The Underground City of the Dead”. The students all dressed in costume for the tour which is described on their website:
Forgotten for centuries and only recently unsealed, this section of the Underground City is known as Damnation Alley. With good reason. Site of an ancient curse, these dark tunnels and vaults are stalked by a malevolent presence known as the South Bridge Entity. And Damnation Alley hides a deadly secret – which we’re not going to tell you about until you’re in there. We’re mean like that.

Yes, we were scared, and yes we held on to each other tight while we listened to the scary stories from our Scottish tour guide. When someone from the tour jumped out and scared us, I never heard us all scream and laugh so hard! Overall, it was a fun Halloween experience.

As we are in the final last few weeks of the NUin program, students are starting to prepare for their final projects and exams. As always, we again encourage you to support your student through their final academic weeks by encouraging them to stay focused on their main academic priorities. Until next time…

Brick: Caught a really bad cold this weekend.

Balloon: This weekend we went to Edinburgh and did a ghost walk on Halloween. I dressed up as a dead zebra and the other students all dressed up as well. It was a ton of fun to see everyone dressed up, even others in Edinburgh for the weekend, and even random strangers were taking pictures of our group because everyone looked so great!

Brick: Catching a cold.

Balloon: Five pound plays and lovely spring weather in the middle of October.

Why the title? I went to Ping Pong with Lauren the other day and I am now obsessed with dim sum. I think I had it three times in two days this past week. Deliciousness.

The students started their week off bright and early by going to the London Central Mosque. This visit was part of their Transnational Studies class which is currently focusing on the Islam Diaspora community in London. We were escorted around the building and had a chance to see the main prayer hall. We even got a chance to see the Nursery School where the teachers had the children line up and sing a song for us (which was very cute!)

Continuing their examination of the Islam Diaspora, the students attended a lecture on Wednesday entitled: Sufi Thought, Meditation, & Whirling. The class was introduced to the basic practices of the Sufis which included concentration which helps one focus, contemplation to know oneself, and some meditation techniques. They were also introduced to whirling which is the physical meditation practiced by the Sufis.

On Thursday, the students ventured into town to see the play Orphans. The play is summarized on the Soho Theatre’s website: “Helen and Danny keep themselves to themselves. But the outside world comes crashing into their lives one day when Helen’s brother turns up. Covered in blood. One of the UK’s most electrifying writers (After The End, Osama The Hero, Love And Money), Dennis Kelly’s new play is a thrilling contemporary suspense story which takes its audience on a chilling journey into a world just outside the front door.”

Saturday morning we took the train to the town of Oxford where we saw one of the greatest and oldest universities in the world. Oxford University! For an hour and a half, walking through the English rain (one of the few days we have seen rain since we arrived!), we went on a guided tour of the University. We saw places where Harry Potter has been filmed along with where the university’s famous alumni have studied. These alumni include J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Lewis Carroll, Virgina Woofle, Oscar Wilde and Dr. Seuss (just to name a few!).

For those who have inquired, the H1N1 vaccine is currently available in the UK. The NHS (National Health Service) is distributing these vaccines (known as jabs) to only at-risk groups (e.g. those with existing health issues, pregnant women, etc).
FIE has posted the following information about Swine Flu on their website:
http://www.fie.org.uk/fie/news/swine_flu_preparedness/
http://fie.org.uk/content/upload/documents/Health_Advice.pdf
And for more information in the UK, the BBC news website gives the latest news about this vaccine as of October 15, 2009:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8309217.stm

Please enjoy the pictures below from our various trips to the Mosque, our Family Meal, and Oxford!

As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Next week weekend we head to Edinburgh, Scotland for Halloween! Please stay tuned!

As always, family meal is another highlight of the week. This week we tried a new tavern in a different part of the city and served a pasta menu. Usually the staff creates a menu prior to the meal and we eat family style, but this time the students were given the option of three pasta dishes and they were able to choose which dish. The students appreciated the different food option and having a choice for their individual plate.

The open air markets are a fantastic feature of Thessaloniki. Over the weekend, approximately 15 students went with a staff member to one of the largest markets near the Center. One can purchase everything from fresh fish, meats, vegetables, fruit to clothes, rugs, and other household items. Students have also enjoyed our weekly neighborhood’s market on Tuesday mornings. Many of them have even become “regulars” with the local vendors in the neighborhood.

All thirty students who went to Bulgaria arrived back safely Sunday evening after a long 5 hour train ride. Students enjoyed a bigger city with cheaper food and great shopping. One of the most impressive places that students saw was St. Alexander Nevski Memorial Church, which is one of the largest and most beautiful architectural buildings in Sofia, Bulgaria.

All students are required to participate in 30 hours of community service by the end of NUin. Nearly all of our students are highly engaged in their service sites at this point, but a few deserve highlights this week. Over the weekend, 6 students completed their Digital Storytelling Projects on campus. This project consisted of writing and recording their personal “urban” story, finding pictures and/or video to fit their story, and finally putting the materials into one cohesive video ranging in 2-4 minutes in length. Students felt a great sense of accomplishment at the end of this second full weekend workshop and look forward to supporting their peers through the process for the Global Experience Course. Additionally, ACT and NUin were contacted by Arsis, the refugee center in Thessaloniki, and Special Olympics, about the amazing work our students are doing with both service learning sites. The staff are extremely proud of the great work your students have been doing and the time they have dedicated to service in Greece.

Brick: Only six weeks left. Where did the time go?

Balloon: I love meeting different British people from different areas. The Posh and the Brash. Love the different accents and the slang.

The students returned to the Globe Theater on Tuesday October 13 for a tour the facilities. Their tour guide was an actor from the Theatre and spoke about the history and reconstruction process during the 1990s.

For their Transnational Studies class, the students watch the film East is East, a story of a mix-ethnic (Pakistani father and English mother) living in Manchester in the 1970s. According to Dr. Pani’s notes to the students:
The film tells the story of the Khan family, a group of people situated in a social limbo resulting from a biracial and interfaith marriage. George is a Pakistani immigrant while Ella is a native Anglo. Their children (seven all told) are subsequently torn between the strict Islamic dictates of their father and the modern realities and attractions of English life, such as discos, mini-skirts, and hi-fi.

As the currently topic of the class focuses on the Muslim community, on Monday of this coming week, the students will be visiting a Mosque in London and must adhere to the following dress code:
1. All females (students and staff) to adopt a head covering.
2. All visitors must be modestly dressed, i.e. long skirts or trousers and long sleeved tops.
3. For anyone entering the prayer hall, footwear must be removed
Next week will be visiting the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall for their Transnational class as the class topic will focus on the Sikh community in London.

As we are now past the mid-term, the students are focusing on completing their service learning hours for the semester. Many have completed their hours so far, and a few are still trying to find events or organizations throughout London. I do not have any pictures to share this week, but instead I will leave you with links to some students who have posted pictures of Service Learning events in their blogs.

Robyn’s blog:
http://nuweb4.neu.edu/nuin/smithr/2009/10/17/changing-perspectives-of-experiencelondon-service/
Ryan’s blog:
http://nuweb4.neu.edu/nuin/punzalanr/2009/10/12/btcv-richmond-remix-featuring-hedges-and-woodchips/
Isabella’s :
http://nuweb4.neu.edu/nuin/rodriguesi/2009/10/12/service-learning-event-outside-of-zone-1-2/

Stay tuned for next week for more information about the trip to the Mosque and our upcoming trip to Oxford on the weekend! Until then, enjoy your week!