The city was also a buzz with the start of the International Film Festival. It is the 50th anniversary of the Film Festival and draws directors, actors, etc. from all over the world. We have 13 students who have been working all semester as part of their service learning experience with the festival. They are writing blogs, film reviews, helping with street performances, etc. Here is a link to the festival’s website so you can get more information if you are interested:
http://www.filmfestival.gr/default.aspx?lang=en-US&page=448

Additionally, please see ACT’s Study Abroad Newsletter for more general updates from the campus. Some of our students complete their service hours writing articles, interviewing their peers, etc. for the newsletter too. The most current newsletter is attached to this blog in a pdf version.

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November 19, 2009

The vaccination for the H1N1 Flu (aka Swine Flu) in Greece started earlier this week for medical doctors, nurses and personnel who work in hospitals, clinics, health centers, etc. Next in line (November 23-27) will be individuals who belong to high risk groups (e.g. pregnant women, parents of children less than 6 months old, people suffering from chronic diseases of the heart, lungs, kidney and liver, those with compromised immune systems, extremely obese people, etc). Starting on December 1st, the vaccine will be administered to healthy individuals aged 18-49, followed by youngsters and older people.

Vaccination is carried out mainly for the following reasons:
• To prevent severe, or even lethal, complications; these occur mostly in persons with underlying ailments but a few cases of seemingly healthy individuals developing severe complications have been noted.
• To minimize the economic and societal cost (due to health system overload and to absenteeism from work and schools) of extremely large numbers of patients.

Taking into account that the H1N1 flu is basically a mild ailment, and considering the recent controversy regarding possible side effects of the vaccines, European states including Greece have encouraged but not pressed the general population (aside, perhaps, from high-risk individuals) to get vaccinated. This is strictly a voluntary procedure.

The vaccine will be free of charge and will be administered in hospitals and health centers. Two vaccine types are available in Greece at this time: Focetria (by Novartis) and Pandemrix (GlaxoSmithKline). One dose of the vaccine should be enough to protect adult individuals according to WHO studies. The vaccination against the swine flu provides immunity about 10-15 days following the vaccination date and has a success rate of ~98%.

It ought to be noted that these two vaccines, in contrast to the ones used in the U.S., contain certain preservatives and adjuvants (agents that augment vaccine effectiveness) that have stimulated much of the controversy. Specifically, both contain among others:
_ Thimerosal, a compound containing 49% mercury (used as a preservative mainly in multidose vials). Mercury has been known to accumulate in the body and cause neurological degeneration and symptoms ranging from loss of hair and teeth, to memory and psychological problems including autism (in infants) and depression (in adults). Single-dose vials contain very small amounts (< 1mcg per dose).
_ Squalene (in the form of MF59 and ASO3), a natural organic compound that, if injected in the body even in small amounts, has been known to stir an immune system reaction that can lead to auto-immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or multiple sclerosis.
All individuals are encouraged to consult with their physician and to exercise their own judgment in deciding how they and their families can best face this pandemic in a way that they, as well as our community in general, will come out of this threat as unscathed as possible!

Instructions about having the vaccine for those who are healthy adults will be sent under separate cover (regarding Study Abroad and International students) in the way it was done for the high-risk groups. Individuals wishing to get further information may consult ACT’s In-House Medical Attendant Katerina Ioannou (kation@act.edu).

Archontis Pantsios
Assistant Dean of Academic and Student Affairs

Katerina Ioannou
In-House Medical Attendant

Brick: I can’t believe that this is the last time the group will be having a meal together! I’m really sad to start seeing students leave, but I’m excited for them to start their education at Northeastern because I love NU so much and know they will too!

Balloon: Everyone was surprised and excited about the sweatshirts we ordered as a gift! I’m so relieved that the designed ended up working out and I’m glad that everyone liked it. I’m also glad I do

People have been experiencing Reverse Culture Shock from before the days of Christ. One of the first documented reverse culture shock experiences was by Marco Polo. During his trip to Central Asia and China, he saw so many things that were so different from his home in Italy. Upon his deathbed, Marco Polo uttered the following famous words:
I do not tell half of what I saw because no one would have believed me.
The students were reminded that they are not the only person ever to experience reverse culture shock. It is a natural process and brings about enormous personal growth!

As we wrap up the end of the semester in London, there are a few calendar items to note:

Tuesday November 17: Last Family Meal and Ice Skating at the National History Museum

Wednesday November 18: Final Global Experience class and final reflection presentations.

Thursday November 26: Thanksgiving! NUin will sponsor a Thanksgiving turkey roast dinner for any NUin England students that have not traveled home yet. NUin students will be joined by other NU study abroad and Co-op students and NU Alumni in London. For more information and registration, please go to the NU Alumni’s website.

Sunday November 29: Last day of the NUin Program in London.

The students were sent the following information this week. Please take note in case this your student needs to file information with the Disability Resource Center at Northeastern:

Anyone who will require special conditions at Northeastern in 2010 will need to re-submit paperwork directly to the Disability Resource Center on NU’s campus. Here is their information:
Disability Resource Center
http://www.drc.neu.edu/
Phone: 617-373-2675
Fax: 617-373-7800
360 Huntington Ave
20 Dodge Hall
Boston, MA 02115
Students needing accommodations need to register with the DRC and create a file:
http://www.drc.neu.edu/register/

As always, if you have any questions before the end of the program, feel free to contact me at anytime. Until next week, (my last NUin blog), have a great week! Cheers!

Brick: Unfortunately, with so many students out sick, classes, film screenings and presentation schedules were thrown off.

Balloon: The show must go on! We still went to Family Dinner and Lauren, Sean and Ryan went around distributing “illness goodie bags,” which included water, hydrating drinks, soup and a banana (POTASSIUM!). It was nice to be a bit pampered while over ridden with fatigue and coughing.

Bigger Balloon: And the best part is that everyone is feeling better~! Yay! And I was able to go to Windsor Castle on Saturday. Looking forward to the Adventure Weekend in Wales, as well!

Do we have to leave?

By the weekend, we continued with our program to Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Monarch. The students took the quick train trip from London into Windsor. The students had the opportunity to tour the Castle, which is by the way the largest and oldest occupied castle in the world!

Please enjoy some more pictures from Edinburgh, some pictures from our trip to Southall, and also some pictures from Windsor Castle!
Until next time…enjoy your week!

Dear NUin England Parents and Family,

Sincerely,
Lauren Kettler
NUin England Site Director
l.kettler@neu.edu

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…