Foreign Ventures and Practices in China
Jet Lagged, Adjusting, and Classing In early April, I was accepted to teach English in the People’s Republic of China by the China Educational Association for International Exchange. After going through several long, intense, daunting procedures, I hopped on a twelve-hour plane ride on Air China from Los Angeles to Beijing. Upon my arrival, I had a restful bus ride to the Beijing Commercial Business Hotel where I had to take a four-day Foreign Language Teacher course before training camp. Feeling very jet lagged, I got a good night sleep to get ready for the first day. During the TEFL…
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Noar Hadash Israel Experience
Week 1 The day before we left for Israel, the entire group met up at Camp Havaya for dinner, and a little ice breaker. There were about 34 campers give or take including our friend Dan who we would meet upon our arrival in the Holy Land. After spending one night at camp, we took a two hour bus ride to Newark Liberty International Airport Terminal B and departed on an eleven-hour plane ride flying EL AL airlines. Feeling a little jet lagged from a long flight, we exchanged our American Dollars into Checkles, left Ben Gurion International Airport to…
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Viking Ocean Cruise
Now that I have completed four successful years of undergraduate school, it was time for me to continue my travels. By the time I walked into the hotel room, I got a very sweet note from Viking, the cruise line I traveled with congratulating me on my college graduation and gave me some delicious European pastries. I felt very loved, especially because this vacation is a huge celebration for my success and all the work that I do for raising autism awareness globally. After dropping off the luggage in the hotel room, I went to the Nobel Peace Center, a…
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Europe (Study Abroad January 2019) AIFS Germany
The day before my last expedition with the American Institute for Foreign Studies in Germany, my father took me to a holocaust museum next to Battery Park City. The exhibits go in chronological order of World War II. There were short documentaries of aircrafts dropping bombs, Nazi’s invading homes, and European Jews wearing the Star of David on their prison uniforms. The intention of my last AIFS educational journey was to be conscious while processing the genocide. Fulfilling my academic success at Humboldt University, I examined the rise and fall of Nazi Germany steering to the establishment of anti-semitism. Relieving…
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Geneva, Switzerland Global Politics (Study Abroad)
I found a program that would benefit my knowledge of the United Nations and my passion for global awareness. I did some reflection on my Model United Nations research and thought about what I could bring to the program administered by highly educated instructors across the world at the Graduate Institute of Geneva. I was excited to gain new knowledge that would be essential for my studies. Red Cross International Museum The first portion of the program focused on the history of the League of Nations and its current global issues. My main targets were on the Sustainable Development Goals,…
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Europe (STUDY ABROAD FALL 2017) AIFS Spain
Spending the fall semester of my junior year in Barcelona, Spain, I stumbled upon modern history, contemporary art, and the relationships of Mediterranean countries. Prior to the start of my educational journey at Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, I went on a one week jaunt around the country with my parents. Obtaining their assistance to enroll in the program comfortably and have my learning accommodations met was a valuable necessity. Barcelona The day after a three hour train ride from Madrid, my parents and I went on a long tour exploring three famous landmarks: Sagrada Familia Park Guell, & Casa Mila.…
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Ecuador & Galapagos (Study Abroad January 2017) AIFS
My first educational experience abroad was a two week January Term 2017 with the American Institute for Foreign Studies (AIFS) to Ecuador and the Galapagos. Having a lot of travel experience with my family and independently, my plan was to carry my political and social justice knowledge to a different landscape. I studied geological and environmental relations at Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ). The sessions were divided into class lectures and field trips. In class teachings were scheduled for a minimum of three hours. The day trips included hiking on rocky coasts, snorkeling in the deep sea, and visualizing…
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Viking River Cruises
After traveling on several ocean cruises, my grandparents researched European Vacation on a river cruises. We were excited to try Viking for the first time. My family and I have traveled on three river cruises with Viking all over Western Europe. Rhine River (Day 1: Amsterdam, Netherlands) December 27th (Day 2: Kinderdijk, Netherlands) December 28th (Day 3: Cologne, Germany) December 29th (Day 4: Koblenz, Germany) December 30th (Day 5: Hiedelberg, Germany) December 31st (Day 6: Strasbourg, France) January 1st (Day 7: Breisach, Germany) January 2nd (Day 8: Basel, Switzerland) January 3rd Seine River (Day 1: Paris, Le Pecq, France) December…
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Holland America Line Ocean Cruises
When I traveled on the ocean, Holland America was the only cruise line. My mothers side of the family sailed on the old models the HAL ships before the new versions were released. I have been on nine ocean cruises with Holland America Line. Three of them were to the Caribbean, two to Mexico, two to Alaska, one in the Canada & New England area, and one in the Mediterranean. Western Caribbean (Ms. Veendam) 1997 (Day 1: Fort Lauderdale, Florida) December 21st (Day 2: Key West, Florida) December 22nd (Day 3: Cozumel, Mexico) December 23rd (Day 4: Sea Day) December…
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Family Vacations
Traveling the world is the central part of my identity. I am very lucky to have been born and raised in a family that holds a passion for global citizenship. With the countless adventures I have had over the years, traveling has helped me enhance my patience, flexibility, open-mindedness, appreciation, and social skills. Being a world traveler is like reading a book or writing a journal. you don’t know what happens until you open it. It closely connects to the phrase, “never judge a book by its cover.” Scandinavia (Sweden, Denmark, Norway) United Arab Emirates Costa Rica Malaysia Canada Pakistan…
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David Sharif 