Ivor Šebalj
Returning to Croatia
Today is my last day in beautiful Orlando. I still haven't entered the plane to Croatia but I miss it already. I fell in love with Orlando, people that live here, big UCF campuses and warm Florida weather. America is completely different from Europe, by coming here I destroyed all of the stereotypes that I have ever had before. In Florida I also got the opportunity to meet very good friends. Michael, Laura, Lilli, Amethyst, Marcus, Esteban, Jie and all other friends with whom I spent time there gave me a warm welcome and I will miss them definitely.
I am also glad I had the opportunity to go there with the best team and with my prof. Violeta Hainš. I want to express my gratitude to administration of Faculty of Organization and Informatics, which has enabled me this unforgettable experience. I returned to my small town Varaždin highly motivated for my further tasks and student responsibilities.
Miami & NASA
They say that of all the places in the world, Miami is one of those that you simply must see for your life. With New York, Washington DC, Chicago and Las Vegas, Miami is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States. Great beaches and waves, million dollar houses and uncountable number of tourists. During the trip to Miami, we also had a chance to see its huge newly constructed technology center.
After Miami, we went to the Kennedy Space Center, better-known as a place from where Apollo 11 with NeilArmstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins flew to the moon. Walking through the NASA complex, I could see the history of all of the spacecrafts, successful and unsuccessful projects and experience a space flight simulation. Simulation of course was much milder than the real take-off. Later we had a chance to hear the experiences of one of the astronaut who have flown several times to the universe. He told us how is to live without gravity. NASA visit was very instructive and unfortunately, it was the last activity before returning to Croatia.
Presenting the research (part 2)
Finally, today is my turn for presenting the research. "How projects based on student exchange can affect student’s perceptions.” For a second year student like me, this was a really big thing. The audience eagerly waited, a video conference link has been sent all over the internet and the cameraman began to record. I did not feel nervous, but I got carried away by my research that I have worked diligently for the last 3 months. Applause at the end and a few questions made my day and motivated me for my further ventures. I think we have more than successfully shown the quality, knowledge and hard work of FOI students. After a long and busy day we have been rewarded with a trip to Miami.
Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy & unforgettable Broadway!
EA Sports, we all very well know for the company that has produced games like FIFA, NBA, NASCAR Racing etc. If you plan to work in a company like EA Sports, Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy is the place for you. Place for programmers, illustrators and film directors. FIEA is equipped with the equipment which we unfortunately can’t see in Croatia.
That afternoon we had the opportunity to experience the life that computer game developers live. Students studying at FIEA have the opportunity to experience team work with a totally relaxed and productive atmosphere. It is enough to say that students there have so many things offered that the only reason why students do not sleep at their workplace is that they do not have bathrooms in FIEA.
After visiting the FIEA we went into their studio for movie recording. It is one of the largest in this part of States. I was totally fascinated and after they told me that each of the 52 cameras set up there cost about 250,000$ I did not dare to touch anything.
The evening could not finish better than by going to Broadway. We had the opportunity to watch the musical Wicked. All who have ever read the book or watched a movie “The Wizard of Oz” would remain amazed on this performance. The whole orchestra, which performed the music of the famous Stephen Schwartz, was excellent.
Visit to ambass. Thomas and UCF vice-president Rick Shell
Along with Michael and all of the other friends from Florida Ambassador Harriet L. Elam-Thomas was the person who has impressed me the most. Woman with great attitude and a very rich life experience. Ambassador Thomas has worked with numerous U.S. presidents, senators and other famous people. Before she became ambassador of Senegal, she was their spokesman. She was an U.S. diplomat in Belgium, Greece and Turkey. She has learned all of these languages and has also mentioned that she would like to learn Croatian as soon as she finds the opportunity. I was not only impressed by her rich life, but with the warmth with which we were received. She told us about her successful life she is living and the illiteracy of American students and their lack of respect towards the elders. I could talk for hours with Ambassador Thomas.
One of the people that also earned my respect was UCF's vice president Rick Schell. With the same dose of seriousness with which he presented vision of UCF University, he showed an great sense of humor. He even put on his new FOI shirt that we gave him on that occasion. Visibly happy because of the collaboration with our faculty, he wished us all the best and escorted us to with the hope that this partnership will continue in best possible way.
Presenting the research (part 1)
Today is a big day for some of my colleagues. Ozano and Matija are presenting their researches. First we connected via Skype with Dr. Šimić who had held presentation about e-Democracy. After that Bogdan continued with his presentation. Later on, we had a short lunch break, but immediately afterwards we had to continue with our program.
We visited the Barbara Ying Center, where we were welcomed by representatives of the International Service Office. They presented us all the possibilities of studying at UCF and they answered all our questions. The procedure is quite complex and it is really not easy to get a scholarship from UCF. First you have to take the TOEFL or IELTS English test and standard GRE / GMAT tests. One year of studying at UCF will cost you only about 20,000 $. Plus you will need the same amount for the health insurance and housing costs in Florida.
Arboretum and exploring Florida’s eco systems
We got up very early in Monday and went to UCF campus. On the way there we stopped for a brief dose of caffeine at Starbucks. I will surely miss that tasty mocha cappuccino when I get back to Varaždin. We started with our presentations. We talked about the Croatian and the U.S. school system and the history of Varaždin and relatively young UCF University. UCF is only about 50 years old, while the University of Zagreb is founded in 1669.
After the presentations we went on a short tour of UCF campus. I wrote short because campus of UCF is about 1415 acres big. That is the amount of approximately 5726.3 km2. In their campus UCF students have 123 buildings.
UCF Arboretum is a beautiful place to see. It consists of 3 different eco-systems. Every one of them is protected by a group of volunteers. That Monday we were those volunteers. First we were introduced to the three eco-systems of arboretum. They explained us the history and the development of each of the many mysterious plants and animal species there. Some of them adapted to the climate of Florida in that way that they have become resistant to fire. Fire is actually the only way they can grow. Their development depends on high temperatures that they even have flammable liquids inside of them to make the easier ignition of the flame. After the lectures about Florida eco-systems it was time to do a little work in an UCF garden. We composted ground for fungi, applied a new layer of earth on the vegetables and covered the path with straws all the way through the garden arboretum. We got the job done quickly, which is why we got rewarded. We earned supplies of salad for the next few days.
Universal Studios <3
Another beautiful morning in Orlando. Today we are visiting magical Universal Studios. Students of the Faculty of Organization and Informatics are having a free day. After yesterdays working atmosphere we are going to an amusement park, which is with Disney one of the biggest in this part of America. Our whole day passed in laughter, fun and spending time with our dear friends from Orlando.Later on we entered Hogwarts, the world of magic. Universal Studios is unfortunately too expensive, so I hope that I will not disappoint my friends if they are expecting gifts from Hogwarts. I have only afforded to buy myself a beautiful Gryffindor scarf and few chocolate frogs, which I hope I will not eat until I get back to Varaždin.
While exiting the Universal Studios, we stopped at Hard Rock Cafe. The biggest Hard Rock Cafe in the world. They have even placed a real pink Cadillac at the top of the bar. The whole day was fantastic and I'm not sure if we could have a better one in a few next days.
"... even ducks go to college in America"
After first night sleeping on our unusually high beds at Rosen campus I almost had a culture shock. I was simply amazed by the magical American morning, pleasant temperatures, magical sun and light breeze. On the second day we participated on the 1st Annual Florida Statewide Student symposia. At the conference that took place in Jacksonville, Florida's largest city. While entering the University of North Florida we had to stop our van to let a couple of ducks cross the road in front of us. Even ducks go to college here. The big UNF campus has a lot of animals and every once in a while you have a chance to see little squirrels running up the tree. Mysterious symbiosis of nature and high education is certainly an additional motivation for all of American students that study in such campuses. A little scary, but still very interesting are the signs we stumbled upon. They indicate on the danger of alligators. Due to the large number of lakes in Florida that is understandable, but I probably would not like to see a large predator walking through the campus while searching for food.
Saint Augustine is the oldest part of Florida. Today we explored its history and although it represents a great pride and symbol of American history, it is only 300 years old. Comparing it to old Croatian castles makes no sense, yet I was amazed how cautious they are on keeping their history alive. Volunteers that represent Spaniards have done a perfect job and demonstrated us cannon firing.
After a long day we headed home not knowing what awaits us the next day.
Experiencing the United States of America!
Exhausting all-day trip to Orlando did not decrease my excitement that I felt before the trip and I honestly still feel. America is special, completely different and so far it has managed to out top all of my expectations. We were greeted with a huge Chevrolet van, which by its size can be compared with some of buses from Varaždin. In America, everything is oversized. Literally, almost every person has a pick-up car, van or some other powerful car. This is a paradise for Mustang or Corvette lovers and also for popular American Harley-Davidson motorbikes.
While at first glance it seems that our American friends do not care so much for fuel consumption and transmission of harmful gases and pollution, in Orlando is almost impossible to find garbage on the city streets. Yesterday I found out that their educational system includes the volunteering and social responsibility. Students all over Florida volunteer at the arboretums, or they keep the streets clean and help volunteering in some other way.
Evening in America is wonderful, but after the Mexican-Croatian dinner we are all ready for sleeping.
