Upon arriving in New Zealand at 5:45 a.m. on Thursday, I think it’s safe to say that the team was feeling two things: relief from the 13 hour plane ride and excitement for the trip ahead. After making it through customs, we were surprised and delighted to see Adrian Stockill, Josie’s father, welcoming us at the arrivals gate. There’s nothing like seeing a friendly, familiar face in a completely foreign land. Soon after seeing Adrian we departed on our bus to begin sightseeing.

The view from the top of Mount Eden on a breezy Auckland morning.

First, we went to Mount Eden where we were able to exercise our stiff legs by climbing to the top. Mt. Eden is not only a dormant volcano in New Zealand, but its summit is also the highest natural point on the Auckland isthmus. From that vantage point, we were able to admire the immense Auckland skyline and the landscape surrounding it. In the pictures we’ve taken, it is easy to spot our hotel. The Sky City Hotel is marked by the gigantic tower in the skyline. Mt. Eden was definitely a sight worth seeing, both for its natural beauty and the perspective it gave us of Auckland.

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The last couple days has continued to be packed full of surprises and adventure. Saturday morning we were greeted by a native Kiwi smile: Josie was finally here!

Randyll Butler ’16 and Josie Stockill ’16 meet up in Auckland!

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The Raiders warm up before their game against the Harbour Breeze.

We began our day with a game against the Harbour Breeze. We made sure to spend extra time warming up because of the cold gym!

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Here are a few photos of the team on the way to New Zealand, as well as during our first day exploring the home country of senior Josie Stockill ’16.

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The Women’s Basketball team took in the thermal hot spring in Rotorua.

Day two of our New Zealand excursion was spent in Rotorua, New Zealand at a cultural center home to the indigenous Maori people. The photo taken is of the team in front of the Pohutu geyser which erupts daily surrounded by some mud baths fueled by the area’s geothermal activity.

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We left Hamilton at 5am for JFK airport where we got on our first flight heading for LAX. This was the six-hour flight, which was the shorter of the two flights.

We had a five-hour layover at LAX, so we used the time to explore the exciting airport, read, play cards, watch movies, and get ready for our next 13 hour flight!

After a long wait we were very excited to board the plane and be on our way to Auckland!

Finally, after more than 30 hours of travel we made it to Auckland, New Zealand! When we arrived it was 6:00am. It was time to finally begin a fun day of sightseeing!

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After flying for a total of 19 hours, we finally made it to New Zealand at 5 a.m. and we were ready to start our first day of adventuring.

Our first stop was Mt. Eden, a beautiful mountain in Auckland that we climbed just in time to see the sun rising over the city. The hike up the mountain was exactly what we needed after a long flight, and the view was spectacular.

Next, we headed to Cornwall Park, which is located in the heart of Auckland. We stopped at the Cornwall Park Cafe for breakfast and had our first experience with New Zealand food. We tried macaroons, sausage rolls, and quiches, among other things.

After we fueled up at the park, we went on another scenic hike.

Later in the day, we headed to the Harbor, which was filled with hundreds of sailboats.

Our final stop of the day was the War Museum, which is a tribute to the soldiers who fought for New Zealand throughout its history. It was a fun-filled first day and we can not wait to see what is in store for the next nine days.

Summer King ’19.

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The Raiders arrived in New Zealand and were greeted by Josie Stockill’s ’16 father Adrian at the airport.

Editor’s Note: This post was written by Mackenzie Carroll ’19.

We left Hamilton at 5am for JFK airport where we got on our first flight heading for LAX. This was the 6 hour flight, which was the shorter of the two flights.

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Editor’s note: Prior to the start of the semester, the women’s basketball team is traveling to play in New Zealand, the home country of senior forward Josie Stockill ’16. The players are writing about their athletic, cultural, and educational experiences.

This post was written by Steph Poland ’17.

The moment became real as twelve of us eagerly returned to campus: we were actually going to New Zealand. The excitement was overwhelming as we jumped into each other’s arms, not having seen each other in months. Being back on campus was so exciting and really catapulted us into the reality that we would be traveling across the world to reunite with our teammate Josie in New Zealand. Our coaching staff had been planning this trip longer than our team even realized and the moment was finally here.

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Roxanne Maduro ’17, of Bronx, N.Y., (third from left) is one of four Colgate students participating in CMUDE 2015 as a judge. See more photos from Colombia on Flickr.

Debating is not easy. You have 15 minutes to prepare a persuasive and informed argument on a topic you may or may not know and then another seven to speak about it, all while attempting to sound confident in a claim that you may not necessarily believe in, but have to prove to be true nevertheless.

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Valeria Felix ’18, a sociology major from San Diego, Calif., responds to a challenge at the world championships of debate in Spanish in Bogotá, Colombia. (Photo by Daniel DeVries)

As Colgate University’s Spanish Language Debate Society continues its journey through Campeonato Mundial Universitario de Debate en Español (CMUDE) 2015 in Bogotá, exciting and enriching experiences continue to shape and strengthen the relations between students of distinct countries.

Our second day at CMUDE consisted of three official debate rounds in British Parliamentary Debate format. This format simply consists of four teams in which two represent the government and two represent the opposition. Each team is made up of two debaters who work together to form a coherent argument for their side of the motion.

These debates brought up crucial points for us as students and future leaders. We debated questions of human rights and when it is permissible or justifiable for them to be bent. Further, we debated whether a government should be allowed to intervene during a humanitarian crisis in another country when that foreign nation does not allow help from abroad. Being able to debate for a side, even when it is one with which you personally do not agree, allows us to hear other points of view and gives us a better understanding of how to use various rhetorical techniques.

At the end of our day, we headed to Night of Cultures, where participating students beautifully showcased snippets of their countries’ cultures. We sampled snacks and drinks, such as Mexico’s famous tamarind candies and Guatemala’s canillitas de leche. Each country brought their traditional national alcohol, such as Peru and Chile’s pisco. Colombian participants brought even more adventurous exhibitions of their culture by exemplifying traditional forms of dance unique to their country while fully dressed with bright colors. They also brought with them a vallenato band, which played a traditional style of Colombian music.

Participants from all over the world danced and celebrated each other’s cultures. The beauty of it all was simple: extremely distinct nations coming together because they speak — and debate — in the same tongue.

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Valeria Felix ’18, a sociology major from San Diego, Calif., and Federico Elizondo ’17, a psychology and sociology double major from Laredo, Texas, participate in a Spanish debate practice round at the CMUDE 2015 debate tournament in Bogotá. (Photo by Daniel DeVries)

Debaters and judges from 20 countries, including Spain, Chile, Peru, Russia, and Germany gathered for this year’s Campeonato Mundial Universitario de Debate (CMUDE) in Bogotá, Colombia. Representing the U.S. for the fourth time, Colgate University’s Spanish Language Debate Society is the only U.S. team in the competition.

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Members of the Colgate Spanish Debate Team practice on campus twice a week during the academic year. (photo by Zoe Zhong)

(Editor’s note: The author of this post, Erik Lima ’18, is an undecided major from Trenton, N.J. He is one of 10 students traveling to Colombia next week.)  

Colgate’s Spanish Debate Team only formed a few years ago, yet its progress has been immense. Now, 10 members are headed to Colombia on July 20 for Latin America’s largest debate tournament, Campeonato Mundial Universitario de Debate en Espanol (CMUDE) 2015.

Coming from predominantly Spanish-speaking communities, many of our current team members desired an experience at Colgate to use their Spanish-language skills in a new and different way.

Originally established by just a couple of students, the Spanish Debate Team now allows Spanish-speaking students to debate controversial topics of world interest. Not only do we learn about current events through our involvement with the team, but we also learn about laws and different views that certain topics can bring to the table.

Knowing the level of competition that awaits us in Colombia, our team has dedicated this past year to intense training and meetings. CMUDE 2015 is Spanish-only, so we only speak Spanish during meetings and practices. As the Spanish language slightly differs across Latin America, having a diverse group of Spanish speakers on the team allows us to prepare words or phrases that are commonly used and understood.

CMUDE is based on the British Parliamentary style, and our debate practices are run under the same style and speech duration time. Having two weekly debate meetings can be very time consuming under a tight semester schedule, but our team has managed to work well and remain consistent throughout this past year.

One of our biggest challenges has been learning to handle complex debate topics quickly — particularly those on which we might have little background knowledge. Since debaters have only 15 minutes to prepare during the competition, we intentionally practiced under similar pressure, sharing talking points if some teammates didn’t understand the subject. We hope that this strategy will allow our team to remain concentrated, calm, and ready to take advantage of every minute we are given to prepare on debate day.

Although nerves are definitely setting in as the tournament nears, we hope to enjoy our time in Colombia and learn from some of the best debaters gathered at CMUDE.

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The Chamber Singers performing Arvo Paert’s Magnificat in Budapest at St. Michael’s Church.

The University Chorus performing Dvorak’s Mass in D (Agnus Dei) in Budapest at St. Michael’s Church.

Director Ryan Endris in front of St. Michael’s Church, our final concert venue in Budapest.

The farewell dinner cruise on the Danube.

A view of the Danube from our farewell dinner cruise ship.

The Hungarian parliament as viewed from the Danube.

Sarah Stenske (’18), Iris Chen (’17), and Shambhavi Sawhney (’17) on the farewell dinner cruise.

Logan Keig (’16) and Amanda James (’17) on the farewell dinner cruise.

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Yesterday we took the coach 2.5 hours to our final destination of the tour, Budapest, Hungary. After settling into the hotel and having a quick lunch on our own, we met our tour guide Paul for a three-hour tour of Budapest. One of the most interesting things about the city is how the Danube river divides the city into the “Buda” side and the “Pest” side (we stayed on the Pest side). We enjoyed a lot of traditional Hungarian food, in which paprika is a popular ingredient (Hungary is known for its high-quality paprika).

Today we had free time to explore the bustling city centre, full of coffee shops, stores, restaurants, and the Great Market, a huge open-air market. We gathered at 17:00 to head to St. Michael’s Church, to give our final concert of the tour. Everyone performed magnificently for a packed church, and the audience was enamored by the choirs’ singing. As our Hungarian concert organizer said, “you had them eating out of your hand the entire time.” The students and I have learned a lot about how to make adjustments to our performances based on the acoustics of our performance venues!

The evening concluded with a two-hour dinner cruise on the Danube on a private boat. The food was excellent and the views were spectacular, but the camaraderie and enjoyment of all of the participants delighted me the most. It was a wonderful farewell to a successful tour. I hope you will enjoy a few photos from Budapest:

Budapest Castle

Julia Zschiesche ’17 and Charlotte Arbogast ’16 at Budapest Castle

Our concert poster

The Colgate Chamber Singers at St. Michael’s Church, Budapest

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Colgate University Chamber Singers performing in the Stephansdom in Vienna, Austria.

Colgate University Chorus performing in the Stephansdom in Vienna, Austria

 Tour Group at the Belvedere Palace in Vienna. Photo credit: Dylan Crouse ’15.

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I’ve smiled and laughed so much in Prague, Bratislava, and Vienna- in spite of the rain and cold temperatures! I have especially enjoyed Bratislava because of its beautifully constructed buildings, separated by perfectly jagged cobblestone roads and restaurants filled with live music and delicious food at very reasonable prices. Also, Bratislava’s history has been very alive and active during our time here. A group is doing a reenactment of when Napoleon led the French in the siege of Bratislava. While walking through town, I’ve heard the sounds of cannons fired and have shared sidewalks with people dressed up in historical military costumes. I toured Prague, Budapest, and Vienna with my high school chorus, but I have never visited Bratislava. I think the complete newness of the city has also added to the excitement I’ve experienced. Overall, I’ve had a great time performing in and touring this city.

Today, we spent the day in Vienna! The Colgate University Chamber Singers gave a wonderful performance in Saint Stephenson’s church. The ornate gold and stone statues and painted murals made watching their performance seem even more majestic. The entire chorus also got to perform Ain’t that Good News as an encore!

Before the performance we had some free time to tour the city. Shambhavi and I peeked inside of St. Peter’s church, and with wide eyes and smiles we looked at each other and exclaimed “they’re singing Dvorjak!” The choir sang up on the balcony by the organ, so we couldn’t see the singers; however, just hearing their voices in another very beautiful church was awe-inspiring. We stayed for the entire mass service because the choir sang the piece in segments as the service went on. We both agreed that hearing the Dvorjak piece in the context of a mass service was a meaningful experience that added to our understanding of the music.

After lunch with a few new chorus friends, I got a slice of the famous Austrian Sachertorte cake from a charming pink shop called Aida. I’m usually not a fan of chocolate & fruit combos, but this apricot and chocolate dessert tasted better than I expected!

Touring Czech, Slovak, and Austrian restaurants has made me aware of my privilege as an English-speaking American. I can walk into most shops and communicate with someone working there who can speak my language. However, if an Austrian waiter, for example were to visit DC, they wouldn’t walk into most shops and restaurants with the expectation that someone there would greet them with a “guten tag.”

At dinner tonight a friend mentioned that we only have two days left! While was aware that we were leaving on Wednesday, it really hit me how little time we have left here in Europe before we return home 🙁 I’m looking forward to our trip to Budapest tomorrow!

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We arrived in Bratislava yesterday (22 May), after a 4.5 hour coach ride from Prague. On our way to Bratislava, we stopped in Brno, the second largest city in the Czech Republic (~500,000 population) for a quick lunch in the city’s downtown. After arriving in our hotel in early evening, we had a delicious group dinner in a local restaurant that served traditional Slovak cuisine. Then everyone was free to spend the evening as they chose, although a number of us spent time socializing at the hotel.

Today began with a 9:30 am tour of Bratislava. Unfortunately, the weather has been cold and rainy here, so half of the tour was given on the coach (as opposed to entirely walking). Everyone reconvened in the evening for rehearsal at the Jesuit Church of the Holy Redeemer. In the middle of our rehearsal, a Mass unexpectedly started, and we had to stop rehearsal (we were supposed to have from 5:30 until 6:30 to rehearse, and we had to stop at 6:00). None of the concert organizers even knew about this second Saturday evening Mass.

Despite the disruption and the less-than-desirable weather, we had a beautiful concert, which was very well attended and very well received. Both the Czech and Slovak audiences were excited and pleased that we had brought with us the music of Dvorak, which they consider one of their own.

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Photo by Dylan Crouse ’15.

A beautiful view of Prague at twilight on our second day. This is in the city center, and the large building is a church with an astronomical clock.

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