Arriving back at BMCC wasn’t a happy return at all. I was happy to see my Professors and classmates, but pissed off at the fact that the Carnival Cruise was cancelled due to “Unforeseen circumstances” by Dean Marva Craig. To my understanding Ms. Craig is a “Student Dean”; the actions she took by canceling the cruise in no way benefited the Students. The reality of the fact is that certain students raised concern about the way the study abroad was being conducted. I think to write such statement is absurd. That’s why Dean Craig really cancelled the cruise. I believe that the students reporting concerns in regards to the Switzerland trip are acting with malice. It is unbelievable that after such a magnificent 3 weeks I had to come back to this situation back at BMCC. It is unfair that the people who made these complaints weren’t even scheduled to go on the cruise.

Overall my return to BMCC was dreadful. I cannot believe how unprofessional administration handled this matter. Antonio Perez our school president was rude towards me although I politely asked to have a few minutes to converse with him — his response was if things would have gone my way this would have not happened. I am not even mad I am embarrassed that our school president responds to my request mumbling and with his back turned towards me. I am embarrassed and ashamed of being part of such a school with an administration that is shady and classless. They didn’t even give the students who had positive things to say about the study abroad a chance to speak up about the wonderful experience. I honestly feel that the administration thinks that returning me my $670.00 for the cruise solves the whole issue. They need to sit down and consider the time of work and clothes purchased for this cruise, the time wasted trying to book the cruise. I am beyond pissed off that I have such classless and inconsiderate people administrating BMCC. Currently I am looking to transfer out to a community college in Florida by august 2008, if everything goes well I won’t have to ever walk into BMCC again and be surrounded by fake, shady, malicious and inconsiderate Deans and Presidents.

I am writing this email in regards to the Carnival Cruise Cancellation. As Dean of Students Affairs, I understand that you make decisions that are suppose to be in the “best interest of the students and college community”. However, as a student who attended the Switzerland Study Abroad program, I am extremely disappointed to hear that some of the students who were enrolled in the class, have raised concerns. During the 3 week period we were given several opportunities, by Dr. Garely and Prof. Blake-Neis, on a daily basis, as individuals and a group, to raise any issues or concerns in regard to how the program was being conducted. Many of the students who attended the study abroad program had a misconception of what a study abroad program means. Some thought that the 3 weeks period in Switzerland was going to be spent hanging out, partying and drinking on a nightly basis. It personally angers me that more than half of the students were enrolled in this 3 credit course for the wrong reasons and those individuals are not even Travel and Tourism majors.

If you were to take a look most, if not all, of the students who raised “concerns” in regards to how the program was conducted, you will notice that these individuals were not scheduled to attend the cruise. Also what about the other 8 students who were supposed to attend the cruise and were not part of the study abroad program. The time and effort that others and I put into this cruise can not just go to waste and BMCC’s Administrative staff does nothing to correct this grave injustice. I was reimbursed the $670.00 which I paid for the cruise, but the issue goes beyond that. Take a minute and think about my other investments into this cruise, such as my time off work, clothes purchased and hours spent to book this cruise.

I truly hope that, as the Dean of Student Affairs, you will come up with a solution in regards to the cruise cancellation. We should be compensated by the school with another cruise or monies. It is not fair that the students who were scheduled to attend the Carnival cruise should be dealing with this “bogus” burden. Ms. Craig, being sorry doesn’t fix the issue, taking action to repair some of the damage done is what needs to be done.

I hope to hear from you soon.

At 7:40am we arrived at Zurich airport. It was a fast process going through security. Once we were at our gate for departure professors, Mark and I browsed through the airport shops and took the time to stop at a coffee shop, there we bought water, black coffee and croissants. Time flew by before I noticed it was 9:45am and I was already sitting in the airplane. As soon as the airplane departed I went to sleep, I was extremely tired from the previous night. Approximately 2 hours after we departed I was served lunch which consisted of some delicious chicken, pasta, bread and a cranberry juice on the side. It may sound surprising but I was satisfied with the meal portion. After that I slept on and off through out the whole flight, before I noticed at 1:45pm we arrived in New York City.

Upon arrival we immediately raced to the customs line. As much as I hated wearing the BMCC blue T-shirt for 9 hours it was extremely helpful because the customs officer didn’t ask me any questions at all. Once I cleared customs I went to the carrousel to pick up my luggage. Dr. Garely gave me a hug before I walked out of JFK terminal 8. When I was given that hug it saddens me because I remember most mornings the first person I saw in the lobby was Dr. Garely. Once I said my goodbyes to a few of my classmates I was greeted by my brother and my cousin outside the Airport, I instantly became overwhelmed with joy and emotions.

Overall my Swiss experience was great. Prior to this experience I thought my writing skills were good, but during the 3 weeks in Switzerland I realized that my writing skills aren’t good and I must improve them. Throughout this experience I became someone bigger than I thought, I learned how to appreciate my parents. I was able to apologize to my dad for all the wrong I did throughout the rebellious stage of my life. This study abroad gave me the opportunity to see a part of the world I never thought I would see at this young age. For the rest of my life I would carry on in my heart and mind all the hotel inspections, mountains, rainfall and pork we were fed. Thank you so much Prof. Neis, Dr. Garely and Elliott for believing in me and for helping me become a better person. The three of you have boosted my self-esteem, have given me a new view to how meaningful education is, I will always owe the three of you for helping me believe in myself. Growing up as a little boy I always had wanted to travel and see new places, many people always told me that would be impossible. For all of those who doubted me saying I would never make it out the hood, look at me now. I am 21 years old and I traveled through a few places in Europe. My path could only go up from here!

During free time some of the students went to Chur, Prof. Neis, Elliott, Sasha, Curtis, Mark and I opted to stay on campus. We sat outside Pauleners and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. For a few hours we chatted away on how great of an experience it has been in Switzerland. I had a lot of fun because during class hours we had to be focus to get the job done, but during down time we goofed around and had plenty of fun. At around 6pm we enjoyed our last meal (BBQ) along with some wine. During our last meal Mr. Beat Wikki (CEO of SSTH) presented us with our tour management Diplomas, the international students were surprised with a slide show presentation as a graduation gift along with the barbecue. Although Swiss BBQ style is not better than Americans I did enjoy my chicken, cold shiskabob, corn, baked potato and salad.

After dinner was done there were several games prepared, the first one was the Water Obstacle Course. This game involved 4 international students vs Sasha, Curtis, Katherine and myself, we each raced through an obstacle course with a glass of water and the team that made it across the finish line with the most water would win. As soon as the race started I ran so fast that I bumped into Curtis. Unfortunately we lost the race, but it was a good event because every person on campus bonded with one another including Enrico. At around 8:00pm as a class we loaded up the 2 vans with our luggage. Amazingly it only took us 5 minutes (surprise surprise everyone worked as a team).

Once it was all set and down we ran upstairs to shower because the disco was going to be open till 2am. At around 10pm we started heading towards the disco. I must say I was extremely loose. The music and the atmosphere was great, I felt like I was in a sauna but It didn’t matter because I was having fun. As the night went on we were having more and more fun. We all danced the night away (like rock stars).Every American student including Elliott stayed at the Disco till the party ended. Towards the end I started spraying water on myself and all the other students it felt like spring break time in the mountains. Mr. Enrico decided to end the party at 1:30am, that’s when we all started chanting (PLEASE DONT STOP THE MUSIC!). Eventually by 1:45am we gave up on arguing with Enrico and decided to hangout in the smoking lounge till.

I still can’t believe what a great day it was, to bad it went by so quickly. Tonight was our last night in SSTH I am definitely going to miss some people more than others, but I must say everyone impacted my life in a different way while being here. I feel like time flew by so quickly I wish we were able to stay a few more weeks. Tomorrow we go back 2 New York (I get to see my parents and brothers).

At 12:15pm we had our last lunch together as a group. Following lunch we went to a GEVAG, one of Switzerland’s waste burning facilities.  We were given a guided tour of the facility by the Mr. Francois Boone, Plant General Manager. During the tour Mr. Boone showed us how the trash is delivered, sorted and crushed in the compactor before it’s burned.  Also during the tour we were able to see how the the trash is converted into energy and deposited into the river. Once we completed our 2 hour tour of the waste facility, we went to a water sewage facility.  However, upon entry into the water sewage control room I felt extremely nauseated and sick, which was probably due the profound disgusting smell and the heat.  Therefore, Dr. Garely suggested that I step back out to the car, in order to get some fresh air and I took no part in touring the waste facility with the rest of the group.

After the waste facility tour was completed, Mr. Wicki and Sophie took us out for a traditional Switzerland farewell dinner, which involved a cable tram ride up a very high mountain, cows, a view of the beautiful Swiss mountains and some fabulous cheese fondue with potatoes, pineapples and bread.  The “Cheese Fondue” was hot, cheesy and very tasty and the group conversation was even better. I really did enjoy myself in spite of that fact that I was full of “cheese” and still a little hungry afterwards, but on the drive back to SSTH my stomach gave in to desire to sleep.

Once we arrived at SSTH around 9:30pm, I was full of energy once again and immediately started packing my clothes and books for out official last days in Switzerland.  Although today was a boring day, dinner was great. We only have two more days left in Switzerland I’m happy because I know soon I will get to see my loved ones and sleep in my spacious queen size bed.

We all met up at 7:29am and departed for Lugano, as I predicted last night on the way Bellinzona it was raining so hard the bus driver could barely see out his windows. We arrived at Bellinzona at 9:53am which gave us only 1 minute to transfer to the train station. Over the weekend I had become familiar with Bellinzonas transit therefore I decided to lead the group. I immediately jumped off the bus and stopped traffic to make sure Dr. Garely and Prof. Blake-Neis made it across the street safely. Some of the students were lagging behind – that’s when I decided to shout out (We are all New Yorkers pick up your pace now). It seems like everyone got the hint because everyone started running faster. It looked like a James Bond movie all of us running under an immense amount of rain; I must admit it was a good 60 seconds.

Upon arrival at Lugano visibility was low along with the heavy rain. We took a bus heading towards the Grand Hotel Eden. We weren’t able to take the bus all the way to the hotel; we had to walk 10minutes under heavy rain to reach the hotel. Upon entry at the Grand Hotel Eden Mr. Maurizio Lieto (assistant front desk manager) greeted us and us put our back packs and wet clothes in a closet. My first impression of this hotel was great; it looked like a jungle (animal print seats and plants all over the place). As I walked through the first floor I was floored by the Italian theme the hotel had going on. The hotel features 117 gracious rooms and suites fitted with all comforts (8suites, 7junior suites, 48 deluxe rooms and 54 superior rooms). Dining at Eden hotel is top of the line, the hotels award winning restaurant features contemporary Italian cuisine in an elegant setting, offering spectacular views of the lake and mountains. I was impressed the most by the wellness centre which offers an indoor heated pool and space dedicated to fitness, beauty and general well being, such as Jacuzzi, massage area, sauna, hammam and relaxation area. During the summer guests can spend a day of complete relaxation, sunbathing or diving in the lake. The bathrooms were crispy clean with plenty of amenities and each bathroom also includes a bidet. Eden hotels most profitable time a year is during the summer time.

We had lunch (bread, ham, cheese and juice) in the train station because once again our day was cut short due to bad weather conditions. I slept through the train ride and bus ride home because I wasn’t feeling good (allergies and sinus). Dinner time came by quickly and we had curry chicken, fiesta styled rice and raspberry sorbet with a coconut cookie. I enjoyed my dinner so much – it was too bad there wasn’t chicken left for me the second time around.

Thanks Katherine for being such a star today, she performed fabulously as our tour guide. I hope tomorrow it doesn’t rain again, I am tired of all this bad weather I need to see some sunshine.

We arrived at hotel Laudinella and the first thing that came to my mind was 2 star motel in Las Vegas(Nevada). Mr. Stephanos Giannakis (Concierge) greeted us and gave us a wonderful tour of this hotel. This Hotel has a summer camp cabin theme to it. Mostly wooden. During the summer time most of their guests are senior citizens. The reason for this is that the seniors could relax and have a good time in this fairly nice neighborhood. During the winter which is the busiest time of Year at the Laudinella hotel the guest tend to be younger. Reason for this is because this is a hotel that mostly targets skiers and snowboarders. This hotel has 5 restaurants (perfect way to show diversity), 1 bar which looks very small and older than my grandmother (I love you grandma), 200 bed rooms and a fabulous room which allows you to store your ski’s and repair them if they get damaged. The hotel wasn’t Luxurious but it must be a gorgeous hotel in the winter time with all the snow surrounding it. The bed rooms are simple but this hotel is more of a family oriented hotel. I found it strange that the bathrooms had no ammenities maybe theres a special pick up room upon check in.

Once we were done with our tour of this Hotel we went to the tourist office. Once again people at the tourist office behaved rudely and careless. I swear I wanted to yank the front desk clerk by her pony tail and drag her around the streets of St. Moritz. I asked a question and she answered me in a rude tone and told me to go get pamphlets. I had it with these rude Swiss employees. After she answered me in that nasty tone of voice I walked out.

Lunch time came and we sat outside the infamous tourist office and ate the same bagged lunch we eat every time we’re away from the Swiss School. It was so cold we had to cut our day short and return back to Chur. This weather really sucks, mid June and we have to wear 2 jackets (this is unacceptable). When we arrived in Chur, I went to the souveneir shop with Adrianne (purchased some shot glasses) and then we ran over to Migros where I purchased some white chocolate bars at 1.60 CHF each.

We arrived on campus earlier than the original plan, so I sprinted up the stairs and started doing my laundry. I left the washing machine on and ran down stairs to start on my blogs. Time flew by next thing you know we were already at the dinner table. We had Asparagus soup, Veal, potatoes, mixed vegetables and a strawberry sorbet. The meal wasn’t something I would normally eat back at home but I actually liked it a lot. Today’s day didn’t go as expected due to the weather but I am happy because it allowed me to finish up my blogs and do my laundry. Mark bravo for being a good tour guide today.

We were so excited we didn’t even worry about eating breakfast. It took us three hours and 45 minutes to reach the Milano Centrale. However before we arrived in Milano the train was delayed because a young lady in her 20s had to be escorted out the train because her mom was beating her up. Once we arrived in the train station I was surprised, the Milano I’m use to seeing on television was not the one I saw when I got off the train. The area was surrounded by crack heads and very poor people (I felt like I was in the hood). Sasha and I immediately ran to use the bathrooms and had to pay 1 Euro each to use a nasty filthy bathroom. After we used the bathroom we sprinted to convert our money into Euros and get a map from the tourist office. At approximately 12:00pm we found a Mc Donald’s outside the train station we each ate a Big Mac meal with French fries and a coke. The food was expensive (14 Euros) – at least it tasted fresh and good.

After we were done with our meal we started walking the streets of Milano. It was a mission to get some help since 90% of the people didn’t speak English or Spanish. We were able to find a man at a Western Union office who helped us out with the map by letting us know where the tourist areas were.

As Sasha and I started walking, we felt better about being in Milano as the streets started looking much cleaner with the appearance of museums. We immediately ran into the (Natural Art ) Museum which was fabulous. The museum tour lasted about 25 minutes because we had a lot to do. Following the brief stop at the museum we started feeling like we were in heaven we started walking towards the Piazza del Duomo (main tourist area) in Milano. I felt right at home we ran into several stores (Dolce & Gabbana, Diesel, Calvin Jeans and H&M).

Finally at 2:00pm on this beautiful and sunny day our walking paid off, we had reached the Piazza del Duomo. We were walking in heaven on cobble stone roads. First thing I saw was a train with a sign that read Custo Barcelona, a famous high end fashion designer from Spain. Along with the lettering he had plenty of models in the advertisement for his fall 2009 fashion designs. The colors and the way the models posed was amazing. Once we were in the plaza Sasha and I were happy because we felt like we were in the real Milano. We went inside the Escada, Burberry, Max Mara, Giorgio Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Bulgari and Fendi stores. Unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take pictures inside the stores (store policy). The prices were high but the clothes were flawless, now I know why Milano is considered one of the worlds fashion capitals.

Distraction settled in and we had realized we had not called our professors to notify them that we had arrived safely. Then we stopped browsing through the shops and purchased a 10 dollar phone card. The instructions on the damn phone card were in Italian, we asked several locals for help and we received none. I felt like I paid 10 euros for a phone card that was useless. Once done with the shops we wanted to go into Duomo (one of the biggest cathedral in all of Europe). The line to enter was at around 300 people; therefore instead we took pictures and had a prayer in front of the cathedral. I felt good because churches make me feel at peace and give me spiritual stability.

After we exited the front of Duomo we headed to the metro to take a 30 minute train ride to my aunt’s house. We encountered another issue we didn’t know which train would take us to her home. Luckily a Metro employee who saw us struggling came up to us; it was like God sent an angel from heaven to help us. The man spoke perfect Italian but also Spanish because he was born in the Dominican Republic. He helped us buy our metro passes and walked us down to the correct train. After a 30minute train ride and a long walk we reached our aunt’s house.

Arriving at my aunt’s house made this whole experience worthwhile, seeing her again after 16 years was priceless. She hugged me and ask me “what happened to my brown glasses” I laughed and responded that I last used those when I was 7 years old. It was a very emotional reunion; we sat down for a few hours and spoke about the last 16 years of our lives. She immediately called my mother and they both started crying over the phone because my mother thought I was joking about my whole trip to Milano. I was so happy to reunite with my aunt and seeing my older cousins Jorge (23) and Eimy (20) was cool because they are still humble as they were years ago. Later on that afternoon came in Matthias (13) and Giovanni (11) my aunt’s 2 kids from her Italian marriage, the kids were happy to see me and so was I, we had never met before. After all the joy, laughter and catch up we were finally able to reach Professor Blake-Neis. We took the opportunity to notify her we were fine.

I was tired as the night came in but reached deep within myself for energy when my aunt started cooking an Italian and Dominican meal fused together. We had some Dominican styled steak with peppers onions and pasta with melted cheese, carrots and cucumbers. Thank you Lord Christ for this meal, it was tasty and everything I had been craving for the last 20 days. Overall, today’s events were great; the day was full of laughs and happiness. I am so happy to be in Milano, its feels like an outer body experience something that words can’t describe.

Sasha and I had 1 latte marchiatto each at the main plaza while we waited for our train to come. At 2:25pm we boarded our train and it took us 4 hours to get back to SSTH. Once we reached Chur we were starving, since on Sunday’s Chur is such a ghost town, the only place open was Cindy’s Dinner. I had an all Americano burger (lettuce, beef, bacon, pickles, onions and mustard), large fries and a medium coke. The food was delicious I was surprised because Cindy’s burgers tasted similar to Johnny Rockets burgers (New York).

I will not lie – over the two days I missed my professors and classmates. Upon entrance at SSTH we were greeted by Prof. Blake-Neis, Dr. Garely, Shevy and Sarah. I was happy to see them it felt like an eternity without seeing them. We immediately started chatting with them and gave them all the details of our wonderful weekend away from Chur. Everyone on campus noticed a change even Professor Blake-Neis loved my cream Ralph Lauren Military button down. I guess the sun in Milano did me justice over the weekend. Once the long chat was done I started blogging at 11pm I was done and went straight to bed.