South Africa is a country of boldness and vibrancy, and it’s hard to believe I have been taking it all in for the past 18 days already! The people here are so welcoming, and I think that their past challenges have truly shaped their relational culture and hospitality. My host mother (Mme Esther) shared a....
Soweto, South Africa
Nervousness, frustration, excitement, joy, loneliness, love, fear… each of these emotions has crossed my mind at least once recently. I may have been on cross-cultural for only two weeks so far, but it is definitely already turning out to be an adventure! Honestly, I still have a hard time believing I am actually in South....
Climb to Machu Picchu
Lima, June 15, 2011 As our Perú cross-cultural came to an end we got to visit and see places you only dream of seeing. We started off with a train ride to Machu Picchu. On our journey to Machu Picchu we had time to relax on the train, play games, and just enjoy each other’s....
Peru sights and sounds
Hola from Peru!! We just finished our week of Spanish classes this Friday and it was a great week of learning for all of us. We spent Saturday the 4th, in Chincheros. This was a beautiful plaza. Chincheros is a Q’echwa word that means city or place of bright colors. There were many farming terraces....
First five days in Peru
I can´t believe we’ve been in Peru for five days already! Time has been flying by! I hope to briefly reflect on our time here so far from my point of view, which hopefully expands across the group. We were able to make it to Lima, Peru without any flight problems. The only small glitch....
Reflections on departing India
Upon returning to Delhi for our final time, the realization that we were indeed heading home in a few days started to settle in. Frantic shopping and creative packing techniques proved to me that I was actually about to leave this country that has slowly become my home. I was leaving the country that I....
Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala
This last week, our FINAL week, we traveled out of Guatemala city and into the old, colonial capital of Antigua for Semana Santa festivities. During the week we stayed in the beautiful Lutheran Retreat Center run by an indigenous women’s cooperative. As we wrapped up this semester with final presentations we also ventured out into....
Salvador Urbina, Chiapas, Mexico
A break from the city, time to relax in a tranquil little town, and all the coffee we ever wanted to drink. What a wonderful ten days our group spent in the coffee growing community of Salvador Urbina, Chiapas, Mexico. While we spent a lot of time embracing local culture: sitting around, talking, and watching....
India – Poetry and thoughts on music
Make up your mind with the sand in your shoes I don’t know where I’m going. A sapling knows nothing but dirt on the ground, I suppose. The dirt and sand under my feet these days keeps changing, sifting in my shoes. In the village, a circle of girls look up at me with their....
From the Himilayas in Ladakh, India
Before boarding the airplane that was taking us from Delhi to Leh, we received specific instructions to not speak a word on the plane. We were going to be landing at 12,000 ft above sea level, and we had to conserve energy to prevent altitude sickness. I don’t think anyone could have spoken much anyway,....