The past and present in Guatemala

Throughout our stay here in Guatemala, we've been learning about Guatemala's violent history. This week we had a lecture about human rights in present-day Guatemala, and we're learning how the past is affecting present-day Guatemala. I have had a hard time comprehending the extent … Continue Reading ››

From Palestine to Israel

This past week we have been staying at Jerusalem University College (JUC) and begun studying Biblical geography, history, and archaeology. The transition from Palestine to Israel has been tough for me, but JUC is a wonderful place to be staying and I … Continue Reading ››

Palestinian Ponderings

We have reached the end of our stay in Palestine, or the Occupied Territories, or the West Bank, or the Disputed Territories, or Occupied Palestine. Many names for the same small strip of land. I have spent the last week in Beit Sahour, a Christian village near Bethlehem. The group has scattered, for evenings … Continue Reading ››

Visit to Tikal and reflections on the Guatemalan civil war

This weekend was a second one in a shoreline Paradise, as our group descended upon the mostly undeveloped rainforest region of Tikal in the northernmost part of Guatemala. This past week we finished our first section of intensive Spanish and we will all be … Continue Reading ››

Three reports from India

I’ve really enjoyed the time we’ve had at the Sarang Center. Each of us takes Hindi class, cross-cultural psychology, and a third class each day. I, along with Kerm, Ryan, Laura, Carmen, Tessa, and Rachel, take cooking class from our Hindi teachers, Anu and … Continue Reading ››

Guatemala – a day at the beach

I can’t believe it has been seven weeks since our trip began. It has been exciting. Every day there is something new to learn to and to see. Right now I am learning a lot of Spanish, a lot about Guatemala, and am getting to … Continue Reading ››

Bedouin night and Petra

Although many of us were not quite ready to say goodbye to Damascus, we were all excited for what was to lie ahead in Jordan. We spent the first two days in the capital of Jordan, Amman, where we had time to … Continue Reading ››

Mayan spirituality and culture

This week our theme was Mayan spirituality and culture. We started out by hearing some of the history of the Mayans and how they’ve been influenced by Western ideas and practices. Even the people who do still practice Mayan spirituality have incorporated other doctrines … Continue Reading ››

The final week in Syria

Sa'lam Everyone!

Sadly we had to say goodbye to Syria this week. We had our last Arabic class Wednesday where we had our final exam which was just a short conversation with our teachers. I'm happy to say that we all passed the … Continue Reading ››

Delhi, India

Namaste to all back home! Greetings from India! I was excited when I was asked to write this week because I knew exactly what I wanted to share with everyone back home. I wanted to share about getting to hang out with some kids … Continue Reading ››

EMU Intercultural Learning