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Summer Blog 2013

Tess Croner in Rwanda, part 4

The third and final stop on our study tour of Rwanda brought us to the northwestern corner of the country, where a chain of dramatic volcanic peaks divides Rwanda from Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. On the slopes of these volcanoes, over half (480 of 880 total) of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas make their home. Back in […]

Blogs, Summer Blog 2013

Carina Roselli in Iraq, part 4

One of my colleagues told me that my time in Iraq was just the right amount to make me feel weird about leaving, and he was right.  I’ve been here long enough not to feel like a tourist anymore, but just shy of feeling like a true resident.  I’m finally getting used to the place and starting to live like […]

Blogs, Summer Blog 2013

Erin Beasley in Bolivia

It was still dark at 6 a.m. when I gathered my things for the day and headed out shivering into the Cochabamba morning, bare toes waiting for the warmth of the sun. I met Jaime on the corner and we climbed in to the red, white, and blue “micro” bus, that would take us south to the main market, la cancha, that was […]

Writing Contest

Winner: A Tale of Two Trails

Hiking the Appalachian Trail has traditionally been viewed as an escape from modern society. But with a new generation of hikers bringing technology into the woods, trail culture is rapidly evolving. Do these changes reflect a more social and accessible trail, or do they threaten the age-old benefits of experiencing the outdoors?

Summer Blog 2013

Stephanie Stefanski in Patagonia

Over the past three months, I had the privilege to meet and interview over 300 people in Patagonia. From backpackers in hostels to families on winter vacation, from French to English to Spanish to Portuguese, each complemented my interview with his or her own story and words of advice. Among these 300 I found friends, a family, and a network […]

Summer Blog 2013

Erin Beasley in Honduras

About halfway through my bucket shower with mosquito larvae this morning, I thought, Why didn’t I spend this summer with my grandma? She being my go-to symbol of childhood creature comforts: air conditioning, trips to the North Park pool, walking through the mall, soaking up MTV and eating Klondike bars on her couch. Grandma would have loved six weeks of […]

Summer Blog 2013

Carina Roselli in Iraq, part 3

This blog entry tells a few stories about Kurdistan’s water usage.  With considerable sadness, I must admit that my observations have not been particularly positive.  As I strive to find my professional place in Iraq’s water security endeavors, I am daily reminded that water management is not just an environmental challenge – it’s a cultural one. My disappointment began one […]

Summer Blog 2013

Acheampong Atta-Boateng in Ghana

 I headed straight up North without hanging out with my folks in the South, hoping I could complete work in time then follow up with fun. Well, things did not go as intended. The field had been deelyp ploughed while the ever-frowning sun greeted the early mornings with its scorching rays. Under such stress, two balls of warm-up “kenkey” (boiled […]

Blogs, Summer Blog 2013

Caitlin Doughty in Perú, part 3

Fortunato ran across the Ollantaytambo town center to greet me in typical Peruvian fashion, with a kiss on the cheek. A huge smile filled his face as he expressed his relief in finding me (our plans had been less than concrete, yet worked out nonetheless – also in Peruvian fashion). Fortunato quickly became one of my favorite people in Peru […]

Summer Blog 2013

Marissa Galizia in Kenya

On the airplane flying back home after 10 solid weeks of adventure in Kenya, I wanted to reflect on everything I had seen and done over the past two and a half months. Yet, at the same time, it seemed like too much to think about. It seemed easier just to think about what was ahead with my pending arrival […]

Summer Blog 2013

Ben Friedman in New York City, part 2

I’m not ready to talk about my internship at the Natural Resources Defense Council, even though I’m already more than 8 weeks in (good lord!), so I’ll write about biking to work in New York City. My commute is becoming one of the central parts of my summer and as my girlfriend Emily recently pointed out to me, I’ll likely […]