On this trip, we have learned so much about sustainability, including the good and bad. Sustainability is using land in a way that protects wildlife and keeps the planet healthy while balancing economic growth, environmental protection, and social wellbeing. Some examples of this would be solar energy, wind energy, protecting rainforests, national parks, etc.Sustainability has…
May 19th: Gone with the Wind
This morning, we said goodbye to La Fortuna and headed towards Monteverde. On our way, we made stops at a wind turbine farm and Life Monteverde, a coffee plantation. At the wind farm, we got an up close example of one of Costa Rica’s renewable energy methods. These include wind, geothermal, and hydroelectric energy systems….
Days 8/9/10 – Giquita
Day 8 was the first travel day down to the Waorani tribe deep into the Amazon. We spent around 5 hours on the canoe that day which wasn’t as bad as it seems, just gotta move around a lot to find a comfortable spot. Day 9, the real fun begins. We spent the day with…
Swinging Through Waorani Territory
Today we just got back from the Waorani tribe, and it was amazing. Let me get back to how we got there first. On Sunday, we took a 2-hour bus ride to the beach, where we loaded our gear into a canoe, which we took to the Waorani. The canoe ride was about 5 hours,…
Night Hike with Lots of Bugs!!
Today we left La Fortuna and bussed to Monteverde. It was a very long bus ride and the first half I didn’t have my phone because it was dead and had water in it so I couldn’t charge it. It made the bus trip feel even longer. We stopped at windmills on the top of…
1% Fossil Fuels and 100% Humid
Costa Rica has been setting the standard for renewable energy since the 1970s, and after today’s visit to the wind turbines near the continental divide, it is easy to see why this country takes so much pride in its energy infrastructure. The country currently generates around 13,000 kilowatts of energy through renewable sources, with roughly…
Days 8/9/10: Jungle Boy
We started our journey deeper into the rainforest with an early morning. We had an unexpected 2 and a half hour bus ride with like the worst terrain you could drive a bus on followed by our 7 hour canoe ride. The ride was so loud it was crazy and the whole canoe just vibrates…
Day 9: Pagoda and War Museum
As someone who has always been into learning about Asian religions, I can say that I was really looking forward to see an authentic Vietnamese Buddhism temple, because I would be able to put my knowledge to use, and experience Buddhism through my own experience. Growing up Catholic, I feel like I wasn’t able to…
went to the zoo!
CJ and I woke up at six in the morning so we could get to the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens before it got busy. I didn’t think twice about it, I love animals, and missing a bit of sleep was worth it. When we arrived, the place was empty. It felt like we had…
Day 9: Whose war was it?
Today was a lot of learning in a meaningful way. We started the day with class at UEF where we spent time learning about Buddhism. From there we then took what we learned and went over to the Ngoc Hoang Pagoda. The first thing I felt walking in was peace. It was special to watch…
Day 10: Sonnets, Shakespeare, and Storms
Today was our trip to Stratford upon Avon, it was a one hour trip to the small town if we took the tube. The tube is another word for the train in the United Kingdom, and I personally like it better because it has a certain vibe to it. We walked to the station and…
Day 7: Water We Doing in Enschede?
Today we went into the city of Enschede to learn about the city and also explore on our own. We began by taking a tour through various parts of the city that focused on the water management issues the city faces and their solution. He first gave an introduction to the history of Enschede and…
Day 11: Big Lessons, Better Deals, and Mimi the Shop Cat Watching Over All of It
ANDD was another really interesting look at how entrepreneurship support can show up in different ways. On the surface it felt familiar, there was mentoring, training, networking, and workshops, which has honestly been a running theme throughout this whole trip. But what made ANDD stand out from everything else we have seen so far was…
Day 11 – The Hague: Our Last Day in The Netherlands
Today, our last full day in the Netherlands, we visited The Hague, the country’s political capital. After waking up and hopping on the metro, we had a long ride to the city. Once we got off our trip, our guide gave us a tour of the city, teaching us more about the Netherlands ‘ political…
Day 11: From Social Media to the Ship
Today we took a site visit to ANDD, which is the Association for National Digital Development. ANDD was similar to many of the site visits we have already had. When looking at it compared to the Casablanca Technopark, ANDD offers its workshops and other services for free, just like how the technopark offers its incubator…
Day 11: Broken Doors and Business Tours
We started off our morning by taking the bus to our group project site visit! First we visited ANDD, or L’Association Nationale du Développement Digital, a organization committed to strengthening the digital and entrepreneurial skills of women and young people. I could see the impact that ANDD had made immediately as I entered the building,…
Day 11: Social Medi(n)a
The day I’ve been waiting for has finally arrived: my site visit!! We visited ANDD, an association that focuses on digital skill development, particularly for women. They have three main programs through which they help stay at home mothers, university graduates, and other young women on how to create and sustain income-generating activities. I was…
Day 9: A Look Into a Complex Past
I think it is fair to say that today was certainly one of the more emotionally engaging days of the program, especially given the content that we viewed in the second half of the day. I started the morning by grabbing breakfast with my friends Olivia, Reva, and Rachel at Merci Bakery, which I know…
Day 10- Feeling Shakespearean
This morning we got up a little earlier to take the train to Stratford-upon-Avon. This is where Shakespeare was born and grew up, which is so cool! Once we arrived, we walked into the town to meet Tim. I was happy to have him as our tour guide again because he explains things well and…
Dachau Tour: Sunday
My first impression of Dachau was how quiet it was when we first entered. All other places we have went so far have been joyful or greeted with a boisterous greeting. Dachau’s size seemed much larger to me. It’s hard to believe that there were camps way larger than this. We learned that, at a…