Today helped clear the logistics of the war for me. I was really confused about how it was both North versus South Vietnam and Vietnam versus America, but I soon connected that the North had bases in the South, like the Cu Chi Tunnels, which allowed for a combat war. I also realized that while…
Category: Plus3 2025
Adventura and Essays: Green Economy Integration
Today we went to Arenal Mundo Aventura for a lecture on their business practices and a tour of their grounds. We then went into downtown for lunch, returning to the hotels early to begin working on our blog projects (my group is focusing on Multinational Corporations and Green Economy Integration). Our lecturer at Mundo Aventura…
Day 9: Nose Deep in the Books
Today, we started our day early at UEF learning about Buddhism. They posed one main question that we had to discuss: Was Buddhism more of a religion or a philosophy? My group leaned more toward philosophy because there is not a specific god that Buddhists worship. Rather, it is more of a way of life…
May 18th
Today, we went to the AMA, which is a company that is committed to preserving and sustaining the environment. The AMA activity was a way of commercializing nature, which, in my opinion, is one of the best ways to save and preserve it. During the activity, I was able to see such a great view…
Costa Rica Blog Post 8 – 05/18
AMA is interesting because it shows that there are two sides inside ecotourism. On one side, it is a super fun business selling adventure activities (best activity of the trip). People are paying for excitement, views, and an experience in nature. On the other side, that money helps fund conservation and reforestation of the surrounding…
Gus Coleman – Day 9: Insurance vs Obras Sociales
Today we went downtown to the campus of the University of Austral for a day where we focused on Argentina’s healthcare system. We attended a session with a representative from OMINT who explained how private insurance companies operate including payment structures, access for patients, and regulations of the sector. We then receive a presentation from…
A Bittersweet Sustainable Send Off
Today was a bittersweet day as it marked our last day in the Netherlands and the end of our program. We took a train ride from Rotterdam to visit the neighboring city, The Hague, the capital city of South Holland. While Amsterdam is the official capitol, The Hague is The Netherlands governmental and administrative capital….
Growing Up
Today we first visited DakAkker, a rooftop garden in downtown Rotterdam. This is one of the largest rooftop gardens in the Netherlands and an exemplary leader in sustainable agriculture innovation. Our tour guide gave us a history of the garden, and we were all able to go up and visit it. Something that stood out…
Delta Days
Today we visited the Delta Works, a series of water-management construction projects in the southwest of the Netherlands. They are one of the world’s most famous flood-protection systems. The Delta Works center had a museum for visitors to learn about the history and significance of the projects, as well as a nice campus with some…
Udder Innovation
Today we visited The Floating Farm, a place that is very well represented by its name: a farm floating on Rotterdam harbour. This floating farm is a first of its kind prototype to a futuristic model of farming. It is made of steel and concrete and contains capacity for 40 cows, a dairy production facility,…
From Canals to Cathedrals
Today marked the beginning of the third leg of our trip as we packed up our bags to leave the university of Twente to head to Rotterdam. Instead of going right to Rotterdam, however, we were able to spend the day visiting the German city of Munster. We first received an overview of some of…
Running Water and Running Scholars
Today we visited Enschede city center. First, we received a tour from a local municipal civil engineer. On this tour we learned about how the city has adapted to climate change through water management strategies. Enschede city center is located towards the bottom of a hill, so heavy water flow due to rainfall is common….
A Windy Day in Enschede
On our second day at Twente we kicked the morning off by attending a lecture on Wind turbines. Wind energy has always been a major component of the renewable energy transition in the Netherlands. We learned about the various types of wind turbines and how factors such as axis placement, blade construction, and capacity play…
Flooded with FunÂ
Today we traveled to the second part of our trip, at the university of Twente in Enschede. U of Twente is a public Dutch technical university known for its interdisciplinary education. We first received a tour of the university which was a fun and insightful window into how the Dutch university experience compares and contrasts…
A Visit to the Countryside!
Today we took the train to Zaandijk, a historic village in the Dutch countryside. It was an abrupt contrast going from the bustling city of Amsterdam to the quiet and quaint town. We were immersed in the picturesque views of beautiful rolling hills, dairy farms, and the highlight of the show, classically historic Dutch windmills….
Afloat with Innovation!
Today we visited De Tuliperij, a tulip farm near Amsterdam. This was one of the visits I was most excited for and it did not disappoint! Although tulip season was nearly over, the fields we were able to explore were indescribably beautiful. We were also able to learn about the significance of the tulip industry…
Beans and Jeans: An introduction to sustainability in Amsterdam!
On our first day in Amsterdam, we battled rain and jet lag, but we stuck to our packed itinerary that ended up being an exciting day of adventures. We landed at Schiphol airport and headed right out on a canal tour of the city. This was a great introduction to Amsterdam’s history and infrastructure. It…
These amenities are nuts…
Day 8: Cat Lai Terminal and Dan On Food We visited two companies today: Cat Lai Terminal and Dan On Foods. At Cat Lai, we saw the hard work behind moving shipping containers for imports and exports at a terminal operating 24 hours a day. The organization of the port seemed entirely dependent on efficiency…
Day 8: Cat Lai & Dan on foods
Cat Lai Terminal had to be my favorite site visit so far. I did not expect to find a port so interesting, but seeing all the containers, ships, cranes, and workers moving at once made me realize how complex trade really is. Every part of the process matters and it was all this work just…
Day 8: Double Site Visit
Some operations at the Cat Lai port that really interested me were the rice packing system and the inspection system of the shipping items. The rice packing system really interested me, because the system was still being operated with basic machinery and people. I feel like it is really rare to see machines that are…