At this point in time this is the last submission of photos from incoming students that we have received, and Orientation starts on Monday.  Thank you to everyone that made contributions throughout the summer.  We might post some more photos in the future . . . if new students decide to set aside class and social time to submit more.

Jesse Alejandro Cottrell  MIA 2013

Photo Descriptions:

4th of July Float (Salem, NY): This picture was taken during Salem, New York’s 2011 4th of July parade. Artists in residence at Salem Art Works (SAW), the artist colony where I serve as Associate director and Development Coordinator, sit atop and stand upon a dry sauna created by Jonas Lindberg, an artist in residence at SAW. From the sidelines, parade goers gawk and demand candy.

Taken during a show by The Big Fatt at Brooklyn’s Trash Bar. I am the singer and guitar player. The unseen audience is sated by the open bar and free tater tots, which undoubtedly make our music sound better.

Iron Pour SAW 1 and 2 (Salem, NY): Pouring iron into sculptural forms is a monthly occurrence at Salem Art Works (SAW).

The artist colony where I serve as Associate Director and Development Coordinator. Iron poured at SAW reaches temperatures above 1800 degrees Fahrenheit. Artists from across the United States and Europe travel to Salem to pour iron.

Thank you to all of the new students that have been sending in photos.  It can take me a bit to catch up as they come in so thanks for your patience.  For new students that want to contribute, please see this entry for instructions.

The first set of photos were sent in by Sujata Bordoloi, an incoming MPA student with an Economic and Development focus.

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The first two photos are of a school in the Wau region of Southern Sudan. The rusty tank is a reminder of the 21 years of civil war. Children in Southern Sudan finally get a chance to return to normalcy albeit in very basic conditions. The school ground used to be a Church where children now gather under trees to learn. Resources are scarce and teachers lack the requisite training to assimilate newly enrolled repatriated children from neighbouring Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia. It does not deter teachers and children from coming to school everyday with chairs and blackboards in 50 degrees heat – a truly inspiring sight!

First day at a temporary school for children from a slum in Martissant, Port-Au-Prince. This was one of the first temporary schools to have opened in PAP 7 weeks after the disaster. The earthquake of January 2010 in Haiti was more devastating than the 2004 Tsunami in terms of the thousands of people killed and millions rendered homeless and without basic services.

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The next set of photos were submitted by Ryan Arant, an incoming MIA student.

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The first photo was taken in Dahiya, the Hezbollah controlled Shiite “borough” of southern Beirut shortly after the 2006 Israeli-Hezbollah War.  It was taken during a thoroughly guided tour of the area and with the not so tacit approval of our hosts.

The second photograph was taken in the Palestinian refugee camp Sabra and Shatila in West Beirut.  This child was one of the tens of thousands of refugees displaced from the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp near Tripoli by a conflict between the Lebanese Internal Security Forces and the Fatah al-Islam militant group.  His face was painted as a show of support for “Palestinian solidarity”.

The third photo was taken in Syria about 50 miles outside of the city of Hama.  The man in this photograph (a shepherd named Amjed) not only invited me and my companions to spend the afternoon with him in his tent— he also rode his horse several miles into the desert to search for (and almost instantly find) a missing cell phone, used several days worth of his earnings to provide us with a meal, and managed to disinfect a series of wounds I had recently acquired in a fall with arak, the locally popular aniseed-flavored liquor (in the latter case completely against my will).

Today the blog kicks of the second annual new student summer photo series.  We welcome recently admitted students to submit photos and details about how to do so and what to include an be found in this entry.

The first set of photos come from Zhang Bingyuan, an incoming MIA student from China.

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The first photo shows my home in Suzhou city in the province of Jiangsu. It’s a very traditional Chinese garden and we raise lots of fishes in the pool. They often get mad about food, which is shown in the second photo.

This photo is my aunt Yuan Aihong. She is a Beijing Opera singer and that was her performing Drunken Yang Guifei, a renowned beauty of the Tang dynasty.

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The next photo comes from Karin Vazquez, an incoming MIA student that will focus in Economic and Political Development.  Her comments are below.

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Just like you, one day I will devote some time to taking photography classes. In the meantime I would be glad to share the photo attached with other SIPA students. Believe it or not, it was taken by accident during my honeymoon trip to Mostar (Bosnia-Herzegovina) last year. I was trying to focus the road sign when the poor little boy came up to the car window begging for money.

A quick note: in Boznia-Herzegovina road signs are in both Cyrillic and Latin alphabets. Due to the continuing ethnic disputes, however, the cyrillic scripts in the road signs close to the country’s border with Croatia are all spray-painted out. The opposite happens in the border with Serbia, where the Latin scripts in road signs are covered with spray-paint. Reconciliation is clearly another generation or two away.

Begginer’s luck or human tragedy? I would say both, unfortunately.

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And the final photo today comes from Anoushavan Hambardzoumyan, an incoming MPA student.

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The first three photos today come from Tim Shenk, an incoming MIA student.

Here are three photos from a trip that I took to Nepal in March 2009:

Rambha Maya Khamcha, her husband Yam Bahadur Khamcha and their daughter Janaki at their home near Tansen, Nepal. The couple participates in an HIV-awareness program sponsored by the organization I’ve been working for, Mennonite Central Committee.

My visit to Nepal coincided with Holi, the Hindu festival of colors. It is a great event, involving a lot of colored powder. A group of kids playfully attacked our vehicle with powder and water balloons on the road between Kathmandu and Pokhura.

Girls break rocks into gravel near Dhading, Nepal. Many families in the area rely on income from crushing and selling gravel, but the girls attend a local school that is trying to prepare them to earn a better living someday.

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The following photo comes from Zaynab El Bernoussi from Morocco, an incoming MPA student.

This picture of a view from Cabo Girão was taken by my father last summer while we were in vacation in Madeira. Cabo Girão is the second highest sea cliff in Europe after Hornelen in Norway. I loved Madeira for its wonderful weather and the beauty of the nature there.

The first two photos come from Denise Lee, an incoming MPA in Development Practice student.

These photos were both taken on December 31, 2008 atop Ololokwe mountain, a sacred mountain to the Samburu people in North Eastern Kenya. This is an area where natural resources are being depleted at ever-increasing rates threatening the natural environment and the survival of wildlife in the region.  At the same time pastoralist communities are struggling as their economic development continues to be hindered by ethnic rivalries and insecurity.  The obstacles are tremendous, but I felt hopeful when learning about innovative new programs including the Northern Rangelands Trust which seeks to address both challenges by facilitating community-led conservation initiatives that improve human livelihoods, biodiversity conservation and rangeland management.

In the first photo our local Samburu guide, John, looks south towards Mount Kenya.  John is employed by a community owned and managed safari operation that offers trips up the mountain with local, experienced guides allowing visitors to experience the high altitude mist forest and panoramic vistas.

This photo shows three young Samburu Moran boys that we met with their cattle in the background.  It was striking to see tradition colliding with modernity particularly in the form of the automatic weapons they carried.  Samburu Moran boys moving from boyhood into manhood go up into Ololokwe for months at a time to live off the ground and prove their manhood.  The area is rife with conflict due to the Somalies and the Boran impinging on Samburu grazing ground.

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The next two photos come from Karina Nagin, an incoming MPA student.

First Photo:  Taken at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.  The tour guide had just finished explaining to our group how important it was to be respectful and not climb on any of the ruins, we then turned a corner to see this group giggling and laughing while scaling the walls for a group picture.  They were having so much fun I had to snap a pic.

Second Photo: Taken in a small town outside Bangalore, India.  In 2008 I was working in Bangalore and was invited to a weekend function in my colleague’s village.  During the all day ceremony two sisters pulled me away to go play in the neighboring sunflower field. It was one of the highlights of my stay.

The first three images come from Jeff Berger, an incoming MIA student.

All three images were taken at the Marcavalle juvenile detention center in Cusco, Peru. Many of the boys there had committed serious crimes, yet the center operated like a strict summer camp rather than a prison. The youth are gradually prepared for reintegration into society through a special education system and hierarchical, merit-based programs.

Image #1 – Morning roll call.

Image #2 – Me and a few of the boys at a holiday celebration.

Image #3 – Two of the boys learning the art of the “field goal.” It took me days to find what may have been the only store in Cusco selling footballs.

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The next two photos were submitted by Bonita Treinen, an incoming MPA-DP student.

This first picture was taken in Lanzhou, China where I lived 2002-2003. I am drawn to signs of community in dense urban environments, and these guys embody that.

This second picture was taken in Thailand, where I lived 1998-2001. There’s nothing special about this picture, except that magic things happen every time I visit this little bay. Last time I was there a school of dolphins came up to play near me while I was out swimming alone.

The first three photos today were taken by Oritse Justin Uku, an incoming MIA student.

Farah Province, Afghanistan:  This is a picture of my HMMWV pulling security during a joint humanitarian assistance mission with the Afghan and Italian armies. It took us about 3 hours to get to the village cross-country. The Taliban fled just prior to our arrival. We ended up being out there all day because an IED was found and had to be dealt with.

Salzburg, Austria:  This photo was taken during the summer of 2007. I was on a tour with a class from business school that took us through Italy, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. I always enjoy visiting Austria. The people are friendly and it’s nice to speak in German again.

Great Wall of China:  I took this photo in the fall of 2002. A group of officers from my unit in South Korea took a long weekend trip to Beijing, China.

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The next two photos were submitted by Ingrid Nanne, an incoming MPA-DP student.

This is a picture of the teacher to teacher in-service I was interpreting for this summer. I volunteer with Helps International in Guatemala, the organization has an education program in a school they founded in the department of Quiché (a majority indigenous, rural area of the country). The part of the program I was involved with was helping translate between American teachers who were giving the in-service on teaching techniques to the Guatemalan teachers. The picture shows a group of the Guatemalan teachers and the school’s principal during the in-service.

This picture was taken outside of the school at recess, during a break in the in-service. Many people in the town of Santa Avelina where the school is, dislike having thier picture taken. This is because of numerous and different cultural and personal reasons, but the students at the school have gotten used to them and enjoy being photographed. In this image I asked the boys if it was ok that I took a picture of them, and almost all of them ran off giggling except for that boy who posed. The rest of the boys soon ran back and wanted their picture taken as well.

The first two photos today come from incoming MIA student Jessica Garrels.

Mai Lafiya in the Dakoro region of  Niger In my first year as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Niger–and before I could really talk to anyone–I decided to stay busy by trying to farm.  Unfortunately, when harvest time came, I realized I was not a very good subsistence farmer (millet, peanuts, hibiscus petals and leaves, beans).

MyHarvest – Mai Lafiya in the Dakoro region of Niger.

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The next three photos were submitted by Clarissa Baldin, an incoming MIA student.

Where the photo was taken: Gravataí, metropolitan region of Porto Alegre – capital of the province of Rio Grande do SUl, Brazil. Although this is not a “great shot”, it´s something I´d like to share with you because I was very touched. These people are part of a NGO called Corpo Voluntário de Resgate e Socorro. They work from Friday evening until Monday morning every weekend, when they remain in alert state 24h, in groups of at least 6 people per shift, helping on emergencies in the region, rescuing and providing emergency care for mainly car crash victims in the area of Gravataí. They are trained and skilled, theirs services are free of cost and not only the community but also the police and/or ambulances call them when unable to rescue the victims. Constantly struggling for resources to keep theirs work ongoing, they have already assisted over a thousand victims.

Where the photo was taken: São Miguel das Missões, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. This picture was taken on 26 December 2008, at the archeological site of São Miguel, during my roadtrip from south Brazil to Chile. The ruins are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Brazil. This is one os the remains of Jesuit missions built by the Guaranis and Jesuits during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Where the photo was taken: Andes, Chile. This picture was taken on 31st December 2008, also during my roadtrip. After 5h queuing to cross the border between Argentina and Chile, we were surprised by this marvellous landscape hidden by the mountains.

The first two photos today were submitted by Libby Abbott, an incoming MIA student who is also pursuing a dual degree with Public Health.

Barisal Division, Bangladesh:  From a young age girls join women in the daily tasks of washing clothes and cooking vessels and collecting water from the local pukurs, or ponds.

Banaras, Uttar Pradesh, India:  At dawn on the morning of Deep Depavali, the steps of Assi Ghat in the Hindu holy city of Varanasi (or Banaras), India are busy with offerings of flowers, candles, and water from the Ganga.

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The following photo was submitted by incoming MIA student, Olivia Barata Cavalcanti.

Ayeniah, Ghana:  It was the first day of school at the orphanage where I was volunteering and the kids were very excited about it!

We still have lots of photos to post in the coming weeks so stay tuned in for more.  If you have sent pictures rest assured we will get to them.

The first picture is from Siliang Zhou, an incoming MIA student.

The picture was taken in Manchester, Vermont when I was spending July 4th there.

I did a hawk-walk with my guide in the mountain to catch some rabbits. The bird standing on my arm was the hunter. It weighed only 4.5 pounds and yet was able to dive at a speed of 60 feet per second!  My guide also told me if a hawk can read, it has no problem reading newspaper from 100 yards away. But the thing that fascinates me about the animal is that its nature is WILD no matter how long it’s been caged. It never becomes attached to human like cats and dogs. That’s why they never set them out without starving them first.

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The next three photos come from Stig Arild Pettersen,  a 26 year-old incoming MIA student from Norway.

From June to October 2007 I worked as a sailing coach for youth in Burma (Myanmar) in South East Asia. Living and working in Yangon, the largest city in this country under military authoritarian rule, was an experience I will never forget.

Inle Lake in Burma’s Shan State is a real Water World. I was enormously impressed by the balance shown by local kids and fishermen alike, handling their fishing nets in the gusty winds while standing on only one leg at the bow of their narrow canoes.

Hiking in the Shan hills above Inle Lake, I came across these novise monks belonging to the Pa-O people. As my Pa-O is nothing to brag about, communication was at a low until I gave them my SLR to play with.

My friend Colm from England and I try to communicate with local Burmese at a cafe in Pakokku, a small town in the central part of the country. We were joking around and singing songs to each other in our mother tongues. We had gone to Pakokku after rumours had come out about monks marching in the streets, protesting against the brutal treatment of monks by the local police. Moments later, we found ourselves being probably the first Westerners to observe what would turn out to be the largest international media happening of that fall, the unrest and government crackdown that left tens of innocent Burmese dead. Trying to take photos of the monks, we where rapidly stopped by plain clothed security personnel and escorted on the ferry out of town.

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The final photo for today is from  Libby Abbott, an incoming MIA student.

Rupandehi District, Nepal
A woman from the terai (plains) region of southern Nepal balances a copper water jug on her hip. This kind of regular, heavy work performed by women contributes to high rates of uterine prolapse, a reproductive health morbidity that can cause a lifetime of physical and social suffering.

The first three pictures today come from Eileen Liu, an incoming MIA student.

The first was taken in Banff, Alberta, Canada.  This picture captures the two things that the word “Alberta” brings most often to my mind:  the beautiful Rocky Mountains and the province’s wealth of oil.

The second picture was taken in a rural village in Kenya.  Most pictures of children in Africa show them with somber faces staring with melancholy eyes into the camera.  But this pictures shows that laughter, smiles and enthusiastic thumbs-ups are also a very large part of their lives.

The last was taken in Tokyo, Japan.  Although cherry blossoms are an annual phenomenon in Japan, the locals still flock to these public parks every year to admire the beautiful flowers.

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The next three photos come from  N. E. “Rudy” Rickner, an admitted MIA student.

July, 2002.  Chuuk Islands, FSM.  While most of the military was busy elsewhere in 2002, my squadron was assigned to “reach out” to the remote populations of the south Pacific.  We landed on about 20 remote islands.  This group of islands is Chuuk (formerly known as Truk) which is part of the Fed. States of Micronesia.

July, 2002.  Chuuk Islands, FSM.  Mostly impoverished and isolated from technology, these children from Chuuk enthusiastically welcomed us.  I still can’t quite grasp the contrast of worlds that collided when we arrived, yet we enjoyed warm welcomes and well wishes from everyone we encountered.

February, 2006.  Ramadi, Iraq.  I took this picture on a foot patrol through the central market area of Ramadi, Iraq.  I was unaware of the contrast I captured when I snapped it.  While the young Marine is focused and aware of the danger he is in, the old man sits calmly smoking his cigarette.  He has an expression that conveys a tired understanding.  Unlike the Marine with the weapon, he doesn’t feel threatened at all.

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The next two photos come from Massimiliano Costa, incoming MIA student.

The first photo was taken in Baku, Azerbaijan.  This photo was taken during the summer of 2008 in an oil field located a few miles from the city of Baku, on the Caspian Sea. This was the only blade of grass in that wasteland.

The second photo was taken in Xinjiang, China.  In the desert between China and Kazakhstan, this peaceful lake lies in a valley still inhabited by nomadic people.

The first three photos today come from Beatriz Guillen, an incoming MIA student.

I have been living in Caracas for almost three years. Venezuela is an amazing country, full of contrasts that I would like to show you through some of the pictures I have taken.  The first one is from Salto Angel in Canaima, the highest water fall in the world.

The second one is a “parking boat” in a small beach town, called Choroní.

The third one is swimming in the paradisiacal Isla Tortuga.

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The next two photos come from Sofia Fernandez del Castillo, an incoming MPA student.

These pictures were taken during a pilot program done in a community in the metropolitan area of Mexico City that consisted in the recuperation of social ties through the implementation of workshops, color in the facades and neighborhood upgrading. The evidence demonstrates that color has a positive direct impact in people´s lives. I believe these pictures reflect the motivation of the community -specially children- to rescue public spaces and are evidence of the sprawling of cities and irregular settlements in Mexico.

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The last two photos come from incoming MIA student Sarah Bilson.

Location: A village outside of Vélingara, Senegal (July, 2007)
Description: Young girls dance in a celebration commemorating the village’s abandonment of female genital mutilation.

Location: Aley, Lebanon
Description: This picture captures a night view of Beirut from the mountain town of Aley in Lebanon. Sitting in the quite, serene village we could see Beirut rocking below us.

The first two photos today come from incoming student Sarah Jaffe, in the MIA program.

Kathmandu Valley, Nepal (2007)

This woman was helping construct her children’s school with the organization I currently work with, which partners with local communities to provide educational opportunities and infrastructure in developing countries in Asia and Africa.  A group of women from the village were helping the construction crew lay the foundation for the new school when she stood up and flashed me this mile-wide smile.

My House, La Jabilla, Guanacaste Costa Rica (2006)

This photo is of Bernarda, my 4-foot tall, mother of 12, grandmother of 36, machete-wielding, firecracker of a host mother, and her 4 year old granddaughter, Noelia, both of whom I lived with for a year in a tin-roof house in rural Costa Rica.  In this photo they are watching Costa Rica participate in the 2006 World Cup.  While we were hours from a market, restaurant, hospital, or paved roads, we had one of the only houses in the village with a television.  Bernarda lived without electricity and running water until the age of 70, and can vividly recall every detail of her first car ride.  Noelia can’t imagine life without cartoons.

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The next two photos come from incoming MIA student Ehab Alkuttub.

I would like to share the following photos which I took in Istanbul last month. The photos are from an Islamic Sufist Ceremony, called Maulavi Sema;  the Whirling Dervishes dance on the sound of the songs about the love of Allah and Mohammed , trying to reach the axes of the soul that are the absolute truth, one hand is to the sky and the other to the ground: ” we receive from Allah and give to earth and keep nothing to our selves. ”

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The next three photos were taken by Jeff Greenberg, an incoming MIA student.

The first photo was taken in an antique shop on Valencia Street in San Francisco, California. I thought it was bizarre how many old telephones they had and how the phones were arranged. I also enjoyed how antique the photo turned out in black and white.

The next photo was taken in Harbin, China at the Ice Lantern Festival. In addition to the silliness of the candy dealer’s swagger, I think the emerald backdrop along with the candy display serve to identify the surreality of the largest ice sculpture festival in the world.

This last photo was taken in the Old City area of Kashgar, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, China. Moments before we got kicked out of the area for not paying the admission fee, I snapped this photo of a young girl running along. I thinking the lighting and the scenery in this shot are pretty fun.

The first three photos come from incoming MIA student Burak Guresci.

This photo was not taken in Iwo Jima Island or an US city but in in Sana’a, the capital of Yemen. It was taken last week (June 2009). This is a underpass along the “Canal Road” in Sana’a. This road was originally built by my ancestors (Ottomans) and serves as a water canal during heavy rains and prevents flooding in the city. It was renovated by the help of US Government and this relief work depicting American soldiers raising a Yemeni flag was made as a representation of the aid of the US’s government to Yemen’s.

This photo was taken in Fuzhou, China in May 2008. This Buddha statue was in Fuzhou West Lake Park. Little Buddha seems very comfortable and happy, like most of the children.

This photo was taken in Geneva, Switzerland in April 2008, two months before the start of Euro 2008 Football Tournament. That’s me heading the giant football over the Lake Léman.

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The following two photos were submitted by incoming MIA student Yueping Liu.

The photo named “Geneva” was taken at Place des Nations in Geneva in February this year, right in front of the United Nations main gate (which is on the far right in the picture, where the lines of flags are). There was a demonstration calling for peace in Sri Lanka, with the crowd waving flags and displaying banners. (In case you were wondering, the giant chair on the square with a broken leg symbolizes opposition to land mines.)

The one named “London” was taken inside the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London, UK, next to Downing Street. The building was constructed in the 19th century with the aim of impressing foreign visitors. The Grand Staircase in this picture is a showcase of the rich decorations, and is suitably used as the main entrance for foreign dignitaries and diplomats. I’m no VIP of course – I took the picture during the London Open House weekend last September when it was accessible to the public.

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The next three pictures come from incoming MIA student Hui (Aurora) Wang.

Where: Côte d’Azur – the French Riviera.  Description: I tool this picture when I had vacation at the French Riviera last summer. I was fascinated by the beauty of the Mediterranean Sea, and in this picture I liked the combination of the sea, the tree and a white yacht seen through the branches.

Where: Gallery of maps – The Vatican Museums.  Description: This picture is taken on May 10th, 2008, when the Vatican Museums dedicated an extra open day for collecting donations to Italy’s Abruzzo Region, in which had been strong damages caused by the earthquake in April. The Gallery of Maps has 40 maps frescoed on the walls and brings visitors directly to the famous Sistine Chapel.

Where: Hong Kong.  Description: After having waited in queue for an hour, I finally got a big bag of egg ball waffle from this small pastry shop. The woman in the picture is making egg ball waffle using those specific makers with red handle. On her left side you can see some pictures of local famous people getting sweets from this place. The egg ball waffle is probably considered the most famous street food of Hong Kong.

The first three photos come from incoming MIA student Nery Gracia.

The first photo was taken in Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago. It shows the beautiful sunset and the oil refinery in the middle of the sea. Oil refining is the principal industrial activity of this country.

The second photo was taken to a group of welders and pipefitters that were applying for work visas at the US Embassy in Port of Spain in September of 2006. I worked in the process of these workers obtaining their work visas. That is me in the middle!

The third photo was taken on April 2009 in Playa del Carmen, Mexico to this pair of Mexican women who would make clothing and souvenirs for sale in the touristic part of town. The women in the photo are from Oaxaca, Mexico and they speak their native language – Chontal and Spanish.

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The next two photos come from incoming MPA in Development Practice student Stephanie Ruiz.

I took these photos while working on water treatment projects in Western Kenya last year.

During a field visit to one of our projects, I came across this little girl walking home after collecting water from a spring. I don’t think she could have been more than 3 years old. In this area of Kenya, water borne diseases are prevalent and contribute to a very high rate of child mortality.

The projects aimed at finding the most effective ways to reduce the threat of water borne diseases by treating the water with chlorine products. The second picture shows a young girl collecting water from a spring where we had installed a chlorine dispenser (to the right) making it easier to treat the water.

The first three photos were submitted by incoming MPA student, Joseph Musso.

Young dancers perform in an entertainment club in Lima, Peru.

A Traditional Spice Market in Dubai.

The view atop a camel in the desert outside Dubai, UAE.

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The following three pictures were sent in by incoming MIA student, Major Lance Sells.

My friends and I watch an evening storm hit Gaborone, BW on New Years day from a campsite deep in the Khutse Nature Reserve in the Kalahari desert. 1 Jan 2009

Climbing Big Mama the second largest sand dune in the world located in South central Namibia. Mar 2009. The largest sand dune, Big Papa, is next to Big mama. All traces of human activity is erased by the wind each night.

Touring the rock cathedrals in Lalibela, Ethiopia. Each of the dozen plus of rock cathedrals in Ethiopia were carved in their entirety from single pieces of granite rock, shortly after the regions conversion to Christianity. Apr 2009.

In the past 12 months I have been able to explore Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia, Mozambique, Angola, DR Congo, R Congo, Rawanda, Cameroon, Ethiopia, and Senegal.I am looking forward to joining the SIPA MIA program.

The first two photos come from Alicia Ng, an incoming MIA student.

This photo was taken earlier this year at the Angkor Wat temples in Cambodia. The morning sun was streaming in just perfectly – Lewis Carroll is one of my favourite authors and this passageway was reminiscent of stepping through the looking glass.

This photo was taken on my college sailboat somewhere off the Johor Straits. I would spend every weekend at sea, 4 – 6 hrs straight at a time, training for regattas or learning new techniques. And aside from the bruises, scrapes and sunburns, sailing’s just about the best water sport there is out there.

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The following two photos come from Raj Raina, an incoming Master of Public Administration in Development Practice student.

This photo is taken today, June 30th, on Peponi Road Westlands, Nairobi outside of Sarit Centre which is one of the largest shopping malls in Kenya.

Carpenters have set up shop on the corner of the street. My friend Amos who is also a street vendor took the picture. Also on the background is an important public message from The Green Belt Movement which has been founded by Wangari Maathai, Winner of Nobel Peace Price. This is one of the few places left in Westlands where the government has not forcefully evicted kiosk and street vendors.

Traffic has become a nightmare in Nairobi. I am stuck on Uhuru Highway. If you arrive in the morning or evening Mon to Sat to Jomo Kenyatta Airport expect to spend over 1 and half hour in traffic from Airport to Westlands. Though the street vendors will keep you entertained.

The first two photos come from incoming MIA student Kevin Hong.

Location: Amhara region, Ethiopia

Description: One morning, we were driving to a village for our research study and saw people lined up outside an old church with pieces of clothes on the ground. We got curious so we shouted out to the driver to stop, ran out of the car to take some pictures, and ran back in so there was no further delay in getting to the remote village we were heading for. Later I learned that it was for a religious holiday called Lideta (Saint Mary’s birthday). It is celebrated once a year on the first day of the month Ginbot, which is May 9 in “the European calendar” (Ethiopia maintains its own calendar separate from the Julian calendar and, for that matter, its own way to keep times. Look it up, it’s quite fascinating). On this day, orthodox christian churches hold a special ceremony. The poor from the surrounding area come and spread their clothes on the ground outside the churches. People attending the ceremony would then bring grains from their homes and give a  handful or so to each person lined up outside the church before and after attending the ceremony. Furthermore, after the givers get back home, they prepare food and drinks and invite the poor and neighbors to feast together. People from this region is by no means very rich. I thought it was such a wonderful tradition to celebrate and share with people less fortunate than you are even though you may not have all you want.

Location: Ramanathaswamy Temple, Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, India

Description: I personally love this photo not only because of the beautiful setting of the temple corridor lined with countless stone carved pillars and filled with afternoon sun streaming through but also because of the circumstance I managed to capture this shot. The temple was absolutely stunning and when I saw this man walking toward me, I saw a perfect shot. So I took out my camera out of a bag and aimed it at him. As I started to shoot a few frames, two temple guards starting to run towards me and shouting “Do you have a permit ticket for the camera!?”. So I had to stop myself and show them that I had paid to take pictures in the temple. By the time I was done with the guards, the composition wasn’t quite what I wanted and I thought I missed a good shot. But when I developed the film, this shot emerged and I was quite taken with it. This is one of the reasons why I love still using films. To me, the serendipity and patience films require is almost  like an act of meditation and occasional pleasant surprises like this one is personally unmatched by the instant gratification offered by digital cameras.

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The next three photos come from incoming MIA student Regina Jun.

Paraguay_Chacotaxi.jpg was taken in the Chaco region in Paraguay in 2005.  During my service as a rural economic development volunteer in the Peace Corps Paraguay, we took a trip to the Chaco, which is the arid and sparsely populated northwest region of the country.  When we stopped for lunch along the highway, we saw a local taxi service parked outside the restaurant.

Brazil_streetfood.jpg was taken in Olinda, Brazil in 2007.  I enjoy trying local foods wherever I travel.  I loved the creativity of the ladies who made a portable stove with earthen pots for insulated and safe charcoal burning and small pans to cook stuffed tapioca dumplings at the square as the group of young adults practiced their drums at a nearby square for the upcoming carnaval.

Turkey_camelwrestling.jpg was taken in Selcuk, Turkey in 2008.  While I lived in Istanbul, I had the opportunity to visit Selcuk for annual camel wrestling championship staged next to the ancient ruins of Ephesus.  The event was very festive, graceful and intricate despite the gigantic sizes of the bull camels.  The winner camel receives only a carpet as material prize, but much respect and bragging rights for its owners and handlers.

The first description and photo come from  Sahil Gulati – an incoming Master of Public Administration in Development Practice student.
This  photo was taken in the community of El Caracol (Potrerillos Municipality) in Honduras on June 6, 2009, while I was working a water project as part of the San Francisco Professional Chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB). The community does not have electricity or clean water, and the project’s goal is to provide a water system to the 40 or so households that exist.
This picture shows a kid using a CD attached to a stick as his toy, and I was quite impressed by his ingenuity – and at the same time, the photo exhibits the divide between the affluent, who are discarding CDs, and those who are not so fortunate to be able to use that technology appropriately….well, this kid is making it work for himself, at least…

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The following photos were submitted by F. Derya KOC, an incoming MIA student.

Photo-1: This is a photo of me in Ouagadougou-the capital of Burkina Faso. We have been to a village in which there was a lake full of crocodiles. As you can see, I have the pleasure and anxiety of touching it. This photo was taken in November 2008.

Photo-2: This photo was also taken in Ouaga, Burkina Faso in 2008. The woman was at first shy and did not pose, but finally she smiled. This is a typical Ouaga woman carrying her baby by hanging him with a piece of cloth on her shoulders.

Photo-3: The Eiffel Tower- this photo was taken at 3:00 am. A precious view of Paris.

The first three photos come from Yun Dong, incoming MIA student.

“Forbiden city”, taken in June, 2009, in Beijing.
This is the entrance to the Forbidden City, which was absolutely inaccessible for common people 2 hundred years ago. But now, the lion used to represent royal authority has become a welcoming symbol for worldwide travelers.

“Debate”, taken in August 2007, in Tibet.
The Lamas gather to “debate” about the sutra they have studied, which is kind of a test. A Lama must answer the question asked by the “teacher” in front of everyone. If he got it wrong, he would be booed. Because of the pressure, they often move constantly like clapping hands or stomping feet to keep up their courage.

“Pilgrim”, taken in August 2007, in Tibet.
I met these pilgrims on the highway, who were on their way to Lhasa, the religious. Even with modern transportation, they stuck to the traditional way: every few steps, they would worship with legs, arms and forehead touching the ground. You can notice some special gears on their hands, feet and elbows to protect themselves. They money they gathered on the way would be donated to the temple once they arrived.

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The following three photos come from incoming MIA student Thomas Ritzer.

The first photo was taken on our boat trip from Siem Reap to Battambang via the Tonle Sap lake and the Stung Sangker river. Impressed by the amazing scenery I could not resist to try and be a little artistic by taking this photo of a Cambodian man relaxing on our boat.

The second photo was taken in Battambang while we were waiting for the so called Bamboo Train – cobbled together with a wooden or metal frame, bamboo planking, a moped engine, and old military tank wheels and axles. The occasional appearance of such a “train” was always a big hit with the kids hanging out at the train stop.

The third photo shows our bamboo train with kids playing on our mopeds and the train driver posing in front of it.