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.
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The first set of photos was submitted by Jessemin Sheyda-Losick, an incoming MPA-DP student.
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Adam’s Peak, Sri Lanka – one of the few sites that is holy for Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, and Muslims alike. I look forward to seeing that religious diversity reflected in the SIPA student body. Hiking through the night with thousands of pilgrims to arrive at dawn, shivering, at the summit of the 7360 foot peak was an exhausting experience, but to see the sun cast a shadow of the peak on the clouds below (visible in pic behind bell ringer) was nevertheless incredible. you can ring the bell the number of times you’ve made the pilgrimage up the mountain. I rang once.
Lhasa, Tibet. Kids breakdancing in the street. At one point while I was watching these kids break it down two older Tibetan women came by twirling their prayer wheels. They stopped and stared in bewilderment at these representatives of the next, younger generation. A clear sign of an odd cultural gap forming in this traditional land.
Gold mine approximately 1 hour drive outside of Bolgatanga, Ghana. I followed these 10-12 year old kids through the manhole-sized entrance and clambered down 300-400 feet of sketchy wet slippery logs to the bottom of this gold mine. It was dark, vertical, narrow and dangerous to say the least….and I thought my first jobs mowing lawns and working at Dunkin’ Donuts and McDonald’s were bad.
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The second set of pictures was submitted by incoming MIA student Dominic Kalms.
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This is a picture taken on Las Vegas Boulevard, I was walking with friends and I turned to my right and saw the Bellagio Water show start up and it was amazing. The water shot 100 feet into the air and splashed down with such force making the sound echo all the way up and down the strip for minutes. The water rose so high it actually touched the top of the hotel, truly amazing!
This is a picture taken at the Mirage Aquarium in Las Vegas of the Dolphin Exhibit. The Dolphins came right up the class to say hello and it was very amazing to see them so close, truly a spectacle!
2009, Budapest, Hungary – Turkish Bathouse.
