Thank you to all of the new students that have been sending in photos. I know that I really enjoy learning more about those that will join us very soon.  For new students that want to contribute, please see this entry for instructions on how to submit your own photos for posting.

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The first set of photos was contributed by Marcelo Ballvé, an incoming dual degree student (MPA) spending the first year at SIPA and the second year at FGV-EAESP-São Paulo.

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The first photo was taken in Tegucigalpa, Honduras last year during protests following the June 2009 coup that ousted President Manuel Zelaya. I was there as a reporter, so I spent a lot of time mingling with protesters in the streets. I thought this shot conveyed the intense mix political engagement and anxiety Hondurans were experiencing at the time.   The fellow to the right is trying on a homemade gas mask, since many protests were being dispersed with tear gas.

I was in Tegucigalpa to cover the politics, but also happened to be present when Honduras qualified for the World Cup. Once the game ended, the politically divided country briefly came together in a spontaneous outburst of joy. I had left my hotel to see the celebrations and was standing on a corner below a street light when this kid began twirling his shirt around.

The last photo was taken in Santiago, Cuba, right around the time of the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution early in 2009. Santiago is the city in far-eastern Cuba where rebels began their cross-country blitz to take control of the island in the first days of 1959. Now the city is as frozen in time as the rest of the island, but the “ciudad rebelde” hosted Raúl Castro’s anniversary commemoration.

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The second set of photos come from Madeline Knaup, an incoming MIA student.

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Madrid, Spain: The church of San Antón, a patron saint of animals, celebrates “Las Fiestas de San Antón” where people bring their pets from all over the region to have them blessed.

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 Carmela Zuniga, an incoming MIA student.

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The first picture was taken at Miyajima, Japan at dusk.  The torii, or gate, marks the entrance to Itsukushima Shrine.  When the tide is low, you can actually walk up to the torii.

The second picture was taken in Acapulco, Mexico.  With the vendors’ backs turned, it seemed the perfect opportunity for those pelicans to snatch some fish.

The third picture was taken at Zabriskie Point in Death Valley National Park, one of my favorite places to go for vacation.

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The second set of photos were submitted by Xiao Jing, an incoming MIA student.

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I’m from a small city in Jiangsu Province in China. I’ve seen extreme poverty during my visit to the poorest towns in Jiangsu Province and I’m sure there are many more poor people in China than American normally see. The real China is different from the one you see from The 2008 Olympic Game or 2010 world expo. Millions of people still live below the poverty line in rural areas.

The first one was taken in summer 2008 during my trip to a primary school in Xuyi county in Jiangsu Province. The scene is the only class room for all students in this primary school from grade 1 to grade 6. The roof leaks and eight students share one desk.

The second picture is the headmaster and the only teacher there. Mr. Ye has been teaching there for 10 years. His salary is 200RMB($28) per month. During my interview he said that he would like to dedicate his life to the education of kids in rural China. Teachers are in great demand there but not a single university graduate is willing to go due to the poverty which has haunted the villagers there for decades.

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.