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.