To start to know a country, see how its past bleeds into public space. Last weekend, Uruguay celebrated Días del Patrimonio, two days in which museums and cultural centers in Montevideo and the rest of the country threw open their doors and Ministries housed in historical buildings gave guided tour[...]
Archive for September, 2010
Chileno No Es Castellano
Oft-told is the tale of the little old German lady who, squeezing herself and her seven bags of flowers into the seat across from me (in a bus in Lichtenburg, East Berlin, 2006), threw me a piercing gaze and quite clearly squeaked “Geeeeps?” I gave her as uncomprehending a stare as I could, and [...]
September 29th, 2010 - 10:53 am § in Dominican Republic, Good Ideas, Looking for Opportunity, Tips & Resources
Making a Difference While Making a Living – But How?
Starting a grassroots nonprofit while still in college, and then running it after recently graduating is not easy for many reasons. This is what I have done with Project Esperanza. Wanting to make the most of our funds raised, I haven’t ever drawn a personal salary. Money is used to go directly [...]
Warning to Women: Thicken Your Skin, Machismo Awaits in Costa Rica
With a female president and numerous high ranking female politicians, one would tend to think that the Costa Rican people are progressive in terms of gender issues. It is for this reason that I am surprised by the level of machismo, or paternalistic ways of thinking and acting that exist in the coun[...]
Skyping for School
“Back in my day, we had to send letters across the ocean and wait weeks to get a response,” says my pastor who lived in western Europe for 20 years as a missionary. I’ve got it good. Two thousand miles is bridged in seconds with Skype, a program often used by my husband and I [...][...]
First, Do No Harm
There are roughly three stages of classroom interaction with a new group of students. First, the honeymoon period: a few precious weeks in which your students are in love with you. After that, the testing begins – exactly how much delinquency will be tolerated? Finally, if you can stay firm and co[...]
Sowing the Seeds of Good Intentions
Back in July, I signed on to participate in a volunteer project through Montevideo’s Universidad de la Católica. Their extension office has a well-run program for their students in which the they identify local opportunities, match volunteers into groups, and guide them throughout the semeste[...]
