Posts Tagged ‘Latin America’

August 24th, 2010 - 8:43 am § in Dominican Republic, In the Field

How Duplication of Efforts Can Lead to Division

I feel ridiculous to be engaged in such a competition where two groups fight over one marginalized neighborhood rather than separating to cover more underserved ground.[...]

August 23rd, 2010 - 8:27 am § in Around Town, Culture, News

One Day on Earth: What Story Will You Tell?

One Day on Earth is asking you, me, and the rest of the world to film something you're inspired by on that day, with the hope of creating a time capsule that documents our collective struggles and triumphs. You don't have to be a seasoned filmmaker to participate—cell phones and digital cameras wo[...]

August 19th, 2010 - 2:20 pm § in Argentina, Around Town, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Event, Honduras, News, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela

Americas Social Forum in Summary

One day at lunch everyone danced together under an electric blue Asunción sky and it was easy to believe, at least for a second, that if all this buena ondaa and energy could translate to action, the world would be all right (in a left sort of way).[...]

August 18th, 2010 - 8:39 am § in Argentina, Around Town, Culture, Mexico, Nonprofit Spotlight

An Avalanche of Human Rights for Same-Sex Couples

In the United States stereotypes abound regarding Latin America’s strong machista culture (with corresponding levels of homophobia). But recent victories for homosexuals (in Uruguay, Argentina, and Mexico City) should call into question such assumptions given that Latin America appears to be getti[...]

August 4th, 2010 - 10:17 am § in Country, Culture, Guatemala

Sub-juncting Myself to a Test of Generosity

The subjunctive mood in Spanish twists the mind like overwet taffy. Rarely used in English, it’s a different set of conjugations used to express wishes, doubts or uncertainty. According to my Spanish teacher, Latin America is the best place to learn it: ”La vida aqui es muy duro,”[...]

July 28th, 2010 - 10:29 am § in Around Town, Country, Culture, Guatemala

Oh No, Ojos! (or, Why Gringos Don’t Make Eye Contact)

A white girl smiled at me today, and that is not as racist as it sounds. It’s also not as common as it sounds. Yes, Xela has a fairly sizable population of gringos – and, of course, people from all races and backgrounds. The town’s high concentration of language schools and its prolife[...]

July 7th, 2010 - 7:00 pm § in Around Town, Culture, Day in the Life, Panama

The Devils of Panama City

A rarely heard utterance: “My favorite thing about the city was the buses.” A Dutch traveler said it to me about Panama City before I left. I inwardly scoffed; she must just think that because they use bikes so much in the Netherlands. But then I got there, and she’d nailed it. Sorry, Karl[...]

July 5th, 2010 - 5:00 pm § in Chile, Culture, Day in the Life, Volunteer

Those Final Few Days …

Like Kent posted just a couple of weeks ago, saying goodbye is something nobody really prepares you for. (Kent, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and experience.) I’ve been struggling with saying goodbye, too. “Goodbye,” “Adiós,” “Chao,” “Nos ve[...]

July 5th, 2010 - 9:00 am § in Country, Culture, Day in the Life

Paging Maintenance, We Have a Crisis in Aisle 4

I walked in and froze at the abundance. The shelves towered over my head. The aisles extended half a football field into the store. Endless varieties of products created a hall-of-mirrors effect down the shelves. I’d gone to supermercados in Costa Rica, but they were relatively small. This was[...]

June 25th, 2010 - 5:36 pm § in Around Town, Culture, Mexico

Drug Trafficking and Fear

If fear is where all faith begins, Mexico has the potential to understand faith like never before. Fear is what kept me from writing this two weeks ago. Fear is just as common in Mexican life as tiled counter tops and concrete floors. Recently, it’s been creeping up from deep, deep down. Creep[...]





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