Story and Photo by Tova Lenchner, Personal Travel Every morning, 80-some odd people summit Mt. Kilimanjaro; on the morning of July 19, 2017 at about 7:08 A.M., I was one of them. When I tell people this, they are impressed, but to be honest, this was one of the easiest accomplishments of my life. Six…
Category: Africa
A New Approach to Trust
Story by Erin Burba ⎜ Photo by Ashna Singh When I decided to move to Tanzania for my second co-op, I had very little foundation for and understanding of what was ahead. I knew next to nothing about the country. My new boss couldn’t tell me exactly what kind of projects I would be working…
Right to the City
Story and Photo by Noa Dalzell, Dialogue of Civilizations Last summer, I embarked on the “Right to the City” Dialogue of Civilization in South Africa, led by Professor Liza Weinstein. We visited the country’s three largest and most politically significant cities — Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town — and I hate to embrace the Northeastern…
Poverty and Education in Kisumu Slums
Story by Madeleine Hahn-Smith ⎜ Photo by Aneri Shah Karibu Kenya! “Karibu” – meaning welcome, is one of the first Kiswahili words I learned when I arrived in Kisumu and is a central theme of this community and its culture. Each new person I met welcomed me into their home— offering food, tea, and conversation. These…
Communicating without Words: Language Barriers in the Atlas Mountains
Story by Aspen Schneider, Dialogue of Civilizations⎜ Photo by Katherine Murrey Communication became the greatest comfort when traveling with a group of unknown classmates to a continent that I had never been and immersing in a culture and religion vastly different than my own. To be able to ask my professor questions, to discuss new ideas…
A Milestone of Personal Growth in Morocco
By Kathleen Brody Morocco is the place that is the most unlike home that I have ever visited and, for that reason, perhaps the most valuable travel experience I have had to date. Although astoundingly beautiful, it wasn’t just the vibrant colors or fragrant scents of Marrakech’s medina, mosaics, or mint tea that entranced me—it…
Changing Lives through Entrepreneurship
By Tuesday Nolen, Dialogue of Civilizations If you listen to the media these days, it seems like the whole world is going up in flames. There is constant yelling from every direction whenever a big topic comes up in conversation. There has been no little amount of arguing in the limelight about systemic problems, which…
Gaining Perspective through Moroccan Village Life
by Kelsey Lawler, Dialogue of Civilizations In the High Atlas Mountains, a two hour bus ride outside Marrakech, a group of Northeastern students prepared to hike six hours to the tiny village of Tidli. We were on the Economic and Cultural Dynamics of Muslim Immigration program traversing Morocco, the Netherlands, and France for four weeks,…
Living With Water Shortage in Cape Town
By Fernanda Ortiz, Global Co-op I have always taken water for granted. Only when I return home to Mexico do I ever think twice about water’s cleanliness and safety, but I have never imagined what life would be like with water restrictions, or even no water at all. For my second co-op, I decided to…
Education: Privilege or a Human Right?
By Elena Crouch Global Co-op Students of Modzi. Photo courtesy of Modzi.org I would say with certainty that I am privileged. “Privilege” is a hot-button term that was thrown around incessantly during the most recent US elections and continues even now in the post-election world. Politics, opinions, aside—I am incredibly lucky to have been born…
