Chile: Las Dunas

So I'm just about at the 6-week mark for my study abroad experience here in Chile. Time here is so strange. It feels like only days have gone by since that whirlwind first day but at the same time it feels like years. 

Now the Patagonia trip feels like a weird dream and I've been getting back into the routine slowly but surely. All of a sudden I have a lot of homework and projects to do. Given that all my classes are pass/fail, it's safe to say I'm not the least bit motivated to do any of it. Problecito!

Despite that, I still managed to procrastinate even more this past weekend by  spending Friday wandering around Valpo and taking a day trip to Con-Con on Saturday. Con-con is a little city just north of Vina and it's famous for its immense dunes. Standing in the midst of these sweeping sandy giants, you could practically be in the desert. Luckily, most of the muscle pain from the Torres trek had worn off so we were able to hike up the dunes and then up the rocks below on the shore.

Las Dunas

Vina del Mar and Valpo in the distance

We made some friends with the stray dogs on the dunes

Shoes + sand...bad idea

These rocks were no joke, though. They were pretty huge and jagged. Someone made the very true observation that in the States these death traps would be taped off without question.

Not so in Chile!

We took advantage of this and started scrambling all over the slick boulders and finding our way around the little caves and tide pools until we made our way to the top. For some reason I decided to do this barefoot so I was genuinely concerned for my life once or twice during this impromptu adventure. But my friend had an even bigger death wish, insisting on clearing yard-long jumps that dropped at least 20 or 30 feet onto the unwelcoming rocks below. Sadly, I couldn't make it to the top since I couldn't bring myself to jump over the last, particularly dangerous, gap between the rocks. I kept envisioning myself falling and getting squashed below a la Piggy in Lord of the Flies and that all the convincing I needed to stay where I was.  Needless to say, we were putting on quite a show for the many entertained Chileans by the shore

Peligroso

Scaling the cliff

It went on forever

Afterward, we rewarded ourselves with some empanadas at tiny place fringed with straw by the beach. Con-con is called the gastronomical capital of Chile and after eating these empanadas it was easy to understand why. 

Empanada con choclo y...otras cosas

Quiet day selling some antiques by the shore

Tourist season is pretty much done here, but on Saturday the weather was glorious and the streets were pleasantly empty and quiet. The rocky beaches were filled with giant pelicans and seagulls and sea lions were swimming not too far off. We had a peaceful stroll along the shore before heading back to Vina for some ice cream (of course). Although I got a little sick at the end of the weekend, it was nice to have a bit of a breather after Patagonia and see what the area has to offer. So far, around here the opportunities to explore seem endless. 

Like I said,  I can't believe it's practically mid-April. Soon everyone at App will be getting ready to go home and shortly after so will I. In only two months, I'm sad to realize, I'll be back home in the states. 

But we're all making the most of our time here, and we've got a trip planned to La Serena and Valle del Elqui next weekend. It has some of the best star-gazing in the world and the valley is said to be the western hemisphere's equivalent of the eastern spiritual capital of Tibet. The adventure continues! 

Tip Sheet: What to Do After Your Admissions Decision Arrives - NYTimes.com

Tip Sheet: What to Do After Your Admissions Decision Arrives - NYTimes.com

Study in USA 뀀 Universities in United States 뀀 Nevada

뀀 University of Nevada-Las Vegas
Located in Las Vegas, in the state of Nevada, has over 21,000 students enrolled, among which 5% of foreign students from over 52 countries. 1168 has academic departments covering a wide range of careers in the following areas: Arts, Accounting, Biology, Chemistry, Anthropology, Dance, Economics, English, Film, Finance, History, Management, Sales, Music,

Post-Communist Poland: Small Fragments of a New World

Ask many professional photographers how they feel about iphone photography and you are almost guaranteed to get a knee-jerk reaction concerning a lack of required skill and a loss of quality, however the use of iphones by professionals has become increasingly widespread, even in fields such as photojournalism, often inciting well-deserved debate and criticism.

Surprisingly enough that didnҀt stop the New York Times from publishing images by photojournalist Damon Winter on the cover of a November issue in 2010. Winter later won third place for feature picture from Pictures of The Year International for an image taken from these series of war images in Afghanistan. Photographer Chip Litherland joined the hot debate when he responded to the award by writing, Ӏwhat we knew as photojournalism at its purest form is over and POYi just killed it. Well, they didnҀt kill it so much as just dig another knife deeper into the back of its decaying corpse.Ԁ

 The instant process paired with heavy filters that alter the overall ascetics leaves many to believe that such a process is unauthentic and unrepresentative when used as a tool of photojournalism. However, Litherland, along with many others, argues that this type of debate rests on the issue of content, which he adamantly argues is left completely raw and unchanged in his images.

When I first arrived in Poland just over a month ago, the first few weeks were spent on assimilating myself as well as working diligently on discovering and navigating my new surroundings. For some time, my Canon 7D didnҀt get to see the light of day, but my photographic impulsive still continued and I often find myself interpreting and documenting the details of a new world in squares. Unlike Litherland, my iPhone images have much less to do with telling a story, but rather illustrating small fragments of my journey in Europe.

Ultimately, and with the debate of photojournalism aside, iPhone photography has removed yet another barrier between photographer and subject and has transformed and exposed the art of image making. The trade off when compared to analog is a loss of intimacy in the craft and production process, yet an incomparable and fruitful yield as a form of expression now open to a modern public that so desperately needs more direct access and involvement in art, creativity, and critical thinking. The most insightful and articulate conclusion I have read on the issue was offered by Australian radio producer and blogger Neda Vanovac:

Camera phones have not been the death of the art of photography. On the contrary, they have revived what has in the past tended to be a borderline-elitist activity, and put it in the hands of anyone with a phone. This revolution has been a long time coming [ŀ] Photography can belong to everyone. It helps us look at and document our worlds in another way, and share those results. It has been refreshed, and is more spontaneous now than ever before. I wouldnҀt dream of denigrating traditional photography, which is a true skill and craft and something that I greatly admire. iPhone photography will never replace it. It just adds another dimension to the field.

Drew Bennett

19:20 Central European Time 

Poznan, Poland 

Reaching The Top

I have to say, yesterday was a great day in my life.  I drove up to the Woodland Park campus with one goal in mind, picking up my diploma.  As I walked through the doors of advisement I knew this was it.  Sitting in a chair that I sat in three years ago when I made my first class schedule, I knew I made it. I signed a sheet of paper that said I received my diploma.  As I held it in my hands, I was rushed by emotions and memories.

I remembered the first time I sat in an English class thinking it was going to be torture.  To my surprise the class was great and I met one of the two people I call my best friends today.  When I was getting ready to leave the building I walked passed the Library and remembered all the early mornings I rushed there before class to print out a homework assignment, or to finish a quiz I forgot (procrastinated) about the night before.

The greatest feeling I have to say was driving through the exit of  the school.  We all decided to go to college to become a part of something greater than ourselves.  We want that education, the money, and the better future.

I sit here today posting this blog telling you guys that I did it, I survived college and here is the proof.

If I did it, so can you!

Catch you next time, 

L.U.J 

What hole do your children fit into?

  Square, round, triangle, hexagon or octagon, what hole do your children fit into? Children trapped in the public school system are forced to fit into whatever size and shape hole the teacher is directing them to. I have never fit into any of societies categories. I know that my children only occasionally fit into them and do not have any desire to follow the norm. Now that my children have all reached adult hood they are self sustaining valuable members of society. They earn their own livings. They pay their own bills. They volunteer to help others. All of the things that are the expected activities of being adults. However, they all walk their own paths of beliefs. They all refuse to be dictated to by anyone who thinks that they are in a position to make personal judgements for them.
  When we home school our children we give them the ability to fit into any hole they want to. They are not forced to view history in the way the public school systems want them to but can explore the events and come to their own opinions. They can branch out into sciences that interest them. They are able to explore all of the subjects that excited their interests. The most important thing is that they learn to learn!
  The independent attitude that they create for themselves is what made our country great. Children that are educated in a home school consistently out rank their public school counterparts on all levels of the SAT! They are free of the problems so visible in the public school systems. Such as: bullying, predator teachers, and gang violence.
  We, as parents and grandparents, need to be vigilant to the erosion to the right to educate our children in the way that we want to! We need to not only be active participants in their learning but also in the legislation being enacted that might infringe on those rights!

Why study abroad in Asia?

Thinking about studying abroad in the future or perhaps the very near future?

What destinations have you been considering? 

Why do most American students seem to pick a European country when studying abroad?

Hello, my name is Cindy Soto, and I am a senior at CSU Northridge which is located in California. I recently had the opportunity to study abroad just last spring. I, like most American students started considering a European country. I thought about studying in Spain, Ireland, and even London. 

So...how did I end up in Phuket, Thailand? 

I am a huge networker and love to meet new people and one day I was at a seminar and met a very nice man by the name of Craig Richards. He works for a very big company and one of the best people I know...+Anthony Robbins. Craig, was telling me how wonderful Thailand is and how he's lived there for quite some time now and he is raising his children there and it's been the best decision he's ever made. He also mentioned how beautiful the beaches are- That's what had me hooked. He told me I could come for a visit someday, and at the time I was only 21 and I didn't see how a trip to Asia was going to happen anytime soon.

However, the thought of Thailand lingered in the back of mind for a while and then I decided just a few months later that I wanted to study abroad. I was looking at all the programs that were in Europe, and I was also looking at there price tags...$$$$$. Some programs were anywhere from $8,000-$15,000 just for one semester. I couldn't believe my eyes. I started seeing how studying abroad may not be in the cards for me. 

Then I remembered Thailand! The programs my university were offering were again still too high for me and my financial aid wasn't going to cover all my expenses to get there let alone my room and board. 

I decided to go to google and typed in "cheap" study abroad programs. I immediately found a program that was located in Phuket, Thailand. What were the odds? The programs costs were literally less than my tuition at my current university so I couldn't pass it up. 

So my story had a happy ending-I went to Phuket, Thailand and I visited my friend Craig and his beautiful family. I also lived in Thailand for four months and my cost of living was about $2,500. How amazing is that? 

I understand the worries about Asia being such a diverse country and the worry about the language barriers, but honestly I had no trouble with that. I was able to study the language and made so many Thai friends who helped me along and there are many people who do speak English (not fluently, but enough). 

Most Americans will choose a European country, but Asia is way more culturally diverse and more adventurous. As far as your resume Asia will benefit you in that everyone is trying to learn from them as they are doing so well economically and if you aren't aware the people there are some of the friendliest people you will meet. Thailand is actually referred to as "The land of smiles". 

Most Americans don't really know anything about the Asian countries, and because of lack of information they are less likely to pick those destinations, but if you'd like to be one of the few or are interested on how you can learn more about studying abroad in Asia please contact me here:

cindy@cheapstudyabroad.com or text/call: 747-444-0102. (Also, if you'd like to learn more about how affordable it is to study in Asia and how to pay less than any tuition you will find in the US don't be afraid to email/call/text me.)

Good luck to you and I hope you have a wonderful experience studying abroad. 

Find more info here: http://www.cheapstudyabroad.com