Heather Scheel
Traveled to Switzerland, March 2007
While walking down the street in Zurich, I noticed a something that is a rare sight in Europe: a Hummer and a Smart car right next to each other!! I laughed because it was strange to see such an extravagant SUV next to one of the world’s most economic and fuel efficient cars. It was something very American next to something so much more worldly. Then I realized that that is our society today. It was not the first time I had seen a familiar name or product while on my trip. I had seen a McDonald’s right next to an amazing French/Swiss restaurant, a Starbucks across the block from a chocolaterie and tea room. Today, cultures are so intertwined, while still keeping that comforting independence. Seeing the Hummer and Smart car just confirmed it all.
Danielle Hanifin
Traveled to India, April 2007
When someone goes to India, the first thing he or she notices is the sheer mass of people and color. The eyes hurt because there are too many things to focus on, especially in the cities. However, these things are what create the culture of India. Color is probably the most prominent feature because nothing is toned down. The people of India are definitely not “toned down.” Everyone wants to know everyone, there’s a job that has to be done, a phone call that has to be made, a family to go home to. It’s a very fast-paced place. The people in this photograph are doing the exact opposite of what India’s all about. It was hard to take a photo of people relaxing and having a good chat but the culture is still there. All of the women are wearing beautiful saris and even though they may be sitting, they’re still talking about something, they’re still doing something.
Emily Segrest
Studied in England & Ireland, June 2007
Murals cover the walls of Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. The paintings depict the various struggles that Ireland has endured over the past centuries, and each image makes a strong, and often violent, political statement. Here, a young girl plays outside her grandmother’s house, throwing a ball against a mural she sees almost every day. She doesn’t understand the meaning of this mural, or the dozens of other murals in the neighborhood. Instead, she sees a “pretty” picture and enjoys the colorful artwork. The violent culture surrounding her has yet to affect her life, so perhaps she will remain blissfully unaware of the struggles the mural painters have faced. The culture is slowly changing in Northern Ireland; it is becoming less violent and more tolerant. This photo shows the hope for progress and peace in Northern Ireland despite the difficult times they have faced in the past.
Lydia Fields
Traveled in Grand Bahama Island, August 2007
The fresh conch has just arrived from the glassy clear ocean directly behind this shack. The fisherman’s hands prepare the tomatoes, onions, peppers, and limes to add with the conch to complete the Bahamian staple, conch salad. Locals and tourists who drive by each day enjoy this tasty treat and support his income. Conch salad is the core of Bahamian life and culture.
Bethany Battig
Traveled in Cameroon, February-March 2005
Despite the fact that I traveled to serve the people of Bamenda, the Cameroonian people –shown standing here in the sweltering afternoon heat of “the armpit of Africa” – served me in ways I never could by teaching me the importance of coming together to achieve common goals, finding ways beyond language to understand common values, and striving to help one another as we solve common problems. This photo captures the gaze of a young Cameroonian, looking out over a prayer service on the site of a newly-constructed church in a rural town where I learned how to appreciate life and culture more than ever before. The future of our world as we know it rests on the shoulders of our young people, like this young African man looking out over his village, and it is my strong belief that by providing hope and opportunities for the young people of Bamenda, the nation of Africa, and the world beyond that we will find even the most optimistic dreams, such as a world at peace realized – even in my lifetime.
Eva Gordon
Studied and taught in Costa Rica, Summer 2007
Typical dancing is done to celebrate most anything in Costa Rica. Traditional garb is worn that reflects the country as it used to be, with women wearing traditional skirts, big earrings, colorful blouses, and makeup. The men wear all white, farm shoes, hats, and carry a machete to accessorize the look. Typical dancing is done to the joyous music of the marimba, which quickly became my favorite instrument to listen to as the sounds and rhythm made by the marimba are very distinctive. When I hear the marimba being played coupled with typical dancing, I cannot help but smile and enjoy every moment of the joyous occasion. Women use their skirts to create the movement and dances. It is a joyous dance in which everyone is involved, and you can not only see but feel the joyous spirit of the people from the providence of Guanacaste that defines the culture of Costa Rica, both the past and the present.
Lauren Wright
Traveled in Honduras, 2005
Roatan isthe largest of the Bay Islands of Honduras. It is a world-renowned scuba diving location and where my parents and I went on a week-long dive vacation. The small, family owned resort had a lot to teach its guests about the culture of the island. One night each week they throw a party for the guests and bring in local islanders. This photograph is a long exposure of a Honduran woman performing a traditional dance with fire.
Heidi Aderholdt
Studied in Germany, Macedonia and Russia
Family: a word that means something different to every individual on the planet. Yet at the mention of this word, people from all languages and backgrounds are able to draw up a distinct mental picture of home cooking, sibling rivalry, undeserved punishments and irreplaceable memories. As college students, we are beginning to make new families in our dorms, at work and in class. Many of us hope to some day have a family of our own.
Culture is an excellent excuse to highlight differences: we have diverse ways of acting, eating, working and playing because of our cultural upbringing. Yet the beauty of being transported to ano ther culture is the realization that basic ideas of the family remain, and that new bonds of family can be strongly developed, despite obvious differences. All over the globe, the family manifests itself in different ways as the most basic unit of every society. Although an American celebration of Thanksgiving looks nothing like the family preparation of fufu in Mali or the traditional souvlaki of Greece, at the core of our beings, we still understand each other's need for the community, companionship, and confirmation found in the family unit. This type of culture is the kind that no one can afford to miss out on: seeing landmarks and sampling new cuisine pales to the experience of discovering you have a mother who lives in Finland that like to go ice swimming or a father who herds goats in the mountains of Burma. All cultures are unique, yet at their core they are centered on the family-- even if "family" simply means taking a communal afternoon mud bath in the countryside of Thailand, like this family of elephants.
Diego Gallon
Studied in The Netherlands, Fall 2007
“Fiets,” the Dutch term for bicycles, is a highly used term. In the flat, low land of The Netherlands, the Dutch not only use bicycles as a form of recreation, but as a vital means of transportation. There are twice as many bikes as there are cars and almost as many bikes as there are inhabitants. With over 17,000 kilometers of bicycle path, there is no wonder as to why bikes are used as the main form of transportation to get to work, school, and to even do the daily shopping. If there is one thing that the Dutch share, it is this strong cultural tie, with regards to bicycles. Bicycles serve the Dutch in all paths of life. They accommodate small babies with secure seat belts and come in all shapes and sizes. Small children to young professionals and even senior citizens all regard their bikes with special care and recognize the importance of their contribution to a clean, healthy environment.
David Coe
Studied in Argentina, Fall 2006
While the majority of Argentina’s population lives in cities, many natives still live in small agricultural communities. These communities consist primarily of a small collection of families that work hard to cultivate and exploit the land for their basic needs. Often times the people of these small agrarian communities speak a native tongue representative of Argentina before colonization by foreign nations. Pictured here is a plot of land owned by a family living in one such community. As you can see, farming is the main source of income and subsistence, and building materials are found from the surrounding land. Electricity is often limited to small, independent societies such as these.
Jocelyn Bee
Studied in Ireland, Spring 2007
Music is an integral part, not only of Irish culture, but of everyday Irish life as well. Music is used to celebrate and remember, to express emotion and preserve history. Ireland is a small country, but each region's style of music is distinct. There is music to accompany anything and everything, even your stroll down the lane. These two girls were street musicians, playing folk music near the town square on Market Day in Galway City.
Adam Kukulka
Studied in France, Spring 2007
Rioters face off with the riot police at the Bastille in Paris, France the night of May 6, 2007. A bright flare that a rioter threw at the police can be seen lighting up the left side of the picture. A rioter is carrying a large pole that he will shortly charge with at the police. They are frustrated extreme political leftists rioting over the outcome of the second round French elections. Their candidate, socialist Ségolène Royal, the one they felt represented and cared for them, had lost to the Gaullist, Nicolas Sarkozy. In utter despair that Sarkozy, the one that had called their kind “rabble” and “scum” in 2005, had become the leader of the nation, they passionately vented their frustration through demonstrations, graffiti, and violence on this night. These anti-system cultures – communists of all kinds, anarchists, Arab-French citizens who do not culturally assimilate – reacted the only way they could get noticed in a system that rejects them.
Genny Castillo
Studied in Spain, Spring 2007
This photo was taken on my trip to Rábida and Huelva, Spain. The trip to Rábida was to the Franciscan monastery where Christopher Columbus would frequently visit during his trips. There are replicas of his ships located just fifty meters south. The there is also a beach of Huelva a few miles east. The beaches of Spain are beautiful from the moment you walk on them. The sand is different and breathes a different life and the sea shells are everywhere. The weather was not up to par that day but the timing of us arriving on the beach was wonderful and well thought out. The seashells lay across the top of the sand glistening with the touch of the sun and outlined our entrance. The sand ran for miles and the seashells were hiding inconspicuously and waiting to be collected. Each seashell, like tradition, was different but surpassed those of this land. They each had a pearl gloss over them and were like jems at the touch. As this trip was one of the last we took, it was a pleasant ending to a wonderful semester.
Manuel Recinos
Studied in Spain, Spring 2007
Standing directly before the Notre Dame Cathedral in France is an amazing experience; however, attending mass and hearing the priest recite the ceremony in French was an unforgettable experience all-together. As I was entering the church and on my way to find a seat, I witnessed a scene had to be captured on film. The following is the priest standing before the congregation and incense spreading towards the churchgoers. This picture has truly become one of my favorites, and it portrays such a real moment in time, and shows the sacredness of mass in the Catholic religion while the churchgoers receive the blessing.
Hannah Carswell
Studied in South Korea, Summer 2006
Some of the best restaurants in Seoul are hidden in the mazes of narrow corridors that run behind the main streets. Since there are so many people in Seoul, every bit of space is fully utilized. Even the main streets are usually crammed with people and bright lights. Korean people are very polite and hospitable, so one common sight in Seoul is Korean men carrying the purses and umbrellas of their female companions.
Phillip Hammond
Traveled to Brazil, Summer 2006
“Soltar Pipa”, or kite flying, is a common activity among the street kids of Brazil. This little boy has made his own kite with very cheap store-bought paper, sticks, and string. This low budget form of entertainment is ideal and typical of many Brazilian kids whose parents are too poor to buy them modern toys. It is common to see 10 kites flying high above the poorer neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro, their tails decorated with cut up paper and garbage sacks. Competitions are inevitable, seeing whose kite can stay up the longest by pulling other kites down—with the help of broken pieces of glass attached to the tail, thereby ripping the competition to shreds. The materials for this game are cheap, the fun lasts for hours, and no shirt or shoes required!
L. Ivy Ricks
Traveled to Amazon River in Peru, 2006
This photograph was taken in Belen, the "Venice" of Peru. The house is built on the Amazon River on top of logs so that it will float up and down with the river as it rises and falls seasonally. The same water that the woman is using to wash her clothes is used for sewage, drinking, cooking, and bathing. As water drips from the clothing she rings out, it creates ripples in the river. The ripples alter the woman's reflection in the water. The shadow of the thatch roof shades the house, but falls short of shading the woman from the sweltering sun.
Nicole Williams
Studied in Italy, spring 2007
This picture was taken on Via Delle Bombarde, the road that my apartment was on. I had taken it right after an afternoon rain shower. This picture offers many insights into the Italian culture. The broken cobblestone streets show the wear that they have gotten over the years from the many feet that have traveled them. The water represents the many times that it rains in Italy, especially in the spring. The rain is significant though, because without it, the city smells would be awful. The last thing this picture offers is what the reflection holds inside of it, the architecture. The terrace on top of the building shows the garden that many Italians have and the proximity of how close the buildings are is just another way this represents the uniqueness of the Italian culture.
Annie Pinder
Studied in Costa Rica, Summer 2005
I think of culture as the “feel” of another country: what the people do, what the buildings look like, what aspects of nature it has, what kinds of music people listen to, etc. I liked how being in another culture made me feel. I felt like an innocent child, just like this little girl. I was so eager to learn and so curious about everything. I wasn’t afraid to have fun. Somehow I have lost that feeling since I came back from Costa Rica. Every time I look at this picture, I think of the mindset I had while in Costa Rica and remind myself to strive to go through life here in the U.S. with the same feeling of curiosity and innocence as the one of this little girl.
EmilyStone Studied in Spain, Spring 2007
The traditions of Spain are so impacting, that sometimes you have to wonder if they truly existed. However, no one is more astonished at the moment then this Matador, awaiting the bull to charge from the doors and into the ring in a matter of seconds. As he takes his last breath of calmness, he says a prayer and finishes his sign of the cross. The anxiousness and tension that is in the air is captured in this picture, in a way that almost allows you to hear his heart beating seconds before risking his life and coming face to face with his bull.
Valentine Eberhardt Studied in Spain, Spring 2007
It is only April, yet the temperatures already creep up to 100°F in the hot afternoon desert sun. It doesn’t seem to bother the children, however, they are still wearing their wool sweaters for the “light” temperatures. Near the Sahara Desert in the outskirts of Erfoud, Morocco, the Berber people live a simple life; here, houses are made from mud and bread is baked daily in the wood-fire oven of the village. With the nearest town many miles away, the people are remote from the rest world and ride camels to and from the small camps around the area for trade and to get small amounts of supplies. The women in the village spend their spare time making rugs and selling them to the local shop, where the occasional tourist stops by. The children pictured here have a day off from school and look forward to meeting new people, asking many questions and hoping to get bubble gum and pens from the visitors.
Jessie Hamilton Traveled to China, May 2007
. In this photo, two local men of Suzhou, China are boating down one of the city’s many canals. Located on the Yangtze River, Suzhou has been appropriately called the Venice of the East. The very life and culture of city seem to center around the river and its canal systems. Houses and buildings are built right on the canals, and many have steps leading right down to the water, where people can be seen doing their laundry and other chores. Beautiful stone bridges span the canals and connect the roads. The whole city, with its rich culture, long history, and distinct charm is truly one of a kind.
Molly Nelson
Studied in England, Fall 2005
I took this photo on the three hundredth anniversary of Guy Fawkes Day in Lewes, a town in Southern England, site of the largest annual Guy Fawkes Day celebration in the United Kingdom. Guy Fawkes Day is celebrated a way comparable to Independence Day in America (fireworks and parades). Instead of celebrating independence, however, Guy Fawkes day celebrates the failure of a 1605 plot by Guy Fawkes (a Catholic) to blow up Parliament. Celebrations in Lewes start with a parade put on by the six local “bonfire societies,” and then six separate bonfires put on by the various societies at which Guy Fawkes and various other figures are burned in effigy while people shout “Burn him!”. This picture was taken during the day, before the parades started, but shows the decorations already in place for the celebration. In the center of the photo, a banner proclaims “No Popery”. The signs around it commemorate Protestant martyrs killed during the reign of Mary Tudor. The emphasis on the Protestant versus Catholic tension in Guy Fawkes Day celebration is an interesting portrayal of the complex construction of British culture, with traditions dating back through its highly religious history now carried out by the largely secular population. This shows the construction of culture through tradition in addition to meaning. In the foreground of this picture, you can see the fruit stand of a trendy local organic restaurant, much more reflective of the characteristics and emphasis of modern British culture. This picture is interesting in its juxtaposition of modern and traditional.
Kari Doubleday
Traveled in Paris, Spring 2007
Paris is known for its art, literature, and politics, the Moulin Rouge, the Eiffel Tower, and expensive, name brand stores. Walk the streets of Paris at night, and you’ll see the French culture at its peak. The night life makes Paris unique with late night cafes, live music, and decorative lights. This photo captures the artistic night life in Paris. People are out and about walking the streets with purpose and pleasure. The artist sits in the midst of this culture, selling his paintings and portraits for a living. The world around him continues on at full speed, but he is on his own time in his own perception of the world. This photo captures a moment on a Paris street, where time stands still.
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