Category: Latin America
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What do you know about the world?
What do you know about the world? It was our first day of classes in the Latin American Studies Program in Costa Rica. I was in a new country with culture shock coursing through my veins. We took a pop quiz on the “State of the World.” Everybody failed. Our professor wondered how we—educated…
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Short Term Saviors: more harm than good?
For the North American student, the short term mission trip has become a rite of passage. High school and college students on fire for Jesus travel to the farthest reaches of the world, usually on spring or summer break, to paint churches, teach Bible camps or play soccer. However, closer inspection of these “vacationaries” has…
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What are you doing after graduation?
What are you doing after graduation? The question lurks behind every final exam and senior project. You’ve checked off every box. You’ve paid the piling fees. You’ve sat through classes, written essays and pretended to know the words to the school song. It’s all done. So how did I find myself 20 hours and 1,200…
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Costa Rica: One Year Later
Exactly one year ago I was on a plane headed for Central America to join the Latin America Studies Program in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. I had no expectations; I was completely alone. I didn’t know Spanish. I didn’t know anything about Latin American history or politics. I was — as my dad likes to…