It doesn’t come as news to anybody that we live in a highly controversial world. Especially thanks to the collaborative environment fostered by social media, revolts have sparked over no less than the changing color of a Starbucks cup and its supposed underlying meaning. It is therefore quite shocking to me that one store’s name has been completely overlooked in this flurry of arguments and political correctness.
This past weekend I had the opportunity to travel off campus from my university in Heredia, Costa Rica and see the beautiful town of La Fortuna including the breathtaking Volcán Arenal in the Northern lowlands.
To many, the topic of plant varieties holds little interest. However, in countries like Mexico, the many different types of corn cultivated in the past are deeply ingrained in the culture, history, and traditions today. Corn originated in Mexico, and the beginnings of its cultivation nearly 9,000 years ago completely changed the way people eat1. Civilizations like the Maya, Olmec, Aztec, and Inca all have gods and legends that involve corn.
Barack Obama has done much during his last term to aid immigrants to the United States. His single-handed implementation of DACA in 2012 (Deferred Action for Children Arrivals) and his attempts to expand DACA and introduce DAPA (Deferred Action for Parents of Americans) in 2015 have been praised by pro-immigrant groups. At the same time, the number of deportations has steadily increased during his time in the White House, reaching over 2.4 million between 2009 and 2014 (Wagner, 2016). What is going on?
In the beginning of June, the Cuba Domadores went up against the British Lionhearts for the final match of the World Series of Boxing (WSB). The Domadores (or “Ringmasters”) beat their opposition 9-1, with the Lionhearts only earning one consolation point. A few months afterwards the Cuban boxing team went on to dominate at the Summer 2016 Olympics, earning a boxing medal count that was double the US’s and second only to Uzbekistan’s.
I think almost everyone who studies abroad imagines themselves going back someday. Some people dream of it, some people make a firm promise that they'll make it happen. There are the examples of people who did it--the girl who married her foreign boyfriend, or the woman who moved to Brazil to become a yoga instructor--but in reality, we all know the chances are slim we will get another opportunity to live abroad for an extended period of time.
