by News Decoder | 20 May 2016 | Americas, Asia, China, School Year Abroad, Student Posts, United States
By Kelvin Green II The leader of Taiwan’s political party that favors independence from China made history today when she took office as the island’s first woman president. China is hoping the history-making stops there. Unlike the Kuomintang party, which...
by News Decoder | 16 May 2016 | Islam, Middle East, School Year Abroad, Student Posts, Syria, Terrorism
Syrian refugee holds onto his children as he struggles to walk off a dinghy on the Greek island of Lesbos, 24 September 2015. (REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis) By Annique Browne What’s the biggest threat to U.S. national security? During this year’s presidential...
by News Decoder | 13 May 2016 | Asia, China, Identity, School Year Abroad, Student Posts
By Anne-Sophie van Wingerden Arriving at Beijing’s airport last summer, I glanced at the flight monitors. Taiwan was not listed among domestic destinations. Nor was it alongside international capitals. Taiwan exists in limbo, neither part of mainland China to...
by News Decoder | 12 May 2016 | Americas, Discovery, Europe, Greens Farms Academy, King's Academy, Middle East, Personal Reflections, Refugees, School Year Abroad, Student Posts, Syria, United States, Youth Voices
By Nelson Graves “We have to find a political solution, in offices and not with arms.” So said Evgenia Chatziadamido, one of four students from three continents who discussed the causes and effects of Syria’s civil war during a recent online round...
by Hunter Parkhill | 11 May 2016 | Asia, China, School Year Abroad, Student Posts
Mountains of garbage encircling Beijing tell the story of a country whose infrastructure has not kept pace with its growing economy or population. River in Shunyi, Beijing, that led me to my first dump At a construction site in Shunyi Refuse behind a gated community...
by News Decoder | 9 May 2016 | Europe, Islam, Paris attacks, School Year Abroad, Student Posts, Terrorism
By Ally Oh We’re always told to look for the good — the silver lining, the upside, the half-full glass — but it’s not always that easy or simple. On a recent weekend, listening to a heartbroken Turkish girl cry and yell at everyone in the bathroom to get...
by Ivy Turinsky | 27 Apr 2016 | Donald Trump, Europe, Islam, Nationalism, Paris attacks, School Year Abroad, Student Posts, Terrorism, United States
The terror attacks on Paris have prompted the media and nationalist movements to promote fear. To succumb to fear is to play into the hands of the terrorists. “Paix pour Paris,” by Ivy Turinsky, November 20, 2015 This story won first prize in the high school category...
by Giuliana Nicolucci-Altman | 4 Feb 2016 | Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Middle East, School Year Abroad
“The atmosphere blew me away.” Giuliana represented Denmark at the model United Nations and quickly learned the arts of diplomacy. Here I am (center) with the delegations of Slovenia, Seychelles and Senegal. (Photo by Pascal Monteville) “It’s 2048 or...
by Giuliana Nicolucci-Altman | 16 Dec 2015 | Europe, Islam, Paris attacks, School Year Abroad, Terrorism
Study abroad is about being afraid. The Paris attacks have forced me to confront an unexpected fear and allowed me to discover the beauty of France. A shrine to victims of the Paris attacks, 30 November 2015. (EPA/Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt) Giuliana Nicolucci-Altman is...