It is difficult to know where to begin when describing the experience of visiting Cuba. To those who might not have the same reference points I might describe it as walking into a time warp. The visual cue of classic American cars reinforces this feeling. But there is more. Much more. To those of us… Read More
Site Visit
Vladivostok: Russia’s Gateway to the East (SRAS Site Visit)
My last visit to Vladivostok was in 2013, not long after the city hosted the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) conference. Then, considerable investment was being made in infrastructure. The airport had been refurbished and a new bridge stretched to Russkiy Island, where a new campus for Far Eastern Federal University had been built. Then, I… Read More
What Students Gain in Bishkek (SRAS Site Visit)
On a chilly day in late October, I found myself on the back of a horse slowly crisscrossing up a mountain and looking back at the breathtaking view of the pristine Lake Issyk-Kul stretching across the horizon. This is how I started my site visit to our location in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Having worked with our… Read More
SRAS Site Visit to Kyrgyzstan
My husband and I often joke that there is life BC (Before Children) and AC (After Children). For me personally, AC has meant for a few of the very young years, limited travel, and now that they are a bit more self-sufficient, increasing amounts of travel, but yet still limited in duration. Obviously I love… Read More
SRAS Site Visit to Central Asia
I recently made a brief trip to check on our programs in Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek has long been one of our highest-rated locations among students. However, its popularity has increased recently because some funding programs offered by the US government now exclude Russia. Thus, many students on Project Go (through the US Army) or on Boren… Read More
SRAS Site Visit to Warsaw
My first introduction to Warsaw, in February of 1992, revolved around the train station and my plan to get to Russia via Lithuania and see what was happening post-USSR. This was indeed an adventure, but it did not involve much of what you might call sightseeing. I was jetlagged and frustrated in a wintry grey… Read More