backyard•escape

Glocal (adjective), pronounced /ˈɡlōk(ə)l/, is defined as “reflecting or characterized by both local and global considerations” (definition from: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/glocal). Field experiences, internships, volunteer opportunities which occur abroad I think at times encroaches upon this word: glocal. This is because in some cases, individuals are contributing to efforts taking place locally for a global cause.  One example could be the programs which deal with sustainability. Currently, the various efforts which encourage sustainable practices may differ from one city to the next and are likely to be structured in a way as to accommodate how the…read more

Back in September, a discussion surrounding the assigned reading “Food appropriation through large scale land acquisitions” (Rulli & D’Odorico, 2014) was pursued in regional groups. After being provided an opportunity to talk freely about subjects which arose from the reading and  during discussion, it was quite clear that the paper had many questionable aspects in its study that proposed a possibility in closing the yield gap through large scale land acquisitions (LSLAs). Questionable aspects included the the authors’ assumptions of the crops produced from LSLAs to be used to increase food security of the…read more

Couple years ago, through a certain program, I was able to receive a three-week orientation on various methodologies for teaching English as a foreign language to young learners. There were two key points that still remains with me today: The instructor should try to stimulate children’s interest in the subject. This interest then must transition into self-motivation to facilitate long-term learning of the subject. Simply stated yet what hard work to achieve! At times, an entire class could be used just for warm-up exercises to generate the young learners’ interest…read more

It seems that there are no absolute or prefect answers in regards to ethics. The case study “Water Stress” presented a situation where a loss of access to electrcity for an indefinte amount of time implied no piped water access, as the water was only accessible through electric-powered pumps. Our group decided to rent a generator to pump water for team use as having water would be better than being without it. At first, I thought it would be wrong for only volunteers to have access to water. Even if…read more

October 29, 2013 Never, had I thought of the term “development” neither difficult nor complex to understand. GRS 290 certainly changed that; in a good way. Just as the course name reads, GRS 290/390/490 brings “Global Issues in Cultural Context” into the core of each lecture and discussion. It provokes critical thought and prods one to question many questions: “what is being discussed here?”, “why is this important?”, “what does…mean?”, “how is it being measured?”… Prior, my view on development was contrived of misconceptions, biased disjointed pieces of information. Actually,…read more