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Mar

Countless Connections in Peru’s Amazon Rainforest

by Eva Boynton on March 2, 2015

Two ants on the edge of a tropical leaf, illustrating one discovery on an experience in the Amazon rainforest that proves why study abroad is important. (Image © Eva Boynton)

Each species, big or small, has a part to play.
© Eva Boynton

Why Study Abroad Sticks Like Glue

My t-shirt was soaked in sweat from heat and humidity. Diverse shades of green were my landscape and horizon. Howling monkeys and buzzing cicada bugs echoed in the distance.

The Amazon rainforest was unlike any classroom I had ever known. What was once a distant place, the subject of textbooks, now came to life in accentuated brightness and flavor.

It became my home for a winter semester. And, as it changed the way I understood our interdependent and connected world, it answered the question, “Why study abroad?” Read more...

Eva Boynton 2 Comments

Nature Discovery/Peru/Study Abroad

Jan

On Foot: A Walk Across America

by Eva Boynton on January 28, 2015

A brown pair of hiking boots, illustrating the essential tool for a walk across America. (Image © Eva Boynton)

The essential tool for a long walk
© Eva Boynton

Rules & Reasons of Long-Distance Walking

For 22 years, Dr. John Francis explored much of the Americas on foot. A hundred years earlier, John Muir walked 1000 miles from Indianapolis to the Gulf of Mexico.

For Muir, founder of the Sierra Club, and Francis, founder of Planetwalk, on-foot travel led to environmental activism. For others, time on the road spent in long-distance walking led simply to gratifying “Oh, I see” moments.

Cirrus Wood is one of them. Following in the footsteps of his mentors—call them globe-trotters, great pedestrians, planet walkers, pilgrims, or simply people on foot—Wood took an 18-month walk across America through 16 states from San Francisco to Seattle and on to Maine. Read more...

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On Foot

Jan

Bike Co-ops of Mexico: A Cyclist Movement

by Eva Boynton on January 12, 2015

Repair class in a bike co-op that is part of a larger cyclist movement. (Image © Ernesto Asecas)

How a Broken Chain Got Me Going

A bicycle can travel the globe, but any pedal-powered steed may need a tune-up along the way. On a cycle trip through California and Mexico, I walked into Casa Ciclista, a bicycle co-op in Guadalajara, looking for nothing more than a new chain. Instead, I emerged with a renewed sense of empowerment.

Little did I know a simple part replacement would gear me towards self sufficiency and a “hands-on” community looking to solve problems: themes of a cyclist movement in Mexico. Read more...

Eva Boynton 1 Comment

Adventure Travel/Mexico

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