New Student Photo Entry #21 COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog

New Student Photo Entry #21 COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog The first two photos today come from incoming student Sarah Jaffe, in the MIA program. Kathmandu Valley, Nepal (2007) This woman was helping construct her childrens school with the organization I currently work with, which partners with local communities to provide educational opportunities and infrastructure in developing countries in Asia and Africa.   A group of women from the village were helping the construction crew lay the foundation for the new school when she stood up and flashed me this mile-wide smile. My House, La Jabilla, Guanacaste Costa Rica (2006) This photo is of Bernarda, my 4-foot tall, mother of 12, grandmother of 36, machete-wielding, firecracker of a host mother, and her 4 year old granddaughter, Noelia, both of whom I lived with for a year in a tin-roof house in rural Costa Rica.   In this photo they are watching Costa Rica participate in the 2006 World Cup.   While we were hours from a market, restaurant, hospital, or paved roads, we had one of the only houses in the village with a television.   Bernarda lived without electricity and running water until the age of 70, and can vividly recall every detail of her first car ride.   Noelia cant imagine life without cartoons. _________________________________________ The next two photos come from incoming MIA student Ehab Alkuttub. I would like to share the following photos which I took in Istanbul last month. The photos are from an Islamic Sufist Ceremony, called Maulavi Sema;   the Whirling Dervishes dance on the sound of the songs about the love of Allah and Mohammed , trying to reach the axes of the soul that are the absolute truth, one hand is to the sky and the other to the ground: we receive from Allah and give to earth and keep nothing to our selves. _____________________________________ The next three photos were taken by Jeff Greenberg, an incoming MIA student. The first photo was taken in an antique shop on Valencia Street in San Francisco, California. I thought it was bizarre how many old telephones they had and how the phones were arranged. I also enjoyed how antique the photo turned out in black and white. The next photo was taken in Harbin, China at the Ice Lantern Festival. In addition to the silliness of the candy dealers swagger, I think the emerald backdrop along with the candy display serve to identify the surreality of the largest ice sculpture festival in the world. This last photo was taken in the Old City area of Kashgar, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, China. Moments before we got kicked out of the area for not paying the admission fee, I snapped this photo of a young girl running along. I thinking the lighting and the scenery in this shot are pretty fun.