The Middle Ground Journal

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
Norway – Oslo to Bergen: A Train Ride – by Jonia Gordon. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports Editor’s Note: this is a part of a special series from Jonia Gordon, a talented student who is studying in Oslo, Norway for…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
A Fulbright Teacher in Bogota, Colombia, A Special Series – The carnival of Pasto – by Laura Blasena. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports (Most floats are incredibly tall and detailed like this one. They may look solid, but when you…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
The Foods of Costa Rica & Nicaragua- by Mackenzie Sherrill. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports After traveling this past summer to both Costa Rica and Nicaragua for a medical service trip, one aspect of the Central American culture that was…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
A Fulbright Teacher in Bogota, Colombia, A Special Series – Health Deliveries – by Laura Blasena. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports In terms of health, my term in Colombia has been horribly unsuccessful. In the first few months after I…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
Learning Through Song – by Tayler Boelk. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports [Source of image, see: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edmund_Fitzgerald,_1971,_3_of_4_(restored).jpg] Everything I learned about the Edmund Fitzgerald, a famous Great Lakes shipwreck, I learned through song. I can tell you how many tons…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
Minnesota, USA – The Magic Bus, Family and World History – by Marin Ekstrom. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports The Ekstrom family has always been a bit of an anachronistic bunch. For example, my father adheres to an unspoken code…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
A Fulbright Teacher in Bogota, Colombia, A Special Series – The Perception of Backpackers – by Laura Blasena. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports I’ll admit it. When I was in high school I often dreamed of taking a post-high-school backpacking…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
Food, Global Connections, Family History – by Nick Lozinski. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports Living in the Twin Cities offers a wide variety of different opportunities. There are several colleges and universities to further your education and a large concentration…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
US Thanksgiving and Family History – by Carley Nadeau. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports First came Joseph Nadeau, then Napoleon, Fredrick, Clayton, Craig and lastly me, Carley. Joseph was the first of our family to be born on American soil,…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
A Fulbright Teacher in Bogota, Colombia, A Special Series – Air Travel in Colombia – by Laura Blasena. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports Colombia isn’t a big country. About 1.15 km2. For comparison (because that number means very little by…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
Studying in Washington, D.C., USA – by Ana María Camelo Vega. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports People say life is a book. Every step you take becomes a word, a sentence, or even a paragraph of your book. You are…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
U.S. Mexican Border – Asylum Seekers and Legal Aid – by Kathryn Marquis Hirsch. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports [Photo 1: The border fence between Brownsville, Texas, USA and Matamoros, Mexico. It’s very tall and hard to grasp but people…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
A Fulbright Teacher in Bogota, Colombia, A Special Series – Amazonas: The Open Border – by Laura Blasena. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports (Capybara in Spanish is chiguiro. The nature reserve threw their food waste into the same area every…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
Guatemala – Tourism in Lake Atitlán – by Ada Luz Moreno Gomez. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports Over the summer I had the opportunity to visit the deepest lake in Central America: Lake Atitlán, located in the department of Sololá,…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
“Don’t Cry for Me, Minnesota”: A Farewell to My Home State – by Marin Ekstrom. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports My college graduation coincided with the exciting news that I received a teaching assistantship in Zhuhai, China, for the 2015-2016…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
A Fulbright Teacher in Bogota, Colombia, A Special Series – Christmas in Bogota – by Laura Blasena. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports While I didn’t spent Christmas or New Years in Colombia, as a teacher of culture and language I…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
New Zealand – Maori Culture & Spirituality – by Delaney Babich. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports [This is a piece of Greenstone, which holds mana, and its mana increases as it is passed down through generations. This rock belongs to…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
The Unseen and Unnoticed – by Srijita Kar. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports Nature has enormous amounts of pleasure in store for us. Its beauty and serenity is beyond any beauty human beings can synthetically create. Even though we live…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
Photo Essay – Reviewing London as a Tourist-Friendly City – by Rebecca Smith. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports This summer, I took the opportunity to travel to London with a London Theatre and Literature group from St. Scholastica. Before I…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
A Fulbright Teacher in Bogota, Colombia, A Special Series – Emojis and Culture – by Laura Blasena. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports If anybody pays attention to the Miss Universe Pageant, they’ll know about the “little scandal” that took place…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
Minnesota, USA – “Now Bring Us Some Figgy Pudding” – by Jennifer Battcher. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports [Special thanks to Ms. Karen Paczkowski for the photo of the fig pudding.] I had fig pudding at a restaurant once. It…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
A Fulbright Teacher in Bogota, Colombia, A Special Series – Animal Tourism – by Laura Blasena. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports [Photo 1: The majestic oso perezoso.] I didn’t realize this until a friend jokingly pointed it out to me–I…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
Meet Our NSR Student Editors — Shayna Schafter, Social Media Editor. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports Hello, my name is Shayna Schafter. I am a sophomore at the College of St. Scholastica and currently pursuing a major in Peace and…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
Meet Our NSR Student Editors — Laura Blasena, Senior Editor. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports Ever since I was a little Kindergartner I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. I graduated from St. Scholastica in the summer of 2015 with…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
Meet Our NSR Student Editors — Jenna Algoo, Social Media Editor. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports Hello! My name is Jenna Algoo. Growing up I lived in Shakopee, MN, but I recently moved to Minneapolis, MN. I am a senior…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
Meet Our NSR Student Editors — Jennifer Battcher, Senior Editor. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports My name is Jennifer Battcher. I graduated Concordia College – Moorhead in December of 2011, but I spent my freshman and sophomore years at the…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
Meet Our NSR Student Editors — Ngawang Y. Gonsar, Senior Editor. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports Hello everyone, I’m Ngawang Gonsar, serving as a North Star Reports (NSR) senior Editor. I was born to Tibetan parents in India and spent…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
Meet Our NSR Student Editors — Pamela Hartley, Senior Editor. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports My name is Pamela Hartley and I am a 2014 CSS graduate. I graduated with a double major in International Relations and Global, Cultural Language Studies…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
Meet Our NSR Student Editors — Mariya Taberko, Social Media Editor. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports My name is Mariya Taberko. I am a third-year University of Minnesota – Twin Cities student majoring in Global Studies, and minoring in Asian…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
Meet Our NSR Student Editors — Lindsey Bushnell, Social Media Editor. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports Lindsey Bushnell, NSR Social Media Editor. I am a senior at the College of St. Scholastica pursuing a biology major with a theatre minor.…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
Meet Our NSR Student Editors — Thomas Landgren, Social Media Editor. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports Thomas Landgren, History Major Minor in Political Science, The College of Saint Scholastica. Graduate in 2018 NSR Social Media Editor. Year started with NSR:…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
Meet Our NSR Student Editors — Bryce Gadke, Social Media Editor. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports My name is Bryce Gadke and I am a freshman at The College of St. Scholastica. I am a tennis player for the school…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
Meet Our NSR Student Editors — Eleni Birhane, Social Media Editor. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports My name is Eleni Birhane and I am currently a sophomore at the College of St. Scholastica. I am a Global Cultural and Language…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
Meet Our NSR Student Editors — Michel Doege, Social Media Editor. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports Hello! My name is Michel Doege. I am attending The College of St. Scholastica for my first year. I run cross country for St.…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
Meet Our NSR Student Editors — Brock Erdahl, Senior Editor. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports My name is Brock Erdahl. I graduated from the College of St. Scholastica with majors in History, Political Science, Global, Cultural, and Language Studies, and…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
Meet Our NSR Student Editors — Roman Schnobrich, Social Media Editor. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports Hey readers! My name is Roman Schnobrich, and I’m actually a full time PSEO (Post Secondary Enrollment Option) student attending the College of Saint…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
Meet Our NSR Student Editors — Matthew Breeze, Social Media Editor. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports Hello fellow NSR readers! I am Matt Breeze and I am in my second year at St. Scholastica. I am a Global Cultural and…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
Meet Our NSR Student Editors — Sara Tomlinson, Social Media Editor. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports Hello! My name is Sara Tomlinson, and I am a new member of the North Star Reports. I am originally from Braham, MN, which…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
Meet Our NSR Student Editors — Carley Nadeau, Social Media Editor. The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, at NorthStarReports.org and facebook.com/NorthStarReports My name is Carley Nadeau and I am a freshman at the College of St. Scholastica. I am intending to double major in Global,…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
Learning a New Language — The North Star Reports – by Kathryn Marquis Hirsch. Sponsored by The College of St. Scholastica and The Middle Ground Journal [Photo 1: Russian State Library– largest in the nation and 4th largest in the world. The statue out front is of Dostoevsky.]…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
Review: The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and its Connection to the Globe — The North Star Reports – by Samantha Roettger. Sponsored by The College of St. Scholastica and The Middle Ground Journal Compared to other states, I would not consider Minnesota to be a place of lengthy history…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
A Fulbright Teacher in Bogota, Colombia, A Special Series – Night of the Little Candles The North Star Reports – by Laura Blasena. Sponsored by The College of St. Scholastica and The Middle Ground Journal [Photo: Villa de Leyva as viewed from our hostel on a hill outside…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
New Zealand – Harbor Care: The Waikato Catchment’s Clean Little Secret — The North Star Reports – by Delaney Babich. Sponsored by The College of St. Scholastica and The Middle Ground Journal [All photos courtesy of Whaingaroa Harbour Care.] The Whaingaroa catchment on the west coast of New…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
We are Hmong Minnesota Exhibit — The North Star Reports – by Bao Vang. Sponsored by The College of St. Scholastica and The Middle Ground Journal [Main poster, found on google, used to advertise the Hmong exhibit] Over spring break of 2015, went to the “We are Hmong…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
California and Changes — The North Star Reports – by Joshua Chanin. Sponsored by The College of St. Scholastica and The Middle Ground Journal I recently traveled to California as part of my college’s choir trip, and viewed the wonders of the so-called “Golden State.” I went to…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
Sister Cities of Duluth, Minnesota, Home of NSR — The North Star Reports – by Marin Ekstrom. Sponsored by The College of St. Scholastica and The Middle Ground Journal [Photo 1: Duluth’s Aerial Lift Bridge, by author] Everyone has a connection to a certain city or community. Whether…

Originally posted on The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy:
Tanzania – The First Week of a Month Long Experience — The North Star Reports – by Paul Schulzetenberg. Sponsored by The College of St. Scholastica and The Middle Ground Journal [Photo 1: The bed I was given on arrival. The pink net is not only stylish, but…