The Middle Ground Journal

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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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,…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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,…

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“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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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.…

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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:…

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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…

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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…

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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.…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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.]…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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A Fulbright Teacher in Bogota, Colombia, A Special Series – Helping and Hurting in a World of Inequities – The North Star Reports – by Laura Blasena. Sponsored by The College of St. Scholastica and The Middle Ground Journal When I went to San Lucas in Guatemala for…