“The Panama Canal is an engineering marvel, and it is considered one of the "Seven Wonders of the Modern World and a Monument of the Millennium" by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The canal was designed to reduce the time and cost of transporting goods between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, and it is now a key means of international trade. Visiting the Panama Canal was a fascinating experience, and it was much more magnificent than I ever imagined. Its intricacies are difficult to capture in a single picture; however, my series of photos illustrate the journey through the Panama Canal and our adventures at sea. It was an experience of a lifetime that was enjoyable as well as educational.”
“Calcata is a small village, currently inhabited by around 60 artisans who live communally. The village is set on a mountainside and is filled with hidden alleyways and secret passages. I had the opportunity to talk with the maker of these fantastical carvings. Originally from Denmark, she lives in a tiny apartment made of ancient stone, directly above her studio. She carves all types of creatures and hand sews their whimsical costumes. Visiting with her felt like living in a fairy tale.”
“I was amazed at the number of people who waited in line to have their a picture taken with a decommissioned red London phone booth. I’m guessing most of them are too young to have ever used a phone booth, so they think this is very novel. (I didn’t have to wait in line to take this picture.)”
“This is my sister on the back porch of my exchange family’s house in Wassenaar, a small little town in The Netherlands, just outside of Amsterdam. We had decided for one of our last nights we wanted to bake cookies, bonding over our shared love of food and sweets. We wanted to do something for the parents we had stayed with, to show them our gratitude for hosting us. After a day of wandering the chilly beaches of Wassenaar, me, my sister, and the twin sisters Cleo and Clara (our exchange partners) retired to pots, whisks, and chocolate chips as an act of giving. I wanted to capture this quiet moment of giving when we all went inside to take a break and dance around to music, while my sister continued the baking.”
“Can you imagine there is a Chinatown in a country where 75% of its population are ethnic Chinese? I am amazed at the formation of Chinatowns around the world due to the common need for a safe space for Chinese migrant workers and expats. The Chinatown in Singapore is a colonial legacy and represents the multiculturalism in a neoliberal era.”
“The eyeless sockets of monks long dead stare at visitors to the Great Meteoron monastery in Thessaly, Greece. To gaze back through the half-open doorway is to enter another world before our time. Perhaps Rhodes should start an ossuary containing the bones of departed faculty, staff, and students. Students could sign the Honor Code in the presence of the bones when matriculating, file past them on the way to class, and salute them en route to Fisher Gardens at graduation. They could even rub them for luck before exams!”
“In my London maymester, our grim lessons of the Black Death became painfully real. Our professor tasked us to visit London’s plague pits, including Christchurch Gardens a couple tube stops away from this photo. Others explored these ancient pits, but I found myself confined indoors after contracting Covid-19, our present-day plague. Emerging from quarantine, the similarities between the two struck me, and I discovered my own modern plague pit in the bustling tube station. It was July 2022; masks had become scarce after mandates lifted, but the shadows of the pandemic still clung to every surface. It was surreal to see history overlap with contemporary. It underscored our vulnerability despite our technological progress, our continued susceptibility to disease and to nature. Yet, It also showcased our remarkable progress, especially in our connectivity to each other– a stark reminder of our resilience and the profound ways humanity continues to evolve.”
“A photo taken on Peng Chau (坪洲) island, a small island accessed by ferry off the coast of Hong Kong known locally for its temples, fishing industry, and seafood. The flavor of the sea imbued the air, a smell of sun and brine and life. The commercialized neat walking path was flanked by people’s homes, with clothes strung up to dry, brooms and buckets and bicycles and village livelihood laid out to see. Along the edge of the island, small fishing boats bobbed in the water. As I walked along the coastline, I saw a row fish hanging up to dry in the sun and rippling like wind chimes in the ocean breeze.”
“In March 2020, my partner and I traveled to Spain and Portugal. In Madrid and Lisbon, we enjoyed museums and restaurants at odd times, and focused on experiencing the beautiful parks and architecture. On our last night in Porto, rumors of the U.S. limiting flights from Europe created an urgency to see, taste and experience as much as we could while travel was still possible. We worried about the people we had met and friends and family back home in the U.S. and Canada. The morning after restrictions were announced, we left our hotel and saw the iconic bridges of Porto shrouded in the morning fog. I took this photo, wanting to remain in the present moment and notice its beauty amidst fear and uncertainty. The Portuguese word “saudade" expresses a sort of melancholy, nostalgic longing. Saudade had already settled in, though I didn’t realize that yet.”
“In the little square behind the city hall of Lyon, the picture captured a person shocked receiving news on their phone. Besides them lies a cup of boba tea from COMEBUY, a Taiwanese teashop. They were carrying a tote bag from Grand Ole Pry in Nashville TN. This picture reminds us to reflect on the global forces acting upon us that we take for granted. We are living in a intimately connected global-local or "glocal" world.”
“A solitary silhouette of a man in the rain, holding an umbrella and a suitcase. The man is holding his umbrella to the side, just as if he is holding it for someone else next to him, although his own shadow is the only thing accompanying his lonely walk. I thought this was him holding his umbrella for someone to come in his future, for whoever it may be.”
“I captured this image during a pride parade in Amsterdam. Viewers sat along the canals with flags and posters, watching the floats go by. Music was blasting and people were cheering, singing, and enjoying life. The overwhelming sense of acceptance and community surrounding pride in Amsterdam was unlike any event I had experienced in the US. There were no protesters around, there was no negativity, only friends, families, and neighbors coming together to celebrate something positive. I was overwhelmed by such a strong community and felt compelled to take a photo as a float sailed by. I still feel an strong sense of happiness and nostalgia whenever I look at this picture and remember the emotions conveyed all around me that day.”
“This is sunset at the end of the Amu Daryo, one of the two great rivers of Central Asia, which used to flow into the Aral Sea. Although this region has seen dramatic environmental transformation with the shrinking of the Aral Sea, this photo highlights the enduring life in and beauty of this place as the setting sun hits the fall foliage of a Euphrates Poplar, two small boats and the water of the Mezhdureche Reservoir. Instead of the pervasive satellite imagery depicting an empty and people-less wasteland, this photo reminds me of the need to look beyond catastrophe, to see how the Aral Sea region is still a place of value to its residents – both human and more-than-human.”