Global Engagement

Jun 07 2022

              Terminamos nuestra primera semana de trabajo en la Posada. Con un grupo de 11 personas pudimos terminar dos lados del proyecto de cerca que rodea el perímetro de la Posada. A algunas personas...

Jun 06 2022

Arleth Martinez shares her thoughts on our Immigration Day of Learning organized by Katherine Smith of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC).  For privacy reasons, the names of the people she met have been changed: This was a very emotional and heartfelt...

Jun 06 2022

Gracie Stevens reflects on her visit to the “House of Little Wings”: The first thing our group did upon arriving in Arizona was visit the refugee hospitality center, Casa Alitas. It is a program run in Tucson, Arizona that helps...

Jun 05 2022

Tucson is a sprawling and vibrant city of a half million people in southeastern Arizona.  June is a hot month in this part of the world, with temperatures reaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the afternoons.  But “it’s a dry heat,”...

Jun 05 2022

In this post, Ryan and Olivia reflect on their experience with food in Senegal. Food and Culture Food and cooking are a central part of culture and over these last four weeks, our group has enjoyed cooking and eating local...

Jun 04 2022

In this post, Emma Zehr and Caleb Gingerich reflect on their experience with language in Senegal. French and Colonialism My host family does not speak any English. I took a semester of elementary French prior to arriving in Senegal, a...

Jun 01 2022

Here is what we hope students will learn while spending three weeks in the Desert Southwest.

Jun 01 2022

Today is the first day of a new and innovative course, a partnership between the Business Department and Athletics.  Jerrell Ross Richer, professor of economics, and Rustin Nyce, head coach of the men’s and women’s cross country and track teams,...

May 31 2022

After two busy day trips, we spent Saturday in the village of Ngollar. Adama, our local coordinator, and his extended family invited us to visit their village to get a sense of rural life in Senegal. We knew that there...

May 31 2022

Our third week focused on the religious context of Senegal, particularly on the role of Sufi Islam and the different brotherhoods. We had two lectures to start the week. On Monday we heard from Moïse Diémé, who spoke with us...

May 31 2022

On Thursday and Friday of our second week of study we visited Saint-Louis. Saint-Louis is located at the mouth of the Senegal River a few kilometers from Mauritania. It is the site of West Africa’s first French settlement and is...

May 28 2022

May 26 2022

Breeana Wheeler is a biochemistry major and Brandon Jimenez is a peace, justice and conflict studies major. In this post they reflect on the tensions between tourism, being a tourists and remembering the history of the slave trade at this...

May 26 2022

Language During our first week in Senegal we connected with host families and figured out the rhythms of study. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday mornings consist of language study.  Yacine Diatta teaches an hour of Wolof. Then students have an hour...

May 26 2022

We woke up this morning to the sounds of pouring rain and raucous thunder. I was desperately hoping for one last day to soak in the sun, but maybe this makes it easier to say goodbye. After three weeks in...

May 26 2022

When Suzanne Ehst described this class to me I knew I needed to take it. Serving, building, and learning all in one class is an opportunity that I could not say no to. Since I was diagnosed with Chrons’ disease...

May 26 2022

Having had our last day of fencing work at La Posada on Friday and a beach day yesterday, it felt only right to have today be an easygoing, relaxing one. There being just two days left in Texas before home...

May 26 2022

Wednesday morning we left our rooms at the YWCA in the wee hours of the morning to catch the train from Delhi to Agra, where we paid tribute to one of the most famous places on Earth.  I’ll let you...

May 25 2022

It’s hard to believe that three weeks have already passed. As students fly home from London to Chicago, it’s rewarding to think back over all we did, read, and experienced, much of which never made it into this blog. Here...

May 25 2022

One of the texts for our term is Hans Rosling’s Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think.  I believe one of the great benefits of the book is that it...

May 24 2022

For some of us (me included), this is our last few days being a Goshen College student. As I reflect on the last few weeks here in South Texas, what stands out the most is all the new friends I’ve...

May 24 2022

This morning I woke up at 5:45 am, a little later than usual, with breakfast at 6:00 am and ready to leave by 7:20 am for the worksite at La Posada.  After a few delays, we headed to the worksite...

May 24 2022

As I have been doing so far, I wake up at 5:30 A.M. to get myself and my lunch ready for a day of work. Today is the last day of a full workday at La Posada Providencia, an organization...

May 24 2022

After being here for almost two weeks, we are still continuing to do more fence building at La Posada. Every morning, MDS volunteers Larry and Roger give an overview of daily tasks and everyone gets to choose their role of...