Blog Archives

A "Pura Vida" Christmas: The Holidays at NSA

12/21/2015

"The Milieu" Newsletter Article by K.M.

As the holiday season proceeds in full swing back in the United States, many NSA students are excitedly preparing for flying home and spending time with family dur- ing the holiday. Andre, who is visiting home for the first time, said, "I'm looking forward to just being with my family and friends again."
But although most students are heading home, several are staying behind. Through no fault of their own, they haven't fulfilled the minimum time limit needed or the requirement of a successful in-country visit that needs to be completed before a home visit can happen.

The holiday season is obviously a big time for family gatherings and connection. Being unable to go home for Christmas because of being at NSA has been a worry for students who are staying here during the break. Being here for Christmas isn't the most desirable option, but students are trying to think positively about it.

"I mean, I'd rather be home, but we're not always where we want to be when we want to be there, so I'm going to make the best of it," Jack, a student sticking around over Christmas, said.

Determined to make the holidays a pleasant time for everybody, NSA has organized several activities that will keep the students busy over the break. After graduation,, the students staying in Costa Rica during the holidays will load up a bus and depart for Arenal Volcano, located a few hours north of Atenas.
"I've heard Arenal is going to be a more chill week, relaxing at hot springs, hanging out by pools, stuff like that," Nico said. "It should be a good time to chill out a bit after the end of the quarter."
During this mini-aventura the week after graduation, students will spend time visiting Arenal Waterfall, standup paddleboarding on Lake Arenal, hiking across the lava flow, rafting on the Balsa River, and soaking in hot springs. (Click "Read More"...)

Mark Fried: Translating in Sun and Shadow

12/18/2015

"The Milieu" Newsletter Article, written by K.M.

Here at NSA, students vote at the beginning of each quarter to determine a book that they will all read and discuss for the duration of the quarter. For Fall Quarter 2, students voted for Soccer In The Sun and Shadow, by Eduardo Galeano and translated by Mark Fried. The book goes in detail about specific positions, events, and players related to soccer. As part of the integrated reading program, students had an opportunity to interview Mark Fried about the book, Galeano, translating, and his personal life.
Q: What made you want to become a translator?
A: At first it was the desire to share what I learned from living in Latin America, especially the perspective I gained on my own culture. Later on, I found that translating allowed me to use my writing ability creatively, without having to face the greater challenge of coming up with my own content.

Q: How did you get into translating as a career?
A: I was asked by Galeano and his agent to take a stab at translating “We Say No,” a collection of his speeches and journalistic writing. I liked it, they liked me, and we were off. I have done document translation sometimes to make money, and I am paid for the books I do, but I have never made a living at translation. I had too many other interests, and did translation on the side. Only since retiring from my day job two years ago have I worked at translation full time. And literary translation rarely pays well enough to support a family.

Q: What were your first impressions of Galeano?
A: My first impression was from reading “Open Veins of Latin America”. I thought he was a genius. Meeting him face-to-face, my first impression was that he was charismatic, gracious and kind. That proved to be true.
(Click the "Read More" link...)

After France and 9/11: Terrorism and Tourism

12/18/2015

World Travel Hampered by Recent Attacks in Paris

"The Milieu" Newsletter, written by E.M.

(After the series of terrorist attacks in France on November 13, airports were slowed to a near standstill. Hundreds of people remained in lines for hours, backed up by heightened security and bag checks. Marshable.com reported thousands of tourists stuck in Paris. Ever since 9/11, the United States and the rest of the world have amped up on security, specifically on airport and plane security. All who have flown domestically or internationally from the States knows how tedious and how painful security is. Having to take off your shoes, remove your laptop from your bag, walk through the full body scanners and then hastily put it all back together is difficult and adds unnecessary stress.

This rise in security is driven in large part by the recent increase in terrorism. November's attacks in Paris are likely to prompt a permanent addi- tion to security there, similar to the US, UK, and Spain after their own attacks. You're walking through the airport, you scan your bags, you get scanned yourself, and then the guard pulls you out of line and goes through your bag. The officer leaves it a mess so you need to reorganize it. Then, on the six hour flight, you get a little rice, a small cut of meat, and a packaged brownie.For anyone under twenty, this is normal, but others ask, "what happened to the good old days?". What happened to the days of free champagne flowing from glass bottles, the full meals given on flights, the ability to walk straight through the airport in 10 minutes without a security stop? The answer is simple: 9/11 happened, and air- lines were deemed unsafe without security. (Click "Read More"...)

Post-Terror Attacks, France Risks Losing Itself

12/18/2015

"The Milieu" Newsletter Article written by N.

The Patriot Act, suspension of civil liberties, and the mass phone data collection done by the National Se- curity Agency are all things that occurred as a direct result of the September 11th attacks. When tragedies like terrorist attacks strike nations, the victims and their country tend to forget their principles and look solely for ways to prevent future attacks from occurring. This leads to an erosion of civil liberties and a government which possesses too much power over its citizens.

There is no better example of this than what is happening in Belgium. The army is patrolling the streets, searching people going into public spaces; the government has clamped down on the Belgian peo- ples' daily lives. France's 3-month state of emergency, reinstating money to previous cuts for military spending, the installation of a curfew, and the complacency of the French people after the Paris Attacks all show a similar pattern to the United States after 9/11. (Click the "Read More" link...)

How NSA Students Are Spending Their Free Time: The Busy Bees of NSA

12/18/2015

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"The Milieu" Newsletter Article by J.S.

Anyone walking onto the NSA campus will notice the garden, an evident expression of creativity. Recently, Ryan has implemented a mas- sive bamboo trellis in the garden that will soon host different species of chayote. "Squash grow as a vine so they need some- thing to latch onto. They scale the pillars up to the top," explained Ryan. "They love it up there. After a while they will scale the wires too and create a tangled roof." The drape of vines will block out sun, creating a par- tially shaded environ- ment below where Ryan plans to grow plants like cucumbers.

Sam has also invested notable effort into his hand-made series of fishing lures. Several months ago, he began carving and lacquering lures for his own personal use, and has since begun carving and selling custom lures to people in and outside of the NSA community. He has taken professional quality photographs of his products with the help of a photographer, is creating a website for himself, and is writing an article to submit to Flori- da Sportsman magazine to
acquire more publicity for when he returns to his home in Vero Beach.
His efforts have also helped solidify Art Club, a venue that al- lows students to work with their hands and is growing in popularity.

However, not all of the projects taking place on campus are as conspicuous as Sam's lures or Ryan's trellis.

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A "Pura Vida" Christmas: The Holidays at NSA

Mark Fried: Translating in Sun and Shadow

After France and 9/11: Terrorism and Tourism

World Travel Hampered by Recent Attacks in Paris

Post-Terror Attacks, France Risks Losing Itself

How NSA Students Are Spending Their Free Time: The Busy Bees of NSA

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A "Pura Vida" Christmas: The Holidays at NSA

Mark Fried: Translating in Sun and Shadow

After France and 9/11: Terrorism and Tourism

World Travel Hampered by Recent Attacks in Paris ​

Post-Terror Attacks, France Risks Losing Itself

How NSA Students Are Spending Their Free Time: The Busy Bees of NSA

Authors

Archives

Categories

World Travel Hampered by Recent Attacks in Paris