July 8, 2023, the 18 SUSI musketeers are having their last morning in downtown Los Angeles (L.A.). Everyone is finishing packing and getting ready to depart for Washington, D.C., which will take all day. After four weeks in Phoenix, Arizona and with…
And Then the Magic Happened…
Nothing can be usual when you are in the city of dreams. For us, it was surely an unusual day in Los Angeles when we started to explore America’s westward expansion. It was a day of stories unfolding — stories…
Diversity and contrast in LA
On our first full day in Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the country, on the 5th of July, we had a free day to explore its famous landmarks and diverse areas. Most of the scholars decided to…
From 41 degrees Celsius to 21, and Celebrating Independence Day
On July 4, the SUSI ’23 Scholars headed West. Early in the morning at 7 a.m. the Scholars began their travels to Los Angeles, California. It was a short flight from Phoenix to LA. From the window of the plane,…
“Imagine all the people, sharing all the world…”
There could not have been a better excursion than this for the 2023 SUSI scholars visiting Arizona’s Valley of the Sun, before their departure in three days for Los Angeles. The scholars stood before a harsh political reality on the…
Desert Delights: an Epic Road Trip from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon
On June 10, 2023, at 8 in the morning, all of the SUSI scholars gathered and boarded the bus. Our first destination was a gas station surrounded by magnificent Arizona cactuses. With our driver, Ronnie, cautioning us about snakes, we captured…
A Borderless World?
“The world is flat.” This statement was made in the early 21st century by Thomas L. Friedman, who argued that globalization makes the world become a level playing field. The “flatteners” he suggested included the collapse of the Berlin Wall…
From Historic Flagstaff to Symbolic Cacti: A Sublime Beauty
Sunday morning, 11:00, in front of a hotel in Flagstaff. Sunny weather with a blue sky, 74°F, fresh with a gentle breeze. The green tree leaves are swaying softly. Mountain views in the near distance with fluffy white clouds draw…
The Grand Canyon, an Overwhelming Experience from a Sacred Place
As the sun goes down, the Grand Canyon transforms. The sunlight is like brushstrokes on a canvas of rocks, drawing shapes and textures. These natural paintings are ephemeral, changing from one minute to another, showing magical landscapes, an echo from…
Packing Up the SUSI Program at VOA and the Newseum
We are packing up our six-week program with these final days in Washington DC, our last days in the US as well. And today, we are packing up our journalism journey with Voice of America and the Newseum. VOA is…