New Student Photo Series 2010 Entry #3 COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog

New Student Photo Series 2010 â€" Entry #3 COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog Submissions continue to roll in for our new student photo series.   If you are an incoming student we encourage you to review this entry for details on how to submit your own photos to display on the blog. The first photos today come from Tamara Tschentscher, an incoming MPA student that will study Energy and Environment. ___________________________ The first picture was taken in South Africa in 2005 during a couple of months of conservation volunteer work. I have always been excited about nature, landscapes and wildlife, but that Summer I entirely fell in love with the African Savannah. This leopard cub with its major habitat in the tree tops was only one of many creatures that were so fascinating. Believe it or not, but the round concrete object you see in the next   picture is an improved, fuel-saving and smoke reducing stove in   Ethiopia, which may save up to 50% biomass and reduces the risk of   respiratory diseases among women and children. Like in many developing countries around the world (especially in African countries), more than 90% of energy consumption comes from biomass. In Ethiopia, the forest cover has been depleted down to 3%, fuel wood is getting increasingly more expensive and erosion more severe. The final picture shows merchants transporting coals and fuel wood across Lake Tana, which often takes four hours or more (one way), to sell it in Bahir Dar. ___________________________ The next two photos come from Katherin McFarland, an incoming MIA student. ___________________________ The photo of the 3 boys was taken in Blue Creek Village, Belize.   I lived in Blue Creek Village during my Peace Corps service, and these were three of my favorite boys in the village. They were always willing to laugh and share a smile. The village was a Mayan village  made up of about 300 people in the Toledo district in Belize.  Pictured  From left: Gari Ack, Atley Mas, and Clemento Mas. The photo titled Jankunu_Dancer was taken in Dangriga, Belize. It is a close up of the Jankunu dancer during a cultural day performance. The history behind the Jankunu, (Jonkunnu, John Canoe) stems from West Africa as  early as  the 1700s. In Belize, the Jankunu dance is typically done by the Garifuna and Kriol cultures. Men dress up in elaborate masks and decorations to represent colonial slave masters. The garifuna drums are played and the Jankunu dancers feet quickly move to and against the beat creating a limber and  satirical dance for their spectators.