The U.S. State Department has a fantastic new resource for students going abroad (and their parents), and actually anyone who is going overseas will find much useful information on this site, http://studentsabroad.state.gov/.

Take a Day Trip to Leland

Does that travel bug of yours have you flying the friendly skies in search of new horizons? Well not only does that bug keep us itching for new adventures, but many disturbing studies also show that our travel bugs are eating away at our “good” ozone – that is: the ozone in the stratosphere, which shields us from harmful UV rays. The bad news doesn’t end there, either. While our air travel strips away that lower layer, we are actually CREATING harmful ozone in the upper troposphere, generating climate-changing greenhouse gases. But what are we to do?

“I’m a Princess,” she said, opening her palms and turning her face to the sky. Soft pink petals of cherry blossoms sprinkled down magically around her. I’d never seen Kamioke-san look so light; so full of life. I’d been visiting her off and on as a volunteer for several months, through Hands and Hearts, an organization created to offer companionship to the elderly who suffered loss in some way during the ’95 Kobe earthquake.