4th of July Special Culture for the Week of June 29, 2015 by Josh Garrick

June 30 – MOVE LIVE on TOUR with Julianne and Derek Hough 

My favorite book genre is YA (young adult) - it perfectly captures that magical time of life when anything is possible, while also discussing the very real problems of life, growing up, and finding yourself. It's the ultimate genre of hope, possibility, and growth. 

5 Beautiful Places to Volunteer Around the World

Jonelle Krise is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh working towards her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Urban Studies with a certificate in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies. She studied abroad in May-June 2014 in Greece! She participated in a travel-based program through Pitt, which focused on sociology, economics, tourism, and history. Jonelle visited and lived in several cities while in Greece, including Thessaloniki, Nafplio, Delphi, Meteora, Olympia, Athens, and Pigadia (Karpathos).

Trying the national cuisine is one of the major highlights when travelling to a foreign country. First-time visitors to Turkey are definitely in for a treat and will soon discover that this country has
more to offer than just delicious kebabs.

Turkish food is a mouth-watering mix of Middle-Eastern, Mediterranean, and Asian flavors, and whether you’re buying snacks from city street vendors or visiting a resort, restaurant quality food is one of this country's hallmarks.

Florida Culture for the Week of June 22, 2015 by Josh Garrick

TONIGHT – June 22 – The Sovereign Brass Begins Summer Concert Series 

I thought about writing a poem on my graduation day, but I procrastinated. Here, though, I am finally able to galvanize all my attention and emotion to this farewell letter the night before I leave Pittsburgh. 

Teaching English to students in Mexico was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, and though it may sound cliché, I truly feel as though I learned as much -- or more -- from my students and my experience as my students learned from me during my time teaching ESL. The expatriate lifestyle in Mexico was absolutely wonderful, and I was consistently impressed by how passionate my students were throughout each and every class session. 

In 1997, writer Andrei Codrescu visited Cuba - and his book, Ay, Cuba!, is a fascinating tale of the journey. While I'd of course read Codrescu's work, and listened to him on NPR, I hadn't heard of this book. How can this be? For although it is almost two decades old, it is still fresh, extremely interesting, and full of cultural insights. And with the recent opening of travel to Cuba, even more important for us to read.