travel

Xela: A Place Revisited

Xela: A Place Revisited

TEXT BY DONNA FORD
PHOTOS BY SARAH CONNER

Donna Ford lets us come with her to revisit a poignant season in her life that continues to resound nearly two decades later. We’re happy that through the photography of Sarah Conner, who is currently in the Guatemalan community that was so formative for Donna, we’re given extra glimpses into the scenes of this place.

The Anatomy of David

The Anatomy of David

STORY AND PHOTOS BY TOBI AMOSUN

Physician Tobi Amosun takes us along on her recent trip to Florence, where her science knowledge helps us better understand just how magnificent an accomplishment Michelangelo’s David is.

I had dreamed for years of going to Italy with friends for my 40th birthday.

This past summer, that dream trip happened.

Following the Coffee Trail to La Sierra

Following the Coffee Trail to La Sierra

STORY AND PHOTOS BY MEGAN FINCK AND MIKE PLUNKETT

La caminata de Megan Finck y Mike Plunkett a una finca de café en Colombia nos sumerge en la historia de las alianzas que han ayudado a una comunidad a transformar su pasado sórdido en un presente floreciente que marca un futuro lleno de esperanza.

Megan Finck and Mike Plunkett’s hike to a Colombian coffee farm plunges us into a story of the partnerships that have helped a community transform its sordid past into a flourishing present that marks out a hopeful future.

North American Portraits: A Quintessential Road Trip

North American Portraits: A Quintessential Road Trip

STORY AND PHOTOS BY ARMON A. MEANS

The traditional ideal of community structure was rooted in individuals’ formation of living groups derived from families and built through doing apprenticeships, seeking education, and returning to or remaining near the area where one was raised (generally within a 20-mile radius). In contemporary modernized society this ideal has become a relic as individuals no longer feel the need to remain near their place of birth. In addition, every year immigration and social change lead influxes of people to move to or within North America. Armon A. Means delves into resulting questions of individual and societal identity through his latest road trip photographic project.

Cox’s Bazar: An Aid Worker’s Journal - Part 1

Cox’s Bazar: An Aid Worker’s Journal - Part 1

STORY BY SCOTT J. WILL

Physician assistant Scott Will recently spent a month providing medical care to Rohingya people from Myanmar living in a large refugee camp outside Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. This journal-style article from him offers a behind-the-scenes view of aid worker life as well as offering a small introduction to the Rohingya people. He previously wrote for Culture Keeper about the family he gained while living in South Sudan for five years.

From India with Love and Fire: Delhi Love

From India with Love and Fire: Delhi Love

 PHOTOS AND TEXT BY AMBER KIDNER

What do you think of when you imagine life in one of the world’s largest, pulsing cities? What markers of light and distinctiveness would you find there? Our contributor Amber Kidner describes what she’s come to love about her home du jour in Delhi, India. You’ll find her other From India with Love and Fire posts here.

The Secret Garden of Marseille

The Secret Garden of Marseille

STORY AND PHOTOS BY CATHERINE RICOUL
ENGLISH TRANSLATION BY KAMI L. RICE

Last year the Belle de Mai neighborhood of Marseille, France, gained a garden. Residents are working together to cultivate new life in ground that had lost its former glory. Thanks to our contributor Catherine Ricoul, one of forces behind the garden, we get to meander through the Jardin Levat as it dissolves (think film editing terms) from one season to the next.

My Week in Mysterious Thailand

My Week in Mysterious Thailand

STORY AND PHOTOS BY ARMON A. MEANS

It was the colors that surprised me the most. Color is wrapped into the essence of this place. Chiang Mai’s vibrancy is translated in hues of such intensity, often unlike anything I’ve come to know in the States. These colors were formed into surface and texture, adapting pattern and creating form across textiles such as scarves of hand-woven cashmere, and across silk dyed with such delicate precision that it seemed as if nature organically created the object itself.

What To Do When Culture Shocks

What To Do When Culture Shocks

STORY AND PHOTOS BY MEGAN FINCK AND MIKE PLUNKETT

During a long-anticipated sabbatical in Medellín, Colombia, that took them deeper into this foreign-to-them culture than life as a tourist allows for, experienced travelers Mike and Megan discovered the secret crevices where the triggers of culture shock hide in plain sight. And then they had a choice to make.

From India with Love and Fire: Encounters

From India with Love and Fire: Encounters

PHOTOS AND TEXT BY AMBER KIDNER

Says our resident contributor based in India, “Delhi is a stressful city to live in. Most people say so and that is my experience as well. I’m often drained of words and empathy and playful impulses. Author Lydia Davis and her very short stories guide me once again in attempting to apply words and images to some of our family’s encounters these past few months.”

Encounters With Generous Hospitality in Iraq

Encounters With Generous Hospitality in Iraq

STORY AND PHOTOS BY JOEL CARILLET

Joel Carillet's 2017 travels have included stretches of time in a country that regularly dominates the world's news cycles. In this photo essay for Culture Keeper, he introduces us to people and stories that don't make the headlines, but that are just as instructive in creating a true portrait of Iraq as are all the other stories we hear.