Images via Creative Commons.
When I was 12, my mom bought me a half-gallon water bottle because I joined the cross country team -- plain red with a white lid and convenient-carry handle. The illustrated label showed it gleaming in a vaguely idyllic campsite where everything was Coleman brand, bonfire and all. Every Saturday morning, even if we were already running late, Mom would empty the ice maker into the water bottle until it couldn't hold any more then fill in all the gaps with water from the sink, the lukewarm liquid melting the hard, dry edges of the ice cubes.
U.S. Route 89 in northern Arizona is just like most highways in the American Southwest -- barren, dusty, cutting through a vast desert expanse dotted with pale green shrubs and the occasional cactus. Unlike my hometown north of Boston, where the suburbs fill the map like a geographic jigsaw puzzle, this area is hauntingly unpopulated, the roads stretching for miles in between cities with names like Wahweap and Lechee.
As I stood outside the gates and peered through the bars of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., the White House appeared a lot smaller than I expected it would be. For all the hype and hoopla the famous mansion holds in the grandeur of its name and history the actual size of the place was underwhelming.
CARTAGENA, Colombia -- Starting at 6 a.m., "The People's Market" is full of a lot of things: a variety of mostly-unappealing smells, obscure and nameless (well, nameless in English) fruits and native Cartagenos buying their groceries at bargain prices.
SANTIAGO, Chile -- The application closed in less than an hour. Several setbacks had held me back all semester, and now circumstances were hinged on less than 60 minutes. I pulled out my laptop and quickly filled out the application, letting out a sigh of deep relief when I clicked "submit" seven minutes before the application closed. All I could do then was wait.
As I struggled up the side of Blood Mountain, wheezing, barely able to breathe under the pulsing heat of the midday sun, I began to cry.
For Gaby Fleming, move-in day came a bit later than the rest of the incoming freshmen.
They were both drunk, and, when Sam asked her to go back to the house, she couldn't think of a reason to say no.
JOeKULSARLON, Iceland -- I'd never seen icebergs before. I'd always imagined them covered in penguins or polar bears, layered with lazy seals and sea lions, resting. But at Joekulsarlon, an icy lagoon at the base of Iceland's Brei\0xF0amerkurjoekull Glacier, quiet pieces of ice floated bare, decidedly devoid of life. Some pieces, nearly sapphire blue in the haze of the falling snow, cracked and groaned ominously.
From the base of an Icelandic glacier to a peak in the Appalachian Mountains, writers at The Miami Student captured their spring break travel experiences, both in words and photos.
The question raised by this "Beauty and the Beast" is not whether it's good or bad, but if it's necessary.
Every week, Miami Student staffers find joy in home-cooked food
Because Miami students who live off-campus often face a long walk to their classes, many opt to use the Butler County Regional Transit Authority (BCRTA) university bus service. Although riding the bus may be just another part of the students' groggy morning commute, the buses are operated by dedicated individuals who spend their days making students' lives easier.
With spring break next week, many students are gearing up for long plane rides and road trips. What better time to get lost in the excitement of a new podcast? The sheer amount of great podcasts out there can be overwhelming, so here are our staff's recommendations for what to listen to next.
Sausage gravy is one of those dishes that can initially be a tough sell. To the untrained eye, its off-white base and brown sausage lumps can seem unappetizing. Those untraveled diners who have never ventured below Ohio's southern border often have an especially strong aversion to the traditionally Dixie breakfast dish.