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January 19, 2022

An Open Ground

By: Karina Casarrubias

By Aryaman A hidden maze of ever increasing complexity. The boundaries of the world—what defines them?   A child. The world is an open ground. Exciting and playful. Free for exploration. From when I first learned to cycle till about the age of seven, my parents asked me to never go outside our street. I […]

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December 29, 2021

Thank you, RyanAir

By: Karina Casarrubias

by Ally The month of November 2021 has been one of the quickest of my life. Now that I’m finally in a routine here, I was able to visit two new cities: Lisbon and London. Each was a unique experience, so I wrote a journal entry after each trip to remember the details. 

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A Week in Poland

By: Karina Casarrubias

by Charlie My second month abroad was even more meaningful than my first. Not only did I learn more about Israel and Judaism in the classroom, but I also continued to explore the Old City by foot. In my first blog, I wrote about seeing the Dome of the Rock (or Temple Mount) from afar. […]

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The World at Home

By: Karina Casarrubias

by Mariana You would think that plunging directly into my hometown of almost nineteen years would yield routine results—invariable observations I would be wont to have. Yet, cradled between familiar mountains and blanketed by the same dusty borderland sky, my everyday community sprung opportunities ready to impart me with new knowledge. As my gap year commenced, my newfound role […]

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May 26, 2021

Traveling

By: Karina Casarrubias

By Shun In the past few weeks, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s important to do what you want to do when you want to do it.  In the weeks prior, I was overwhelmed with work and the tasks before me that I lost track of living and treasuring each day given to me. […]

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A Year Is Just 365 Days

By: Karina Casarrubias

By Valerie A gap year sounds sexy, doesn’t it? It’s becoming increasingly popular, but still unconventional enough to warrant fascination from others when you tell them about it, almost like a badge of honour you wear proudly on your sleeve to announce to the world that you are not afraid to stop and take time to think […]

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Surf Class

By: Karina Casarrubias

By Matthew As I embarked on my Duke Gap Year I promised myself that I would try to learn something and grow as a person from each every experience I chose to undertake, and I have definitely kept true to that goal.  Living for two months in Puerto Pilon, Costa Rica, offered unique and spectacular […]

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The Arts’ Pandemic Pivot

By: Karina Casarrubias

By Camille When Covid hit last March, ballet was the first thing in my life to be affected. I distinctly remember having tickets to see San Francisco Ballet perform on March 14th, a Saturday, and being so disappointed to find out earlier in the week that the performance had been postponed. At the time, I […]

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Experiencing the Israeli – Palestinian Conflict  

By: Karina Casarrubias

By Maia Unexpected changes feel like the theme of this year, especially for those of us on gap years. A few weeks ago, I spent four days in an intense seminar on the Israeli – Palestinian conflict. I listened to twenty-three speakers with a range of opinions and diverse contributions aimed at resolving or easing […]

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Close Quarters

By: Karina Casarrubias

By Sami       As I’ve begun thinking about moving onto Duke’s campus next fall, I’ve been wondering how much I’ll miss living in my dorm in Jerusalem. As much as I am looking forward to moving into college dorms, I’ve only now started to appreciate how good I have it here. Of all […]

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