Latin America - You Are There!

You are a professional travel blogger and are heading to beautiful Latin America to launch your new blog called You Are There!  In three different Latin American countries, you'll experience as much of local life as you can, diving into languages, food and drink, religion, leisure, sports, holidays and celebrations, arts and music, customs and traditions, dress, and any other cultural aspects that you find significant or interesting.  Look for the most cool parts of life in your three countries that make your place so unique.  The local flavors and flare is what makes travel abroad so rewarding and so much fun! Your blog's readers will be depending upon you to dash them away for an escape into a new world, so you must not only be detailed and descriptive, but also exciting and bold in your writing. This blog should appear like a journal (a real blog) that will chronicle what you see, experience, and enjoy for the days of your travel.

1. You will select three Latin American nations upon which to report.

- one from South America (but not Brazil)

- one from Central America (Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica, or Panama)

- one from the Caribbean islands (Haiti, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Cuba, Puerto Rico*, Bahamas, Trinidad & Tobago, or Barbados)

Do not be afraid to visit countries that you are not too familiar with already. All of these nations have fascinating, lively, and beautiful cultures and locations.  Branch out!

2. Online and in the library you will research the local culture of your nations. Some helpful research links are included on the Libguide; DO NOT USE WIKIPEDIA OR SIMPLY GOOGLE SEARCH YOUR NATIONS.

You are looking for examples and description of any cultural aspect that you could witness or experience if you actually traveled to or lived in these nations. Culture includes any of the elements we have discussed in class, such as: language, religion, arts, music, food, clothing, architecture, housing, leisure activities, sports, traditions, customs, behavior, holidays, celebrations, history, economics, government, currency, or any other feature that distinguishes one group's way of life from another's.

*** Remember that there should be a difference from how the locals live, to what tourists seek out. This project should include many different features than the city report from first semester. Activities that you could do in any country or are not specific only to yours are not a good idea - no tourist traps or big chains. ***

3. You will transfer your deep research findings into a descriptive, engaging, and well-crafted travel blog for readers to keep up with your journey and experiences. You will be in each country for 2 full days of adventure/encounters and can experience basically anything you want in the nation.