In the summer, my sons and I visited San Miguel de Allende. An enchanted town in Mexico. We wanted to see how life was in that small and picturesque town. People seemed relaxed. Parents strolling with their kids around the town. Couples having ice cream. Retirees enjoying the breeze of the afternoon while sitting under a tree. It was captivating.
— Irasema McAllister
An original photo that exemplifies a recent overseas or US cultural learning experience.
WINNER:
Photo by Irasema McAllister
All Photos Submitted:
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"This photo is showing the Mandarin Student Association club event I participated. I took the initiative to take photos of the founders of the club. Its is a truly inspiring to capture the pioneering moment by the end of the event. The attempt for Mandarin students get to know each other and exchange contact information through games and food is truly hard to facilitate and this picture shows the sweat and tears behind the success of the event."
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"Purchasing fish on the side of the road in Sri Lanka by fisherman who just came back from the catch of the day. "
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"Learning about serving with honor at Tustin Chili Cook-off."
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"This is a random street corner I met in Portland, I found it quite fascinating and I took the picture. On the left side, there is a colorful pop art painting shows the lovely relationship between this town and people here. On the right side is Elton John's poster, who is a famous English singer also a came out homosexuality. Down below there are some graffiti that no one to remove it. I think they are quite a culture shock and mixing, this city has high tolerance."
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"From drinking cabernet sauvignon to eating all different types of cheeses, I love that my friends and I flew over to enjoy this meal together."
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"Over the summer I was very lucky and had the opportunity to go to the Galapagos Islands. As a nature lover, I was so excited! We flew from LAX to Florida then to Ecuador. We stayed in Ecuador for a few days then took another plane ride to the islands! We stayed on a big boat that held my family and my extended family on my dad's side. There were 16 of us total. Then there was the crew and they were so nice! We had our nature guides and they told us all about the wildlife we saw when we went off the boat to our excursions. I had my DSLR camera with me throughout the trip and managed to capture this photo of a marine iguana resting on some native plants. In order to capture this moment, I had to lay down and lay on my stomach to get the perfect angle. The wildlife on the Galapagos Islands doesn't usually mind humans, but we couldn't touch them or feed them in order to keep conservation going smoothly. My experience on the Galapagos Islands was truly one of a kind and I hope this photo spreads some of the magic of nature! Keep the islands safe!!!"
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"30,000 of Iranians and non-Iranians of Southern California gathered together in Pershing Square, Downtown Los Angeles, on October 22nd to stand in solidarity with the protestors in Iran. The flag at the center of the picture is the true Iranian flag with the lion and sun at the center, which the gentleman in the picture holds up and waves in hopes of freedom for Iran."
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"In the summer, my sons and I visited San Miguel de Allende. An enchanted town in Mexico. We wanted to see how life was in that small and picturesque town. People seemed relaxed. Parents strolling with their kids around the town. Couples having ice cream. Retirees enjoying the breeze of the afternoon while sitting under a tree. It was captivating."
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"This silly picture was taken during the spring in San Miguel De Allende, Mexico. I saw the opportunity to take a photo with a nine foot doll of Frida Kahlo, and I knew I had to take it! Frida Kahlo has become a indigenous Mexican icon who symbolizes resilience, perseverance, and feminism. She is best known for her self-portraits, and is celebrated for her uniqueness. I like what she represents, as she kept her unibrow as part of her own artistic and personal style to go against the beauty standards in 1907. Behind us is a church built in the 17th century with lots of history. This trip to Mexico was truly unforgettable! "
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"I took this picture at a bookstore in Los Angeles, after protesting for freedom of people in Iran. I believe the canvas between the books are both conveying message of woman, life, freedom which is the slogan of Iranians during this ongoing revolution."
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"The first 'Stay Right and Return to the Truth' Chinese Calligraphy Exhibition was grandly opened at the Yilu Club in Los Angeles on November 22, 2022. Eight artists from Los Angeles presented their Chinese Calligraphy arts."
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"This photo was taken with a film camera in Chinatown in San Francisco during a walk with me and mother. She had grown up in a similar environment to this Chinatown we visited so it was an equally enjoyable moment for the both of us. Being surrounded by the culture and food that I had been shamed for and embarrassed of in my younger years in school here was a really redefining moment in my experience as an Asian American. This photo simply represents the time we spent there and how important it is to keep in touch with your cultural roots. Also, the dim sum there was 12/10, highly recommend."
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"SoCal's Cinco De Miles 5K . Being able to embrace and celebrate Hispanic Culture, being in which I am the only White person in an all Hispanic complex, lived here 20 years. I have grown up living within the Hispanic cultures, and as an adult I have been embraced by my neighbors as family, I am the resident Tia and now Abuela. I have mastered Tamale making, guava jam, albondigas and my homemade nopal stew."
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"Over the summer I had the pleasure of going back to my country, Egypt. I viewed countless of cities in Egypt like Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh, Cairo, Sahel, and more but none of the cities compared to my hometown, Alexandria. Alexandria is a wonderful city on the coast of Egypt not only is all my family there but it's filled with my family's most memorable moments. One of my favorite moments was constantly going back and forth in the trams, just enjoying the company of the people I met on the way and going to the most random shops on the streets. The old man shown in the image looking outdoors may at first look angry or unpleasant. But once instigating a conversation with him about my visit, a big toothless smile appears that lights up the whole tram. He goes on to talk about his countless memories in Alexandria and how even though it may be an old city on the outside, it is still a wonderful city on the inside. Our conversation kept flowing until it was my stop back, then unfortunately that was the end of my favorite interaction during my visit to Egypt. "
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"Ultras — a term used to describe a group of fans renowned for their fanatic support in football, the world’s game. While this term originated in Italy, Ultras can be found all over the world. And now, Los Angeles. Until 2018, there was no team that had supporters that were deserving of that title domestically. Los Angeles Football Club and the 3252 changed the game and meaning of being a supporter. Connecting the world’s game in the Heart of Los Angeles."
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"Aztec dancers perform at an event for an Autism support group at the Santa Ana Zoo. "
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"The photo was taken in Singapore. It's a statue of a man consisting of different characters around the world placed among skyscrapers."
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"We met for the first time in the classroom of AESL Anhvy Do teacher at IVC. We are from Mexico, Korea, and Japan. We have all three lived in different cultures, but together we are enjoying Halloween in America. It's a photo of Mexico, Korea, Japan, and the U.S. becoming one. We shall long cherish good and precious memories."
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"This is my first time to carve the pumpkin with my family. It's more simple than I expected. My son really like it, because this is his first jack o lantern as well."
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"My first Halloween in America. Let me really feel the cultural characteristics of Western festivals. At night the kids would haunt their neighbors for candy, shouting trick or treat. It makes me feel very good about Halloween. I love interacting with different cultures."
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"I am appreciate cross cultural moment. We have chance to know other cultures in briefly. Henna designs ...you know we called Mehndi in our culture but whatever you called every culture love Henna . Designs are different. First time got to know henna apply like tattoo in USA.so culture is different but application is same. Don't fight but respect each other."
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"This is redwood burned by California wildfires. The outside of the trunk was burnt to carbon, but new branches and leaves grew. This is the power of life. Human beings should also use the power of their own lives to keep the world away from war and become peaceful and beautiful."
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"Three Taiwanese watching a Japanese baseball player in the US baseball field."
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"We live in a diverse world. Life is colorful. Love our campus, love our community, love our family, love our country, love our shared world."
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"This picture shows Indian Maharashtrian Culture. In this photo me and my son wearing traditional clothes. I am wearing Navari Saree and my son wearing kurta pyjama. I am holding a flag. The orange flag indicating it is a symbol of victory, strength, and courage of the country. And most important thing is background it is picture of The Great Leader SHREE CHATRAPATI SHIVAJI MAHARAJ. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is one of the greatest organizers in the history of the world. The man who wielded the Marathas into a mighty nation was also an outstanding military strategist, a skilful diplomat, and an enlightened administrator. He never let his enemies unite against him."
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"I made the Halloween card with origami. Origami is a traditional Japanese cultural art form that has been enjoyed by many people since ancient times."
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"Last year when I visited New York City, the day i arrived happened to be St. Patrick's Day. We put our luggage at our friend's apartment and rushed to watch the parade. We then walked around the streets that were filled with green, and ended up going to an Irish pub. It was super fun, and it was my first time celebrating St. Patrick's Day besides wearing green during elementary school, which was a cool experience."
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"Photograph taken August 1, 2022 on a flight back to Los Angeles. Photograph depicts the beauty of the Grand Canyon, one of the greatest National Parks in the United States. According to the National Park Service, there were approximately 4.5 million visitors in 2021. The Grand Canyon not only shows the natural beauty that the United States has to offer, but also shows how nature can unite thousands of people, as nature is universally highly esteemed and appreciated. The Grand Canyon will always remain as one of the most incredible locations of the United States."