This is John Kennedy with another Postcard from Abroad from the University of Kansas.

When I think about a holy dip, 7-layer bean dip is the first that comes to my mind…but, in the north Indian city of Allahabad, an estimated 15 million Hindus took their turn taking a holy dip into the spiritually cleansing waters where the Yamuna and Ganges rivers meet. This ritual beginning January 14th is part of a 49-day Hindu festival called Kumbh Mela and will gather together an expected, record-breaking 120 million participants, making it humanity’s largest gathering and the first to be seen from space! The last Kumbh Mela in 2013 saw the inclusion of female ascetics – holy leaders central to the gathering – and at this year’s festival, transgender gurus will bathe for the first time with their fellow Hindus. India is making a splash with this year’s holy and progressive swim.

With thanks to KATIE ASHLEY from the KU Open Language Resource Center for this text, this is John Kennedy. Wish you were here.

This is John Kennedy with another Postcard from Abroad from the University of Kansas.

2019 rings in the Year of the Pig in China, and along with the usual celebrations and festivities that mark the Lunar New Year, you may find a surprising character thrown into the mix – Peppa Pig! British cartoon Peppa Pig has made a huge cultural splash since its launch in China in 2012. This charming, British family of pigs has had more than 18 billion online views. The phenomenon has even led to the creation of a contest co-sponsored by the British Embassy and Chinese online channel Yōukù

to fly a few lucky winners to London. With Brexit uncertainty looming over the UK, is Peppa Pig an unlikely ambassador to a potential non-EU partner? It’s hard to say how her success will impact political ties, but she certainly is bringing home the bacon to Britain!

With thanks to KATIE ASHLEY from the KU Open Language Resource Center for this text, this is John Kennedy. Wish you were here.

This is John Kennedy with another Postcard from Abroad from the University of Kansas.

Global warming can be a POLAR-izing issue, but on the island of Novaya Zemlya in the Russian Arctic, thawing ice and a mass invasion of polar bears have caused a state of emergency. Unable to reach the ocean to find food, fifty-two polar bears have invaded two villages on Novaya Zemlya. More than 3,000 residents call this extreme northeast island of Europe home, and as rowdy polar bears invade apartment blocks and other living quarters, military personnel have been deployed to safeguard the local population. But both residents and Russian authorities are now facing quite a dilemma: should they BARE arms against this legally endangered species, or simply grin and BARE it?

With thanks to Lisa Giullian from the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies for this text, this is John Kennedy. Wish you were here.

In this episode we hear the story of a freshman film major at the University of Kansas whose parents are both from Cameroon. We explore the themes of home, and the connection that children of immigrants feel to the home country of their parents.

Image courtesy of Yemisi Ogbe. Released under a CC BY SA 4.0 International License. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ogbono_plantains.jpg. "Arid Foothills" music track courtesy of Kevin MacLeod, released under a CC BY 3.0 license https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100437)

In this episode we hear the story of a software developer from Sudan. We explore the themes of hope, discrimination, and what it’s like to leave a country that you love.

Image courtesy of Flugkerl2. Released under CC BY SA 3.0 Unported. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1963-Cessna-172D.jpg. "Arid Foothills" music track courtesy of Kevin MacLeod, released under a CC BY 3.0 license https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100437

In this episode we hear the story of an engineer and father from Morocco. We explore the themes of why people choose to leave home, and how having children affects your perspective.

Image courtesy of Hakim Dahoune. Public domain. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kenitra_main_pic.jpg. "Arid Foothills" music track courtesy of Kevin MacLeod, released under a CC BY 3.0 license https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100437

This is John Kennedy with another Postcard from Abroad from the University of Kansas.

If you find yourself in the Czech Republic, you may notice a peculiar number of puppet stores. American culture often casts puppets and marionettes in villainous roles, imbuing them with a sinister air to their rather harmless frames. But for the Czech people, puppets were once the protectors of their language and culture. When Prague and the Czech fell under Austrian Hapsburg rule in the 17th century, German became the language of the land with Czech being outlawed for everyone…except for puppets! Through this loophole, the Czech language was preserved and passed along by puppet makers and puppeteers. To this day, the Czech take great pride in their pint-sized friends who are seen as symbols of protest and perseverance! So the next time you are wandering the streets of Prague, just remember it’s the Czechs, NOT the Hapsburgs, who are pulling the strings nowadays.

With thanks to KATIE ASHLEY from the KU Open Language Resource Center for this text, this is John Kennedy. Wish you were here.

This is John Kennedy with another Postcard from Abroad from the University of Kansas.

Mankeshi Chaudhary plays cricket in Nepal where the sport is wildly popular. If you aren’t familiar with it, players use a bat to hit the ball to a wicket (or goal). Mankeshi’s team is unusual; all the players are blind or have very limited vision. But this doesn’t keep the women off the field! They play with minor modifications—the ball, bat, and wicket are larger so that players with partial sight can see them. The ball contains metal pieces which rattle so blind players can hear it. And the players talk so teammates know their location. Some people think blindness precludes active sports; others worry that they’ll get injured. But Mankeshi and her team have proven them flat-out wrong. You could say it’s…wicket inspiring!

With thanks to JENNIFER DUHAMEL of the KU Center for Global and International Studies for this text, this is John Kennedy. Wish you were here.

This is John Kennedy with another Postcard from Abroad from the University of Kansas.

From the outside, Enjoy Café in Budapest looks like any other ordinary restaurant. However, just inside the café, a child-sized robot named “Pepper” greets customers and wins them over with his charm and antics. Little Pepper is assisted by a duo of adult-sized robots, who glide between tables to deliver Hungarian cuisine to their guests. Enjoy Café is the first cafe in the world with robotic staff and was opened by IT company E-Szoftver Fejlesztő. The company’s owner hopes to familiarize the public with automation and artificial intelligence, and inspire children to become future robotics engineers. Not only can you turn to Budapest for its stunning architecture and cultural sites, but also the dependability of its wait staff, who we hear always report to work… even when they catch a virus!

With thanks to Lisa Giullian from the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies for this text, this is John Kennedy. Wish you were here.

This is John Kennedy with another Postcard from Abroad from the University of Kansas.

Gender representation in congress has been slowly making strides, with women making up about 23% of all new “freshmen.” But did you know you are more likely to see a woman legislator in Rwanda? Due to a gender quota put in place by the government in 2003, the Rwandan Parliament has made great strides in closing the gender gap across a wide range of measures. The change is especially evident in politics,

where women hold around 60% of all parliament seats. So when will equal representation in the United States catch up? In another 500 years at the current growth rate, according to FairVote, a non-profit advocating for statewide electoral reforms.In the meantime, Rwandan women will be overlooking the beautiful rolling hills of their country side—and certainly not from a glass ceiling.

With thanks to the KU Kansas African Studies Center for this text, this is John Kennedy. Wish you were here.