Find a Global Resource
SPRING 2023 CULTURE KIT RESERVATIONS WILL OPEN AT 9 AM ON DECEMBER 6, 2022.
UPDATE: Each school may receive up to 3 kits during the Spring 2023 semester. Requests for more than 3 kits from an individual school will not be accepted.
Read our most recent newsletter for other updates to the Culture Kit reservation system in Spring 2023.
Welcome to the Carolina Navigators Global Resource finder! Here you can view many of the resources we offer free of charge. We welcome any educator to use our digital resources and we will ship, free of charge, both ways, our culture kits to any educator in North Carolina. Please consider making a donation to our program, so that it can remain free for educators.
For an overview of what we offer, please visit our page for educators.
To browse culture kits only, by availability, visit our online reservation system.
If it is your first time reserving our kit, check out these Culture kit FAQ and Tips
Article
“Teaching Tips”
Tips on Teaching: Observing Teacher-Student Interactions in the Wee Morning Hours Throughout the semester, I have been volunteering with Mr. Cones Poverty Reading Group at Carrboro High School; every Wednesday morning, four of us rise before the sun, pile into a car and arrive, coffee cups in hand, around 6:45am. Our dedication is nothing, though, compared to that of the students. This class has provided me with an amazing opportunity to observe intensive teaching at its finest- not only is i…
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A Multicultural Life
Europe, United Kingdom
My name is Ariana Rodriguez-Gitler. I was born and raised in Maryland, but whenever someone asks me where I’m from there’s a moment where I don’t know what to say. My family history is a little complicated, even though my own is simple. For the most part, my mom’s side of the family lives in Mexico by way of Poland three generations back, and my dad’s family lives in Puerto Rico. At times it can get complicated explaining how I am both Jewish and Hispanic. Over the years, I’ve been very fortunat…
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A New Dining Experience
Asia, Hong Kong
“When I was in Hong Kong, some of the particularly busy cha cha tangs (restaurants that were often cramped but reputed to have delicious, cheap food and traditionally brewed milk tea) would seat customers who were strangers to one another at the same table. At first, this startled me. I felt slightly uncomfortable, even though I was with my friend, when the waitress had pulled up two plastic stools from the corner and shoved them next to a round table, where three other occupants were seated…
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A Thirst for Global Education
I always reflect fondly mostly harmonious diversity I grew up with in the suburbs of Atlanta. As a child of Jamaican immigrants, as I certainly noticed the difference between myself and many of the other kids in school (especially when comparing homemade school lunches!). My favorite days in grade school were the “Cultural Days” when a performance and speaker would come and teach us about his/her traditions. We were required to take German language and culture courses from elementary school thro…
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A Vantage Point can go a Long Way
Africa
Is the image above one of an older lady, or of a younger woman? It all depends on the vantage point… The article Africa is not a country describes how many students view Africa presently. The article claims that our own review of over 30 childrens books about Africa found skewed and incomplete images. More than 90 percent of the books, for example, showed only rural or village life and jungles. Based on images from these books, readers would assume there are no cities in Africa. These ima…
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A Year of Summer in The Lion City
Asia, Singapore
“It was a year of summer and adjusting to the extreme humidity, but it was also a year of academic and personal transformation, constantly learning and being exposed to new things from “fried carrot cake” (which is neither fried nor has carrots in it) and intestine, to new ideas pertaining to societal organization and government. You may have noticed that my greeting was in four languages. These languages represent the four official languages of Singapore (English, Mandarin Chinese, Malay, and T…
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Abandon the Resort for the Quest for Global Competence
Caribbean, Jamaica
Contemporary views of Jamaica are often eclipsed by a Resort View which paints the country as an endless terrain of white sand beaches, palm trees, and servants answering your every beck and call. The people there are continually laid back and somehow always smiling, despite the fact that their per capita GDP should direct them to do different. These aspects surely characterize Jamaica. These and the fact that everyone knows Bob Marley. While Jamaica is a gorgeous country which has beaches and…
Article
Alien in a Foreign Land
Asia, India
Hi! I am Alekhya Yechoor and I am a Biology major at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I was born in India and lived there for the first five years of my life. When I moved to the U.S. it was January. I remember being shocked at the lack of people roaming the streets. In comparison to the huge population of India, the small suburb I had moved to seemed like a ghost-town. Where were all the street-side vendors? Where were all the auto-rickshaws? It was hard to believe that I was ev…
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All Around the World
Asia, Uzbekistan
Hi, everyone! My name is Ruksona Usmanova and I am a junior at UNC-Chapel Hill, double majoring in Global Studies with the concentration in Economics and European Union Intergration. I was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan and lived there until I was 14. Growing up my family and I traveled a lot around the European and Asian continents due to my Dad’s job. I was a happy child who loved to travel but always knew in my mind that in a week I will be in my own house, in my own room, and have my favorite…
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All in this Together
Africa, Uganda
“Traditionally, the African familial system is based off family and tribal connections. The kinship system is set up in a way in which everyone helps each other, no matter if they are members of the exact same bloodline or not.”
Article
Avoiding Misunderstandings in Uzbekistan
Asia, Uzbekistan
Introduction Communication skills and styles are very important in our everyday lives, however they are even more important when it comes to understanding people from a different culture. In this post, I will address a few things you should know about the communication style similarities and differences between the US and Uzbekistan. To begin, Uzbeks are very much relationship-oriented communicators. It is very important to first build a relationship because in their view a good relationship wit…
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Becoming Informed: The Difference between Countries and Continents
Statistics have shown that more than 90 percent of books [reviewed] showed only rural or village life and jungles (Randolph & DeMulder). Childrens books along with other forms of media contribute to the creation of images about what another place is like and we expect to have these images validated upon travelling to that part of the world. Yet, what underlies these childrens books created for public consumption is their direct contribution to racism. Misconceptions about what Africa a…
Article
Beyond Sombreros, Tacos, and Espa̱ol
Mexico, North America
The Sonoran Desert Geography of Mexico A lot of the images of Mexico we have in the collective US conscious are of deserts, cacti, and small, isolated rustic villages. Like most stereotypes, it originates in some kind of truth. In this case, a majority of the US-Mexican border goes through the Sonoran desert. When Arizonans look across the border, much of what they see is desert. Arizona shares this landscape, but Arizonans know that other parts of the US like North Carolina are forested…
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Blog Post: India: Why are communication styles important?
Asia, India
Different people can have different communication styles. This preference in communication style is greatly influenced by the culture one grows up in. Before students can understand their communication style in relation to that of others, students should understand what their communication style is because this influences how they interpret other communication styles. They can then understand how to adapt their communication style to that of others. This would help prevent students from creating…
Article
Blog Post: Learning about Intercultural Education
Asia, India
In class, we have learned many concepts that have helped me understand global education. One concept that was particularly fascinating was learning styles. As a converger, I didn’t realize how I my subconscious preferences affected how I learned. More importantly, I didn’t realize how I reacted to people with different learning styles. In my service-learning placement, one of the students I often worked with individually always seemed distracted to me. He liked to tell personal stories and talk…
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Born in Korea, having new experiences in the U.S.
Asia, Australia, China, Oceania
“I was born in Incheon, which is located right next to Seoul. I have spent most of my life in there, but I decided to study in the U.S. when I was 18 years old. One of my relatives recommended studying in the U.S. since I was thinking to major in Journalism, which requires English skills even in Korea.”
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Born in NC, Raised in Italy and Ecuador
Ecuador, Europe, Italy, South America
My name is George Ramsay and Im from Raleigh, North Carolina. My major is Public Policy, with minors in Business and Education. I want to be a middle school math teacher. My interest in teaching started with a summer at Breakthrough Collaborative in San Francisco, California teaching 5th grade social studies. Last semester I studied abroad in Rome, Italy. I was able to study a range of subjects including classics, sculpture, Italian, politics, and sociology. Every weekend was spent exploring a…
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Cambodia- Exploring the Mekong River
Asia, Cambodia
Hello! My name is Justin and Im a senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill double-majoring in Environmental Studies and Economics. Originally from Charlotte, North Carolina, I enjoy reading, cycling, snowboarding, and international experiences. During my time at UNC, I’ve had the opportunity to study ecology in Vietnam, work at an environmental institute in Israel, work with several development organizations in Uganda, and help out with a malnutrition project in Indonesia. I b…
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Carolina Navigators’ Statement Against Systemic Racism and Violence
Global, United States
The continued brutal police killings of Black people in the United States, including George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, have shed light on the persistent racism and inequality in this country, that has been going on for centuries. We mourn their deaths, and the deaths of the countless people of color who have been victims of racism and violence. We know that we must do everything in our power to fight for change, social justice, and equality. Carolina Navigators, at the University…
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Carolinian Wanderlust
Australia, Europe, Oceania, Scotland, United Kingdom
This is me (on the right) and my friend Hannah at the top of Tirupati after waking up at 3 AM to go on the 9 mile hike to the top with other Hindu pilgrims. Im Rebecca Sheppard and I hail from the exotic paradise known as Wilmington, NC. Born and raised in North Carolina I always had a fascination with other cultures and countries. I started saving money to go to Africa when I was 11 and bought my plane ticket to Lusaka, Zambia on my 16thbirthday. I worked with an organization called Chikumbu…