大象传媒

For Dora Crespin, the United States is a lonely place. She鈥檚 happy living in El Salvador where she has her friends, familiar food, and most importantly her family. But Dora is moving to the US anyway, leaving her son behind in the hope that someday they will have a better life together.

Also, Ana Chavarin was only 13 years old when her mother made her drop out of school to work at a factory, now she鈥檚 in college, together with her son; an American priest raises funds for Cuba鈥檚 first new Catholic church in 60 years; plus, Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese monk who's credited with bringing Buddhism to the west; and with his power washer in hand, Corey Fleisher is on a mission to eliminate hate-filled graffiti.

(A couple hold hands as they ride a merry-go-round at the Theresienwiese fair ground of the Oktoberfest beer festival in Munich, Germany. Credit: Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/Getty Images)