Hey all! My name is Guinevere, but you can call me Guin and I am from Chicago.

As the day of departure grows from weeks to days, I cannot help but grow more excited for the experiences we’ll have in Nepal. I chose this Dragon’s program because I wanted to get the most out of gap year, both scientific and cultural.

For the last few months (August to January), I worked in an olfaction laboratory learning about the processes behind smell and key factors behind our response to an odor. I really enjoyed learning all of the behavioral and technological aspects behind training rats, but now I am ready to do the experiential learning of my gap year in the Himalayas.

When I first searched through Where There be Dragons’ programs I was immediately drawn to the Nepal semester because of the religion study and trekking, and as I looked closer at what the program had to offer, I was more and more intrigued by all of the aspects. And, as a fan of Thoreau, I wanted to challenge myself and to explore the unknown, for I am going to Nepal because I wish to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach.

I cannot wait to meet you all!