The alarm clock complained that it was 6:48 am when I heard a multitude of excited voices directly outside my window. It was only our second day in the mountain village of Bangdong, and despite how tired I was from our month-long trek across rural......Read More
After leaving Bangdong village and transitioning into urban life in Kunming, Bridge Year China participants reflected on their two-week rural homestay experience through writing prompts. We shared these reflections gallery-style upon arrival in......Read More
DARUAT IKLIM. (CLIMATE EMERGENCY) OUR HOUSE IS ON FIRE. TIDAK ADA BUMI 2.0 (THERE IS NO EARTH 2.0) Cardboard signs littered the floor. We mixed paints in old plastic water bottles that had been given to us on the bus ride over to Survive! Garage, a......Read More
I want to go back on two things: a moment during our first day of trekking and our ride back from Calientes After we arrived at our cabin, Don Felix suggested to anyone that was up for it that we go on a short hike. Fully prepared for a nice little......Read More
8 October 2019 Yesterday was the last day of Navatri, and was celebrated with Garba, a traditional dance with Dandiya sticks. It was also the day we met our families, at a Program House (PH) reception with chai, chatter, and lots of nervous but......Read More
After coming from rural homestay’s in majkhali – helping our homestay mothers gather hay in the fields, living without running water and quietly contemplating the natural surroundings, the dust and bustle of Jaipur was shocking. For me at......Read More
Udaipur: the City of Lakes! The eleventh Bridge Year India cohort has just arrived in their home for the next seven months. After being placed in our homestay, our cultural immersion is accelerating at a rapid rate. We moved into our new families on......Read More
Majkhali Awesome Jolly Kool Happy Awesome Lovely I̶Awesome...Read More
The adjustment from Majkhali to Jaipur was surprisingly difficult to manage. In my last Yak, I said that I had more gratitude for my surroundings but in my week in Jaipur, I found that gratitude was gradually fading to the back of my mind. Living in......Read More
Jaipur Top 10 Naturals Ice Cream AIIS Hindi class 1860 photographs Old Green Tandoori Dhaba Chicken Hawa Mahal French Toast at Blue Tookai Bargaining for autos Hindi homework on the roof The drinking water at AIIS Hot showers Our week in Jaipur was......Read More
During our orientation, BYI has seen some pretty amazing things to say the least. But we’ve also come into contact with the intense, challenging, and shocking realities of India and the world at large. When faced with these concepts, it can......Read More
What did we do for last Friday’s global climate strike? We littered the Chinese countryside with garbage. While the world has embraced the climate change strike, with a reported 7.6 million people mobilizing, we were bunkered up in a small......Read More
The Bridge Year Senegal cohort has arrived safely in Dakar! As we settle in to our new surroundings, we want to take the time to reflect on our month of orientation–in particular, our most recent stay in Ndioukhane, a rural Pulaar and Sereer......Read More
Only until you lose something do you truly realize its value. Living in Majkhali with our homestay family was an experience in loss: losing running water, a Western toilet, consistent electricity, air con, and sanitation. But more importantly, I......Read More
There’s something magical about waking up to the tallest mountain range in the world peeking out from behind clouds. Every morning I stepped out of my room and was met with a brand new version of the Himalayas. Some days, the clouds hung high......Read More
A fire burns over the fields of mud and grain The smell of earthy manure and the humidity of the morning dew settle in the space around me Animals shuffle their way through the gravel roads, ambling side by side with their owners in a show of unity......Read More
