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For a short period of time I worked as an assistant teacher in a Montessori school, the same school that I went to as a child. I was working with kindergarten kids, children from four to six years old. Everyday was a little adventure, somehow they......Read More
Some shots of Dragon’s Nepal College Study Abroad students with their homestay families in the village of Chaukati. We will stay with these Thami ethnicity families for about ten days and learn about local farming practices, bee keeping, women’s issues, religious practices, cooking, and much else. This area was one of the hardest hit by the 2015 earthquake and for the most part not a single structure was left standing. As you can see, the village has been busy rebuilding.
“Be prepared—the conditions on the island will be very different from our life; no electricity, no running water…” The voice of our trip leader at our pre-departure meeting echoed in my head once again; except this time, I find myself......Read More
I come up the the roof most days, playing sarangi until the sun goes down. Watching the peaks of the Himalayas turn pink as the sun sets over Patan is the most serene experience. I’m leaving Patan and this is something I will miss the most.
Sometimes, I wake up and I’m on an island in the Mekong River. The night before, I saw a shooting star for the first time, And fell in love with a glittering Thai sky. Sometimes, I wake up and I’m lying under a mosquito net, A film of......Read More
We are writing to you from the village of Nagathali, which is surrounded by snow-capped Himalayas to the east, north, and west. Langtang Peak, sharing a name with the National Park we are in, stands at 7,227 meters, a perfect view from our kitchen. A few days into trekking and we have found our legs, backs, and minds. We have already covered around 40 kilometers of hiking, and lost and gained thousands of meters of elevation. We have been on snow, hiked through rebuilt villages that lost buildings in the 2015 earthquakes, and seen the Big Dipper and the Milky… Read More
I opened my eyes to sublime rhythms of the earths sky with sunsets of sugary orange and honeycomb reflected upon each pond. There sat the blazing lotus flower, so pure, so calm. I sat alone and watched the flower, my eyes began to tear. It is right......Read More
Figure there’s more than a few parents out there wishing for a little more of an… elucidating report from their kids on how their grand adventure abroad has been to date, so I thought I’d at least share how its been for me and......Read More
Neem, totle, tulsi, nettle, kalturda, bojho, sage, chili peppers, canabis, rudilo, titepate, tobacco, bhogote, gandepate, sarifa, barbari, ginger — each of these plants can be found within a twenty minute walk from the community center in Koshi. On their own they serve different purposes: smoke from bojho is inhaled to cure tooth and throat pains; rudilo is used to deter fungus from growing on plants and can be ingested when someone is experiencing hemorrhaging; in the case of dysentery or gastric issues, one can harvest the seeds from bhogote and cook them down into a tea. Separately each of these plants can help to heal. Together,… Read More
I have always loved learning languages. Growing up in a bilingual household and attending international schools, I appreciate that languages can help bring distant communities together and bridge the gap between cultures. I knew that this program......Read More
To start, some prose for you: Today, someone sneezed and it sounded like you and instantly my heart dove into your white puffy jacket. My mind thinks often of the moment I said goodbye to you. Today I climbed into a taxi on Jalan Sukum as stalks of......Read More
When I met Julio in September I remember him standing in the kale garden bed reminding us all about the power of knowing your purpose. In those hours I swear the leaves of green and purple were saluting him like the king he is. He is the Gardner......Read More
i. the living room is on the ground floor. I sit with my bahini on the couch and watch Cinderella in Hindi. She asks me – will you comb my hair? Her hair so thick I could secure buildings with it. Pulling the comb through it, my own hair so......Read More
Days are seldom as fulfilling as last Saturday, where we enjoyed a day of excitement, comradery, and communal happiness. Our first destination was Chinchero, a highland pueblo situated in the middle of scenic meadows. Driving up the Sacred Valley......Read More
I am here to watch a TV show I do not understand. I am here to listen to a language in which I only know two words. I am here to taste food that I have never tasted before. I am here to feel the heat on my skin and the warm breeze go through my......Read More
