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
On Wednesday night this last week, I tagged along with my homestay brother to the Patan Durbar square to meet some friends and celebrate the Dashain times, for many a religious holiday steeped in tradition and meaning, for my homestay brother who......Read More
October has come and we have finished our stay in China. Over the past week we have spent time in major cities and on majorly long bus rides. We have become more vulnerable with one another, felt more comfortable exploring areas we do not know, and......Read More
Sketches from weeks 1 & 2 By: Michelle Unable to find the charger for my camera the night before departure for Morocco, it was decided that I should just leave the trusty device at home. I owe many thanks to this mishap because I’ve since......Read More
I bow my head. to your spirit of learning to the burning light of adventure to the humble beginnings of new friendships to the starry eyes of newness. to those moments of sheer joy to the discomfort of uncertainty to those magical bursts in your......Read More
27 September 2019 I still recall the first time I stayed in the home of someone I didn’t know, in a country I was unfamiliar with, communicating in a language that I didn’t understand. Growing up, I was taught to not trust others for fear that......Read More
I stood in the freezing cold, as the grass rustled tentatively beneath my feet. It’s 11pm, and I peered up into the night sky, expecting darkness. Instead, I was greeted by the stars, glistening in their brilliance and filling up the atmosphere.......Read More
A trek can be so much more than walking from point A to point B looking at beautiful sights along the way. Our group spent the last three days intentionally and humbly walking on sacred ground, forging a deeper connection with the spirit of the......Read More
I have always had a fascination for stars. My dad, the very person who brought me into the early business of watching stars, owns a small telescope that he uses weekly till this day. Living in a compound full of apartments and not many gardens, my......Read More
The first thing we noticed was the animals. So many animals. Dogs, goats, cows, bulls, water buffaloes, and even a camel. Each had its own air of individuality as it loitered in the alleys and streets of Udaipur, head raised as if it knew it......Read More
It’s 7:56 A.M. and breakfast starts at 8:00 A.M. Us guys hardly ever wake up on time, but the sudden knock and good-mornings on our doors are usually enough to get us going. As I rush to get dressed for the day I give a short moment to......Read More
As I write this Yak post, my right hand is burning. No, not metaphorically— I mean my hand feels like it’s being cooked inside with a steady flame. It seems that grabbing large scoops of spicy peppers, known in Indonesia as sambal, with your......Read More
LIKE A DREAM When we agree to join Bridge year, we never thought before, an American boy in our house. One house with us, one dining table, one living room with us. When we woke up in the morning that face was really with us. This is like a dream.......Read More
As I sit on the plane with Today’s Hits pulsing in my ears, the distance between myself and my home for the past six weeks seems to grow exponentially. The stories I collected in Ambatomanga seem as long ago as my childhood and the rocks I turned......Read More
There will always be a point in your life when you will feel lost, when you look in the mirror and you don’t recognize who you’ve become and you’re starting to lose grip on what you’re meant to do. This feeling, for me, accumulated over the......Read More
I love you Madagascar I love your people Your nature And even your bugs Sometimes… But most of all, I love how you’ve changed me How you’ve made me think How you’ve made me grow And how you’ve made me love both myself, others And......Read More
