I go and come

When you go somewhere new and come back everyone always asks "How was it?" Whether or not we are genuinely interested, we seem to feel obligated to ask the question.

How do you explain that that time was and always will be a completely unique experience to you and no matter what you do with your words or pictures, no one can ever really go back there with you?

Week 1: Muketeshwar - Himalayan Foothills

Yet, I still find myself wanting to share every moment of that crazy experience with everyone I love. I think the biggest revelation I've had after three months of traveling in India, Nepal and Ghana is that real experience in invaluable. Learning that primarily or solely consists of textual study or even collaborative discussion are really only brushing the surface of a place or issue. Living the knowledge, being prodded by 'culture', being put outside your comfort zone helps expose your conscience to the real heart of the matter out there, and sometimes it transforms knowledge into wisdom. I call this a revelation, others call it culture shock.

It's Ghana man...

After traveling for 2 months in India and Nepal, I stopped by Africa to visit 2 best friends.

Adrienne Bovee

Jacob Janin

It was the hottest month of my body's life.

Nepal is like...

touristy

chaotic

trendy

mountainous

just a brush of the surface

the best class of my college career: the indian himalaya

While my physical travels are long over, nothing about September-December of 2011 will ever leave me.

I would like to start a small documentation of what happened in that time period (maybe mostly pictures, maybe some words).

I spent the first month and a half studying in the Indian Himalayas. What does that mean you ask? I had no clue either but here is a glimpse of what turned out to be the best class of my college career:

Student presentations:

Each student taught one class session on

a topic of their choice relating to India, the Himalaya, ecology, culture or any mix.

The most hands-on lecture you'll ever find.

This class session was spent learning about the geology of when India crashed into Asia and produced the mountains we were sitting in.

Our midterm exam was administered in the 100 year old home of the late king of the Valley.