I am so grateful for getting the opportunity to conduct research, to have interned at iProbono, for all the people (my homestay family included) who have warmly let me enter into their lives. I am also grateful for the challenges that have come my way in Nepal and India!
But through it all, my greatest memories are all of the apparently insignificant yet heart-warming ones that I made during my time abroad. I will share with you the highlights here:
Memories of my cohort and I drinking excessive milk tea together between classes; the astounding Tibetan dancing and singing classes on campus; visiting monasteries and temples at 5 a.m. with my homestay father; starting off my mornings with a warm cup of milk and my homestay mother’s cooking; having the freedom to read, journal, and create for pleasure; whole days when I would read and write on the rooftop of my apartment in New Delhi while my apartment suitemates made us dinner; sleeping in; going on 5-hour hikes through the different Himalayan valleys; constant music sharing and long night conversations with my friends; having the privilege to travel several times between Nepal and India and experience different cultures, foods and languages; getting to meet His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama; being braver in traveling on my own; my host family’s warmth and the unconditional love they shared with me and my friends. I also feel a bit more grounded with myself. I feel more confident in the path I have laid out for myself. I now feel excited to go back to Gustavus.
Most importantly, I think this study abroad journey encouraged me to learn more about myself. How my priorities have changed over time, how I have changed over time, and how things will always change.
