In the past two months, I have had the incredible opportunity and privilege of living in Kathmandu and partaking in excursions to Dharamsala, India and Tsum Valley/Gorkha District, Nepal. My experiences have challenged me in ways I could have never imagined—from the three-hour intensive Tibetan language classes every day to the four-hour hikes moving from village to village in the Upper Tsum Valley, and solo adventures to different monasteries and temples. In such a short period of time, I have obtained a newfound sense of confidence and maturity in myself. My journey thus far has been immensely transformative, perhaps in part because there were moments of hardship and obstacles that I needed to confront.
To begin with, one of the biggest challenges of being a study abroad student in my program (Tibetan and Himalayan Peoples) is that we are constantly immersing ourselves in different cultures, as there is a lot of traveling. To elaborate, our program itinerary was set up for us to spend two weeks in Kathmandu, Nepal; two weeks in Dharamsala, India followed by another week in Kathmandu, Nepal; then two weeks in the Tsum Valley, Nepal (Himalayas) and lastly a final week in Kathmandu, Nepal.
