Owen Richardson, Pitt in the Himalayas Summer 2024
One of the main things that stood out about my academic program was the emphasis on experiential learning. We would learn a topic, and then, we would be expected to put that into practice immediately. That was evident within our Wilderness First Aid class in which we practiced scenarios, but it was also evident in our leadership courses. We would learn about both how to give and take feedback, and then, we were expected to step up and give each other feedback. This style of education is so different from the usual learn, regurgitate, and take a test on the material. This form of education forced us to actually change the way we were thinking and challenged our knowledge and execution of the material in a real-life setting.
The culture of the city is also so different from any other culture I have ever had the opportunity to be apart of. First of all, the way we were treated as foreigners was so different from how foreigners are treated in the US. We were highly respected, and we were given help everywhere we went. I remember being on my flight to India and sitting with a man who lives there. He gave me his phone number, and then, he told me to make sure to text him if I need help with anything. Not only that, but he and a friend he introduced me to on the plane offered to let me stay at both of their houses.
Second, the way in which they live is so different. In India, children often stay with their parents and grandparents in the same household. Many times, there are three or even four generations (8-10 people) all living in the same household.
Third, in the area that I was in, materialism was not as prevalent as it is in the US. We entered many different villages that had little to nothing in and around their houses. Most families didn’t have cars or scooters. They all rely on each other for help and transportation. One family may have something that other families don’t have, so instead of everyone buying their own tool/resource, the community shares the tool/resource.
Finally, a very interesting part of the culture here is how giving everyone is. I remember not having money in one of the villages and mentioned asking for money as I believed the likelihood of being provided with money was low. My guides who grew up in India didn’t smile or laugh. They just looked at me and said that I would probably be given money. This was such a weird but interesting concept to me; why would someone give me money when they don’t know me? That’s just how giving their culture is.
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