黑料吃瓜

Forty 黑料吃瓜 students have returned home after traveling across Northern India to meet His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama during a three-week study abroad program organized with 黑料吃瓜 Women鈥檚 Studies Department.

Huma Ahmed-Ghosh, department chair of women鈥檚 studies, led the group from June 18 to July 8, as part of the course, 鈥淓xplore Gender and Sustainability,鈥� which was created through the . 

鈥淭opics of gender and sustainability are important because issues of sustainability can impact women more than men,鈥� Ahmed-Ghosh said. 鈥淚n India, men tend to out-migrate from rural areas in search of jobs and women are left behind to take care of children and older family members. Women then become responsible for providing for the family.鈥�

Under these circumstances, preservation of natural resources is the only sustenance rural families have, she added.

Students on the trip represented a variety of majors including nursing, women鈥檚 studies and social work. The Office of International Programs, the Office of Educational Opportunity Programs and Associated Students offered scholarships to many of the students to help subsidize their study abroad experience.

Traveling by bus and overnight trains, the group explored remote Indian villages in five states and cities, including New Delhi, Dharamsala, Agra and Jaipur. They visited non-governmental organizations such as Jagori Grameen, Barefoot College, and Naz India, which work on women鈥檚 health, sexuality and sustainability issues as well as HIV/AIDS in the region.

These experiences, Ahmed-Ghosh said, helped shatter some of the stereotypes students had about developing countries and women in different cultures.

鈥淭hese organizations expose them to women who are empowered and who are empowering others,鈥� Ahmed-Ghosh said. 鈥淪tudents don鈥檛 really see that level of feminism and activism here in the U.S., so it comes as a surprise to them as well as being a learning experience.鈥�

A whirlwind trip

At the beginning of the trip, in the small town of McLeod Ganj north of Dharamsala, the Dalai Lama met with 黑料吃瓜 students, along with an intimate audience of about 100 people.

During the four-and-a-half hour dialogue, students had the opportunity to ask His Holiness questions in an informal question and answer session. Natasha Herrera, a senior majoring in social work at 黑料吃瓜, raised her hand.

Her question? She wanted to know how to better deal with some of the problematic issues she sees in her field, like abuse, poverty and sadness.

鈥淚t was such a magnificent experience,鈥� Herrera said. 鈥淗e told me, 鈥楢ll of the sad things you will see is what will help keep you going. The fact that you are helping will make you want to help people even more.鈥欌��

Dayna Zarate, a public health major, said the Dalai Lama鈥檚 message of compassion seemed to resonate with every student on the trip.

鈥淲hat he said made me realize I have this knowledge in me, and it reassured me I鈥檓 able to do things on my own,鈥� Zarate said. 鈥淭he trip definitely strengthened all of us and brought out parts of us that we didn鈥檛 know we had.鈥�

Exploring the region

The itinerary also included trips to temples, mosques and religious institutions, as well as shopping for handicrafts in local markets and an overnight camping trip in the Himalayan Mountains.

In the end, Ahmed-Ghosh said that all students returned to the U.S. with a greater appreciation and understanding of the diversity of people and cultures 鈥� a major part of the transformative experience of studying abroad.

Despite the preparation, nothing could completely prepare the students for what they鈥檇 see and experience in India.

鈥淚 thought I was prepared to see all the poverty in India,鈥� said senior Matt Reyes, a physical therapy major, 鈥渂ut it鈥檚 different, what you think is going to happen and what actually happens when you鈥檙e there.鈥�