One of the most valuable things that came from the Leadership in the Himalayas program is the opportunity to better understand myself. This greater sense of self-awareness of my strengths, weaknesses, my behavior under pressure, what I like, what I don’t like, etc. are all essential to me a living a fulfilling personal, professional, and…
Author: anitarzewski
Mussoorie –> Delhi –> Agra –> Delhi –> Home
One of the debates surrounding how the program is planned is how much “structured” vs. “unstructured” time students should have. We have had jam packed days — breakfast at 7:30, class from 8:30am-5:30pm, dinner at 5:30, and then many nights we spent writing blog posts. Before we left for India, many of us had to…
Chhipkallee: “A Lizard but So Much More”
Being quiet on a leadership program feels like it should be oxymoron with the way people often think about how leaders should act and behave. Accepting and embracing my introversion has been a lifelong struggle for me as schools and workplaces are built for places for extraverts to thrive with their emphasis on group work….
Roll the Credits
Our trekking experience was built like the plotline of a classic narrative. The trek started off with the introduction of the Himalayan back country and the 14 main characters: 12 Pitt Students and two outdoor instructors, Gauruv and Vipul. The first few days of the trek were the rising action as we trekked through the…
Getting Ready to Trek
Can leaders ever follow other people — or do they always need to lead? Why or why not? Ironically, on a study abroad program that centers around leadership, I feel like I have been more in the position of a follower than a leader throughout the trip so far. Compared to others on the program,…
Camping in Kulti
Since completing our WAFA course, we have gone on a “shakedown” trek for one night to understand how our group needs to prepare for the 10-day which is quickly approaching. In NOLS fashion, our instructors let us lead the way to find our campsite. We ended up going further than what the instructors expected but…
I am the Patient: When Experiential Learning Becomes Too Real
Unfortunately, since my last blog post, my heath has declined… no more morning runs for me. Deciding what to do in a group setting like this is always difficult because the stakes of getting sick are higher than normal. Normal anxieties about illness are brought up, but with our trek 6 days away, not being…
I Love Stomping on Numbers
Since our arrival in Mussoorie, we have spent two days applying the theories of leadership that we learned in the classroom to some leadership games and today we just got started on the Wilderness Advanced Firstaid Training. One of the instructors gave us a preview of what we are to expect on the 10-day trek…
Finally Arrived to Mussoorie
What cultural norm(s) of the host country do you anticipate being a challenge to learning about leadership? Why? One cultural norm that I anticipate posing a challenge to learning about leadership in India is regarding the difference between Individualism and Collectivism. If you use the Hofstede’s Insights tool, then you can see how India when…
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