As my graduation from Pitt is quickly approaching, I find myself in a state of uncertainty about my future. With degrees in environmental studies and anthropology, I had a broad range of interests but I still lack clear direction. It was in this state of mind that I embarked on a transformative month-long trip to…

During my travels in India, one of the most captivating cultural experiences was visiting a Sikh temple that served not only as a spiritual haven but also as a sanctuary for those in need. This remarkable place embodied the essence of Sikhism, with its stunning white buildings adorned with gold domes. However, it was the…

Trekking Lessons I didn’t really feel like I was too great at group contribution at the beginning of the trek as I was the slowest student on the team (hence my trail name, Dhili, meaning slow). I doubted my physical abilities at first and did not feel I made a big impact on the group…

This trek really blew up the whole concept of a study abroad. In fact, it was more of a survival abroad. The trekking was rather incredible, and I am miles away from the person who struggled on the shakedown, but my goodness was it nuts. Initially, when I heard that we would be seeing snow,…

Have you confronted different cultural and ethical norms while abroad? How are you managing working with these differences? We are staying in a rather western style location here at the Hanifl Centre, so we have not been super immersed in Indian culture, however our Indian guides have given us a taste as to what their…

What did you learn during the shakedown overnight trek? How will this impact your approach to the longer trek later in the program?  I had a really hard time on the physical aspects of this trek. I was by far the slowest person on our team, and found it incredibly difficult to keep up with…

During our Wilderness Advanced First Aid training, we have undergone dozens of mock scenarios to allow us to practice some of the practical skills we learned during our lessons. Some of them have been mild, such as helping a patient with heat exhaustion or dehydration, but we also had some incredibly intense scenarios such as…

Cultural Adjustments  During our trip to India, there are many cultural norms that we will have to adapt to over the course of the month, especially when it comes to learning about leadership. One thing that we were briefed on before our travels, and was shown a bit in the first few days, was that…