Boomers Abroad

Description

It is hard to imagine a more exhilarating landscape or people and geography as diverse as Nepal's. Within its narrow borders, a complete climatic range, from tropical to temperate, alpine to arctic can be found. Cultural diversity is celebrated by the country's population of 29 million, who speak as many as 30 different languages and dialects.

The Himalaya Semester Passage takes place in Nepal but spans the culture of both Nepali culture as well as that of Tibet that thrives among the Tibetan people in exile.

Each program includes a number of similar components. Passage will use these as a base for group cohesion, and the point of departure for individual exploration. Within this structure, participants shape their own experiences by deciding what and how they would like to do.

The semester begins with orientation in and around the Kathmandu Valley with introductory meetings, language classes, health and safety precautions, introduction to local customs, cultural excursions and cross-cultural adjustment. During this period, the program coordinator meets with each student individually to gain a better sense of each participant's unique personal interests and goals. Above all, orientation focuses on preparing students for new experiences by learning how to approach each new situation with patience, humor, and an open mind.

After orientation, students move in with their Nepali or Tibetan home stay families throughout Kathmandu. The families all come from varied economic, religious, and ethnic backgrounds, and will provide students with their most enriching exposure to local culture and lifestyle.

During their stay in Kathmandu, students will attend Nepali language classes. An experienced teacher teaches situational and conversational language. Learning to communicate with the people around you provides an important entry into the host community. Students find that people appreciate their effort to learn the local language and are eager to practice with them.

An important aspect of the semester will be the independent study projects. Students will meet with coordinators to design an ISP of their choice. The possibilities are many and will allow for creative and unique experiences. Students in the past have chosen internships in the arts, yoga, dance, religious study, humanitarian work, and alternative therapies. The internship is an outstanding opportunity to explore your own particular interests and talents as well as the colorful layers of society.

Students will also attend lectures that will be selected based on the interests of the group. Topics can include history, religion, politics, arts, anthropology, environmental studies, development, and many more. Our instructors come from fascinating backgrounds providing students with diverse knowledge of their country and culture.

There will be six excursion tours interspersed through the program dates. Renowned scholars and experts will lead the group on half-day walking tours to interesting sites in the valley.

A week of village stay, exploring the rural countryside, is included halfway during the program. Situated in the dramatic landscape of the Himalayas, Nepal's villages are some of the most breathtaking in the world. Students will undoubtedly be impressed by the physical beauty, as well as by the outstanding generosity of the people. The unique lifestyle of the village, which is both charmingly simple and sadly harsh, will surely impact the students in multiple ways.

The program includes a 10-day introductory meditation course - Discovering Buddhism. The course gives an introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, teaches meditation skills and includes a two-day analytical and single pointed meditation retreat. If you are just interested in Buddhism, or experience problems in your life, this course will give you some skills to address these problems and make your life more fulfilling and meaningful.

The daily schedule consists of sessions of meditation, teachings and discussion groups. The course leader as well as the Tibetan Lamas of the monastery are available for personal guidance. The daily program starts at 6.30 am and finishes at 9 pm. The participants are expected to attend all sessions.

A few days later, there is a rafting trip down the Trisuli River to the jungles of Chitwan in the southern part of the country. This area of Nepal is composed of tropical flatlands, which are home to some of Asia's last wild elephants, tigers, rhinoceroses, and leopards. It is also an ideal place for bird watching, with rare species that migrate from as far away as Siberia.

The trek offers a one-of-a-kind experience to Upper Mustang - an isolated region until the 1990s. Officially a part of Nepal, today one can venture into this remote region that is home to a relatively undisturbed Tibetan culture.

Mustang is one of the few places in the world that has had a cloistered existence and that region was, until recently, inaccessible to outsiders. This isolation helped the people of Mustang to maintain their lifestyle and heritage that remained almost unchanged for centuries. Hidden behind the majestic Himalayan ranges of Dhaulagiri and Annapurna, Mustang is filled with beautiful trekking zones.

Although officially part of Nepal, the Mustang region in the upper reaches of the Kali Gandaki River is a world unto itself. Long closed to foreigners because of its strategic location on the Tibetan border, Mustang has only been open to trekkers for less than a decade and is closely regulated by the Nepali government. Only organized treks are allowed into the region, and require an expensive trekking permit. Consequently, treks into Mustang are among the most expensive in Nepal. However, for many people the cost is more than justified by the chance to explore this high desert region that has far more in common with Tibet than it does with Nepal. The rain-shadowed landscape, jagged peaks, and mud-walled villages are reminders of what Tibet must have been like before the Chinese invasion.

The semester will close in Kathmandu with a few days of de-orientation, a period in which students can reflect upon their experiences and how their semester has both challenged and enriched them.

Nepal is a country of dramatic geographic, cultural, religious, and ethnic diversity. The Himalaya Semester offers students a unique opportunity to explore this richness with an unusual profundity. Passage will introduce students to an unforgettable experience in a magical land.