A Study in Orange, White and Green

Hi there, and welcome to my blog. It's after midnight on Thursday, 7 January 2010, and a week from today, I will be hopping on a plane to go to India for a few months. Why? People have been asking me that for months, and I usually respond with "Why not?" When was the last time you stepped outside your comfort zone and tried something new?

Actually, it's been quite awhile for me as well.

This is going to be more than a vacation. I am a junior at Michigan State University in the College of Social Science. For the next few months, I will be interning through Global Student Consultants, Inc. in the Himalayan region. The city is called Palampur, and the state is Himachal Pradesh (for those who are as addicted to Google Maps as I am) There's a great little health clinic in the area called Kayakalp that specializes in natural health methods, and I will be working there, helping people with their nutritional needs.

To be honest, there's a lot about the next few months about which I am completely clueless. Yet that's the way I like it. I'm interested in studying global relations and culture, and nutrition/health is a strong interest, but really, I just plan on jumping in with both feet first, learning as much as I can from my work and especially my interactions with this completely new culture.

That's the real reason I picked India. Over a billion people call it home. It contains one of the earliest hearths of human civilization. They even answer our tech support calls! Yet so many people, especially Americans, know so little about the country, the culture, and the people. I'm guilty as charged, and hopefully that will change.

So check back in the next few months for some observations of Indian culture, as well as updates about my work, which I am very excited to start. The idea is that this blog can help other people besides me learn from my experiences. I look forward to posting many times to come.