Harvey Scholar Travels - Travis in Nepal and Guatemala
I had been fortunate enough before to travel to Kenya and be part of SEA (Sea Education Association) in Woods Hole, MA and New Zealand without tapping into either my enrichment or travel grants. This past summer used my enrichment grant to travel to Nepal and my travel grant to experience Guatemala.
In Nepal, I taught English, science, and math to young Tibetan Buddhist monks at Shechen Monastery in Boudha, Nepal (right outside of Kathmandu). While in Golden, I had made good friends with people from Nepal and was able to foster that relationship in which they established a connection they had for me at Shechen Monastery. It was a rare experience since they normally did not accept volunteers, and those who did volunteer worked in other parts of the monastery for a minimum of three months. I was very grateful for my Sherpa friends here in Golden and for the experience they helped provide me.
I was there approximately three weeks teaching monks in grades 1-8 and sight-seeing on weekends. While at the monastery, I also had the chance to learn about Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and practice meditation. It was a surreal experience being plunged into the culture and learning about a new religion from such a unique perspective. The kids (young monks) were fascinated with me and how big I was, particularly since they didn’t see outsiders often, and were always asking me questions about America.
As for the sight-seeing, I stayed in a guesthouse two blocks away from both the monastery and Boudhanath Stupa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I was taken back with being able to wake up every morning in the eyes of Lord Buddha near a place that people from around the world make pilgrimages to. Of course, I also visited Pasputinath Temple (UNESCO World Heritage Site and live-cremation site), Swayambhunath (UNESCO World Heritage Site and monkey temple), the busy streets of Kathmandu, and other historic places, and enjoyed extremely caring, generous people and great food.
Oh, and I had a travel partner all along – who at the end of the trip became my fiancé.
In Guatemala, I was part of a Colorado School of Mines student research group that was assisting with the thesis research of a geological engineering student, David LaPorte. His thesis work was focused on risk perceptions of landslides in underprivileged communities, specifically in Guatemala City. We were there from August 1 to August 15 helping conduct interviews and surveys in Spanish, translate, preform data analysis, and preform aerial drone surveys.
It was a great time with some sight-seeing and adventuring thrown in there. We stayed in Zone 1 of Guatemala City (the historic district) and traveled to the outskirts of the city to do much of our work. During our off time, we made it to the Pacific Ocean, hiked a volcano, visited Antigua, and frequented the many local markets and restaurants. It was a short-lived, but fulfilling experience.
In Nepal, I taught English, science, and math to young Tibetan Buddhist monks at Shechen Monastery in Boudha, Nepal (right outside of Kathmandu). While in Golden, I had made good friends with people from Nepal and was able to foster that relationship in which they established a connection they had for me at Shechen Monastery. It was a rare experience since they normally did not accept volunteers, and those who did volunteer worked in other parts of the monastery for a minimum of three months. I was very grateful for my Sherpa friends here in Golden and for the experience they helped provide me.
I was there approximately three weeks teaching monks in grades 1-8 and sight-seeing on weekends. While at the monastery, I also had the chance to learn about Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and practice meditation. It was a surreal experience being plunged into the culture and learning about a new religion from such a unique perspective. The kids (young monks) were fascinated with me and how big I was, particularly since they didn’t see outsiders often, and were always asking me questions about America.
As for the sight-seeing, I stayed in a guesthouse two blocks away from both the monastery and Boudhanath Stupa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I was taken back with being able to wake up every morning in the eyes of Lord Buddha near a place that people from around the world make pilgrimages to. Of course, I also visited Pasputinath Temple (UNESCO World Heritage Site and live-cremation site), Swayambhunath (UNESCO World Heritage Site and monkey temple), the busy streets of Kathmandu, and other historic places, and enjoyed extremely caring, generous people and great food.
Oh, and I had a travel partner all along – who at the end of the trip became my fiancé.
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| Boudhanath Stupa |
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| Shechen Monastery and Philosophy School |
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| Learning at Shechen Monastery |
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| Tibetan Buddhist teachings at Shechen Monastery |
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It was a great time with some sight-seeing and adventuring thrown in there. We stayed in Zone 1 of Guatemala City (the historic district) and traveled to the outskirts of the city to do much of our work. During our off time, we made it to the Pacific Ocean, hiked a volcano, visited Antigua, and frequented the many local markets and restaurants. It was a short-lived, but fulfilling experience.
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| The "Guate Squad" |
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| Community Interviews |
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| The Beach |
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| Hiking Picaya |
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