It has been quite the season of transition. I am getting my feet nestled in the earth here in Austin, lining up my most important sources of nourishment for the winter ahead. It has been unsettling - to be expected while establishing a new home base. Add in a few unexpected curve balls life has … Continue reading Finding Solid Ground
Category: Culture Shock
Homecoming – or Going
This morning as I watched the sun rise over New Mexico, I marveled anew at the wonder of this globe. We spin on our little axis through space, pulled in endless scheduled circles around a ball of fire amongst countless other rotating spheres passing in their own exact orbits. The celestial bodies that I gazed … Continue reading Homecoming – or Going
Medical Camp Day
Every last Sunday of the month, Vaidyagrama hosts a “medical camp” in one of the nearby villages, offering free herbal medications and medical advice. This past weekend, we got to come along to help and to pick up what we could by observing since we certainly wouldn’t understand what was being said. We arrived around … Continue reading Medical Camp Day
Cultural Learning Styles
The day before classes began, Lynn, Ras and I reviewed some of the material we learned at the Institute, just to refresh our memories. We got into a discussion of how stressful the western academic system can be, based as it is on grades and competition and finding the right answer. In fact, pressure and … Continue reading Cultural Learning Styles
Farewell Mumbai
One thing that makes Mumbai so challenging, I find, is the juxtaposition of order and chaos, glamour and poverty, development and rubble. It prevents you from making easy judgments or putting things in tidy boxes – or from averting your eyes. There is luxury and excess to be found here on par with any western … Continue reading Farewell Mumbai
Ivy Ingram, MA, AP 