From Brahma to Buddha, Spring 2006

First, I want to say thank you for having the courage to feel, do, see and experience life outside of your everyday norm and beginning this pilgrimage that will undoubtedly be both remarkable and life-changing. I feel honored at having the opportunity to share a chapter of my life with such inspiring individuals and cannot wait to meet and get to know you!

I fell in love with India and the Himalayas in the summer of 2000. After completing my coursework at Gonzaga University towards a B.A in International Studies and minor in Political Science, already with a sense of wanderlust and a definite case of the ‘travel bug,’ an opportunity presented itself that brought me to Delhi. I had been studying the region's people, religions and mountains for some time and was excited to finally experience first-hand the contrasts and extremes that define the region. I was blown away. I spent the summer teaching in an orphanage in Delhi, one of the world's busiest and most densely populated areas, and having my eyes opened wide on a daily basis to the chaos and beauty that surrounded me at every level. Afterwards, I gravitated north towards the mountains. I spent time getting to know the people who inhabit the areas which together we will be visiting while at the same time researching for my undergraduate thesis, ‘The Future of Chinese Tibet.’ This was my first calling to the Himalaya, and when I left, I knew that I would return.

While on the Tibetan-Indian border during that summer, I had the opportunity to spend a few weeks amongst the company of thousands of Tibetans and Buddhist pilgrims, listening to His Holiness the Dalai Lama speak at a beautiful monastery perched up on the mountain-side of an arid and dusty Himalayan valley. It was here that I ran into a group of high school students who were experiencing life similar to what we will soon define as our reality. I was flabbergasted that there was a program that existed such as this. And I was even more in awe that there are students of this age group who are willing to embark on an amazingly rich opportunity such as this and I was determined to become involved.

It has been a twisting and exciting path that life has taken me on since my first experience in India; a path that most recently included finishing my coursework towards a Masters degree in International Education this past May at the School for International Training. This was followed by leading a group of students through Bolivia for the summer. What we will be doing together is what I want to do ‘when I grow up.’ I am a career educator, outdoor guide and social activist.

Through the intercultural experiences that I have had, I have realized what an invaluable education seeing the world is and I know that I am a life-long student. It is a cycle that inspires me to continue being present and has shown me that life is nothing more than an amazing learning experience. I am excited to learn from each of you and for us to grow and change together this spring.

With that said, I ask you to meet me in New York with your eyes and heart wide open and ready for an adventure. The only thing that you can count on is the unexpected. The fewer expectations you have for your India experience, the more rewarding it will be. I promise that you will finish this experience transformed, with new perspectives and a fire ignited within you that will burn bright for years to come, possibly forever.

I am excited to meet you and even more excited for our journey together to begin. I will be in touch as February becomes closer in regards to packing tips, reading suggestions and other information in preparation to get on the plane. Please feel free to contact me with any further questions, or simply just to chat.

See you in New York,

Erin Popek
erin.popek@mail.sit.edu