The Letters Home are written by the IHP Trustees Fellow, sometimes with help from students, at the end of each country program. We hope you enjoy reading about their experiences:

 

Cities in the 21st Century Spring 2010

Health & Community Spring One 2010

Health & Community Spring Two 2010

Rethinking Globalization 2009-10

 

Cities in the 21st Century / Spring 2010

New York City, USA

In New York we were introduced to Neighborhood Day, an exercise we will do in each city we visit. On Neighborhood Day we split into groups and go to a range of neighborhoods in the city to understand the urban environment through observation, interviews, and critical analysis. In New York the groups visited Manhattanville, Jackson Heights in Queens, Hunts Point in the Bronx, and Gowanus and East Flatbush in Brooklyn. We learned that “reading” a neighborhood can occur in many different ways. To “discover” our neighborhoods we attempted to understand the social networks, built environment, problems, and history of the areas. These visits allowed us to engage with residents and communities in New York City and to learn about pertinent issues within the urban environment. Read the entire letter.

 

Health & Community / Spring One 2010

Switzerland

One highlight of the week was the day we broke into small groups and spread out around Basel, Freiburg, Germany and Mulhouse, France. We went with university students, who acted as translators and local experts, to interview community members on various health related topics. Though some people were a little surprised to be stopped and asked questions on the street, others were very open to sharing. Many were also interested in discussing the American healthcare system with us (and they had thought Swiss healthcare was expensive!). Some of our new friends from the university invited us to join them the next night for Basel’s annual Museum Night, where all Basel museums are free and open until 2 a.m. We checked out the fine arts museum, which featured live music for the occasion, and wandered into some other interesting museums unique to Basel, like the pharmacy museum, the anatomy museum and the doll museum. Read the entire letter.

 

Health & Community / Spring Two 2010

United States

It has not been all lectures though! On “NGO day” we had a great time, splitting up into small groups and visiting two local non-governmental organizations. Then we all reported back to our peers on what we learned. The work of these NGO’s ranged from HIV/AIDS advocacy and prevention services to housing/rental assistance to anti-domestic violence work to a neo-conservative think tank to LGBTQ advocacy work. We were impressed by many, surprised by some, and enjoyed visiting all of them. On “neighborhood day” we split up again to visit six different neighborhoods around DC and investigate the ways in which health is intertwined with the social, cultural, environmental, political, and other elements of one’s neighborhood. All of the neighborhood groups’ presentations and photos were insightful and interesting. Read the entire letter.

 

South Africa

While we learned so much just by living in the community with families, we also gained important perspectives on the local health care system through our guest lectures and site visits. Since they were numerous, we will just mention a few of the most enlightening. We visited the local hospital, Tintswalo, where we learned about its operations before being given a tour of the maternity, mental health, and children’s wards. We had read and heard about resource scarcity in this area, but we found it was quite different to see in person the ramifications of a lack of resources. We were particularly struck by the lack of privacy. In the mental health ward, we were taken into spaces where people slept, and in the maternity ward, we passed doors that opened onto rooms with 10+ beds, where we could clearly see the patients. It elicited discomfort for many of us, but as Amaka pointed out, it is through the uncomfortable moments that we can often learn the most. Tintswalo was certainly an important learning experience here in Bushbuckridge. Read the entire letter.

 

Rethinking Globalization / 2009-10

United States

After a week highlighted by collectively prepared meals, yoga, drum circles around the nightly campfire, swimming in the creek, and the celebration of our first birthday on the trip with ice cream and a dance party, we took off for Washington, DC. On the way we stopped at the famous Polyface Farms in Northern Virginia. There Joel Salatin, a self-described Christian-libertarian- environmentalist-capitalist-lunatic, gave us his world-view on everything from veganism and vegetarianism to education, and exercising the land. He gave us a tour of his 550 acres nested in the Shenandoah Valley, and showed us how he is working to build ‘an ethic that goes from field to fork.’ That night we arrived at the William Penn House, just blocks from the Capitol Building, where we would be staying for the next few weeks. Read the entire letter.

 

Zanzibar, Tanzania

The next three days we divided into three smaller groups to adventure around the island. One site was Jozani National Park, where we learned about the challenges of finding ways to balance community and land conservation and preservation. We walked through part of the preserved forest area, learning about various medicinal plants and their uses, and viewed the endemic red colobus monkey troops, which entertained us with their charismatic antics. After climbing the tangled roots of the Mangrove trees, we were welcomed by our one-night home-stay in Pete, a nearby village. In the evening we took part in a village dance led by children and women of the community. Some students were struck by the strength of unity in the community there, where neighbors know neighbors, support each other in times of need, and celebrate together in times of joy. Read the entire letter.

 

Northern Tanzania

As a large group, we discussed the idea of ‘fortress conservation’, questioning the wisdom of fencing off areas for conservation for only a special few. We specifically talked about the pastoral Maasai peoples, who have lived in the area for years in harmony with their surroundings. Who has the right to these resources? What are the impacts of the vehicles and the roads on the delicate ecology of the parks? In the crater we had seen some of the Maasai’s cattle dying on the side of the road from thirst, while we had open access to water from the crater set aside exclusively for the use of tourists. Our discussion was interrupted when an elephant came to drink from the water cisterns on the roofs of the camping facility, perhaps engaging in his own social movement to take back his right to water. That evening as we sat around the campfire sharing Halloween candies, we watched as Zebras passed by and bush pigs foraged near our tents. After a 7:30 am campfire economics class the next morning about why farmers in America make more money than those in Tanzania, we headed out of the crater into Arusha, to work on theoretical economics papers for the next few days. Read the entire letter.

 

India

Mornings in Delhi began with scattered auto-rickshaw commutes from our home-stays to the Indian Social Institute (ISI) where classes were held– a fast-paced, hectic experience that familiarized us with the layout of the city and its palpable energy. We breathed the pollution and struggled to decide whether or not to give money to the women and children begging on the streets. Inside the classroom, panel discussions about religious and cultural pluralism and a lecture with renowned writer and scholar Ashis Nandy on “dissenting imagination” sparked lively debates. A traditional dance performance in the Bharatanatyam style enlivened our studies, as well. Free time was spent in the many markets and some went on an optional trip to visit India’s most iconic structure, the Taj Mahal. Another highlight of the Delhi program was a lavish Thanksgiving feast hosted by a former IHP student and her family, complete with pumpkin pie! All of the students and faculty enjoyed this opportunity to give thanks for the incredible time thus far and to reflect on our families and friends back home. Read the entire letter.