I absolutely cannot believe it has been a year since I was interning with the Central Himalayan Rural Action Group in Uttarakhand, India as part of my CASI experience. And a year later, instead of being in the beautiful, peaceful foothills of the Himalayas, I am now living in the bustling, cosmopolitan city of Shanghai, […]

Originally posted on 200 Wanderlust Days:
As you may know, I am back in India, but this time a study abroad program with SIT, called International Honors Program: Health and Community. It is a program in which you are supposed to learn about anthropology, public health and research methods in an experiential context – where you…

Originally posted on 200 Wanderlust Days:
I only have one more day left here at Chirag before I leave for Delhi. One day. I can’t believe that I have spent more than two months here, inhaling the fresh mountain air, hiking, having all the time in the world to just talk with people and learn about…

Originally posted on 200 Wanderlust Days:
Being situated in Kumaon, Uttarakhand with a wonderful homestay family is the most joyous and comforting feeling in the world. I have been lucky to have experienced two cultures with two great host families, both here in Kumaon and in St-Laurent-du-Var, France two years ago. There’s something so gratifying to…

Originally posted on 200 Wanderlust Days:
So this is why people here don’t like to seek health care at an institution, I thought to myself, my head experiencing extreme whiplash as the Chirag jeep bounced continuously across a rocky, one-car path curving across the hillside. It got worse as we tried to cross a patch of…

“Namaste. Meera naam Eileen hai.” I introduce myself shyly, aware of my clumsy Hindi, to a group of women sitting in a misshapen circle. We sit on a rug to protect us from the hard concrete floor, in a room plastered with posters of the alphabet, of famous Indian leaders, and of pictures of fruit […]

Weaving past cars that honked like loud geese, dodging past staring pedestrians, and avoiding the advances of many a trinket-seller, Aardra and I finally arrived at the large, magnificent Hindu temple located right next to the holy Ganges River in Rishikesh. We took off our sandals and placed them in a cubby, ready to ascend […]

The Himalayas are indescribable. After a windy two-and-a-half hour car drive from the nearest train station (where with every turn up the slope, you never knew what car or bus would come hurdling at you), we arrived at Chirag, shaded by the lush trees of the mountain. After a nap and then a nice long […]

Hello to everyone! My name is Eileen, and I am so glad to be a part of the CASI family. To have the opportunity to go to India to do what I love and to have people support me in doing it – it means the world to me (no pun intended), and not everyone […]