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.

 

Sao Paulo and Curitiba, Brazil

When we arrived in Sao Paulo we immediately discovered that the city had been experiencing a record amount of rainfall. It didn't let up upon our arrival; every day at 5:30 pm the clouds would roll in, the sky would turn grey, and the rain would begin. (This always corresponded with the time of our walk home from school!) After getting drenched the first couple of days, we learned to carry our raincoats and umbrellas with us at all times. The rainstorms provided us with our first glimpse of the great inequality that exists between Sao Paulo's neighborhoods. One afternoon we got caught in the rain downtown, where the elevation is much lower than where we lived and met each day. As a result, we were able to see and experience the flooding of this district that we had heard so much about. The downtown streets quickly filled with water, and within minutes the entire area became inaccessible. When the rain finally let up a bit, we waded through water up to our mid-calves to reach our subway station. (The enormous crowds in the station illustrated another important lesson: how difficult it is to move 18 million people around a giant, sprawling mega-city!) Despite the dramatic impact of the rains, the city government does little to assist the (mostly low-income) areas that are affected by flooding. By the end of our stay, the local newspapers were reporting growing protests over the city's lack of attention to these neighborhoods. Read the entire letter.

 

Cape Town, South Africa

The result of our time here became apparent one evening during our final week when thirteen of us hiked Lion’s Head mountain on the night of the full moon. We all climbed into a minibus taxi and arrived at the foot of the mountain at 6pm, excited to make the hike during sunset. As we hiked the trail, which wrapped around the mountain, the slope became more and more steep but the view became more and more breath-taking. As we approached the top the sun was setting over the ocean to our left and the full moon was rising alongside Table Mountain to our right. It was spectacular to see both at once- so large and so colorful! At the top we had a 360 degree view of Cape Town. We could see the hostel where we spent our first night; the BoKaap, the Muslim neighborhood where we had our first homestay; Camp’s Bay, the beach we went to on many weekends; and downtown, where we interviewed and surveyed countless people, made our way through the confusing transportation system, tried different foods at various markets, and danced many nights away. The hike was the perfect way to end our time in Cape Town because we were not just tourists at the top of a natural icon; we were in a place where we could recall memory after memory after memory of adventure, fun, laughter, confusion, joy, sadness, frustration, and excitement. Read the entire letter.

 

 

Hanoi, Vietnam
After mastering the art of crossing the Hanoi streets, we began using the most common form of transportation, the motorbike. Throughout our travels we’ve experimented with many ways of getting around town: navigating the stadium-like crowdedness of the Sao Paulo metro, and cruising around with the combi drivers who ruled the road in Cape Town. Here in Hanoi, many of us get to and from class on the backs of motorbike taxis. The drivers call to us from their spots on sidewalk corners when they notice us with our (IHP approved) helmets, and together we begin the ritual of negotiating a price. This process becomes a cultural exchange of words, hand movements, and hard bargaining tactics. Once the deal is settled, we hop on and hold on tight. Riding on the backseat of a motorbike is like navigating traffic among a swarm of bees: moving through any space between cars, bicycles, pedestrians, and other motorbikes, and occasionally utilizing a sidewalk that allows them to cut corners. Motorbikes were often one of the best ways to see the city, connecting what we learned in class to what we see as we zoom by, watching history and new changes play out as if on a movie reel. Given that a decade ago most of the city’s commuters traveled by bicycle, the ubiquity of motorbikes on Hanoi’s streets today can be seen as a sign of the city’s rapid economic development- as incomes increase with economic expansion, so does the desire for the motorbikes, a relatively affordable form of mechanized transportation. Many of our host families commented to us how cars (a relatively new addition to Hanoi’s streets) as well as higher-end motorbikes are seen as status symbols. There seems to be a shared feeling among many local residents that this new economic growth is also adding an element of materialism to the culture. 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.

 

India

From the moment we entered India, we were swept away by its magical chaos and its stark contradictions. Wafting scents that switch without warning from jasmine flowers to sun baked garbage; tastes that range from the sweetest syrup to the spiciest curry; lavish luxury out of the reach of most of its billion people- India is a mystery to unravel. During our stay in Bangalore, we had the incredible opportunity to live with host families in South Bangalore, the supposedly “posh” part of the city. Bangalore is known as the Silicon Valley of India, and a few of our families worked in the IT field. Though everyone’s homestay family was unique, we all got to experience the water-saving techniques of the bucket shower, the paper-saving techniques of the Indian squat toilet, and the general desire of our families to have us leave a little rounder than we came in- making it their goal to stuff us full with delicious, spicy South Indian dishes. Read the entire letter.

 

China

It is a rainy day here in Shaoshan, the birthplace of Mao Zedong. We had a great morning at a local high school, followed by a warming ginger soup- perfect for the weather- and now the group has closed ourselves away in our rooms for the afternoon with green tea or Nescafe to finish up our country papers for Emily’s public health class. Shaoshan is a rural pilgrimage spot of sorts- a place where large groups circle Mao’s massive statue three times, Mao paraphernalia is available in every form from cigarette lighters to baby rattles, and every restaurant claims to be run by members of Mao’s family. It seems the perfect spot to be reflecting back on our time in China before once again making big moves across our planet. Read the entire letter.

 

South Africa

After almost two days of traveling from Changsha with a day layover in Hong Kong, we arrived in South Africa a little tired but enthusiastic to begin the final leg of our journey. We had a weekend of rest and exploration in Cape Town, eager to shed our winter coats, communicate freely in English once again and fulfill some of those food cravings we’d been conversing about for awhile. We then moved to Zwelethemba, a rural black township in the beautiful wine country landscape outside the small city of Worcester. But the beauty of the landscape is not enough to erase the history that took place on its land. It has been 16 years since apartheid officially ended here in South Africa, but the stark evidence of it remains. Democracy and a rights-based constitution has not been enough to unite the “third world” conditions of the townships with the “first world” luxuries of other neighborhoods, and South Africa has one of the biggest divides between the rich and poor in the world. Though we certainly stood out in the all black township, we felt very safe and were well taken care of by our warm homestay families who shared incredible stories of their lives under Apartheid and the struggle against it. 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.

 

Vietnam

During our first week we also visited the National Hospital of Traditional Medicine. In Vietnam the public health system is pluralistic and embraces both biomedicine and traditional medicines, so citizens are able to access both at public facilities. Our tour of the hospital included a visit to the pharmacy, where we saw pharmacists mixing and boiling dried herbs into medicinal remedies, and a walk through the massage and acupuncture departments. And on the wall of the hospital’s museum was a photo of last year’s IHP group! We wound up the first week with a visit to the national Ministry of Health. Masha remarks, “One of the academic experiences I found most valuable in Hanoi was meeting with Dr. Tien of the Ministry of Health. He laid a thorough framework for our discussions of how economic reforms have influenced the public and private healthcare sectors." Read the entire letter.

 

Brazil

Hoi! This Portuguese greeting (hey!) quickly became second nature to us upon arrival in São Paulo, or Sampa as the locals say. After a wearying flight from Hanoi to Paris to São Paulo, we were all relieved to be greeted by Glenda (Brazil Coordinator) and Silvia (Brazil Facilitator) at the SP airport and get whisked away to our hotel. Tired as we were though, we were intrigued right away by our new home city. Most of us picked up right away on the ubiquitous graffiti art decorating nearly every empty outdoor wall, while it took us a little longer to notice that São Paulo has completely banned outdoor advertising. It has been refreshing not to be bombarded with billboards, especially for those of us who hail from big cities filled with ads. 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.

 

New Zealand

We then returned to Wellington where we stayed a week and a half in home stays with Green Party members. It was a week of lectures. Some of the highlights included: Kevin Hastings from the department of forestry who spoke to us about New Zealand’s controversial conservation and pest control strategy; John Hutchinson from Fonterra, the dairy distribution company of New Zealand, who gave us an interesting insight into corporate culture; Charles Dawson who gave us a heartfelt lecture on ecological literature and the importance of stories, including his own; and Jessica Hutchings, an east Indian, Maori, lesbian academic who taught us about gender, sexuality and Maori identity in modern Aotearoa. We also had the opportunity to visit the ‘bee hive’ as the parliament building is referred to, where we met with higher officials of the Green Party of New Zealand. It was inspiring to see an accessible and honest political party that shared some the values that we had been learning about like consensus. Read the entire letter.