2008 Woodie Awards
Life at altitude: Miami's Nepal experience
Summer study takes students and professors across the world and up a mountain
Megan Brooks
Issue date: 4/24/07 Section: Features
Young said that 10 other universities are sending students to Nepal this summer as well.
Subedi invited his friend, Walsh, to be a part of the coordination and according to Walsh, he had no problem getting involved.
"It really just sounded like an awesome trip and there didn't seem to be a downside," Walsh said.
The cost of the trip equals the cost of six Miami credit hours plus an additional $5,500 for travel expenses.
"When I first heard how much it cost I thought it was really expensive, but then when I looked at other trips it didn't seem so bad," Walsh said. "If you think about it, it costs so much more to travel halfway across the world to Nepal versus just traveling to Europe."
Subedi explained that the program was popular in the past.
"When I did it for those 10 years it was one of the most successful summer workshops that Miami offered, based on impact, student popularity and challenge provided," Subedi said.
In the past, the trip has averaged 25 students each summer for 10 years. Walsh and Subedi are pleased with the 13 students that enrolled in the program after such a long break of offering it at Miami.
They publicized the summer workshop by posting flyers throughout academic buildings and bulletin boards on campus and talking to their students about the opportunity.
Since Subedi is a native of Nepal and visits there four times a year, he is the major connection between Miami and the Nepali culture.
Having someone on the trip with knowledge of the culture is crucial because with 30 million people and more than 75 different ethnic groups speaking 36 different languages in Nepal, it would be easy for students to get overwhelmed.
"We are very ethnocentric here compared to other countries, we're less worried about others," Walsh said. "I want the students to be exposed, to get the chance to immerse themselves in another culture."
The trip takes students to Kathmandu, Nepal's capital, where participants will begin to adapt to their new surroundings. From there they will meet 20 Sherpas, who are the people indigenous to the mountainous region in Nepal that borders China.
Subedi invited his friend, Walsh, to be a part of the coordination and according to Walsh, he had no problem getting involved.
"It really just sounded like an awesome trip and there didn't seem to be a downside," Walsh said.
The cost of the trip equals the cost of six Miami credit hours plus an additional $5,500 for travel expenses.
"When I first heard how much it cost I thought it was really expensive, but then when I looked at other trips it didn't seem so bad," Walsh said. "If you think about it, it costs so much more to travel halfway across the world to Nepal versus just traveling to Europe."
Subedi explained that the program was popular in the past.
"When I did it for those 10 years it was one of the most successful summer workshops that Miami offered, based on impact, student popularity and challenge provided," Subedi said.
In the past, the trip has averaged 25 students each summer for 10 years. Walsh and Subedi are pleased with the 13 students that enrolled in the program after such a long break of offering it at Miami.
They publicized the summer workshop by posting flyers throughout academic buildings and bulletin boards on campus and talking to their students about the opportunity.
Since Subedi is a native of Nepal and visits there four times a year, he is the major connection between Miami and the Nepali culture.
Having someone on the trip with knowledge of the culture is crucial because with 30 million people and more than 75 different ethnic groups speaking 36 different languages in Nepal, it would be easy for students to get overwhelmed.
"We are very ethnocentric here compared to other countries, we're less worried about others," Walsh said. "I want the students to be exposed, to get the chance to immerse themselves in another culture."
The trip takes students to Kathmandu, Nepal's capital, where participants will begin to adapt to their new surroundings. From there they will meet 20 Sherpas, who are the people indigenous to the mountainous region in Nepal that borders China.
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