Growing up in New Zealand really cemented my passion for nature and the environment. Never really being too far from nature, even in our biggest cities where trees decorate our pavements and the abundance of parks. My instinctual reaction to a new place is to look around and up – looking for green in the…Continue Reading The Natural Beauty of India
As we find ourselves at the midway point of our journey, the richness of India’s diversity has left an indelible mark on my perspective. Prior to embarking on this adventure, I knew India was vast, but the true extent of its diversity was beyond my comprehension. The realisation struck me as we explored various communities,…Continue Reading Embracing Diversity and Cultivating Love
It is human nature to be curious but I feel as though with the introduction of technology this curiosity of the world around us has been lost. Take a photo for the memory but not simply enjoying the place you are in. Looking down at our phones and never at the world around us. I…Continue Reading Don’t Forget To Look Up
“The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they aren’t true, but they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie My visit to Dharavi challenged the single story often associated with places like Dharavi, where negative connotations overshadow the vibrant community that thrives within. Before…Continue Reading The Danger of a Single Story
Having travelled across India for the past 17 days, I have developed many invaluable insights not just about this diverse and culturally rich nation, but also about the depths of my own character. The journey has been a revelation in many ways, teaching me about resilience, the importance of diversity, and also human innovation that…Continue Reading Lessons on Discovering Resilience, Diversity and Innovation in India
This past week has been very full-on but equally inspiring and enlightening! We started off the week with a class on One Health, which is an approach of attaining sustainability and balance of health through the idea that the health of humans, animals, plants, nature, and ecosystems are intrinsically interconnected. This approach was very interesting…Continue Reading Exploring Chilean Healthcare, Culture, History, People, and Nature
Another week in the heat of Santiago as we delve deeper into learning about the Chilean health system! This week, we took our learning outside of the classroom and immersed ourselves in various settings connected to well-being. After a seminar on health, we visited the huerta (vegetable garden) on the San Joaquin campus. At the…Continue Reading Beyond the Classroom
I’ve been thinking a lot about language recently. Whether it’s being taught innovative ways to string together Chilean slang words (no further details will be provided on this, for fear my blogging rights get revoked), trying to work out what someone is saying to me when I have an interaction with a local, or noting…Continue Reading Reckoning with Language
Rangitane. Ngati Porou. Ngai tai ki Tāmaki. Waikato-Tainui. From observing the medicinal herbs grown in the university gardens, walking the wards of the hospital, to the shores of Valparaiso – it was a whirlwind week filled with beautiful experiences. On Tuesday and Thursday we were given the opportunity to walk the grounds of two hospitals…Continue Reading The poutokomanawa of a Chilean hospital
This story was originally posted on University of Waikato’s Global Experiences blog. by Georgia Owens 7th of January 2024 We arrived in Chennai and were welcomed by the IndoGenius team. On our way to Puducherry, we stopped for our first authentic Indian lunch. If I could describe India in one word it would be busy….Continue Reading The First Seven Days