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INDIA FIELD SCHOOL

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In 2011, I participated in a field school in India with the University of Victoria Department of Geography. We learned about parks and protected areas management and women's rights issues. As part of an individual project, I studied the challenges facing water resource management in rural India through a participatory research approach. Interviews were conducted through Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) in three distinct states including Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand.

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Following this field school, I backpacked throughout the country for six months and eventually made my way into Nepal. These are some of my favourite images highlighting the beautiful and generous people I met along the way.

Rajasthan is one of the drier states in India known for its desert environment. This state faces some of the most pressing water resource management issues. Community members dig open pits and wait for rainfall to fill them so their village will have a water source during the dry season - Rajasthan, Jaipur.

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Glimpse into the ancient Amer Palace once home to the Rajput Maharajas (kings) and their families - Amer Palace, Jaipur.

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Babalu, our guide and driver, posing in front of the Himalayan mountains and rice flats - Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

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The Indian Himalayas receive heavy rainfall that can cause destructive landslides and disrupt local commute. Local residents pull up their pants and carry umbrellas to avoid getting soaked - Uttar Pradesh, India.

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Children I befriended while visiting and learning in a small rural community in the Indian Himalayas - Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

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We met a man named Mir who sold fabrics and clothes at the market in Leh. He convinced us he was also a hiking guide, but we later found out he had no such training. However, Mir had great enthusiasm for the mountains so we embarked on a backpacking trip with him and a make-shift tent for all four of us. Mir hired a man who owned a donkey to carry our gear during harder ascents of the hike. "Donkey man" and his grandson joined us on the trip and brought a flute to serenade us as we witnessed breathtaking views - Ladakh, India.

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Pangong Tso in Tibetan means "long, narrow, enchanted lake". This lake is situated at 4,350 m and is 134 km extending from India to Tibet. We stayed with an elderly couple that raised yaks and hosted tourists. Their son taught at a small school and we were invited to visit, teach, and play frisbee  - Pangong Tso, Ladakh, India.

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Our unorthodox traveling methods into Jammu and Kashmir by riding the colourful "sabji" or vegetable truck to the border and then hopping into the open back of a chicken truck for the unnerving drive into Srinager. Srinager is known for its famous Dal Lake, which supports a community of house boaters. We stayed on a house boat for a week - Srinager, Jammu & Kashmir.

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I fell in love with this fishing community. It had some great surfing and a bustling local fishing market. Teamwork was essential for carrying boats from the beach out into the sea and to pull in the nets. When the catch was brought onto the beach, people immediately descended on the fisherman to buy fish and in a short period of time all the fish would be gone - Kovalam, Kerala.

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