Bearcats on the Road

This is my last post from Bhutan, and I’m writing it from my couch at home in Pennsylvania. I got home late this morning after a 52-hour trip from Bhutan to Thailand to Shanghai to New York to Pittsburgh. As of the moment I’m writing this, I’ve been awake for 18 hours straight, and I don’t plan on sleeping for at least another five (take that, jet lag)! 

Topics: study abroad, Samuel Geer, Bhutan, Tiger's Nest Monastery, jet lag, Paro

The past week has been entirely devoted to directed research. The complement of 22 students in the program were broken up into six different groups whose research groups included both physical and social science topics. Some of the most interesting projects, in my opinion, were: biodiversity in local forests, the growing cordycep (an extremely valuable Himalayan fungi) market, conservation around religious sites and, my own research project, the effects of forestry management practices on local forest stands. 

Topics: nature, study abroad, research, Samuel Geer, Bhutan, presentation, Bumthang

The past several days have been filled with a plethora of cultural experiences with locals in and around campus. While simply walking down the street can tell you a lot about the Bhutanese people, it is something else completely to spend significant amounts of time talking with a Buddhist monk or staying with a family. Luckily, I’ve been able to do both of those things in the span of a few days.

Topics: study abroad, Samuel Geer, Bhutan, advice, monastery, monks

During the past week, we left the relative coziness of our dorms on campus to go on a trek through the surrounding valleys. It was a three-day hike that would begin with us hiking across the Bumthang Valley where our campus is located. After the flat portion of the trek, we went straight up over the extremely small Himalayan Mountains in the area (only 12,000 feet high — the Laurel Highlands are a small fraction of that). Once on the other side, we’d be in the neighboring Tang Valley where we’d camp another night and hike to a cultural site to finish off our learning adventure. 

Topics: study abroad, adventure, Samuel Geer, Bhutan, Himilayas, hiking, gender studies

It’s hard for me to believe, but the classes I’m taking here in Bhutan are already nearing their end. There’s still about one more week of condensed classes before we move on to directed research, but in that week we’re packing in a lot of learning. Today I had a pair of field lectures that tie into some of the research projects we’ll be doing here. The first was on biodiversity monitoring the government does to keep track of the animals that inhabit nearby areas. Looking at trail camera footage from within 15 miles of campus, we saw everything from wild boar to leopards and even majestic Bengal tigers. The second was on tree-core research and the methods used to test tree age, health and plot prosperity. This one was particularly interesting because I actually got to bore into some of the blue pines that populate the hillsides near campus.

Topics: study abroad, Saint Vincent College, Samuel Geer, Bengal tiger, Bhutan, Tsechu

After almost a week of traveling, I finally arrived at Paro, Bhutan, at around noon local time on Friday. Our flight from Thailand left early in the morning and we had one layover in Bagdograh, India. As we took off from Bagdograh, I had my first experience viewing the Himalayas. Looking out over the vast plains of Northern India, they rose terrifyingly high. Once we’d reached our cruising altitude, the silhouettes of the mountains still challenged our aircraft for superiority in the sky. 

Topics: study abroad, Samuel Geer, kira, Buddhism, Bhutan, Thimphu, Paro, gho

Above: Sam Greer at Ayutthaya Historical Park in Thailand which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was the 17th Century home to the Ayutthaya Empire

 

Hi! I’m Sam, an environmental science major, and for six weeks this summer I’ll be learning in the remote Himalayan nation of Bhutan. Home to sweeping mountain landscapes and a proud people with a traditional culture, Bhutan is a place that very few get to venture to in their lifetime. When I applied for this program last year, I remembered how grateful I was to be a part of an adventure so rare. 

Topics: study abroad, Shanghai, Food, Saint Benedict, Ayutthaya, Bhutan, Thailand