BECOMING AN EXPLORER
Other Case Studies
14
Other Case Studies
14
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Journey 1: The Nagas
Traditional Naga culture is vanishing rapidly. Once feared head-hunters, most converted to Christianity under British rule.* With an invitation of local chieftains, I flew to Nagaland to find out about a way of life rarely seen outside the pages of National Geographic. What did I learn from an experience like this? What decisions would you make concerning the logistics of this journey? What would you learn from having a similar experience? |
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Journey 2: Daytrip to Afghanistan
Before leaving home, many travellers imagine Afghanistan to be a perilously dangerous hellhole. Well, that might be true of some areas, but arriving in the GBAO (Tajikistan), it comes as a thrilling surprise for many to hear that the Afghan Walkhan is both peaceful and actually open.* For one day and one night, I visited the relatively safe village of Shughnan in northeastern Afghanistan by crossing a bridge near Khorog in the Pamir region of Tajikistan. What did I learn from this experience? What decisions would you make concerning the logistics of this journey? What would you learn from having a similar experience? Journey 3: Being Haitian
Life in Haiti has always been sharply divided between the tiny urban elite and the poor rural bulk of the population. Most Haitians are peasants practicing subsistence farming. Rural life is hard. Electricity is often a distant aspiration and food is cooked over charcoal, the production of which is a major cause of environmental damage.* I spent three weeks crossing the island of Hispaniola filming everyday activities of Haitians and Dominicans. What did I learn from this experience? What decisions would you make concerning the logistics of this journey? What would you learn from having a similar experience? Journey 4: Mennonite Ways
Mennonites are devout pacifists and reject most of the political ideologies that societies have thrust upon them. Today, Belize has many different Mennonite communities. The progressives -- many of whom came from Canada -- speak English and have no qualms about using tractors or pickup trucks; other groups are strongly conservative and shun modern technology.* For several days, I filmed Mennonite activities in three diverse towns in Belize. What did I learn from this experience? What decisions would you make concerning the logistics of this journey? What would you learn from having a similar experience? |
*These descriptions are excerpts from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Belize, Botswana & Namibia, Central Asia,
Dominican Republic & Haiti, India, Indonesia, Mongolia and New Zealand -- Lonely Planet's travel guides
+ These descriptions are excerpts from Benin by Stuart Butler and Cameroon by Ben West -- Bradt travel guides.
Dominican Republic & Haiti, India, Indonesia, Mongolia and New Zealand -- Lonely Planet's travel guides
+ These descriptions are excerpts from Benin by Stuart Butler and Cameroon by Ben West -- Bradt travel guides.