We're finally here! After a very long five days in Delhi (which half of us spent sick in bed) we were all extremely excited to hear that the snow in Leh had let up and our plane could fly. We took off from Delhi, a city for which most of us have mixed emotions, and landed in absolute paradise! I'll never forget that feeling I got as our rickety little bus bumped around the corner of a mountain and we got our first glimps of SECMOL. Our home for the next three months stood quietly between trhe towering Himalayans, the only building in sight. I was so excited I thought fireworks were going to explode out of my ears. (Good thing that's just a metaphor; setting the hair of my fellow classmates on fire wouldn't have been the most ideal way to begin the semester).

We've only been here a week and already we've learned so much. We're taking English, Science, and Ladakhi studies every day with James and Amy, but our new Ladakhi friends are teaching us as well. The campus is run by the students; if we don't take care of our responsibilities, nobody is going to pick up the slack. We move the solar panels, or the power goes out. We water the plants, or they die. I find a few jobs more exciting than others. Milking the cows is great. We have four, one of which is due to have her calf within the month, I can't wait! I think we all really enjoy cooking, too. Although I can't name any of the food we're eating, it's really good and very fun to make.

My favorite part of the day is probably English Conversation class. All of the Americans and Ladakhis gather together and just talk. The idea is to help the Ladakhis with their English, but the friendships that come out of this time are equally, if not more important. Everyone is so open and excited to meet you. It's the first time I've ever felt so connected to a community in such a short amount of time. Nobody here is a stranger, just a friend that I haven't met yet. It's hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that this is school. Not to say that I don't think I'm learning, it's quite the opposite. My amazement comes from the way people here reguard education. Learning isn't something that is forced upon you. Here is it easy to see more goals than just getting an "A" on that next test. We lose sight of this too often in the states. Education shouldn't be a painstaking obligation; it's an opportunity to shape your own future. The Ladakhis get that.

I'm writing this from Leh. It's a fantastic little city with roads winding up the mountain side. prayer flags hang between buildings and there is a shop for any warm article of clothing we may have forgotten to pack. Monday or Tuesday we have a day off from classes and plan to come back to Leh with some of our new Ladakhi friends. It will be great to know the city a little better, along with our new classmates. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that this place is amazing! Although I'm sure we all miss home in one way or another, it's really exciting to be living like this.

-Emery Boudreau