NOLS Semester in India

My NOLS experience was nothing short of phenomenal. My favorite part of every day was waking up in the mornings. It might seem strange, but I can explain. There is something magical about waking up in the Himilayas. It's a place none of my friends or family have been, it's a place that from my comfortable life in Kansas City, Missouri, seemed so far away and out of reach. To wake up there every single morning was amazing. I woke up under a shelter of trees, I woke up covered in sand from the beach, I woke up to the rushing water in the Kali river, I woke up after a comfy nights rest in a generous villager's house, I woke up in my stinky sleeping bag in a tent with 3 other stinky people and every second of it was perfect. To top it off, I woke up with a sense of purpose. Every. Single. Day. Every day I had a goal that was realistic and that I was proud to accomplish before I went to bed at night. I was challenged physically and walked distances I didn't know I could. I helped local families in their fields, took part in their livelihood. I helped them. I helped them, but they helped me more. They helped me in a way that is hard to put into words. I set SMART goals and actually follow through, I see people differently than I did before - gently and with positive intent, and I have a confidence and craving for adventure that can't be tamed.

NOLS pushed me to discover what I value in life, and how to effect ethics to shape my life around those values. Going to the Himalayas for three months was incredibly daunting. However, NOLS gave me the knowledge, skills, and tools to accomplish things I never thought I could do, physically and emotionally. They didn't make it easy - nobody could. But they made it possible, when it otherwise would not have been. NOLS created a space for me to mature, learn impressive technical and leadership skills, and live my life better.

There were times when I was so frustrated I cried, when I was so cold I could barely talk. But much more often, I found successes by pushing through my frustration and finally getting me group to my campspot, or working through the cold to summit a 15,000 ft pass. NOLS forced me to push myself in this way and taught me how to find success.

NOLS accomodated my allergy very well and worked out my field rations to make it easy for me to maintain proper nutrition in the field.

My semester spent in India was life changing to say the least. I made friends that will last a lifetime, met incredible human beings, learned another language, saw things that one could only understand if they saw it themselves. I pushed myself to my limits and experienced the incredibly breathing taking raw gorgeousness of the Himalayas. I wish I could accurately put into words just how absolutely incredible this experience was for me, just so everyone would know just how amazing it is so they can go and experience this for themselves. I would not be nearly as prepared to take on my adult life and college if it wasn't for NOLS. If anyone could take this trip, take it. Because otherwise they would be missing out on a trip of a lifetime. http://www.jetsetter.com/feature/what-we-are-thankful-for-i…

My NOLS India experience just ended a few days ago. To explain what I learned, how I evolved as a person, and how I was impacted by my NOLS course would end up being a drastic understatement. It is something you have to experience to fully understand. My confidence, my leadership abilities, my relations with others, my knowledge about the culture and environment, my greater appreciation for life, my connection with nature, my deeper perspective of life, and numerous more changed or evolved insights have over a span of three months have helped grow me as a person.
I took this course during the first semester of my freshman year of college. I would 100 percent recommend this course for graduated high school students. I definitely was not ready for college yet and now I feel well beyond ready.

The semester I spent in India has been the most incredible and most invaluable experience of my life. Whether it be living with a homestay family and learning to adapt to a new culture, rafting down the River Kali and camping in paradise every night, or hiking through the Himalaya and carrying everything you will need for 40 days on your back, NOLS Semester in India will offer you experiences you won't be able to find anywhere else.

No doubt there were times when I struggled and longed for my iphone or a warm shower, but I learned to face these challenges with more grace each time and through overcoming them I realized what I'm really made of. It's amazing how all the skills and lessons I learned in the backcountry have transferred and been instrumental to my success and happiness in the front country. (I think I'm one of the only people who can say I'm more comfortable cooking on a backcountry stove than in my own kitchen!)

And of course, the views are amazing. No mountains are more beautiful or more awesome than the Himalaya, the youngest and tallest mountain range on earth. Sharing in an experience like this one has given me priceless memories and life long friends. I'm happy to say that, over a year later, I still keep in touch with many of friends from NOLS. The friendships you forge on a NOLS trip are so unique and special, and for this I am forever grateful.

This was THE MOST CHALLENGING I have done in my life: You will NEVER put yourself through so many new, uncomfortable positions in your '​'normal environment": learning a new sport I had never done before, with peers from a well-developed, but yet so different continent, in a non-native language.

And it was THE MOST REWARDING: I accomplished goals, I thought I would never accomplish. I have never been so proud of myself. You are always more capable then you think you are.