Around the World in 120 Days

There is no typical day on an IHP Cities trip. Every day is new, you meet a new local leader, you voyage to a new organization, community, city, country, you understand new things or old things in new ways. That's the greatest part of IHP, you are constantly confronting your preconceived perceptions and re-evaluating your understanding of cities and people. One day you could find yourself standing on the site of a house recently demolished by the state as part of an unjust eviction campaign talking with the community leaders who stopped the rest of the neighborhood from being turned to rubble. Another day could meet you on top of Table Mountain in Cape Town, looking at the portions of the city developed during the Apartheid and how much they haven't changed since the end of legal racial segregation. Yet another day could find you in a city planning museum in Hanoi, watching elaborate movies and light-up maps depicting just how Vietnam will transform itself into a developed nation. Or maybe you spend a Saturday sipping fresh coconut milk in Sao Paulo's Iberapuera park, watching kids feed the geese and throwing a frisbee with your host family. IHP is a challenge, but it is a worthy, important and incredible experience.