From Brahma to Buddha, Spring 2007

World Travelers,

First I would like to commend all of you for making the decision to take this semester to travel in India. Making this kind of step is not easy, and it takes courage to sign yourself off to a group of people you do not know, in a country so different from your own. This being said, I think traveling in India will return to you tenfold the experiences, ideas, new acquaintances, and cultural awareness that will help you to make more great decisions throughout the rest of your life.

Secondly I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Emma Cruse and I was a student on this last fall’s 2006 Brahma to Buddha semester with Global Learning Across Borders. Michelle Bos-Lun has graciously invited me to come up for this orientation weekend and be available to all of you Brahma to Buddha students as a peer resource. I was very excited to be asked to take part in this semester’s orientation and I greatly look forward to meeting you all and hopefully being able to answer or discuss any questions or issues that you find yourself dealing with in this now short time before you leave for India.

My experience in India with Global LAB, as well as my leaders and fellow travelers was as of now, the greatest experience I’ve had. India is unlike any place you will have encountered in the US or possibly anywhere else in the world, and I think you will all find it as eye opening, stunningly beautiful, culturally fascinating, and emotionally taxing as well as rewarding, as my fellow travelers and I did last fall.

The bonds I made with my fellow Global LAB students last year was certainly one of the most important and glorious parts of my traveling experience. The friendships and group bond we all share together is hopefully something we will carry with us far into the future as these people are now some of the most important people in my life.

I cannot wait to meet each of you and I hope you enjoy your week at home with friends and family!

Best,
Emma C