My final blog post

You Know You’re in the U.S.A When…

1. Breakfast is elaborate and delicious!! Granola and Oatmeal and French Toast (OH MY!) I think we all agree here that breakfast is one thing the US does right. 
2. You can drink water from the tap
3. Traffic laws are actually obeyed and turning signals are actually used
4. You can put toilet paper in the toilet
5. You have a toilet that you sit on…no more squatting 
6. You have clothes other than what you’ve been wearing the past 6 months
7. Our showers are hot and have water pressure – the best of both worlds!
8. There are dogs everywhere! And you can pet and play with them without fear of getting fleas or bitten
9. There is a starbucks on EVERY corner (unnecessary) 
10. You realize that you’ve made an origami paper crane in every country you’ve visited (Thanks for teaching me Mrs. Laabs)
11. Consumerism is everywhere
12. It’s no longer acceptable to shower every 4 days
13. There are fast-food options everywhere
14. Everything is expensive… I miss the $5 meals
15. You go to the grocery store and are overwhelmed with the amount of options there are
16. There is a refrigerator stocked with all the food one could ever need in it, perhaps prepared for an apocalypse or something
17. You have to say goodbye to all your friends that 7 months ago you were nervous to meet
18. Cell phones are EVERYWHERE and are especially visible during mealtime (shame shame)
19. You understand all the conversations happening around you for the first time in a while. No more language classes 😦
20. You can have any type of food you want at any hour!!! (That time we got Shake Shack delivered to our hostel at 9pm)
21. You talk about the California drought for 45 minutes with Senator Diane Feinstein’s Energy and Natural Resources assistant #thedroughtisreal
22. You realize that in the past 7 months you have grown. And you wonder what the cultural reentry process will be like for you emotionally and mentally
23. You live in a small cabin in Virginia with your friends for two weeks
24. You and Ellie steal everyone’s phone chargers as an April fools joke (sorry not sorry)
25. You build an awesome fort in the woods with Sophie and she writes a beautiful song while sitting in the fort
26. On the last night in Virginia, you look up at the stars with your friends, just like you did throughout the entire trip, and realize that you’re really going to miss these amazing people
27. The TBB Alumni say, “TBB never really ends” and you hope they are telling the truth
28. You officially become a TBB Alumni
29. You say/cry your last goodbyes to all your friends and promise to see them all soon
30. You fly home

There are many people I must thank because without them I would not have had such an amazing and impactful adventure.

Thank you to everyone who supported me in the last seven months. Thank you to the best college counselor, Sherry Zagunas, for finding this program with me and encouraging me to do this trip. Thank you to my mom and dad for allowing me to have this gap year experience. Thank you to my wonderful leaders for everything you did, including keeping me safe and alive the last 7 months. Thank you to the TBB staff for organizing an awesome trip. And lastly thank you to all my friends who made this trip so special and fun! You pushed and supported me the last 8 months and I am so grateful to have you all in my life. Please come visit me in California.

Thank you to my blog readers for following my journey and giving me supportive and encouraging messages. I look forward to seeing you all soon!

Patty Dougherty

You Know You’re in Ecuador when…

1. All your roommates have terrible flea bites (except for you) and there is nothing they can do about it
2. You literally have rice and potatoes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
3. As a special guest, you are generously given the head of a guinea pig for lunch which still had its eyes, ears, teeth, and some fur (tasted like chicken)
4. Your group works with a local ngo that has us planting 300 trees a day (on average) in the Andes Highlands
5. You make guacamole in your spare time and since there’s no tortilla chips you use Lays chips instead (it honestly tasted amazing!)
6. You get a huge bowl of potato soup one night with a side of 15 potatoes
7. Your leaders get served a cup of warm, uncongealed jello each night
8. Getting food that’s not rice and potatoes feels like an early birthday present
9. You watch Lord of the Rings after seminar and make a count for the amount of times Frodo falls down (we love you Samwise Gamgee)
10. You learn how to play guitar (sort of). Thanks Sophie and Becca!
11. Getting drinkable water is a process and you realize how grateful you are to drink it straight from the tap at home
12. Due to a knee injury, your roommate Becca and you no longer have to hike up a huge hill twice a day
13. You now live 1 minute away from seminar space with 3 roommates and a warm shower
14. For just .30c you can hop on a bus and go to the closest “city”
15. You are 10 minutes away from the Ingapirca Ruins (The biggest Inca/Cañari city built in Ecuador). We are surrounded by a beautiful and extensive history! 
16. You know way less Spanish than you thought you did but it’s enough to get by
17. The first thing your host-dad gives you is a spanish/english version of the New Testment (Dios es Amor)
18. The altitude difference makes going up the stairs our daily workout
19. You see a supermarket and buy 2 full bags of granola, granola bars, chia seeds, nuts, and fruit
20. It’s surprisingly very cold here and instead of wearing a t-shirt and shorts like you thought, you’re wearing all the layers you own
21. When the fog comes in at night it gives the street/village an eerie but alluring vibe
22. When you see who can say the name of our village (Caguanapamba) five times in a row the quickest
23. You realize how much you love avocados and take every opportunity to have more (You can take the girl out of California, but you can’t take California out of the girl)
24. You buy animal crackers for the first time since you were 5
25. You have the loudest/squeakiest door possible and you can’t go to bathroom at night without waking everybody up
26. Walking past pigs and sheep on the road is typical. Love this! 
27. Your family takes you trout fishing the last day and you accidentally slap your friend with a fish while reeling it in
28. You go to a club soccer game in Quito!!!
29. You discover how amazing and cozy alpaca sweaters are
30. Going to the coast for independent student travel was one of the best decisions you’ve made (I missed the ocean)
31. You visit La Isla del Plata (AKA Poor Mans Galapagos) and see enough Blue-Footed Boobies to last a lifetime
32. You go surfing!!!

Ecuador has been an awesome last core country. It definitely had it’s struggles but overall I wouldn’t want it any other way. My knee injury caused me to spend most of my time in the host village laying in bed and sadly missing the work project. I’m happy to announce that I will still be able to hike Machu Picchu next week! 

Today, we leave for Cuzco and we begin the 4 day trail in just a few days. After that, we return to the USA. Crazy to think that in just one week I’ll be seeing my family! 

Sorry that my blog was so late, I hope everyone is doing well! 

Patty Dougherty

You Know You’re in Thailand When…

1. You have the most delicious fruit at every meal (Watermelon, pineapple, papaya, tangerines, and much much more!!!)
2. You have a “pet” frog living in your bathroom that you name Timmy
3. Gin Cao in Thai means meal time in English but it’s literal translation is “eat rice” (not at all a coincidence)
4. Your pet cat Winky leaves you dead lizards in your room sometimes
5. Your running path goes through rice patties and banana trees and everyone smiles when you run by
6. New Years involves listening to Thai folktales from a monk and learning how to roll a cigar out of banana leaves
7. You’re joined at every meal by the living version of your main entree (AKA the chickens)
8. After a long day on the farm and seminar, the roomies and you gather around and listen to the audiobooks of Harry Potter
9. You must take off your shoes before entering any building
10. Smiling is a part of pronouncing a word correctly in Thai and you have to take note of it
11. When all of your friends are a minute away and movie night/slumber party = every night
12. Your house is the hangout area (even when the powers out) and where everyone makes coffee because your the only one with a kettle
13. Every Thai dog is adorable and you can pet them!!
14. Your mornings are spent with your host mom out on the farm and she is a boss (there’s no other way to put it)
15. Pa Anon (host dad) teaches you how to mix the dirt and then laughs because your not doing it up to his standards but he still let’s your try
16. Your three roommates take amazing care of when you’re sick and make you feel like you’re at home, even though that’s halfway across the world
17. You finally watch Big Hero 6 and realize what an awesome movie it is! (We love you BayMax)
18. There are mosquitos everywhere and you’re unsure whether the bites you have are from flees, mosquitos, or spiders.
19. You finally get some Thai pants and wonder how you lived the last 18 years without them
20. Your roommates choose everyones character in Harry Potter and they now call you Ron (or Ronald when it’s urgent) and you surprising respond to it
21. At each meal you are reminded of how amazing fresh food is- it’s literally from our farm to our table.
22. You make and present your family tree in Thai- each family member has a specific name/title based on age and which side of the family they’re on
23. Everyone in the village speaks Thai to you and although you don’t understand most of what they say you still enjoy the beautiful sounds of the language and respond with a smile and a “Sawadika”
24. The showers are freezing cold but you don’t mind because it’s so warm and humid all the time
25. Your host parents think it’s freezing cold and refuse to work when it’s actually 75 and sunny

Thailand has been amazing and I will be very sad to leave it in two weeks! This week we are staying at UHDP (Upland Holistic Development Program) working and learning about sustainable and local agriculture techniques. Today we made an organic pesticide from Neem leaves and studied different plant species and their many purposes. The village I’m staying in, Don Jiang, has a population of about 200. My host parents- Mae Venus and Pa Anon- take my three roommates and I out to their organic farm each day where we garden, weed, water, and plant new seeds! Everything in the village is walking distance- so when I forget something for seminar, it’s just a 30 second walk back to my house. We have been taking Thai classes in the afternoon as well which has been a lot of fun!

I’m doing my media project in Thailand on food and the main question my group is exploring is, ‘Are you what you eat?’. We will be diving into the emotional, social, nutritional, and cultural aspects of food. I’m very excited for our video and will definitely share it with you all when it’s finished.

Overall Thailand is amazing! Let me know if you have questions.

I hope everyones new year is off to a great start!

Patty Dougherty

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season! I’ve been in Thailand for the past 5 days and I’m loving it. Chiang Mai is beautiful. We are staying at an Eco Resort which has been very relaxing and fun. I’ve been biking to this little bagel shop every morning which has been amazing because I forgot how much I missed bagels! The NGO we are partnered with in Thailand is ISDSI (International Sustainable Development Studies Institute). We’ve been taking Thai classes, learning about agriculture, and starting our seminar series on sustainable agriculture.

Thailand is so different from India which has made for an interesting transition. It’s waaaaayyyy less busy, there’s many different food options (I had Mexican food two nights ago!), it’s hot and humid instead of being cold, and you don’t really have to haggle when buying things anymore. 

I have to keep this blog post quick because I’m leaving for our host village in about 10 minutes and I’m not done packing! I will be rooming with 3 other girls which I’m super excited for! The village is very small and has a population of about 150. I’ll be working with my host family on their organic farm. I won’t have wifi for the next few weeks but feel free to message me and I’ll get back to you eventually! 

Happy New Years! 

I hope your 2016 is filled with many fun, new adventures! 

Patty Dougherty

You know you’re in India when…

1. Cows wonder the streets and act as roadblocks
2. You have Chipoti for EVERY meal
3. Not only do monkeys wonder the streets but you also can’t look them in the eye without fear of your life
4. You can’t wear half of your clothes due to dress code
5. Honking is it’s own language
6. Tok-toks are a regular form of transportation
7. The Himalayas are at your back door- literally!!
8. Your host family doesn’t have toilet paper
9. Fireworks go off at all hours during the week of Diwali!
10. Henna is a normality and is called mandhi in Hindi 
11. You are offered a cup of Chai at least three times a day (and of course you say yes everytime!) 
12. You haven’t had meat yet….living the vegetarian life 🙂
13. You hop across a stream and climb 4 sets of stairs to get to work 
14. You almost forget to take your malaria pills every morning
15. Losing power is a normal part of your day
16. Your bed is a wood frame and your pillow feels like a rock but you still sleep great!
17. Your host grandma only speaks Hindi and thinks that the louder she speaks the better you will understand her (No hand gestures either)  
18. You find out Adele dropped a new single and your entire group freaks out about it
19. You’re on an overnight train and there is a convict shackled to his bed in the room next to you and two policemen with AK47s – completely normal situation
20. Celebrating Diwali changes your life- it’s like 4th of July, New years, and Christmas combined!!!
21. You find out the difference between Namaste and Nameskar (Nameskar is more formal and respectful)
22. New Delhi is the most overstimulating and vibrant city you’ve ever been to
23. Painting your house is a yearly routine and is done in preparation for Diwali as a form of spiritual (and literal) cleaning
24. Squatty potties are everywhere
25. You release a floating lantern off the roof of your house and watch it float away until your host mom tells you to get down before the monkeys come
26. You walk past herds of baby sheep at least every other day
27. The students have school on Saturdays (Only Sunday is off) 

India is awesome! It’s so different from any place I’ve ever been and I love it. We are staying in Palampur which is in the Himachal Pradesh, at the base of the Himalayas. It is absolutely gorgeous. At least 3 or 4 times a day I look up towards the mountains and watch paragliders soar in the air and I have the realization that this is actually real life and also my home!

But as amazing as India is, I’ve also had certain challenges. I’ve been teaching in Om Private School where I have a limited amount of freedom with the lessons I plan based on their teaching structure. But I love challenges and am determined to get through to the kids somehow.  And another challenge has been health (both mental and physical).  Luckily I am yet to get sick but many members in our group have and it definitely lowers group morale. Mentally, everyone in our group is exhausted. Balancing lesson planning, seminar reading, and spending time with family makes it pretty easy to burn out quickly. Especially when our seminar reading discusses topics like oppression, volunteer work, and student-teacher relationships. I’m definitely looking forward to this weekend and catching up on sleep and hopefully going into town to buy/find peanut butter (I miss it so much) and a suit -traditional Indian dress- so I fit in with the schools dress code. 

Mandy- my roommate- and I are living with an awesome family! We have a father who is a 10-12th grade teacher, a mother who is simply wonderful and cooks amazing food, a 12 year old brother who speaks some english and loves fireworks and scaring me with his fake snake, an 8 year old sister who we nicknamed Hannah Montana and is a joy to spend time with, and lastly Nani (our grandmother) who is just starting to grasp that I don’t speak Hindi or understand anything she says to me 🙂

Thanksgiving is next week and our group will be celebrating in Armitsar and visiting the Golden Temple. I have always loved thanksgiving because it meant spending quality time with my family and extended family and eating so much delicious food and pumpkin pie. This year, although I won’t be celebrating with my blood family or having a traditional Thanksgiving meal, I will be celebrating with my TBB family and giving thanks for many new blessings. I hope everyone has an amazing Thanksgiving filled with lots of joy, gratitude, and yummy food! 

Patty Dougherty

Another pretty sunset

Hi everyone! Today is my last day of orientation at Ingwe before heading into my host community. I will be living in Crags, South Africa for the next 5 weeks with a wonderful family who I met yesterday. Orientation has been amazing and challenging. Whether it was repelling off a cliff or tackling the ideas of global development, I’ve had awesome support from my group and program leaders. I’m excited for the community, family, and caregivers I will be working and living with, and the new relationships I will form in the coming weeks. I hope everyone is doing well. I’ll try to blog again soon!

Patty Dougherty