SIT Study Abroad Nepal: Himalayan and Buddhist Peoples

Congratulations to Delaney, the winner of our Spring 2026 Photo Contest!

Congratulations to Kaia, the first runner-up, and to Bowen, the second runner-up of the contest!

👏👏Congratulations to the Spring 2026 students on the successful presentation of your ISP/Internship projects over the past two days. We are deeply proud of your research, hard work, and accomplishments.👏👏

We extend our sincere appreciation 🙏to the advisors, homestay families, co-researchers, and all those who supported our students throughout the semester, during excursions, and across their ISP/Internship journey.

We also thank everyone who took the time to attend and actively engage with the students’ research and internship presentations.

Congratulations to all students who presented today. Your thoughtful work and the past month of dedicated research were clearly reflected in each presentation.
We look forward to continuing with Day 2 tomorrow.

Dear SIT Boudha Friends,

You are warmly invited to the SIT Nepal: Himalayan and Buddhist Peoples Program’s Spring 2026 symposium of student research.

Presentations will take place at Hotel Tibet International in Boudha on Monday May 4 from 9.45am–4pm & Tuesday May 5 from 9.45am–4pm. See ☝️schedule for more details.

If you wish to join us for lunch on one or both days, please kindly RSVP via DM.

We are grateful to all of you who have contributed to the success of our students’ studies.

Hope to see you there!

Fully Funded Semester in Kathmandu – Fall 2026

The School for International Training, based in Boudha, Kathmandu, is offering two fully funded scholarships for students from Himalayan and Buddhist communities (Nepal, India, and Bhutan) to join its Himalayan & Buddhist Peoples Program.
The scholarship includes tuition, stipend, homestay in Boudha, field-based learning, and a funded research/internship.

📅 Sept 1 – Dec 14, 2026
📩 Apply via email (statement + CV + 3 referees) to: [email protected]

⏳ Applications reviewed from May 11, 2026

LINK 🔗 IN BIO

👉 Please share!

Over the past few days leading up to our students’ departure for their respective internships and ISPs, we have had a busy schedule ranging from guest lectures to proposal submissions. During this final week, Swosti ji delivered an engaging talk on Buddhist symbolism, providing important conceptual grounding for students. This was followed by a guided walk at Swayambhu Stupa with Anil Chitrakar, who offered rich insights into the stupa’s socio-religious significance, heritage reconstruction processes, and the intangible cultural heritage of the Newar community. In addition, our Center Director led a preparatory session on the ISP and internship field guide, equipping students with the necessary tools and expectations for their upcoming fieldwork experiences.

Wishing all our students a meaningful, safe, and successful internship and ISP experience ahead!

Here are few highlights from our Upper Mustang excursion. The excursion provided our students with valuable opportunities to engage with key themes such as migration, tourism, trans-Himalayan trade, the feminization of agriculture in a globalized and transcontinental context, ecological change, climate change–induced disasters, role of youth club and mother’s group, heritage conservation, and vernacular architecture practices—while immersing themselves in the socio-cultural life of local communities.

We extend our sincere thanks to our co-researchers, drivers, host hotels, and the communities of Upper Mustang for their generous hospitality and for engaging with our students on their research topics, thereby enriching their understanding of the region.

As we reach the halfway point of our excursion to Upper Mustang, we feel deeply humbled by the opportunity to experience and learn from this remarkable region. Mustang reveals itself as a complex geographical space and cultural zone—shaped by rich religious traditions, a distinctive historical past, and rapidly evolving dynamics of tourism, development, ecological change, and shifting community aspirations.

Over the past few days, we have been fortunate to engage with local culture and hospitality, while learning through field interviews and observations. Hiking through this valley has been equally enriching—both joyful and deeply insightful.