Namaste! Hello! My name is Ana Gonzalez Vargas. I am 22 years old and I am from Rockford, IL. In Rockford, I love walks or bike rides along the river and relaxing at Rock Cut State Park. I love anything outdoors and have spent the past few summers in national parks. I spent two summers in Yellowstone, one in Grand Teton National Park, and this past summer in Denali, Alaska. Currently, I attend Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennslyvania, where I study economics and math.
This semester, however, I’m studying in Nepal, where my love for the mountains and easy-going towns comes together. I will be studying how the economy in Nepal is transitioning and how Nepali people maintain the balance between modernity and retaining cultural traditions. I will also hopefully be moderately fluent in Nepali and will be teaching you all new words as I learn them!
At the end of the semester I will conduct a month-long independent research project and hope to explore the effects of trekking tourism on the rural Himalayan economy and the impact on the Nepal's environment. I can’t wait to start this adventure and share it with all of you!
