By Cody Kitaura, UC Davis Magazine

"Cultural learning experiences abroad and closer to home prepare students for their futures.

Liz McAllister didn’t have to wait for the elaborate welcome ceremony of a rural Nepalese village to get firsthand experience of that country’s culture — she got it from a dog barking in the background of a Skype call last fall.

The Nepalese student on the other end then explained she was responsible for making sure the dog wasn’t too loud, because her family had given her permission to adopt it. To McAllister, it sounded a lot like something that could happen in the United States.

“When you’re getting to know someone, it’s a relief to know that there are shared experiences that you often forget about,” McAllister said. “These little things really united us.”

By the time she and 14 other students made their trip to Nepal last December, they had already spent an entire quarter at UC Davis planning projects to preserve cultural artifacts, improve irrigation, help plan new small businesses and more."

Read the full story at UC Davis Magazine.