Name: Michael Smith
Title: Natty Dreads
Location: Kathmandu, Nepal
Program: College Year in Nepal, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Fall 2003
Description: This little Tibetan girl has the cutest mini-dreadlocks Iíve ever seen. She was with her mother at a Buddhist monastic dance ceremony on the Tibetan New Year. The ceremonies were being held at a monastery in a Tibetan exile community outside of Kathmandu, Nepal. Tibetans believe that viewing the dance ceremonies will bring good luck in the coming year. Only monks participate in the rigidly choreographed dances that involve fantastic costuming and slashing sounds. They symbolically dance out legends about virtuous Buddhist deities and maniacal demons, ritually casting out evil from the coming year. Like most of the other few hundred people attending the festival, she is an ethnic Tibetan who left her Chinese controlled homeland with her family. She is holding cups of tea that were being passed out to the crowd. Many Tibetan mothers will wait a few years before washing their childrenís hair, because they believe that wet hair can bring sickness to a small child (which is mostly true in the harsh winter climate of the Tibetan plateau). This leads to an abundance of little dreadlocked kids.

Name: Michael Smith
Title: Just Chillin'
Location: Khumbu, Nepal
Program: College Year in Nepal, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Fall 2003
Description: I took this photo at my Sherpa friendís motherís house, in Khumjung village, Khumbu, Nepal. These four monks were with a group of thirteen that were from a Sherpa Buddhist monastery about a dayís walk from the village. They were summoned for a specific three-day ritual that was being held on the death anniversary of my friendís father. The ritual is similar to the ritual done after a person dies. It is believed that it takes a deceased person forty-nine days to make rebirth, and ceremonies done on behalf of that person can affect what kind of reincarnation occurs. The monks had taken a little break, and were enjoying the mountain sunshine before resuming the ritual. I remained at my friendís motherís house for the duration of the ceremonies helping out where I could, but refrained from taking any photos of the ritual out of courtesy.

Name: Hsing-Hui Hsu
Title: La Vie Quotideienne
Location: Pau, France
Program: UniversitÈ de Pau, Pau, France, University Studies Abroad Consortium, Summer 2004
Description: One of the best things about European cities is how pedestrian-friendly they are. Here in Pau, France (birthplace of Henri de Navarre), a narrow street winds toward the main cathedral. Shops and flats line the sidewalks crowded with shoppers and cafÈ-goers on this typical summer day.