The other day, I was talking with a college student, and she mentioned her desire to join the peace corps. She also brought up the fact that you can't choose the country where you are placed, when you join up.

I realise that young nurturer/thinkers often feel the need to have an adventure. It's important for them to see the other half of the world in a very intimate way. I certainly had this need myself, as a young man.

I would suggest that young people consider the idea of going to India. This is a popular attraction for young folks in Australia and New Zealand, because they hear a lot more about India through their mass media. India has squalor, and poverty, it has oppression, and it has a whole lot of history. They invented mathematics and the "arabic" numerals for example. And they're a very philosophical society. Furthermore, they're also going to be a very important economic force in the next few decades. India and China are going to eclipse the Usa at some point in global influence. If you have spent time in India, you will be in high demand by many Usa companies who are doing trade with that country.

China would also be an interesting adventure. However, the poverty is less pronounced there, it seems to me - and it might be hard for a young thinker to stomach the idea of trying to live for awhile under the auspices of a government like that one - because of all those heretical thoughts that are flooding a person's mind when she or he is a young thinker ;-)

Here's a link to a BBC article published today, of a 16 year old in Bengal who started a school for kids in his backyard. The school has grown to 800 students.

Here is an interview with an author of european ethnicity who spent a lot of time in India.