{"id":770,"date":"2015-01-13T10:00:35","date_gmt":"2015-01-13T18:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southasia.washington.edu\/?p=770"},"modified":"2015-01-13T10:00:35","modified_gmt":"2015-01-13T18:00:35","slug":"south-asia-mais-candidate-kelsey-utne-bulpip-aips-fellowship-pakistan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/news\/south-asia-mais-candidate-kelsey-utne-bulpip-aips-fellowship-pakistan\/","title":{"rendered":"South Asia MAIS Candidate Kelsey Utne on her BULPIP-AIPS Fellowship to Pakistan"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/southasia.washington.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/10547414_306038029593951_6312530995064789909_n1-e1421171651572.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-777 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/southasia.washington.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/10547414_306038029593951_6312530995064789909_n1-e1421171651572.jpg\" alt=\"10547414_306038029593951_6312530995064789909_n\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>It isn\u2019t\u00a0\u00a0easy for an American to travel to and spend time in Pakistan these days. And given Western media coverage of the region, not many people prioritize it as a destination. Despite the obstacles and the common misconceptions of the country, South Asia MAIS candidate Kelsey Utne was intent on getting there anyway. A student of Hindi and Urdu, she knew the value of immersion in developing her language skills. Previously she had lived and studied in India, but felt that her experience and understanding of South Asia was incomplete without visiting Pakistan.<\/p>\n<p>Luckily, her first year at UW was also the first call for applicants for the Berkeley-Urdu Language Program in Pakistan (BULPIP) program in over ten years. Administered jointly with the American Institute of Pakistan Studies (AIPS), this program had been closed due to post-9\/11 security concerns. As the political situation has stabilized, the program has reopened and seeks to give American students the opportunity to study Urdu in Lahore, Pakistan. After applying last winter, she was awarded a fellowship to study on the campus of the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) from August until December in the intensive Urdu language program.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/southasia.washington.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_1175-e1421171410606.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"  wp-image-773 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/southasia.washington.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_1175-e1421171410606.jpg\" alt=\"Eid\" width=\"179\" height=\"253\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cLiving in Lahore was an incredible opportunity,\u201d Utne says. Though classwork dominated much of her time, she and her cohort also climbed Mughal forts, visited Sufi shrines, and celebrated Eid. \u201cMy favorite classes were on current events, because it helped me to better understand the city and country I was living in. We read local newspapers and almost every week we each had to present on a current issue or news story. And there\u2019s a lot going on in Pakistan right now, so these classes also gave us space to ask for background information and clarification about ongoing issues.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One of her most memorable experiences was celebrating Eid al-Adha, or Greater Eid\u2014a Muslim festival which celebrates Abraham\u2019s willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael. \u201cThe night before it we went to the market to have mehndi put on our hands. It reminded me a little bit of the US winter holiday season with how the whole market was more festive, more crowded.\u201d Traditionally families will purchase a goat or other livestock to sacrifice on that day, which is then portioned between the family, neighbors, and the poor and needy.<\/p>\n<p>As for holidays back home, it was a little hard to be away for Thanksgiving. \u201cI really missed my mom\u2019s cooking! In the week leading up to Thanksgiving I was trying so hard not think about her stuffing. But we were so lucky\u2014Syed Babar Ali, the founder of LUMS, didn\u2019t want us to miss out on the holiday. Since Thursday was just a normal class day with homework and tutorials we did it on that Friday, but we had these exquisite turkeys that Babar Ali had ordered specially for us. They were delivered on a bed of French fries, which was to try to make them \u2018more American.\u2019 And then a good friend of mine hunted all over the city for ingredients so she could make a stuffing, which was just delicious.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/southasia.washington.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_0946-e1421171516846.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"  wp-image-772 alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/southasia.washington.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_0946-e1421171516846.jpg\" alt=\"Wagah Border\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" \/><\/a>Due to security concerns, the students\u2019 movements were somewhat limited and for the most part they weren\u2019t allowed to travel outside of Lahore. But when there were exceptions, they were quite memorable. \u201cEvery day at sundown there is a ceremony at the Atari-Wagah Border between India and Pakistan. It\u2019s a huge event and tourists come from all over to watch it, wave flags, and support their country. A couple of years ago I had seen it from the Indian side, and I remember standing on my tiptoes trying to see as much of Pakistan as I could through the gates. It was really important to me that I be able to experience this event from both sides, and so I was so grateful when we were able to go.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Interested in heading to Pakistan? Graduate students who have studied up to intermediate level in Hindi or Urdu are eligible to apply for the Fall 2015 program. Deadline: February 15.<\/p>\n<p>For more information on eligibility and applying visit: <a href=\"http:\/\/southasia.berkeley.edu\/BULPIP\">http:\/\/southasia.berkeley.edu\/BULPIP<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/southasia.washington.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_29441-e1421171864561.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"  wp-image-781 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/southasia.washington.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_29441-e1421171864561.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_2944\" width=\"570\" height=\"380\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; It isn\u2019t\u00a0\u00a0easy for an American to travel to and spend time in Pakistan these days. And given Western media coverage of the region, not many people prioritize it as a destination. Despite the obstacles and the common misconceptions of the country, South Asia MAIS candidate Kelsey Utne was intent on getting there anyway. A<\/p>\n<div><a class=\"more\" href=\"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/news\/south-asia-mais-candidate-kelsey-utne-bulpip-aips-fellowship-pakistan\/\">Read more<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[13,10,11,5,6,15],"class_list":["post-770","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-fellowships","tag-funding","tag-languages","tag-students","tag-study-abroad","tag-urdu"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>South Asia MAIS Candidate Kelsey Utne on her BULPIP-AIPS Fellowship to Pakistan - South Asia Center<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/news\/south-asia-mais-candidate-kelsey-utne-bulpip-aips-fellowship-pakistan\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"South Asia MAIS Candidate Kelsey Utne on her BULPIP-AIPS Fellowship to Pakistan - South Asia Center\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"&nbsp; It isn\u2019t\u00a0\u00a0easy for an American to travel to and spend time in Pakistan these days. And given Western media coverage of the region, not many people prioritize it as a destination. Despite the obstacles and the common misconceptions of the country, South Asia MAIS candidate Kelsey Utne was intent on getting there anyway. A\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/news\/south-asia-mais-candidate-kelsey-utne-bulpip-aips-fellowship-pakistan\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"South Asia Center\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-01-13T18:00:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/southasia.washington.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/10547414_306038029593951_6312530995064789909_n1-e1421171651572.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"snodgras\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"snodgras\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/news\/south-asia-mais-candidate-kelsey-utne-bulpip-aips-fellowship-pakistan\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/news\/south-asia-mais-candidate-kelsey-utne-bulpip-aips-fellowship-pakistan\/\",\"name\":\"South Asia MAIS Candidate Kelsey Utne on her BULPIP-AIPS Fellowship to Pakistan - South Asia Center\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/news\/south-asia-mais-candidate-kelsey-utne-bulpip-aips-fellowship-pakistan\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/news\/south-asia-mais-candidate-kelsey-utne-bulpip-aips-fellowship-pakistan\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/southasia.washington.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/10547414_306038029593951_6312530995064789909_n1-e1421171651572.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-01-13T18:00:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-01-13T18:00:35+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/#\/schema\/person\/dba51ef6aaca6aaaca19239237611ba5\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/news\/south-asia-mais-candidate-kelsey-utne-bulpip-aips-fellowship-pakistan\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/news\/south-asia-mais-candidate-kelsey-utne-bulpip-aips-fellowship-pakistan\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/news\/south-asia-mais-candidate-kelsey-utne-bulpip-aips-fellowship-pakistan\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/southasia.washington.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/10547414_306038029593951_6312530995064789909_n1-e1421171651572.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/southasia.washington.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/10547414_306038029593951_6312530995064789909_n1-e1421171651572.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/news\/south-asia-mais-candidate-kelsey-utne-bulpip-aips-fellowship-pakistan\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"South Asia MAIS Candidate Kelsey Utne on her BULPIP-AIPS Fellowship to Pakistan\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/\",\"name\":\"South Asia Center\",\"description\":\"Just another The Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/#\/schema\/person\/dba51ef6aaca6aaaca19239237611ba5\",\"name\":\"snodgras\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/36340cb7a3d943d434ed83018a62eced?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/36340cb7a3d943d434ed83018a62eced?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"snodgras\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/news\/author\/snodgras\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"South Asia MAIS Candidate Kelsey Utne on her BULPIP-AIPS Fellowship to Pakistan - South Asia Center","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/news\/south-asia-mais-candidate-kelsey-utne-bulpip-aips-fellowship-pakistan\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"South Asia MAIS Candidate Kelsey Utne on her BULPIP-AIPS Fellowship to Pakistan - South Asia Center","og_description":"&nbsp; It isn\u2019t\u00a0\u00a0easy for an American to travel to and spend time in Pakistan these days. And given Western media coverage of the region, not many people prioritize it as a destination. Despite the obstacles and the common misconceptions of the country, South Asia MAIS candidate Kelsey Utne was intent on getting there anyway. A","og_url":"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/news\/south-asia-mais-candidate-kelsey-utne-bulpip-aips-fellowship-pakistan\/","og_site_name":"South Asia Center","article_published_time":"2015-01-13T18:00:35+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/southasia.washington.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/10547414_306038029593951_6312530995064789909_n1-e1421171651572.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"snodgras","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"snodgras","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/news\/south-asia-mais-candidate-kelsey-utne-bulpip-aips-fellowship-pakistan\/","url":"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/news\/south-asia-mais-candidate-kelsey-utne-bulpip-aips-fellowship-pakistan\/","name":"South Asia MAIS Candidate Kelsey Utne on her BULPIP-AIPS Fellowship to Pakistan - South Asia Center","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/news\/south-asia-mais-candidate-kelsey-utne-bulpip-aips-fellowship-pakistan\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/news\/south-asia-mais-candidate-kelsey-utne-bulpip-aips-fellowship-pakistan\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/southasia.washington.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/10547414_306038029593951_6312530995064789909_n1-e1421171651572.jpg","datePublished":"2015-01-13T18:00:35+00:00","dateModified":"2015-01-13T18:00:35+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/#\/schema\/person\/dba51ef6aaca6aaaca19239237611ba5"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/news\/south-asia-mais-candidate-kelsey-utne-bulpip-aips-fellowship-pakistan\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/news\/south-asia-mais-candidate-kelsey-utne-bulpip-aips-fellowship-pakistan\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/news\/south-asia-mais-candidate-kelsey-utne-bulpip-aips-fellowship-pakistan\/#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/southasia.washington.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/10547414_306038029593951_6312530995064789909_n1-e1421171651572.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/southasia.washington.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/10547414_306038029593951_6312530995064789909_n1-e1421171651572.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/news\/south-asia-mais-candidate-kelsey-utne-bulpip-aips-fellowship-pakistan\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"South Asia MAIS Candidate Kelsey Utne on her BULPIP-AIPS Fellowship to Pakistan"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/#website","url":"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/","name":"South Asia Center","description":"Just another The Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/#\/schema\/person\/dba51ef6aaca6aaaca19239237611ba5","name":"snodgras","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/36340cb7a3d943d434ed83018a62eced?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/36340cb7a3d943d434ed83018a62eced?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"snodgras"},"url":"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/news\/author\/snodgras\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/770","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/104"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=770"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/770\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/southasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}