This week I visited the National Geographic project called the Out of Eden Walk. A man by the name of Paul Salopek decided, in the year 2013, to embark on a journey following our ancestors’ steps out of Africa across the globe.

Salopek has been on this journey for almost 7 years and counting. He has been documenting every step of his journey on National Geographic. Although his entire expedition has been exceedingly enjoyable, I wanted to focus on a particular 3 stops.

The first stop that I wanted to highlight was from November 29, 2013. Salopek visited the Lost Village in Al Ula, Saudi Arabia. The villages’ walls were made out of mud. It was found that the village has not been habituated since the 1970s. The government bought out the village and moved all of its people to a nearby village. They plan to make the village a museum. Below is a video of Almutlaq, an archaeologist, giving Salopek a tour or the Lost Village.

The next stop on his journey that I would like to highlight is from December 5, 2016. This is from his 4th chapter called the Silk Road. The article was titled: A Cup of Ashes a Day Keeps the Doctor Away. When I saw that title, I definitely had to keep reading. Teshabaeva, a faith healer, learned her practices from her mother-in-law. She “heals” people by rubbing a glass of ashes over their bodies. Salopek was asked by his guide if he felt better after his treatment and although Salopek said he felt better, he said that he might’ve felt worse.

It is quite interesting to see how others around the world treat healing and medicine. Every country has their own superstitions and beliefs. In Kokand, Uzbekistan, using ashes to heal pain is their belief. Below there will be a video of Teshabaeva showcasing her healing talents.

The last date I wanted to highlight is from Salopek’s more recent travels. On September 11, 2019, Salopek was in India near Dhubri, Assam. In this article, he wrote about the brick laborers who bake about 250 billion bricks per year. Most of the workers are women. They start at a very young age usually to help their family pay off debt.

It is not a profession that anyone wants to be a part of. Most families do not have a choice. It is the only way they can pay off debt. This is extremely brutal work that they have to endure. Salopek provided us with a video that I will show down below.

It is humbling to be on this journey alongside of Salopek. Being able to virtually go on a trip around the world has been amazing. I loved seeing all of the raw footage from his journey. Salopek and National Geographic have provided so many ways for us to experience his journey. It shows me all of the ways that technology is advancing and the different ways that I can use technology in the classroom as well.

You can also follow Paul Salopek’s journey if you visit: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/projects/out-of-eden-walk/

Thank you for reading my blog!