by Photography Instructor Katie Humphries

Preparing for the photography curriculum in Sri Lanka, I spent a rigorous 6 months reading about the culture, the history, the geography, and the art. I watched films. I stood in front of my classes here in NYC and pretended that none of them could speak English. I started using my hands in conversation more than I normally do. I even followed cricket– well, for about a week.

But, predictably, none of these things adequately prepared …