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Pomona College Magazine is published three times a year by Pomona College
550 N. College Ave, Claremont, CA 91711
Online Editor: Mark Kendall
For editorial matters:
Editor: Mark Wood
Phone: (909) 621-8158
Fax: (909) 621-8203
PCM Editorial Guidelines
Contact Alumni Records for changes of address, class notes, or notice
of births or deaths.
Phone: (909) 621-8635
Fax: (909) 621-8535
Email: alumni@pomona.edu
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Thirteen Months
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda: Oct. 16, 2004
Story and photos by Greg "Grace" Stanat '87
WE ARE DEEP IN THE RAINFOREST ON A GORILLA trek, having hiked through
muddy ravines and rain-swelled creeks, accompanied by a guide, trackers
and four armed guards
whom we see only occasionally as they maintain a loose perimeter around
us. We left the trail long ago, and have been proceeding only as quickly
as the hacking machetes will allow.
The first gorilla we see is a juvenile. He is playing on a vine, about
15 feet off the ground, swinging back and forth, grabbing at tree trunks
about six feet apart. Once in a while he manages to snag one of the
trees securely enough to remain suspended at the apex of his swing for a
moment, then lets go and starts all over again, twirling around on the
vine.
 I look around carefully and notice another gorilla in the underbrush.
She is an adult female, keeping one eye on “Junior” and the other on us.
She’s lazily munching on leaves and seems mostly relaxed, but alert.
Then, just a short distance away, we spot the large male silverback! He
is sleeping, an enormous gray lump. He rolls over, revealing his true
bulk (400 pounds!), glances around at us, checks on his family and goes
back to sleep. His name is Mwirima, and he is the leader of this group
of mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei). All species of
gorillas are endangered, but this subspecies especially is in trouble,
numbering only about 700. There are none in captivity; they survive in
only two places: the Virunga volcanic mountains bordering Congo, Rwanda
and Uganda, and here, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, where 100 percent of
the proceeds from guided treks goes toward gorilla conservation.
Our allotted hour for observing the gorillas passes way too quickly, and
soon we silently bid farewell to begin the arduous hike back through the
rainforest. Glancing at my wife, Susan, I see that she has the same glow
that must be on my face.
A Long Way from Home
 When I went to Pomona, I had never left the country, or for that matter,
the East Coast. I remember wondering what it might be like to visit
other parts of the world, but my family did not have the means. I didn’t
manage to take a semester abroad either. Then, against the odds, I won a
Marshall Scholarship, and suddenly realized that I was not simply going
to be visiting a foreign country, but living in one.Between terms at
Oxford, I was able to explore some of Europe, and my thirst for seeing
how other people live was born. When I returned to California after
graduate school, I continued to travel, but finances were again an
issue, so trips were few and far between for many years.
Fast forward more than a decade. Having met the woman that I would soon
marry, we daydreamed about traveling the world. Not just vacations, but
really going for the long haul. It’s easy to accept the routine that
life hands you, especially if that routine is comfortable or lucrative.
But when we weighed the benefits of long-term travel against the
disadvantages of career disruption, possible financial hardship and
leaving the comfort of home, there was no question in our minds—we had
to go.
So on Oct. 5, 2004, a few months after we married, we flew from San
Francisco to London, and five days later to Uganda. Six continents and
more than a year later, we returned home
on Oct. 24, 2005.
Outside Siem Reap, Cambodia: Dec. 27, 2004
As we head back into town, we catch a glimpse of a small pagoda set back
from the road. According to our driver, it’s not a good place to stop
(read: not interesting), but we decide to anyway.
The entryway is plain, flanked by high walls. It appears deserted, so we
walk through the gate to find some ornate gravesites (stone
constructions five meters in height), but
otherwise the grounds are very simple. Further in is a plain wooden
building with an open second floor. We bow and wave to the monk that we
see. He smiles. I move a bit closer, intending to ask permission to look
around, but we are stymied by an almost complete language barrier. He
calls another monk over and, ironically, since we had hoped not to
disturb them, the exchange grows to include all four monks in the
building. One of them speaks a bit of English, so we are able to ask if
it is OK to look around. They tell us the name of the place: Dongroem
Pagoda.
 They seem quite interested in conversation, so we inquire about the
pagoda, and they ask questions about us via the English-speaking monk
(his name is Kosal). After 15 minutes of stumbling, but friendly,
conversation, we are invited to Kosal’s “class.” This turns out to be
the place where he teaches English to the younger monks. It is also
where he sleeps, a 10-foot by 10-foot room with a beautiful mural on one
wall, a bed against another, a desk and a couple of small wooden stools.
Somewhat out of place, there is also a good-sized whiteboard with some
English sentences written on it: “Please give me a cup. Please give me a
ruler. Please past the cup to me.”
As we chat, more monks arrive; eventually, nine monks are crammed into
the small room or standing outside. The conversation is enlightening,
interesting and heart-warming. Half of their questions are straight out
of English workbooks (e.g., “How many brothers and sisters do you
have?”); the others are whatever else they can think up. In turn, we ask
them about their lives at the pagoda, their families and why they chose
to become monks (Kosal’s is the only
answer we were able to comprehend: he likes learning, and monks spend a
lot of time learning). A few hours later, our driver approaches,
reminding us that we had promised him we’d return to town by 5 o’clock,
so we sadly prepare to leave. Saying goodbye is more emotional than we
would have guessed. They thank us many times for visiting their pagoda.
They don’t get many visitors, and I believe it was as interesting for
them as it was for us. I hug them goodbye while Susan waves and bows and
smiles (monks are not allowed physical contact with women).
Cambodia is resplendent with memories for the eye. This one is for the
heart.
Reflections
 Returning home after such a long trip is bittersweet. It is a relief to
be in the comfort of our own home, but of course we are sad that the
journey has come to an end. Sometimes it feels like our trip happened
long ago, in another lifetime. But other times, often in the fog of
waking up, I catch myself thinking that we have to quickly pack our
backpacks and catch a flight to our next destination.
It would be easy to get swept back into the rat race of careers, social
status and high-definition flat screen TVs, but there is no doubt that
we both view life differently now. We are thankful for the privileges we
have, and we realize that so much of a person’s life (as well as his or
her opportunities) can be determined simply by where they were born.
Greg “Grace” Stanat ’87 lives with his wife Susan in San Francisco where
he runs 415 Productions Inc., a boutique Web design firm (www.415.com).
More images and information are available at the Stanats’ Web site at
www.thirteenmonths.com.
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