Although the projector and PowerPoint were both on, Professor Ash Snyder did not start his cultural geography class by lecturing.

The lights in the room were dimmed low, and music streamed out of speakers. Pulling a wood spherical cup out of a bag, Snyder filled the cup with warm water and mixed in a leafy mixture from Argentina.

After taking a sip out of a metal straw Snyder offered the drink to his students.

It was time to share.

“Are you ready for this?” Snyder said. “It’s called Yerba Mate, and it is a tea.”

While some tried the tea, most of Snyder’s cultural geography class passed on the opportunity to try the drink. Twenty-five minutes had passed before Snyder, an adjunct assisting professor of geography and planning at Grand Valley State University, started lecturing on class material.

It was not long before he was discussing a different topic, giving his students advice on what to do if they choose to travel to rougher parts of cities.

“I was in Vancouver once and somebody told me to not go to a certain part of town, and of course if someone tells me not to go, I’m bound to go check it out,” Snyder said. “Let me give you some advice. While you are on the streets, don’t make eye contact with people; walk like you know where you are going. I guess I like that confrontation of saying ‘Oh my God, what am I going to do and what am I doing here?’”

Formerly from Chicago, Snyder said that he has lived most of his life looking for that next adventure. In 1990 after graduating from Western Michigan University with a degree in Regional Geography, Snyder traveled to Japan for a year and found a job teaching English.

“I picked up a Japanese vocabulary book, but honestly all I went there knowing was Nissan and Toyota,” Snyder said. “When I got there, for about four or five days I felt like I was upside-down underwater.”

When the year in Japan was over, Snyder traveled back to the U.S., visiting several countries along the way, including China, India and Egypt. Snyder said he gained many life experiences during his roundabout trip home.

“I remember when I was in India and there was a woman sitting on the sidewalk and she was pushing her gums against her teeth and she let the blood fall down on the sidewalk,” Snyder said.

He said it is these real-life experiences that make the job enjoyable not only for himself but also for his class. Jeroen Wagendorp, chair of the Geography and Planning Department, said this is key.

“He has that sparkle,” he said. “He’s getting a kick out of this and you need to get a kick out of this. His knowledge does not come from a textbook. Once in a while as a chair you get lucky and you find somebody who is willing and has fun doing this.”

Snyder said his teaching style is all about motivating his students with his real-life experiences.

“The highest inspiration I like to give to my students is ‘Don’t be afraid to cross the tracks and go to the bad side of town,’” Snyder said. “Because there is some really cool stuff happening over there and there are some really cool people to meet.”

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