Saturday, September 13, 2008

Safe and Sound

I wanted to post something immediately to let you all know that all of the students in all Carpe Diem groups are well, in good spirits, and bedding down for the night without incident. I'm sure some parents have noticed in the news that there've been some bomb blasts in Delhi and the leaders, in their safety-consciousness, have all checked in with me and had this to say:

hey Ethan,
just a quick note to let you know that we are all fine. in case you did not hear, there were 4 bomb blasts in delhi today - less than an hour ago. we have all the students here at the hotel - a little quarantine. nothing happened here in the pahar ganj where we're staying, but one bomb was at connaught place. we're just playing it safe. we will contact the embassy before heading out in the morning just to let them know we're well. sounds like a good night to do some sing-a-longs on the rooftop. or as leaders we can do bollywood interpretative dance. one never knows...

Friday, September 12, 2008

Hey All

Just wanted to say a quick hi. We made it safely to Delhi after several flight complications (making a stop in Canada). We are starting to explore the wonders of our first city in India after a delicious lunch on the rooftop of a restaurant overlooking the busy streets of Delhi. We miss you all and hope to hear from you. Namaste.
Topher, Amy, Carrie, Ariel, Eva, Nalin

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Flight Delays

The group is doing fine and as we speak have all their luggage and some good meal vouchers from Cathay Pacific as they've had to make an unexpected stop over in Vancouver, Canada. There were some minor mechanical issues that caused the stopover and subsequent cancellation, but there's some good news. Everyone for INDIA and SHANTI that were booked on the Hong Kong leg have been rescheduled to depart at 3:10pm today on Cathay flight 839. They are scheduled to keep their existing reservation departing Hong Kong and arriving into Delhi on the 12th at 2:05 AM as shown on their regular tickets ... they will basically arrive into Delhi as scheduled, however missing out on the opportunity to explore Hong Kong.

I've just been on the phone with the Travel Consultant at Global Vision Travel and despite the unexpected hiccup, we both were extremely happy to have the pilot make the call to cancel the flight before being stuck over the Pacific ... this is yet another reason we love working with Cathay!

Yours,
Ethan Knight

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Notes from the Airport

Well, it's official, they're together and ready! The group leaders just gave me a call and they have their full group - yes, everyone is there! In about three hours they'll be airborne and embarking on a journey of three-months and a thousand experiences.

I'm sure over the next few months you'll have photos of all kinds, calls of many emotions, and growth in more angles than you could imagine. May this be the beginning of a truly momentous and transformative semester!

Yours in spirit and adventure,
Ethan