After the eye-opening events and education we had in McLeod Ganj, we left the Tibetan community in the afternoon, waving goodbye to Neema-la--our contact--Max, Santos, our Tibetan families, and the J.J.I. Brothers in Exile--just a few of the vastly interesting and genuine people we met in McLeod. It was raining, freezing, and our feet were promptly given baths when we stepped outside to greet the taxis that would take us to Bir, Kangra. Having heated and spacious taxis made for quite an inviting and comfortable trip! We arrived at the Deer Park Institute just in time for dinner, and after a nights rest, we woke up for our orientation at the institute.
Deer Park is a collaboration of a well-structured monastery and a free school-- it's a place where anyone is welcome to learn, free of charge. One of the DP's main focuses is sustainable living and educating the local population of the current environmental state. The facility has set up composting, recycling, free environmental classes, and solar panel heating for the water and, with the help of some generous Italian men, lighting for a small amount of the houses near Deer Park.
Our week turned into one of relaxation, considering this was one of the first places where we didn't have a concrete schedule. Many of us took time to sleep, read, or..."wasket weave!" About a 45 min. hike up from Deer Park, through the Shivalik valley's and the numerous trees which spotted the village, was a small house where an elderly woman and her husband graciously gave basket weaving lessons. Suz, Chelsea, Isabel, Molly and I took an afternoon adventure up the footpaths to her house to take one lesson in "wasket weaving." We, however, got lost along the way, and stumbled across an Indian wedding--which was no misfortune, in the end. We sat with the grooms family and conversed with his cousins, who were so convinced that we wouldn't eat lunch with them because it was unsanitary, not because we were actually full. We were very full. From lunch. They did not believe us. Thus, we promised to return the next day for the post-wedding celebration for lunch, dancing and festivities.
That, however, was not possible the next day. We learned about lunch time, by Anna and Kelley's genius discovery, that our train tickets were booked a day early for the 18th, not the 19th which we all believed to be true. The group adjusted magnificently and I arranged taxis from Bir to Chandigarh (where our train was departing) which was to be a 7 hour ride and we had 8 hours to make it to the train. Kelley expertly contacted our hotel in Bikaner to enlighten them of our early arrival, while Jake ran into town to grab Molly from her brunch. And, excluding the lurching, jerky taxi ride--where several felt sick--we made it right on time for our 10:25pm train to Bikaner.
Now, our hectic transit and settling into our itinerary for free travel, we are in Bikaner, Rajasthan. Yesterday when our train arrived, we'd been in town for 10 minutes and we had spotted 16 camels-yikes!
Today we went on our first official guided tour through Bikaner's old city--in Molly's words was, "sooo cool!" But really folks, the old-city is what, when you are an outsider and picture India in your mind, it looks and feels like. With our guide, Gouri, we visited the oldest Hindu temple--600 years old--to partake in their daily puja. Compared to the puja's in the past, this one was most vibrant and genuine. The men and women, but mainly men, sang loudly and raised their hands high to Lakshmi; Drew said the man standing next to him had tears running down his face, in deep respect for their goddess of wealth. The experience seemed to be vital to our tour as it showed the passionate spirituality of the Hindus of Bikaner. Through the humbly small, stone streets we found, are you ready for this?, the spice market. That's right. Never had we smelled anything so strongly and so deliciously--because the two often don't correlate in India--on the streets. Half of us bought small containers of saffron, while others bought masala and black tea with which to make Chai Masala back in the United States. Don't worry, friends, I've bought some for all. :)
Alas, we're all very happy to be here, and tomorrow we're in gear for an authentic camel safari through the Rajasthani desert. We'll be spending the night in the magical dunes, like Aladdin. Arabian niiiiiiiight!
Punjabi pants required.
Molly and Olivia
Friday, November 20, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Different Demographics
Walking through the streets of McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala, home of the Tibetan Government and community in exile, it's a far cry from the India we've grown accustomed to. Each of us is living with a Tibetan family where we sleep and eat breakfast and dinner but that is where the similarity of our schedules ends. During the day we peruse the various shops (holiday gifts!), pursue different internships, go on stunningly beautiful walks, and seek avenues to learn about the exiled Tibetans' situation.
Morning is my favorite time here. I wake up to my Momo-la (grandmother), whom I share a room with, praying and then sip some boiled water with ginger. Then I set out on a walk with my Pa-la(father). We follow a path through the woods which leads to a monastary and old people's home where many Tibetans go each morning to pray and catch up. We then continue on to the Dalai Lama's temple, a modest yet large structure nestled in the hills, before returning home to breakfast. My least favorite part of the morning is trying to gulp down Tibetan tea, composed of butter and salt, and I'm not sure that my Western tastes will succeed in enjoying it. Luckily, we are in the place where momos can be found on every street corner so we never go hungry!
As for internships, flyers are plastered to every free wall advertising everything from Tibetan massage to wood carving to Tai Chi. We have all dabbled in one or two of these opportunities and found the possibilities a little overwhelming. There is so much going on here with lectures, movies, concerts, and just meeting the other western travellers and Tibetan refugees that it is impossible to attend everything that piques our interest. I learned some Tibetan massage [with my mom in mind =) -Kelley] but the most valuable thing that I will take away from my lessons is the story of our teacher who crossed the Himalayas, risking his life, to make it to Dharamsala. The refugees have established schools, institutions, and communities here; but it is not home. It is not Tibet.
The Chinese occupation of Tibet began in 1959 when the Chinese marched into Tibet, claiming to be freeing the Tibetans of "Anglo-American rule", which they had coincidently never heard of (the Chinese were lying). They havent left since. Tibetans are not allowed to practice their religion (Buddhism) freely; whether that means that they are watched, monitered, and controlled in their religious expressions (prayer, prostration, etc) or forbidden from places of worship and thrown in jail on absurd charges, the Tibetans no longer experience their basic freedoms in the land that now, no longer belongs to them. Tibetans, led mainly by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, are putting up a strong resistance to the Chinese occupation. Backed by the international community (for the most part) Tibetans campaign for the freedom of their people and the independence of their country; however, they are committed to carrying out this resistance through non-violent means. The Chinese do not share this opinion. Tibetan monks who have dedicated their lives to the dharma (holy teachings) and strongly abide it's non-violent teachings protest peacefully for their freedom, and are met with the fantastically violent means that the Chinese police use to halt their demonstrations. Monks are openly shot at, cars lit on fire, and people beaten ruthlessly left and right. One such occasion occured last March (2008), and last night a few of us heard the story of an extraordinary man who was shot twice trying to save the life of a monk. This man, Tsewang Dhondup, was shot once in the elbow and once in the ribs, near his left kidney. Both bullets went straight through his body. Without receiving care, he was instead forced to hideout in the mountains of Tibet for 14 months while the Chinese government searched for him. The Chinese government controls all hospitals and medical distributions in Tibet, and because Tsewang's name had been placed on the country's most wanted list, he was unable to have his wounds cared for. The bullet wounds became infected, and his flesh decayed and was infested with maggots. For 14 months he survived solely on personal strength, perseverence, and with the assistance of four villagers who found him and took care of him. Convinced to not have endured all this for naught, Tsewang and those who helped care for him escaped from Tibet into Nepal under the nose of the Chinese government and from there, made their way to Dharamshala. Tsewang shares his story with travelers like us in order to raise awareness about the situation in Tibet, which I am ashamed to say I knew very little about before coming here. Most of us are living with Tibetan families for our homestays and I know that after learning about the situation in Tibet, it put everything in a whole new light. I myself am staying with an old(ish) couple, both of whom are Tibetan. They are not young enough to have been born in exile, so it became clear to me that the very people who provide blankets, food, and smiles for me every day had to escape from Tibet at some point in their lives and come here. To even begin to fathom the hardships they endured in coming here makes my heart hurt, and I am no less than astounded at the goodness and generosity they have in welcoming us into their homes. We are in India, but that becomes easy to forget when surrounded by the largely Tibetan culture that McLeod Ganj consists of. It is heartbreaking to realize that these people are here because they are foreigners in their own land, not allowed within its borders and without much hope in ever returning to the land they once called their own. And despite all this, I walk the streets greeted brightly with smiles from all directions and good mornings called out by those who cross my path. The Tibetan spirit is far from destroyed. It lives strong here in Dharamshala, and one day, hopefully, will be given the opportunity to return to its land. Until then, it makes for an incredible atmosphere to be a part of.
Tashi delek (thats the extent of the Tibetan we've picked up, it means hello but will have to suffice here)
Kelley and Anna
Morning is my favorite time here. I wake up to my Momo-la (grandmother), whom I share a room with, praying and then sip some boiled water with ginger. Then I set out on a walk with my Pa-la(father). We follow a path through the woods which leads to a monastary and old people's home where many Tibetans go each morning to pray and catch up. We then continue on to the Dalai Lama's temple, a modest yet large structure nestled in the hills, before returning home to breakfast. My least favorite part of the morning is trying to gulp down Tibetan tea, composed of butter and salt, and I'm not sure that my Western tastes will succeed in enjoying it. Luckily, we are in the place where momos can be found on every street corner so we never go hungry!
As for internships, flyers are plastered to every free wall advertising everything from Tibetan massage to wood carving to Tai Chi. We have all dabbled in one or two of these opportunities and found the possibilities a little overwhelming. There is so much going on here with lectures, movies, concerts, and just meeting the other western travellers and Tibetan refugees that it is impossible to attend everything that piques our interest. I learned some Tibetan massage [with my mom in mind =) -Kelley] but the most valuable thing that I will take away from my lessons is the story of our teacher who crossed the Himalayas, risking his life, to make it to Dharamsala. The refugees have established schools, institutions, and communities here; but it is not home. It is not Tibet.
The Chinese occupation of Tibet began in 1959 when the Chinese marched into Tibet, claiming to be freeing the Tibetans of "Anglo-American rule", which they had coincidently never heard of (the Chinese were lying). They havent left since. Tibetans are not allowed to practice their religion (Buddhism) freely; whether that means that they are watched, monitered, and controlled in their religious expressions (prayer, prostration, etc) or forbidden from places of worship and thrown in jail on absurd charges, the Tibetans no longer experience their basic freedoms in the land that now, no longer belongs to them. Tibetans, led mainly by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, are putting up a strong resistance to the Chinese occupation. Backed by the international community (for the most part) Tibetans campaign for the freedom of their people and the independence of their country; however, they are committed to carrying out this resistance through non-violent means. The Chinese do not share this opinion. Tibetan monks who have dedicated their lives to the dharma (holy teachings) and strongly abide it's non-violent teachings protest peacefully for their freedom, and are met with the fantastically violent means that the Chinese police use to halt their demonstrations. Monks are openly shot at, cars lit on fire, and people beaten ruthlessly left and right. One such occasion occured last March (2008), and last night a few of us heard the story of an extraordinary man who was shot twice trying to save the life of a monk. This man, Tsewang Dhondup, was shot once in the elbow and once in the ribs, near his left kidney. Both bullets went straight through his body. Without receiving care, he was instead forced to hideout in the mountains of Tibet for 14 months while the Chinese government searched for him. The Chinese government controls all hospitals and medical distributions in Tibet, and because Tsewang's name had been placed on the country's most wanted list, he was unable to have his wounds cared for. The bullet wounds became infected, and his flesh decayed and was infested with maggots. For 14 months he survived solely on personal strength, perseverence, and with the assistance of four villagers who found him and took care of him. Convinced to not have endured all this for naught, Tsewang and those who helped care for him escaped from Tibet into Nepal under the nose of the Chinese government and from there, made their way to Dharamshala. Tsewang shares his story with travelers like us in order to raise awareness about the situation in Tibet, which I am ashamed to say I knew very little about before coming here. Most of us are living with Tibetan families for our homestays and I know that after learning about the situation in Tibet, it put everything in a whole new light. I myself am staying with an old(ish) couple, both of whom are Tibetan. They are not young enough to have been born in exile, so it became clear to me that the very people who provide blankets, food, and smiles for me every day had to escape from Tibet at some point in their lives and come here. To even begin to fathom the hardships they endured in coming here makes my heart hurt, and I am no less than astounded at the goodness and generosity they have in welcoming us into their homes. We are in India, but that becomes easy to forget when surrounded by the largely Tibetan culture that McLeod Ganj consists of. It is heartbreaking to realize that these people are here because they are foreigners in their own land, not allowed within its borders and without much hope in ever returning to the land they once called their own. And despite all this, I walk the streets greeted brightly with smiles from all directions and good mornings called out by those who cross my path. The Tibetan spirit is far from destroyed. It lives strong here in Dharamshala, and one day, hopefully, will be given the opportunity to return to its land. Until then, it makes for an incredible atmosphere to be a part of.
Tashi delek (thats the extent of the Tibetan we've picked up, it means hello but will have to suffice here)
Kelley and Anna
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Shiva Shiva Shiva Shambo...
The first real group celebration we had in India was Olivia's 19th birthday, which took place on the train to Delhi. We were living high in the AC Class for that train ride, compared to the non-AC we normally take. We surprised Olivia with an Indian favorite of chocolate balls made by a nice man named Papu from Varanasi, and shared the extra with the Indian residence in our compartment.
We arrived in Delhi to eat at the poshest restaurant we've been to so far, probably for the duration of the trip, except it wasn't Indian food, it was Chinese. But great Chinese food.
Back to the train we went after the meal to reach our next and more permanent destination for the next week: Rishikesh. The train took us to Hardiwar where, because the taxis and rickshaws were on strike, we struggled to find a cheap ride to Rishikesh. The next few days we had free to roam around the immaculate holy city--compared to Varanasi, very, very clean--walking through the popular street market, buying local fruit, strolling through the ashrams that were near, gawking at monkeys and miniature cows, and taking refreshing dips in the Ganga. The Ganga in Rishikesh is worlds cleaner than the downstream Ganga in Varanasi.
The high point of Rishikesh was the nightly pujas' the town had for locals and traveler's alike. Seated on ghats in front of a giant statue of Shiva, hundreds of people gather for the nightly worship wearing their traditional bangles, bindis, and being barefoot. It was a educational and spiritual experience to witness the Hindu worship surrounded by natives and the holy Ganga.
We had a few mishaps in Rishikesh--Maggie, reading alone our group-room, was startled to look up from her book and see two monkeys rifling through our garbage and eating Chelsea's cookies! Wisely, Maggie didn't do anything rash, and huddled in the corner behind her book. The monkeys' left the way they came--through our front door. Second mishap, Olivia went to puja the next night and, feeling so comfortable and at home in this welcoming city, was unaware that her shoes were stolen during prayer. Ironic! No worries, she found it amusing and had a nice walk home the way many Indians do--barefoot.
The most adrenaline-pumping activity we've had in India we did in Rishikesh: rafting the mighty Ganga. The rapids we much more intense then we expected, but luckily we didn't flip. Apparently we work well as a group--fancy that! But we had the chance to body surf through the minor rapids, and near the end of the ride we cliff jumped into the Ganga. They say that drinking Ganga pani (Ganga water) is the holiest of holy acts you can do to cleanse and absolve your sins, then we are all saints. Plenty of bathing and Ganga drinking went on that day. :)
From Rishikesh we went about 30minutes to the Phool Chatti Ashram for a 6 day, yoga-intensive/meditative retreat. We had a fairly strict schedule, but we all took the time we needed to decompress in this beautiful valley in the Himalayas. The ashram hugged the banks of the Ganga, and, constructed like a small compound, the ashram roofs offered a great place to relax and just think. We would wake up at 5:30am to meditate, chant, netti cleanse our noses, Ayurvedic breathing, and do 90minutes of yoga, all before breakfast. The meals were simple and so delicious. Just basic chapati, dhal, rice, chutney, and vegetables--this makes up what they call a Thali. We had mid-morning walks with and without the group to explore the Ganga beaches, the jungle around us and the villages near by. This was by far everyone's favorite part of the day. The nature around us was so vast and deep, it was like being a child again and feeling the wonder of new discoveries.
Ashram life grew on all of us, waking early, living simply, eating silently and feeling at home. Laleeta ji, our yoga and course intsructor, told many stories of Gurus and holy men. She tipped on how to tell true holy men and untrue holy men apart, something we were all wondering about. The swamis who are the head honchos of the ashram are like bishops in the Catholic church. We couldn't interact much with them, but when they were near us we could feel their wisdom radiating from their eyes. Except when Chelsea saw one ride away on a motorbike, his beard blowing in the wind. Who knew! Every night we would partake in the ashram puja and then chant around their fire pit, which seemed to be a, for the most part, ritualistically relaxing for the mind. We sang the song Shiva Shiva Shiva Shambo, Hare Krishna Hare Rama, Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram, and Om Ganga Mai Ganga. Repetitive but beautiful, because this is the ashram life: simple, ritualistic, and pure.
We're now in Chandigarh for a few days to learn about Sikhism and visit the famed Nek Chand Fantasy Rock Garden. It was constructed by one man out of an array of recycled items, making sculptures, fountains and other structures of art. We go to Amritsar in a couple of days and, speaking for the group, the Golden Temple has been something we've been looking forward to.
Shanti aur prem,
Olivia & Chelsea
We arrived in Delhi to eat at the poshest restaurant we've been to so far, probably for the duration of the trip, except it wasn't Indian food, it was Chinese. But great Chinese food.
Back to the train we went after the meal to reach our next and more permanent destination for the next week: Rishikesh. The train took us to Hardiwar where, because the taxis and rickshaws were on strike, we struggled to find a cheap ride to Rishikesh. The next few days we had free to roam around the immaculate holy city--compared to Varanasi, very, very clean--walking through the popular street market, buying local fruit, strolling through the ashrams that were near, gawking at monkeys and miniature cows, and taking refreshing dips in the Ganga. The Ganga in Rishikesh is worlds cleaner than the downstream Ganga in Varanasi.
The high point of Rishikesh was the nightly pujas' the town had for locals and traveler's alike. Seated on ghats in front of a giant statue of Shiva, hundreds of people gather for the nightly worship wearing their traditional bangles, bindis, and being barefoot. It was a educational and spiritual experience to witness the Hindu worship surrounded by natives and the holy Ganga.
We had a few mishaps in Rishikesh--Maggie, reading alone our group-room, was startled to look up from her book and see two monkeys rifling through our garbage and eating Chelsea's cookies! Wisely, Maggie didn't do anything rash, and huddled in the corner behind her book. The monkeys' left the way they came--through our front door. Second mishap, Olivia went to puja the next night and, feeling so comfortable and at home in this welcoming city, was unaware that her shoes were stolen during prayer. Ironic! No worries, she found it amusing and had a nice walk home the way many Indians do--barefoot.
The most adrenaline-pumping activity we've had in India we did in Rishikesh: rafting the mighty Ganga. The rapids we much more intense then we expected, but luckily we didn't flip. Apparently we work well as a group--fancy that! But we had the chance to body surf through the minor rapids, and near the end of the ride we cliff jumped into the Ganga. They say that drinking Ganga pani (Ganga water) is the holiest of holy acts you can do to cleanse and absolve your sins, then we are all saints. Plenty of bathing and Ganga drinking went on that day. :)
From Rishikesh we went about 30minutes to the Phool Chatti Ashram for a 6 day, yoga-intensive/meditative retreat. We had a fairly strict schedule, but we all took the time we needed to decompress in this beautiful valley in the Himalayas. The ashram hugged the banks of the Ganga, and, constructed like a small compound, the ashram roofs offered a great place to relax and just think. We would wake up at 5:30am to meditate, chant, netti cleanse our noses, Ayurvedic breathing, and do 90minutes of yoga, all before breakfast. The meals were simple and so delicious. Just basic chapati, dhal, rice, chutney, and vegetables--this makes up what they call a Thali. We had mid-morning walks with and without the group to explore the Ganga beaches, the jungle around us and the villages near by. This was by far everyone's favorite part of the day. The nature around us was so vast and deep, it was like being a child again and feeling the wonder of new discoveries.
Ashram life grew on all of us, waking early, living simply, eating silently and feeling at home. Laleeta ji, our yoga and course intsructor, told many stories of Gurus and holy men. She tipped on how to tell true holy men and untrue holy men apart, something we were all wondering about. The swamis who are the head honchos of the ashram are like bishops in the Catholic church. We couldn't interact much with them, but when they were near us we could feel their wisdom radiating from their eyes. Except when Chelsea saw one ride away on a motorbike, his beard blowing in the wind. Who knew! Every night we would partake in the ashram puja and then chant around their fire pit, which seemed to be a, for the most part, ritualistically relaxing for the mind. We sang the song Shiva Shiva Shiva Shambo, Hare Krishna Hare Rama, Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram, and Om Ganga Mai Ganga. Repetitive but beautiful, because this is the ashram life: simple, ritualistic, and pure.
We're now in Chandigarh for a few days to learn about Sikhism and visit the famed Nek Chand Fantasy Rock Garden. It was constructed by one man out of an array of recycled items, making sculptures, fountains and other structures of art. We go to Amritsar in a couple of days and, speaking for the group, the Golden Temple has been something we've been looking forward to.
Shanti aur prem,
Olivia & Chelsea
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Welcome to the Holy City.
We arrived in the Hindu Holy city of Varanasi after a short train ride from Bodhgaya the night of the 12th, welcomed by dry air, refreshing bright lights, and freedom from constant threat of mosquito attack. The city is, in my personal opinion, lovely - it sits comfortably on the river Ganga and is filled with more half dressed holy men than I ever thought possible. The river is really a mystery; despite being said to heal the soul with a "simple" bath (freeing one not only from sin but the continuous cycle of rebirth) and exsiting as one of the spiritual center points to the Hindu population in Varanasi, the Ganga is undoubtely one of the dirtiest bodies of water known to man. Trust me on this one, it is absolutley beautiful. Greeting a new day with a short yoga practice on the roof of our current abode, one can get an amazing view of the seemingly endless lazy river. Stretching out for miles and reflecting the warm Indian sun, it is home to trash, blind dolphins, and unfortunetly, half burnt bodies (this is due to the "burning ghats", Varanasi's ghat known for the large number of cremations performed there on a daily basis). Again, I find myself comfortable and completley content with India's traditions remaining a mystery. Over these next few days the 10 of us travelers find ourselves in the mix of the busy city - learning Hindi in the mornings with our teacher Pinku Ji, and splitting up in the afternoons to intern in different areas around the city. I am very excited about this considering I seem to be benefiting greatly from the different skills and practices our group is picking up. Not only do i get to enjoy the beautiful sound of Olivia recieving vocal lessons on classical Indian song, but I am soon to be the recipient of a daily aryuvedic message (of course I am helping Anna in her personal quest to heal the soul, yes I am helping). This should be a great learning experience for all of us, growing not only in our personal skills, but also in our ability to learn from another culture. I truly believe that all of us really are experiencing the spiritually uplifting part of Varanasi, for some that may come in the form of a friendly Hindi driven connection with a local, a glimpse of a half naked holy man's need for a little more clothing, or a heavenly message. Maybe the Ganga has more to offer than meets the eye.
Last week, however, was a stark contrast to the city we are in now; we stayed at a semi monastic center in Bodhgaya, the birthplace of Buddhism, and participated in a silent meditation retreat. Spirtually uplifting for some and just plain annoying for others, the teachings taught us a variety of things... if nothing else, to practice patience. Venerable David taught us twice a day and we participated in three meditation sessions a day. On the last day we visited a temple dedicated to the bodhi tree Buddha attained enlightenment under 2500 years ago for a sunrise meditation. Bodhgaya was a beautiful place, but I think we are all thankful to be able to converse again.
peace and love
Maggie Mae and Anna
Last week, however, was a stark contrast to the city we are in now; we stayed at a semi monastic center in Bodhgaya, the birthplace of Buddhism, and participated in a silent meditation retreat. Spirtually uplifting for some and just plain annoying for others, the teachings taught us a variety of things... if nothing else, to practice patience. Venerable David taught us twice a day and we participated in three meditation sessions a day. On the last day we visited a temple dedicated to the bodhi tree Buddha attained enlightenment under 2500 years ago for a sunrise meditation. Bodhgaya was a beautiful place, but I think we are all thankful to be able to converse again.
peace and love
Maggie Mae and Anna
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Our last day in Kolkata
Tonight we leave Kolkata; when the group left Sikkim I thought it impossible that I would be able to fall in love with any other part of India. But I have, and I will truly miss the home I've made for myself here. Before leaving for India, I was told by anyone that had ever been here that this country was full of contradiction. I believe I love Kolkata because it is a perfect example of that. This city is when I first began to really see that contrast. There is so much beauty and so much poverty at the same time---all on the same street corner. The group has spent the past six mornings giving their time to the less fortunate; people that are suffering from extreme cases of mental and physical handicaps. Then, somehow, we find ourselves eating at nice restaurants, enjoying good company and sleeping in more than adequate rooms. The contradictions are at times difficult to handle, but they cause you to think, and to act. I feel much more aware, and am beginning to appreciate India for everything that it is. During my time here, I have felt more than anything a sense of purpose, because I have people to help and friends to talk to. I think less about myself, and I realize that's a good way to live life. I hope that I can continue to live with a sense of purpose even if I can't remain in Kolkata. I look forward to making new connections, continuing to discover things about myself, and helping more of those in need.
Namaste,
Isabel
Namaste,
Isabel
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Conquering our own "cliffs of insanity!"
Sitting here in Darjeeling, it seems quite a feat looking back on the arduous trek the group and I just accomplished. From Yuksam at 6,000 ft. to Dzongri at 13,200 ft., we were out in the Himalayas for a good 7 days; days full of ups and downs, challenges and rewards, pain and beauty. I believe the trek was much harder than most of us expected, and in that sense, it was much more meaningful to hike up thousands of feet over the course of 3 days uphill and 3 days downhill.
Throughout the hike the group had a natural split between those who really took on the mountain and those who wished to take their time through the forests. I believe we were all comfortable with the paces we chose, either speeding up or slowing down whenever the jagged rocks that were our steps became too intense. The first day we hiked about 8km and stopped for camp at a random field to the side of the trail. Our dedicated and amazing porters and cook, Tenzing, made a delicious meal of vegi momo's, dhal bhat, and chapati.
The second day was just as difficult, or challenging I should say, and we stopped in a small mountain village called Tsokha for the night. Of course we had more satisfying food waiting for us, and as well as entertainment that night: some of the locals and our porters got together for song and dance. Chelsea, Isabel, Molly, Suz and I went to check out the "dancing" which was really a bunch of turning in circles and jumping around, accompanied by yelling or chanting and the clapping of the hands. Our friend from our Lepcha homestay, Pema, was there to join in!
The next day we reached Dzongri. The view was absolutely breathtaking from where we set up camp, and we all took into appreciation the fact that we were, indeed, on top of a mountain in the Himalayas. An awesome feeling and sight. The full day we spent in Dzongri went to resting our bodies or going on a pleasant day hike up to some view points along the mountain ridges. And despite the cold weather, we all rather enjoyed the alarmingly fresh mountain air and relieving atmostphere around us.
The group has taken to having "story time!" inspired by Chelsea and myself to spread our love of Princess Bride with the rest of the group. Drew, our leader, however, knows the entire story by heart, and we barely need to read the book aloud to follow it along, as Drew could act it out word-for-word. But it has indeed been a nice group experience, thought it doesn't measure up to what the group went through during the trek. Emotionally, physically, and spiritually we all had our own revelations on the mountain.
The morning we awoke at 3:30am for the sunrise over Mt. Pandim and Mt. Kanchenjunga was certainly a magical one. Seeing the pristine peaks at first light was an experience we're bound to keep near and dear to our hearts throughout the trip, and most likely throughout our lives. Because despite the bitter cold weather, and wind really nipping at our noses, the mountains overpowered any sense of discomfort. The mountains stood there in striking beauty, and all we could do was be there in the presence of them. For me, seeing something so magnificent at such a young age was invaluable, and I am so glad to have been able to share that experience with the group. I know we all had our individual moments with mountains, but as a group we saw them together, and it brought us closer.
Tonight is our first ever train ride in India. Kolkata is near, and we feel anticipation. Are we prepared for it? Who knows! I do know that we're all looking forward to more growth.
Until next post,
Namaste,
Olivia
Throughout the hike the group had a natural split between those who really took on the mountain and those who wished to take their time through the forests. I believe we were all comfortable with the paces we chose, either speeding up or slowing down whenever the jagged rocks that were our steps became too intense. The first day we hiked about 8km and stopped for camp at a random field to the side of the trail. Our dedicated and amazing porters and cook, Tenzing, made a delicious meal of vegi momo's, dhal bhat, and chapati.
The second day was just as difficult, or challenging I should say, and we stopped in a small mountain village called Tsokha for the night. Of course we had more satisfying food waiting for us, and as well as entertainment that night: some of the locals and our porters got together for song and dance. Chelsea, Isabel, Molly, Suz and I went to check out the "dancing" which was really a bunch of turning in circles and jumping around, accompanied by yelling or chanting and the clapping of the hands. Our friend from our Lepcha homestay, Pema, was there to join in!
The next day we reached Dzongri. The view was absolutely breathtaking from where we set up camp, and we all took into appreciation the fact that we were, indeed, on top of a mountain in the Himalayas. An awesome feeling and sight. The full day we spent in Dzongri went to resting our bodies or going on a pleasant day hike up to some view points along the mountain ridges. And despite the cold weather, we all rather enjoyed the alarmingly fresh mountain air and relieving atmostphere around us.
The group has taken to having "story time!" inspired by Chelsea and myself to spread our love of Princess Bride with the rest of the group. Drew, our leader, however, knows the entire story by heart, and we barely need to read the book aloud to follow it along, as Drew could act it out word-for-word. But it has indeed been a nice group experience, thought it doesn't measure up to what the group went through during the trek. Emotionally, physically, and spiritually we all had our own revelations on the mountain.
The morning we awoke at 3:30am for the sunrise over Mt. Pandim and Mt. Kanchenjunga was certainly a magical one. Seeing the pristine peaks at first light was an experience we're bound to keep near and dear to our hearts throughout the trip, and most likely throughout our lives. Because despite the bitter cold weather, and wind really nipping at our noses, the mountains overpowered any sense of discomfort. The mountains stood there in striking beauty, and all we could do was be there in the presence of them. For me, seeing something so magnificent at such a young age was invaluable, and I am so glad to have been able to share that experience with the group. I know we all had our individual moments with mountains, but as a group we saw them together, and it brought us closer.
Tonight is our first ever train ride in India. Kolkata is near, and we feel anticipation. Are we prepared for it? Who knows! I do know that we're all looking forward to more growth.
Until next post,
Namaste,
Olivia
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Living in Heaven
After the pandemonium of Paharganj, Delhi, the serenity of Sikkim came as a breath of fresh air (literally). We are currently at a homestay, and staying with a fantastic family, the Lepcha's. They have been more than amazing to us, accommodating our every need and opening their house to us in every way. They also have a beautiful 14 month old boy, who is terrified of Drew (a leader). Its quite hilarious. For the past few days we have been going to volunteer at a local primary school called Phensong. The students there are absolutely incredible; not only do they speak remarkably good English, but they have bright, vibrant attitudes and are great to be around. We've been "teaching" them, but basically all that consists of is a couple from our group hanging out in the classroom as we watch them do traditional dances or sing us various local songs. In return, they request some of our traditional dances and songs. What do we do? We botch the national anthem and teach them Soulja Boy (if you dont know what it is, dont look it up). It has been an absolute blast working with these kids during this past week, and all of us have made connections with the students that we will not likely forget. One student from class ten, Lakmi, has become particularly attached to us. She insisted, quite adamantly, that the two of us accompany her to her local monastery. It was one of the most beautiful works of art I have ever seen, and it was great to see an example of a traditional, local monastery. We also were able to contrast that rural monastery with the equally beautiful but definitely different environment of a monastery open to and frequented by tourists.
Our Sikkimese cultural education has been supplemented by lectures from Pema, editor of the largest newspaper in Sikkim, and an astoundingly knowledgeable botanist who welcomed us into his beautiful home and garden, showing us a side of this place one has to dig slightly deeper to find.
Besides the fulfilling activities of our days, we have been experiencing a couple forms of turbulence: bodily and vehicular. Luckily, our group can still find humor in the bold maneuvering of our driver Sashin, a.k.a. Snoop as well as the interesting rumblings of our bellies.
One of our favorite places to chill out and absorb the wonders and trials of the day is on the roof of our homestay house where we have a brilliant view of the mountains speckled with homes. I know that many members of the group have made a connection to this region and feel compelled to return at some point in their lives. It has been a stimulating stay, intellectually, physically, and spiritually, one that we are not going to forget. As we look off the balcony/roof (which happens to be right outside my bedroom- Anna) on a particularly cloudy or foggy day, we cant help but feel as though we're living in heaven, amongst the clouds. If this is what heaven is, I'll see you there.
Wish us luck on our week-long trek through the Himalayas!
Anna & Kelley
Our Sikkimese cultural education has been supplemented by lectures from Pema, editor of the largest newspaper in Sikkim, and an astoundingly knowledgeable botanist who welcomed us into his beautiful home and garden, showing us a side of this place one has to dig slightly deeper to find.
Besides the fulfilling activities of our days, we have been experiencing a couple forms of turbulence: bodily and vehicular. Luckily, our group can still find humor in the bold maneuvering of our driver Sashin, a.k.a. Snoop as well as the interesting rumblings of our bellies.
One of our favorite places to chill out and absorb the wonders and trials of the day is on the roof of our homestay house where we have a brilliant view of the mountains speckled with homes. I know that many members of the group have made a connection to this region and feel compelled to return at some point in their lives. It has been a stimulating stay, intellectually, physically, and spiritually, one that we are not going to forget. As we look off the balcony/roof (which happens to be right outside my bedroom- Anna) on a particularly cloudy or foggy day, we cant help but feel as though we're living in heaven, amongst the clouds. If this is what heaven is, I'll see you there.
Wish us luck on our week-long trek through the Himalayas!
Anna & Kelley
Sunday, September 13, 2009
The First Few Days-
Flying was a chore. By the time we reached Hong Kong for our rather long layover, we all (besides being nearly vegetative from jetlag and lack of sleep) felt as though we had known each other for much longer than mere hours. Upon landing, we deliriously came to the decision to visit the world's largest sitting Buddha, about 45 minutes by bus outside of Hong Kong. Even through our tired hazes we were able to fully appreciate the sight (it was gargantuan, really). This revelation and more was promptly followed by glorified ramen noodles. Could've just been the jetlag, but I swear they tasted better than what I'm used to.
When we finally landed in Delhi I felt that we had all set up shop professionally aboard various aircraft. Spending nearly twenty-seven hours aboard is enough to mess with your perceptions a little bit. The taxi drivers here are extremely candid (read: girlfriend stories), and this in addition to the veritable sledgehammer combination of unfamiliar sights and sounds made for a unique first experience in this country. After this, we promptly fell asleep.
Ever since, we've been acclimating. Learning what to eat and what not to eat, learning how to deal with beggars and shopkeepers, learning generally how to get around without being completely inept. Our stomachs have also been acclimating. Enough detail on that.
Until next time,
Jake and Chelsea
When we finally landed in Delhi I felt that we had all set up shop professionally aboard various aircraft. Spending nearly twenty-seven hours aboard is enough to mess with your perceptions a little bit. The taxi drivers here are extremely candid (read: girlfriend stories), and this in addition to the veritable sledgehammer combination of unfamiliar sights and sounds made for a unique first experience in this country. After this, we promptly fell asleep.
Ever since, we've been acclimating. Learning what to eat and what not to eat, learning how to deal with beggars and shopkeepers, learning generally how to get around without being completely inept. Our stomachs have also been acclimating. Enough detail on that.
Until next time,
Jake and Chelsea
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
It's official ... let this journey begin!
I just heard from the leaders and it appears that our intrepid group of travelers are together and preparing to check in for their international flights to New Delhi! I have to admit this is thus far an incredibly smooth series of gatherings for all of our Carpe Diem crew and I only hope this portends for as successful a semester as the SFO union has been! As luck would have it they'll be sharing the first leg of their flights with Team Southeast Asia - so here's to the beginnings of some wonderful bonds!
Please stay tuned for blogs from the students themselves as they arrive into New Delhi and roughly every week thereafter!
Yours in spirit,
Ethan
Friday, September 4, 2009
shifts
Namaste,
I hope you are enjoying time with your family and friends, and feeling easy about your fast-approaching trip.
In most of life, and especially in India, the only constant is change. It may be an appropriate introduction to your travels in India to experience some change before you ever depart.
Your leadership team is shifting. Suzanne Pazandak will now be co-leading with Drew. She has been to India with Carpe Diem in the past and will be a fantastic resource culturally and personally. I will be staying in Portland to work on some related projects. I wish you all the best during your journey.
Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu / May all beings be happy and free
Om shanti shanti shanti / Om peace peace peace
Karen
I hope you are enjoying time with your family and friends, and feeling easy about your fast-approaching trip.
In most of life, and especially in India, the only constant is change. It may be an appropriate introduction to your travels in India to experience some change before you ever depart.
Your leadership team is shifting. Suzanne Pazandak will now be co-leading with Drew. She has been to India with Carpe Diem in the past and will be a fantastic resource culturally and personally. I will be staying in Portland to work on some related projects. I wish you all the best during your journey.
Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu / May all beings be happy and free
Om shanti shanti shanti / Om peace peace peace
Karen
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Final Days before Departure
Namaskar. Kia hal haim? / How is your situation?
The situation at Carpe Diem in Portland is auspicious and excited. Drew and I are working with itinerary and logistics, learning all we can about you in absentia, and getting to know each other as well. This is the first of many blogs for our semester, which you all will be taking over soon. The previous semesters' blogs will be left there for inspiration and ours will remain next semester as well.
Our group has been described as contemplative. Who are these philosophers, writers, and musicians who have volunteered worldwide and continue to invite travelers into their homes? We will soon be meeting each other--a chorus of community organizers, global citizens and seekers. Drew and I are excited to meet each of you. We will be calling you in the next few days. Don't forget that you can also email us with any concerns or revelations that you have.
Shanti / Peace,
Karen and Drew
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
The Home Stretch, and Freedom in the Unavoidable
We all knew this day - the day we would leave India - would come.
Some of us thought it would be quick, some of us felt it would be long, and others believed it would be just right; but we all knew this day was unavoidable.
For nearly 90 days we have ventured into the heart and soul of this country and its people, and challenged ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. We have seen, heard, felt, smelled and tasted an inimitable, stunningly elaborate but simplistically internalized experience that now places us amongst a minority which separates us from much of the world, and from most in our home country.
How do we carry so many memories, and how do we share them?
When staring into the face of the unavoidable, a magical thing happens - we are given a clear choice, and the freedom to chose how we want to handle it; we can decide for ourselves how we will face the unavoidable obstacle, and what pieces we will take away with us when we move on.
My experience is purely my own doing, and it is completely my fault. I faced the many unavoidable challenges India threw at my feet and surrendered to the consequences as we all have, and yet we have all grown only in the ways we chose to. I am happy for my growth and for my experience; but I am more appreciative and aware of the strength, patience and courage necessary - which we have each internalized throughout our journey - to remain present during the unavoidable and learn from our choice at that moment and carry it with us onward. It is in this way we experienced India, as opposed to India experiencing us. It is in this same way that India is only "magical" because we internally choose to make it so; that experience comes from us.
I'm looking forward to returning to the United States to engage myself with/in new and old activities, friends, and locations with the fresh vigor, understanding and awareness required to embrace them for what they truly are, with incredible clarity and while assumption-free.
I appreciate the camaraderie, the laughs and the memories, and am thankful for both our leaders as well as the Carpe Diem program and all those responsible. Andrew, Karen, Chrys, Ben, Graham, Willa, Hillary and Nina - I'll never forget the time we've shared and what you each have taught me, even if you may not be aware of it.
Although the journey is over, the unavoidable challenges India has mercilessly thrown at my (now no longer broken) feet are not over - now I need to capsulize this epic trip to my friends.
It's mildly entertaining,
Desmond
A.K.A. "Chocolate Thunder," "War Pig," "Crutch n' Stuff," "Dizzerie Do," and "Dizzy."
p.s. A little bird told me (I think somewhere in Ladakh) that Karen has a pretty cool mom who reads blogs too much. Yes, Karen's mom, she told me what you said.
Some of us thought it would be quick, some of us felt it would be long, and others believed it would be just right; but we all knew this day was unavoidable.
For nearly 90 days we have ventured into the heart and soul of this country and its people, and challenged ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. We have seen, heard, felt, smelled and tasted an inimitable, stunningly elaborate but simplistically internalized experience that now places us amongst a minority which separates us from much of the world, and from most in our home country.
How do we carry so many memories, and how do we share them?
When staring into the face of the unavoidable, a magical thing happens - we are given a clear choice, and the freedom to chose how we want to handle it; we can decide for ourselves how we will face the unavoidable obstacle, and what pieces we will take away with us when we move on.
My experience is purely my own doing, and it is completely my fault. I faced the many unavoidable challenges India threw at my feet and surrendered to the consequences as we all have, and yet we have all grown only in the ways we chose to. I am happy for my growth and for my experience; but I am more appreciative and aware of the strength, patience and courage necessary - which we have each internalized throughout our journey - to remain present during the unavoidable and learn from our choice at that moment and carry it with us onward. It is in this way we experienced India, as opposed to India experiencing us. It is in this same way that India is only "magical" because we internally choose to make it so; that experience comes from us.
I'm looking forward to returning to the United States to engage myself with/in new and old activities, friends, and locations with the fresh vigor, understanding and awareness required to embrace them for what they truly are, with incredible clarity and while assumption-free.
I appreciate the camaraderie, the laughs and the memories, and am thankful for both our leaders as well as the Carpe Diem program and all those responsible. Andrew, Karen, Chrys, Ben, Graham, Willa, Hillary and Nina - I'll never forget the time we've shared and what you each have taught me, even if you may not be aware of it.
Although the journey is over, the unavoidable challenges India has mercilessly thrown at my (now no longer broken) feet are not over - now I need to capsulize this epic trip to my friends.
It's mildly entertaining,
Desmond
A.K.A. "Chocolate Thunder," "War Pig," "Crutch n' Stuff," "Dizzerie Do," and "Dizzy."
p.s. A little bird told me (I think somewhere in Ladakh) that Karen has a pretty cool mom who reads blogs too much. Yes, Karen's mom, she told me what you said.
Friday, May 1, 2009
18,380 feet...I was there!
'ello 'ello this is your captain ben speaking, we are crousing in life at about 11,000 feet and will be arriving in heaven in approximately...NOW !!! let me just start off by letting you of you reading this know that, well you are all beautiful people, but that we are in ladakh and it is heaven on earth people! I only have one wish in my life right now, that is that everyone has a chance to see what all of us are seeing, pure and utter beauty that has been here for...well a long time. we are seriously missing our other half, it is like being the headless horsemen, you have a seriously sweet horse to ride on, but you can't see where you are going (i am not sure if that made sense, im rollin with it though). anyway miss crissy left you all off with us going to nubra valley and yes she was right we did go on the highest morotable road on the planet, i know i know calm down i will tell you all about it. it is approximately 4 to 5 hour journey from leh to nubra. starting off on an amazing road going up into the mountains, breathtaking views of the himalayas that slap you in the face they're so gorgeous (nothing you could capture on a camera, but we tried) stopping about every 30 minutes to snap a quick photo and take a wizz, at 11,000 ft+ the water you drink goes right through you...literally, trust me. we finally get to the top of the pass (yes 18,380 feet i'll say it again) and stop for another satisfying release and to check out the souvenier shop and take some snaps wish each other next to the world famous sign. anyway it was then a long trek down (trust me with plenty to look at out the window) and about 3 hours later...are we there yet!? we arrive in a small (and i mean small) town called hundar. we stay the night at the snow leopard guest house, after some rigorous haggling with the owner, getting a elegant dinner at a army camp cafe (sarcasm there folks, we ate this stuff called maggie noodles, roman but not as good, and some very very mediocre dosa and samosas). f.y.i. nubra valley is absolultely littered with military presence, army trucks here and there, army camps here and there, you caqn't escape the madness! no no it wasn't that bad, just the food they eat blagh, if i had to eat that every day i would honestly just walk across the border of pakistan and let nature take its course. but that is neither here nor there, back to the goods. so we woke up in hundar and had a very expensive 150 rupee (about 3 u.s. dollars) breakfast which consisted of bread, eggs, and butter, oh oh almost forgot the tea, thats what must have made it so expensive, aaaaaaaacha. after that we lightened the mood with possible the highlight of my trip. we hiked up to the gompa in hundar which was about an hour, which desmond (a.k.a. cruch-and-stuff) with me, no offense dizzy. and we walked around the top and just had an amzingly wowing moment staring face to face with one of the most beautiful scenes i have ever seen, its good, goooooooood. ohh almost forgot dizzy removed his cast (all u know he had broken his foot in sikkim) on the first day in hundar right after we got there, let me tell you the thing stunk! ohh it was bad! but it is cool to see him pretty much learn to walk again, he is slowly developing an even stride and, news flash, he hiked in the himlayas the day after he was free of the little devil. it was like seeing a 6 year old eat chocolate, just the look on his face as he says, "holy crap i can bend BOTH of my legs now. i haven't done that for six weeks", ohh good stuff. so after our magical hike chris and amber, the french girl we went to pangong with (she also came with us to nubra) went to ride camels! pretty sweet, ohh yeah hundar is pretty much surrounded by sand dunes so there are camels there, funny looking animal if you ask me. but after the camel ride we went all the way around nubra to a small town called sumor, stopping for dinner along the way, and ended up just getting into a guest house, that was actually quite nice. the next day we had breakfast (bread, butter, and tea) and went to panamik, the town that is closest to the boarder of pakistan, for tourists at least (still 100 kilometers from the actual boarder). in panamik there is pretty much only one thing to see, and that is hot springs, yes yes i said it hot springs. these springs are about 100 degrees and smell like sulfur, actually pretty magical and awesome when you are in the middle of nowhere and used to taking cold showers. we dilly dallied around the spring for a while and then went over tot he bathing section. here are the showers (i use that term very lightly) and we all got a chance to bathe, defanitally the most memorable shower i took in india. when i say shower this is whats goin on, you walk from outisde into one of two rooms, these rooms have about a 3 foot boarder and then a pit that is about a cubic meter. stpes lead down to the pit and near the top of the pit, about waist height is a pipe. constantly pouring out of this pipe is 100 degree sufur hot springs water, magic was in the air. a bar of soap was conveniently waiting there for us, no need to prepare. and after you were done bathing, me at least, just went directly outside and dried off in the sun (keep in mind what you are looking at is the himalayas) pretty much one of the best feelings i have had in this country. so after that we started to head back to sumor, and on our way stopped for a small, 15 minute, hike to a lake in the middle of a mountain, kinda. it is hard to explain but it was pretty sweet, green water and surrounded by hills, you wonder how and why that is there. starving we jumped back in the jeep and headed back. we got a good lunch, rice dal and chapati, at a little restaurant in sumor (the best and most filling food we had had in days) and then headed back. some went for a walk to the gompa while others chillin and read and caught up on rest at the guest house. we had an amzing dinner at our guest house and then went off to bed, very nice sleep. the next day (today) we got up early, ate the standard bread butter and tea, then jumped in the jeep for the ride back to leh.. once again the most amazing landscape in the world in the other direction, and it didn't stop even when we arrived in leh. it is nice to be back and settled, even though we are flying out tomorow and going to delhi, train to aggra to see the taj, then trasin back the next day. its all good in the neighborhood and we are stoked to meet up with the head of the horsemen tomorow. wow, i just wrote an insanely long blog all by myself, im a big boy mommy! sorry if i bored you, if you could see this (*and i hope all of you do some day) you would truly and will truly know. peace easy for now, hope you all enjoyed my rant. i am sure all of you will hear the great details in a couple of days in person as we only have 4 days left in india, wowzuz!!
btk out
abaduh-abaduh-abaduh-abaduh thats all folks! (porky the pig rules!)
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Swine Flu - Update from Carpe Diem HQ
The following is a post recently made to our FAQ page that we wanted to include to all of you who might be reading this blog.
Swine flu has recently been confirmed throughout Mexico and parts of the US. A few other countries have also reported possible infections. While we're in touch with the CDC and monitoring all of the international news we can put our hands on, we also feel we are uniquely placed to handle the situation given that all of our field staff are trained in Wilderness Medicine; two of our office staff are currently Emergency Room nurses; and the other is a Wilderness EMT. We also have contact with a variety of local doctors (including a few with advanced training in international and tropical medicines) that should needs require we can reach out to.
Our spring & fall 2009 programs will continue to run as scheduled although we plan on requiring flu shots for our fall programs as they have been proven (with Avian Flu for instance) to much reduce any severity of infection. We may also choose to outfit our medical kits with extra supplies such as extra hand sanitizer and the like.
Swine Flu is an offshoot of the 1918-19 flu: just as every flu since then has been. In that strain of flu as well as most that have followed including Swine, Pneumonia has been the actual concern and the one we're most on guard for. The good news is that once recognized there are very good treatments for Pneumonia and we are very familiar with good doctors in the areas our students travel. Of course we plan on continuing to take the proactive approach and deal with any medical potentialities quickly and professionally. Since that initial pandemic in 1918, the subsequent strains have historically been more and more benign. The Swine Flu is presenting thankfully as a low-mortality flu (currently, in the US as an example, there have been 50 suspected cases and only one took an overnight in the hospital before being discharged in good health). So, while this particular flu strain is stronger than the typical seasonal flu, we are hopeful that it will continue to be as easily treatable as it has been.
Swine flu has recently been confirmed throughout Mexico and parts of the US. A few other countries have also reported possible infections. While we're in touch with the CDC and monitoring all of the international news we can put our hands on, we also feel we are uniquely placed to handle the situation given that all of our field staff are trained in Wilderness Medicine; two of our office staff are currently Emergency Room nurses; and the other is a Wilderness EMT. We also have contact with a variety of local doctors (including a few with advanced training in international and tropical medicines) that should needs require we can reach out to.
Our spring & fall 2009 programs will continue to run as scheduled although we plan on requiring flu shots for our fall programs as they have been proven (with Avian Flu for instance) to much reduce any severity of infection. We may also choose to outfit our medical kits with extra supplies such as extra hand sanitizer and the like.
Swine Flu is an offshoot of the 1918-19 flu: just as every flu since then has been. In that strain of flu as well as most that have followed including Swine, Pneumonia has been the actual concern and the one we're most on guard for. The good news is that once recognized there are very good treatments for Pneumonia and we are very familiar with good doctors in the areas our students travel. Of course we plan on continuing to take the proactive approach and deal with any medical potentialities quickly and professionally. Since that initial pandemic in 1918, the subsequent strains have historically been more and more benign. The Swine Flu is presenting thankfully as a low-mortality flu (currently, in the US as an example, there have been 50 suspected cases and only one took an overnight in the hospital before being discharged in good health). So, while this particular flu strain is stronger than the typical seasonal flu, we are hopeful that it will continue to be as easily treatable as it has been.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sitting on Top of the World
Well, sort of. Our half of the group is in Ladakh, which is at around 10,000 ft. elevation. The four of us agree that this is one of the coolest, most amazing places we've ever been to, hands down.
To get here we took an overnight bus from McLeod Ganj to Delhi, which wasn't exactly fun, but was actually more comfortable than some (much longer and less nice) trips I've taken on the Greyhound bus. We got to Delhi and our favorite hotel, the Shelton, in early morning, took naps, and set out for our day. We went to the Baha'i Lotus Temple, which was pretty spectacular. It's designed by the same person who designed the Sidney Opera House in Australia, and the Experience Music Project in Seattle, and the acoustics inside were mind-blowing! We sat inside the Lotus for a bit, heard some prayers and a woman singing this amazing song that seemed to reverberate all through the temple. After the temple, we went to go see a movie (Monsters Vs. Aliens) which was hilariously ridiculous, and ate at Ruby Tuesday's, which I would not recommend doing in India!
The next morning we got up super early for our flight to Leh, the main city in Ladakh. It was short, but one of the most beautiful flights ever! Looking out the window, once we got out of the smog of Delhi and up over the mountains, there were high, defined snow-covered peaks as far as the eye could see. It was a pretty awesome experience flying over the Himalayas!
After our arrival we spent the first two days exploring the city of Leh. It's super quiet and clean, and there are awesome trees. The people are so friendly. It is really like nowhere else in the world, at all. I don't know if words would do it justice. Ladakh was an isolated place, with almost no contact from civilization until recently (maybe within the last fifty years or something? I watched a video about it seven years ago, can't really remember the specifics), and is in the northernmost Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir. The elevation makes it pretty cold at night, but warm and toasty during the day. It's now a heavily touristed place, but we are here before all of that begins for the year, which is pretty nice.
Yesterday, we went with two other travelers we've met (one from France and one from Israel) to Pangong Lake. To get there we drove through a snow-covered pass on the third highest motorable road in the entire world. It was breath-taking, driving through soooo many mountains like that. As Karen put it, it felt like we were driving through a painting. And the elevation was insane. We were at 17,586 ft! We stopped for a bathroom break, and the bathroom was actually covered in frozen pee! This was at an Indian army stop, and they had tea and (disgusting, supposedly boiled) water for us to fill up on. We drove through lots of checkpoints and made our way to lower ground to the lake, which was pretty deserted, and still a bit frosty at some parts. The lake is right on the border of Tibet, as in a quarter of the lake actually belongs to Tibet, and so we walked/drove to the point, also called the Line of Actual Control, which was pretty much deserted and uneventful. It was cool to know we were that close to Tibet, that now makes two borders we've been super close to.
We headed back on a wild ride through the same snowy passes and back down to Leh, at which point 10,000 ft felt like nothing. On the way back we had some English pronunciation lessons with our Israeli friend which I can't repeat on this blog but which Karen caught on video. Never-ending laughs.
When we arrived back in Leh, we watched a parade for Tenzin Gyatso, the fifteenth Llama, as it was his birthday.
Today we're going to a palace that's up in the mountains and possibly to a monastery as well, and might visit the Tibetan Medical and Astrology Center where our friend Norbu's sister's husband works. I can't wait to check it out!
Tomorrow we are headed to the Nubra Valley for a few days and nights. To get there we will be on THE highest motorable road in the entire world! It's going to be an adventure. While there we're going to do some trekking and camping. Desmond still has his cast on, so he and I might ride horses instead of hike so we can keep up. Oh, and my glasses got broken while being tossed around in the back of the jeep on the ride yesterday, so that is a bummer, but we're going to see if we can make them last a few more days.
Our homestay is awesome, in beautiful rooms with an awesome family, who cooks us delicious Ladakhi meals and makes some of the best tea we've had in India. We've only felt really minor altitude affects (minor headaches and lightheadedness) and really wish the other half of our group was with us to be experiencing this most amazing place. All of us have talked about wanting to come back someday.
That's all for now, I'm sure we'll have more to report about our adventures after we return from the Nubra Valley.
~Chrysanthemum
To get here we took an overnight bus from McLeod Ganj to Delhi, which wasn't exactly fun, but was actually more comfortable than some (much longer and less nice) trips I've taken on the Greyhound bus. We got to Delhi and our favorite hotel, the Shelton, in early morning, took naps, and set out for our day. We went to the Baha'i Lotus Temple, which was pretty spectacular. It's designed by the same person who designed the Sidney Opera House in Australia, and the Experience Music Project in Seattle, and the acoustics inside were mind-blowing! We sat inside the Lotus for a bit, heard some prayers and a woman singing this amazing song that seemed to reverberate all through the temple. After the temple, we went to go see a movie (Monsters Vs. Aliens) which was hilariously ridiculous, and ate at Ruby Tuesday's, which I would not recommend doing in India!
The next morning we got up super early for our flight to Leh, the main city in Ladakh. It was short, but one of the most beautiful flights ever! Looking out the window, once we got out of the smog of Delhi and up over the mountains, there were high, defined snow-covered peaks as far as the eye could see. It was a pretty awesome experience flying over the Himalayas!
After our arrival we spent the first two days exploring the city of Leh. It's super quiet and clean, and there are awesome trees. The people are so friendly. It is really like nowhere else in the world, at all. I don't know if words would do it justice. Ladakh was an isolated place, with almost no contact from civilization until recently (maybe within the last fifty years or something? I watched a video about it seven years ago, can't really remember the specifics), and is in the northernmost Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir. The elevation makes it pretty cold at night, but warm and toasty during the day. It's now a heavily touristed place, but we are here before all of that begins for the year, which is pretty nice.
Yesterday, we went with two other travelers we've met (one from France and one from Israel) to Pangong Lake. To get there we drove through a snow-covered pass on the third highest motorable road in the entire world. It was breath-taking, driving through soooo many mountains like that. As Karen put it, it felt like we were driving through a painting. And the elevation was insane. We were at 17,586 ft! We stopped for a bathroom break, and the bathroom was actually covered in frozen pee! This was at an Indian army stop, and they had tea and (disgusting, supposedly boiled) water for us to fill up on. We drove through lots of checkpoints and made our way to lower ground to the lake, which was pretty deserted, and still a bit frosty at some parts. The lake is right on the border of Tibet, as in a quarter of the lake actually belongs to Tibet, and so we walked/drove to the point, also called the Line of Actual Control, which was pretty much deserted and uneventful. It was cool to know we were that close to Tibet, that now makes two borders we've been super close to.
We headed back on a wild ride through the same snowy passes and back down to Leh, at which point 10,000 ft felt like nothing. On the way back we had some English pronunciation lessons with our Israeli friend which I can't repeat on this blog but which Karen caught on video. Never-ending laughs.
When we arrived back in Leh, we watched a parade for Tenzin Gyatso, the fifteenth Llama, as it was his birthday.
Today we're going to a palace that's up in the mountains and possibly to a monastery as well, and might visit the Tibetan Medical and Astrology Center where our friend Norbu's sister's husband works. I can't wait to check it out!
Tomorrow we are headed to the Nubra Valley for a few days and nights. To get there we will be on THE highest motorable road in the entire world! It's going to be an adventure. While there we're going to do some trekking and camping. Desmond still has his cast on, so he and I might ride horses instead of hike so we can keep up. Oh, and my glasses got broken while being tossed around in the back of the jeep on the ride yesterday, so that is a bummer, but we're going to see if we can make them last a few more days.
Our homestay is awesome, in beautiful rooms with an awesome family, who cooks us delicious Ladakhi meals and makes some of the best tea we've had in India. We've only felt really minor altitude affects (minor headaches and lightheadedness) and really wish the other half of our group was with us to be experiencing this most amazing place. All of us have talked about wanting to come back someday.
That's all for now, I'm sure we'll have more to report about our adventures after we return from the Nubra Valley.
~Chrysanthemum
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Varanasi, one billion degrees
SO!
we just finally landed in Varanasi
the previously lush land of FAR too many people
is now dusty and deserted.
although still amazing.
we are currently staying in the plushest and poshest hotel any of us have stayed in, while in india
it is AIR CONDITIONED!!!!!!!!!!
let me repeat that AIR CONDITIONED!!!!!!!!!!!
and it is so hot here that nothing could be finer
except perhaps attractive people fanning us with palm branches
but that just didn't fit into our budget.
we do have to say that we miss the other half of our group during this most rouge of traveling times.
and nina too!
its strange having this separation but traveling is far easier in small groups!
we miss you crazy guys and gals
hope free travel isnt kicking youre arses!
peace out from Varanasi!!
~Swamp Butt
we just finally landed in Varanasi
the previously lush land of FAR too many people
is now dusty and deserted.
although still amazing.
we are currently staying in the plushest and poshest hotel any of us have stayed in, while in india
it is AIR CONDITIONED!!!!!!!!!!
let me repeat that AIR CONDITIONED!!!!!!!!!!!
and it is so hot here that nothing could be finer
except perhaps attractive people fanning us with palm branches
but that just didn't fit into our budget.
we do have to say that we miss the other half of our group during this most rouge of traveling times.
and nina too!
its strange having this separation but traveling is far easier in small groups!
we miss you crazy guys and gals
hope free travel isnt kicking youre arses!
peace out from Varanasi!!
~Swamp Butt
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Rogue Travel Begins (aka Free Travel)
Ok, lets get down to business.
We finished our time at Deer Park, doing our volunteer work, meditating, hiking, watching sunsets, sitting in the sun and finding a bit of a haven from the madness of India. The boys, aided by Willa, Chrys and Hilary, made a compost system. All in a days work. Karen made a huge statue out of trash for Earth Day. Some of the projects were really far reaching and demanding, but we still did get a lot done, which they were grateful for. Most of us were pretty sad to leave the calm and beautiful confines of Bir Colony, especially me.
Then on to McLeod Ganj, home of the one and only; His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. We stayed with Tibetan families, our Amalas (moms), Pallas (dads) and whatever kids they had. It was so nice to be in a home, even though our Amalas were really protective. It was out of love. We all got stuffed with excellent Tibetan food and watched a lot of Hindi or Chinese soap operas. Some of us (aka Hilary) got really into them. We took classes of various kinds. Yoga, massage, Reiki, and jewelry making. It was so strange to go a day or two without seeing the whole crew. It made me realize just how much time we spend with one another. We did check out the Carpe Diem restaurant, which lived up to its reputation as being pretty great. There's a lounge area with an insane view of snow-capped mountains (one of which Andrew slept on to celebrate his birthday). And a sign that says "no outside food or drinks. no hashish or drugs." hmmmmmmm.. I think, though, we all kind of grew tired of the tourist-y nature of McLeod Ganj and Dharamsala. So many many many Westerners.
The Carpe Diem India family/tribe is now far flung to three different corners (not really corners) of the country. In a last minute turn of events, Willa Rose, Graham, Hilary, and Andrew are going back to Varanasi for free travel. Its going to be over 100 degrees every day, but they were itching to return. Hilary is going to do some serious sitar work. Andrew is probably going to bathe in the Mama Ganga (no fear, just do it!). Desmond, Ben, Chrys, and Karen are going to Ladakh where they are going to get personally shown around by our friend Norbu's sister. Des said he found archery and hunting there and he's been wanting to do some damage, even with his cast, which is now new and fiberglass. They are going to get themselves into some unbelievable trekking, I think. And as for me, as of sunset last night I am technically no longer affiliated with Carpe Diem. I realized that the peace of Deer Park, the incredible beauty of the Kangra Valley (and the opportunity to paraglide) were all too worthwhile to ignore and tomorrow I am going back to spend a few weeks meditating and what have you. Everyone was really supportive of my decision and I'm really grateful for that. So, for whatever reason and in whatever place, we've pretty much all gone rogue in our own ways.
I think that's all for now. All you free-travelers/turkeys/party people/whatever else Drew calls you: i miss you already, but in the happy kind of way. Make some bad decisions. Have adventures. Live it up. I love you all. Thank you for everything.
Word.
Nina
ps. I don't think I'll eat the Spam. Sorry guys. Maybe if we all find each other again in the real world, we'll bust it open and have a feast. That's pretty much the only way. Thanks, though. And don't YOU forget "do not be afraid of greatness" as the can states.
pps. now i really am done. peace out.
We finished our time at Deer Park, doing our volunteer work, meditating, hiking, watching sunsets, sitting in the sun and finding a bit of a haven from the madness of India. The boys, aided by Willa, Chrys and Hilary, made a compost system. All in a days work. Karen made a huge statue out of trash for Earth Day. Some of the projects were really far reaching and demanding, but we still did get a lot done, which they were grateful for. Most of us were pretty sad to leave the calm and beautiful confines of Bir Colony, especially me.
Then on to McLeod Ganj, home of the one and only; His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. We stayed with Tibetan families, our Amalas (moms), Pallas (dads) and whatever kids they had. It was so nice to be in a home, even though our Amalas were really protective. It was out of love. We all got stuffed with excellent Tibetan food and watched a lot of Hindi or Chinese soap operas. Some of us (aka Hilary) got really into them. We took classes of various kinds. Yoga, massage, Reiki, and jewelry making. It was so strange to go a day or two without seeing the whole crew. It made me realize just how much time we spend with one another. We did check out the Carpe Diem restaurant, which lived up to its reputation as being pretty great. There's a lounge area with an insane view of snow-capped mountains (one of which Andrew slept on to celebrate his birthday). And a sign that says "no outside food or drinks. no hashish or drugs." hmmmmmmm.. I think, though, we all kind of grew tired of the tourist-y nature of McLeod Ganj and Dharamsala. So many many many Westerners.
The Carpe Diem India family/tribe is now far flung to three different corners (not really corners) of the country. In a last minute turn of events, Willa Rose, Graham, Hilary, and Andrew are going back to Varanasi for free travel. Its going to be over 100 degrees every day, but they were itching to return. Hilary is going to do some serious sitar work. Andrew is probably going to bathe in the Mama Ganga (no fear, just do it!). Desmond, Ben, Chrys, and Karen are going to Ladakh where they are going to get personally shown around by our friend Norbu's sister. Des said he found archery and hunting there and he's been wanting to do some damage, even with his cast, which is now new and fiberglass. They are going to get themselves into some unbelievable trekking, I think. And as for me, as of sunset last night I am technically no longer affiliated with Carpe Diem. I realized that the peace of Deer Park, the incredible beauty of the Kangra Valley (and the opportunity to paraglide) were all too worthwhile to ignore and tomorrow I am going back to spend a few weeks meditating and what have you. Everyone was really supportive of my decision and I'm really grateful for that. So, for whatever reason and in whatever place, we've pretty much all gone rogue in our own ways.
I think that's all for now. All you free-travelers/turkeys/party people/whatever else Drew calls you: i miss you already, but in the happy kind of way. Make some bad decisions. Have adventures. Live it up. I love you all. Thank you for everything.
Word.
Nina
ps. I don't think I'll eat the Spam. Sorry guys. Maybe if we all find each other again in the real world, we'll bust it open and have a feast. That's pretty much the only way. Thanks, though. And don't YOU forget "do not be afraid of greatness" as the can states.
pps. now i really am done. peace out.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
deer park
hey there party people-
After a long week of traveling we have finally made it to Deer Park in Bihar colony. There is a lot to recap since our last post was from sikkim. So here is goes...
From sikkim we took a taxi to darjeeling. Darjeeling was pretty rainy and cold, but we tried to make the best out it. We visited the tibetan self-help center where they sell hand made products (shawls, shoes, coats, hats etc.) for tibetan refugees. We got to see them sow leather shoes, spin wool and weave carpets, which was awesome. Another fun group activity was catching the sunrise over the himalayas from tiger hill. We got up at 4:00 in the morning to make it to tiger hill before sunrise, which we pulled off easliy (performing). Willa did her infamous introduciton to our taxi driver which got everyone laughing and has kept us laughing to this day. When we got there, however, there were tons of tourists and the sun was lost behind a haze of fog and rain- double bummer. We managed to enjoy oursleves anyways. The sun peeped out for a breif moment and we were all satisfied with that little glipse of heaven. The taxi ride back was great- we listened to a cassette tape tittled peacock and pretty much jammed out the rest of the ride home. It seems like Darjeeling just flew by and we were already planning our way back to delhi to head to amritsar.
We took a 2.5 hour taxi ride to the airport which was pretty uneventful. When we got to the airport it turns out they wouldn't let drew take his peanutbutter and nutella on the plan so we all hoovered it down at the security checkpoint... huge sugar buzz for the three hor flight to delhi. The flight was uneventful as well. When we got into delhi we headed back to our very first indian home, the Shelton Hotel. We were all amazed at how different everything felt. We don't know if the city had actually calmed down a bit or if we just weren't phased by it anymore... either way we all noticed a change. We spent the night and then woke up for an early train to Amritsar to see the world famous golden temple.
The train ride was long, but enjoyable. We got into amritsar late afternoon and quickly settled in and grabbed some grub. The next night we headed to the golden temple for an out of this world experience. The temple was huge and absolutely amazing. It felt like we were stepping into a time warp. A part of the sikh religion is they don't turn anyone away... which means this temple is always packed with people. It's said that the kitchen serves anywhere from 10,000 to 40,000 people a day (24 hour service too!). The dinning experience was crazy. We all grabbed plates and were hearded into a long hallway were they let you into a dinning hall that have long matts laid down on floor for you to sit and eat on. We were pretty much the only white people there so we definitely attracted alot of attention. All throughout the night people came up to us to talk and to ask us questions. Many of the men there asked us to find them some good american wives! so funny. Their curiosity and friendliness grew tiresome and a bit frustrating when it came time to sleep because they wouldn't leave. Eventually we got the point across and laid our heads to rest in time for a few horus of shut eye. Some of us just decided to give up on the idea of sleep all together and pulled an all nighter. The next morning the group decided to split up- healf waited to stay another night at the golden temple and the other half wanted to head out to deer park. So we went out different ways and began a long a crazy day of traveling to Bihar Colony. The group that left first got to deer park later that night after a 6hour cattle-like train ride and a few more long hours in a taxi . We were grateful for deer park's hospitality and flexibilty as well as thier dry, warm beds. The rest of the group joined a day later, tired and exhausted
from their travels. Once the group was reunited, we went about planning our days at deer park. As a group we decided to spend ouur mornings (9-12) on volunteer work, which includes earth day preparations, ecology survey, organic gardening and building a compost. The afternoons are off, giving us free time for whatever we want to do (going to town, checking emial, hiking, reading, meditating... anything is possible). Then at 4:30 we have meditation class with a deer park staff member, Malitas, for about an hour. We've had two classes so far, that were focused on basic sitting positions and breathing techniques. Today, we are going to try out walking meditation, which sounds awesome. All in all, Deer Park has been a sancutary for all of us- mentally, physically and emotionally. namaste, graham
After a long week of traveling we have finally made it to Deer Park in Bihar colony. There is a lot to recap since our last post was from sikkim. So here is goes...
From sikkim we took a taxi to darjeeling. Darjeeling was pretty rainy and cold, but we tried to make the best out it. We visited the tibetan self-help center where they sell hand made products (shawls, shoes, coats, hats etc.) for tibetan refugees. We got to see them sow leather shoes, spin wool and weave carpets, which was awesome. Another fun group activity was catching the sunrise over the himalayas from tiger hill. We got up at 4:00 in the morning to make it to tiger hill before sunrise, which we pulled off easliy (performing). Willa did her infamous introduciton to our taxi driver which got everyone laughing and has kept us laughing to this day. When we got there, however, there were tons of tourists and the sun was lost behind a haze of fog and rain- double bummer. We managed to enjoy oursleves anyways. The sun peeped out for a breif moment and we were all satisfied with that little glipse of heaven. The taxi ride back was great- we listened to a cassette tape tittled peacock and pretty much jammed out the rest of the ride home. It seems like Darjeeling just flew by and we were already planning our way back to delhi to head to amritsar.
We took a 2.5 hour taxi ride to the airport which was pretty uneventful. When we got to the airport it turns out they wouldn't let drew take his peanutbutter and nutella on the plan so we all hoovered it down at the security checkpoint... huge sugar buzz for the three hor flight to delhi. The flight was uneventful as well. When we got into delhi we headed back to our very first indian home, the Shelton Hotel. We were all amazed at how different everything felt. We don't know if the city had actually calmed down a bit or if we just weren't phased by it anymore... either way we all noticed a change. We spent the night and then woke up for an early train to Amritsar to see the world famous golden temple.
The train ride was long, but enjoyable. We got into amritsar late afternoon and quickly settled in and grabbed some grub. The next night we headed to the golden temple for an out of this world experience. The temple was huge and absolutely amazing. It felt like we were stepping into a time warp. A part of the sikh religion is they don't turn anyone away... which means this temple is always packed with people. It's said that the kitchen serves anywhere from 10,000 to 40,000 people a day (24 hour service too!). The dinning experience was crazy. We all grabbed plates and were hearded into a long hallway were they let you into a dinning hall that have long matts laid down on floor for you to sit and eat on. We were pretty much the only white people there so we definitely attracted alot of attention. All throughout the night people came up to us to talk and to ask us questions. Many of the men there asked us to find them some good american wives! so funny. Their curiosity and friendliness grew tiresome and a bit frustrating when it came time to sleep because they wouldn't leave. Eventually we got the point across and laid our heads to rest in time for a few horus of shut eye. Some of us just decided to give up on the idea of sleep all together and pulled an all nighter. The next morning the group decided to split up- healf waited to stay another night at the golden temple and the other half wanted to head out to deer park. So we went out different ways and began a long a crazy day of traveling to Bihar Colony. The group that left first got to deer park later that night after a 6hour cattle-like train ride and a few more long hours in a taxi . We were grateful for deer park's hospitality and flexibilty as well as thier dry, warm beds. The rest of the group joined a day later, tired and exhausted
from their travels. Once the group was reunited, we went about planning our days at deer park. As a group we decided to spend ouur mornings (9-12) on volunteer work, which includes earth day preparations, ecology survey, organic gardening and building a compost. The afternoons are off, giving us free time for whatever we want to do (going to town, checking emial, hiking, reading, meditating... anything is possible). Then at 4:30 we have meditation class with a deer park staff member, Malitas, for about an hour. We've had two classes so far, that were focused on basic sitting positions and breathing techniques. Today, we are going to try out walking meditation, which sounds awesome. All in all, Deer Park has been a sancutary for all of us- mentally, physically and emotionally. namaste, graham
Monday, March 30, 2009
hello out there in bloggerworld,
This is one of the old farts here in India, Andrew, checking in. "Hello?! Can you hear me? Is this thing on?" Crazy, crazy, cyber-bloggerworld...
anyways, I just wanted to pass on a few informational websites for any and all who may be interested. I am always subjecting the group to random articles and websites about myriad hot topics, so I figured I would spread the love onto you. As you may know, we have spent the last two+ weeks in the amazing northern state of Sikkim, which is surrounded by Nepal, Tibet (China), Bhutan, and the Indian state of West Bengal to the south. Here in this tiny, mountainous state, there are many pressing issues that the land and it's people face. One of which, is the issue of large government sponsored hydroelectric projects on some of the most wild rivers around, in some of the most pristine environments, in the homelands of some of the oldest and original inhabitants of the area. While progress is not necessarily a bad thing (I am not about to dive into a philosophical rant or debate), many people and the environment in the local area are being effected by these projects. And it would appear, at least from our view, mostly in a negative way.
As the post on the 'weeping sikkim' blogspot (see below) quotes the timeless Cree prophecy:
"Only after the last tree has been cut down, only after the last river has been poisoned, only after the last fish has been caught, only then will you find that money cannot be eaten."
Here are some websites to check out for more information. I hope you are all well, and many thanks for sharing with us in this amazing experience...
http://weepingsikkim.blogspot.com/
...Peace, love and understanding...
Trekkin'
Hey everyone, Chrys here, reporting for blog duty.
Since we last corresponded, our group went on a five-day Himalayan Trek. The night before we left, we got a photo preview of last semester's trek, from our main man Arthur who coordinated all of our activities while in the state of Sikkim.
But before we left, there was a little misfortune as a result of the soccer game, described in the post by Ben and Willa Rose. During the game, Desmond hurt his foot, and so when the group left on Monday morning, he stayed behind with trip leader Andrew to get an x-ray. He found out his foot was broken, got a cast and a set of crutches and is healing quickly. Because of the injury though, Desmond and Andrew stayed behind, hung out, ate great food at our homestay with Sherap's family, watched thunderstorms and went to the gym where they dbefreind the three-tdime Mr. Sikkim champion!
Meanwhile, the rest of us took a long drive up into the moutains. It took pretty much all of the first day. We stayed in a small village, that was actually home to the sisters of our homestay family. We ate great food and enjoyed the village but were a little saddened that the villagers kept themselves separate from us adn didn't sit down to eat with us = we were hoping for a more in-depth cultural exchange. There was a cool rooftop there where we were staying, and we watched thunderstorms and later, were able to see the stars, so freakin' clearly. Being up in the Himalayas was magical.
The next day we did some light hiking around the village, past a school and up to a monastery. While there, we goofed off, and demonstrated weird talents to our guides (mine was doing headstands), and started a fun trend of yelling as loud as we could into the mountains, trying to get an echo and just for the fun of it. We hiked back down, and had the rest of the day for a free day, and spent that night in the village again.
Oh I have to say that Ben played a big part in our dinner that night. We had some chickens from the village, and Ben was the one to actually kill the chickens that were then cooked up for our dinner. There was no electricity in the village at this point, so deverything was cooked over fires, and we ate outside and told riddles around a fire. Afterwards, there was a cultural exchange program where the villagers got together and sang some of their traditional Lepcha songs and dances. In return they wanted us to show them some song and dance from Americad, which was pretty much a disaster! We didn't find out about it until about an hour beforehand, and we had a hard time thinking of anything we had in common that we all knew! We ended up singing Row, Row, Row Your Boat in rounds, adn singing along to "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison and "Cecelia" by Simon & Garfunkel as they played on an iPod with portable speakers! Like I said, it was pretty embarrassing, but it gave some people a pretty good laugh. Then Karen and Graham did a hilarious skit called "Amelia" which, if you ask me, stole the show!
Day three started with a short drive, some very easy hiking, basically up a road pretty dmuch, a stop for lunch on the side of the trail, and then a trail up to another village, where tents were pitched for us and we spent the night. A lot of the other members of the group were much faster, but for those who are reading this and don't know, I am visually-impaired, so the hiking was a bit more challenging for me. As others went on ahead, stopping periodically so we could catch up, I hiked more slowly, with group leader Karen, and with Pema, brother of our homestay host Sherap, who helped guide me and make sure I didn't fall or slip. Most of the time we were walking on narrow uphill trails, rocky and muddy at times, on the sides of cliffs. There was one time that we all stopped, and I stepped forward to take a picture, not realizing at all that I was on a cliff (it just didn't look like one at all to me, even after I was told it was later on) and started slipping. Luckily Karen and Pema were to the rexcue. I also used trekking poles (procured by Arthur) which made a huge difference in the hiking.
So we arrived at the village in late afternoon, and it had started to rain. We hung out in our tents and I did numerology readings for everyone present, then we went to dinner, where again the villagers ate separately from us and we felt like we didn't get to really know them, then hung out by a fire and went to bed. It was pretty cold and wet.
We woke up on Day Four to rain, thunder and more rain. The plan was to hike down to where we had been dropped off the day before and then either do another steep hike to another village, or go back to the village we spent the first two nights at. Group consensus was to go back and forgo the other hike, because of the weather. Our tents were practically in moats! So after packing up, we set off down the way we had come, in the pouring rain and ongoing thunderstorms, and ended up hiking through some thick clouds all the way. In the slippery wetness, I was even slower than usual, and hiking downhill was a lot harder than hiking up, at least visually, so it was a bit slow-going, but Karen, Pema and I plodded through, rescuing each other periodically from slips and falls. We were again on the edges of cliffs on narrow paths, soaking wet and cold. It sounds kind of miserable and probably was to some of our group members, and definitely wasn't ideal condition for anyone. I felt like we would never, ever reach the road, but then we finally did, and still had aways to walk. We actually ended up walking way past our original drop off point, and ate lunch at a pavillion near a waterfall. It was a long, wet day of hiking, we didn't have lunch until after 4pm, but we all arrived in one piece, and I felt awesome just for having completed the hike. Ask anyone in the group, I was pretty giddy and saucy after that!
Our main ambassador Snoop (aka Sanchen) drove us back to the village with his usual door to door serviced, and we spent our final night in the village. This time they did have electricity, and I actually kinda missed having everything by candles. The next day we packed up for the long drive back to our homestay with Sherap.
Back there, at HQ, we had a few days to do laundry, write articles for the local Sikkim paper, spend time with Sherap and family, dhang out in the town of Gangtok and prepare for our next adventure. On our last night, after having great meals prepared for us for so long, a few in our group, namely Karen, Nina, Desmond and Ben prepared an American meal for our host family. We had cheeseburgers, mashed potatoes, pumpkin soup, delicious veggies and improvised mac & cheesed. Sherap, Choden, Pema & Co claimed the meal was "totally awesome!" and said they were in Little America.
Yesterday morning, after giving gifts to all the people we had made connections with while in Sikkim, and a heartfelt goodbye, we piled into a taxi, (and spent a long time piling all our stuff on top) and took off for Darjeeling, where we arrived last night. THe adventure never ends.
So, stay tuned for the next update!
Since we last corresponded, our group went on a five-day Himalayan Trek. The night before we left, we got a photo preview of last semester's trek, from our main man Arthur who coordinated all of our activities while in the state of Sikkim.
But before we left, there was a little misfortune as a result of the soccer game, described in the post by Ben and Willa Rose. During the game, Desmond hurt his foot, and so when the group left on Monday morning, he stayed behind with trip leader Andrew to get an x-ray. He found out his foot was broken, got a cast and a set of crutches and is healing quickly. Because of the injury though, Desmond and Andrew stayed behind, hung out, ate great food at our homestay with Sherap's family, watched thunderstorms and went to the gym where they dbefreind the three-tdime Mr. Sikkim champion!
Meanwhile, the rest of us took a long drive up into the moutains. It took pretty much all of the first day. We stayed in a small village, that was actually home to the sisters of our homestay family. We ate great food and enjoyed the village but were a little saddened that the villagers kept themselves separate from us adn didn't sit down to eat with us = we were hoping for a more in-depth cultural exchange. There was a cool rooftop there where we were staying, and we watched thunderstorms and later, were able to see the stars, so freakin' clearly. Being up in the Himalayas was magical.
The next day we did some light hiking around the village, past a school and up to a monastery. While there, we goofed off, and demonstrated weird talents to our guides (mine was doing headstands), and started a fun trend of yelling as loud as we could into the mountains, trying to get an echo and just for the fun of it. We hiked back down, and had the rest of the day for a free day, and spent that night in the village again.
Oh I have to say that Ben played a big part in our dinner that night. We had some chickens from the village, and Ben was the one to actually kill the chickens that were then cooked up for our dinner. There was no electricity in the village at this point, so deverything was cooked over fires, and we ate outside and told riddles around a fire. Afterwards, there was a cultural exchange program where the villagers got together and sang some of their traditional Lepcha songs and dances. In return they wanted us to show them some song and dance from Americad, which was pretty much a disaster! We didn't find out about it until about an hour beforehand, and we had a hard time thinking of anything we had in common that we all knew! We ended up singing Row, Row, Row Your Boat in rounds, adn singing along to "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison and "Cecelia" by Simon & Garfunkel as they played on an iPod with portable speakers! Like I said, it was pretty embarrassing, but it gave some people a pretty good laugh. Then Karen and Graham did a hilarious skit called "Amelia" which, if you ask me, stole the show!
Day three started with a short drive, some very easy hiking, basically up a road pretty dmuch, a stop for lunch on the side of the trail, and then a trail up to another village, where tents were pitched for us and we spent the night. A lot of the other members of the group were much faster, but for those who are reading this and don't know, I am visually-impaired, so the hiking was a bit more challenging for me. As others went on ahead, stopping periodically so we could catch up, I hiked more slowly, with group leader Karen, and with Pema, brother of our homestay host Sherap, who helped guide me and make sure I didn't fall or slip. Most of the time we were walking on narrow uphill trails, rocky and muddy at times, on the sides of cliffs. There was one time that we all stopped, and I stepped forward to take a picture, not realizing at all that I was on a cliff (it just didn't look like one at all to me, even after I was told it was later on) and started slipping. Luckily Karen and Pema were to the rexcue. I also used trekking poles (procured by Arthur) which made a huge difference in the hiking.
So we arrived at the village in late afternoon, and it had started to rain. We hung out in our tents and I did numerology readings for everyone present, then we went to dinner, where again the villagers ate separately from us and we felt like we didn't get to really know them, then hung out by a fire and went to bed. It was pretty cold and wet.
We woke up on Day Four to rain, thunder and more rain. The plan was to hike down to where we had been dropped off the day before and then either do another steep hike to another village, or go back to the village we spent the first two nights at. Group consensus was to go back and forgo the other hike, because of the weather. Our tents were practically in moats! So after packing up, we set off down the way we had come, in the pouring rain and ongoing thunderstorms, and ended up hiking through some thick clouds all the way. In the slippery wetness, I was even slower than usual, and hiking downhill was a lot harder than hiking up, at least visually, so it was a bit slow-going, but Karen, Pema and I plodded through, rescuing each other periodically from slips and falls. We were again on the edges of cliffs on narrow paths, soaking wet and cold. It sounds kind of miserable and probably was to some of our group members, and definitely wasn't ideal condition for anyone. I felt like we would never, ever reach the road, but then we finally did, and still had aways to walk. We actually ended up walking way past our original drop off point, and ate lunch at a pavillion near a waterfall. It was a long, wet day of hiking, we didn't have lunch until after 4pm, but we all arrived in one piece, and I felt awesome just for having completed the hike. Ask anyone in the group, I was pretty giddy and saucy after that!
Our main ambassador Snoop (aka Sanchen) drove us back to the village with his usual door to door serviced, and we spent our final night in the village. This time they did have electricity, and I actually kinda missed having everything by candles. The next day we packed up for the long drive back to our homestay with Sherap.
Back there, at HQ, we had a few days to do laundry, write articles for the local Sikkim paper, spend time with Sherap and family, dhang out in the town of Gangtok and prepare for our next adventure. On our last night, after having great meals prepared for us for so long, a few in our group, namely Karen, Nina, Desmond and Ben prepared an American meal for our host family. We had cheeseburgers, mashed potatoes, pumpkin soup, delicious veggies and improvised mac & cheesed. Sherap, Choden, Pema & Co claimed the meal was "totally awesome!" and said they were in Little America.
Yesterday morning, after giving gifts to all the people we had made connections with while in Sikkim, and a heartfelt goodbye, we piled into a taxi, (and spent a long time piling all our stuff on top) and took off for Darjeeling, where we arrived last night. THe adventure never ends.
So, stay tuned for the next update!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
ROCKIN IN SIKKIM
greetings earthlings. we are still IN-dia. we are staying with a very precious family. they have a little baby boy named chew-dock. and a smiley cute grandma, the main character is sharab. he is full of life, dancing all the time, and singing "its chill time its chill time. " choden is his wife and is so sweet and some what shy. sharab is allways there to break the silence with song and laughter. he is funny. they cook us amazingly healthy, nourishing, and tasty as @$#% meals. for example in the early bright morning we have coffee, tea, one hard boiled egg each, bread with PEANUT BUTTER! ( or homemade butter), butter biscuits, and then dinner is a variety of potatoes, chapaties, rice, dall, sometimes the delicasy of meat, veggies fresh from their one-foot-out-the-door garden.
TODAY! sharab put together a soccor match (fully lagit.) we had the full uniforms of neon orange jerseys with ballin white shorts and a big smile! we played against journalist who were good sports at the of 35. put up a good fight. had quite the local extravagent (cute kids) audience. it rained a bit. anyways to get to the point WEEE WOOONNN! at the end of the game we jammed out to some banging beats.( on the field mind you) and the people gave us each a gift of a velvet diety on a scroll.
last week we spent 4 days volunteering in a small village in the mountains, one hour drive and a 30 minute hike to a stream, where we repaired/built (i.e. hauling huge rocks and forming frustrating walls) channels to divert water (pani) towards the micro-hydro-electric building about the size of a truck. which goes to powering about 2 lightbulbs in each house in the village. we got the opportunity to stay a night in the village so we split up half the group and ate uuber spicey food. they were very nice to us and it was fun to get to know them and the way they live. BK had some real good times, good laughs playing soccer and trying to communicate on a very low level with local kids/teens. back up back up. first of all the ambassador SNOOP-A-LOOP, our driver to and fro volunteering location is just amazing. he has become one of us and helps out. we have a good time with him.
yesterday, we had an amazing day. we went to a well renound bontonist here in sikkim about 5 minutes from our friendly home. (accompanied by snoop, whos real name is sa-tim, but looks like the hindu version of snoop dog. connect the dots.) he showed us around his legendary, glorious, just drop dead spectacular plantation of flowers, citrusy fruits, plants, and smells. we had a awesome lunch with icecream and mandarien heavenly oranges. it was good. as you hopefully know yesterday was the spring equinox, so willa rose, chrys, and nina put together a lovely ritual with a candle in the middle of the circular group (on the roof) and lots of reflective (good) silence.
TODAY! sharab put together a soccor match (fully lagit.) we had the full uniforms of neon orange jerseys with ballin white shorts and a big smile! we played against journalist who were good sports at the of 35. put up a good fight. had quite the local extravagent (cute kids) audience. it rained a bit. anyways to get to the point WEEE WOOONNN! at the end of the game we jammed out to some banging beats.( on the field mind you) and the people gave us each a gift of a velvet diety on a scroll.
last week we spent 4 days volunteering in a small village in the mountains, one hour drive and a 30 minute hike to a stream, where we repaired/built (i.e. hauling huge rocks and forming frustrating walls) channels to divert water (pani) towards the micro-hydro-electric building about the size of a truck. which goes to powering about 2 lightbulbs in each house in the village. we got the opportunity to stay a night in the village so we split up half the group and ate uuber spicey food. they were very nice to us and it was fun to get to know them and the way they live. BK had some real good times, good laughs playing soccer and trying to communicate on a very low level with local kids/teens. back up back up. first of all the ambassador SNOOP-A-LOOP, our driver to and fro volunteering location is just amazing. he has become one of us and helps out. we have a good time with him.
yesterday, we had an amazing day. we went to a well renound bontonist here in sikkim about 5 minutes from our friendly home. (accompanied by snoop, whos real name is sa-tim, but looks like the hindu version of snoop dog. connect the dots.) he showed us around his legendary, glorious, just drop dead spectacular plantation of flowers, citrusy fruits, plants, and smells. we had a awesome lunch with icecream and mandarien heavenly oranges. it was good. as you hopefully know yesterday was the spring equinox, so willa rose, chrys, and nina put together a lovely ritual with a candle in the middle of the circular group (on the roof) and lots of reflective (good) silence.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Feelings: India
Hey loved ones,
we're all safe and sound in Sikkim, which is a groovy, magical mountain state that only became a part of this wild country in 1975. but to backtrack a bit-our last blog post said only "holi hell" and some mysterious thing happened to the rest of the blog. Its gone. Maybe forever. Our very own Hillary Brown assures us it was a great one, too. A moment of silence for the fallen soldier............. moment over. back to reality.
when we last checked in, the crew was in Kolkata. We volunteered at the Mother Theresa Homes, working with all different kinds of people. The people we worked with ran the gamut from old, young, deathly ill, seriously injured, mentally disabled, totally sane, mute, fluent in English, and then some. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that it was eye opening in a lot of ways. Its difficult to say how it affected all of us here because we each had totally different experience. But I can confidently say that the volunteering lived up to its reputation as a draining, sometimes heartbreaking, hugely rewarding experience. For some of us, it was incredibly difficult to say goodbye. Hillary got really close with a little boy named Phillip. She gave him a guitar and sang him Simon and Garfunkel every day. Karen had a huge bond with a boy named Johnny, getting him to laugh and talk more than most other volunteers ever could. The sheer scope of the city, its poverty, and its density was a sight to behold. Our last day in Kolkata was the festival of Holi, which was just about as wild as wild can be. It's celebrated by throwing water and dye at everyone you see. We celebrated it mostly in the backpacker neighborhood, where drummers pounded out beats and a mix of fellow volunteers and locals danced and threw dye. By the end of it, we were all pretty unrecognizable. Our faces, bodies and clothes were entirely covered with green, pink, red, blue, and black dye. Most of us have recovered, but some of us still have visible remnants. Chrys, for example, still has bright pink hair. Karen has a lot of pink in her hair as well, but at least all the green is out. All of us have patches and streaks, but I happen to think that they add character and look pretty funky.
Now we are far away from the hustle and madness of the big, noisy city that always smells like burning trash. I think that by the end of our stay in Kolkata we learned to appreciate its strange, quirky qualities, the generous monks we stayed with, its egg rolls and street-side chow mein, its bus and metro system and the Bengali version of donuts. Sikkim is a whole different thang. Instead of being woken up by heat or traffic noises, we wake up to cows or roosters. The house we are staying in is incredibly homely (they say homely where we would say homey), the views are not to be believed, air is clean and everyone here is so kind hearted and relaxed. We haven't seen a single beggar since we got here. Also, because it is quite a bit colder, we have been crocheting and knitting hats, scarves, and headbands. During our downtime, we pretty much sit in the kitchen or living room and craft up a storm. Another big change is that we have home cooked meals, which is just ducky (says Ben, leaning over my shoulder). We start volunteering in a small village tomorrow, repairing a hydroelectric something or other. I anticipate adventure. Basically, Sikkim is amazing and feels totally different from the rest of India that we have seen. And I think our legs are getting a little more used to the hills, but we'll see how we fare on our trek.
More later. You're all beautiful people.
Word.
Nina
we're all safe and sound in Sikkim, which is a groovy, magical mountain state that only became a part of this wild country in 1975. but to backtrack a bit-our last blog post said only "holi hell" and some mysterious thing happened to the rest of the blog. Its gone. Maybe forever. Our very own Hillary Brown assures us it was a great one, too. A moment of silence for the fallen soldier............. moment over. back to reality.
when we last checked in, the crew was in Kolkata. We volunteered at the Mother Theresa Homes, working with all different kinds of people. The people we worked with ran the gamut from old, young, deathly ill, seriously injured, mentally disabled, totally sane, mute, fluent in English, and then some. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that it was eye opening in a lot of ways. Its difficult to say how it affected all of us here because we each had totally different experience. But I can confidently say that the volunteering lived up to its reputation as a draining, sometimes heartbreaking, hugely rewarding experience. For some of us, it was incredibly difficult to say goodbye. Hillary got really close with a little boy named Phillip. She gave him a guitar and sang him Simon and Garfunkel every day. Karen had a huge bond with a boy named Johnny, getting him to laugh and talk more than most other volunteers ever could. The sheer scope of the city, its poverty, and its density was a sight to behold. Our last day in Kolkata was the festival of Holi, which was just about as wild as wild can be. It's celebrated by throwing water and dye at everyone you see. We celebrated it mostly in the backpacker neighborhood, where drummers pounded out beats and a mix of fellow volunteers and locals danced and threw dye. By the end of it, we were all pretty unrecognizable. Our faces, bodies and clothes were entirely covered with green, pink, red, blue, and black dye. Most of us have recovered, but some of us still have visible remnants. Chrys, for example, still has bright pink hair. Karen has a lot of pink in her hair as well, but at least all the green is out. All of us have patches and streaks, but I happen to think that they add character and look pretty funky.
Now we are far away from the hustle and madness of the big, noisy city that always smells like burning trash. I think that by the end of our stay in Kolkata we learned to appreciate its strange, quirky qualities, the generous monks we stayed with, its egg rolls and street-side chow mein, its bus and metro system and the Bengali version of donuts. Sikkim is a whole different thang. Instead of being woken up by heat or traffic noises, we wake up to cows or roosters. The house we are staying in is incredibly homely (they say homely where we would say homey), the views are not to be believed, air is clean and everyone here is so kind hearted and relaxed. We haven't seen a single beggar since we got here. Also, because it is quite a bit colder, we have been crocheting and knitting hats, scarves, and headbands. During our downtime, we pretty much sit in the kitchen or living room and craft up a storm. Another big change is that we have home cooked meals, which is just ducky (says Ben, leaning over my shoulder). We start volunteering in a small village tomorrow, repairing a hydroelectric something or other. I anticipate adventure. Basically, Sikkim is amazing and feels totally different from the rest of India that we have seen. And I think our legs are getting a little more used to the hills, but we'll see how we fare on our trek.
More later. You're all beautiful people.
Word.
Nina
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Holi Heck!
hey there people out there in cyberspace
there seemed to be some technical difficulties for this last posting
and now it is lost in the vast and confusing land that is the internet
but Kolkuta was an amazing experience for all of us
there was a general consensus that volunteering was quite the worthwhile experience
I know personally I had the great fortune to work with four young kids
all who were orphans and hiv positive
they were so incredibly vivacious and happy
these kids have so much in the world going against them yet they always are running around with grins on there faces
and food stuck to them too!
While we were in town we celebrated the blessed nativity of our fearless leader Karen
we went to Bar B Q a very fancy Chinese restaurant
and we bequeathed her with quite possibly the largest grapefruit any of us have ever encountered
overall it was a wonderful ringing in of Karen's twenty sixth birthday
We also had the great fortune to be in Kolkuta for Holi
Which is quite possibly the best holiday
EVER
for those out there who are not well versed in Hindu holidays,
Holi
well,
i don't actually know what holi is exactly celebrating but you throw colored powders at eachother
which is SO MUCH FUN
many of us suffered for a few days because we were either pink or had new hair colors
by far Chrys suffered the worst
and her hair still looks like cotton candy
but we all enjoyed getting our holi on!
there seemed to be some technical difficulties for this last posting
and now it is lost in the vast and confusing land that is the internet
but Kolkuta was an amazing experience for all of us
there was a general consensus that volunteering was quite the worthwhile experience
I know personally I had the great fortune to work with four young kids
all who were orphans and hiv positive
they were so incredibly vivacious and happy
these kids have so much in the world going against them yet they always are running around with grins on there faces
and food stuck to them too!
While we were in town we celebrated the blessed nativity of our fearless leader Karen
we went to Bar B Q a very fancy Chinese restaurant
and we bequeathed her with quite possibly the largest grapefruit any of us have ever encountered
overall it was a wonderful ringing in of Karen's twenty sixth birthday
We also had the great fortune to be in Kolkuta for Holi
Which is quite possibly the best holiday
EVER
for those out there who are not well versed in Hindu holidays,
Holi
well,
i don't actually know what holi is exactly celebrating but you throw colored powders at eachother
which is SO MUCH FUN
many of us suffered for a few days because we were either pink or had new hair colors
by far Chrys suffered the worst
and her hair still looks like cotton candy
but we all enjoyed getting our holi on!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
This is India
Those who have seen the movie Blood Diamond (if you haven't, do it) might remember the acronym "T.I.A.," which means this is Africa. In the movie, it served as a simple way to describe the utterly complex, intricate and random workings - from the land to the people - of the entire country of Africa.
Similarly, our group has adopted T.I.I. (this is India) to describe the disappointment, the stress, the sheer chaos, the filth, the underlying simplicity, the sense of purpose, the respect, the history, the beauty, the humor, the delightful surprises and all serendipitous happenings that we all experience each day here.
Kolkata is the New York City of India. It is filled with people, personality, and an extensive public transportation system. The food ranges from good to great, and there is never a dull moment or a lack of things to experience. The streets are littered with taxis and buses that look like they came straight from the 1940's (to be honest, it wouldn't surpise me of some were that old) and serves as a reminder to just how resourceful the local population is here. When you don't have much (and many in this city don't), you do what you can to keep and treasure what little you have for as long as you can. In India, and especially Kolkata, things we would normally throw away or give up on are embraced here, "MacGyver'd" new life and are put to full use. One man's trash may be another's treasure, but in Kolkata, if something is found discarded you can be sure it is truly beyond repair.
The hustle-and-bustle of this city (and I suppose any large city) is a double-edged sword; it gives and it takes. We are all engaged in the personal challenge of meeting the needs of our curiosity with the city while still providing enough time and space for ourselves to relax with a good book, grab a cold cocoa cream drink and reflect on the day, or just have a quiet nap - perhaps all three! I think I can speak for the group when I say the juice is undeniably worth the squeeze, and we are all growing as individuals and as a cohesive whole because of it.
In closing, one of the things we have all learned and seems to be the most pertinent in this city at this point in the trip is that there is much more then meets the eye with India. It is easy to dismiss things as chaotic, disorganized, unpleasent, broken, or even just stupid. What it really comes down to, though, is simplicity, efficiency and tradition. Undearneath it all, there is much to learn from these people. T.I.I.
Desmond
Similarly, our group has adopted T.I.I. (this is India) to describe the disappointment, the stress, the sheer chaos, the filth, the underlying simplicity, the sense of purpose, the respect, the history, the beauty, the humor, the delightful surprises and all serendipitous happenings that we all experience each day here.
Kolkata is the New York City of India. It is filled with people, personality, and an extensive public transportation system. The food ranges from good to great, and there is never a dull moment or a lack of things to experience. The streets are littered with taxis and buses that look like they came straight from the 1940's (to be honest, it wouldn't surpise me of some were that old) and serves as a reminder to just how resourceful the local population is here. When you don't have much (and many in this city don't), you do what you can to keep and treasure what little you have for as long as you can. In India, and especially Kolkata, things we would normally throw away or give up on are embraced here, "MacGyver'd" new life and are put to full use. One man's trash may be another's treasure, but in Kolkata, if something is found discarded you can be sure it is truly beyond repair.
The hustle-and-bustle of this city (and I suppose any large city) is a double-edged sword; it gives and it takes. We are all engaged in the personal challenge of meeting the needs of our curiosity with the city while still providing enough time and space for ourselves to relax with a good book, grab a cold cocoa cream drink and reflect on the day, or just have a quiet nap - perhaps all three! I think I can speak for the group when I say the juice is undeniably worth the squeeze, and we are all growing as individuals and as a cohesive whole because of it.
In closing, one of the things we have all learned and seems to be the most pertinent in this city at this point in the trip is that there is much more then meets the eye with India. It is easy to dismiss things as chaotic, disorganized, unpleasent, broken, or even just stupid. What it really comes down to, though, is simplicity, efficiency and tradition. Undearneath it all, there is much to learn from these people. T.I.I.
Desmond
Friday, February 27, 2009
Bodhgaya - birthplace of Buddhism
Hey everyone, Chrys here, reporting for blog duty.
We're currently in Bodhgaya, but before I get to that, there are some highlights from the rest of our time in Varanasi. Nina, Ben and Desmond did some fire=dancing with actual fire! A bunch of the girls made rings in jewely making class. We went on a sunrise boatride on the Ganges and on another day, took a boat ride across the river and had a picnic, traditional food cooked the traditional way, aka on a cow dung fire. We all really enjoyed our internships and kept busy. One night, a bunch of the girls went to an Indian wedding (it seemed there was at least one every night) and danced with some kids and had a blast. We came to really like our temporary home in Varanasi.
A few days ago we left for Bodhgaya on a very early morning train. While here, we've been doing some meditation, lectures adn meals at the Root Institute, a tibetan buddhist place, and are staying in a monastary. We've had several lively discussions sparked by our surroundings, about our personal philosophies and spirituality. We visited the MahaBodhi temple, which makres the place where the Buddha found enlightenment, and sat under part of that bodhi tree. It turns out we are here during the Tibetan New Year, so the MahaBodhi was pretty crowded!
There are Buddhist temples here from just about every majorly Buddhist country, which some of us have been checking out. Earlier today, we visited some caves wehre the Buddha spent six yers and six months meditating. It was pretty cool. The rickshaw ride there was definitely memorable, with it's bumps and turns, and also with all the animals we saw along the way, including cows (of course), water buffalo, goats, chicken, monekeys, cats and dogs. On our way to the caves, these rel young kids kept asking for rupees...and for kisses! It was a bit odd, tehy were like seven years old and followed us around!
It seems that at this point, we have all had a little bout with the expected traveller's diarrhea, which hasn't been the most fun part of the journey, but is to be expected. Everyone seems to be doing well now. In other group news, Ben shaved his head (there is a lot going on with haircuts it seems) and I think I'm next up for a haircut with Willa Rose. We've spent a lot of our free time in our short stay in Bodhgaya just chilling, avoiding the heat and exploring the city. Oh, and doing tarot readigns!
One interesting thing about Bodhgaya is that it seems the electricity is off during most of the day. It sometimes is barely noticeable, since it's so sunny and warm, and then in the evening the electricity comes back on and we can charge iPods and camera batteries (speaking of, we're going to try to add some photos to the blog when we're in Kolkata (Calcutta), feel the cool air from fans and...take hot showers! Everyone's been relly stoked about that, and the western toilets at the monastary where we're staying. A little comfort goes a long way.
Tonight, we get on a train for Kolkata, wehre we'll spend almost two weeks, volunteering at the Mother Theresa HOme for the Destitute, and soaking up this city that promises to be interesting and full of life. Our trip leaders are handing the reigns over to us a bit at this point in the trip, so Nina will be securing our accommodations in Kolkata and Hilary and I are rocking the itinerary, making sure we get to see the cultural sites and landmarks, as well as taking in a Bollywood movie, criquet games, hopefully enjoying the vibrant arts life of the city, and I am throwing in a strong vote for some some museum/planetarium stuff. It is sure to be a wild ride. Personally it was the part of our trip I was the most nervous about, but at this point, I'm psyched, and hope the rest of the group is too.
Well, running out of time here. I'm sure we'll update you more from Kolkata and as I said, try to load some pictures from various points along the way. Check you all later!
We're currently in Bodhgaya, but before I get to that, there are some highlights from the rest of our time in Varanasi. Nina, Ben and Desmond did some fire=dancing with actual fire! A bunch of the girls made rings in jewely making class. We went on a sunrise boatride on the Ganges and on another day, took a boat ride across the river and had a picnic, traditional food cooked the traditional way, aka on a cow dung fire. We all really enjoyed our internships and kept busy. One night, a bunch of the girls went to an Indian wedding (it seemed there was at least one every night) and danced with some kids and had a blast. We came to really like our temporary home in Varanasi.
A few days ago we left for Bodhgaya on a very early morning train. While here, we've been doing some meditation, lectures adn meals at the Root Institute, a tibetan buddhist place, and are staying in a monastary. We've had several lively discussions sparked by our surroundings, about our personal philosophies and spirituality. We visited the MahaBodhi temple, which makres the place where the Buddha found enlightenment, and sat under part of that bodhi tree. It turns out we are here during the Tibetan New Year, so the MahaBodhi was pretty crowded!
There are Buddhist temples here from just about every majorly Buddhist country, which some of us have been checking out. Earlier today, we visited some caves wehre the Buddha spent six yers and six months meditating. It was pretty cool. The rickshaw ride there was definitely memorable, with it's bumps and turns, and also with all the animals we saw along the way, including cows (of course), water buffalo, goats, chicken, monekeys, cats and dogs. On our way to the caves, these rel young kids kept asking for rupees...and for kisses! It was a bit odd, tehy were like seven years old and followed us around!
It seems that at this point, we have all had a little bout with the expected traveller's diarrhea, which hasn't been the most fun part of the journey, but is to be expected. Everyone seems to be doing well now. In other group news, Ben shaved his head (there is a lot going on with haircuts it seems) and I think I'm next up for a haircut with Willa Rose. We've spent a lot of our free time in our short stay in Bodhgaya just chilling, avoiding the heat and exploring the city. Oh, and doing tarot readigns!
One interesting thing about Bodhgaya is that it seems the electricity is off during most of the day. It sometimes is barely noticeable, since it's so sunny and warm, and then in the evening the electricity comes back on and we can charge iPods and camera batteries (speaking of, we're going to try to add some photos to the blog when we're in Kolkata (Calcutta), feel the cool air from fans and...take hot showers! Everyone's been relly stoked about that, and the western toilets at the monastary where we're staying. A little comfort goes a long way.
Tonight, we get on a train for Kolkata, wehre we'll spend almost two weeks, volunteering at the Mother Theresa HOme for the Destitute, and soaking up this city that promises to be interesting and full of life. Our trip leaders are handing the reigns over to us a bit at this point in the trip, so Nina will be securing our accommodations in Kolkata and Hilary and I are rocking the itinerary, making sure we get to see the cultural sites and landmarks, as well as taking in a Bollywood movie, criquet games, hopefully enjoying the vibrant arts life of the city, and I am throwing in a strong vote for some some museum/planetarium stuff. It is sure to be a wild ride. Personally it was the part of our trip I was the most nervous about, but at this point, I'm psyched, and hope the rest of the group is too.
Well, running out of time here. I'm sure we'll update you more from Kolkata and as I said, try to load some pictures from various points along the way. Check you all later!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Varanasi...
So we are in this amazing city called varanasi, oh yeah! lots of bonding and good laughs flowing.
To start this blog off, "bridey" has officially changed her name to willa rose, which is awesome. There have been to recent hair stylings, thanks to our own willa rose, that have left the girls a bit short on the head (hillary and graham). As you may well know our beloved friend julia has left our group and decided to continue her journey at home, which we all respect as a mature decision for her situation. But we all do miss her dearly, and are working hard to somehow fill her void, but "everything is alright"(sing song for that).
We are all starting to delve into the cities personal aspect, i.e. getting close (but not too close) with the locals, which we are stoked about as in delhi it was hard to get away from the tourist to beggar relationship. The GODS ARE ALIVE here, and we got to experience a sunrise cruising along the ganges in a boat, very sturdy and well made, that took us to a temple at the far north end, bout hour and a half walk, edge of town. There we got some good snaps and got too see probably the largest wasps nests hanging from the arches, HUGE!
Our expert guide, Vinay Ji (don't hold me to the spelling), is full of little chuckles and has no problem keeping us entertained with his witty knowledge and seemingly infinite wisdom. Speaking of wisdom, we had a quite eye opening lecture by a local guru/philosopher, age 72 and can't remember his name, sorry, who provided some clarity and insight to indian culture, provoking thought and centering in the group.
Every day, pretty much the best part in a way, we indulge in around 3 to 4 cups of the most amazing chai tea EVER, no joke, sometimes in tiny clay cups or little glass ones you return...very classy. Probably the best part is when we are able to splurge on gifts or huge meals, then at the end of the day we recap the amount to about a total of 5 to 10 dollars in all, soooo awesome. Almost everyone you pass is very friendly, welcoming our presence with smiles and offering to buy you a cup of chai...we love it here.
Well, signing off for now, but good talking to you, all this chai is getting us thirsty for more. Peace, love and infinite happiness...Namaste to you all...Ben and Willa Rose~
is this thing on?
hello out there in Bloggerville-
just throwin out a test blog of sorts. we have been experiencing technical difficulties and our last blog got lost in cyberspace. Stand by...
just throwin out a test blog of sorts. we have been experiencing technical difficulties and our last blog got lost in cyberspace. Stand by...
Monday, February 16, 2009
blog numero uno
hello everyone,
sorry for the tardy post, but rest assure everyone is more than happy and healthy. We are currently in varanasi, the city lights, and kicking off our internships and hindi classes. Hindi is definitely a challenge, but we're getting the hang of it slowly... ie practicing on the roof top with the monks across the street. The internships include fire dancing (nina, bridey, ben and desmond, classical indian singing (chrys). kattaa aka indian dancing (chrys), sitar (hilary, nina, julia and bridey), tablar aka indian drum (ben), henna tattoe (bridey and graham), jewlery making (julia, karen, hilary, graham), minature painting (graham)and stone carving (andrew). I think that's everyone, but I may be missing someone and things are likey to switch up a bit. In addition to the hindi classes and interships, the majority of the group is taking indian cooking classes, which ensures a legit meal for the day. So that pretty much wraps up the day-time activites. A few of us got up to see the sunrise over the ganga river, which was definitely the most amazing sight of all of india so far, if not my life. It's amazing that people are already up before dawn going about their daily routines in such an awesome place. There are people meditating, praying, doing laundry, bathing, and swimming as well as goats, dogs and monkeys hanging out doing their thing. So I'm so psyched to be spening more than a week here and I think everyone else is too. Our accomandations are great, except for the mosquitos. Mostly everyone battled with the little buggers all night and woke up with welts and pizza faces, the boys defintely got hit the hardest(bridey and I were the only ones that got out bite- free). The problem has been solved with the instalation of mosquitoe nets and the purchase of various types of insect repellant-so rest assured we are now fully prepared to outsmart the little buggers. Ive run out of time and space, so Im going to have to sign off now. Quick recap: india is flippin awesome, everyone is lovin it and we all miss you guys at home. We're going to be more on top of the blog in the future, so stay tuned for our next adventure-packed post. namaste, Graham
sorry for the tardy post, but rest assure everyone is more than happy and healthy. We are currently in varanasi, the city lights, and kicking off our internships and hindi classes. Hindi is definitely a challenge, but we're getting the hang of it slowly... ie practicing on the roof top with the monks across the street. The internships include fire dancing (nina, bridey, ben and desmond, classical indian singing (chrys). kattaa aka indian dancing (chrys), sitar (hilary, nina, julia and bridey), tablar aka indian drum (ben), henna tattoe (bridey and graham), jewlery making (julia, karen, hilary, graham), minature painting (graham)and stone carving (andrew). I think that's everyone, but I may be missing someone and things are likey to switch up a bit. In addition to the hindi classes and interships, the majority of the group is taking indian cooking classes, which ensures a legit meal for the day. So that pretty much wraps up the day-time activites. A few of us got up to see the sunrise over the ganga river, which was definitely the most amazing sight of all of india so far, if not my life. It's amazing that people are already up before dawn going about their daily routines in such an awesome place. There are people meditating, praying, doing laundry, bathing, and swimming as well as goats, dogs and monkeys hanging out doing their thing. So I'm so psyched to be spening more than a week here and I think everyone else is too. Our accomandations are great, except for the mosquitos. Mostly everyone battled with the little buggers all night and woke up with welts and pizza faces, the boys defintely got hit the hardest(bridey and I were the only ones that got out bite- free). The problem has been solved with the instalation of mosquitoe nets and the purchase of various types of insect repellant-so rest assured we are now fully prepared to outsmart the little buggers. Ive run out of time and space, so Im going to have to sign off now. Quick recap: india is flippin awesome, everyone is lovin it and we all miss you guys at home. We're going to be more on top of the blog in the future, so stay tuned for our next adventure-packed post. namaste, Graham
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
And they're OFF!
All India students are present and accounted for at SFO, greeted by an enthusiastic co-leader team. In just about 3 hours they will be in the air bound for Hong Kong, then Delhi.
After they get settled in Delhi, they'll take over this blog for the next 3 months-so stay tuned! (Give them at least 36-48 hours).
From Carpe HQ, this is Nannette and Amy saying "Shanti bahar!"
After they get settled in Delhi, they'll take over this blog for the next 3 months-so stay tuned! (Give them at least 36-48 hours).
From Carpe HQ, this is Nannette and Amy saying "Shanti bahar!"
Sunday, February 8, 2009
"May today there be peace within you. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use the gifts that you have received and pass on the Love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love."
-Mother Teresa
Namaste, friends and family! Karen and Andrew checking in here from Portland as we are on the final countdown till blast off to San Francisco and... India! What an incredible opportunity to explore, dream and discover in this incredible land. To experience and to be present. Radical indeed...
This lil' blog here will serve as a cyber-yodel or smoke signal if you will, to all our loved ones in the coming months as we are traveling throughout India. In a matter of days, you, the students will take the reigns and be posting stories, poems, tall tales, photos and more from our adventure, to share with friends and family back home to see and read. We encourage you to look over the previous semester's blogs from the past months and to look forward to the stories that our own journey will bring forth. Both of us, Karen and Andrew, are truly humbled to share with you in this amazing experience. Enjoy time with the people you love and here's to the magic that awaits!!
Shanti bahar (peace out in Hindi)...
Karen Rosenbloom and Andrew Bruck
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