India

Namaste (aka: S'up)

2011-09-07T10:20:00.000-07:00

Hey Gang!

We have returned from our summers in Peru and are super excited to be in Portland focusing all of our energy on the upcoming semester. We are not much more than a week away from seeing all of you in the San Francisco airport and beginning our epic journey around the world. It's going to be an amazing ride, full of highs, lows and pure bliss. Just remember to breathe! (This will be a great thing to cultivate now and through out the semester.

A couple reminders... consult the packing list and let us know if you have any questions. We are working on student calls and have enjoyed talking to those we've reached and look forward to connecting with the others. You should all have your India Visas by now, let us know if there have been any problems that we can help with. Come well rested and well hydrated; we are going to be in airplane and airport land for a long time on our way to India and it's very easy to catch a bug if you are not well rested. So please, no all nighters before the long ride, you'll regret it.

See you soon!!!

Jessica and Coby

P.S. Like the Blog? Ya'll (Southern term) will have your own chance to post (several times) through out the semester as well as other 'jobs' (Really they are more like fun activities...) that make the semester run smooth!

Sprindia Nahi Bahar Hai

2011-05-09T09:14:00.000-07:00

Coming home is as much a part of the journey as leaving. It does not make it easier when you not only have to say goodbye to an amazing country like India but also to a group of wonderful friends. Friends whom you have spent the last three months with, friends who were there when you were ecstatically happy, when you were feeling tired, friends who made you laugh, friends who were there when you cried, friends who you made you so happy to be alive and friends who made this trip illuminating.

We will all carry each other throughout the upcoming journeys of our life, whether we see and talk to each other every day or not. The gems we have learned from each other will continuously remind us of one another and put a little smile on our face. So Sprindia is not bahar, it is inside each of us, forever.

So much love, Lotte and Ben

Thank you Mama India.

2011-05-02T00:50:00.000-07:00

I don't think any of us can believe that we will all be going our separate ways in less than 24 hours. In some ways these 3 months have gone by so quickly, but then I think of all the things done like....

Going to the Baha'i temple, Eating 72 momos in one sitting, Increasing our spice tolerance to be able to handle any crazy Indian dish put in front of us, Seeing bodies being burned on the ghats of the Ganga, Cumulatively learning Hindi, yoga, meditation, tabla, singing, massage, fire-dance, painting, reiki, stone-carving, Ayurveda, cooking, macrame, jewelery making, and how to get a rickshaw back from Sarnath for 200 rupees, Seeing the romantic aarti fire ceremony from a boat on the ganga, Wearing sarees to an Indian wedding, Getting an Indian suit custom made, Meditating under the tree where the Buddha became enlightened, Surviving being 9 of the 15 million people that inhabit Kolkatta, Volunteering at the Mother Teresa home, Witnessing a goat sacrifice at the Kali temple, Teaching highschool girls in Sikkim, Climbing to 14,000 feet on a 5 day trek, Having a choreographed dance party on a bridge involving the squirrel, big daddy joe, crazy fingers, roll, vall, break, basketball horse, pop, worm, and jess, Completing 7 days of the ashram life, Going white-water rafting, Sharing free accommodation with thousands of people at the Golden Temple and eating some of the 80,000 free meals a day served there, Taking a travel writing workshop, Experiencing an earthquake, Seeing a tremendous lightning storm from a rooftop, Being in the presence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Sharing one room apartments with Tibetan families and experiencing their hospitality, Going bouldering, Taking a dip in the Vashisht hot springs, Stargazing, Climbing into a giant hamster ball and rolling down a hill while trying to avoid pedestrians, horses, and paragliders, Managing not to get bitten by a single monkey, dog, cow, yak, buffalo, widow, or sadhu, Performing music for hundreds on Indians at train stations, 30 blissed out yogis, and a thousand school girls, Drinking around 810 cups of chai, Spending 23 hours on buses, 67 hours on trains, 40 hours in a jeep with 10 people and 9 backpacks, and a good few days on planes...

it seems like an entire lifetime. Never have we felt so much joy, excitement, love, sadness, frustration crammed into every single day. We have all developed so much love for each other and for this country, it is hard to say goodbye, but knowing that it is not goodbye forever, and that we will soon all get to see our much loved families makes it ok. Mama India has taken such good care of us and I know we will carry her and her lessons with us wherever we go.
Shanti Bahar,

Manali

2011-05-01T01:10:00.001-07:00

At first when we saw the jagged white peaks all around, elaborately carved wooden buildings, green rolling hills, and sunshine sparkling off of waterfalls, we thought we were in Switzerland in India. But then we attended a night-time wedding anniversary-huge horns that sounded terrible, loud drumming, colorful scarves and money, matching outfits with cute hats. This region has it's own Tribal religion we'd never heard of! The town of Manali is super busy and full of Indian tourists, but we've been very cozy in the quieter and more beautiful village called Vashisht. A few min drive away you can find paragliders, horse back riders and rock-climbers all somehow magically in one spot. Lydia, Noah, Ben, Luke, and I went bouldering (scrambling up the sides of big rocks) and came back with sore fingers and happy hearts. Then we all pretended to be hamsters and went ZORBING! Uh huh, we rolled down a hill in big plastic balls. Ok, we'll write you more from Delhi.

Love! Phoebe

Tashi Delek!

2011-04-25T21:34:00.001-07:00

(Hello/May luck be with you in Tibetan)

Mcleod Ganj! Hills covered in forest, bright colorful houses, so many waving prayer flags. Jagged white mountains shining in the sunshine. Monks in red robes chatting on their cellphones. Tourists from all over the world, yak wool blankets and singing bowls, momos, falafel, Bhagsu cake!

We adore our homestay families! It was hard at first-A lot of us are in one room houses! Noah's house doesn't have a bathroom, he walks 10 min to the public one! But they've taken such good care of us and fed us awesome home-cooked Tibetan food! My Tibetan dad is a master Thanka painter. He's been practicing his craft for 30 years and now is a teacher. His gorgeous works take up to 4 monthes to finish. Golden Buddhas, angry gods, fire, swirling clouds, snow leopards. So magical! Becca's house has a five-year-old so she's in heaven! Lydia's mom made her special tea when she felt sick and tucked her into bed!

Many of us went to Meditations in the mornings and Monk Chats, where we talk to monks about their lives so that they can learn English. Lydia's been mastering Tabla, Luke made an awesome sweatshirt, Jess and Maddi and Becca and Noah and I took some Tibetan massage classes, so many of us made dream catchers and jewelry, Noah and Luke were Reiki attuned! Annnd we had a wonderful time hanging out with two pals that visited-Brandon our Meditation teacher from Phool Chatti Ashram, and Mike the director of Carpe Diem's India program.

We heard a rumor that the Dalai Lama was coming home and waited outside his house with a huge crowd for half an hour. Five cars zoomed by at top speed! There were a few monks in them and most of us couldn't tell which one he was....but Ben and I decided it was fabulous just to be in his presence!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NOAH!!!! Yesterday Noah, Ben, Mike and I hiked up to Triund, a whole day of steep climbing that left our legs wobbly. So worth it! The snowy peaks rose up so huge and unbelievably beautiful before us. Noah made us Nutella banana cashew sunflower seed sandwiches, we ran around and played frisbee and hackeysack and then napped in the grass. On the way home we stopped by a restaurant where everyone was waiting for Noah's surprise party with delish carrot cake.

Off to Manali today! We're all sending you hugs!!

Phoebe

2011-04-22T09:42:00.000-07:00

The group in front of the temple with Melitis at Deer Park Insitute, Bir.

2011-04-22T09:37:00.000-07:00

A Tibetan monk is showing us a Tibetan monastery, temple and school near Bir.

2011-04-22T09:32:00.000-07:00

One of the leaders, Lotte, at the Golden Temple in Amritsar

Lions and Tigers and Amritsar, Oh My!

2011-04-20T08:55:00.001-07:00

With minds as clear as the upper Ganga, we left Phool Chatti with inner peace and outward tranquility. Music rang throughout the bus on our way to the train station, thoughtless contemplation ran high. Then the tornado of Indian travel ripped its way into our consciousness, tearing at our vulnerablilities and peaceful minds. Indian stares and crowded trains were bolstered with clashing vibes and unknown motives. We looked out the window not to see the Wicked Witch of the West on her flying broomstick, but instead the tattered reality of so many Indians. A similar disturbance. The busy streets of Amritsar threw dust in our eyes and the dark night was filled with blaring horns and headlights. And just when things seemed about to brim over, the storm settled. We had arrived at the Golden Temple, a little place I like to call the Emerald City of India. For the next three days we were fed and housed in this land of enchantment free of charge. The Golden Temple, the holiest center in Sikhism, was a place of breathtaking beauty and rich splendor. We ate our meals in the massive dining halls that give out 60-80,000 meals a day to pilgrims and foreigners. In case you were wondering, the cooking pots were the size of Paul Bunyans cereal bowl which is approximately the size of a medium sized rickshaw which is approximately the size of a small American car. We spent most of our time in the safe-haven that the temple had to offer, excluding our trip to the India/Pakistan border closing ceremony that featured the high kicks and battle-like cries of Indian border guards. A very odd experience I might say. When it came time to leave Amritsar, few tears were shed and a gentle excitement for our next destination set in. And so we arrived in Bir-a small Tibetan village nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas. For the sake of the greater metaphor, we'll call it Kansas. Back in the comfort of natures silence and home-cooked meals, we settled into the Deer Park Institute brimming with childish excitement to pour our souls into our journals. We learned to travel write from Janet, our travel writing instructor. And so we did. We wrote, we shared, we listened. In a matter of days we were transformed from lowly squires to the fuedal lord of Travel Writing,I expect into immortal Kings sitting high atop the writing hierarchy. I expect at least all of us to be potentially published in the moderate future. We relaxed in Bir and spent our free time exploring a Tibetan temple, going for walks, admiring the paragliders overhead, and meandering amongst our fellow writing students. Our final night in Bir was capped with an epic lightning storm that illuminated the entire sky and a piece of our souls. The intensity of the piercing lightning and ferocious thunder mixed with the sound of spattering rain was something that I'll never forget. With Mcleod Ganj on the immediate horizon, the build-up to India's most storied location(thanks to Ben and Lotte) reached an all-time high. We scarfed our breakfasts, snapped some photos, and piled into the taxis that would be our vehicles into the next stratosphere of our Indian adventure-its gonna be a wild ride to the finish...-Noha

The Ashram Experience- A Spiritual Bootcamp

2011-04-12T23:33:00.000-07:00

The last 7 days of our epic adventure have been spent at Phool Chatti Ashram. Because most of the members of our group have never been to boot camp, let alone base training, I took some time to describe the similarities and eventually we all agreed:
The Ashram Life= Spiritual Bootcamp.
A typical day in bootcamp looks something like this- (the Ashram equivalent will be explained in parentheses)

5:30: Wake up call/ Call to Duty (A Buddhist gong cuts through the morning air awakening us from our restful slumber and calling us to meditation)
6:00: Internal Strategic Strategizing (Silent Meditation)
6:30: Personal Gear and Gun Check (Cleansing of the sinuses with the use of a nettipot and Pranayam (Breathing Yoga))
7:00: Combat Training led by Commando Lalitaji (Integrative Yoga practice led by the serious but entertaining Lalitaji)
9:00: Morning Rationing ( Breakfast-simple but very tasty!)
10:00: Latrine and Barracks Duties ("Karma Yoga"- Cleaning and helping around the Ashram in a "giving back to the community" and karma-enhancing time)
10:30: Infantry Marching Practice- Led by Lieutenant Brandon (Silent walking meditation into the beautiful nature surrounding Phool Chatti Ashram: waterfalls, rivers, and the sacred Ganga - Led by the young, flowing haired, and (in some opinions) strapping American Brandon)
12:30: Mid-Day Rationing ( Lunch- Classic Indian Cuisine- Highlighted by Day 5 rice pudding (just ask Ben), and the constant friendly offering of "more chapati-soup vegetable-rice..." Silence Ends)
13:00: Soldier "At Ease Time" (Relaxation and free time- usually spent reading or doing some form of art- unless you are Lydia who found her new passion in "Extreme Rock Jumping"... kids these days...)
15:00: Combat Strategizing Session- Master Strategist Lieutenant Brandon (Discussions about life practices- Meditation, Yoga and how they can impact our existences as mere mortals on this existential playing field)
16:00: Combat Training II (Afternoon Yoga- Hold onto your bootstraps, the intensity picked up driving us all into a fiery orb or burning fire sweat. yum.)
18:30: Daily Human Sacrifice (JK, ROFLchopter. LOL. just making sure y'all are paying attention)
18:45: Ceremonial Battalion Cries- Led by 1st Rank Master Commando Swammiji (Pooja- the evening sun-setting ceremony followed by Mantra chanting by the fire led by the Ashram Guru Swamiji)
19:00: Evening Rationing (Dinner- Glorious to the body, mind, and spirit- I have been pretty into food these days)
20:30 Internal Strategic Strategizing (Guided Meditation- Silence Begins)
21:00 Beddy Beddy Bed Time (I am not sure what they call it in the Ashram)

What began as an experience we all feared would be serious and dry quickly transformed into a hypothetical soap-opera complete with interesting personalities and even juicy drama. Luke and I are the lead script-writers for "Ashram Life", a satirical sitcom we hope to have on the air by early next fall and will run for a minimum of 20 seasons. The show will follow our paths to enlightenment. Its gonna be a hit. Trust me.

The week ended with a talent-show that showcased the unrivaled talents of the Carpe Diem group as well as the interesting and entertaining ideas of our foreign counterparts. A fire-ceremony capped off the whole experience and we are off to Amritsar!

Noha

2011-04-10T20:21:00.000-07:00

Everyone at the Phool Chatti Ashram

The Indian Limelight

2011-04-04T22:37:00.001-07:00

In a country where the word 'cricket' means little more than a noise-making bug, you may find it hard to grasp the greater meaning of the word cricket, the cricket that may forever change the face of India. With wickets and overs and bowlers and sixes, you muggles may ask yourselves: what in the name of Ganesh is all this rubbish-talk all about? Ladies and gentlemen, its cricket. Its a sophisticated game of skill and prowess; a game that puts to shame the likes of our national sports in intensity and ingenuity. But in the Indian scope, cricket is not just a pastime, it is a culture.
Two nights ago at 11:06pm asia time, India, our India, rose above Sri Lankan mediocrity to claim the ultimate crown- Cricket World Cup Champions.The streets erupted, Indian flags ran rampant through the air, jubilant war-cries echoed into the night. The energy seeping from the depths of Indian society into a sea of luminous light. Carpe Diem India! And so they did.

-Noha

Rishikesh

2011-04-04T22:36:00.000-07:00

Today we will be leaving our free days at our guest house in Rishikesh and on to the ashram.
While in Rishikesh we stayed at a wonderful cottage, and although the boys seemed to be favored by the restaurant workers, we always finished our meals happily. We have enjoyed our free days very much here in the yoga capital of the world. We have had chances to go shopping, eat falafel, and plan a few activities to entertain ourselves while we were here. Saturday Luke, Noah, Lotte, and Lydia went on a walk up to a waterfall, that they said was fun, then they hitched a ride back on an ambulance! Sunday we went white water rafting, with the exception of Lotte and Becca who have already been. The seven of us who did go rafting enjoyed it very much, and when we were in the cold water it was very breath taking and exhilarating. Our guide Sundi was also fun to be with. He had us play a game where we all took turns running around the edge of the raft trying not to fall in the Ganga. Now we are all looking forward to a peaceful week at the Ashram where we will be able to get in plenty of yoga and meditation!

-Maddi

The Tremendous Trek

2011-03-29T05:10:00.000-07:00

Although three of us were sadly unable to go on our trek last week, the six of us remaining had a great adventure. We had a couple struggles, but were all able to keep high spirits and push threw them. The high altitude helped bring a few laughs too!

Every morning during our trek we would get into a circle and the captains of the day would warm us up. After we did our routine warm-ups we would do our routine dance moves that each of us had taken part in making. Ben introduced to us "the squirrel", and Lotte "grandpa move", Phoebe's dance was "the roll", Luke's "The pointers", Lydia did the "Val", I did "the Indian", Becca taught us the "Kelsey", and Noha's...well Noha's dance was very unique, we topped it off with Jess's "Wingle move" and we were ready to go. I'm sure we brought entertainment to our awesome trekking crew everyday with our crazy random dances.

We were served the most delicious meals three times a day by the cook crew, and were even brought hot tea or tang when we were getting close to camp each day by Mote! The warm drinks were much appreciated in the cold weather. And we can't forget the pack horses who carried all of our things everyday for us. One of the horses was always nibbling on toilet paper or whatever he could and he was named Munchers by our Carpe group. We also named the some of the other horses Showgun, Cappuccino, and Thumpers.

On the last day of our trek we finished it in silence then we were happily reunited with our other group members. Now we are enjoying a few much needed relaxing days in Darjeeling, before we go on to Rishikesh!

Love, Maddi :)

Trekking!

2011-03-28T09:57:00.000-07:00

Taken minutes before the start of our trek with our mascot Cyndira the Unicorn in the background.

Our camp on the 2nd and 4th night of the trek.

Yay we made it to the top!

Two more days until the trek!

2011-03-20T03:19:00.000-07:00

Today is Holi, the festival of colors, and it doesn't get as crazy
here in Sikkim as it does in the big cities, but there's definitely a
lot of very pink Indian men roaming around town. Jess and Becca and I
went into town today to get some last minute trekking supplies and
came back completely covered in colors. It was amazing.
Thursday was our last day of volunteering at the school, and to our
surprise the school organized a cultural assembly for us with
traditional songs and dances. At the end all the girls cheered for us
and asked us to sign autographs, we felt like celebrities. I don't
think I've ever been so overwhelmed with gratitude. Overall, the
experience seemed to be just as rewarding for us as it was for the
kids. They got a change of pace from their regular classes, and had a
lot of opportunities to sing Justin Beiber songs with us. As teachers
we were really pushed out of our comfort zones and I think we left
feeling much more self confident and empowered. I gained an
appreciation for all the different kinds of education I've received
throughout my life, and the lessons I continue to learn every day in
India.
On our day off we took a trip to the Himalayan Zoological Park where
we saw a himalayan black bear, an adorable red panda, lackadazical
civets, and a leopard with an attitude. Back at the house we've been
relaxing, eating delicious food cooked by our home stay family, and
playing tons of games. Now it's time to pack our bags and get ready
for the part of the trip I've been looking forward to since day one. I
can't wait to be up at 14,000 feet surrounded by fresh air and
beautiful mountain views. This is gonna be awesome.

Love,
Lydia

Gangtoking it up!

2011-03-15T21:12:00.000-07:00

By the time we left Calcutta on Saturday night we were all pretty
frazzled and worn out from a week of hot weather and hard work. I
don't know about the rest of the group, but I was definitely dreaming
about fresh air and mountain views. After an overnight train and a
five hour jeep ride through the mountains we finally arrived in
Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim.The population of Gangtok is 30,000
(compare that to Calcutta's 14 million), and the entire city is built
along winding mountain roads with spectacular views of green valleys
and snow capped Himalayan peaks in the distance. It's a dream come
true.
We just finished our second day of volunteering at the Palzor Namgyal
Girls School, a private school of 1,000 students. We had no idea what
to expect coming in, so we were all caught off guard when we found out
we would be teaching classes of 30 students with no lesson plan, just
a few games up our sleeves. We were even more surprised to find that a
lot of students were our own age. It's pretty intimidating trying to
teach subjects we barely remember learning about last year and I think
we all have gained a lot more respect for our high school teachers. We
did some brainstorming last night and came up with lesson plans and
ideas to get the girls thinking more creatively, so most classes went
a little more smoothly today. Luke taught philosophy, Noah talked
about politics, Jess led art projects, Maddi taught Spanish, Phoebe
sang and danced, Becca taught English and Hindi, and I taught a lesson about the demographic
transition model and world population growth, no big deal.

We have two more days at the school, and then a few more free days to
explore Gangtok and prepare for our trek. And since internet is pretty
sketchy here, we've decided to go technology free for the next 2
weeks! So don't expect to hear from your kids until we arrive in
Darjeeling around March 27th.
Stay tuned for one more update before we hit the trail, but for now,
Shanti Bahar.

-Lydia

Goodbye Kolkata and Hello Mountains!

2011-03-12T01:27:00.001-08:00

Namaste!

We just finished up our week at Mother Teresa house, and have an 11
pm train to gangtok tonight. We're all excited for the mountain air!
volunteering at Mother Teresa has been challenging, but really
rewarding and I think we've all taken a lot away from it. We said our
goodbyes to people we've been helping and other volunteers, and we
even got sung a song that goes like this "We thank you thank you
thank, we love you love you love you, we miss you miss you miss you"
during breakfast, since it was our last day of volunteering.

Last night most of us went out for pizza, overpriced, but decidedly
delicious. The street food (i.e. chapati rolls) in kolkata has not
only been nourishing our bodies, but also made our taste buds very
happy. We're excited to get moving and are really looking forward to
our trek.

becca

Bodhgaya & Beyond

2011-03-06T13:19:00.001-08:00

The Bodhi Tempel where Buddha became enlightened in Bodh Gaya

Luke and Noah doing the famous Indian "pinky hold"

Luke's birthday cake (that later got completely smooshed and was creatively put back together by Phoebe and Jess)

Lydia on our boat ride on the Ganga to celebrate our last night in Varanasi and the fact that we had traveled so successfully for the last 2.5 weeks.

hi readers!

we just finished our 2nd day of work at the mother theresa homes in
calcutta, but more on that later.

beautiful bodhgaya offered some respite from the hustle and bustle of
"city india". we explored temples, sat under the bodhi tree (the spot
where buddha became enlightened), and ate a lot of tibetan food. we
enjoyed beet juice tattoos, nap times, and yoga. our hostel was
beautiful, clean, and mostly quiet. we then headed towards calcutta
via overnight train, which was a tad late (2 hours), but during that
time we figured out everyone's animal resemblances (in terms of
personality, not likeness). they are as follows:

Lydia:Wallabee
Becca:Fox
Maddi: Lioness
Noah:Giraffe
Lotte: Golden Hare
Ben: Blue Heron
Phoebe: Red Squirrel
Luke: Salamander
Jess: Otter

We got to calcutta around 10 AM and grabbed taxis to our guest house.
orientation for mother theresa house was at 3, we checked in and
decided which specific homes we wanted to be working in. phoebe,
maddi, and i decided to work in a home for mentally and physically
disabled children (lydia works in a different home with the same
theme), lotte decided to work with toddlers, ben noah and luke work in
a home for men, and jess works in the hospice home. yesterday we felt
things out, and got our bearings. we're doing things such as feeding
people, helping them go to the restroom, or simply holding their
hands. breakfast (bread, bananas, and chai) is at 7, the workday
starts at 8 and ends at 1130. then we usually do yoga, go out to
lunch, or maybe just talk. there are so many great things to do in
calcutta, our free day is thursday so we're very excited to check them
out! maybe a visit to the victoria memorial or the indian museum?
today is luke's birthday so we're going out for a nice dinner (happy
birthday luke!). that's all i've got for now, happy reading.

becca

2011-02-27T03:41:00.001-08:00

Tommorrow we leave Varanasi by train for Bodhgaya, the place that the Buddah is said to have reached enlightenment. The city now offers many temples to visit or meditate at, as well as a descendant of the very same bodhi tree the Buddah sat under thousands of years ago. But before we leave Varanasi we will enjoy an evening boat ride up the Ganges to eat dinner and watch hundreds of lotus flower candles float down the river, viewing the people as they sing, dance and pray in this sacred city. Varanasi has been an impressive experience, from learning local trades and customs to meeting amazing people in many feilds. Witnessing the cremations at the Ghats has been an unexplainable experience, as has volunteering at an after school program for kids in the red light district. We even attended a real Indian wedding!

PHOTOS!

2011-02-26T17:38:00.000-08:00

Enjoying a lecture about Ajeet's work with Guria to eradicate child's prostitution in Varanasi and beyond.

Bollywood dance poses at an Indian wedding in Varanasi after taking over the dance floor for at least one whole hour.

All the girls so pretty in silk saris!

Becca loving the children (as always) at a artist colony just outside of Jaipur, Rajasthan

Dancing at the artist colony

Noah literally jumping in and chasing all the kids in his horse costume

Lydia making a little clay pot in Jaipur

The group at Amber fort in Jaipur

Varanasi and the Ganga

2011-02-25T20:22:00.000-08:00

We have been in Varanasi, one of the worlds most ancient cities, for a week now. Varanasi has traditionally been known as a place for intense study, and nowadays this reputation continues with a more modern flair. Our time has been packed full with classes of all kinds: Hindi language lessons, tabla, fire dancing, painting, stone carving, Ayurdedic medicine, etc, as well as several lectures from local activist and educators. This city rests on the banks of the Ganga, India's most sacred river, which represents Lord Shiva in a natural form. On Wednesday we all took a day trip out to Sarnath to visit a local charity committed to helping women to create bags and artwork from recycled plastic. In Sarnath is Deer Park, the place where the Buddha gave his first sermon, and before heading back to Varanasi took time to visit this sacred Buddhist site. We have a few more days here in Varanasi to soak up the knowledge and insight the teachers here have to offer, and soon we will be on our way again.

The Jaipur Shuffle

2011-02-16T01:43:00.001-08:00

After a very delayed bus ride we finally arrived to Rajasthan from Delhi. For the cleaner air and more relaxed atmosphere (and keep in mind that everything is relative in India) it was worth the 9+ hours in transit. Just after arriving to Jaipur we all settled into our home stays where we were welcomed by plenty of food and warm hospitality. For the past couple of days we have attended morning yoga classes followed by Hindi. The afternoons have been full with a couple lectures (Indian history, Indian Polity) and visits to local block printing and ceramic artists. It's hard to believe that already one week has gone by. We aren't sure if it should be longer or shorter, India seems to have us caught in some kind of time warp. Either way we have been having fun and becoming closer to each other. Tonight we plan on visiting a Ganesh mandir for puja and prasad, which is appropriate for the beginning of our trip, as he is called "The Remover of Obstacles" and is invoked by Hindus at the beginning of any endeavor or undertaking to assure success: Aum gam ganapataye namah!

In...India!

2011-02-10T16:54:00.000-08:00

Normally the group would be blogging family and friends themselves, but, after long travels and a 13.5 hour time change, they are resting at last!

This is Amy from headquarters and I am happy to report that I spoke with Ben this afternoon. They have all safely arrived in Delhi. The group is all together and other than a little fatigue, all are well. They were headed straight to the hostel to sleep and start resetting their clocks.

Check back to the blog frequently. You will be hearing from the voice of the group soon as they begin their journey in Incredible India!

Headquarters, once again, signing off...

It's a GO!

2011-02-08T21:16:00.001-08:00

It's official!

This is Nannette, and I've just received word that all of the SFO contingent of the India semester is together, accounted for, and checked in for Delhi.

The leaders, Ben and Lotte are so excited and ready to share their mentorship with this amazing group.

More when the final two meet up with them in Indira Ghandi Airport...

For now this is Carpe HQ signing off...

Namaste Team Sprindia!

2011-02-03T18:40:00.001-08:00

Lotti and Benji signing in! As many of you know, we have been here at the office in Portland for the past couple of weeks preparing for our upcoming trip in India, though, in reality, nothing will ever prepare anyone for India. We say this with the upmost affection, excitement, and reverence for such a beautifully chaotic and chaotically beautiful place.
We look forward so much to meeting face to face with each person of our soon-to-be traveling tribe. Be well and happy, enjoy your last few days with your family and friends, and see you all so soon.
Shanti,Benji and Lottiji

Freeeeeee Travvvvlin

2010-12-05T02:21:00.000-08:00

Greetings blog readers, worried parents, friends of friends and creatures, space aliens of all kinds. We left off in McCloud gang in the wintery little village of the daliest lama and took a day train to bikaner. Avery quaint little desert town, we arrived late at night and not a creature was stirring, only wild dogs sniffing through garbage. We turned our attention towards our hotel, my bloodstained sheets and cockroaches let me know this was indeed a 4 star hotel. upon our introduction the hotel managers stuck a paper mache deer in jeff's face, we were all pretty tired and confused, before we all retired to our infested nests the managers offered me 100 rupees to swim naked in their swimming pool, best 3 dollars i have ever made. The next day we roused slowly and headed for a temple, apparently tourists weren't allow but because of our excellent guided we were able to get in. There was praying singing, drumming, and ecstaticness filled the air as we all looked towards the unknown idol in the passageway and were doused with holy water and tulsi. We explored a nice market place with the cheapest posters in all of India, it was nice to get prices on gifts and food. We saw some historic building and the worlds tiniest painter swooned us with his miraculous eye power as he took tiny brushes on tiny paper and made beautiful pieces. We ahh and oohhhed at the silky textile bed sets for the whole family as the charismatic indian rolled out countless sheets of Indian works. We quickly left to catch our camel adventure, into the desert. We drove out of the city, face to face with camel jockeys and their treasured camels, we all arose into the sky and bounced until our groins were pounded to dust. Under the stars and the flood of cold desert air we ate ten million chipattis and all huddled together for warmth, this is the meaning!!!! of group bonding, the ultimate. We woke up several times in the night and probably nobody slept, but it was worth it to see countless shooting stars and not get eaten by desert tigers. After a long morning, we rode for an hour to have a really long lunch, sitting in the shade many of us discovered the lice in Calcutta had followed us all the way to the desert. The group moped and chuckled as we picked the little critters out of our heads. I still can't decide what is better, lice or leeches? After returning to our hotel, we relaxed our legs muscles and went out for a nice dinner and silly time at a restaurant in Bikaner. Returning only to Eli, who hadn't joined us in the slickest of suits, we could tell he was feeling classy. We all sit the nests early that night so that we could adventure to Jaipur in the early morning. after the stuffy morning on the train jaipur finally arrived, it seemed relatively calm, but suddenly as the day progressed the calm got more and more demanding, and the people did as well, it was impossible to find quiet people always approaching you to buy things it was a crazy mess. We had nice thalis, I met a nice braman man and he was able to show me a nice gem shop. Eli and Tiana went to a fake psychic guru who guessed their lives and I think many just retreated to the hotel. I arrived late not wanting to be overcharged for a night rickshaw and got lost near the hotel. When i returned the group was almost reunited enough to go see harry potter in a ridiculously fancy mall. There was a pigion in the top rafters and wondered if he felt fancy. The movie was great, with a particularly awkward intermission, and close security making sure jeff could not put his feet on the seat ahead. The movie did a great job of making me feel like i wasn't in India any more, I think after the taxi ride home and the first half of the next day we were all glad to be leaving for pushkar.
More coming soon, thank you readers.

2010-11-26T04:26:00.000-08:00

Here we are in McLeod Ganj, tucked high up in the hills, surrounded by even higher peaks-the mystical Himalayan Mountains. After our week at Deer Park Institute, we were able to enter this week in McLeod with clear and focused minds. We are all excited to finally have reached this destination, so different from any place we have previously been to because of the strong Tibetan influence, or rather, a city many Tibetans now call home away from home. If it wasn't enough just to be able to see this place, we also had the privilege to stay with Tibetan families. To really get the inside scoop on the situation in Tibet and how these exiles live their lives outside of their native countries.
We arrived in the afternoon, driving up the steep narrow roads we have all grown to know and love. Street vendor after street vendor selling handicrafts from wool socks, scarves and leg warmers to food like veg AND non veg momos and Thukpa (the traditional hardy Tibetan soup). We were quickly introduced to our host families and before i knew it, we were all parting our separate ways to our new homes. Once again, we call a new city home.
My home (and i think this goes for everyone) was very small. I wasn't expecting anything huge and luxurious, but I didn't think it as going to be this up close and personal. My home was about 12' by 12'. My bed, a stove, their bed, a small closet, and of course the shrine or alter, decked out with golden Buddhas and Lamas, candles, incense, flowers. My family told me that back when they lived in Tibet, they had a separate room for their alter, a sacred room. Now, they cover the alter with a curtain every night to keep it sacred. This cozy and personal way of life was a shock, but easy to get the hang of. We all had the same bed time, woke up at the same time, and all i had to do to eat breakfast and dinner was slightly turn my body to the table next to my bed! I had to take showers only after a warm day so the water on the roof would heat up, and my host dad had to go and fetch it. Turns out i only showered twice in the week, double the amount my parents took! As far as food goes- such great home cooked food that we all were craving especially this time of year, thinking about the thanksgiving meals we were missing. And we sure didn't go hungry. Tibetans like to eat a lot at one time, and will relentlessly serve you more food even when you think you might explode. Im sure all our different families had their own quirks that i know your sons and daughters are telling you all about.
Our time in Mcleod Ganj feels very independent. It was the first time we all really split up, all in different homes, we all chose different internships, we all chose to use the day however we wanted. From learning to make dream catchers and stone necklaces to cooking to yoga to thanka painting (traditional Tibetan painting ... I know sounds a lot like Thukpa ...) to learning massage and reiki. An endless list of skills to learn and events to attend. So, I cannot speak for everyone but i think the overall vibe is there were just too many amazing opportunities to be a part of in such a short amount of time. Every night there was something new: a documentary on Tibet, open mikes, personal stories being shared on people's experience in Tibet and trying to get out of Tibet, watching an incredible sunset with the valley below. I learned an enormous amount about the situation in Tibet in this one week here. I realize how sheltered i am in America concerning Tibet. Over all, I am blown away by the kindness and charm of Tibetans. Such caring, genuine people even after years and years of suffering, suffering i can not even begin to imagine. They won't hesitate to smile at you, and in my experience ten times less pushy and aggressive than Indians. A real breath of fresh air.
It felt great to run into someone in the group every now and again. Walking down the street and bumping into a familiar face and quickly sharing the most recent news before moving along to our next activity made the city feel like we had been living here for a while. When we all met for Thanksgiving dinner it felt like a great reunion. Like extended family reuniting on the yearly thanksgiving day. We all had our stories and experiences to share. Everyone seemed a little different to me, in a good way of course. I think McLeod Ganj changed us and formed us, adding more experience under our belts.
I loved the short week here in McLeod and it is a place that will be calling my name until i return back. Although i am more than sad to be moving on, i am excited to see what Rajasthan brings, our last 12 or 14 days together. How time flies by...

Gratitude is my mood...

2010-11-25T02:44:00.000-08:00

Gratitude is my mood...

If anything I've learned from travel it is that we are all family in some way
sucked down by gravity to walk this land
And on Thanksgiving 2010 with you, my brothers and sisters
gratitude is my mood

when you glow as you write and wrestle and wrestle and write with your journey, Amanda,
you alight inspiration
and gratitude is my mood

when you dance and dance then sit for hours discovering deep friendship with your own soul, Andi,
you alight peace
and gratitude is my mood

when you turn over and over the secrets of all spiritual paths with wonder and curiosity, Dylan,
you alight wisdom
and gratitude is my mood

when you open your heart again and again to connecting, laughter-filled, explorative conversation, Eli,
you alight true friendship
and gratitude is my mood

when you subtly yet powerfully and thoughtfully carry great care and concern on your shoulders for this family, Jefe,
you alight integrity and beauty of character
and gratitude is my mood

when you assert your goddess power- in observant eyes, strong voice and kind smile, Nelle,
you alight meaning of true leadership
and gratitude is my mood

when you extend your warm soul to encompass in love and mystery and music those in your sphere, Nico,
you alight transformation
and gratitude is my mood

when you happily transport your sitar across Northern India and mesmerize yourself with thanka, Trevor,
you alight discovery and growth
and gratitude is my mood

when you kindle lights of humanity with every being you meet with your welcoming smile, Tiana,
you alight hope
and gratitude is my mood

when I lay my head down each night in utter exhaustion
having bathed in new waters
explored rainbows of tastes
gained friendships
ignited more questions
discovered a new nugget of inner and outer mystery
and melted with another sunset, Mother India,
you alight life

and gratitude is my mood

for Carpe Diem India Fall 2010
Amanda Joy Rader

2010-11-19T22:57:00.000-08:00

Hey!

The Deer Park Institute. A place built up in our minds as the home to five days of bone-chilling buddhist-style silence. Five days with few, if any interactions with the other carpe diem group members we have grown to love and hold dear. Five days of mindful nothingness.

Upon arriving at the institute, all these intimidating perceptions were thrown out the window. The atmosphere was far less strict than that at Phool Chatti and the expectations set out by Deer Park for our group's participation in the program were met by the mere act of us showing up. Deer Park is situated in the quaint mountain village of Bir (pronounced like the beverage we have contractually guaranteed Jeff and Amanda we would not drink). Any plans we had to keep silence were lost, with the exception of meal times and during meditation.

The meditation program taking place during our time there was rather rigorous even though we were not expected to follow it religiously. The program involved seven, hour long sitting meditations per day with walking, tea, and chanting meditations and lectures sprinkled in throughout. It was not apparent to me how exhausting it is to sit in the same position for sixty minutes until I tried it seven times a day. The monk teaching the course (whose name I can't remember, everyone just called him "Venerable") was trying to get us to live in the moment. He said that our thinking mind can only exist in the past and the future. In order to escape suffering, we must be mindful of what we are doing, while we are doing it. It's a concept that we all struggled to fully comprehend.

The food at Deer Park was some of the best I've tasted in India. This made it hard to eat slowly and mindfully, like we were asked to do. The institute was very environmentally responsible. The food was locally grown, the hot water came from solar panels, and the that trash could be, was recycled.

On the fourth day of our stay, most of the group made its way to a hot spring about an hour away from Bir despite warnings of torrential rain. After an hour hike through mountains and a wild cannabis field, we arrived at some jacuzzie-style hot springs. They were really hot. While the group was boiling in the natural baths, it began to hail and eventually the rain we were promised began. We took this as our cue to head home.

It is strange to think that the end of our stay at the Deer Park Institute meant that there is less than a month left of trip. See you all soon!

Eli

Home of the Golden Temple

2010-11-18T04:32:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

Tiana here, ready to give you all the 411 on our time in Amritsar; which wasn't much... and note that most of our time spent in Amritsar was mostly free wandering on our own, but I will do my best to include everyone. Lets’ see... We were there for a total of 3 days and were lucky enough to find a decent hotel right around the corner from The Golden Temple. After pretty much starving for some hours on the train ride (who ever keeps track anymore), we all decided to try and find a bite to eat even though it was around 10:30 pm. All the restaurants were closed, so our options were street foods or a shop that might be open. It's difficult to navigate around an area you haven't been in before and it's dark, but Nelle and I decided we would go around the block and see if we could at least find something to drink. We found a shop called "Lucky Refreshments"... lucky us. Before coming across this place we were telling each other how we felt Amritsar was a lot calmer compared to other places; peaceful and how it seemed a little safer... Then when we walked up to the shop, this guy kept harassing me asking where I was from, my name, and how he was single. We were ready to pay and leave, but on the way out; I tried to pass another man who was in front of me staring me down. He put his hand up to not let me pass in front of him and stepped forward. So I decided I would try to walk behind him, and as I did he rubbed his hand up my backside. I felt so violated and angry, but was so exhausted I didn't know how to deal with the situation. Another man on the walk back was shouting inappropriate remarks at us and we just couldn't believe all this was happening in the 20 mins we had been in Amritsar. Just when we were saying how we thought this place had such a calm and nice vibe to it. We spoke way too soon.

Besides that incident on first arrival, we had a pretty early morning the next day moving from the hotel to accommodations at the Temple. The place was full of backpackers, and pretty much a room made to burn people alive. It was poorly ventilated so it was always ridiculously hot inside. However, it was doable for the next couple days and it gave us the opportunity to meet and chat with other travelers. That day we all decided to wander around and see the city. Some went to see the temple or eat there; they served free food all day! How awesome is that. Others went shopping, to see other temples, and I went for coffee and to find some Chicken. Amritsar happened to be one of the few cities we have come across where people actually eat meat! Jeff, Trevor, Dylan and I were crazy excited. Or at least I was.

All day I had gone on a long search to find this place that served chicken, but no luck. It wasn't until later that night that Andi and I finally got our hands on the Lonely Planet to look up a restaurant. We found this place called Aurah which was supposed to be pretty far, but we were determined. It ended up being a girl’s night out to dinner because we had convinced Nelle and Amanda to go as well. So we hopped in a rickshaw and it took us a good 30 mins to get to our destination. It was worth the drive because besides the time it took, taking a rickshaw always is a nice way to see parts of the city you may not see otherwise on foot. Also the food was amazing! We were so stoked, not only because this place was so nice and had great food (and dessert; warm and gooey fudge brownies), but there was a subway right next door! Who would have ever thought you would find a subway here, I know we didn't. We told the boys our secret place the next day and had no choice but to go (Eli loves subway; we have photo documentation). The subs were definitely still an Indian version just like any other food not originated from India, but it fills the void.

That day some of us decided to see another temple called Mata Temple, which is a Hindu temple. It was interesting... think of at first walking into a colorful and beautiful hall and then you are directed to go up a staircase on the side to find that this temple has a fun house of mirrors, murals, and gods. You walk through caves and ankle deep water to get to the main shrine, which I believe was the huge head or mouth of Shiva..? Not sure. There was a lot of confusion on my part, but it was still an interesting experience. Later that day we also had plans to go to the Pakistan border to watch the showdown that goes on there. Or at least we thought it was... Basically it was a fancy way of closing the border gates. Both sides have members of their military marching for a good 20 or so minutes. The marches are cool I will give them that and when they all have marched their happy high kicking selves to the gates, they do a synchronized bringing down of the flag, the end. It was interesting because they do this every day and it is amazing really the volume of people that come to see this event. There were waving flags, chanting, loud music and dancing which most of the group joined in on. In the end I personally was mostly impressed by the hype and enthusiasm the people have from both sides. I think that is what made the experience.

Another cool opportunity we had was the chance to stay overnight in the temple which has been said to be a spectacular experience. The downside is that the chances you will actually get sleep is not likely. Amanda (leader), Andi, and Nelle had already done this the second night and they said it was great even without getting much sleep. I suppose we had similar experiences except... before hand they forgot to mention how the temple is never really closed. There was constantly people walking around and worshiping, all night and all morning. Then at 3 in the morning you get woken up by the people cleaning the floors of the temple. So you are forced to move to the outer areas if you want to continue sleep. The up side is they do offer you chai all night/morning as well, really good chai too. The view of the Golden Temple at all hours of the day is amazing because the way the light hits the temple every hour changes the golden gleam dramatically. However, at 3 in the morning the view is even more magical with the moonlight. The Golden temple is definitely magnificent. It makes lying on that cold marble floor and getting soaked with freezing water early in the morning the experience of a life time.
Well I think I will stop here since this covers most of the key events (besides the old school shades shopping rampage we all went on), but I hope this gives you some insight into our adventure in Amritsar. Stay Well!

T. Woods

P.S

Sorry it took so long to post, but the Internet here is always disconnecting

2010-11-12T00:52:00.000-08:00

Dear avid readers,

Hello.

I am currently faced with the task of blogging about our week at the Ashram in under 15 minutes so I can get to the Pakistani boarder in time for the show. And even I was stricken by the sheer weirdness of that last sentence. The week took on completely different meanings for each one of us as we all trekked through mountains and walked across beaches in silent meditation, visited waterfalls and tiny idyllic villages resting on mountain summits, ate chapatti after chapatti, bathed in the Ganga, and received ashtanga yoga lessons from Lalita Gi. Ah, Lalita Gi, this woman presented herself as one of the most serious human beings to ever walk the planet dressed in bright orange, until about day three or so when her stern countenance gave way to tiger pose ( a particularly sensational assana from laughter yoga) and the explanation that the reason Shiva can get high whilst us mere ashram-dwelling mortals cannot is because "Shiva can breathe and destroy the world, I cannot do that."
Reading was one of the main activities for almost all of the group, Herman Hesse being a general favorite with three titles currently in circulation amongst group-members. Other groups were also an important of this week as Carpe Diem and Leap Now! united with travelers from all over the world (seriously, I'm still wondering about the acrobatics doing, non-English speaking, exotic miniature instrument playing Russians) to make this week a meditative affair to remember. Actually, I'm still wondering about most of the souls that embarked with us on this journey and about the cosmic fiber that brought us together at this time in our lives and for this peculiar experience. Ashram life revolves around the yogic path in all eight of its incarnations and had us breathing, cleansing, meditating, serving, eating, renouncing, and developing a more intricate understanding of ourselves, together. The underlying belief of the path is that everything in existence is a manifestation of a single consciousness, a higher entity to which all beings pertain separated merely by the distraction of living, and the ashram was the optimal place to silence the distractions and dwell on our inner selves for a while. One big thing that suddenly commanded the attention of many group members was our individual relationship with food. Due to the emphasis placed on the ritual of eating, a silent and solemn practice at the ashram, our attention was brought to how we nourish ourselves and blessing our food and meditating on it before digging in is now a widespread practice. Nourishment, inner nourishment, I could say, became the central practice of the ashram as our greatest interaction became purely with ourselves for most of the day. The beautiful landscape combined with a supreme sense of self succeeded in opening the gates to a somewhat new mindscape that will continue to take form as we move on to our next challenge: a completely silent five day retreat. But before that is Amritsar, of course, home to the Golden Temple with its supreme beauty, overflowing and raucous kitchen, and BABY SIKHS!...all kind of Sikhs for that matter. Oh, and Dylan is still with us, for those of you who were wondering.

On a final note,

May the Long Time Sun Shine Upon You,

All Love Surround You,

And the Pure Light Within You,

Guide Your Way On

-Andi

Remembering Rishikesh..... Ahhhhhh yaaaaa....

2010-11-11T02:55:00.000-08:00

Hello!!!!! It's been a while! Your blogger today will be me, Trevor Jermasek. This is my first blog on our trip. Actually, I think this could be my first time ever posting a blog. Period. So please please, bear with me, I'm trying. And I know that Amanda already put a little somethin somethin down about are travels up in those holy hills, and i cant say that I'll do much better, I don't know if you noticed, but Amanda really likes blogging.....

But To get back to the point, we were in Rishikesh. I guess I'll just start from the being, though its been a while. We arrived in Hardawar, an hour down the Ganga from Rishikesh. After emerging from the train ( 17 hours from Varanasi to Delhi, a 6ish hour "lay-over" there, and a 7 hour trip into Haradawar... All in all, a whole lotta travel. A little old woman curled up on my feet somewhere around one in the morning on the train to Delhi. I sat for about thirty minutes, stuck in a bit of bewilderment, thinking to myself, "WHO DOES THAT!?!" India does that. So i started to poke her like crazy. This made her only crawl further into her shawl. The woman across from me intervened, pinched the little shawl woman so hard she shot on to the floor of the train. All and all, another successful encounter with the Indian people......) ....emerging from the train a cold breeze hit our faces. WHOOOOOOO! We had made out of the hot sticky air of the plains, finally back into the mountains. The change in climate could not have made me any happier at that moment. The train station was quiet and sleepy, which I think was a first. A little later, me Jeff, Tiana and Andi were sitting in a rickshaw/bus, colored in this strange red light. The owner of this ridiculous machine cranked his equally ridiculous Indian music to eleven, and we took off. This was one of the most unerving rides that I think I've experienced, and have we had some sketchy rickshaw adventures... I kept daring myself to look out the road, only to be met with complete darkness. Our headlight barely making a dent, we charged into traffic head on, this guy was out of his mind yet so at ease, "shooting the gap" every minute or so at 50. Like always... we made it! A warm bed was just what we needed...

Rishikesh!!!!! A good breakfast of eggs and toast did the trick the next morning. The view from me and Eli's balcony was amazing, something that I could really get used waking up to, and we basked and lounged in its glory for morning. We walked down into Rishikesh as a group, got our orientation in white water rafting, and then had the day in town to ourselves, Which included the discovery, maybe I was the only one excited by this, of samosas... FILLED WITH FRUIT. So tasty, so life changing. We walked Rishikesh up and down, losing ourselves in its back alley ashrams, and making friends with its tiny, miniature hairy cows. Nelle and Eli made an attempt at the waterfall down the road, a little too late, and ended up having to turn around before reaching the big one (No worries, we got redemption a few days later). A guide warned us of the dangers of lions that prowl the mountain by night. Whether or not that was true at all, it was really dark, so we headed back home. The night ended really nicely, with good food and good company. Me and Eli then retired to our bachelor pad.....

Rapids!!!!! The day begin with an early rise and a scenic drive up the river. We got the low down from are raft guide from Colorado, Jedidiah I think? We did some drills and jumped in the water. This day actually went by pretty fast, it all just blends together into one great time. We hit wave after wave of water, but never got thrown. That was actually my one goal, get unintentionally thrown from the boat. But it never happened.... Well, at least not in my boat.... In fact, now that i remember, Dylan and (leader) Amanda got tossed on the first rapid.... The day ended, soon enough, group happy and soaked. I realize i've really gotten caught up in this blogging thing..... Sorry sorry, i'll finish up.

I cant speak for everyone, but the next day was extra special for me. Me Eli and Nelle (once again) made the push for the waterfall up the road in the morning, and finally made it. It was unbelievable. The waterfall was perfect, pouring into a crystal clear, blueish pool of the most unbelievably refreshing cool water. A bit of a rock climb up and there was another even more spectacular pool, the rocks created a sort of cave-like shade. It was wild, sitting up there, to think that somewhere so beautifully had been sitting next to us, for two day, undiscovered. We spent some amazing hours up there, swimming and relaxing in the jungle, and came down satisfied and content... So that pretty much sums up rishikesh, or at least my rishikesh... You might be asking, hey Trev, what about the Ashram, and didnt you just get into Amritsar last night?!?!?! Not my job people! its up to Nick and Andi to give you the low down, but let me assure we have been having some great, amazing experiences. Anywho.... Know that we are all safe, happy and heathy, sleeping under the Sikhs holy Golden Temple tonight, and know that we all love and miss you!!!!!!!! Thanks for all the emails/comments/love that you've been sending our way! Keep it comin'!

Trevor

Rishikesh: Rafting and Relaxation.

2010-11-03T05:11:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Rishikesh, the world's "capital for yoga," not to mention some incredible white water rafting, mini cows and an array of other great wildlife. Rishikesh sits on the beautiful ganga, sparkling brilliantly and clean (as clean as it gets here in India) as it makes its way through this beautiful canyon. Yesterday the crew took a day trip down the river, rafting with a company called "Red Chilli." Our guides were awesome, the scenery was breathtaking, and the water was perfect. Monkeys of different size and color dotted the landscape. We even had the honor of viewing two massive vultures with a wingspan that would put Michael Jordan to shame (it might be a close call as to whose is bigger).

The rapids, mostly mid threes, gave us a great ride and left us plenty satisfied. We even had the opportunity to jump in and swim the rapids, a refreshing soak as we floated the surface of the river. Rishikesh has definitely made it to the top of the list within my favorite destintions in India (and perhaps the world?). With its layed back atmosphere, beautiful landscapes, fabulous shopping and, not to mention a destination that could be described as 'rafting meets spirituality' at first glace, I could call this place home. There's even a pretty good mexican food selection at many of the restaurants. Yes, Mexican food, here in India! Alright, it's not quite like home when you bite into a quesadilla that is made up primarily of cucumbers, but it's a start.

Tomorrow we head out for Pool Chatti ashram, located about 5 kilometers from where we are currently staying. The week will consist of quiet reflection on the banks of the ganga in between mediation, yoga and a variety of programs aimed at improved self-awareness.

(Btw, this is just an exerpt from my blog, so you can read the full version at http://thirdeyeactivist.blogspot.com/2010/11/ganga-cleansings-and-monkey-business.html)

Hope everything is going well back in the states! We miss you and love you very much!

Much love,
Amanda

Ganges

2010-10-29T01:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I took a walk down the bank of the Ganges with Nelle, Jeff, and Amanda Ji. It was a walk that won't leave me for a while.

As we began our stroll we immediately came across a Bollywood style dance scene being filmed on the steps leading to a temple that sits on the edge of the river. Indian music was blasting from a speaker as ten dancers, half of whom looked confused and overwhelmed, moved to the screaming narration of the director. Taking all we could from the uniquely Indian moment we had stumbled upon, we continued our walk. Perhaps it was naive of me to accept the bollywood dance as the most outlandish scene to be seen on the side of the Ganges, because just one hundred feet down river came our next adventure.

Each year, during the Monsoon season, masses of silt are washed up onto the Ghats situated next to the Ganges. This mud can be as much as five or six feet deep, and is nearly impossible to walk across. An unfortunate cow found this out the hard way. One of the countless thousand pound beasts that roam the streets of Varanasi had walked into a deep part of the silt, only to sink to a point where only its head and back were above ground. There were five Indian men pathetically attempting to pull it out with a couple of ropes. We were eager to help, but at a loss for how to do so without getting covered in a thick layer of Ganges mud (a hotbed for hepatitis B and dead body remains). Eventually, the five men working on freeing the animal, tied two ropes around the cow. One rope around its torso and another around its head. They then beckoned us down to help pull. Nelle, Jeff, Amanda, and I found the least muddy place to stand by the rope, and began to play tug of war against the mud. The cow groaned and rolled its eyes to the back of its head, which made it hard to feel very good about doing what we thought was best for its well-being. After toiling with the rope for five or ten minutes, we successfully pulled the cow out of its dirty captivity. It immediately ran away. Just as everyone felt the relief of having saved this holy Hindu creature, another began to walk to the same place where the first one had gotten caught. This cow was firmly wacked with a large stick. Crisis averted. Taking a moment to regroup and wash our hands, we set off for more excitement.

India did not disappoint. Just a few minutes away from the cow, lived a colony of monkeys. They were climbing, jumping and running all over the buildings overlooking the Ganges. They climbed up and down and jumped from one building to the next as effortlessly as a human crosses the street. They are tricky animals. We watched them take things from open windows of houses. When the owner of one of these houses would come out to shoe them away, they would hide, just out of sight, but close enough to resume their mischievous work when the home owner retreated. Even monkeys lose their novelty after a while, and so we continued down the holy river.

Passing water buffalo and religious men, kite fliers and boat drivers, we reached the final destination: a burning ghat. We sat quietly on a bench, humbled by the sight of a human body being engulfed by flames. There was no attempt to hide what was occurring. Gradually the body's expressionless face melted away into the ash below and its limbs and torso turned into an unrecognizable, charred mass. Goats, dogs, water buffalo, and cows meandered through the burning ghat, actively looking for scraps from the fires. Occasionally a worker would hit these animals with a wooden branch, but only if they got in the way. By in large the animals were left to live in harmony with the death around them. After over an hour, we were asked to leave, to make room for mourning families. And thus ended our trek down the bank of the Ganges.
-Eli

2010-10-27T08:30:00.001-07:00

Varanasi

There is so much to say.

This is our sixth of nine days in this holy city on the Ganges. In that time, all remaining healthy members of the group got their first taste of Indian sickness (Dylan and Trevor). No need to worry parents, everyone is healthy now and stronger for their struggles with unfamiliar looking bowel movements. Please excuse the crudity. Meanwhile, we have all taken part in a variety of internships, some alone, some together. I won't attempt to be poetic in telling you the names of all the internships, they are as follows: jewelry making, stone carving, tabla drumming, sitar, classical Indian singing, Bollywood dance, fire dance, Indian cooking, and Hindi language (required for everyone).

I have taken jewelry making, tabla drumming, Hindi, and Indian cooking. Some are better than others. Jewelry making has been quite fulfilling. In just less than one week Nelle and I have actively (with much help) made a block of pure silver turn into two sterling silver ring. The instructor is a jovial third generation jewelry maker that has little pearls of wisdom to share with us while we pound away at the metal objects.

In addition to the internships, we’ve been doing various group activities over the past several days. We’ve heard two lectures now, one from an Indian philosophy professor and another from the head of Guria, an organization working against prostitution and human trafficking. Yesterday, we broke out of our usual neighborhood and took a tour of the larger Varanasi area, stopping to explore two Hindu temples and the BHU historical art museum, which featured stone carvings and paintings from a variety of ages and styles. We then stopped by a theater to see a wonderfully sappy Bollywood romance. Overall, it’s been a highly fulfilling stay in Varanasi, and we’re looking forward to our last few days in this city.

Bodhgaya

2010-10-19T06:17:00.000-07:00

We got off the sixteen (but what felt like longer) hour train ride in a sleepy daze. The sun hit us hard as we stepped off of our sleepers and into the plains of India. We realize winter here means the hottest day in summer where most of us come from. We smoothly found rickshaws and easily bargained our prices to get from Gaya to Shechen Monastery in Bodhgaya. We were all pleased to get a breath of fresh air in this less hectec city. The colorful gates of the monastery were inviting and we couldn't believe we were staying in such a peaceful, tranquil, comforting, holy place after the long, dirty nights in Kolkatta.

These last few days we have been exploring the city, going from temple to monastery, Bodhi tree to OM cafe. Some took the day to see the 60 foot Buddha, some meditated their way through the day under the Bodhi tree and the surrounding grounds of the "Main Temple". The Bodhi tree sits next to the "main temple", with its many branches extending shade around the back side of the temple. There are places to sit in the grass, ponds to gaze at, many monks and worshipers coming in and out.

We spent the afternoon yesterday at the Root Institute, getting more in depth with Buddhism, meditation classes, and yoga that the Institute offers. We were able to talk with a Tibetan nun (her name escapes us) who gave us real, straight forward answers to our many questions on Buddhism. The Instituation has a health clinic and many oppurtunities for people to practice Buddhism, and for teachers to go stay offer talks.

A group of us woke up at 6 to join in on the morning prayers the Tibetan monks chanted at our temporary home. It was an awakening experience, full of drumming, horns, rice throwing, and loud chanting. It lasted for an hour leaving us somewhat enlightened, but still ready to go back to sleep.

We all come home with new stories and new experiences, new friends, and new ideas. From palm reading to foot reflexology, from meditation under the holy Bodhi tree, to being able to see all the different forms of Buddhism. Japanese to Tibetan, Chinese to Cambodian- They all have their own flair. At times I think we are surprised by Bodhgaya. Some of us expected a more calm, relaxing town where Buddha was enlightened- but we still find Bodhgaya to be the same crazy India we are starting to know and love. There is still a very fast paced energy- especially because the Durga Puja is still being celebrated. There is a party mentality lingering in the air- techno music blasting from trucks carrying Durga, and loud fire works and bon fires. This morning the Puja floats were dumped into the river. After months of preparation and three days of celebration, the hard work and good times float down the river.

Luckily, Bodhgaya offers SO many sanctuaries to go and get a real breath of fresh air. We found the people are friendly and helpful, and the city itself i think is one we will all want to visit again.

Tomorrow morning around 4AM we leave for Varanasi. We cant believe we have concluded our time here in Bodhgaya, but we are all so excited to see what Varanasi has to offer. Bring it on, India!

"The most happening festival of the Bengalis"

2010-10-18T05:19:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, its Christmas, or so it appears in rickety old Kolkata now that Durga Puja is in full swing. The town has been taken over by lights and shoppers, eager to be ready in time for the festival. The actual festivities involve walking around "trick or treat" style to visit the many temporarily erected shrines to the Goddess Durga who slayed "Asura" to reestablish peace and sanctity for all. The shrines range from the dramatic to the caricaturesque with all themes and mediums in between. Amanda was recently reading about one eco-friendly shrine, erected by a group of students, that won an award and praises in the press for its design. The ones we got to see included small, local shrines made in the traditional reds, oranges, and golds, a handful of bizarre neon stands with mechanical tributes to Britney Spears and the popular "Three Idiots" from the more popular feature film, one Egyptian themed pyramidal shrine, with Durga represented as an Egyptian Pharaohess( I know I'm making up words as I go but India has a way of invoking its own lexicon), a couple of decked out, regal shrines complete with fancy chandeliers and heavy traffic at little fairs in which we got to ride the sketchier incarnations of dragon rides and Ferris wheels. One of my personal favorites was one done entirely in white with the exception of the faces of Durga, her beasts, and her victim, thereby heightening the tension encompassed by this epic moment and highlighting the dramatism of each figure's expression. All modes of Indian expression seem to carry with them this high drama, this need for color and embellishment, be it a Bollywood movie, a traditional dance, a mystical prayer, or the laments of a beggar trying to inspire pity in a couple of naive foreigners, however no place that we've visited so far comes close to the pure, unadulterated carnage and chaos of Kalighat, a temple for Kali, the goddess of destruction, where the tension is literally "cut through with a knife" each time a goat is slaughtered to the booming of drums and the violent exclamations of violent worshippers.
Inside Kalighat, or under Kalighat, in a tiny alleyway separating the throngs of Hindus making offerings from the... I hesitate to call them priests but the men more or less receiving the offerings and crowding the black plastic shrine itself, is where we found ourselves. Looking up at the chaos and being flanked and bombarded by people passing or jumping down from the temple "just to see that tiny plastic figurine...it is Kali, right?" says Tiana skeptically after getting a sight of "that little thing" that everyone is fuzzing or more like frenzying over. Oddly enough, seeing a goat slaughtered is hardly the craziest thing we've witnessed, taking into account the organized ritualistic mode in which it was performed. What seemed more scaring about it was looking at a live creature and knowing it was about to be dead for some and seeing the severed head gushing blood in one corner while the twitching body kept moving for what felt like an eternity in the opposite side of the pen. An odd family affair, this butchering, but the temple was nonetheless crowded by entire families with children and babies embellished with eyeliner, black bindis and all. We saw worshipers put their head between the two little pillars where the goat was later decapitated and men breaking coconuts, splashing the contents and breaking the shell as a prelude to the massacre. My natural instinct was to hide behind Tiana and close my eyes, India is a lot like that, it throws shit your way without really giving you time to think about how you want to act so all you have to fend for yourself is your gut reaction. Defenseless in the face of clashing consciousnesses, all crowding the space and making navigation in both the physical and spiritual sense dizzying and all but impossible. JUST NOW Titi and I were forced to leave this computer so as not to miss a throng of dancing men accompanying a statue of Durga that is about to be disposed of somehow and we wonder, in lieu of a holy river, what creative option will be coined. In terms of clashing consciousnesses we now find ourselves in Bodhgaya, the birthplace of Buddhism, where most of the team sits and meditates in a peaceful gompa with monks, nuns, and sanghas, at the Root Institute, just a rickshaw ride away, separated from us and the Durga commotion by a handful of monasteries and temples crowded into this tiny town.
Other highlights include:
John, our "FRIEND NOT TOUR GUIDE," falling off of a moving bus as he attempted to get us home safely after herding us around the Kolkata Pujas.
Most of us projectile vomiting within a day and half, I'll refrain from going into the details, we're all okay now. (This is also the reason why my blogging was delayed, and for that I sincerely apologize.)
Finishing our volunteer work and being left with all the lingering questions that such work inspires.
And just all around having to watch our heads, our belongings, where we step, where we eat, where the rest of the group is, where we're going, and where we are, not to mention the moving traffic and occasional cow.

(Hola Ma, Hola Pa! Estoy en India!)
Cheers!
Andi

Calcutta, cal cut ya

2010-10-12T08:32:00.000-07:00

Hello world, its been far too long since our last blog. Happy to report that we are all still alive and kicking. This addition to the blog is being typed up by yours truly Nichlas Stephens. When you last left the group we were in the high mountain village of Darjeeling, known for its quality teas and fresh air, things have taken a drastic turn as we descended that towards the train station to Calcutta. First of all, there was a strike the day we left for the train so we had trouble finding a driver. Our driver ended up being of the same union but was willing to compromise for us. WE made a decline into the plains after 5 hours of bumpy jeep riding. In the distance, we grew nearer and nearer to a mysterious golden triangle which ended up being a Hindu temple in the jungle. Entering our first village of the plains we emerged back into the long lost humidity we thought we'd left behind in Delhi. I'd been a long week and a half since our bodies were coated in perspiration. The driver in our vehicle playing us a dis contorted Hindi version of hotel California over and over, which felt fitting as the town seemed like a continuous loop of buildings to the sides, palm trees and strike check point of crazy men who surrounded our jeeps as we roared passed.
Arriving in the train station Parking lot, our jeep was blasting Akron which our driver played after hearing we were mainly all from America. BAD IDEA. Our car was surrounded with beggars, to the extreme extent that we hadn't quite seen yet. After altitude sickness and taking care of own bodies, it was hard to see the little girls carrying slings of their younger brother, (or what rather looked more like an alien) not supporting their neck, and just holding it in front of you like you had some part in creating it's god awful situation. As well as the mother standing aside while her naked children ran to us from the garbage piles, scouring for food and then holding their hands out for money. I gave them all the bananas in my bag. The sudden guilt, I know many of us didn't believe we'd ever have the desire to eat again. The heat and the shame, inescapable as we tred towards the station with our bags weighing us down. Having another 2-3 hours until leaving for Calcutta we tried to find refuge in a secret location, only to be found again by the children, dancing for our amusement and requesting to play Dylan's drum. Trying to offer them something more or less than what we need, we let them share their smiles and well rehearsed dance moves with us for a short while before being scurried off to another location to weight for the train. One has to wonder if they had been taught those moves to make a quick rupee or if it was in their soulful blood to dance to the rhythm of the drum.
In despair we sit an mope in the station, having been drained of all the humility left in our hearts we cling desperately to walls and our bags trying to process the scene. The smell of garbage fills the air and we once again find ourselves surrounded by begging children. Dylan suggests we play them music which turns into a purging of emotion and energy. Loud strumming breaks three of my guitar strings as we meet eye to eye with every walk of life. The music rages out of Dylan and I and as if sounding like being caught in a hurricane dylan wails don't stop. His beats, my melodies, the rest of our group sitting by givi9ng what they can, if they can. It felt good to have something to give. Like closed buds of Venus fly traps opening to digest flies.
Aboard the train we think we are home free from anybody expecting anything from us. But children with brooms sweep at our feet asking for our water and food. Sitting next to an Indian man i ask him if his father is nearby, making him pester us, and he smiles and nods to me as if i am catching on. Our train cars fastened with minimum beds hanging from the walls, and my seat having a window. When the train got going I sat silent with the breeze. Trying not to feel selfish for not wanting to share my bed, after learning to either close myself off of open myself up to the world of poverty. I fall asleep to the peace of my favorite music. Not being one of the unfortunate ones to be waken up in the middle of the night, having my ass pinched by the transvestite trying to collect money from us. Eli explains how furiously told the beggar to leave having had enough of being bothered and woken up in such miserable circumstances. Dylan on the other had sleeping through the ass pinching never got to experience the inconvenience of what the transvestite had to offer. Apparently a Hindu family earlier in the ride gave rupees to him had claimed transvestites being an incarnation of Krishna or Vishnu, which is unsurpassably weird, considering Indian's disposition with homosexuality. We all wake up early right as we arrive at our destination. Calcutta, we get off the train to view the grey skies, much different than those beautiful clouds we left behind in Darjeeling. Or those snow caps of the Himalayas. We were now choked with the hot exhaust of the city as we took curious taxis to our hotel. After much confusion we all arrived, walked down the alley way past the dead body, improvised brick urinal, and the dark room where people were bathing, into our dear hotel paramount. Getting situated into our rooms we all decided to lay down having not gotten much sleep on the train. The restlessness kicked in pretty soon, and we all went out in search of a restaurant to catch up on our diets of three meals a day. Luckily we found a place with air conditioning and sat sipping mango lassies and eating thalis. Back at the hotel we prepared for the day ahead getting oriented at the mother Teresa orientation. Many of us slept, some explored more, others retreated to the comforts of solitude of friends. I can't say this for everybody but i was beginning to feeling a closer kinship with our group than I have felt with anybody, all these experiences all this endurance. The next day came and we walked down the streets, passed the communist rally and the decaying fruit stands, coconut shells filling the streets. We wander what feels like aimlessly, until we find the mother Teresa house.
People there of all cultures, there with the intention to make a difference in the suffering of this city of 14 million, the poorest people in the world. We split up into groups of languages, Andi having an opportunity to reconnect with her roots by speaking Spanish with some Spaniards, and I connecting with a girl from Rome. Our group came together to discuss the reality that many beggars are well taken care of but continue begging as a lifestyle because they are making so much money from the tourists sympathy, we learn about the different mother Teresa centers to volunteer at and decided that day where we'd be spending the next week.
That night we went out to treat ourselves to a movie. Many went and caught a glimpse of Indian culture on the big screen, some others went back to the hotel while I wandered down streets aimlessly trying to get a feel for my surroundings. "Hashish" old men with wrinkly skin would come up and murmur at me, I'd wave them off and continue down the road, into a market, only to be pestered by everyone I'd seen to buy everything i saw. Desperate to talk to somebody who wasn't trying to sell me something, i run into two middle aged women. I should have known not to get mixed up with them with they were the fist women I'd met to shake my hand and clutch my arm after agreeing to have chai with them. Sitting on a muddy stoop, the woman's sick child's foot touching my leg, I try to have a normal conversation. Getting interrupted every now and then to be asked for rupees, my sympathy gets the best of me and I offer over 500 rupees, so that these woman could supposedly buy plastic to stay dry when it rained. There is no doubt that these woman are poor, but it wasn't for a few days that i realized that this would never change these woman's lives.
They would always be begging, so the next day i agreed to meet them for a walk to the park so that they could share with me their story. Back at the hotel i had a hard time communicating my experience. Everybody was thoroughly wiped out and we all rested the best we could preparing for our last day before mother Teressa. After breakfast i met back with the woman and they took me to the "science city" I have to admit even though i was paying for everything, it was nice not have to arguing the taxi driver into a cheaper price, on account of my Indian friends. After the day at the amusement park it was hard to feel our experience was worthwhile as they begged me from the next seat over in the cab for food for their babies, this is when i learned to ignore beggars. After getting left off I only felt let down. I walked to the new hotel we had moved to and the group recounted their experience dealing with the beggars. Nobody was having an easy go at the city and we all had intense things to say about Calcutta.
In the morning we woke up at a grueling 7 o clock to make out way to group breakfast with the other volunteers. Bananas, white bread, and chants to Jesus, prepared us for our day of charity work. The guys all boarded the bus on our way to Nabu Jabon, the center for all male patients with mental and physical disabilities. The smog thickened as we moved further away from the dark brown river and the tourists far from few. The first bus station/half flea market we stood awaiting our next chariot, with only the knowledge of a few numbers to our heads. We finally catch the right bus and stare out the windows at the flooded streets. Arriving at Nabu Jabon, we are greeted by a toothless gentle man with a pirates swagger. His laugh resembling a shrill squeal as we namaste everyone trying to figure out who is sane. Setting down our bags and getting down to business half of us clip the fingernails of the decrypted and the other half stomp on soapy peed on boys shorts, rinsing, wringing, and hanging up to dry a top the roof of the facility. Going down to meet our new friends we shake hands with all the the children. Many having sobered on hands and eyes that cannot stay focused on anything. We slowly begin to realize that many of these children aren't too disabled but in fact "run the show", they show us who is needing bibs at lunch and needs their wheel chair pushed, in between clapping our rhythms that is our only form of communication with these kids. Percussion speaks louder than words, well unless the children release one of their famous shrill screams. This work is hard gratifying, and afterwords its nice to return home to our hotel after the rush hour bus has us standing for 2 hours, sweating and cursing the fact that all we have to look forward to is coming back the next day and the next. Luckily we the work gets slowly more rewarding as we connect with these children, after the 4th day it's starting to feeling like home.

Back from Trekkin, Hello Darjeeling!

2010-10-03T04:58:00.000-07:00

Finally back in the city after a long week of trekking in the Himalayas (specifically on Kachanjunga, located in East Sikkim). This morning we said goodbye to Arthur, our contact in Sikkim who has been absolutely wonderful. He will be missed as we continue our journey.

It's great to be back in the city, taking bucket baths and sleeping in a real bed. ...Someone is doing our laundry as we speak! I think everyone is pretty excited to get some clean clothes on. We just arrived about an hour ago to our hostel, located just down the street. I noticed they had an amazing book selection from other travelers and I'm eager to check out the selection! other group members have been rummaging through local bookshops and finding some great reads as well. There are many westerners in Darjeeling (at least on this street). Darjeeling is much like Bangtok; steep roads packed with buildings, dogs running around on the streets, although it consists of a different, unique charm that we all have taken a liking to. We're close to Nepal and so many of the people are Asian in origin. many woman rep traditional Indian wear, whereas many of the men look more western in style. In Bangtok we went to a small place called Live and loud and listened to a cover band. We didn't stay long... We're half way around the world; who wants to hear the rock music we grew up on? Our drivers tend to play mostly western music from the early 2000's. It's weird to hear music from middle school when we're flying through Darjeeling back country.

So, a little review on our trek... The first day we walked 7 hours up steep terrain. We were exhausted by the time we got to camp, arriving just after the sun set. The second day was better, walking about 4 hours that day. There were many waterfalls and great views of the mountains around us, although they were difficult to see most of the time as it was pretty cloudy. A majority of the group came down with a cold, so on top of freezing nights, most of us could barely breathe and spent a good amount of time with tissue in hand. My fleece liner actually kept me pretty warm at night, but I heard from a few others that the sleeping bags could barely cut it. We're all finally recovering from out colds (discluding Amanda and Jeff, who just so happened to walk out healthy as ever.) Besides the sickness, being on the trek was awesome. The trails were mostly rocky and sometimes wood was laid out to keep us above mud. Our trip guides led pack animals up that carried most of the gear consisting of ponies and yaks. It was fun dodging animal poo all along the trail ;) For each meal, 3 meals a day with snacks, we had a cooking crew that whipped up some really delicious food. Typically we would be served our large meal and then a hot pot of milk tea (when we got sick they actually made us ginger tea).

Here in Darjeeling many of us went to the zoo/museum on mountain climbing, while others spent time taking in the charms of Darjeeling, sipping tea and taking in its many delights. Some of our group members also visited a local monastery.

We will be here for a few days and then head on to Calcutta (Kolkata). Hope everyone is well at home! I know a good majority of the group is starting to feel a little homesick, so know you are missed!

Much love!

-The group

Goodbye Gangtok

2010-09-26T05:38:00.000-07:00

Hello Carpe Diem parents and friends,

Tomorrow the India group begins their six-day trek through the Himalayas. We are sad to be leaving Sikkim so soon but excited for the trip ahead.

Amanda Carnahan, one of the group members, is keeping here own blog on the trip. You can find her blogs at //thirdeyeactivist.blogspot.com/

Mama India

2010-09-22T06:58:00.000-07:00

After a thirteen hour plane ride to Hong Kong, a six hour layover, and a four hour flight through Thailand, we arrived safely in Delhi. We spent two days jumping around the bustling city via cab and rickshaw, using the opportunity to buy Indian clothing and musical instruments as well as taking time for a peaceful respite in a local ashram. Delhi offered a wild and unreserved introduction to the many faces of Indian life, from the delicious food and chaotic marketplaces to the naked presence of homelessness and poverty. Our hotel in the Tibetan district provided a space for group orientation while we acquainted ourselves with the country and our fellow group members (including Tiana, who arrived on the last day).

While Jeff stayed in Delhi to search for Dylan’s bag, the rest of the group began a long trek towards Gangtok, Sikkim. A scenic drive through the mountainous northern region brought us to this large Himalayan town, where we met the host of our group home-stay, Arthur. Gangtok, which tumbles beautifully off its steep mountain face, seems rural and calm compared to Delhi. We learned about the history of the Sikkim region, attended a talk on the future of nearby Nepal, and met the owner of a local rug company that we will be working with for the next week. We are currently learning how to operate a loom, dye yarn, and perform the various other tasks involved in rug making.

In several days we will begin our three-day trek through the mountains. We give you our best wishes until the next entry, and hope you wish us a fulfilling and leech-free experience!

...And They're Off to Mama India!

2010-09-15T23:25:00.000-07:00

With the exception of poor Dylan's bags being left behind in NYC by his domestic airline, and Tiana needing to meet up with the group in a couple of days due to a visa mishap, the India group is intact and ready to fly westward to the most amazing adventure any of them have yet had.

Look for more from the group members themselves in a couple of days!

p.s. FedEx will be delivering Dylan's bag to his doorstop in Delhi, no worries!

Countdown...

2010-09-06T16:31:00.000-07:00

The countdown to takeoff for the Motherland of India is down to the fingers, and with that mounts starry-eyed excitement, flurries of butterflies, curiosities, concerns, etc. Even though we (your leaders Jeff & Amanda) have set out multiple times on these quests, we still feel the spectrum of these emotions in the lead-up to flying away from 'home'... we think of it as the billowing clouds around the rocket before launching into space.
We hope that this blog can serve as a bridge between our Carpe Diem group and you, all our friends and family, who have supported us along the way to make it to this juncture of 'leaping' into uncharted territories. Please stop by the blogsite often, and if all goes as planned, we'll have a weekly update on our adventures for you to travel along with us vicariously.
Thank you, and tune in again soon!

NAMASTE

2010-05-08T02:50:00.000-07:00

To all those friends and family who have been following our blog we thank you for all your support and good wishes over the last 3 months. We have successfully wrapped up a full semester in India finishing off our "free" travel through the fresh air and beautiful trees of the lake district of Nainital to end up with an extended exploration of New Delhi. In New Delhi we stayed in a wonderful, calm, Tibetan community called Majnu Ka Tilla. From our little pocket in the north of Delhi we were able to properly see the historical sights the city has to offer. We showed off our skills at bartering transportation, in the markets and spent much of our time soaking in the culture of India and Tibet. Some continued to volunteer with Mother Teresa and the many children India has who need help. Some decided to volunteer with the local animal shelter and gained much perspective on the lives of lost animals in India. Some decided to educate themselves by diving into the World Heritage and Gandhi sites. We ate momo's and curry and prepared for our journey home. Each one of us has learned scores about the world, eachother and ourselves. Mother India has not only welcomed us into her arms but held us firm together as we tumbled across her land and then she sent us home with safety, protection and a few worldly lessons learned as we ended our journey peacefully.

Once again... Our love and appreciation to all of you who supported each of us during the last three months. This journey would not have been possible without you.
PEACE and NAMASTE.

Mcleod Ganj

2010-04-18T20:20:00.000-07:00

"Where we love is home,
Home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts."
Oliver Wendell Holmes

Nothing helps sooth the heart like some quality family time. After almost 2 and half months of traveling with no place to call our own, we found ourselves a home. For 8 days McLeod Ganj served us up a steaming plate of family lovin', which is exactly what we all needed. Our homestay began in the afternoon after the long journey from Amritsar. We had only a few moments to say goodbye to group members before we were rushed off by parents or elder siblings to our week long homestay. Tibetan families welcomed us with open arms into their homes of all shapes and sizes.
The week literally vanished before our eyes as each day was spent getting to know eachother better and accomplishing our various internships. Kathryn, Rozzi and I enrolled ourselves in yoga classes which provided a healthy and relaxing start to our mornings. We felt like yogi masters having already accomplished a prior week of yoga study at the ashram. Alex, who missed the Hindi classes due to tummy aches, decided to brush up on his Hindi and took classes each afternoon. Saorise independently branched out and did environmental volunteering, where she spent a day beautifying a local water fall by picking up trash. Bobby, Elaynna, Sarah and Laura took a several different massage courses. The girls satisfied their curiosity and interests through a 2 day program while Bobby took a 6 day course getting certified in Tibetan massage. Needless to say our internships were successful.
Outside of our classes there was still an abundance to learn. McLeod Ganj is known for being a home to Tibetan refugees. I spent three incredible afternoons at the Tibetan Hope Center involved in English classes. Classes such as these are amazingly beneficial to the community by improving local Tibetans English and furthering their connection with travelers. For an hour-and-a-half, myself and two Tibetans would talk about simply everything and anything. I heard long, emotional accounts of heart breaking choices to flee Tibet and the struggle to cross into India on foot. On lighter notes I discovered how many Tibetans had never tried Pizza and that most of their favorite foods consist of Momo's.
But we all know,
Mo momo's mo problems.

This past week was a perfect way to soak up the last bits of North Indian culture before beginning our free travel. McLeod Ganj provided many beautiful experiences for our group. Our enthusiasm for our homestays only increased as the days went by. Family relationships grew stronger as each of us started to truly feel at home in this small Indian/Tibetan town. Oliver Holmes was right, even though we are no longer physically in McLeod Ganj a piece of Carpe Diem's heart still beats there.

paz & amor
dev

Turbans and Temples

2010-04-11T05:51:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness for our peaceful week Phool Chatti ashram, because the days following were a whirlwind of travel, exploration, group discussions, heat and crowds. Upon arriving Chandigarh, the only planned city in all of India, we were thrust into finding accommodation which, as Elaynna mentioned, Devon and Rozzi spearheaded and secured us a spot at a very comfortable hotel. While most of our first day there revolved around much needed group meetings, we did manage to explore the clean, paved streets scored with stoplights, and an expanse of outdoor mall that turned carnival-esque at night. It was there that we had a pre-birthday dinner at a South Indian chain restaurant for Sarah, followed by some deliciously cold soft-serve ice cream and some freshly popped popcorn.

The following morning we all made it to the famous Nek Chand Rock Garden of Chandigarh. Never heard of it? Neither had we, but apparently it is the second-most visited site in India. WhenChandigarh was in the midst of construction and they were clearing out villages to make way for the huge malls and wide streets (makes the city slightly less charming, no?) there was so much garbage and rubble lying around that a gentleman named Nek Chand decided to do something with it. Long story short, he received some money from the government and got to work creating a beautiful rock/sculpture garden/maze/extravaganza that spans 40 acres. Needless to say it was a phenomenal sight. We then headed to a birthday lunch for Sarah, at Ruby Tuesdays! Talk about a Western city. As we departed Chandigarh that afternoon, we said goodbye to our little taste of American culture and prepared totransition into traditional India once again, but this time in Sikh style.

Our three days in Amritsar were intense, exhilarating and filled with stunning sights. We were greeted at the Golden Temple by crowds of turbaned men, women in beautiful saris and more babies than I think any of us have laid eyes on. Though we did sleep in a dormitory designated for foreigners, it was in the temple complex, and all we had to do was take a step outside the room to by surrounded by Indians who traveled far and wide to pray at one of the holiest shrines in Sikh culture.

Our days were free to be spent exploring, photo-taking, meandering through the temple complex and eating at the Gura-Ka-Langar--a free community dining center that serves approximately 9,000 meals a day! Eating our Langar-the name given to this charitable meal- was an experience I don't think any of us will soon forget. You're beckoned by the incessant clanging of metal plates, and once inside, are handed one of those plates, a bowl and spoon and join the moving mob. You're herded down the large hallway, trying not to lose sight of the other group members as you're pushed and prodded from all directions until you finally burst into a great hall lined with mats on which you rush to secure a place. The actual serving of the food is surprisingly quick and in a similar fashion as the ashram. Men with baskets of fresh chapatis and buckets of steaming dahl and rice pudding, rush to fill your plate. The food is delicious and you are welcome to ask for seconds, in fact, you witness many women stuffing extra chapatis into bags or dahl into tupperware. After fifteen minutes, the serving and cleanup of 500 people is done. Insane.

Our final afternoon was spent viewing the India/Pakistan border ceremonies. It was similar to a huge sporting event, though there is no real interaction between the two sides apart from a handshake. It seemed that the main goal was the lowering of the flags but there was a lot of hooplah beforehand, including but not limited to: dancing, running with flags, marching guards and the part where soldiers from each side try to yell at a single tone for as long as they can. There was much cheering and clapping from both sides and the energy was electric. Obviously there is no declared "winner", but I think everyone in attendance can agree that India outperformed Pakistan, at least in the crowd aspect. It was a pretty bizarre experience, but definitely worthwhile and a fantastic ending to our time in the Punjab region of India.

We are now all happily settled in our homestays in McLeod Ganj so you can look forward to an update on that soon!

~Kathryn

Learning to Breathe

2010-04-02T23:23:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends and Family!

After settling into Rishikesh with a much needed roof top group meeting, we all decided that Stacy's idea for a solo day for our first free day in Rishikesh was a grand plan. The given space left us with the opportunity to re-visit or discover our intention or overall purpose and desire to why we are here in India. It is easy to get caught up in the hustle bustle of a place like this, but it's even easier to lose awareness of where we actually are. We find ourselves pinpointing problems in our group dynamics or focusing on food for the majority of the day, forgetting the potential depth we could be delving into if we simply melted expectation away.Our solo days varied from cafe journal time, river side sitting, massages, exploring, and the tastiness of fine dining. There is nothing better than a date with yourself and a simple realization of why I am here through sipping on a flavorful, nothing but perfect cup of Masala Chai.
We were then ready to soak up the sun with some wet and wild rafting fun! We spent the following day with the sun kissing our skin as we laughed and screamed folding in and out of the rapids. As we jumped off rafts and splashed in the water of the Ganges river we simultaneously "washed away our sins" as many believers in India would say. We ate a delicious lunch along the riverside and got to know our charming rafting guides. We spent the next day settling and preparing for the following week which we spent at the Phool Chatti Ashram. With little idea of what to expect we were all excited to gain more yoga and meditation experience. Although we all as individuals got something different from the reatreat, I felt it was an excellent time and place for self reflection, and realization of where we all personally stand in terms of discipline while living " The Ashram life". The calming energy melted into our skin and relaxed our minds.

Bodies clutter and stabilize on warm cement
Stretching and creaking our limbs as we bend from side to side
The moon is out with the evening day light and she is smiling big
Her glow wrapping around our heads as we fold them down against our knees
Breathe in, Breathe out
Our feet are planted firmly against sticky mats as we teeter from side to side attempting to find balance and maintain it for a steady stand
Breathe in, Breathe out
Rooftop yoga. A picturesque view. The Ganges river rages and rushes right before our eyes as its sounds pounds and soothes every movement.
The mountains caress each other as they layer over, under, and beyond the water and sky
Stretch up up up, crown to the tip of the sleepy sun, our fingertips grazing the moons energetic crescent
Breathe in, Breathe out.

We started our day at 5:30 am with meditation. The rest of the time was spent chanting, doing breathing exercises, netty pot cleansing, rooftop yoga, contemplative walks (which were absolutely beautiful along the river, and up to the waterfalls), free time, more yoga, temple prayers, fire ceremonies, simple but delicious vegetarian eating and ending our day at 9:00 O'clock with guided mediation. All meals were silent, and everyday was spent in silence until after lunch to provide the opportunity for more inner reflection, and self meditation. The schedule was intimidating at first, but the more one engaged the easier it got. Group members were in and out of sickness but did their best to dive into what they could. Overall it was a very powerful experience, and an absolutely gorgeous place. We have all left with a handful of songs and chants that will probably stick like glue to the corner of our minds for a long time. Leaving the Ashram we were quickly and somewhat violently thrown back into the real world with an hour and a half ride to the bus station. It was loud, crowded, and overwhelming after such a peaceful set of days. Luckily Alex and Laura were able to quickly find transportation to Chandigarh. We settled into a 6 and a half hour bus ride, and upon arrival, though sleepy and delirious Devon and Rozzi found us a place to stay ten minutes after stepping off of the bus. With that said, we are here safe and well for today and tomorrow (Which is lovely Sarah's 18th Birthday! My beautiful girl all grown up:) ) We are then headed to Amritsar!
Missing you all and sending our best from India.
Namaste
Elaynna

P.S. Sharing Sarah's Birthday is my little brother keirynn. So, Happy 6th Birthday buddy!!! Your big sister loves you to bits and pieces.

Our Himalayan Trekking Adventure!

2010-03-24T04:18:00.000-07:00

Hello Family and Friends!

Wow.
That's the first word that comes to mind when reflecting back on the amazing experience we all had hiking through the Himalayas. Our first day we came together immediatley as a group--bound by the unified joy of being out in nature. We had been itching to get to the mountains since Calcutta and we had finally made it! And thank goodness we had those high spirits because day one was a challenge to say the least. We walked for 8hrs that first day, which began with blue skies and a friendly sun shiny down on all of our smiling faces. We certainly got our fair share of the Himayalas however, when we were greeted at our first base camp by an overcast sky, snow flurries, and COLD! When I finally reached camp I rememeber not knowing whether to cry, collaspe with exhuastion, or burst into hysterical laughter. Despite these mixed emotions though, we were all able to join around the dinner table that night with the aura of satisfaction.
That night, Kathryne and Devon gave me my first real lesson in astronomy, and I can't imagine a better sky for it! It was truly as if the earth had never been touched by civilization. I saw more constellations then I even knew existed! We fell asleep that night to the soft brightness of the milky way shining down on us as we were serenaded by the quite jingling of the bells that were around our pack animals necks.

We woke to another full day of hiking, this time all up hill. The hike was made more than bareable however, as we climbed into the thick rhondadendrone forest that covered a majority of the mountain that day. The reds and whites of the fowers encompassed us as we hiked along the trail. Deep green moss covered almost every inch of the ground, which was also sprinkled with purple flowers and bright orange butterflies. The scenery that lay before us had an almost mystical atmosphere. After this day, the common theme for the trek actually became a "Lord of the Rings (movie one hehe)" setting. Thankfully there were no black riders.
The higher we climbed, the colder it became--another example of the extremities of the Himalayas. When we reached the "one hour to go" mark, the snow was already an inch thick. It was crazy thinking we had been boiling the day before. SO much can change with just a few thousand feet! Sarah and Stacey struggled with their health especially on this day, but we thankfully all made it up in one peice and in happy spirits. We had finally made it to our highest base camp!

Day three was a relaxing one, where we were woken up to a hot cup of steaming tea served to us right in our tents--a much need amenidty for all of us, seeing as it had snowed a good three inches during the night. It was definitely a good tactic of our guides for coaxing us out of our tents! We proceeded on with the day with a leisulry day hike with the intention of reaching a mountain lake a couple miles out but naturally, the group became side tracked when we started taking pictures. Hopefully we'll be able to upload some onto the blog for you all to see! By the time pictures were over however, the snow had begun to fall again, splitting the group into those wanting the warmth of our "tea tent", and those wishing to strive even deeper into the mountains. We were brought back together again that night with momos and hot mushroom soup to fuel us for our early next day.

We were woken up the 4th dayto see the sunrise at 4am. The morning was fridgid, dark, and all that could be heard was the heavy breathing coming from beneath our coats. When we finally reached the top of the ridge, we had reached our highest point in the trek--14,000ft. Despite the anxiety I felt of maybe not having any fingers left, when the sun began to illuminate the mountains I knew everything would be well worth it. As we huddled against the ridge together, prayer flags blowing in the wind that also was cruel enough to whip across our bare faces, there was a sense of peace as the pinks and yellows of the suns rays began to speckle the largest mountains I had ever seen.
Our trek back down was filled with mixed emotions of wondering where the time had gone, and excitment to be getting back into the warmth of the sun. After the sunrise we had breakfast, packed up our campsite, and made our way back down our first camp site. We got in early enough that we all had a much needed nap time before dinner. To commemorate our last night, our cooks made us a delcious spice cake.

We walked so much down hill that last day I rememeber finding it hard to imagine how we had accomplished it the first day! Bob's youth came out again as he ran/bounced down the trail. Saoirse on the other hand, realized she probably should have taken it a little slower when she almost fell of the trail! Thankfully her trusty side kick Kathryne was there to help her back up, but our last day definitely could have turned into something more than a simple hike down a mountain! I think by the end of the day we were all so tired that we were glad to be moving on, but I know that it was hard for us to leave such a beautiful place. Nature can bring people together in a different way than most things can, and we were lucky enough to experience that.

Much love to everyone,
Laura

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!

Gangtok, Sikkim

2010-03-13T08:55:00.000-08:00

Namaste!
After a ten hour train ride and a beautiful but extremely bumpy seven hour jeep ride that winded up through the mountains, we arrived in Gangtok, Sikkim. Originally it was supposed to take five hours to get to Gangtok via jeep however, after bouncing around in the back for an hour, our car came to a complete halt. As the Lonely Planet had warned us to be prepared for road blockages, a truck carrying two tons worth of rocks had run into some mechanical difficulties causing it to sputter out on a one-way bridge. Back home this wouldn’t be a big deal because there would be a detour that one could take. That is not so much the case here considering there is only one road to and from Sikkim. Fortunately, after being in India for over a month, our patience meters have swung far right.
From the moment we arrived we all fell in love with Sikkim. Getting away from the hustle and bustle of the cities into the mountains, where one can breathe and have a sense of personal space, is exactly what our group needed. It has been so calming and refreshing going to sleep and waking up to quietness. Also, not being sticky and sweaty 24/7 has been a major plus.
Sikkim is a state built into the mountains so every morning when I wake up I walk up to the roof and look out to a skyline of beautiful mountains with luscious greenery covering them. I don’t even feel like I am in India anymore because there is such a strong Asian influence here. From what I have observed, at least in Gangtok, a majority of the population is Asian. Also, all of the houses and buildings have a Chinese architectural influence. Sikkim borders Tibet, Nepal, and Bhutan. It is quite interesting because Tibet and China won’t accept them and Southern India ignores them. It is like this lost world. In all reality, Sikkim is almost like its own country, yet, constitutionally it is under India’s control.
During our stay we volunteered at an elementary/middle school that was an hour outside of Gangtok. For the four days that we were there we taught the students a variety of different subjects including English, social studies, math, civics, and bio-chem. Saoirse found her future calling as a teacher. Seeing the energy and excitement that she brought into the classrooms everyday, that would then transfer over to the students, was touching.
The younger children, although they were adorable and I wanted to take each and every one of them home, were definitely more of a challenge. Every morning I would walk into a classroom filled with children ages 4-6 with no teacher to supervise them. With kids yelling and climbing in and out of the glassless windows, it almost had the atmosphere of a circus. I doubt that it is always like that but because we were there the teachers felt obliged to step back. In their minds, even though none of us have much teaching experience, our western ways of teaching are far better than there Nepalese ways. I wish they wouldn’t have had that mindset because I would have enjoyed seeing how a routine day of school looked for them.
Even though it was challenging, we all had a wonderful time and were sad when it came time to say goodbye. It is always difficult saying goodbye when you know it actually means goodbye. So often when I say goodbye, I really just mean see you later. This time I knew that would most likely not be the case; we all did. However, as a thank you gift, all of the students put silk scarves around our necks which is a symbol of deep appreciation and respect. Now, we all have a little something to remember them by.
Our stay in Gangtok was just what the doctor ordered. As our time comes to an end here, we are sad to say goodbye but are looking forward to our trek through the Himalayas! Hope all is well back home and get excited for the next blog which will be posted in about ten days.
--Sarah

PS. To all my friends and family back home, I love you guys the MOST!!!

Kolkata aka Calcutta aka sweatbox

2010-03-05T00:18:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody!

For the past week we have been sweating it out in Kolkata, getting to know each other a lot better as we all shared a HUGE dorm room at an inexpensive yet awesome guest house in the heart of the city. Our week has included a lot of metropolitan overload. Think New York City only WAY louder and more crowded and no rules. A quiet cafe with awesome air-conditioning and familiar food has been a much needed for many of us. Just to be clear, it is almost 100 degrees every day. And humid. Our group has struggled and rallied through irritating conditions, and we are focusing on a balance between individual reflection and group LOVE.
Yesterday everyone visited a Victoria era building that is often compared to the Taj Mahal. It showed us a little more about the history of India under British imperialism. We also made a short visit to the Planetarium to check out Kolkata's night sky in a cold dark quiet dome.
However, besides group bonding and getting out in the city, our main focus here has been volunteering with the Mother Teresa house. Katherine, Elaynna and Rosie have been working with sick and handicapped babies and small children, holding them and giving them as much love as they possibly can. Nick, Laura, Alex, Sarah, Stacey, Bob, Devon and myself have been working at a home called Prem Dan. Unlike anything that I have ever experienced, Prem Dan is a raw and challenging mixture of a mental institution, nursing home and a hospice. It is absolutely heartbreaking, uncomfortable, new and horrifying, but many of us have found ways to make our days there rewarding, whether it is Stacey trying to take a woman whose face got burned off for a walk in a garden where she can hear the birds or Laura scrubbing her fingers and knuckles off washing laundry for the patients. I have found that our time and love is the greatest gift anyone can give to another person.
As we ready ourselves for an ascent into the cool moutain air and prepare to say goodbye to our luxurious city living, I hope a new setting will bring new challenges and everyone can continue to find new ways to love our temporary family unit members, ourselves and India.
Keeping it real in Kolkata ,
Saoirse

Sarnath and Bodhgaya

2010-03-02T02:07:00.000-08:00

Hello family and friends. We are now just about three weeks into the trip and time is starting to fly by. We are currently taking in the sites of Calcutta, however, I will be talking about our last day in Varanasi and our brief stint in Bodghgaya. On our last day in Varanasi, the group decided to venture about an hour north to a place called Sarnath. Sarnath is holy to all Buddhists because it is the place where the Buddha gave his first teachings. Sarnath contains holy stupas (basically temples) that Buddhists from all over the globe come to pray. It was a beautiful and peaceful environment where we had time to reflect and take in the history that surrounded us. It was interesting that there is this holy Buddhist site is less than an hour away from one of the holiest Hindu cities. The contrast was nice due to the fact that we had been in Varanasi for over a week; so the break was welcomed. We caught an extremely early morning train ride from Varanasi to Gaya the following day. After having been in class 3 with AC from Delhi to Varanasi it was quite the shock to all of us changing to normal sleeper class. When we boarded the train in Varanasi, there were people in our seats. It took a solid 20 minutes to get them to move because they were confused about there tickets. They had the seats reserved up until Varanasi, but couldn't comprehend that they had to move. In each section there are supposed to be 3 bodies to a bench. In this instance, there were 5 people to a bench the entire train ride. At this time we understood that there is no such thing as personal space in India. We arrived late morning in Gaya and took rikshaws to Bodhgaya. We were all tired and grumpy, but it didn't stop us from moving along with our day. We arrived at the root institute in Bodhgaya and all of us were in shock due to the beauty of this Tibetan Buddhist meditation retreat center. The grass was well taken care of, there were flowers outlining all of the paths, there were kind and gentle monks and nuns, and there were even dogs that we could play with that weren't strays. Later on in the afternoon we were escorted by David and Annette (monk and nun) through the city to the Bhodi tree and temple where The Buddha attained enlightenment. There were Vietnamese, Shri Lank an, and Thai Buddhists just to name a few who made the pilgrimage to the most sacred spot on earth for Buddhists. Our group continued on through the main market in Bodhgaya back to the institute. The next morning we were up for 6: 45 meditation. The meditation center was calming and some of us were able to get into it (others not so much). We received Buddhist teachings from an Australian monk named David. He taught us that Buddhism is all about achieving inner happiness and enlightenment. We learned about Karma and about how everything you do whether it be good or bad has an effect on your Karma in future lives. We learned that Buddhists don't believe in a creator God and that they don't believe that there was ever a beginning to life. The depth of Buddhism was astounding and we all left with much better insight into what went into being a devout Buddhist. We ended the day with another meditation session where more people were able to meditate. The last day in Bodhgaya we went to a couple of caves where the Buddha spent extended time in mediation. It was at these caves that The Buddha realized that you could not achieve happiness or enlightenment by fasting. We relaxed in the afternoon after having a full past few days and hopped on the night train to Calcutta where we currently reside. Everyone is excited about heading to the mountains and cooler weather in five days. That's all for now. Hope everything is going smoothly for everyone back in the states.
Namaste,
Alex

Varanasi

2010-02-22T19:49:00.000-08:00

Namaste.
Our dearest family and friends!We have been in India only a week and a half, but the thick air and yellow sun has already colored our skin. The vivid smells and sights of the streets have absorbed us, leaving our clean bodies and clear minds feeling like a distant recollection. We are now in Varanasi a city on the banks of the great and holy Ganges River. Varanasi is a paradox between the sacred and the profane. There is an adverse reaction when one is experiencing both at the same time. It is a strangeness that the mind cannot quite understand at first, for example how on the banks of Ganga G, there will be a sacred burning ceremony happening while someone relieves himself 20 feet away. The ultimate display of the raw human reality verses the spiritual. There is a current that runs through this city that has both invigorated us and weakened us. In the literal sense, a few of us have been suffering from sickness. A little flu here, some upset stomachs there, but we are lucky enough to have our very own Nurse Stacey. Who has, despite herself being sick, taken very good care of us. Today we met as a group for a surprise field trip; little did we know it was a group intervention. A fashion intervention. As stylish and cute as we may look in the states here our white tees and jeans scream foreigner, or angrez (white people). As reluctant as we were to pack away our western clothes, a decrease in attention and cat calls from the locals was a welcome idea. We were whisked away by our fashion guru Pinku G, to a local Indian store for our makeovers. Pinku G also happens to be our Hindi teacher, and although his passion for fashion was a secret until now, we had ALL noticed his cardigan. While here we have been spending our time in the varying internships we had chosen to participate in. This has been a really interesting process, of digging deeper and becoming more a part of the Indian culture. Most experienced a least a couple sessions of the yoga internship that took place in a beautiful garden overlooking the Ganges. Though very sore and exhausted the next day the yoga helped ground us in this city, as well as allowed us to experience the very rare still moments. The cooking internship was taught by Pinku G's very beautiful wife Nitya, who not only taught us the utter importance of a spice box, but was very patient when our chapatis refused to puff up while being held over the open flame. I don't believe we ever truly mastered the art of Chapatti making but we experienced much humbling laughter as we tirelessly struggled. Laura, the only one of us brave and determined enough to take the fire dancing internship gave us an impressive rooftop show, which included the amazing breath of fire. Made all the more risky and exciting by her long flowing blonde hair and tribal face paint. The other internship that captured many of our group was jewelry making. Almost every evening they would return late, discussing the complexity of the craft and giggling about how many mini saws they broke trying to cut the metal. The rest of us were genuinely surprised and impressed when they returned the last evening with perfected Om necklaces and beautiful silver ring made with their very own hands. Varanasi has been an exploration deeper into the traditions and spirituality of the culture. As we are developing our eyes and hearts as travelers, rather than tourists we are carving a space in ourselves for India that will only become deeper and more filled as our journey continues. We miss you All. Love from this beautiful Country.
~Rozzi

2010-02-12T21:42:00.000-08:00

Family, friends we would like to take this time to personally notify all of you in the United States who care about us that we find ourselves safely in the middle of the great city of New Delhi. To provide a description of the city is difficult, but I will try my best. Sensory overload is probably the best way. The streets are loaded with people, cars, rickshaw, livestock, and yes garbage. It is hard to pinpoint the exact aroma that emanates here, but it is neither unpleasant nor welcomed. Today marks the first day that our India family is together, and everyone is excited to get to know each other on a deeper, more personal level. Today we are also on a pseudo scavenger hunt around the densely populated city. The group has been divided up into three groups of three; Elaynna, Sarah, and Kathryn comprise the first. Team Blonde Phenomenon consisting of Bob, Laura, and Saoirse are the second team. Alex, Devon, and Rozzi make up the third. We will spend hours exploring all that is New Delhi, take some rickshaws, exchange some money, and learn some Hindi. We all are extremely excited to begin our journey on the right foot and look forward to experience all that India has to offer. Tomorrow we will board an overnight train to Varanassi where we will begin our Hindi instruction and participate in various internships. At this time we find ourselves feeling very thankful for having been given this tremendous opportunity and blessed that we are supported in our decisions.

Much love,
Robert Fleming

The Seattle company are united!

2010-02-12T12:45:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to let you know that I've heard from Nick and Stacey that the final students coming through Seattle and Amsterdam have arrived! They're safe, albeit sleepy!

- Ethan

Safe in Delhi!

2010-02-11T15:16:00.000-08:00

Nannette here on behalf of India group who wishes to let you know that the Cathay Pacific crew has arrived into Delhi safe-n-sound, are at their hostel, and are working toward a few hours of shut-eye before Mother India awakens outside their doors....

More from them themselves later, and the final 3 members of the group will be met by Nick or Stacey in about 19 hours!

Together in San Francisco

2010-02-10T10:00:00.001-08:00

Parents, followers, friends, and relatives,

I just heard from our fearless co-leaders, Nick and Stacey, that the San Francisco contingent of students is all together and successfully checked in and through security! They all depart in less than a few hours and what a beginning!

We'll connect with the Seattle folks in Delhi and post a blog accordingly, but for this first leg, everything went smoothly and ... dare I say, auspiciously!

Stay tuned for more from the leaders!

Ethan

Executive Director

Namaste

2010-02-06T11:08:00.000-08:00

Hey Ya'll,

We want to welcome everyone to the Carpe Diem India Semester! We are here in Portland, making the final preparations for our journey, and wanted to reach out to everyone that will be with us during the next few months. This blog will be one of our main sources of communication for everyone back home, and a way for all our friends and family to share our many experiences and adventures through the mystical land of India!

As we begin to arrive at SFO on the morning of the 10th, lets plan to meet at the Cathay Pacific Airline check-in counter (In the International Terminal A) @ 8:00 AM, or as soon as your domestic flight arrives. It will be important to give ourselves plenty of time to get everyone together and to go through the check-in process as a group. Also if you run into any problems that morning, and need to get in touch with us, you can call the office from any pay-phone (toll free @ 1.877.285.1808). If you have any other questions or concerns before we take off, you can reach us through email at: indiacarpediem@yahoo.com

Namaste,

Nick and Stacey

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world"_Mahatma Gandhi

Let the Camel Count Begin!

2009-11-20T00:56:00.000-08:00

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

Different Demographics

2009-11-11T03:46:00.000-08:00

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

Shiva Shiva Shiva Shambo...

2009-11-01T22:37:00.000-08:00

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

Welcome to the Holy City.

2009-10-14T06:45:00.000-07:00

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

Our last day in Kolkata

2009-10-06T00:29:00.000-07:00

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

Conquering our own "cliffs of insanity!"

2009-09-29T00:04:00.000-07:00

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

Living in Heaven

2009-09-20T01:37:00.000-07:00

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

The First Few Days-

2009-09-13T00:39:00.000-07:00

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

It's official ... let this journey begin!

2009-09-08T21:14:00.000-07:00

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

shifts

2009-09-04T17:05:00.000-07:00

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

Final Days before Departure

2009-09-01T09:59:00.001-07:00

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

The Home Stretch, and Freedom in the Unavoidable

2009-05-05T02:05:00.000-07:00

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.

18,380 feet...I was there!

2009-05-01T03:24:00.001-07:00

'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!)

Swine Flu - Update from Carpe Diem HQ

2009-04-28T08:54:00.000-07:00

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.

Sitting on Top of the World

2009-04-26T00:15:00.000-07:00

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

Varanasi, one billion degrees

2009-04-25T01:53:00.000-07:00

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

Rogue Travel Begins (aka Free Travel)

2009-04-21T21:32:00.000-07:00

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.

deer park

2009-04-08T01:36:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-30T23:17:00.000-07:00

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/

http://www.actsikkim.com

http://www.savetheteesta.com

...Peace, love and understanding...

Trekkin'

2009-03-30T22:23:00.000-07:00

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!

ROCKIN IN SIKKIM

2009-03-22T03:22:00.000-07:00

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.

Feelings: India

2009-03-16T04:13:00.000-07:00

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

Holi Heck!

2009-03-12T05:58:00.000-07:00

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!

This is India

2009-03-04T04:57:00.000-08:00

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

Bodhgaya - birthplace of Buddhism

2009-02-27T02:59:00.000-08:00

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!

Varanasi...

2009-02-22T01:29:00.000-08:00

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?

2009-02-22T01:20:00.000-08:00

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...

blog numero uno

2009-02-16T04:49:00.000-08:00

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

And they're OFF!

2009-02-10T21:09:00.000-08:00

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!"

2009-02-08T12:47:00.000-08:00

"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

2008-12-05T18:26:00.000-08:00

Namaste lovely people...
Hopefully everyone is slowly recovering from the jetlag and even more ready to begin a new exciting phase. As we all know...the last part of the trip just flew by, and it seemed as though we were saying goodbye much sooner than we were ready for. I know that Shangu and I feel so very blessed to have met you all and to have had the opportunity to experience the magic of India with you. As you most likely will soon realize....India seems to be a place that once having experienced...is always in your heart. As cheesy as this may sound...you will always be in our hearts as well. Thank you and please keep in touch.

Chocolate Salami

2008-11-29T07:32:00.000-08:00

Before we move on to less important matters, let us touch on a subject that is as deeply ingrained in our hearts as your love: Chocolate Salami.

Now, moving on. These last few days have been quite hectic with the Mumbai attacks, but thankfully we are all safe and sound in Calcutta. We are lucky enough to still be staying at Nalin's aunt's apartment and the hospitality has been superb despite our ever changing itinerary. We've spent the last few days catching up on what we missed the first time around, with a trip to the Victoria Memorial, a viewing of a Saturday matinee Bollywood film, and to top it off a delicious Bengali dinner. And all this following what was an indescribable week (and a bit more) in the Andaman Islands.

Our first attempt to the Andamans was unsuccessful. After flying 2 hours into the Indian Ocean and hovering over the beautiful islands, our captain made the announcement that we were unable to land and thus would be returning shortly to Calcutta. It's okay though, because everything ended up working out, as we were able to use our compensatory money from the airline to purchase 8 tickets to see Jethro Tull and Anoushka Shankar perform live in concert when we returned to Calcutta. The concert was a big hit and everyone left satisfied. Back to the Andamans.

Though there is much to say, we will touch briefly on a few of the highlights. Our week and a half included bike rides through tribal farmlands and beachside jungles, a snorkeling day trip with a local guide and his boat, and lounging on Time Magazine's Most Beautiful Beach in Asia on the gorgeous Havelock Island. Oh yeah, and Amy was bit by a dog and had to get a Tetanus booster, but it's okay Amy's mom, because she doesn't have rabies!! Our entire time on Havelock was unbelievable, and we all returned tan, relaxed, and ready to rock and roll with Jethro Tull. We can't wait to show you pictures of this majestic locale.

We are departing Calcutta tomorrow night to go to Delhi, where we will meet with the Shanti group and say our last goodbyes to India before we go our separate ways.

Love!!
Ariel, Topher and Amy

2008-11-27T03:49:00.000-08:00

Namaste!!!

This will be a quick blog to first wish everyone a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! We all just spent the day together, with the feelings of gratefulness emanating from us all about being together...and also for having the love and support from our family and friends at home. So grateful of all of the eye-opening and soul enhancing experiences we have had here.

Also just to let everyone know, we are no where near Mumbai. Our hearts certainly go out to everyone involved in this horrible situation....

We are in Kolkata (after returning from our amazing stay in the Andamans which the students will be writing about shortly), and will be leaving on a long but nonetheless exciting trainride tomorrow night to Agra. We all seem to be in disbelief that our time is almost over here...trying to savor our last amount of time both in India and together.

You will defintitely be hearing from us shortly...but until then....enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving meal for us:))))))

much love..

Suzanne and Shangu

Calcutta - The City of Joy

2008-11-13T03:16:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone!
We hope this message finds all of you very well. Today is our last day in Calcutta, also known as the City of Joy. For the past week, we have all been very busy. We have been volunteering at various Mother Teresa houses, such as Kalighat, Prem Dan, and Shishu Bhavan. The houses range from those that care for the destitute and dying to those that provide a childhood for orphaned boys and girls. Overall, each one of us has found our experience at Mother Teresa's extremely rewarding. With the flexibility of volunteer times and places, we have all been able to continue to explore India's culture through numerous different activities. For instance, today we did some sight-seeing, including Jain temples and the Ramakrishna temple complex.

On another note, we had a birthday in the group a few days ago. Nalin turned 18!!!!!!! We celebrated by going dancing at a club called Soho on Saturday night and by bowling and playing bumper cars on his actual birthday, which was Tuesday. It was all so much fun!!!!!

We have been so grateful to Nalin's family, who have graciously provided us with an amazing accommodation. Tonight, we will have one last dinner with them at his great-aunt's house.

Tomorrow morning we are off to the Andaman Islands, which we are all VERY excited about!!! The Andamans are somewhat secluded, and thus, we may not have Internet access while we are there. Don't worry, though, because we will be back in Calcutta on November 25th.

Have a great week!
-Nalin and Ariel

From the Bodhi Tree to the Urban Jungle

2008-11-07T20:36:00.000-08:00

Hola Lolas!

After a delightful goodbye dance/Halloween party thrown in our honor in Varanasi, we departed for a "saturation in Buddhism" aka Bodhgaya aka the Bodhi Tree aka awesomeness. We arrived at the tranquil Butanese temple, where we spent our three nights. Surrounding the area were temples from all over Asia -- we were able to visit the intricately designed temples of Thailand, Vietnam, Tibet, Japan, and THE BIG BUDDHA. This last item wasn't a temple, but literally a giant Buddha made of stone. During our stay, some of us (aka Eva and Amy and the leaders) woke up at 4:30 in the morning to witness a puja (morning prayer) down by the banks of the hanky panky aka the local river. As the sun rose, thousands of people crowded down to bathe themselves and pray. And perhaps the most exciting part of our stay in Bodhgaya was the election of OBAMA!!!!! As soon as we heard the news, we toasted chai to him at a local bookstore with the owner. Now on to Calcutta.

After waiting for a 2 hour delayed train and being kicked out of many restaurants for loitering, we finally got situated for our 10 hour train ride, most of which was spent sleeping (for most people). Now we are here in Calcutta, staying at Nalin's aunt's apartment. Today we begin volunteering at Mother Theresa's Charity homes. We have all decided to work at different houses, some of which include the home for the Destitute and Dying, a home for mentally handicapped children and others similarly related. In other news, we are slowly preparing and building excitement for our choice of Free Travel -- The Andaman Islands.

We hope all is going loverly at home -- Goodnight and Goodluck (aka Goodmorning for us)!!

Yours truly,
Eva and Amy

2008-10-31T05:41:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody!

We are writing to you as we near our final days in Varanasi after a delightful week. We have all been quite busy here in Varanasi a.k.a. Benares a.k.a. the City of Lights a.k.a. the City of Temples a.k.a. the City of Learning a.k.a. the culture capital of India. Indeed, we have been lucky enough to catch glimpses of the reasoning behind all these highly appropriate nicknames. The main focus of our stay here has been the wide range of internship opportunities available to us. Whether it was instrument, dance, art, or cooking classes, it is apparent everyone was just having a good ole time. In fact, a few of us were so inspired we found ourselves the new owners of some classical handmade Indian instruments such as tabla and sitar. Consider yourself warned of potential sleepless nights and distracted days as we dive deeper into the vast sea of music. Meanwhile, we have all also been learning Hindi for 2 hours every morning with our stellar instructor Pinku. Although it was a slow and somewhat frustrating beginning of a new and unique language, we all now able to form the simplest of past, present, and future sentences.
Aside from these opportunities, we were lucky enough to find ourselves as the newest residents of a Varanasi Hindustan University house with other students and travelers from all over the world. Included in this house was Shantiji, a woman who many have agreed produced the finest meals that our taste buds have encountered. Lunch buffets of rice, dal, vegetables, fruit, chapatis, and more have become highlights of our days.
Beyond just our classrooms and kitchen, we also have been able to witness the rich culture of Varanasi in other ways. In quite a bold maneuver, we rose early with the sun to enjoy a sunrise boat ride on the Mother Ganga, viewing the renowned and famous ghats that line the river banks and attract people from all around the world. Soon, we hope to finalize our plans for free travel and will keep you all updated!

Shanti Bahar (Peace Out)
<( '' )> (>'')> <(''<) <( '' )>
-Ariel and Topher

From the Golden Temple to India's holiest city.

2008-10-26T01:33:00.000-07:00

We continued our internships regularly in Mcleod until the evening of the 21st, when we had a speaker talk to us about the issue of Tibet's occupation by the communist Chinese government. We learned a great deal and even purchased some of his writings at the end of the presentation. Afterwards we had a brief ceremony in which we presented our thanks to our host mothers along with a traditional white scarf for good luck. We headed out on the morning of the 22nd, after saying good-bye to our host families. We were bound for Amritsar, first by bus, and then by train. The bus ride was 4 hours long and quite uncomfortable, as Topher with his lack of legroom and sick seat-mates would attest. The train seemed shorter and more comfortable and before we knew it, we had arrived in Amritsar. After some difficulties getting a bus ride to the Golden Temple, a guide and his friend got us to the Golden Temple via Auto Rickshaw for a cheaper price. They were very helpful and ended up being our guides for the rest of our time in Amritsar. We stayed in one of the buildings in the temple complex and ate our meals free at the massive volunteer worked kitchen, which serves thousands of pilgrims and guests daily. The Temple itself was amazing at all times of the day, as it was completely gilded from the ground up. It was surrounded by a large pool and there were buildings filled with Sikh gurus waiting to offer wisdom to pilgrims. All in all, it was a very impressive complex that was almost entirely run by volunteers who did all the cleaning, cooking, and donating. The day after we spent the whole day looking around at the sites and ended it with the grand flag ceremony at the Indo-Pakistani border. The next day we had to leave on a 24 hour train ride to Varanasi, which went smoothly. Now we are here in Varanasi searching out what internships we want to do for the remainder of our stay. We're looking forward to the variety of choices such as, music lessons, traditional dances, and painting. Hope everyone back home is doing fine, as well as the other groups who may read this. Bye

-Eva and Nalin

From the Ashram to the Home of Many Tibetans

2008-10-16T21:30:00.000-07:00

Namaste everyone!

We happily left Delhi long ago to journey to the wonderful land of Rishikesh/Laxman Jhulla, located right on the banks of the mighty Ganga. Our first train experience was quite luxurious, complete with padded individual seats, air conditioning, and food service. Once arriving in Laxman Jhulla, we all dispersed for accommodation hunting. Carrie and Amy found a lovely guesthouse on a side street off of a somewhat busier main road. While in Laxman Jhulla, we enjoyed a thrilling rafting adventure on the Ganga (with our guide, Isaac from Montana, who later met up with us for both lunch and a nighttime pooja). The following day, we hiked up to a riveting waterfall where many of us took the refreshing opportunity to splash around in the water. Our time in the city of Laxman Jhulla was short, as we left the next day to travel to the Phool Chatti Ashram. The ashram was an amazing experience for all of us. It was situated right on the Ganga (we were often able to swim during our free time) and was simply a beautiful, tranquil place to be. Daily, we woke at 5:30 am to meditate, chant mantras, and participate in yogic cleansing, breathing exercises, and morning yoga classes. Although we were told that breakfast would be incredibly bland, it was the highlight of the day for many of us. We enjoyed unlimited porridge, bananas, and tea (with as much sugar as we could possibly consume). After breakfast, we went on daily contemplative walks to unbelievable landscapes such as waterfalls, streams, and beaches. Lunch was just as satisfying as breakfast, with buckets of dal, supte, rice and chipati at our fingertips. Following lunch, we had interesting discussions with the Guru, more breathing exercises and afternoon yoga classes. As darkness fell upon the ashram, evening prayer and song sessions occured each night, followed by another scrumptious meal similar to that of lunch. Evening mediation was our final activity, often preparing us for a restful sleep (with the exception of Eva's insomnia). On our final days, we were graced with an evening bonfire and a morning fire ceremony. We said goodbye to our fellow ashram-ers and headed to the train station in Rishikesh. Our journey to McLeod began with a train ride (proceeded by downtime on the platform with cows and an obscene amount of flies). Our train was quite the experience: 10 hours with the 8 of us spread out throughout various compartments and seller after seller walking through the aisles offering cups of chai or small snacks. Some of us were able to sleep, some of us weren't, but we finally arrived in Chakki Bank at about 2:30 am. We then stuffed into a jeep that took us up to McLeod Ganj after a bumpy, swerving 3 hour ride. Finally, we were in McLeod, home to many Tibetan refugees and the Tibetan government in exile. We each were placed into a homestay with a Tibetan family, which we all currently LOVE. Our homestay families treat us like their own children, as they try give us warmer clothes before we leave the house, constantly refill our tea classes even if we're already full, and cook us delicious Tibetan meals. For most of us, this is just another amazing highlight of our trip. During the days, we are all participating in various internships and classes of our choice. The freedom we are allotted here is wonderful. Our days are filled with a wide variety of activities, such as jewelry making, cooking classes, art lessons, yoga, and volunteer work including teaching English to Tibetan refugees. We are all finding our time here extremely rewarding so far. We don't want to leave at the end of the week!

That's all for now...

-Ariel and Carrie

Back in Delhi and Getting Ready for Rishikesh

2008-10-03T22:24:00.000-07:00

Hi All =]

We are back (and for the most part healthier thankfully) in Delhi after spending 5 glorious days trekking through Hemis National Park in the vast Himalayan mountain range. In what has been the highlight of the trip so far for many, we typically hiked a few hours each day while spending the rest of the time partaking in Himalayan homestays. The people we met and lived with briefly were very genuine and warm; and despite the language barrier, we were able to still determine where the bathroom was and inform them their food and tea was delicious. Briefly stopping in on these families' lives for a day at a time was a fun and educational experience. Along the way, some of us acquired culturally unique goods such as homespun yak wool and exquisite, hand-crafted copper spoons to bring home to....YOU! After these 5 days of trekking in the mountains that followed the banks of the Zanskar and Indus rivers, we returned to Leh to spend a night in a guest house before returning to Delhi. In a very sentimental moment for most of us (tears could be seen in Topher's eyes) we stopped in at SECMOL for one last round of tea and goodbyes for all. The next day we said our final goodbye to our amazing guide/mother/everything one would want in a host aka. Mama Kunzes and departed on an early flight granting us one last view of the majestic Himalayas before an abrupt arrival into the smoggy skies of Delhi. Soon, we will be heading to Rishikesh via train to do activities such as rafting on the Ganges, as well as a week of yoga and the accompanying ashram lifestyle. More updates to come soon. May peace and love grace all of you in your daily lives, despite the lack of our presence (and presents).

~Topher and Amy

Leh, Ladakh

2008-09-25T02:48:00.000-07:00

Hey Hey Everyone!
Since the last post more than not of us have been rather sick with the altitude and other maladies. Things at SECMOL have been going great, playing games and getting to know the students better. Today we came into Leh around 10 and visited the Tibetan Children's Village (tibetchild.org). It's a very beautiful clean campus they have set up to house, and educate ~2000 children in family units of 20-25. The students range in age from barely older that toddlers to high school age. Many are orphans or their parents just cant provide for them. The village also accepts Ladakhi students from the surrounding area.
We've also visited several monastaries and Bhuddist temples. In a few days we are leaving SECMOL to go treking in the mountains.
Love and sunshine from the Himalayas!
Carrie

Jule from Ladakh

2008-09-19T00:48:00.000-07:00

We arrived safely in Ladakh after a stunning plane ride, overlooking the Himalayan mountains. Although we had little sleep, there was no way we could close our eyes to the fantastic view of the sun rising over the snowcapped mountains. Once at the SECMOL campus, we were able to rest, meet the amazing students and begin to adjust to the high elevation of about 11,000 feet. For the most part our daily activities include eating all meals with the students, helping during work hour and with individual responsibilities, participating in the English conversation classes, and getting to know the students via volleyball (and various sports), dancing and day-to-day conversations. We have also been learning a little of the Ladakhi language. Right now we are wandering the streets of the town Leh which is about a half hour from SECMOL. The locals are generous and kind and we have really enjoyed learning about their culture and way of life.
Look out for more updates as we continue on our journey!
Jule,
Eva and Ariel

Safe and Sound

2008-09-13T08:50:00.001-07:00

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

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