Gangtok, Sikkim

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

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

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

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

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!

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!

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!