Well were shall i begin. I guess in first walking through the doors of the first floor of Daya Dan.

I walked in not knowing what to expect i knew my floor was suppose to be just little bays but i still was unaware of what exactly i was to do there.  As soon as i walked in i was in awe at the amount of children there were. i wasn’t expecting so many kids running around with so much life. i walked around awkwardly unable to find my place there. then there was a little bay by the name Justice he later on added. he was very intelligent and active. he told me to just sit next to him so i did. he just played around with locks of my hair and kept pointing to the roof. he seemed just comfortable sitting next to me. i stayed with him until lunch time. he went of to eat and since he could eat by himself i decided to help feed another boy who couldn’t. it took me about an hour to feed the little Boy, it sure did help me with my patience. he just kept on spiting the food back out. well any who, after i cleaned him up one of the workers took him so i once again stood around awkwardly not knowing what to do.

i walked over to were all the children were playing and i found a little boy just laying on the floor. nobody was next to him so i decided to sit next to him to keep him company. at first i just sat next to him but that didn’t feel right so i decided to pick him up and put him on my lap. i am so grateful that i did that because as soon as i held him in my arms i knew it would be difficult to let go. he was sweetest little bay ever. he didn’t talk he just grunted. his hand eye coordination wasn’t very good but there was just something about him that made him so special. well during most of the time i held him and combed my fingers through his hair . he would sometimes fall asleep but then he would grab my rings and just play with them.

i know this may not sound like a lot but to me i think this had the greatest impact of them all. sometimes i think i benefited more on this experience than the bays did in Daya Dan did. i am just filled with gratitude for this experience. i still miss my baby and i am so close to going back there and taking him back home. i don’t think my parents would like that very much.

well i guess this is were i shall wrap things up well i think that this place impacted us all and filled us up with a bit of color. everyone had some child that touch their hearts and left a hand print.

This is a picture of me and a boy named Shantu. At first I thought to myself, why is he even here, because this was a house for physically and mentally disabled children, but then i learned he would turn three in a couple months. He didn’t walk or talk. At first I thought he was at the most one years old, but I had made the most connection with him. He was my little buddy three of the four days we volunteered at Daya Dan. He made being there and volunteering so much fun. I fed him, played with him, even changed his clothes when he made a mess after I gave him his medicine.  He liked to be kissed on his cheek and on his neck. It made him smile and giggle everytime. What I think he liked more than that was the sounds I made while i kissed him, that and being held upside down or held up high.  By the las day of volunteering the ladies that worked at Daya Dan just told me were to find him when he wasn’t on the floor where he was supposed to be.  Working at Daya Dan was probably the funnest thing I did on the trip.

This post by Angela:

As clouds of questions swarm my head

I dig deep to find the truth,

See I’m all about empowering youth

but when I’m gone who’s going to empower you?

My life may seem like that of a commercial

and sometimes I may wish it was that on the commercial,

But it is what it is. My life.

The truth will unmask our differences

and show our similiarities.

Dreams, goals, and aspirations we’ll see.

Freedom for all while peace and

equality seep through the cracks of the walls

built around our hearts.

Love is universal.

Yet we kill each other,

steal,  rob, and cheat each other.

Fairytale dreams is what I used to have,

Now bundled  up in my childhood past.

You are me and I am you,

Yet our lives still arent fairytales.

We’ve seen it all, heard it all, and have been through it all.

We may stumble but we never fall.

The lessons I’ve learned?

Every culture  has vultures.

Every life has a light.

Every story has an end,

While others stop before they begin.

Faith and courage is what flows through our veins,

Pain.Anger. and frustration you have it too!

Trying to find if evil really is the root.

So you see we’ve grown from each other.

Dreamed those big fairy tales with each other.

Our lives arent that different so again I say,

You are me and I am you.

So dream those dreams and listen with your HEART not your ears.

Open your eyes to the truth and let the tears create a pool of love to swim in,

Because one day I want to swim in that pool.

And smile as i listen

to the bells ring and waves through a sea shell.

You are me and I am you,

because our lives are our fairytales.

Dear, Journal and Group

At the end of my trip to India my two trip leaders Laura and Thomas asked me two questions that Im only used to being asked in school.The two questions were how has this changed you and what have you learned? The thing that they were talking about was the trip to India. For once in my life I was glad to answer these questions because as a sixteen year old African American girl I felt that I made a huge step….No LEAP towards coming to India. I now know why Mrs.Horcasitas the woman in charge of summer programs at my school split me and my besfriend up. She wanted us to experience something new without being by each other’s side. I’ve really changed on this trip because I now know that I am stronger than what I believed before. I know that if I wanted to I could now travel the world. Im glad I chose India over Greece, China, South America and England. Why? I believe that if you have seen India then you have seen it all. In India people have more issues than you would see inany other place in the world. In India I got to see how people put on traditional clothing, how people dance and how people live. I also got see how children learn. In those other places sure I would have gotten to see amzing buildings and monuments but I wouldn’t have gotten to meet new people, eat new food, meet and stay a week with a legend, get on stage and watch that legend sing for a crowd of thousands up close and personal and do wonderful community service. Both trip leaders have helped me learn something and you would think that as teachers they are supposed to do that but they came on this trip part leader, part teacher and whole friend. Laura has taught me that I could take India and that I would be okay and have fun. She also taught me that I could do anything if I just put my mind into it. Thomas taught many things about India itself that I can’t even count. This trip has also changed me in a way where I want to do service like start my own NGO and if I don’t I just want to help people because it’s something I loved doing while in India. Before,sure I wanted to help people but now I know it’s something I have to do because it makes me feel good and happy and also the people I have helped. India is such agreat place and I know that from only visting four places which is amazing. It took some getting used to but in the end I could honestly say that I loved this trip and of course the people I traveled with. At the beginning of the trip before I even got to India, I wrote a letter to myself with some goals and I feel as though I accomplished all of those goals. I enjoyed myself by doing things that I was comfortable with doing. I met new people, my group and Indians. I tried new things by eating their food and becoming used to walking around with no shoes. I learned alot about the language and the culture that it’s to much to write down. I will go back and tell my family what I learned, every single detail. Of course I had fun and took lots of pictures. I look back on this trip and I wouldnt change anything. It was a stuggle at first, Im sure it was for everyone but I got through it because of my new friends. Laura, Thomas, Angela, April, Alicia, Christine, Elizabeth, Emily and Sarah you all are wonderful and I will miss you once this trip is over. I dont know what India is to you but to me it’s a whole new world. It’s sad, happy, fun, funny, cold, hot, wet, rude and great all in one. I love how we all handled this trip and situations and problems. Last but hopefully not least I appreciate you all for applying and becoming interested in this trip because I dont know a better group to do it with.

Sincerly, Alexis m. Holloway

When I first arrived in India, I was constantly, horribly embarrassed. I was self-conscious about our cheap, throw-away clothes, our lack of makeup, and our less than showered appearance in a country that prides itself on cleanliness and personal appearance. I was embarrassed every time I pulled out my digital camera. I was ashamed that I had so much and that so many people in India have so little. I was ashamed that I was ashamed, because I did not choose to be born in America with so many privileges just as they had not chosen to be born in India with so few. Intellectually I knew that guilt is not an emotion that inspires genuine action. Embarrassment is not progressive.

Mostly, though, I was embarrassed to be so different from the people in Kolkata, Ranchi, Darjeeling, the slums. I hated all the attention we were getting, how people catered to us and how we weren’t giving anything back.

Thank God for Mukund Nayak, our internationally famous host in Ranchi. Mr. Nayak (or Babaji) made us step out of that mindset by practically requiring us to perform, to embrace and keep the attention on ourselves. Our tea party hosts didn’t care that we couldn’t dance - they loved that we were willing to try. The Deepshikha staff saw how much the kids and adults alike took to our games and dances, no matter how silly we thought we looked. And we got used to it. We got used to the stares, the singing, the dancing, the laughing at our impromptu performances.

There will be a lot of embarrassments when I get home and throughout my life. Failing is embarrassing, social situations are awkward, being unprepared happens on a regular basis. But you’ve got to get over it. Getting caught up on embarrassing moments wastes to much energy. So you have to walk around for a day with dog pee on your pants after visiting the slums. So your face breaks out and you don’t have any cover-up. So you have to dance with tinfoil swords in front of an entire village. Those things don’t last. Go back to the slums, let your skin clear, laugh with the village people instead of blushing to yourself. Those things are not horrible.

Getting over the embarrassment of being different seems like a small thing, but it’s terribly important. Now I think we’re all more willing to try new things, to try new things and fail, ot try new things and succeed. Embarrassment is only a shackle. You have to be different to be a Gandhi or a Mother Teressa. You have to be different to promote change and progress. You can’t let self-consciousness stand in the way of potential. I had to come all the way to India to learn that.

Following post written by Sara:

I sit up

my back is aching

the sky, overcast.

The gray, a blanket

under which the wet

heat presses

Into my skin

still clean

from the shower.

New smells

a City

of Contrasts.

Laundry Lines

Pink Orange Blue

banners

Of reality

of life

without hiding.

Fourteen people

crammed in an

auto rickshaw.

Not many

women on

this road.

Men honking

in their

luxury cars.

Amidst the

yellow

ambassadors

Blue doors

paint chipping

again

Onto mud

floors swept

clean.

What we see

is often shocking

is often painful.

The walls

that we forced

up

Are now

too hard

to maintain.

Without language

Thoughts must

find

New roads

through which

to course.

Communication

released from its

habitual dependency

Upon words

that often

mean little

The stories

that hold us

together

Are kept

in many mediums

Through music

Through art

Through laughter

Faces turned

toward the

dancing ground.

Histories traced

deep into the skin

of the thulak.

Breath dancing

across the hole

of the flute

Feet trace

dances traveling

through generations.

Through movement

we see

each sound

That arises

from our

hearts.

Through laughter

we cross bridges

cultural, linguistic.

What words

are played by

the tongue

Do not say

so

much

As what shape

is taken by

the face.

A smile

Is

A smile.

In Hindi

In Bengali

In Nepali

In English.

Each face

each family

each community

Is like

my

own.

But how

do we watch

our days

Unfold

so

quickly?

With what

actions do

we wish

To represent

our time?

And what

of this

cycle?

Perpetual,

Filled with

Impermanence?

What is the point

Of all

Of this?

This drive

For stuff

For money

For survival.

What

is it

That we

actually

need?

From ourselves

From each other

From our community

From our earth.

The same fears

Hold us.

The same hopes

Release us.

The same needs

Move us.

But we must

hold

happiness,

Like our

expectations,

loosely

In the palms

of our

hands.

It must be shared

It must be enjoyed

It must be allowed to leave

With the

understanding

that

We wish

its warmth

for everyone.

Every being

deserves

the respect

That we show

our loved

ones.

Through kindness

it is

possible

To

make

change.

Each interaction

Each conversation

a drop

In a bucket

that may

seem

Impossible to fill.

But each smile,

each effort

at understanding,

will build.

You may say

That my head

is in the sky.

But, I just

felt

the clouds

fall in

through my

open window.

We arrived a couple of days ago and its been great. It’s more peaceful and quiet here. It’s also colder here. But the mountains are beautiful and the people don’t stare so much here. So far we have been to a temple, a tibetan refugee camp, and we are going to Tiger Hill tomorrow to get a better view of the mountains. We leave Wednesday morning, which is going to be sad because it’s beautiful here. Although I really don’t like the quietness because I’m used to the loudness of cars and people in Chicago. So it’s different but still great. We got about less then a week left to go! I’m excited but also sad to leave all the girls and the friendships that we created. So until next time! =]

Namaste from Kurseong!  We are now in the foothills of the Himalaya, and it is magical.  The hotel and scenery are amazing. So much green!  And very restful, especially after the urban rigors of Calcutta and the work at Mother Theresa’s (more about that soon!)  The hotel is right next door to the Ineeka tea plantation, which we will be touring tomorrow.  Then its off to Darjeeling for a few days of Reflection and Action. Hopefully we will get some clear weather–we might even be able to see Mt. Everest! Everyone is fine, more soon.  –Laura  

Our time in Ranchi is drawing to a close, we’ll be getting on the overnight train to Calcutta in just a few hours. We’ve had an amazing experience here thanks to the guidance of Mukund Nayak and his family.

Early in the week, we visited the Deepshikha Institute, a school for children with special needs. We learned about their program and had a chance to help in the classroom and lead some of the Deepshikha participants in a number of games, including a marathon Duck Duck Goose session and the ever-popular Red Light, Green Light.

We also spent some time at St Michael’s School for the Blind, where we got to hear some of the amazing music performed by the children there. We returned the favor by singing “Lean On Me,” a version of which we had prepared over lunch.

Then we visited a village school and played soccer and field hockey with the students there. This village visit also included some tree planting and traditional dancing.

Yesterday we visited a school in Ranchi. There was a school assembly and the local students asked our group all about the education and life of teenagers in the USA. Afterwards we played games with the kids, to the delight of the whole school, and a lot of the neighbors.

We’ve also found time to have tea in the homes of local citizens and learn about life here. Everywhere we go we are met with generosity and kindness, and often with music and dancing as well.

And we met with the Jharkhand Minister of Education yesterday. And we got our pictures in the newspaper (all of us in traditional Indian clothes). And we went to a huge festival and went up on stage with Mr Nayak while he performed for hundreds of people. And we had a private concert of traditional Jharkandi tribal music… And there’s more and more… I’ll try to upload some photos when there’s more time.

Everyone is healthy apart from some minor stomach problems and a few headaches. The Nayak family has been catering to our every wish and Mukund Nayak has become like a father to our whole group. The students call him “Babaji,” which roughly translates as “Daddy Dear.”

Tomorrow morning we will arrive back in Calcutta and tomorrow afternoon we will begin our service at the Missionaries of Charity. We’ll be working with handicapped children in a home started by Mother Teresa.

I hope everyone is well back in the USA. Stay tuned for more tales of our adventures.

Hello Everyone: We are safely in Ranchi.  We were met by Mukundji at the train station with garlands of flowers, then driven to his house where a group of traditional drummers in colorful clothes led us in a parade into his property where we were greeted with singing and more music.  This set the tone for what we’ve experienced in the last two days. Too much has happened to write here, but suffice to say Mukundji has been an incredible host and we have had some unforgettable experiences in local homes, at the Deepshikha Institute and at St Michaels School for the Blind.

Everyone is healthy apart from a few minor stomach problems. The group is coming together and everyone seems to be doing fine mentally and emotionally. All for now, Thomas.