Time Capsule Letter – October 2016

Dear GLA alumni, parents, staff and any and all additional blog readers,

As this first week winds down to a close and our second week begins, I find myself torn between several different emotions. First and foremost, I feel tremendously honored to have had the privilege to get to know these amazing kids and I am just as excited to get to know my second group. I am reluctant to see them go.

Among this first group there were students with a myriad of talents, skills and life experiences, including accomplished artists, athletes and eve a couple of impressive ping-pong players. Despite the hard work and high altitude, I have been incredibly impressed with these students tenacity and dedication to the task at hand during service hours, but even more encouraging than that has been their sincerity and selflessness. Many members of the group have expressed their gratitude for the interpersonal relationships they have been able to cultivate with our community partners as well as with each other over the course of their brief two weeks here, relationships they have painstakingly created and maintained through kindness, mutual respects, compassion, and empathy.

Yes, I’m very proud of my young GLA students who exemplify these and many more such admirable qualities. It’s been a pleasure and a privilege to be able to work with them, and I hope that they take the lessons learned and insight gained from their experience here at GLA with them into their budding adult lives. I just know they are going to do some great things.

-Courtney

Summer Blog Posts

June 11, 2016

Editor’s note: All students have arrived safely! Due to flight delays and re-routes, some arrived and were met in Peru on June 12 and a photo will be posted as soon as possible.  The photo and blog entry below are from June 11. 

We are kicking off Service in the Sacred Valley with 20 of our students! They are settled in and rested after their long and tiring journey. We are looking forward to meeting the rest of our group tomorrow and touring the city of Cusco!

June 12, 2016

Finally we have arrived! We enjoyed breakfast with the whole team before heading out for a tour of Cusco.  The tour included many breathtaking views! We began by viewing ancient Incan temples, from there we began our journey around the top of the valley. We visited natural slides made out of rock, as well as the fountain of youth!

From there we ate a fantastic lunch at a local restaurant. This included many foreign foods, such as grilled alpaca. We then descended back to Cusco and visited museums as well as a stunning cathedral!

Tomorrow we start volunteering in the village of Chocco.

June 13, 2016

Today we began service in the village of Chocco. After waking up at 6:00 and eating breakfast, we broke off into four groups and went to the village to begin building foundations for the guinea pig houses. The guinea pigs, or cuys, are a local delicacy and provide income for the families in the villages surrounding Cusco. After working for about four hours on the foundation, we took a break to play soccer with the local children of Chocco during their recess. After heading back to the bus with extremely sore limbs, lunch was anxiously awaited. After Victor cooked up another stellar lunch, we began free time with happy stomachs. Once the evening rolled around we had an interesting speech from a politician in Cusco. He spoke to us about the social and economic hardships within Cusco. We then rolled right into a TED Talk followed by breaking out into mentor groups. Within the small groups, we converse and catch up about the day. We discussed the speaker’s presentation and the TED Talk. Following mentor groups, we did some clean up jobs and then headed to bed, waiting for the next day of service. As we sit here writing this blog, we are reflecting about our first day of service, where we learned about the poverty line of Cusco, and experienced the generosity and welcoming nature of the citizens of Peru.

-Ilana and Willem

The whole group together

June 14, 2016

Today was full of hard work and adventures for GLA students. They started bright and early at 8:00 am, working at their service sites, which included shoveling, pick axing, and wheel barreling loads of dirt to build cuy (guinea pigs) homes. As you can see, the children of Chocco felt comfortable “helping” them at their sites. In the afternoon, the students had a musical treat! A talented, Peruvian musician taught them the history of various Peruvian instruments and allowed them to try them out for themselves. Lastly, GLA students got to wind down, bond over games, and write journal entries at the home base.

– Lily Rogers and Jamie Zipper

June 15, 2016

¡Hola familia y amigos!

Here in Peru, we are having a blast. After a hardy breakfast of omelettes and bread, we started off the cool morning in jackets and many layers at our service sites. Today for our service, we continued building guinea pig, or cuy, houses. We filled in our foundation with large boulders and homemade, gooey mud. After working for half of the day, we took a break to play soccer and duck-duck-goose with the local children. Half of the group had the opportunity to visit the local kindergarden for more games with the smaller children. After our short break, we continued working on our service sites until we had to leave for lunch. Today, the other service group that is staying in the same hotel arrived, giving us the opportunity to connect with new people. Despues de lunch, we took a short trip to the market to purchase jackets and cookies. Next, we watched a short video and listened to a speech about malnutrition in toddlers in Peru. During dinner circle, we spoke on community. Now, we are getting ready to hit the hay.

Buenos noches a todos.

– Lily and Ilana

June 16, 2016

We began our day with another early morning wake-up and headed to the village of Chacco to begin our half-day of service. Even though the work is hard, every group is making steady progress towards finishing the cuy houses; many have even finished the foundation and are working on making adobe bricks to begin construction! At break, many of us engaged in an exciting game of soccer against the local primary-school children, leaving us exhausted but excited for a rematch tomorrow (we lost despite our hard efforts!) After a delicious lunch, we bussed to a neighboring village where we visited a local shaman who gave us the opportunity to ask three questions about our future lives by reading coca leaves. It was a truly unique experience that we were all extremely excited to participate in, as we learned more about the importance of shamanism in Peru. Tomorrow we will continue to work on our service projects, as well as explore the local culture as we enter our second week abroad!

– Lara

6/18/2016

Hello everyone!

Today we went to Patabamba after a yummy breakfast of omelets, the group headed to the buses for an hour-long ride. The ride was beautiful and led us high up into the mountains. Once we were there, we learned several different Quechua words.

Then we split up into five different groups. Each group had their own families to help out for the day. The groups shucked corn, de-shelled beans, and some picked produce. We had a picnic-style lunch on the mountainside and played soccer and games with the local children. The mountain was gorgeous and proved to be a perfect photo-op. Then we all drove back to home base and packed for our hike to Machu Picchu tomorrow morning.

After dinner we had mentor groups and talked about the several different activities we have done this week. It has been an eventful day, but everyone is excited for the hike tomorrow.

Best,

Ari Lui

6/21/2016

The past two days we trekked the Veronica mountain trail and camped underneath the stars. We set out early in the morning to Aguas Calientes, hiking from the campsite to the busses and then hiking for another three hours. After a restful night of sleep in Aguas Calientes, most of the group set out to enjoy the one-hour hike up to Machu Picchu. Others opted to sleep for another hour and take the bus up. Machu Picchu was a magnificent sight; there are not enough words to describe the view. After a thorough tour of the ruins, we went into town for lunch.  During our free time to explore, a few of us tried a special Peruvian ice cream. After an hour of exploration, we took a long train ride and then a bus back to our home base in Cusco. A hot meal of spaghetti and meat sauce was awaiting us when we arrived. Everyone is ecstatic to be back for the next two days of service before we head home.

Ari Lui and Ilana Ferguson

June 22, 2016

GLA began their journey to Machu Picchu on Sunday, starting with the Veronica Trail. On the second day, the students were pushed to their limits with a six hour hike through the Andes Mountains, and a three hour night hike through the jungle. On the third morning, the students finally made it to Machu Picchu! Pictures of one of the seven wonders of the world do not do it justice. Today, the students went back to their service sites and also went to a Llama/Alpaca farm. There, they were able to feed and pet the animals. With only one day left, the students are all eager to share their stories with their families and friends.

June 23, 2016

Yesterday was our final day in the city. We began our day with a last early-morning wakeup, then headed to Chocco for a day of hard work as we pushed to make the cuy houses as complete as possible before the next group of volunteers arrive. After a few hours of hard work, we were able to play lighthearted games of volleyball and soccer with the local children, and ended our final visit by giving the kids a few parting gifts. We were all extremely sad to say goodbye to the friends we had made throughout our weeks of service! After lunch, we had the opportunity to go to a local artisan market where we eagerly spent our last sols on alpaca/llama sweaters, blankets, and tokens of our travels to bring back to our friends and
families. For dinner, we bussed to a traditional Peruvian restaurant where we were able to try local delicacies, such as guinea pig, and sample a variety of desserts. Throughout our dinner, we were treated to entertainment in the form of music, singing, and traditional dancing. Some students were even invited on stage to dance! Going to bed we were all felt extremely thankful for all the friends we have made, and excited to go home with a greater notion of what it means to have a broader global perspective.

Today marked our farewell day in Cusco and the end of a fabulous two weeks! Starting early this morning, we wished our friends safe travels as they travelled to the airport and embarked on their journeys home. Because we all had varying departure times, many students leaving in the evening had the opportunity to explore downtown Cusco and purchase last minute souvenirs/food, experience the Festival of the Sun, and buy fresh juice at a nearby marketplace. We are all very excited to share our amazing experiences with our friends and family back home, and are all extremely grateful for all the opportunities of cultural immersion that were offered to us these last fourteen days.

Lara

Time Capsule Letter – October 2016

Summer Blog Posts

Wednesday, June 15

All expected students have arrived safely at home base! We’re anxiously awaiting two more students (Saige and Giulio) expected to arrive tomorrow, June 16.

Tomorrow is our first day at service!!!

June 16, 2016

Day two started bright and early, as boots were put on for the first day of service! We arose at 6 am and shoveled some breakfast down before winding our way up to the community in the hills of Cusco.
The community is called “Mayrasco”, and it is at about 13,000 ft above sea level. It is located in a beautiful valley which overlooks the city of Cusco. Upon arrival, we were greeted by community leaders, who each introduced themselves in their native language, Quechua, and expressed their gratitude for our efforts.

Our project is to build a fish farm for the community. We are to build three different ponds, on three different levels of terrace. The water from the ponds will feed into one another in order to oxygenate the water for the fish, and ultimately waterfall into a large reservoir. The fish that will be raised in these ponds will be used as a valuable source of nutrition for the children of the village to promote health and enable them to continue their education. We split off into three teams, and, after a safety demonstration on how to use the tools, got to work!

Between water breaks, songs, and getting to know you conversations, the time passed quickly! After two hours flew by, we took a snack break and hiked down into the community to meet the school children during their recess.

The students were initially shy, but once a soccer ball appeared that quickly changed. They eagerly led us out to the “cancha”-soccer field, and we commenced laughing and playing for about an hour. It was so difficult to say good-bye, but we had more work to do before lunch! We all bade “nos vemos mañana” (see you tomorrow), and hiked back up the mountain to our site for a last half hour of solid work.

When we returned for a hard-earned lunch and shower, we were joined by our late arriving group members – Saige and Giulio! We are all so happy to be a full group of 19!

In the evening, we were joined by a Peruvian economist who spoke to us about the socioeconomic challenges of life in Cusco and the surrounding communities. The talk was very informative and strengthened our sense of purpose and dedication to our service project.
After sharing stories, we happily retreat to our rooms to prepare for tomorrow’s activities and get a good nights sleep! Buenas noches!

Your mentors,
Bryce & Julia

June 17, 2016

Day three has come and gone and was even better than before. The morning began like the last with our daily service. However, though it may have been very fulfilling, we are all already starting to feel it. Our backs are aching. Our arms are sore, but we have never felt better. Through our extensive efforts, our team has made amazing progress in just these couple days. With morale incredibly high and motivation through the roof, it’s really starting to come together. After about four hours of work, we decided to call it a day and move on to our next excursion.

Once again we were able to play with the local children, and they just keep getting feistier. Every day they seem to open more and more to us. Games were played such as duck, duck, goose (pato, pato, gonzo in Spanish), tag, futbol, and many more!

When we returned back to home-base, we were given the chance to relax before our next exciting event. (Trust me. We needed it) Anyway, without hesitation we hopped on the next bus. About thirty minutes later, we arrived at this beautiful open field with gorgeous lighting. At first, it was a little concerning, for there was no one in sight, but surely enough we were greeted by an indigenous “music man”. He showed us a multitude of ancient Inca instruments, as well as demonstrating how to play them. Luckily, we were also able to try to play these, yet most of us were not very successful. Nevertheless, it was incredibly fun and an amazing experience.

To finish our night, after dinner, we watched two Ted Talk videos explaining what it means to create a story and how important it is to have more than one story. It really put things into perspective as to why we’re here. Each day we are expanding our very own stories. By being exposed to this new culture, it has already been truly eye-opening. Through these next few weeks we hope to broaden our story even further.

Written by Ethan Schwartz and Sabrina Delaney

June 19, 2016

Today, our began our morning with an extra hour of sleep, a gift that all of the campers were surely appreciative of. After a typical breakfast, we took off in buses. First we explored ancient Inca sites and traversed natural rock slides. Later in the day we also explored the Cuzco Cathedral, appreciating the various altarpieces, Spanish Baroque architecture and painting, and history behind the colossal building.

Here’s also a bonus video from an impromptu lunch dance party! Click here to view. (Video may load upside-down; our apologies for the inconvenience.)

Finally, we also explored the remnants of the Incan Temple of the Sun in the late afternoon before returning home. Aside from traditional GLA activities, everyone also watched “Paloma de Papel”, a story surrounding the Peruvian civil war in the 1980’s between the traditional Peruvian government and communist radicals.

By Ashley Silva and Samir Kumar

June 21, 2016

Hey guys! It’s Ashvin (Hi Mom). Today was a really productive day in Cuzco.  As per usual, we got up at 6, ate breakfast, and headed to our work site to begin our daily service.  And let me tell you, building fish farms is TOUGH.  We dug, picked, and shoveled for 3 hours before spending some time with the kids of the local village school.  Afterwords, we went back to the home base where I ate a huge lunch and took a MUCH needed shower.

For our afternoon activity, we participated in a textile workshop where we learned how textiles and fabrics were made.  Personally, I thought it was so cool how all the dyes were completely natural, ranging from plants to even insects to use as dyes!  After, we were able to shop for hand-woven clothing made out of sheep wool, alpaca wool, etc.  The whole experience was so cool, although I probably spent way too much on alpaca wool clothing at the textile workshop…  All in all, it was an awesome day learning not only about Peruvian culture but making significant progress in our service work.  Hasta luego!

-Ashvin Dhawan

For our afternoon activity we went to a girls orphanage.  As we got there we were greeted with a multitude of hugs from many different little girls ranging from ages 6-12.  In fact, I was embraced in a HUGE hug by two little girls.  We also had a tour of the facility before going to the playground with the kids.  Since we have already become like a big family, it was an ease to start playing different games with the kids.  The two little girls that hugged me decided to take my phone and took pictures of each other, me, and the other people in the GLA group.  They did my hair in a ponytail, spicing it up with a beautiful red flower.  Later, I was sitting on top of a seesaw and saw all of my friends having a time of their lives as I looked out in the distance.  As I reflect upon our day, these little girls showed us how to enjoy the little things in life.  They brought so much joy to our group and left us with a memory we could never forget.  I also got to work on my Spanish since I came into this trip knowing nothing at all.  Hasta pronto!

-Saige Treiman

June 22, 2016

Buenos noches from Cusco! The notorious nineteen have survived their seventh day of service, officially passing the halfway mark. Our fish farms have progressed all the while.

Despite the physical strain, the process has proved rewarding through interactions with the children and leaders of the Mayrasco community, girls in the orphanage, and various educators who were eager to share their knowledge, in private sessions with the group, about the challenges facing Peruvians. Limited access to full nutritional needs, continued education, and other socioeconomic strains that are all too familiar everywhere in the world, all stain the development and success of these communities. In our learning about these topics the work we are doing has become more and more meaningful while further motivating us in our contributions to the small village of Mayrasco.

Our gratitude and eagerness continue to thrive as we look forward to five more service days, along with additional visits to other communities and foster homes throughout the remaining time.

We’ll continue to update you on our latest adventures. Buenos noches from our home base to yours!

-Palmer White & Gavin McGough

June 27, 2016

Hello all! The last couple of days have been a lot of fun here in Cusco.

First it is worthy to mention the day we spent Saturday, peeling beans and spending the morning with the Andean people living at Patabamba, an agricultural mountain community south of Cusco. They invited us into their homes, telling us upon arrival we should consider ourselves family, and fed us potatoes and quinoa soup full of herbs and fat leaves of spinach. It was a moving display of hospitality, which was followed by an afternoon playing soccer on the hillside above the clay-brick village. The Andes hung in the background against the blue sky, and full clouds cast moving shadows over the wheat fields and grazing sheep.

One of the more exciting experiences for the group was the Pisac Market. This market, about 45 minutes out of Cusco, had literally everything you could want to buy: sweaters, shirts, hats, trinkets, backpacks, bags, food, everything. Vendors set up shop in a central square over cobblestone streets, creating alleyways in which to explore the goods, where tourists browsed Peruvian crafts, alongside locals seeking exotic potatoes (really!). We think our parents will also be happy to know that we saved a couple soles by haggling, a common practice in markets like Pisac. All in all, it was a great experience, even though we probably bought way more stuff than we needed.

Today we also had the opportunity to learn a traditional Inca dance. This dance, focused on the idea of birds and flying, required us to put on traditional robes that included hats, jackets, pants, and sashes (we looked HOT). Although it was cold and slightly wet, we still had a great time and learned an awesome dance.

-Ashvin Dhawan and Gavin McGough

Time Capsule Letter – October 2016

Dear G.L.A. Alumni,

Namaste! Hope this letter finds you in great spirits and high energies. Its been a few months since we finished the G.L.A. India program and the memories stay fresh. The summer is over in the Dharamsala foothills while winter has started cascading over the Himalayas with chill and fog.

The farmers have harvested the paddy that some of you also experienced planting. They are busy separating husk, chaff and rice as well as storing them.

(photo: Gharoh village, H.P. India, Paddy harvest//oct.2016)

Vidyamandir school kids are done with their term exams. The students often greet us with the most beautiful smiles whenever we come across their streets and homes. Feels great having been a part of G.L.A.!!

The child care centers seem a bit drowsy, need a G.L.A. kick!!

D.A.R. has rescued and revived quite a number of puppies so far and has found homes in different parts of the world for them.

Tong-Len has succeeded helping out people who lost their homes to at least have a tent of their own and has also engaged tutors for their kids.

Our mate Kapil rocks the cradle of his much awaited baby boy Naksh!!

(photo: Naksh, born on 12.08.2016)

Team G.L.A. India hopes that you never stop finding means to make this world a more healthy and a beautiful place to live through your big and small efforts. We cherish the profound exchange and enriching experience of hosting you guys!

Wish you all the best,

Raja, Vinay, Kapil, Sachin, Ishan and Priya

Summer Blog Posts

June 21, 2016

Hi all!

After a busy day at the Delhi airport, we boarded our flight and have finally arrived in Amritsar! All students are safe and excited for a shower (ha!) and a nice welcome dinner at our guest house before visiting the Golden Temple bright and early in the AM.

Stay tuned for more updates on our awesome crew in India!

Cheers,

Sara McDaniel
International Director

June 22, 2016

Hello everyone!

It’s only Day 2, but here in India we’re off to a flying start. Today was one for the books. We woke early and were on the road to the Golden Temple by 6 AM (both to catch the sunrise and avoid the Amritsar heat). We all agreed that it was the ultimate start to our program! The temple is a very powerful place, and we thoroughly enjoyed our tour. We were also lucky that we went as early as we did, because while we had perfect weather for our visit, the second we got back to our hotel it started pouring! It rained for our entire drive to our final destination, Dharamsala, where we’ll volunteer and live for the next 3 weeks.

This evening we divided into our service teams– some of us are at day care centers, others are organizing a summer camp, and some are teaching in an elementary school. We’re all excited to get started tomorrow! We also had our orientation to the Home Base and to GLA, and had the chance to share our wishes for the next few weeks with one another during an activity in which we created our own Tibetan prayer flags. This will probably be my last update, as Margot is kicking off tomorrow as our first Leader of the Day (they’re responsible for updating you all). So, with that, I can only say thank you for sharing your wonderful family and friends with me! We’re in for the adventure of a lifetime.

With Gratitude,

Sara McDaniel
International Director

6/24
Leader of the Day- Carson Fechter

Today the GLA family took on the challenge of meeting the first goals we had set for ourselves for our placements. Although not every detail went according to plan, we successfully managed to give the children new information and smiling faces. After lunch, we were taught some basic Hindi words and phrases and were then challenged to use this knowledge to compete in a scavenger hunt around the home base. With such a full day, the GLA family happily grows another day stronger!6/25Leader of the Day- Mackenzie Simon

Today after breakfast, we left for the Aghanjar Mahadev Temple.  A tour guide led us around the temple and explained to us the importance of each of its features and how they relate back to hinduism. We were also able to see a fire that has been burning for 5,000 years inside the temple. As we continued exploring the temple we were each given the opportunity to be blessed by and given a painted bindhi by a monk.  After learning about the temple, we were led down a flight of stairs that led us to a river dotted in huge stones.  One large stone was hollowed out and used as a worship area. Our guide then continued the tour by taking us to a cremation site and explaining to us the significance of death and birth in hinduism and then leading us through beautiful rice fields to a nunnery where we learning the difficult procedure in becoming a nun. After a delicious pizza lunch, we went to the Norbulingka Institute where we were able to witness people making Tibetan wood carvings, paintings, and metal sculptures.  Next, we went into the market where many of us purchased bindhis and material for traditional Indian clothing which we will later have tailored. We returned back to the home base for dinner and rest after such a busy day!

6/27
Leader of the Day- Juliet DuPont

Today we started the morning with our placements at the sports camp, elementary school, or daycare. I went to the daycare and spent time teaching kids English phrases and making paper crowns. After lunch we learned about recent events concerning the Dharamsala slum. The people living there  illegally for 35 years were removed from the land, and were then turned away from the space provided from them by the government. We drove past the bulldozed slum and then visited Tong Len, a boarding school that hosts many residents of the slum. I spoke with a girl who wants to be a human rights lawyer in the future. Finally, we finished the day by walking through a tea garden and returning to home base. Overall it was a moving day that gave us a lot of  insight on our own lives and the situations of others.6/28-6/30

Sara with a quick update here! This week was full of fun activities, time at our placements, and yes, a few trips to the clinic for those of us that caught a stomach bug (yuck). We visited the local market and bought fabric to have clothing tailored, saw the amazing work that Dharamsala Animal Rescue is doing in the region, and tried our hand at transplanting rice on Priyanka’s family farm. It’s now Friday AM, and we’re all feeling healthy and ready to begin our weekend trek! Stay tuned for a ton of photos and updates from our trek next week!

Monday, July 4th

Leader of the Day: Avinash

This weekend we trekked to Kareri Village, a village home to the Gaddi peoples of India. The first night we played games together at the campsite- cricket, mafia and charades- before having a campfire. The next day, we visited a few village homes. The people there live in clay homes away from civilization. They used fire to cook their food rather than electric stoves, and they made many types of food from scratch. All of us dressed up in elaborate Gaddi style wedding clothes and pretended to be married. Afterwards, we played various games and swam in the river back at the campsite. On Sunday morning, we had breakfast, planted some trees as part of a reforestation project, and trekked back home! Today we had placements in the AM and spent the afternoon in McLeod Ganj, shopping and having dinner together.

Week Recap- Sara McDaniel

Hi all! We’ve been super busy the past few days, soaking up all that Dharamsala has to offer before we leave on Saturday. We’ve learned about how and what we purchase makes a difference in the world, visited the Dalai Lama’s temple on His Holiness’s 81st birthday, and gotten the full local style treatment (including henna and turbans) before taking a Bollywood dance lesson all together! We even got to spend some time with the King of Kangra and the Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago, who inspired us to take action for the betterment of the world we all share. After saying goodbye to our students at the various service sites, we headed to Delhi for a night before checking off a major bucket list item at the Taj Mahal yesterday! Check out some pics from the past week of fun 🙂

Monday, July 11th

All students have arrived at the airport and gone through security to board their respective flights home (or to their next adventure)! We had an absolute blast and are so proud of this incredible group of students. Happy Birthday to Chloe, and to all– bon voyage and Be the Change!

Time Capsule Letter – October 2016

Dear G.L.A. Alumni,

Namaste! Hope this letter finds you in great spirits and high energies. Its been a few months since we finished the G.L.A. India program and the memories stay fresh. The summer is over in the Dharamsala foothills while winter has started cascading over the Himalayas with chill and fog.

The farmers have harvested the paddy that some of you also experienced planting. They are busy separating husk, chaff and rice as well as storing them.

(photo: Gharoh village, H.P. India, Paddy harvest//oct.2016)

Vidyamandir school kids are done with their term exams. The students often greet us with the most beautiful smiles whenever we come across their streets and homes. Feels great having been a part of G.L.A.!!

The child care centers seem a bit drowsy, need a G.L.A. kick!!

D.A.R. has rescued and revived quite a number of puppies so far and has found homes in different parts of the world for them.

Tong-Len has succeeded helping out people who lost their homes to at least have a tent of their own and has also engaged tutors for their kids.

Our mate Kapil rocks the cradle of his much awaited baby boy Naksh!!

(photo: Naksh, born on 12.08.2016)

Team G.L.A. India hopes that you never stop finding means to make this world a more healthy and a beautiful place to live through your big and small efforts. We cherish the profound exchange and enriching experience of hosting you guys!

Wish you all the best,

Raja, Vinay, Kapil, Sachin, Ishan and Priya

Summer Blog Posts

Hello everyone!

After some very long journeys, all students on the 7.15 session of our India: Service in the Himalayas program have arrived in-country and traveled together to our first stop- Amritsar! We’re all super excited to be here, if a bit exhausted from travel. Tomorrow we’ll kick off the trip by exploring the Golden Temple and making our way to the Home Base in Dharamsala.

Cheers to all,

Sara McDaniel
International Director

7/16/2016

Namaste from India!

The last couple days have been a bit of a whirlwind! Yesterday we made a morning visit to Amritsar’s Golden Temple– an incredible and very humbling experience. Afterwards, we made our way to Dharamsala and arrived at our Home Base, Clouds End Villa. Today, we had our orientation to the program, divided into community service teams (day care, arts camp and sports camp), and had an exciting Hindi class with our local staff to get prepared for tomorrow. We finished the evening off by sharing our “stories of self” and learning about how, despite our differences, we’ve all ended up together on the other side of the globe. Service work kicks off tomorrow and we’re excited to get started. 🙂

<strong>Monday, July 18th</strong>

<strong>Wednesday, July 20th</strong>

Leader of the Day: Talia

Starting our day in our placements with the enthusiastic kids always expands our horizon for the rest of our day. Today was Market Day, so after we ate our Indian cuisine meal (lunch) we headed out for the market. It was a little bit of a walk to get there, but the view left us speechless. Once we got to the market it was time to shop. Not only for souvenirs for our friends and family, but for ourselves, too! Most of us purchased a type of fabric to become a traditional Indian outfit that would be tailored to fit us. Overall it was a pretty exciting, fun-filled day. We can promise you that every second of every day we have something to do, so we will never be bored. I’m sure we all can’t wait to see how the rest of our GLA experience turns out.

<strong>Thursday, July 21st</strong>

Leader of the Day: Madie M.

Just recently, within the past month, the Indian government tore down the slums in Dharmsala leaving over 800 people (200 families) with nowhere to call home. Many of these kids are now wandering the streets with their families due to being turned away by surrounding villages and the local people. Today, we visited the remains of the slum areas after the government had destroyed all of the house structures. In addition, we visited Tong Len school, a boarding school for students ages 4-18 without a safe home. This school was built by a monk and is now run by a staff that provides food, clothing, and funding to put these kids through the best schools up until University. We bonded with many of the students as they showed us around the grounds, taught us new games, and even braided our hair.

Saturday, July 23rd – Sunday, July 24th

Hi everyone! Sara here, with an update about our weekend trek.

We left Saturday morning, after a hearty breakfast, for our overnight trek to Kareri village. After an hour-long jeep ride to the trailhead, we started on the journey. The trek to the village is tough- the first section being the most brutal, with a ~2 kilometer stair climb. We took our time though, and all of us made it to the top before continuing together for the rest of the walk to our gorgeous campsite along the river. After lunch (and a nap!), Sachin took us to visit a local home, where we observed the culture of the Gaddi people, and some of us got “married” as we learned about the intricate wedding traditions in India.

When we returned back to camp, most of us were feeling ready for a swim in the river. The water was very cold (we are in the Himalayas, after all), but so refreshing! We played in the waterfall, washed up as if we were in a corny shampoo commercial, and took a short break to dive for Beate’s GoPro (which took a brief hiatus at the bottom of the river– no worries, Kaz family!). Afterward, we played a game of cricket and had a yummy dinner of chowmein and vegetable soup before settling down by the campfire. Most of us went to bed early- lulled to sleep by the sound of the river.

The next morning, we woke up to beautiful weather and a scrumptious breakfast before spending a couple of hours planting trees in support of the local village’s reforestation efforts. Afterward, we had a quick lunch and headed back down the mountain toward home. Someone in our group must be Dr. Doolittle, because over the course of our 5 mile hike we collected 5 dogs, a goat and a cow, all of which were following us on our journey! When we finished the trek, we drove back to Home Base for showers, naps, and a movie night (we watched Seven Years in Tibet, in preparation for our visit to the Dalai Lama’s temple this week). Overall, the weekend was incredible, and we all had a great time experiencing the natural beauty of Northern India.

Time Capsule Letter – October 2016

Session 3 was a bit difficult to manage. We ended up having 2 separate clicks of students who for the most part got along, but had a difficult time intermingling. One of the highlights from this group was their involvement at the school. Two of our students, Tamar and Gen, asked us one evening what more they could do to help. After having conversation with all of us and Orlando, they decided they wanted to help build a website where people could donate to the school. Also where their could be sponsorships for children at the school. They spent the final two days of service interviewing students and teachers to help build content for the website. They also chose to sponsor a student each themselves.

Service included the continued construction of the classroom. Another group of students closed the English language classes successfully. GLA students taught Guatemalan 5th graders who were very eager to learn. The mural painting advanced significantly handing off the project to the next session who would easily be able to finish the production.

-Joe Castano

Summer Blog Posts

7/16

First group photo a bit late. Minus Mikayla.

July 16, 2016

Hello,

Its been an amazing few days in Guatemala. We began by participating in a Mayan wedding at the home of 5 families. We learned about their lives and about traditional Mayan weddings. Later we went to a coffee plantation and received a tour of the coffee making processes specifically in the area of Antigua. Then we drove for 4 hours through the mountains to reach home base in Quetzaltenango. We began the next day by going on a hard hike up Chicabal (a non active volcano). We participated in a Mayan shaman ceremony to bless us all near the sacred lake at the end of the hike. Our final member of the group, Makayla arrived afterwards and we spent the rest of the day at the home. On day 4 we went to the school named Pacaja and received a tour of the classrooms and additions made by other GLA groups. The highlight for most of us was being able to play with the excited kids at recess. Later in the afternoon we drove to a nearby town called San Andres Xecul and were taken on a tour of the town from a local guide. At the end of the tour we were treated to traditional hot chocolate and sweet bread!!! We cannot wait to see what else is in store for us next!!!!

On our way to the base of the volcano to see Laguna de Chicabal

Recess

A traditional mock Mayan wedding ceremony filled with flowers, coffee and bread, and a chance to practice making hand made tortillas. 

Mayan symbology on Catholic Church built in the 17th Century in the town of San Andres Xecul 

GLA students smile for the camera as they wait to hear a presentation by Doña Fabi, a teacher of Pacaja for 30 years. 

July 21^st, 2016

Media Team: Tamar Weir, Elizabeth Eberst, Ellie Hull

The last couple of days have been super fun! Every morning we have been going to the school for service and in the afternoon excursions/ activities. In San Andreas Xecul we took a tour of the town and as part of the tour we received a traditional dance performance. The next day after service we went to a Marimba class (4^thgeneration family-owned music school) and we were able to listen and play the Marimba. Afterwards we went to the nearby mall and got the opportunity to go to Walmart and eat American fast-food at the mall. Everyone overbought snacks and ate a lot!! We came back for dinner and were surprised with an outing at the bowling alley, first night out was a success! On Wednesday after service we all got dressed up and went to a 6^th generation family owned mini Willy Wonka factory called Doña Pancha’s Chocolates. We ate more than enough chocolate from the chocolate fountain and tasted some hot chocolate. Afterwards everyone bought some authentic chocolate from the shop!! Later we went to a poppin’ club and learned how to salsa dance, it was hard but everyone had a blast.

Leadership Personality Styles, Blue Group: The compassionate nurturers 

Leadership Personality Styles, Green Group: The logical and sensible

Leadership Personality Style, Orange Group: The “We are ready for fun now”

Leadership Personality Styles, Gold Group: The organized planners

Group picture with the granddaughter of Dona Pancha, chocolate artisan 

“Salud” and  “Cheers” at the chocolate workshop. 

Post-shopping happiness

Embroidery

Modeling a traditional dress from San Andres Xecul

Cultural experiences at San Andres Xecul

Perfecting our salsa moves

July 24, 2016
Media Team:

Hola,

The last few days have been fun filled! On Thursday we started off by going to the school, but instead of service, we were in charge of the beauty booth at the school carnival. We painted the kids faces, did their hair, painted their nails, and had lots of fun running around with them. Afterwards, we participated in a softball game against a local girls softball team. The teams consisted of both groups and we had fun attempting to play. The team then came back with us to homebase and joined us for a pizza dinner. It was nice to have the opportunity to interact with teenagers from Xela.

The next day we went to service and then our activity in the afternoon was a trip to the hotsprings, Fuentes Georginas. It was a mini hike on the Ecological Trail to the Mayan hot baths. Everyone enjoyed the relaxing soak in the hot springs and the jungle scenery. Later on that night we had a guest speaker, Don Arturo, who came and talked to us about the origins of Guatemala’s political history. It was a very powerful and enlightening talk that we received and we learned a lot from it.

On Saturday, we had a 1 ½ hour drive to Lake Atitlan, and enjoyed the ride, especially the volcanoes. We arrived at the Paradise Inn, where we spent the night. That morning, we went on a boat ride across the sacred lake, Lago Atitlan, to San Juan from Panajachel. We spent a couple of hours exploring the town and purchasing some goods from the shops. We then got back on the boats and went back to Panajachel, where we ate lunch and walked around at the marketplace. Afterwards we went back to the hotel and got settled in for the night.

On Sunday we drove another hour to Chichicastenango, which is the largest market in Central America. We spent the whole day shopping for souvenirs and had a blast, despite the fact that it started to rain halfway through the day. We’ve had so much fun and although there are only a few days left, we can’t wait to see what else is in store for us!

Hair do’s at the “Sala de Belleza” at the School Fair

A little bit of face painting

Boat rides across the lake

Hanging out on the boat as we cross the lake to the town of San Juan

Selfies on the boat

Group picture at the Panajachel Mirador overlooking the lake