Last Day

The last day. We break our backs on our last attempt at shoveling mud, pickaxing the earth, and carrying rocks. But every moment, we enjoyed. We enjoyed the work because while we all desperately wanted to yell at mentors for putting us through this, we knew it was for a great cause. At the school, we could see the smiling faces of young school children, and understanding that our service was for a better community allowed everyone to pull through. The children and school staff prepared for us potatoes, cheese, and sauce as a goodbye and a thank you. And as we finished shoveling the last scoop of dirt, we decide a good departing party would be a 5-minute mud fight, caking most of the group in mud that would take a good hour to clean off (was it really worth it in the end?).
The most difficult part of today was knowing that the faces we have come to know would soon be on a plane, bound for their own homes. Saying goodbye can be one of the most painful experiences of our lives. But life doesn’t have to be this way. Goodbyes are only forever by choice, by absence of heart. We choose to keep in contact, knowing well that some people we have met on this journey are equivalent to the relationships we spent years building. We sat together as a group, likely the last time we would, and sang songs while Erik played on the guitar.  At the end of it all, we gathered together for a large group hug. Some shed tears, and some played it strong, but a general consensus was that we would all miss each other. I guess that was a fair goodbye. Yes we do leave, and while the experience was only for two weeks, the impact on our lives would last a lifetime.

Getting More Acquainted With Cusco

¡Hola! Today we went on an adventure through the city of Cusco, Peru. We began by venturing into the colonial sector of Cusco, where we saw Qoriqancha Cathedral. We next got to see Incan ruins and finally saw Sacsaywaman.

It started out with us arriving in the Central Plaza where we met our tour guide who was eager to show us around the historical sites. We began to walk around and see the Incan ruins. The Incan walls were created in a slanted pattern. The Incans built this way because in Cusco they have earthquakes very often and the slanted walls prevented the structures from collapsing and destroying the town. Our tour guide then began to take us to the Qorikancha Museum, where we saw how the Incans constructed their temples. Afterwards we made our way to the Basilica where we got to see amazing works of art and many Jesi (Jesuses). My favorite work of art was the painting of “The Last Supper”, which featured a cuy as their last meal. After we saw the Basilica we begged Miguel to take us to Starbucks, and he did. After Starbucks we hopped on a bus and went to eat lunch. The view from the restaurant was spectacular. It was so beautiful that I think I am just going to have to name my first born child Cusco because of its beauty. After a delicious lunch we made our way to Sacsaywaman where we learned that Cusco is shaped like a puma. Sacsaywaman is the head of the puma. After a long day of exploring we made our way back to home base. At home base we got to watch the most intense soccer game of our lives. We watched the Netherlands vs. Argentinia game. I would like to point out that I picked the winning team which was Argentinia. I also got to eat jello for dessert which was awesome. I hoped you all enjoyed this blog. ¡Adios!

-Molly Todd

Musical Festivals of the Incas

Today we continued our service from where we left off last Thursday and managed to start creating the foundation. In the afternoon we had a musical workshop consisting of our instruction of many different traditional Incan flutes and learning a Peruvian song on the pan flute. Our day started once again at 6:30 and we were all back to our normal routine. After coming back to home base from an exciting camping weekend some students found it hard to wake up this morning as I repeatedly knocked on my peers doors trying to get them to wake up. We all headed off to the bus in the chilly morning weather and were greeted excitedly, as usual, by the children at the preschool. Picking up where we left our before the hike, we finished up the digging of the ditch and began to place enormous rocks in the foundation. In addition, we sifted continued to sift the huge pile of dirt and began to use the fine dirt to make clay that would act as cement between the rocks. The process of making the clay included three GLA students rolling up their pants to get down and dirty in the mud as they walked in circles to get the water and dirt mixed together through a dirty and rigorous process. We were all glad to have the pick axing and shoveling done and we were all excited to get the actual construction underway. During the break period of the service the students collecting rocks came upon an enormous tarantula that was greeted with awe by some and disgust by others. The break was also accompanied by an adorable musical performance by the preschoolers who showed off their dance moves and singing to all of us.

Some of us exhausted from service took a nap in the free period after lunch, including myself, while others washed up from being all muddy. Then at 3:00 we headed off to an open rural area with a multitude of horse and sheep to do our musical workshop with a local Peruvian musician. This talented man in traditional Peruvian garb showed us at least 15 different types of Peruvian flutes varying from ones used in the jungle to ones used in Inca times and ones made out of bamboo, plastic, metal and more. He showed us samples of traditional songs played all over the countries for all different festivals and activities. Afterwards, we all got to try out the instruments for ourselves. It was pretty entertaining to hear the clashing high-pitched sounds coming from the students struggling to imitate the noise on the flutes. He also went on to show us more gruesome instruments such as a maraca-sounding instrument that was actually many sheep toenails tied together. In addition he showed us a traditional Incan drum and told us of how the Incans made the drum skin out of the skin from the stomachs of their enemies and attached the decapitated arms of the their enemies so that the drum would beat on its own with the wind. This tactic was used to scare enemies and made Incans one of the more successful war heroes of their time. On a happier note, the instructor then proceeded to give us all our own pan flutes to play as he taught us how to play a short Peruvian song. Though there was some struggling with this, the instructor was kind enough to help all of us individually and then we continued to all play the song as a group which actually turned out pretty well. We ended the day with a great bonding leadership activity that brought us altogether as a community.

-Anya Gorodentsev

Another Day, Another Story

Day eleven. Three full days left, and for some of us only two. Everyone is already talking about how sad it will be when we depart. Conversations are getting deeper, the comfort level around each other is at a max. We are practically a family and the mentors are our ancestors who have shown us the way through their words of wisdom. Unfortunately, this will all be over in less than 60 hours. Everyone is trying to make these last days their best, happiest, and forgiving so we can all leave on a good note and maintain the accumulated friendships we have developed in under two weeks.

Anyway, today was a good day! We continued to work on filling the perimeter of the greenhouse with massive rocks being carried by bodybuilders and mud being mixed by the feet of dancers. Apparently, music really sets the mood and helps get these jobs done? After a “chill” mornings work, we came back to base to relax, eat, and enjoy each other’s company. We later departed to a weaving/textile community home to learn the different ways the women there make and dye their clothes, hats, bracelets, napkins, blankets, table cloths, etc. Everyone was in awe when seeing these beautiful colors of yarn be carefully and precisely woven within each other by the delicate hands of the women. Again we have had the opportunity to see the cultural wonders of Peru. Another day, another story.

– Desmond

Still Hiking

-Sarah Moore

We woke up around 6:00 to tea being brought into our tents (talk about camping in style!!) We all then sluggishly went into the dining tent for a breakfast of pancakes, and a little breakfast cake in honor of Katy’s birthday. Then, we were off on a 4 hour hike, which was a tricky one, due to the easy downhill path at the beginning which drastically morphed into a never ending uphill battle. However, I am very pleased to announce that we did all make it to lunch alive (just slightly out of breath,) on the top of a scenic mountain. For lunch, as an appetizer we had some sort of cream of corn soup, followed by bread with guacamole, and for our actual meal, we ate fish that resembled the taste of a fish stick and potatoes. Our lunch was followed with tea, and then we were en route to Aguas Calientes, the city affiliated with Machu Picchu.

After a 3 hour bus ride, and an hour long train ride, mostly spent catching up on some shut-eye, we made it. After filing into our hotel and using the long awaited and well earned wifi, we went to a small resturant (which also had wifi, I might add) and had the option of eating either steak, or ham pizza. The food was delicious, and after we finished eating, we had oppertunity to walk around and see what the city had to offer. There were many live bands playing and dainty shops to sit in which-you guessed it-had wifi (clearly my priorities are in order).

Back at the hotel, we all sat and talked, exchanging instagrams and whatever else kids do these days. It was also nice because hot water was finally available, so we experienced the hottest showers in what felt like years. Then we got-what is necessary for most teenagers-our beauty sleep.

Machu Picchu

-Becca Clark

Today marks the first encounter of a great wonder of the world for many, if not all, of our group.  Personally, our hike/campout was the single most rewarding experience I’ve had yet. After a nearly impossible trek that pushed every last one of us to our limit, we were granted today with a warm hotel bed and a scenic train ride to Machu Picchu. This trip was everything I expected and more. Personally I am fascinated by ancient civilizations, the Incan civilization being one of the most alluring, and found nothing but wonder within the mountainous village.  The tour guides were charming and professional, giving us tidbits about the different architecture that kept us captivated the whole time. Walking through the hallways and passages once stepped on by supposed demigods is extremely humbling. The thought, care and precision put into this architecture is centuries beyond its time and will forever be appreciated internationally.

After such an eye opening event, a meal fit for royalty was in order. A lunch of quinoa or tomato soup and grilled chicken or spaghetti left us satisfied and hungry for more adventure. The gorgeous tourist destination we wandered was bustling with life and creativity.

The amount of work put into the souvenirs and local products, as well as the food, was simply amazing.  A train ride and bus ride later, we made it back to home base at dinner time. I noticed that when we reached our destination, many of the kids cried “We’re home!” which made me realize just how comfortable and at home we are at GLA and just much it was missed after only 2 days away.

Living the High-Life during a Hair-Raising Hike

-Alex Brown

The first day of our hike provided us with some incredible views as well as a great opportunity for exercise. Upon reaching the campsite, we enjoyed “tea time”, a great dinner, and a surprise that the mentors kept hidden from us until the end of the night.

“Wake up!” I yell as I excitedly bang on the doors of each of the students’ rooms. My excitement stems from the fact that today will be the first day of our adventurous hike near Machu Picchu. We had already packed the night before, so we ate a quick breakfast and embarked on our journey at the ripe time of 6:45 in the morning. The trip began with a lengthy drive towards Ollyantambo where we would be dropped off. On our drive, we all noticed to our amazement that we were driving above the clouds during some parts of that foggy morning. Finally, we arrived at our destination, but it was not quite the arrival that we were expecting. Those reading who might think that we were dropped off at a hiking trail with a grand entrance, bathrooms, and concession stands would be mistaken. Rather, we were dropped off on the side of a highway and just began walking with our backpacks.

Following in the footsteps of our fantastic guide Richard, we trekked over many hills. We had to take many breaks as the lack of oxygen in the high altitudes of the Andes did not complement the high-energy climbs well. As we were walking, it seemed like we were approaching a dead end. But, what we saw as a dead end, Richard saw as a casual climb up an incredibly steep, twelve-hundred foot climb. We painstakingly meandered up the mountain following a loosely-defined path, but our work paid off as we were met at the top by locals who gave us a great meal of soup, pasta, and garlic bread. Not a bad meal for one that was prepared in the middle of nowhere at 14,700 feet.

But, as we all know, “what goes up, must come down”, which meant that we had to begin our descent towards a valley that would serve as our camping location. This descent provided impeccable views as well as a significant amount of knee pain, which was to be expected when having to climb down such a steep mountain. Despite our pain, the sight of our blue tents provided us with the motivation to continue moving forward and eventually, we arrived at our campsite.

Once settled, we were called into a large tent for “tea time”. While we expected to find simply some hot water and coca tea bags, our expectations were once again exceeded by GLA and the locals. In a seemingly endless delivery of tasty treats, the students were brought bread with jelly, popcorn, corn nuts, wantons, and hot chocolate to enjoy. In between this snack time and dinner, we got to witness a fantastic sunset while among the clouds. One hour later, we enjoyed tomato soup, chicken, rice, and potatoes for our dinner. While the students were surrounded in such a peaceful environment, we still remained restless. The mentors had mentioned a “surprise” that they had in store for us. With guesses from fireworks to the coveted WiFi (which was definitely not a possibility), we were utterly clueless as to what our leaders had in store. But, when we left the dining tent, we discovered a blazing fire accompanied by all the mentors holding marshmallows, chocolate, and vanilla cookies serving as graham crackers (who knew that Peru convenience stores didn’t sell graham crackers??) After enjoying these treats, some students enjoyed a rousing game of Hot Seat before bundling up in a tent and ending what was just another amazing day in Peru.

“Wheel of Fortune”

Hello readers of the Peru blog this is Julia Pene and today is the 3rd of July.

Today we had an early wake up at 5:50. At the service site, we finished digging the ditch and collected numerous rocks for the foundation. We made enormous progress of the sifting and adobe clay/cement will be made soon from the dirt. After our Machu Picchu hike we will continue building the foundation for the greenhouse.

In the afternoon we visited the local Shaman. He performed the Pago Earth Ritual which consisted of a prayer to the mountain spirits and an offering to Mother Earth. The offering consisted of different herbs, colors, and lots of sweets (since Mother Earth is a woman). He then burned the offering so it would reach the mountains. Afterwards we were given the chance to have the Shaman individually give us a fortune. Almost everyone took the opportunity and were surprised at the accuracy. First he gave you a personality based off the placement of some coca leaves. You were then given a chance to ask him three questions regarding the future and he predicted based of the coca leaves again. Overall it was a very tiring and magical day.

Como te Llamas

Hello parents and readers of the GLA blog my name is Sam Ross and I am the leader of the day for June 2nd.

The Blurb- Today we continued our dig for the foundation of the green house and managed to make a significant improvement. The dirt sifters were set up to prepare the next step and the large rocks were transported closer to the trenches we’ve poured our heart into for the past few days. The afternoon was spent in the company of hungry llamas and alpacas.

The body- Llamas and alpacas are a gift unmatched by anything else. The phrase como te llamas in Spanish means what do you call yourself and I’m certain if you asked a llama that they would just say “cute” because that is what everyone calls them. We arrived at the llama preserve eager to at least see the wonderful creature we’ve come to know and love. We entered the area with the enthusiasm of a child of Christmas. Right away we were engulfed by the snuggles of several llamas. We were proved with a grass to feed them and they proceeded to rip them from our hands. How rude. They were fairly friendly but also had some upsetting moments. We learned a ton about llamas thanks to the lovely Katie. Did you know alpacas manure is great because they have three stomachs? Or that the llama is used as a pack animal but alpacas travel in packs to ward away predators? It’s amazing to think that the ancient Incans utilized these fluffy huggable beasts to advance their empire. If I could pack one of the baby alpacas in my bag I totally would, no doubt. I would train that gorgeous little beast and name him “Juan.” We visited the llama shop as we informally called it but much of the items were in a justifiable price range many of us were not ready for. It’s genuine llama or alpaca fur. We literally just fed the glorious creature that made these sweaters. It made sense but I’m sure llama gear will be plentiful on many other adventures. Very productive and dare I say it adorable day.

The Never Ending Ditch and the Orphanage

By: Katy Carlson

Today was the earliest day yet. We awoke at 6, preparing for 5 hours of continuous hole digging as we continued our service project in creating the foundation for the green house. Today’s service was different than the work we had done before. For starters we began right away continuing the ditch we had begun the past day, no time for a soccer game to warm the muscles. Instead we quickly did some group squats followed by an interesting game of human knot which not only entertained and frustrated many students in our groups but also succeeded in entertaining many of the local children getting ready for school. We put in tons of work today, creating a larger and larger pile of dirt as dug out more of the foundation. Todays motivation was definitely to dig out the largest rock. Proving how competitive teenagers truly are, we spent the hours pounding into the ground hoping to find the perfect large rock. At the end of our service time progress was definitely evident in the new dept of our ditch, many parts now past the 1 foot mark on their way to reaching its final depth of 2 feet. After a quick break for lunch we had the opportunity to visit an all boys orphanage. Some brought gifts for the boys which then turned into a coloring session for the younger boys and multiple intense games of soccer for the older boys against GLA. We soon tried to intermix the teams with both the boys and GLA participants. Never had I had such a great time playing soccer. Although communication was difficult and often times we didn’t even know each others names we were still able to play in a way where everyone was involved and had fun. After the rousing games and interactions with all the boys we got the chance to walk through the the local art market which houses floor to ceiling of many colorful and soft items ranging from sweaters to flutes to little llama statues. Finally walking home we tried to find updates of the USA Belgium game, we ended our day peacefully with the documentary on Machu Picchu, which although wasn’t as good as the one on mummies I’m sure, it was still definitely an excellent source of information.

Soccer, Charades, and a Little Bit of Service

By: Lauren Butler

We woke up bright and early to start our first day of service. I had my usual breakfast of mostly bread and the butter that is better than anything in the States. After getting off the buses at the school where we were going to build our greenhouse, we had to wait for the engineer to approve the area. So we went to another school and took a tour of their greenhouse. We later talked with and taught some kids at the school numbers in English. They were all very cute and loved seeing the pictures we took of them.

We then went back to the school that we were going to build on and it still wasn’t ready so we played soccer for a while and as per usual got very intense about it. Most of us have acclimated to the high altitude but it is still hard to run around. After tiring ourselves out a bit it was time to start the real work. With an outline for the foundation of the greenhouse laid out we all learned how to use the tools. The tools we used were pick axes, spear type things, shovels and other pointy things. We made a decent dent in the foundation and some of the guys got really into breaking apart really big rocks. We took a recess break with the kids at the school and played more soccer at which we saw the amazing talent that all the kids had. After about 2 hours of working it was time to head back to home base and get some well deserved

We later went to a town square and relaxed there for a bit. We then went to a supermarket where some of us went a little crazy on food. When we got back to the home base it was time for some Spanish class! We learned the basics and practiced talking with each other and it was a pretty fun time. At the end we sang a song way off key and mostly just let the teachers sing it. After singing our hearts out it was time to eat again. The food included amazing tomato soup and better than life

The leaders let us have some free time to relax after dinner but we soon realized that it wasn’t relaxing because we got into a very heated game of Charades. After the game we had out first presentations about community service, greenhouses, and the pyramid of motivation. They were all very interesting and we all learned something new. And we learned that some people are VERY afraid of spiders and others are spider murders. Overall it was a great day as usual in Cusco, It was a great start to building the greenhouse and fun times playing with the kids and exploring the city a bit.

Exploring Patabamba and Enjoying the View

Group Photo!

Arrival!

All 19 adventurous travelers made it safely to Homebase today and completed their exciting orientation day.  Tomorrow early morning our much anticipated 20th explorer, Julia Pene, will arrive and we will all embark to a Quechua community activity together.

Photo of the whole group to come tomorrow!

Last Day with the Kids

-Ciaradh

I woke up this morning to a noise I haven’t heard since I left home… my alarm. I must have had the volume turned up the whole way because not only did it startle me it also woke everyone else into room, oops. By the time I got out of my bed (or my couch with pillows and blankets) all my roommates were asleep again. I went downstairs and started to write the ever-changing schedule on the marker smudge covered “white” board. The day before I had found out that the mentors had a surprise for us which at the time all I knew was that the boys wouldn’t enjoy it as much as the girls would. My next task was to wake everyone. I left the warmth of the common room and went out into the cool, misting air outside. It wasn’t cold but it was raining, so naturally I went barefoot. Personally, I hate (strongly dislike) waking up to large pounding noise or screaming people so instead I knocked gently on every door and listened for sounds of life. Apparently my attempt at a kind awakening didn’t exactly work because only half the group showed up for breakfast and a few friends of mine told me the proper procedure for wake up calls.

After breakfast it was time to see the little balls of energy at our daycares. Sadly it was the last day of placements, it was really hard to keep a happy face on for the kids when I knew it was probably the last time I’d see them, but due the fact it was our last day it had to be our best one yet. The daycare I was in is pretty small so we never have that many kids and unfortunately only two girls showed up today. On the bright side it was a very personalised party and we all had fun. Saying goodbye was most definitely the hardest part of this trip so far because you manage to grow so close to their happy faces and so accustomed to getting up, having everything ready and going to see the kids that the realisation of the fact that this was the last time came only after I left. I’m going to miss them so much but, I can also leave knowing that even if it was a small portion of India’s youth, that I and the twenty-seven others on this trip have helped and changed those children’s life’s, even if it was only by teaching them the alphabet or how to colour inside the lines.

Next we came back for lunch and as usual the food was great. I really, really love the food here. Once that was finished we worked on our storytelling strategies until the time came to present them. I worked in a group of three and we chose the topic of preconceived notions people have before coming India, overall I believe it went well and I was so impressed with the amount of detail in every single persons project.

The mentors surprise was the best surprise anybody could think of! A Bollywood dance class, it was fantastic. I may have been terrible but that didn’t matter it was so fun and once the teacher left India sweets came and we stayed dancing the rest of the night (even past our bedtime ohhh) Then the night came to a close we went to bed and my day as leader was over. The next morning we were leaving Dharamsala, my experience in India was amazing, truly the best three weeks of my life. I will dearly miss each and every person I met. My mentors were all terrific, and the friends I made I hope will last a lifetime. GLA has made such a brilliant difference in my life.

Hike!

-Noam

Today was a really exciting day for me not only because I was leader of the day – we also went on our second day hike that replaced the trek.

In the morning, we had our usual breakfast that included bananas, some eggs, toast, cereal and of course the famous Indian masala chai. We had to pack for the hike the night before and even though we were urged to gather all of the rain gear we have – we were lucky and didn’t need it! The weather was great the entire day.

We then drove about 40 minutes through the beautiful Kangra valley until we arrived to our starting point of the hike. Overall, it was much easier than the one two days ago but it was still challenging and fun! We took a break by a gorgeous river and sat on the rocks to hopefully get inspired by nature and it’s mysteries. I also really enjoyed looking at how powerful the water was and how it shapes both rocks and lives of people. From that stop on, we became a bit paranoid with every step we took because a lot of group members had leeches on them, they were alright after but the experience wasn’t very pleasant for them but a bit entertaining for the viewers.

We continued hiking and met some goats on the way who immediately befriended us for a few minutes until their owners made them continue on their way. When we reached the top we stopped for lunch and also visited the small Hindu temple there. We got blessed by the monk inside and had orange Tikas on our foreheads. We rested there, took some group pictures and hiked our way back down. Even though it was foggy, we could see some other trails on other mountains, including the one we would have gone up if we stuck to the original plan.

After the beautiful yet tiring hike we relaxed at our home base – awaiting for the well deserved dinner, PIZZA! Once the boxes were put on the table we stormed them and finished 18 boxes of pizza in under 10 minutes (don’t worry parents, they are not starving us here!) we also had ice cream after which was a perfect finish for the meal. The rest of the evening was spent singing from the top of our lungs – also known as karaoke night which was a bonding experience and very funny to watch as well.

To conclude this experience so far – I feel like the time here goes linearly but the amount of learning, inspiration, and fun I’m having is growing exponentially from day-to-day!
Reporting from Gamroo, India
Mission confirmed as accomplished – Captain Noam Wizel

Having A Great Time

This past week in India is hard to describe, as you’d really have to see it all for yourself to believe how amazing it is. Everyone who’s gone on this trip kept saying that “the pictures don’t do it justice,” and they were so right.

Today we headed off to placements in the rain, it’s the start of monsoon season. It was the first day we’ve been out at our daycare in the rain. Our daycare building is not completely finished being built yet, but luckily we’ve been able to work off of a porch right across from its location. Because of the weather it was nearly impossible to work outside. We were invited into someone’s home and the kids were ushered upstairs with us. Some of our rainy day activities were puzzles and drawing, but the biggest hit was the face painting! One little girl named Deepali even tried to give me a manicure with the paints!

I’ve loved working with these kids so far, and it’s really going to be difficult leaving. On the bright side, they’ve taught me a lot.
The weather (and lack of time) also changed some other plans for the day. At first we were going to see temples in the area and learn about religion in India, but instead it was Bollywood night! – Rachel Elfezouaty

First we went to the market to buy saris. There were many beautiful colors to choose from. Some designs were more simple, while other saris had jeweled brocade. We also were able to purchase bindis and other traditional Indian clothing. After we were done shopping, we headed back to home base. The girls were taught how to tie saris while the boys learned how to tie turbans. It was fun dressing up while learning about the traditional dress of another culture. We were also able to get henna designs on our hands. Each design was unique and beautifully done, although it was a challenge trying not to bump your hand while it was still drying! We gathered for a group picture after everyone was ready, and then headed back inside for a delicious dinner. – Stephanie Wright

A Wonderful Day!

-Luis and Ileana

Its been 2 weeks since we arrived to Dharamshala. Despite our early (too early) wake up, we woke everyone up with smiles and shouts. Breakfast was wonderful, a perfect combination between occidental pancakes with oriental tea. It was food day!

We left for our placements and had a fantastic 2 hours with the kids, either by playing sports such as football r arts and crafts. When we arrived at home base for lunch, we were treated with traditional street Indian food, cooked at home base. We had some fried veggies and an exotic sandwich.

After a delicious meal we left for Mcleodganj in the midst of monsoon. After an hour of buying gifts for family and friends and having all our clothes soaking wet, we returned home base for a cooking lesson by Chef Sachin. We learned how to make a delicious Chai tea followed by lentil soup and chapati. Once the cooking class finished, we had a delicious dinner of what we had cooked. After dinner, we watched the most beloved Bollywood film, called ‘The Man With The Heart Wins The Bride’. It was a wonderful day!

Learning & Growing

-Alexis Maciel

Everyday here is filled with new experiences, new challenges, and always an opportunity to learn.

Today has been filled with all of those things, multiplied by ten. The day started off with a quick breakfast before we headed to our placements (day care center, arts & crafts camp, or sports camp). I work at one of the day care centers which is located 5 minutes away from our home base. Working with the children has been very rewarding. I specifically work with the children at the center who don’t know any English. With one of the goals being to teach English, the challenge is put on my partner and I to build their foundation. That can be very nerve-racking. However, I like the pressure it puts on me to always be on my ‘A’ game. What I love most about the children is their desire to learn. They come in everyday with this smile that is like none other, saying, “Good morning dee dee” (Dee dee- big sister) That is something I’m definitely going to miss.

After coming back from our placements we had the opportunity to learn and converse with a documentary film maker named Ronnie who showed us how to use media as a tool and talked about some misconceptions people have of India. What I enjoyed most was the fact that everyone contributed something to the discussion, which sometimes lead to a couple of debates.

Later, we had dinner at this amazing Tibetan restaurant called Common Ground. While we were there we saw two short documentary films that shared the lives of some Tibetan Refuges. The second documentary impacted me the most: A woman shares her vivid memories of her 27 years spent in a Tibetan prison. I could see the pain and sadness within her as she shared her story but also so much strength and resilience.

Another amazing day has come and gone, I’m excited for every new day filled with new experiences, new challenges, and the opportunity to learn & grow.

A Full Day

Leaders of the day: Wendy & Ben

Thursday July 10th 2014 at 6:30 in the morning,a girl and her roommates are rudely awakened by the alarm she set the night before on her cell phone. This girl would be me. As part of my responsibilities as leader of the day, I am required to wake everyone up in the morning (and occasionally chase a giant spider out of someone’s bedroom). This also means I am required to wake up before everyone else.

Thursday July 10th 2014 at 8:00 in the morning, we all meet up in the common room for breakfast. We ate family style (as we do all of our meals) and I couldn’t help but feel that this was extremely appropriate as family seemed to be the main topic of conversation throughout the meal. We’ve all already opens up to each other so much, I’m confident that we will be great friends by the end of this trip.

Thursday July 10th 2014 at 9:30 in the morning, we split up into our previously established groups and left for our first day at our placements. We were all so glad to meet the children for the first time (and also quite relieved to discover that they had a better understanding of English than we had initially thought).

Thursday July 10th 2014 at 1:00 in the afternoon, we all gather in the commons once again to eat lunch and share stories about the events of the morning and the children we are working with. The food (as always) was excellent.

Another World

Leader of the Day: Juliette 

Wow. As much as I am going to find it difficult to put words to what I have seen I will try…

We get out the car. As we walk through the streets men stare. Soon I hear religious music like an echo through the temple entrance. Large and white. Honk of rickshaws bicycles, organised chaos and pungent smells. Arrive at temple. Shoes off. Walk in…

Breath taken away as I walk into another world- a world I’ve only heard or seen through the virtual medium of a screen. Golden temple and white columns all the way around a vast ‘pool of nectar -Amritsar. ‘GLA photo, gather round’ cried Priyanka one of our mentors. We smile and people gather round like we are a show. I feel self-conscious, watched. And then I think-this is a two way relationship. If we come here and are allowed to observe and absorb why aren’t they? We are just as foreign, both passive subjects of interest to the other party I feel like an intruder. But no. Respect, look, observe you are not an intruder. This place is open to everyone.

Up the stairs into the temple people praying, washing the stairs with their shawls, chanting. Breathing is harder I want to cry. The strength of the feeling of spirituality here is overwhelming. There is a contrast between the beauty and complexity of the temple and the simplicity of the people I see-eyes watery or closed. In prayer.

We climb down the stairs our ego goes down- explains our guide. God is within you don’t go expecting God to suddenly come upon you. Theories of science completely go out my head as my spiritual self overtakes the rational self.

The kitchens: women, children, babies, thin people, grown men, old men. Banging, clanging and clashing of metal plates thrown as hundreds of people are given food from oversized pots.

We leave in silence, beginning to process this amazing experience.

We’ve Arrived!

All students have arrived and are at the home base ready for an amazing program! One student is arriving late due to travel. Stay tuned for blog updates and photos!

The Taj Majal

Leader of the day Sydney Rodriguez

Stepping out of the taxi van after about 16 hours of calling it home, I could only pray that seeing the great Taj Mahal would justify the journey. We were encroaching on Delhi heat and it jarred me a bit after having cool AC blasting for hours. Yet through it all I maintained high spirits and I knew it all had been worth it when I finally caught a glimpse of the historic marble. It absolutely took my breathe away, I mean I was seeing one of the 7 Wonders of the World!  The detail of the carvings and inlayed precious and semi- precious stones were mesmerizing. I had no idea that the tomb available for public viewing was a replica, but despite that, seeing the extravagant workmanship was still awe-inspiring. After taking a ton of pictures, some shared on the GLA India Instagram, we departed for lunch and then hopped in the vans for another 7 hours. Even including the long hours spent in van confinement and the simmering heat, in my heart I knew it had been worth it. By the time I had come to this realization, I was showered and lying in a lush bed, but that’s irrelevant. This program is amazing and we even learned some facts about the Taj Mahal and about the extent of our endurance.

A Day for Celebration

Leader of the day: Christina Smith

Exhausted from talking all night with friends, we were re-energized this morning by birthday chanting that ran through the lodging area. Maddie and Madelyn, two spirited and enthusiastic friends, led a parade of girls into their room to wake up their roommate, Isabella, for her sixteenth birthday. Isabella, a beloved friend to all, was overcome with tears of joy as she was showered by balloons and birthday cards. The signs and posters for Isabella do not only evidence our collective desire to participate in all activities but also the close bonds that we have all created in India. I feel so fortunate to call these extraordinary people my friends.

When we eventually calmed down, we returned to our rooms to prepare for the day ahead. As we walked to breakfast, we allowed ourselves to sink into the peacefulness of India. Entering the dining area that peace and calm was broken by cries to pass the pancakes and mango juice. Nobody was embarrassed asking for thirds or fourths, because we knew we have to fuel up for the day ahead.

Within an hour, I was walking to my placement with Sachin, my friend and placement translator, and Cassidy, my roommate and placement partner. I am extremely grateful to work with such great friends, but more importantly such amazing people. Sachin is very gifted at making everyone feel comfortable and important at the same time. And Cassidy exudes kindness and always maintains a positive upbeat attitude. She is not just a role model to the children at the day care, but an inspiration to me in her ability to go with the flow.

Our placement is located on the roof of a woman’s house and has a view of the Himalayas. There are two teachers, who are both caring and hard-working. As foreigners entering the day care, the teachers always offer both an atmosphere of safety to the children as well as warmly welcoming our company.

At placement, we began by playing blocks with Simran, our only student for the day. Through her body motions, Simran expressed interest to go outside and play with the chalk and paint. When we were outside we finger-painted with Simran. During painting, the owner of the house opened up to us about her life and practiced her English. She was a very sweet woman and smiled from ear to ear when she knew that we could understand her English. When we finished painting, all of our hands were dyed a variety of colors. Cassidy, Sachin, and I then went to say see you later to the teachers. This was when the teachers realized they were closed tomorrow and this would be our final day. Goodbyes are always sad, but this time felt a little harder. The teachers gave us some sugar and the owner of the house quickly ran outside. She shortly returned with two glasses of coke. She told us that when we returned we were welcome to stay in her home. Their pure gratitude and generosity was overwhelming. Through their kind appreciation they made me feel as if we helped and that in some small way we did make a difference. And to know that in some way we may have made a small change in the world is not only a motivating but also moving experience for me.

Back at the home base, I was extremely happy to be greeted by grilled cheese and tomato soup. It’s so nice to have a little familiarity in our ever-changing days. Some students remained at their service site for lunch because it was closer to the bazaar that we were going to in the afternoon. I sat next to Emelia for lunch and we talked about our days. She exposes her kind and caring heart with each funny story about the children she works with. After enjoying our meal, we all left for shopping at the bazaar. We spent a couple of hours picking out and trying on traditional clothing. I asked Azura, Katie, and Sarah for help picking out jewelry. Bless their kind hearts and constant positivity, they just kept telling me everything looked good. We all bought fun traditional jewelry, outfits, and bindis, preparing for the Bollywood night ahead of us.

Back at the home base Priya, our approachable and outgoing mentor, showed us how to put on our Saris, traditional Indian dresses. Lili entered the changing area after Ashely had applied her makeup and she looked absolutely stunning. Soon after, you could hear everyone begging Ashely to do their makeup as well. A long line of girls formed near Ashely. Her generosity and kindness was clear as she completed every single girl in that lines makeup. During this time, there was also a long line for henna, which was being done by women from the local community. Aubrey, Meera, and I anxiously awaited our turn. We all received very unique and beautiful designs. After the girls were all ready, the boys joined us in the common area. They calmly and confidently marched in sporting their casual tees and turbans. Some boys, like Zach, went full-out in the experience and got dressed up in all traditional clothing. Others were just rocking the jeans and turbans look. The chef cooked us a traditional fried Indian snack, samosas, that was very good. For a while, we just enjoyed each other’s company and listened to Bollywood music. A dance charge was led by Rachel, who always makes every situation as fun as possible. Even when there is a language barrier, she can make everyone smile. She is a truly outstanding person. As the night continued, we enjoyed our family-style traditional dinner. Looking at dinner, I realized that it was not just family-style because the dishes were shared with all but because in some way we had become a little bit like a family. We depended on each other. We were there for each other. We teased each other. We loved each other. After dinner, we danced until we were too tired to move. Once we hit that point we all gathered around to watch a Bollywood comedy. Cuddling around the movie, I was overcome by the fact that soon I would have to say goodbye to these people. But then I realized that hopefully our mentors are right and it’s not a goodbye. It’s just a see you later.

An Educational Day

Leader of the day: Nathan

Today we got up after a night of absolutely fantastic sleep and had some pretty good eggs and porridge for breakfast. We went to the nearby village and learned more about the culture and lifestyle of rural India. I found out that kids who go to school have to walk 20 kilometers every day traveling to and from the school-house. This was an astounding fact considering the extent of our griping and moaning with only an 8 k hike. I also learned that locals in need of supplies have to travel all the way to Dharamshala on foot, a journey we made mostly by car. The stuff we learned today further revealed the rigorous work ethic required of the locals and enlightened me as to how out of shape I am. After we got back from the village, some of us went swimming in the nearby river while the rest of us just chilled. The swimming hole was a fun combination of beautiful scenery and freezing cold mountain water, refreshing after walking around all day. Overall it was a pretty relaxed, educational day that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Trekking

Leaders of the day: Meera and Miguel

Our first day of trekking was quite the experience. It started out with a reasonable downhill hike that, though it may or may not have been made less bearable by Ben’s sarcasm, was generally manageable for all of us.

The Kangra Fort

Leader of the day: Olivia

After breakfast, we got ready to go to the Kangra Fort, where we went to the private museum about the fort and learned about the history. After climbing the many stairs to get to the centre of the fort, we learned about the significance of the temple and fort itself. Then, many of us learned about the proper way to enter a temple and were given a Tika, which is a form of a blessing, and is given by a red dot of dye on the forehead. We then continued to walk through the fort, and got to see mountains and houses from different parts of the fort.

Then we drove to the Masroor Temples, where we were surprised when the fish which had been described to us as “scary” were even more so than we had expected. Then those who hadn’t already gotten a Tika were given one by one of the mentors in the temple. Afterwards, we decided to go through a tunnel and up a very steep set of stairs which were scary. When we got to the end of the staircase, we ended up on top of the temple, which was a bit nerve-racking, as it would have been a fairly long drop, had someone fell off.

The walls were decorated with intricate images which was beautiful, though most of us were paying more attention to the lizard on the side of the wall than the wall itself. When we were ready to come down from the top, we discovered that going down the stairs was significantly more scary than going down, as we couldn’t see what we were about to step on. After a group picture, we left to go to lunch at a Dhaba, where some of us got to try Pakoras, which were vegetables deep fried in batter, and delicious. While the food was good, we were just excited for cold water after spending so much time in the sun.

When we got back to home base after lunch, we discussed our plans for our placements for the next day. My partner and I discussed how we planned on separating the children who were more advanced from the kids who needed more help with some of the basics, as our kids range in ages between two and five. We decided that some of the younger kids would work on more nursery rhymes, specifically The Itsy Bitsy Spider, because it’s easier for kids to learn when there’s a motion to go along with the song, and to eventually know their ABC’s and master counting beyond ten. We also decided that we wanted some of our more advanced kids to start learning words, because many of them already knew their ABC’s and were able to count beyond 15. We also set a long-term goal for them to start forming simple conversational sentences, such as “My name is….”, “I am…. years old” or “Good morning, how are you?”.  After planning, we finished the day with dinner, and then had quiet hour between nine and ten, then lights out.

A Long Day

Leader of the day: Adzra Kamandanu

On our tenth day here we all got to be exposed to all sorts of art. From colorful Tibetan temples and gardens, to ancient Indian miniature paintings that started hundreds of years ago.

In the morning, everyone left for placements as always. My group had a great time at school, the kids went crazy today as we took them outside to play soccer after lunchtime. We had a wonderful time, the kids were learning and catching up to things really fast and they were making so much progress. It was so nice to see how their English improved after being with us for only ten days. After spending time with the kids for two and a half hours we hiked back to our villa.

After having lunch at the villa, we were supposed to leave to Norbulingka. Unfortunately, we got hit by monsoon so we were stuck in the villa until the rain stopped at around 4:30 pm. We eventually did go, but much later than we had planned. The place we visited, Norbulingka, is a Tibetan arts center that consists of a colorful temple that keeps old Tibetan scripts, and also other exhibition centers such as doll houses and Tibetan gardens and ponds. The place itself is like a giant Japanese garden that has a temple-like building sitting in the middle, and  small buildings surrounding it. The place was beautiful as it was nicely decorated with colorful Tibetan flags and mini sculptures, but at the same time the design of it is simple enough to bring out its zen elements.

At night, two skilled artists visited our place to give us an insight into a type of art called Kangra Miniature Painting. The Kangra Miniature Painting almost got lost after the Mongols invaded. Luckily, some people tried to preserve this type of art even though the number of skilled Kangra Miniature painters right now is very little. There are only 10-15 artists that still perform this type of art professionally and they all reside around the Dharamsala area. The showed us their artwork, and we were all amazed by the small little details that added to the aesthetic beauty of the painting. Every detail  is very sharp and quaint and real gold is used in some of the paintings. Overall it was a very artistic experience because they showed us how to draw a face using a paintbrush and we also got to bring out the artistic side of us by trying to copy the drawing.

It was a long tiring day and the weather was not cooperating with us, but on the other hand we did things that opened our eyes. The different types of art form definitely gave me an idea of how diverse and vibrant the Indian culture is and I’m so glad I got to experience these kinds of things.

New Experiences

Like most mornings here, my day began with my long hike to school.

There, with the help of two other GLA volunteers, I taught 7 Indian children of ages ranging from 5 to 9 about math, basketball, and painting. I played tic-tac-toe math with them first. Through this game, the student learned how to write numbers from 1 to 100. The students were so excited to learn. Next, they had lunch. Then, I taught them how to dribble during recess. Meanwhile, some children played with bubbles. They would stare in awe as their bubbles floated away. Finally, the children painted while we taught them about the color wheel. The students loved testing this new media of art.

In the afternoon, we visited two temples. First, we saw the Akhanjar Mahadev temple. Here we participated in a Hindu religious ceremony. Then, we moved to the Dalai Llama’s temple. This seemingly mundane building was filled with beautiful art and carried great historical significance. Here, we learned about Tibetan hardship and Buddhism. A few Tibetan guides told us the story of how they escaped into India. These stories were equal part fascinating and terrifying. Unfortunately, the Dalai Lama himself was not in town. Finally, we went home, ate dinner, and went to bed.

– Robert Bertagne

Two Thoughts on Tuesday

Everyone had been looking forward to Tuesday, because Tuesday was shopping day. It began like any other day for us. We were awoken at 7:30 by a harsh banging on the door, followed by a quick breakfast before placements. I got very lucky, as my placement is the closest to the home base where we are staying. My group is the last to leave, and the first to return. Our children love to play soccer, and American football, and they especially love blowing bubbles. They are so easily entertained compared to children living in the USA. After placements we got a quick lesson on cooking traditional Indian dishes. We learned how to make our own potatoes, roti, dal, and chai. Rushing through lunch we got to the most exciting part of the day, shopping in McLeodganj. We were split into groups of 4 or 5 and given two hours to shop. Though two hours wasn’t nearly enough time to see every store or to find everything you needed to buy, everyone had a successful shopping day and came home with a lot of gifts and goodies. After dinner we engaged in a discussion with Tenzin Tsundue, a Tibetan activist. He talked a lot about his feelings on how the Tibetan crisis can be solved and what we can do to help the cause.

Tuesday was definitely one of my favourite days at my placement. Every day my kids get more and more comfortable with me. It was so great to be greeted with excited smiles rather than worried glances. Usually Miguel and I have three kids at our placement. Shanu and Vashu are around two or three and Nitika who is Vashu’s older sister is twelve. Their favourite thing to do is play with bubbles. It is adorable how excited all of them get about something as simple as popping bubbles. Shanu is very independent and likes to blow them herself. Shanu also likes to take pictures on my phone. There are so many ‘selfies’ on my phone that she takes, most of them are blurry and are of her eyes and mouth. Abhishek says that he thinks she will be a photographer when she grows up. I agree. Vashu is the talkative one. It is amazing hearing a person as young as he is, recite the alphabet in multiple languages and count to ten. He is really smart. Nitika is so sweet and helpful. I brought drawing materials for her this day and she drew me a picture of her house. Each of our kids is so uniquely special. I love that I get to see them every day.  It will be so hard to say goodbye to them in a week. But I try not to think about that too much now, and just enjoy every day  as they come.

Dharamshala – Home Away from Home

Leaders of the Day: Jonah and Katie

On Saturday, our first week in India concluded. Many of us experienced a kind of culture shock upon arriving, but by the end of the week we’d started to settle in and get used to our new home of Dharamshala. Because students still go to school on Saturdays here, we all continued our community service. But we soon learned that Saturdays at school aren’t just another day. After teaching for about an hour before lunch, we returned to class, expecting more of the same. So when the kids started running around the classroom like madmen, tackling each other to retrieve a squishy yellow effectively lost control of our classroom, we decided to play along. The students in my class decided to write my name in Hindi, which was very cool. But that wasn’t enough for them. They took turns coming up to the blackboard and drawing a portrait of me. I’ll say I looked less than flattering.

During the second half of the day, Vaila took the group for a tour at the Dolls for Tibet workshop. Dolls for Tibet is a workshop that is organized by Valia’s good friend Mona. Mona was inspired to create handmade dolls for her daughter, instead of purchasing the classic plastic Barbie dolls, which only reflected unnatural body image of a girl. The handmade dolls reflected the Tibetan culture alongside with Indian culture, which made it more genuine since the doll makers were local Tibetans and Indians. The work environment of Mona’s workshop is unique because she employs her workers of different background, which creates a diverse social atmosphere and allows immersion of different cultures, since that is rare in the work force environment in India. Since Mona’s husband is a Tibetan activist, Mona also wanted to create an awareness for Tibetan culture in a peaceful way, hence creating a genuine reflection of Tibetan culture through the handmade dolls. Her work has allowed to her to spread her message worldwide. It’s inspiring to see how one simple idea can turn into a worldwide movement for the spread of Tibetan culture.

Memories

Leaders of the day Isabella & Madeline

Often times we underestimate the power of education. It is something that we, as privileged children, take for granted. Half way across the globe, in an unfamiliar place, twenty-seven teenagers take on the challenge of understanding the world we live in. After our routine visit to our placements, spending time with the adorable kiddos to whom we’ve grown accustomed and with whom we’ve created great bonds, and eating a nice Indian meal for lunch, we set off on a beautiful hike through the mountains. Our destination was one of breathtaking magnificence both in its appearance and its purpose. Hot, sweaty, tired, but most of all excited, we arrived to Wind Whistlers school, where we had the opportunity to talk with Mrs. Manisha Gautam. Her work was truly inspiring, Last years ago, she took it upon herself to build a school. At the site, we had a tour and participated in an activity in which we dissected the good, the bad, and the potential of teaching and learning. Manisha further opened our eyes to the importance of education and the blessing we, as fortunate Americans, have. In her country, India, the education systems lack almost all of what we posses, and though some try to make a difference, others simply allow it to remain unaltered. She, as one of the few who strive to make a change, is undoubtedly a hero. Spending the afternoon in her school was incredibly enlightening. After thanking Mrs Manisha for the wonderful visit, we trekked a bit more until we reached our dinner destination. High up in the mountains, all of us were welcomed into the small home of a precious Indian family, where they cooked us a delicious meal. The experience was like none other, and the feeling of being submerged within their culture was amazing. Once we finished our lovely dinner and enjoyed the peaceful sunset, we headed home with a new light shed upon us. The events of the day were full of fun, learning, and memories we will never forget.

Reflections

Leader of the Day: Jacob Malloy

The morning of the young in the new.

Wake with a loud call and response humming of the native birds, through the rustle of the soft green trees. Sit up in the bed and stare down, half awake, at the roommate’s bright blue pack, bought with expectation of adventure. Think of what life is, what of the ebb and flow to the madness of the soul wrenching surreality of life’s motion.

Then stand up. Walk slowly to the shower, but first tackle the irritated intestines’ morning call. Turn on the shower to fill the peach bucket with semi-sweet essence poured from the faceted spring. Pour warm water down the back, it feels as a partial blanket, wishing itself to be whole. Clean the self. Put on the dripped upon clothes of the day before, blue with paint that now covers the wall of one Indian child’s world.

Feel a bit stronger than the day before, troubles feel further from the paramount they live their lives so confidently in. I open my door to the hot white light of the Indian summer day. The rustle and bird song stay alive in sound, but disappear in sight. Turn right. Know now it is off to argue, to be scared, to learn, appreciate, grow, and hurt. Taking that path, love it as it is, but question.

As a Family

Leaders of the Day: Lili Whitelaw and Cassidy Boylan

Day 5 into India, we woke up in Dharmsala as a family.  It’s crazy how it only took around 120 minutes to acclimate to our new surroundings and become close with every individual on the program.  After we ate in the morning, everyone headed out their separate ways to volunteer at various schools or daycare centers.  Personally, Cassidy and I (Lili) went to two different day care locations.  Even though they were separate places with different people, we both found the kindness of the Indian children inviting.

In these day camps, we colored, played games, and taught each other English – and Hindi!  Though at first it seems uncomfortable to get used to, soon after we found things in common with each other, played many games, and laughed about all the random, unexpected moments.

The children welcomed us as well, and helped us find a different outlook in our own lives.

After that, it came time to part with our kids for the day, and we headed back to our home base to meet the rest of the GLA team for a tasty lunch, followed by a Hindi lesson. After learning simple words and conversations in Hindi, everyone partnered up and went on a scavenger hunt around town. This hunt consisted of speaking and recording conversations in Hindi with locals, as well as translating and finding different objects. After all the fun and games finished, we all came together to bond for a few hours before dinner. We are realizing how much of an impact our time here in India is making, and the team is really coming together as a family.

First Day of School

Leader of the Day: Sarah Crum

Today was Tuesday June 17th and it was our first day of visiting our schools! We started the day off with breakfast at eight and then split off into our groups of kids who were working with younger students and kids who were working with students up to the fifth grade level. With our mentors we went to the different schools we were placed into and stayed for about an hour trying to get a feel for what the teachers needed from us and how we could help them. We returned back to our beautiful base camp for lunch atone o’clock which consisted of Roti, hummus, and vegetable salad wraps which were very tasty!

After lunch we sat with our placements (group members) and came up with what we thought good teachers were, goals we had for ourselves (in terms of what we would need to teach the kids), and the classroom environment we would like to create. We then had some free time until seven which was when dinner was. A couple kids, including myself, napped while others played basketball or simply reflected on the day! Dinner was delicious with more roti, chicken, potatoes, and a vegetable dish of cauliflower, carrots, and green peppers. Overall it was a very exciting day that allowed us to see what the future holds in store!

Close and Far at the Clouds End Villa

Leader of the Day: Ashley Dyer

Serenity surrounded us as we awoke to our beautiful home in Dharamashala. With extra time to relax the night before, many of us went to sleep early and woke up early, quite naturally, feeling refreshed and ready to begin the day. Breakfast began at 8 in the morning but many of us gathered in common room beforehand in search of the great and powerful wifi. After a breakfast of eggs, toast, fruit and tea we headed off to the placements of which we were assigned with our groups.

Sarah and I headed down through the city and descended the steep slopes with our group, all of us assigned to the same placement. Our group consisted of 10 gla students, our mentor Ben and our local guide Vinay who told us how he attended the school we were going to be placed at to work with the children.
Once we arrived at the school, we were in for a little shock. We had planned to simply observe and ask the teachers questions on our first day, but once we got there the teachers wanted us to begin working with the kids right away.

Natalie and I were given the second graders to work with and we were put in a small class of only 9 students. It was quite challenging to teach the children the difference between past and present, singular and plural. The teacher had us help them with their workbooks. What we noticed was that the kids were struggling with comprehension of the words. It appeared to us that they could read the words in the workbook but their understanding of the words and sentences were lacking.

Some of the other GLA students worked with students up to 5th grade. The teachers asked us to work with them on English, grammar, math and science. Natalie and I were teaching English.

After about an hour, we left and began the hike back to our home in Dharamashala, the Clouds End Villa. We thought that the hike down was difficult, but we soon realized that the hike back up the mountain was much more tiring. We were all drenched in sweat once we got back and we sat in the common room to wait for everyone else to arrive from their placements. Everyone was interested in hearing about the different things we all experienced. Soon we were given a lunch of hummus, roti, a vegetable mix and rice.

After lunch we all sat together in the common room and enjoyed some chai tea as we started to discuss topics to get our minds thinking about how we can be our best to provide service to the students of the local school. Elise asked questions like, “Who was your favorite teacher and why?” and “What type of environment do you best learn in?” Elise asked us these questions so that we could share our thoughts as a group and keep our responses in mind while we created our visions and develop goals. In our teams we finished the sentences “We are teachers who…” And “Our classroom will be a place that…” Natalie and I decided that we will be teacher who are caring for each student, created a non-intimidating and approachable aura, and bring happiness and inspiration into the classroom. We talked about how we want our classroom to be a place that is organized, full of purpose, color, and enthusiasm.

After sharing what all of us had brainstormed, we got into groups and created posters which are to act as reminders of our intentions throughout our stay here in Dharamashala. The discussions we had as a group created a huge spark of excitement and inspiration in all of us about the things we can accomplish through our service. Some of us have ideas to clean up the school, create murals in the classrooms, and to hang the students artwork on the walls. We have all been developing our lesson plans and strategizing how we can best teach the students despite the language barrier.

The rest of the day was spent resting, reflecting and thinking of how we can best use the rest of our time here. At 7 we ate dinner family style. I feel like we are all starting to become a family and I am shocked by how quickly all of these people have grown on me and how quickly we have all connected as a group. Through our service, our activities and deep conversations about life and our aspirations I feel like we are creating experiences we will never forget.

Incredible India

Leader of the Day: Zachary Schwindt

My first couple of days in India have been incredible! Now i see why this land is referred to as “Incredible India.” With such limited resources, people are used to sharing with the rest of the community as they work as a team. When you see these things, you realize that less is more.

There is so much compassion & understanding, more than any place I’ve been. Everyone you make eye contact with is so happy to see you in their country. You see their deep brown eyes light up with excitement as they greet you with a welcoming smile.

The children are almost overwhelmed when they see us as they giggle and whisper into their siblings ear. There is never a dull moment!

All races & religions seem to be accepted everywhere. They embrace the diversity instead of being opposed to the differences.

India is full of bright colors, exotic life, and welcoming people.

I couldn’t be happier to be in India!

Headed Home

All students are headed home after an amazing program!

Saying Goodbye

Today was bittersweet. We left Xela and drove three hours to Antigua. It was an emotional experience to leave the house and say goodbye to all the staff there. When we finally arrived to Antigua we got settled into our same hotel that we stayed in the first night of the trip. After that we explored the mini markets that were around the hotel and did some last minute shopping. Shortly after everyone came back from shopping we had our farewell dinner. Almost everyone got dressed up and we ate at this chill, relaxing place. We also took lots of pictures together. After dinner we watched a PowerPoint that Amber (GLA student) made of the trip – which was very sad to see. It’s becoming more real that we’ll be home in two days. Shortly after the PowerPoint we all went back to our rooms. Some people went straight to sleep, but others took the free time to reflect on the trip. We have one more full day to look forward to and it’s sad to think about. On the bright side this has been a life changing, amazing experience. We’ve all made close relationships with each other and it’ll be hard to say goodbye. Thank you GLA for giving everyone and I the experience of a life time.

– Tiarah Young

Last Day in Xela

Today was the day everyone realized that the counselors were right when they said, “You blink and it’s all over.” No one was prepared for this. People came on this trip thinking three weeks was too long now people are leaving wishing there was more time. We’ve all become so close; we really are a family. Because this was our last day in Xela it was also our last day at the school too. The kids at the school prepared a dance for us as a thank you. The little girls were wearing their traditional Mayan skirts and Wipels (shirts). The boys were wearing all white pants and shirts with a red belt type thing. We recieved certificates and little pens in the shape of Mayan dolls. When the performance was over we all said our last goodbyes to the kids, took pictures, cleaned up, and had our last ride home from the school.

After lunch some of us went to a park to play soccer. We then went back to the home base to join the rest of the group in piñata making. Three piñatas were made: a beautiful butterfly, a minion from Despicable Me, and a man named Paco. When we finished making the piñatas we went to a town called San Andres to see a really beautiful church, met a women that hand makes Yiples, drank amazing hot chocolate, ate great bread, and watched a interesting traditional Mayan dance with a monkey and a jaguar. Towards the end of the tour it started raining and we had to run back to the vans. When we got home we ate Pache for dinner and then we wrote nice things abut each other as a group activity.

-Rachel

An Adventurous Day!

¨Sometimes on Sunday, you find yourself burning chocolate in the crater of a dormant volcano¨ -Pat.

After a breakfast of cereal and yogurt, we headed out for one of our weekend expeditions to Mount Chikobol, a dormant volcano with a sacred lake in its crater. We drove 45 minutes to the base of the volcano where we continued to make our way up to the start of the trail. Soon the cobblestone road turned into dirt and we were bouncing back and forth between potholes and ruts. When we reached the end of the trail, we began an hour long hike to the summit of the volcano, fueled by cookies, Tortrix and apples, which was immediately followed by a steep descent into the crater. When we arrived, everyone was taken aback by the beauty of the lake. After a quick snack break, we began a traditional Mayan ceremony lead by a shaman where we made wishes using white candles. When the ritual was complete, we hiked back down — not before a few people took some falls. Our ride down was characterized by singing at the top of our lungs to the dismay of other hikers.

After returning home, we settled down to watch Slumdog Millionaire so everyone could see Dharam’s lookalike, Dev Patel. For dinner, the mentors surprised us with much-desired pizza from an Italian restaurant. After, we watched a TED Talk that explored the perception of international service work from the sides of both volunteers and locals. The video then led to a discussion of the topic, where we agreed that service trips alone do not create long term change, but rather the work done afterwards. We learned that is important not to walk away thinking that we’ve done our part, but to instead use this experience as inspiration and motivation to create permanent changes in  our communities and beyond.

Memories

Ruins

Today was a interesting day. It started off with a long two hour drive to the Mayan ruins. We went down in elevation to 2,000 ft so it was really hot and humid; and bug spray and sun screen didn’t help. We saw a lot of ruins and we learned that the Jaguar was an important and sacred animal to the Mayan people.

Then after, we had a fantastic, delicious lunch at a resort. Which was 20 minutes from the Mayan ruins. The carnivores had chicken with a sauce, mashed potato’s, and vegetables on the side. For desert we had some type of good cake. On the way back to home base we listened to a jaw breaking podcast about the Civil War between the Guerillas and the Military. It was based on a massacre that took place in a small village called Dos Erres. The Military killed most of the village except for two boys that were spared. I enjoyed it very much and learned that a lot of the Military didn’t want to talk about what they did to many towns in Guatemala during the Civil War.

Shortly after we got back, some of us walked to a mall to access wifi. I got to face time my family which made me happy, especially talking to my little Ironman aka my little brother. After facetimeing, we went to a bakery and got cake for Orlando’s birthday. Once we got back we continued the Spit tournament. Sadly I got out in the first round #cardsarentmything and I played connect four with Max and lost three times #connect4isntmythingeither. As loser I had to get him a cup of tea with honey. Tonights dinner was good, we had hamburgers and some bomb fries #thatmeansgood. Lastly we had a small dance party to celebrate Orlando’s birthday. That basically concludes our day. #icantwaitforthehiketothevalcano #thatsalonghashtag

-Sydney

An Eventful Day

Today was an eventful day. Sadie, Christian, Max, Patrick, and I decided to go for a run around Xela. Everything was going well until we came upon a huge hill that Sadie and I struggled to run up. Then we came home to a breakfast of French toast, one of our favorites, and pineapple. We then headed off to service at the school where we our finishing up our projects. Our artists, Sydney, Phyllis, Amber, Tete, Kate and I, finally finished our beautiful heart shaped mosaic. We are now starting to mosaic the sink, which we hope will help to brighten up the atmosphere of the school. The wall builders are putting the finishing touches on the wall, and we are all excited to see the final product. During recess, the kids at the school were enjoying taking pictures with Rachel and Talia’s cameras. Also, many of the kids volunteered to help with our mosaic, which warmed our hearts and also sped up the process.

We then returned to the house for lunch. After lunch we finalized our bracket for our Spit (a card game) tournament. Then some of us went to a field to play soccer, although some of us opted out of soccer for the chance to jam out to the High School Musical soundtrack. After soccer, we headed straight to Spanish class, which consisted of a trip to the Zoo, where we talked with our teachers about the animals, and a trip to the local mall, where we got ice cream and Domino’s Pizza, a much needed treat.

Finally, we returned home, and the Spit tournament began. Each game was heated, with many interesting quotes coming from Dharam, including ¨Do you even lift?¨ The first round is now over, and all of us are looking forward to the next round. After dinner, we watched an interesting documentary about Cracking the Maya Code, which should help us with our excursion tomorrow, a trip to the ancient Mayan ruins.

We are now 2 weeks in and we’ve been having so much fun. Can’t wait for the next week!

¡Adios!

-Lindsay

Reflections

Spanish is definitely making its way into our everyday thoughts and experiences. Last night at 1am Sadie began sleep-talking, “te gusta… te gusta.” Aside from that, we slept soundly. This morning, we gobbled up some breakfast burritos (eggs, beans, and tomatoes in a tortilla) and piña before heading off to service. Not everyone was feeling one hundred percent – there is a cold going around – but we were all looking forward to the day ahead. On the way to school, I worked with today’s teachers (Avery, Mike, Dharam, Peter, and Max) on our lesson plan to teach English to our class of 24 third-graders. Today’s topic was vocabulary on family members.

We arrived around 8:30 and started teaching at 9:00. We introduced the vocab in the classroom and then split into our 3 groups. Activities included “Around the World” and “Duck Duck Goose” (a.k.a. Mother Mother Father). We then asked each student to draw and label a picture of their family.

“One girl had nine siblings and didn’t know their names,” said Avery. It was a great opportunity to get a deeper understanding of these children, with whom we’ve been working for the past week and a half. When one boy in my group, Christian, showed me his drawing, I asked if he had any brothers or sisters. “Mi hermana se murio,” he said. “My sister died.” He explained to me that his baby sister had passed away. I was unsure of how to respond – it’s a difficult situation in a language I know, let alone one I don’t. I said sorry.

Today was Dharam’s first time in the classroom. I checked in with him afterwards to see how it went. “They picked up vocabulary very quickly and were eager to learn,” said Dharam. “I didn’t realize how much planning was needed for a lesson.” “It was good but they had a hard time with the concept,” said Mike, a slightly more seasoned teacher. “Like, they could’t even remember ´mother´ and stuff.” Overall, class went well and the kids were invested.

During recess, I hung out with some friends at the school. I asked Caterin what she got for her birthday yesterday. “Una cartera, una camiseta, una blousa, y los pantalones.” When Noemi, Sofia, and Angela were asked what their favorite class was, they all responded with “mathematica.” They then asked me for a “caballito” – a piggy-back ride – which I gave to each of them at full speed. We also played around with the video feature on my camera.

At the end of recess, Eric approached me. Eric loves hugs and taking pictures with my camera. “Vamos a mi clasé?” he asked. “Will you take me to class?” Of course, I did – caballito style. After recess, I decided to visit my fellow GLA-ers who have been working on beautification projects: Sydney, Phyllis, Kate, and Lindsay. It was Phyllis’ first day back at service after being out sick for a few days. She told me that she was “tired but good.”

The group was finishing up a lovely heart-shaped mosaic on the playground wall. “It’s colorful,” said Sydney. “I scraped my fingers a couple times. But it´s worth it. We’re almost done.” “It’s good,” Kate confirmed. Unfortunately, her hands were cold from the cement. Lindsay agreed. “It’s more tedious than painting but the result is more rewarding.” As far as what the future holds for these artistes, she says, “We’re going to mosaic the sink.” Hopefully, their hard work will create a warmer learning environment for the students of Pacaja.

Finally, I headed over to the wall construction site, where I work in the late morning. “We’re almost finished,” said Christian. Once the final bricks were laid and the final cement batches mixed, I climbed onto the scaffolding to soak in the view one more time. Rachel, Christian, and I took a few minutes to scan the cluster of houses with tin roofs, and the mountains beyond them. We returned to the ground for a quick photo op and the chance to admire our work. “We built a wall,” said Lila. Indeed we did. Tomorrow we will begin the drywall.

We returned home for a lunch of lasagna, spinach salad, and watermelon. “Lasagna was bangin´,” said Peter, marking his approval of the meal. At 1:30 we broke out the shorts and tank tops (which we don´t get to wear in Xela, since it´s fairly conservative), packed up our swimsuits, and left for our afternoon excursion: a trip to the hot springs.

“It was pretty majestic,” says Mike. We lounged in the nature-made pools of warm water and grabbed some snacks at the restaurant. “I thought I was hot but hot springs was hotter,” remarked Tete. Some people did overheat a bit, but the experience was very relaxing.

On the drive back to home base, I asked around about expectations for this evening’s activity: a lecture by guest speaker and former member of the Guatemalan military, Jose Ruben, on the Guatemalan Civil War. He would likely give contrasting arguments to last nights speaker, a Guerrilla activist.

“It’ll be interesting to hear the other side of the story but I already have my opinion. I’m with the Guerrillas,” said Peter. “I’m interested in how they could defend what they did,” said Lila, referring to the atrocities that last night’s speaker discussed. It was fascinating to hear the speaker give an almost completely opposite account of the war from what we had heard. Afterwards, we discussed our own opinions. It didn’t sound like many people were swayed by Señor Ruben, but we all took into consideration the fact that both speakers were very biased.

Dinner was pizza – something that many of us have been craving for a while. We wrapped up the day with a quick mentor group session. We shared “roses and thorns” (the good and bad parts of the day), our goals for the remainder of the trip, and “rosebuds” (what we are excited for). Personally, I’m looking forward to a good night sleep, a productive day at the school tomorrow, and a hike up a volcano this weekend.
P.S. Nicole is looking for a roommate in Cambridge, if anyone is interested.
P.P.S. I apologize for any mistakes in Spanish. No hablo español.
Happy Friday to all.
Sincerely,

-Talia

A Great Day!

Today was an interesting day. The day didn’t start off so well, with three people unable to attend service due to health reasons. While the sick sat in the comfort of home recuperating, those well enough to work worked hard. Those constructing the wall managed to fill in the gaps between the sections and construct another row. Simultaneously, those working on the mosaic crushed pieces of different coloured rock, and slowly pieced together what will soon be a beautiful mosaic. After a hard morning of work, Patrick surprised everyone with a trip to Walmart. After a lunch of beans, rice and beef, the students went to their language class. The teachers took everyone to a nursing home for women. The experience was out of the ordinary to say the least; the students helped out by first talking to the elderly, then serving them food. After, the teachers took us to a square nearby and made everyone have a conversation with at least one person. Once that was over, they surprised us with a trip to a local ice-cream parlour and McDonalds. After an intense day out, we went home to be enlightened by a Guatemala civil war veteran who imparted his knowledge of the war on us. Dinner was pasta and salad, which was delicious. What followed dinner was a game of Pictionary which everyone participated in. A great way to end an amazing day.

-Dev Patel (Dharam Madnani)

Reflections

So far this GLA Guatemala experience has been mind changing and impactful for people. It has change peoples perspective on the World and Even Friendships. Since we have been here in guatemala, We have experience’s New Friendship, New People, New Culture and a New side of the World. As we have been in guatemala we have experience the beautiful views in panajachel, boat rides to 3 important towns, We have seen and been to mayan markets. We also have had other activities such as Pottery workshops, Sala class, Chocolate cooperatives, Spanish classes. Today we had cooking class and also went to momocastenango. So far this experience has been amazing and different from what people are used too.

-Amber Carty

Chichi!

Today we woke up at seven at the hotel in Lake Atitlán. We had eggs, a bean paste and plantains. After enjoying our last minutes of free wifi, we left the lake and headed to Chichicastenango. Once there, we were given two hours to enjoy the biggest market in Central America. We learned how to bargain, sometimes removing a couple hundred quetzals from the original price and Nicole bought a useless marimba in the hope to start a band with the other mentors (Patrick and Celina on the flutes). The market was very beautiful, with all the different colors and the commotion. However, the vendors were very pushy, sometimes sending 8 year olds to guilt us into buying objects. Later we regrouped at a hotel with parrots who could say “hola” and ate from a delicious buffet. After a one hour digestive break, we returned to the home base. There we played Mafia, ate dinner and then saw the first official gig of the mentors. It was a memorable, eventful day.

¡Hasta luego!

-Maxime

Lake Atitlan

Yesterday morning we woke up early to drive to Lake Atitlan for our overnight excursion. The drive was about two hours which gave us time to rest and chat. As we got closer to the lake, we were able to appreciate the amazing views- the lake looked like it had come straight out of a National Geographic magazine. After we got settle into our hotel rooms, we took a boat to a couple towns across the lake and got the opportunity to go shopping, which most of us (myself included) really enjoyed. We also got to try our hand at bargaining, which I really enjoyed. We went to two towns and had lunch in the second before we headed back to the hotel. At the hotel, we got to unwind and take advantage of the hotel’s WiFi, and we were able to add each other on Instagram and Snapchat. After our brief unwinding, we went into the town we were staying in and shopped and explored some more before heading back to the hotel for the rest of the evening, where we ate dinner and played cards. Patrick told us that statistics show that students tend to bond on the excursion, and while I’m unsure of exactly where these statistics come from, but I definitely feel like I got to know everyone a bit more. It was a really great day because we got to unwind from the jam-packed week that we’ve had and to really appreciate Guatemala’s beauty and to get to know everyone else on the trip a bit more.

-Kate

Chocolate!!

Today was a great day. Today we finished painting the stairs at the school we’re volunteering at, and another group was still working on the wall, as well as a couple groups working with kids. When we came back home we had the most delicious spaghetti and garlic bread for lunch. A little Italiano in Guatemala. Later in the day we went to a chocolate factory and we learned a lot about the history of chocolate in Guatemala. The chocolate was really different from what I’m used to but it was really good. I definitely bought some chocolate (vanilla) flavoured, and I plan on making some pretty fetch hot chocolate. Then the squad (Sadie, Lila, and I), took many pictures of our experience; as did everyone else. Then shortly after we went to the chocolate factory we learned how to dance salsa! It was super fun. Everyone seemed to have a good time. Eventually we made our way back to our lovely home and had some down time. Orlando (awesome staff member), told us some history and statistics about Guatemala. That just about sums up the GLA day. Hasta!

– Tiarah Young (Mama T)

An Eventful Day

Today was an entertaining and eventful day. First we woke up close to 6:30. Some people went to run with Patrick. They said that they felt like they could not breathe much and that they were going to throw up (because of the elevation). Patrick must be a good runner. For breakfast we had french toast and watermelon with yogurt. Most agreed that this was the best breakfast yet. After breakfast we went to the school to do service for the children. Some of us taught English classes, while others built a wall or worked on painting the stairs. We all enjoyed playing with the students. They seemed fascinated with our phones and cameras and wanted to take pictures and selfies. After that we ate lunch and went to Spanish class. We learned for a long time and then we went out to test our skills at the market. Later we ate dinner and did a fun activity to see what kind of leaders we are. It was a good day.

-Mike Erickson

A Great Day!

Today was a great day! We woke up and some of us felt the need to workout. Afterwards, we ate breakfast which included eggs, beans, and fruit. After breakfast we went to the school to do our daily volunteer work. Some of us taught an english class including me, Phyllis, Kate, Avery, Talia and Mike. Lindsay, Tete, Sydney and Amber painted stairs and Dharam, Sadie, Peter, Christian, Maxime, and Rachel built a wall for the library. During recess at the school, we have discovered that the kids really love piggy-back rides and helping out with the projects. After that we returned to the home base for lunch and resting. We then traveled to a nearby town to learn about pottery. Afterwards we walked around in groups and explored the town. In the town there was an open market which showcased the different foods and elements of Guatemala. We then returned to the house for dinner and leadership activities. Our leadership activities tonight were focused on stereotypes and “the other”. We watched different youtube videos which expressed the different point of views of people around the world. We then discussed our opinions on the subject. Looking forward to a new exciting day in Guatemala!
xoxo

-Lila

First Day of Service

We woke up, did the morning exercise. then had pancakes that tasted like bananas. Today was our first day of service, we had a choice of three projects, the wall, creating a lesson plan for english class and painting. Recess came around, it was chaos, we had a lot of fun, the kids wanted endless piggy back rides. One kid in particular, Gustavo, wanted a ride from everybody. After service, we went home, there was a big bump and the road. We had lunch next, rice with shredded beef, tortillas and the vegetarian alternative. The group had fun playing monopoly and card games until spanish classes, that lasted till six, we were put into groups and got to see the historic center of Quetzaltenango. Afterwards Freddie educated us on the storied history of Guatemala. For dinner we had Spanish tortillas with salad and pink space jello. The day was wrapped up with more games and ultimately the mentor groups where we got to all get closer to one another.

We’ve Arrived!

All students have arrived safely and are ready for an amazing program! Stay tuned for blog updates and photos!