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June 5, 2017 by James Egan

INDIA – Service Through The Lens – July 14 – July 27, 2017

July 14, 2017

Namaste!
The group has arrived safe and sound in Delhi! We briefly rested, had breakfast and kept the adventure going by hopping on another flight to Amritsar. From here we drove to home base, stopping for some great Indian food along the way. Everyone is kind and positive despite the looming jet lag. We are all ready to start our service and learning about the power of photojournalism.

Stay tuned to more blog posts from the students!

Warmly,
Laura
International Director

 

July 15, 2017

Today was our first day doing service, as we split into 4 groups, 3 at a daycare and 1 at a sports camp, we got to fully experience a typical Indian morning with toddlers for the first time! At the sports camp, we played a variety of games such as cricket and soccer but we also held an arts and crafts activity for the younger children.

At the Anganwadi, we started the day with a couple of games, Duck duck goose and Sardina (an Italian song). We then started teaching the kids how to count and the letters of the alphabet, some were more advanced than others so we split them into two groups; the ones that knew how to count up to 10 and the ones who didn’t know how to count. By the end of the day, all the kids knew how to count up to 10 and some even learned how to write.
In the afternoon we passed by the market where we were immersed in its liveliness, nothing like what we are used to back at home!
 

 

July 16, 2017

Our day started after breakfast with a “camera basics” class. We learned some of the essential photography skills and how to implement them into our own picture taking. After receiving our photo assignments for the day, we headed up the mountain to St. John’s Church.

The church was set in a forest, where the morning fog added to the beauty of the architecture and lush greenery. We had lots of time to explore the grounds, take pictures, and hang out in the gazebo, where we spent time getting to know one another better. The fog cleared and we had a beautiful, sunny drive back down the mountain to home base. Upon returning, we had lunch and then gathered for our first Hindi class.
We were taught many common Hindi words and phrases by our local directors, including numbers, colors, names and questions. This knowledge will come in very handy when it is necessary to communicate with the locals. After class, we headed down the mountain to the market.
After exploring the market, we went to a local fabric store where each of us was able to pick out our own fabric. Then, we headed to a tailor who measured each of us. We are getting traditional Indian clothing made!
After everyone got measured, we made our way back up the mountain to home base where dinner was waiting for us. Following dinner, we called it a night after a long day in India.

 

July 18, 2017

After breakfast we headed to our Anganwadi assignments. Then, after working with the children and eating lunch we left for a Hindi Temple to hear about their beliefs and be blessed. We heard about the basics of Hinduism from one of our mentors, Priyanka, and were allowed to explore the temple and nearby waterfall for a few minutes while we photographed them.

 

 

Wednesday, July 19th, was full of photography, service, and some surprises. We loaded up on the french toast that were drenched in “American Style” syrup and started our day with service. The Anganwadi groups taught lessons from the alphabet to basic math to animals and everything in between. Meanwhile, the Sports Camp leaders played got muddy with soccer and cricket. Afterwards, lunch was served and it had a little more variety. There were spring rolls and fried potatoes, probably the closest thing we will get to french fries until we reach home but we will take what we can get. After, we got to learn the basics of setting up an interview and then conducting it. We were able to test out the mic and composition of interviewing on ourselves. We also learned about the three portrait lighting rules: Rembrandt, Butterfly, and Side. There unfortunately was not a lot light to work with because of the moody Monsoon season but there will be other chances to use our new knowledge. Next was dinner which was white rice and beans but for the sick people there was the comforting food of buttered noodles. We then split into our mentor groups and at the end, the staff surprised us with ice cream floats! Everyone ate the cold dessert quickly and quietly and we were satisfied until the last scope. Wednesday was a day full of fun and we are excited for more!

– Danielle and Clair

 

July 21, 2017

Today was a relaxed day for many of us and it was finally LAUNDRY DAY! In the morning we went to the Anganwadi’s (daycare) and some went off to sports camp. Towards the time of the day everyone starts walking back it started pouring and one by one everyone came back soaked and saying they had just been in a waterfall. After everyone drying off and lunch some watched two amazing TED talks and the others went off to interview people who are a part of Gaddi culture for our capstone projects. The group that went to do interviews was able to see authentic village homes and learn about Indian weddings and their way of life. At dinner everyone was supper happy as we had pasta, enchiladas, and ice cream!

Emily

 


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