The Beauty of Ooty

This past weekend we took a trip up the mountains to the hill station of Ooty! With its rolling hills covered in tea plants and cool mountain breeze, Ooty offers a beautiful respite from the heat of Coimbatore.

Shaina, Chrissie, Kelly, and Amber enjoy the beauty of Ooty

Right from the start, we knew this trip would be an adventure when just 1 hour into the trip we blew a tire. No big deal, just a chance to get some cold drinks and snacks at a local shop before pressing on. Just as we started heading up the mountains on the switch-backs, another tire popped! While the driver headed back down the mountain to get another tire, we took advantage of the time to have a nice picnic lunch…until a curious monkey showed up. We learned a very important lesson that day: never feed a monkey, because they will always want to come back for more and may bring their friends! We spent the next hour on high alert for monkeys with piles of rocks lined up to keep them at bay!

Lydia tryingto read by the side of the road with a pile of rocks ready for battle against the monkeys

Our local trips serve a variety of purposes: one of the main things is to expose students to different opportunities to work abroad and to learn about what is being done in India. We had the opportunity to visit Freedom Firm which is a branch off of International Justice Mission (IJM) that aims to Rescue, Restore, and bring Justice for women who are trapped in the sex trade. We met some of the young women and saw their beautiful handicrafts-from earrings to necklaces to bracelets. Another day we learned about Sister’s International that works to grow confident young women that will be the leaders of tomorrow. We also visited Hebron- a world famous international school, a tea factory where we learned how tea is processed, and a traditional Toda village to see how they live.

Enjoying a fresh cup of chai at the tea factory

Another highlight was our camping trip to Avalanche which is located deep in the forest right on the edge of a lake. After an hour hike into camp, we were rewarded with a spectacular view and the peace and beauty of nature all around us. During the day we had the chance to repel (for some it was their first time-how cool to say your first time repelling was in India?!) go kayaking, and just rest and relax in hammocks. In the evening we enjoyed a campfire and a night hike to see the brilliant stars before snuggling under piles of blankets in our tents.

Hiking out of camp: spotted a tiger track in the dust!

Chrissie, Lydia, and Shaina get ready to repel down the side of a waterfall

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A Check off the 'ol Bucket List

This past weekend we finally checked off something that is on nearly everyone's bucket list when they go to India: Riding an Elephant!

We drove up to Parambikulam Tiger Reserve for the day and went on a safari. We really enjoyed the beautiful scenery and much cooler temperatures.

In the afternoon we all got the chance to ride the elephants through the forest. Quite a memorable experience!

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Memorable Moments: Kerala

On Wednesday morning we woke up on the train to see the sun rising over lush rice paddies and coconut and banana trees as we arrived in ‘God’s Own Country’- Kerala.

Shaina, Lydia, Amber, Chrissie, and Kelly jump for joy by the Arabian Sea

Memories:

     We spent our mornings learning about Economics, the Kerala model of development, and Indian politics from our dear friends at Vichara.

    The following day we went to visit Amma's Ashram. Amma is known around the world as 'the Hugging Saint' who is worshiped as a goddess. This was the second time in ISP history that Amma was at the ashram because she is so busy with her world tours. The students were surprised to see so many foreigners who have come from around the world to learn from Amma and they were curious as to what drew them to her. Adding to the excitement of the trip: there was an elephant at the ashram which some of the students got to feed!

Kara, Shaina, Amber, Chrissie, and Kelly with an elephant at Amma's Ashram

     One afternoon we visited the site where St. Thomas is said to have stepped off the boat and landed in India. What a privilege to sit on the banks and look out to where a man who knew Jesus had once walked. We also visited several churches that Thomas started.

  On our final day in Kerala we went to Fort Cochin for a free day to do the tourist thing. The students could wander off and explore Jewtown, the Dutch palace, a Jain temple, Hindu temples, and the beach. They all got in some good shopping and delicious food before re-gathering in the evening for a Kathakali show. Kathakali is a famous traditional Kerala style of dancing which was quite different from anything we had seen before

Batch 6 with the Kathakali dancers

Transport:

Night trains- We all remember waking up to hear the familiar cry ‘chaaaaiiii, chaaaaaiii, coFFEE, coFFEE!!!!

Party Bus- With the disco lights flashing, wind whipping through our hair, and some loud Hindi music blaring as we all had a party as we danced along.

Camel rides- We arrived at the beach and immediately spotted several scruffy camels with over eager owners. Students jostled on the camels two-by-two down the beach at a trot while I, (Hannah) tried to keep up and jog behind through the sand to take some snaps.

Maaike and Megan riding a camel

Arabian Sea- I’m just going to include this in transportation since all of us who swam got tossed around quite a bit and taken for several ‘rides’ as we were strewn across the sand by the pounding waves!

Boat- I think the boat ride was one of the highlights of the trip because it was so relaxing. The Backwaters of Kerala are called the 'Venice of the East' and boating through them is listed in Lonely Planet's list to do before you die. We thoroughly enjoyed these moments of peace and tranquility.

Boating on the backwaters of Kerala

Internships (2.0)

Three more of our students share their experiences from their internships:

Megan Morris: 
"My internship at Ashirwaad Special School was a wonderful learning experience for me. I was able to help assist and tutor students with mental/physical disabilities, as well as observe and learn from the staff and students alike throughout my three weeks. My favorite part was being able to learn about Ashirwaad and similar organizations in the context of India, and compare it to American organizations who's efforts include serving the mentally and physically disabled. I think both sides have things to learn from each other. I was also incredibly blessed to get a more micro, personal experience with the organization as I was able to get to know and form relationships with the students. Each student was so unique and gifted in their own ways- I walked away from that school learning more from the students then what I attempted to teach them over those three weeks."

Megan with the kids at Ashirwad

Lydia Phoenix:

"I spent the last three weeks at Stanes Higher Secondary School, where I spent most of my time substitute teaching in elementary grade classrooms. I loved being with the kids every day and teaching them anything from adding money to crazy American children’s songs. When I wasn’t subbing I had the chance to observe in classrooms and learn from experienced teachers. Everyone was so welcoming and I thoroughly enjoyed my internship experience!"

Lydia with her students at Stanes School

Amber Heckman:
"During my time at Roots Industries I observed people working in the marketing department and all of the responsibilities that they did on a daily basis. This is me learning about all of the different sale strategies Roots uses for it's products."

Amber working at Roots

Internships

For the past 3 weeks, our students have been working at various internship sites across the city. Each student was assigned to a site that followed in their interests and majors such as schools orbusinesses. They have been had the opportunity to watch and learn how organizations are run, as well as participate and help out in various ways. Here, a few students tell of their experiences:

Shaina Derstine: 
"The past three weeks I have had the privilege of working at Ortho One hospital. Here I was able to observe care in physiotherapy, OP, the ward, and was even allowed to watch an ACL reconstruction surgery. The staff at Orth One was so friendly and compassionate, and always took time to explain different procedures to me when I did not understand.​"

Shaina at Ortho One

Shaina at Ortho One

Chrissie Lewis:

"I have been placed in multiple locations to learn about exporting and importing. Most of my internship has been at Geniies IT & Services Private Limited. They have two entities one in e-publishing and another in 3D animations. I have loved working with this company and making connections throughout Coimbatore." 

Chrissie at Geniies

Corey Nelson and Kelly Reszka:

"Corey and I are working with IMAYAM Social Welfare Organization. This organization focuses on community development and the empowerment of women.We have the incredible opportunity to observe and interact in places where IMAYAM program are established. It has been so exciting to learn about this organization and we have been given the job of compiling their annual report. This experience has been incredible."

Corey nd Kelly with IMAYAM

The Sari

When girls come to India, they often come with a dream to get to wear a sari. Even after living here for several weeks, we are still in awe at the beauty and elegance of all the saris around us!

A couple weeks ago several of the girls went to Town Hall- a more crowded bustling part of the city in order to shop for saris. We were so amazed at the vast variety of colors, patterns, and fabrics of this one simple cloth and had fun sorting through racks and rack of saris. The girls even got to ‘try on’ saris at the shop.

Megan being wrapped by the shop ladies

On Wednesday night we were invited to our first Indian wedding which was the perfect opportunity to wear the new saris. Our very kind Auntie across the hall very generously helped to wrap the girls and make sure we were presentable. Saris pinned securely? Check. Bindi positioned correctly? Check. Ready to go!

All dressed and ready to go!

Amber, Lydia, and Megan at the wedding

While the newlywed couple greeted all the guests, we enjoyed the beautiful decorations and feasted on byriyani, dosa, and payasam!

The newlywed couple

~photo credit Lydia Phoenix

Chennai City

This weekend we took our first weekend trip to Chennai. We still can’t believe we were only there for 2 days since we managed to pack so much in! We took our first train ride Thursday night which is always a memorable experience. On Friday morning we arrived in Chennai and went to a nearby Shiva temple to continue learning about how Hinduism is practiced. Later we traveled to Mahabalipuram to visit a UNESCO World Heritage site of temples dating back to the 5^th-8^th century. The students enjoyed exploring the ruins and taking fun snaps!

Students at the Shore Temple

We stayed at Scripture Union which has a beautiful property with direct access to the beach of the Bay of Bengal! In the afternoon we all enjoyed swimming in the waves (in our salwars), collecting sea shells on the beach, taking pictures, and just having a chance to rest and refresh. We enjoyed some evening worship together before going to bed.

The next morning we traveled back into Chennai to meet Shiamala Baby who is the head of FORWARD (Forum for Women’s Rights and Development). Shiamala shared her incredible story of how she was abused by her husband and gained the courage to stand up for herself. Now she works to help other women do the same.

Shiamala Baby sharing her story

 After hearing her story, we went out to a nearby village to meet some of the women involved in FORWARD. We were not prepared for what we found there. When most people think about Dalits, words like “broken”, “helpless”, “alone”, and “incapable” may come to mind. However, as soon as we got there, our perceptions were shattered. We were greeted as very honored guests: each student was blessed and honored with sandlewood paste and tikka markings on their faces and given bangles for each arm. We were fed many varieties of traditional (and tasty!) snacks and given the best (only) seats in the courtyard. One by one, these women stood up and told their story of how FORWARD was changing their lives. They were not broken or helpless-they had a plan for how to get loans, work in small business, and send their children to school. They were not alone-the whole group of women were bound together!

Students being welcomed in

In the afternoon we visited several famous religious sites- St. Thomas mount where Thomas was martyred and St. Thomas Bascillica where he is buried. For a special treat we revisited the Shiva temple to see a dance performance about the stories of the gods. These children were incredible dancers and very talented at story telling through their facial expressions and hand movements.

In the evening we re-boarded the trains for our night ride back to Coimbatore.