On the Road: Bapatla

The chance to be kid again. To run around freely-shouting, dancing, singing, and playing to our hearts content. More importantly, the chance to play with kids and to love on them! This is what we have been doing for the past couple of days at a children’s home in Bapatla-rural Andhra Pradesh.

Uncle and Auntie run a children’s home for about 150 kids who are either orphans or from poor or broken families. The children are given a home to stay in, as well as an English-medium education. We were able to tour the school and visit the children in their classrooms. Then we spent the afternoon playing volleyball, football (soccer), tag and every other running game imaginable with them! 

Playing games with the children

In the evening our students taught and led several action songs before again dispersing to play. Our students were surrounded on all sides by kids pulling them in every direction and shouts of “sister, sister” “brother, brother”! We danced. We sang. We chased. We laughed. We loved. By evening we were all exhausted and sweaty, but every face glowed with the joy and excitement of playing with these wonderful children. We have one more evening with them and you can bet it will be just as tiring and beautiful!

Leading action songs

This morning we drove to the Bay of Bengal to visit the beach. It was amazing to watch the sun rise over the ocean and to just spend some time to be quiet and recharge or to have fun playing in the water!

Sunrise over the Bay of Bengal

Tomorrow morning bright and…. No, never mind, it won’t be bright, just EARLY (as in 3:45am) we head to the train station to continue up north to Kolkata. Twenty-five hours on a train here we come!

"All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go..."

We're heading out tomorrow to start our 18 day trek across north India!

As of Friday, all of the classes are over- papers are turned in and presentations are completed. We ended by having a celebratory meal put on my the Catering class to demonstrate all that they have learned over the course. Delicious!

Friday night was Candlelight- a special ceremony to honor those that have made this semester possible and to celebrate the student's hard work.

Kirk congratulating the students for their hard work

Batch 6 is DONE!

Batch 6 with their friends

Students are making the most of their last weekend here- visiting their favorite restaurants and hanging out with their friends.

The journey will comprise of about 85 hours of train travel, 7 different cities, from the Bay of Bengal all the way up to the foothills of the Himalayas. Follow our journey here to get updates of what the students are up to!

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

For more pictures: visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/IndiaStudiesProgram

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

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. 

Perur Temple

Perur Temple

Going into a Hindu temple for the first time can be a bit overwhelming. You can feel sensory overload as you try to process all that is going on around you! Images of different deities cover every inch of the walls, the ceilings, and the marble pillars. The clanging sound of bells being rung to awake the gods mixes with the chants of believers. The feel of the hot cement under bare feet and the smudge of holy ash on the forehead can be uncomfortable. The sight of hundreds of devoted followers- toddlers and old alike laying prostrate at the feet of a god, lighting gee candles, or offering gifts of coconuts, bananas and flowers to the images. Meanwhile, the scent of incense pervades through it all.

In one of the courtyards of the temple

On Tuesday afternoon our students went to visit Perur temple- a 2000 year old Hindu temple on the edge of town. We were able to not only observe Hindus worshipping, but also learn from a Hindu professor from BACAS how and why she worships at the temple. It was definitely an interesting experience that students will continue to process. For some, it puts them out of their comfort zone and pushes them to think deeper about their faith. They have been taking a religion class and studying Hinduism these past 2 weeks so it was good to connect their head knowledge with experiential knowledge.

Batch 6 outside of the temple

 We ended our tour by going to a nearby coconut stall and drinking coconut water fresh out of the coconut while the sun set over the temple!

Shaina and Amber enjoy the coconut water

On the Road: Agra, Delhi, and Dehradun

Sorry for the long delay! We have been travelling pretty hardcore these last few days but are happy to now be settled for a couple days in Rajpur in the foothills of the Himalyas.

From Varanasi we went onto Agra to see Agra Fort and of course the Taj Mahal!!! What an unreal experience! We all had a wonderful time taking pictures.

Batch 5 at the Taj Mahal!

Next morning early we headed to Delhi for the day. First we went on a tour of the streets with an organization that rescues and restores street children. The best part was that the tour was given by a man who used to live on the streets so we got a first-hand perspective! For lunch we ate at the world famous Karims restaurant which used to serve food to kings until they made it available to the common man. The group split up in order to cover more ground so some people saw the street kids dance while others went to see Suffi singing. Both ended up to be very good experiences!

That night we boarded the train for Rajpur which is a hillstation in the foothills of the Himalyas. While it is much colder, the beauty around us is astounding! These hills are stunning and it is wonderful to be in the peace and quiet after the busyness of the other cities we have visited. We are taking time to rest and refresh as well as debrief our semester in India. We also took time to go white water rafting on the Ganges river! The Ganges flows out of the Himalyas so it is cold and clear (quite different from how it looks when it reaches Varanasi). Everyone enjoyed their experience and  some even cliff jumped into the mighty Ganges!

Ready to raft!

We have 2 more days here in India before returning back to our homes. While we are excited to see our family, friends, and pets and to eat our favourite foods and see familiar sites, for many leaving will be bitter sweet. Deep friendships have been formed and lives have been changed from this experience in India. We will arrive in the airport with suitcases full of dirty clothes and presents; hearts full of numerous stories to share about our experiences; and probably a bit of Indian soil still clinging to our shoes! See you soon!

"It's so beautiful!"

If I had a rupee for every time I heard that phrase or said it myself this weekend, I could buy a delicious meal of naan and chicken tikka masala from Myx. We really enjoyed a very full weekend up in Ooty- a hill station a couple hours away.

At 5:45am on Thursday morning the batch was ready to load up the jeeps and head out. The mountain road is full of switchbacks, but at every turn you are rewarded by a view more beautiful than the last. Trees and sheer rock faces give way to the florescent green of carrot and potato fields and rows upon rows of tea.

The magnificent view!

  In the morning we visited an NGO called Freedom Firm which rescues and works with girls who are forced into prostitution in India. Check out: http://www.freedom.firm.in/ It was great to hear their stories, meet some of the girls, and even purchase some of their beautiful hand-made jewelry. Next we drove down the mountain on the other side to go to Mudumalai Tiger Reserve for our tiger safari! Driving into the reserve we spotted several wild elephants in the bush which was a complete surprise! Then we boarded the "invisible" camouflaged bus for the real safari… managed to see some rasam deer but not much else; maybe the bus wasn’t actually invisible after all! Afterward we saw the mahout’s or keepers feed their tame elephants which was pretty cool.

Elephant camp

Friday morning we headed out to our next destination: Avalanche camp! On the way the view became even more spectacular when we rounded a curve and saw a lake stretched out on the valley floor! We stopped to take some snaps, and then noticed that one of the jeeps had a flat tyre…which was fine because it meant we could explore the tea field right across the fence!

Wandering through a tea field

When the roads became too rough to pass, we were dropped off to hike the rest of the way to the camp- another 6 kilometers (almost 4 miles) up and down steep rocky and muddy and slippery terrain which was quite fun! Arrived in the beautiful campsite and spent the rest of the afternoon kayaking in the lake, sunning ourselves on the rocks, hiking to a waterfall and just enjoying the beautiful wilderness. That night after a wonderful time of singing around the campfire, we headed out on a night hike which was a little unnerving but incredible to see the brilliant night sky! We tried to get some sleep in our tents that night despite the cold mountain air.

Avalanche camp site

Saturday was another early morning- we said goodbye to the friends we had made at the campsite and the beautiful view and hiked the 6km back to our waiting jeeps. Back in Ooty we visited a tea factory where they showed and described the long process of sorting, drying, and grinding the tea- you can bet we all have more appreciation for each cup of chai we drink now! In the afternoon we had the privilege of visiting a Toda tribal village where they warmly welcomed us in. We learned more about their community, played with the kids, and admired their beautiful embroidery work.

Trying a cup of chai at the tea plantation

By the time we got back to our guest house in Ooty, we were all fried! That night we enjoyed a delicious dinner of pizza and donuts and then crashed by 9:00pm! Sunday was a free day with many options of things to do. Some students visited the Botanical garden, attended a church service of mostly ex-pats who live and work in India, or shopped along the streets of Ooty. Most everyone found their way to the chocolate shop that sells homemade chocolates in order to load up for the next few weeks before heading back down the mountain.

We arrived home tired and dirty but happy from our fun and full time in beautiful Ooty! Check out more photos on our Facebook page!

What We've Been Up To Recently

Last week we had Wednesday off for Gandhi Jayanti day so we decided to go to a nearby waterfall to hike and relax in the water.We had to cross a rickety free swinging wooden bridge with lots of broken boards and the sides missing in many places! Another adventure in India! The water was so refreshing and since we went early we had the area to ourselves for awhile. We had fun slipping and sliding in the water and trying to maneuver in current!

Enjoying the waterfall

For a field visit this past week we went to KCT- a nearby school- to interact with the students. It turned out that our students were seated in the front as a panel and were asked questions about culture and college in America!

Our group at KCT 

We have also had a gathering with our peer mentors where we ate good food and introduced them to the game of Mafia, gone shopping at a nearby  market, and seen beautiful sunsets from our apartment roof! On Sunday some of us attended a festival at church where we got to try many new foods including momo's, whole fish, byriyani, custard, and jello cups!

Jello cups at church???

Sunday afternoon we went to a Sikh Gurdwara to observe their service and learn about their customs and beliefs. We enjoyed a delicious meal with them afterward and experienced their generous hospitality.

The group at a Sikh gurdwara

This weekend we are headed up to Ooty- a beautiful hill station surrounded by tea plantations. We will be visiting various NGOs, touring a tea plantation, and GOING ON A TIGER SAFARI! Catch our update next week when we return!

Madurai!

We returned Saturday night from our first weekend trip to Madurai. We boarded the ‘Barbie Bus’ (white with purple trim) at 6:00am Friday morning to travel to the Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary (TTS) in Madurai. We toured their beautiful campus and got to explore their archives including seeing Scripture written on old banana leaves! In the evening we set out along the very busy and chaotic streets of Madurai to visit try Jigarthanda- famous Madurai drink that was fantastic! Next we went to the Thirumalai Nayak Palace to enjoy their sound and light show which explained the history of the palace. 

Enjoying jigarthanda drink!

 The next morning we set out early for Sri Meenakshi temple which is a HUGE Hindu temple that at least 15,000 people visit a day! We were happily surprised to see an elephant standing in the courtyard of the temple and many of the students got ‘blessed’ by the elephant where it put it's trunk on your head! What a cool experience!

Sri Meenakshi temple

A student being 'blessed' by the temple elephant!

We also visited the Gandhiji museum and read more about his life and how he influenced India.

On our drive back to Coimbatore, we stopped at an orphanage for children with HIV. At first they had a little program for us where they sang and danced and even taught us a dance! Then we all ran to play outside on their playground. These children were adorable- running around showing us their tricks and including us in their games. Shouts of ‘Akka’ (older sister), ‘Ana’ (older brother) rang out across the playground and I think we were all equally blessed by this interaction with these dear sweet children!

Our whole group enjoying the children at the orphanage.

Check out more pictures from our trip on our Facebook page- India Studies Program (ISP)!

Student Post:Weekend Home stays (Part 2)

Last weekend the students had the chance to go on a home stay with a friend from college. This is simply an extension of the last post- giving the students the chance to tell of their adventures in their own words.

Gretchen and Faith:

Outside their house

When we first came to India, we were “warned” about the hospitality—as in, be careful what you ask for, because they might actually give it to you.  This weekend, we discovered how true that really is.  Our guidebook related the phrase “the guest is like God,” which completely described our experience in Karuna’s home.  We experienced eating on banana leaves (only done for special occasions), receiving flowers for our hair every day, having multiple dishes prepared for us at every meal, being accepted as an “akka” (sister) by Karuna’s younger cousin, meeting Karuna’s extended family, having Karuna’s father come home from Chennai (at least a 7-hour journey) just to meet us, always being asked if we were comfortable, being fed all the time—and ultimately, having Karuna’s father buy saris for both of us at the end of our stay there!  Their hospitality was incredibly humbling, and although we saw some amazing things there (like a banana plantation) and got to bond with her family (playing card games with the girls), it was the hospitality that really made the weekend memorable for us.  

Our very hospitable home stay family!

Tayler and Tina: 

At the top of the hill we climbed

So, imagine you’ve just traveled on an Indian bus for five long hours. You step out of the crowded bus into the cool mountain air and you are in Kerala, “God’s own country”! We took an auto (a small three-wheeled “car” with no doors) to Pratiksha’s (our new friend) house where we were welcomed with open arms. While there, we never were hungry, tired or hot. We had a blast in Kerala. The first day we took an adventure up the mountain. Our journey started at the bottom of the hill and we made it all the way to the white cross at the very tippy top. Below we could see a Catholic church and hear music echo throughout the area. The long bus ride was worth it because once we made it to Kerala our eyes were able to take in so many beautiful sights that we know will stick with us forever. The second day we went to “church” which really means we went to a tea museum 2 hours away. We drank Kerala’s cardamom tea and were able to see how it was made (hands with dried tea in them). The best part was we also got to see a wild elephant while at Pratiksha’s uncle’s house (note the river picture)!!! We loved every moment spent there with Pratiksha and her family in our new favorite place: Kerala, India.

Dried tea leaves

Near where we saw the wild elephant