On Sight Seeing

I realized on my trip that sight seeing is not my favorite part of traveling.  Obviously, there is an obligation to see all the amazing places all over the world, and I will be happy to do so.  But the interesting thing about sight seeing is that once you get the picture, the sight is pretty much over.  What really drives me to see the world is the people.  I am absolutely fascinated by the fact that there are people all over the world living my tomorrow or my yesterday in completely different ways than I will. Different languages, different food, different traditions, different physical appearance, different everything.  It is fascinating! Also, the natural beauty in all different places are the most beautiful sights of all.  As for the architecture and man-made wonders--they are beautiful. Just not my personal favorite part of traveling. 

That being said, it is incredibly neat to be able to say I have been to the Taj Mahal.  Here are some super-tourist pictures from my time in India:

 Qutb Minar

 Baha'i Lotus Temple

 The Taj Mahal

Red Fort

India has such rich history and TONS of sights to see.  I will have to go back to see them all! I'm excited to share more stories about my adventures and more pictures of the beautiful people of India!

I'm Home: Thank You Letter

I'm back in the United States! First, I have to apologize that I did not update my blog more while I was in India.  The Internet was very hit-and-miss, as the electricity in the town was constantly out.  I must admit--it was kinda nice being "unplugged" from social networking for a while, though. My days were also so busy and full of excitement that I just couldn't find the time to blog.  Lucky for you, I am prepared to post all about my trip, my thoughts, and my experiences.

First and foremost, I would like to say THANK YOU!
Words cannot describe how grateful I am for all of you who provided support while I was preparing for this journey--financially, emotionally, and in every way possible.
To my family, thank you! You supported me when I was preparing to travel to Kenya, and you supported me on this humanitarian trip.   Although I will not be asking for financial support in the future, as it is time for me to get myself around the world, I am so grateful for it. This trip would not have been possible without you! Thank you for keeping up with my posts on Facebook and constantly showing your love.
To my mom, thank you for being the most supportive person throughout my whole life.  I love that I can always count on a message from you--even while I am traveling, and I can feel close to you even from across the world.
To my work and Lacey, thank you! You were so supportive and allowed me to take time off.  You were understanding while my trip got delayed so many times, and I really appreciate that.  I am so excited to get back to work next week!
To my friends--old and new, thank you for your continuous support, and to my new friends, thank you for making India such a wonderful experience.
To the Tibetan people, thank you.  Thank you for making me a better person by being a constant example of love and compassion.  Thank you for sharing your stories with me and opening my mind and heart to the struggles in the world, yet the resiliency and strength of human beings.  Thank you for welcoming me into your homes and always serving me tea.  Thank you for being you.
To Quincy, thank you for traveling to India with me.  Thank you for taking care of me when I was sick, and laughing with me on 3-day-long plane/bus rides and continuously throughout the trip.  Thank you for sharing adventures and making memories with me. Thank you for helping me do bug checks in our "lovely" living arrangement. Thank you for being the most wonderful travel partner a girl could ever ask for.

I look forward to sharing pictures and stories with you all! 

Kids will be Kids

My mornings here are spent volunteering at a day care/school for the children of Tibetan refugees. They are so cute! I feel in my element when I am working with kids-- I must just be a big kid myself.  I love kids so much because they are so pure and innocent, yet so creative and fun. They are the least judgmental tiny humans, and they are so full of potential. 

One amazing thing that I have noticed everywhere I have been is that children are all the same! In Kenya, the kids would play soccer with a rock, but they would still play soccer. Here, the little two and three year olds set up tea parties with dolls, play dress up, and run around. All kids everywhere just want to be held and cuddled and thrown in the air and loved. Kids are just universally cute!

One thing that is lovely about the culture here is that independence is encouraged. The two and three year olds in my class can put on their own shoes completely independently, use the bathroom independently, and function better than any other two or three year olds I know! It's pretty amazing. Another thing I love about the day care is the fact that sensory play and practical skills are worked on every day. Every school should be more hands on, in my opinion. The final wonderful thing about the school is the staff that work there. They are the sweetest Tibetan women. The principal is especially sweet. She is so young, and so kind. She takes a large amount of her day and spends it playing with all of the kids who absolutely adore her.

I can't wait to spend the next couple weeks at the day care--it's so much fun, and gives me the opportunity to hang out with my favorite age group of humans until I can go home and get back to the sweet kids I work with there!

India in a Nutshell

It's been such a whirlwind of new adventure and exploration since we have arrived in India, so I apologize that I haven't updated my blog sooner. The trip has been absolutely wonderful so far. Im planning on updating my blog more often for the next couple weeks, but for now, I'm going to take you back to Delhi!

Delhi was the biggest culture shock ever. It was so hot and humid that as soon as you step out of the shower, you start sweating. Then you sweat consistently throughout the day...and night. There are people everywhere, and most of the a Indian guys are constantly trying to take pictures of you (if you are a young, white woman such as myself).  The traffic is what you see in movies, but a trillion times more thrilling . Only in India will you be moving at 60 mph directly towards a car facing you. It was a culture shock, and to be honest, not my favorite place I have ever traveled. 

That being said, in Delhi, I learned an important lesson: A smile is universal. There was a huge language barrier between cab drivers, people on the street...pretty much everyone. But a smile is universal. That was actually one of the most comforting realizations. When someone smiled at me, I felt a little less lost.

I did not truly fall in love with India until I got to Dharamsala. We took a 12 hour bus ride overnight, and it is crazy what driving 12 hours will do! Instead of the Delhi situation that I described, we are in the beautiful Himalayan mountains. It is literally the most beautiful place I have ever seen--pictures will never do it justice. It rains constantly and consistently, and there is a layer of dew/rain on everything (blankets, clothes, food, etc.).  But it is nice and cool and I love that. There are shops everywhere with the most lovely clothes, statues of Buddhas, and singing bowls. I shop every day here!

What makes me really love this place is the Tibetan people we live amongst. It is almost exclusively Tibetan refugees, and they are the kindest people I have ever met. I always joke that I will never feel as safe as I do when I'm walking in a group of Buddhist monks. But it is absolutely true. Nobody here is trying to scam us into buying things. Nobody has their cameras out constantly. The Tibetan people have been through more than I can imagine, yet they have the softest hearts. I'm not sure if it is their religion that keeps them so loving, kind, and hopeful, or it is just who they are as a people. But it is lovely here.

There's a small update for you. There is much more to come. I feel like I have grown so much here, and I am absolutely grateful for this journey.