International Leadership: India 2012

Welcome to the 2012 International Leadership Program (ILP)!

The ILP is a unique global education and youth leadership program for students from New York City public high schools. The program provides a 10-month integrated curriculum of experiential education, leadership development, and service activities--both domestic (NYC) and international (India)--all designed to equip students for success in college and beyond.

Over the next several months, 20 students from 6 NYC high schools will participate in a series of afterschool trainings, workshops, and cultural excursions in New York City, exploring global citizenship and leadership while learning about the history, politics, religion, culture and languages they will encounter in India.

Then, for three incredible weeks in July, ILP participants and program leaders will travel to North India and live in home stays with local families, engage in service learning projects, and get hands-on exposure to the many complex challenges involving relations between India, Tibet, China, and the United States.

When they return home, students will give presentations to their schools, produce essays for their college applications, and create concrete leadership projects to address a variety of challenges in their communities.

Learning how to turn such exciting dreams into reality through fundraising and building community support is a key part of the program. Accordingly, students have committed to raising $750 each towards their program costs.

However, to cover the remaining student and program costs, the International Leadership Program needs your help.

We believe deeply in the power of international education and experience to transform young people's lives. If an international experience has changed your life for the better, we encourage you to support this year's inspiring cohort of emerging international leaders.

Thank you!

John Eastman, Executive Director
Bob Lesser, Leadership Consultant
Deborah Friedman, Program Director
Janay Daniel, Program Manager

Posted by Global LAB at 7:13 PM | Permalink

Hello,

My name is Janay Daniel and I am the Program Manager for the International Leadership Program (ILP). I am excited to kick-start our blog for the 2012 year! Here you can follow us on our journey over the course of the year as students share their program experiences, workshop insights, fundraising successes, intercultural excursions, travel to India(!), and of course, photos and videos!

Our alumni photographer, Geancarlo, has already started documenting the ILP 2012 cohort's first moments together.

Meet our ILP 2012 Cohort!

Last Friday, January 27th, the ILP had its first orientation meeting with students, parents, teacher advisors and our 2011 ILP alumni. John, Deb, Bob and I were delighted to finally meet the incoming participants after months of recruiting, admissions, and exciting curriculum expansion--as the first student arrived, the 2012 International Leadership Program came to life and was officially in session.

John welcomed everyone and introduced himself as the Executive Director of Global LAB. The ILP leader team then introduced themselves and students, parents, teacher advisors, and ILP alumni introductions followed.

John greets and welcomes the ILP 2012 Cohort.

Continue reading "ILP Orientation: Student, Parent and Teacher Advisor Welcome" »

Posted by Janay at 8:16 PM | Permalink

Greetings Everyone! My name is Malik and I am a sophomore at the Brooklyn Latin School. I am currently 15 years old, and I am a person who enjoys experiencing new things. During my free time I like to play basketball after school with my friends, and watching sports on the television. However, I am not only interested in athletics but I also like to stride to be the best I can possible be in school.

I am extremely excited to go to India, not only because it is my goal to go to every continent but also I would like to experience the religious differences India has compared to New York. I hope to learn about India's culture, and specifically how they approach every day life with their religious beliefs. I also hope to learn about their food, and their clothing and how it differs from mine. I heard from a previous member that their trip was amazing, and I hope I can experience the same thing!

Posted by Janay at 5:39 PM | Permalink

Hi! My name is Christine. I am 15 years old, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York.I am currently a sophmore at the Brooklyn Latin School. I like to think of myself as open-minded, always willing and ready to take on any challenges that come my way. I am so overjoyed to have the opportunity to travel out of the country for the first time, especially to such a unique destination as Dharamsala,India. I can't wait to further broaden my horizons during this program. Athough this may be completely uncharted territory for me, I am ready to dive into this adventure headfirst. Going to India means that I'll be totally surrounded by the people, foods, and most important of all, the culture. What I find to be most intriguing about traveling to India is learning how to adapt to new environments.

Posted by Janay at 6:13 PM | Permalink

My name is Dalia and I attend the High School of World Cultures. I'm a junior hoping to make a difference. The people closest to me tell me that I'm a very funny person. I like sports, especially baseball, softball and volleyball. I used to be a member of the school volleyball team for a year. I love to try different foods. This program is very exciting because I will get to know another culture of the world. Exploring other cultures is a passion for me.

Posted by Janay at 6:23 PM | Permalink

Hi everyone! My name is Janissa, but many people call me Jany. I'm from Dominican Republic. I'm 14 years old and I'm a junior at High School of World Cultures. Now that I am on the point of starting a trip into India I feel quite exhilarated: when one travels with the specific goal of exploring a new religion and culture, everything becomes new and exciting. I've already asked my friends who were a part of ILP last year what to expect from this amazing journey. I would like to spread my knowledge to the Indian community and learn in return. I consider myself as the kind of person who is very friendly but shy at the same time. I love to meet new people but sometimes I do feel nervous! I am looking to learn as much as I can from India, it's culture, lifestyle and people.

I'm excited to be part of this program, first at all, because I will develop the leader that I have inside of myself. Also, I will discover what I'm capable of doing, thanks to the experiences that I will live through these upcoming months. Being in a homestay family once in India, is something that will be new for me, but I look forward to the experience.

Posted by Janay at 6:51 PM | Permalink

Hi, my name is Rosibel and I am sixteen years old. I live in the South Bronx and attend Mott Hall Bronx High School. I am so excited and nervous to take on this wonderful journey to India. I am open-minded to many things, especially culture which I hope to learn more about in India. I am also very good at adapting to different environments and getting comfortable in a place while helping others also feel comfortable. I'm hoping that these skills will help me on my journey to becoming a great leader. Being a leader is a skill that you develop over time. I know that this travel experience will hone my leadership skills. I am so excited to take this journey because I know that it will bring many good things to my life and others. I will come back as a leader and ready to take on a community that needs help.

Posted by Janay at 7:14 PM | Permalink

Hello, my name is Silvia. I am 17 years old and live in the Bronx. I am currently a junior at Mott Hall Bronx High School. I am excited that I have been selected to take part in this amazing program. I love traveling and experiencing new ways of life. I've been to Ecuador and Maine. I can't wait until this summer. I hope to learn about the cultures of India as well as discover their different clothes, food, and customs. I can't wait to share my experiences with everybody else.

Posted by Janay at 8:15 PM | Permalink

Hello! My name is Luis and I'm a 17 year old junior attending Mott Hall Bronx High School. In a world full of chaos, I find my salvation in music. Music has a huge impact on my everyday life. Without music it would be impossible to get through my day. Music can tell a story, that's why it's considered an art. Music tells a lot about culture and I use it to connect to many different cultures. From the ILP program I hope to receive more knowledge of the Indian culture and music can help me achieve this. Music is who I am and without it, the world would be unknown.

Posted by Janay at 8:27 PM | Permalink

Hello, my name is Sheanell and I am a junior at Mott Hall Bronx High School. I am looking forward to the challenges that I will face while in the International Leadership Program. I hope to gain courage and extreme focus during my experience. When I graduate from college I aspire to be a social worker and the ILP program will help me work on my leadership skills and communication skills since I aspire to become a social worker. Also with ILP, I hope to gain knowledge about Indian culture that I was not familiar with before.

Posted by Janay at 8:51 PM | Permalink

Hello, my name is Amanda. I am 15 years old and I attend the Young Women's Leadership School of Queens. My favorite subjects are Math and English. I was born in North Carolina, but raised in Queens, New York. I enjoy spending time with my family, as well as my friends at school.

I am very excited to be apart of this program because I've never been to India before. I believe that joining this program is a great way to learn about new cultures. I am also excited about making a difference with the community service project that I will be working on. I am looking forward to having a great experience in India, and learning new things, that I can apply to my everyday life in Queens.

Posted by Janay at 3:43 AM | Permalink

Hello, my name is Shania. I am 15 years old and currently a sophomore at the Young Women's Leadership School of Queens. I dream of becoming a very successful attorney and hopefully this program will help me during my journey to fulfil my dream. Attorneys have to be very open minded, charismatic, determined, understanding, and strong. They must also have lots of hope. This program can and will help me with all of these traits as well as teach me how to stay hopeful. Since we will be going to India and I will be immersed in an entirely new cultural setting I will be scared at first, but if I stay hopeful and strong I will learn to adapt and find new strengths & abilities inside myself that will help me conquer challenges in India & in the future. ILP will help me learn to effectively adapt to the unfamiliar situations I will face in India and in the real world.

This program will also help me become more understanding. Attorneys have to be understanding when they're presented with a situation they cannot relate to; the Tibetan's way of life will include situations I cannot relate to. This program will help me get to know and understand another culture first hand. The cultural differences I will experience at the workshops and in India will help me truly understand the background and influences of the Tibetan culture. This experience is definitely going to be a great one, from the many workshops I'll be attending, to the new information I'll be learning, all the way to the wonderful place I'll be visiting! This experience is going to be life changing and I cannot wait to witness it all!

Posted by Janay at 9:19 PM | Permalink

Hi! My name is Randy. I live in the Bronx and I am a junior at Bronx Career and College Preparatory High School. My hero is Johnny Bravo. I enjoy writing lyrics to songs, playing football and eating. I am looking forward to trying Indian food. Joining the ILP program gives me a chance to indulge in a different culture which will broaden my mindset. This program will give me a chance to meet new people, make new friends and break me out of my comfort zone. In the future I want to have a career in anything that makes me happy.

Posted by Janay at 8:12 PM | Permalink

My name is Jimmy and I am a junior at Bronx Career and College Preparatory High School in the Bronx. I enjoy economics class because we discuss current issues relating to the U.S. and around the world. I also enjoy my schools outdoors club. As part of the ILP program I am excited to learn about another culture. I am hoping to gain new learning experiences and friends. Fun fact: I am a mountain man!

Posted by Janay at 8:39 PM | Permalink

The last ILP meeting on February 6th in the NY Times building was a fantastic learning experience. We played an icebreaker game in which we threw a ball to another person but before you threw it, you had to state the person's name. It was an extremely exciting activity. It was a great way to memorize each other's names. We all felt nervous at the beginning of the exercise but once we had completed the exercise we felt enriched.

Then, to help us stay present in the moment, we all took a moment to clear our heads of all the negative thoughts we had throughout the day. We took time to close our eyes and sit in silence. It was a great way to help us relax considering the high standards that are required of us. It was an overall relaxed environment. At the end of the relaxation technique we were truly 'grounded', as the grounding exercise implied we would be.

The 'What is Leadership?' discussion was a terrific way to set our own group rules and push us to think out of our comfort zone.

ILP students listening to Bob talk about their role in leadership development.

ILP students taking notes about leadership development.

Continue reading "Workshop on 'What is Leadership?'" »

Posted by Janay at 9:12 PM | Permalink

We are happy to have a new addition to the ILP team, another student, Jimmy N.

Our newest ILP Student, Jimmy, discusses fundraising strategies with Randy.

After going through the workshop agenda, and participating in a relaxing grounding exercise, we played a new icebreaker game which was awesome. The new game was fun, but yet challenging in a way. In the new game there were two different teams and they stood divided by a sheet. One person from each team had to go up in front of the sheet and when the sheet was dropped you had to quickly name the person of the other team. This game was fun, but the purpose of the game was to be able to think on the spot and work as a team to have an advantage over the other team.

After the game, we reviewed our leadership homework from the previous workshop, with each school team raising one issue that they have seen in their school and providing a solution. As a group, we discussed each issue as well as their solutions, challenging each other's solutions and finding alternate ways to problem solve.

Next, John led us in a discussion on different leadership approaches. We watched clips of various leaders, local and global, discussing Gandhi, Majora Carter and Project Sprout. Something that was very interesting was the video about Gandhi. If you are unfamiliar with Gandhi, he was a non-violent activist that gave India their independence from Britain. Gandhi went across India, gathering followers for his cause, one of which was known as the Salt March. He was committed to getting his message across India and stopped at nothing to do so. Gandhi was an inspiring leader and was an example of the qualities a leader should have.

Continue reading "Workshop on 'What is Fundraising?'" »

Posted by Janay at 5:06 AM | Permalink

In order to go to India, you will need to obtain a Tourist Visa. Travisa Outsourcing is the company that handles India's visa applications. Please look at the website for application information: https://indiavisa.travisaoutsourcing.com. While getting a visa for the first time can sometimes be confusing, Travisa has very clear instructions that guide you along every step of the way.

In addition, Global LAB has put together a document that outlines the visa application process, highlights requirements, and gives you important information that is necessary for completing the application. Please read this document carefully. Download Here

If you do not have a Passport, you must apply for one now! Since processing time is currently 4-6 weeks, you will need to expedite the service. For more information on how to obtain a passport visit the Department of State's Website: http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html. You can also apply for a passport at any US Post Office: http://www.usps.com/passport.

Posted by Deborah at 6:13 PM | Permalink

Our 'Managing Self' workshop was a very fun experience. We started off with our familiar guided relaxation and breathing exercise to clear our heads and become focused and present. Then we began to dissect the main topic of the workshop, 'Managing Self' by discussing our strengths, passions, and purposes.

We started our conversation by discussing and creating the ILP definition of a 'strength'. Then we began giving examples of some strengths we have as individuals, aiming to identify ten. As we did this activity, some people were able to list their ten strengths quickly while others struggled a bit.

Deb facilitating the 'strengths' discussion.

Once we were finished identifying an discussing personal strengths, we played a game where we went quickly around the room saying one strength we each had that we had written down on our list. After doing this activity, we then transitioned into a discussion on our passions.

Bob asked us to choose five strengths that we also considered to be our passions. This was an easy task for us, because most of us knew what we were most passionate about. After choosing our passions we got into groups of three to do another activity. Each person in the group had to tell a story that dealt with one of the passions we'd identified. After each member told their story, the other group members told him/her which strengths they portrayed throughout their story.

Some of the traits observed included: being open-minded, friendly, and creative.

Gabriel shares an animated story about one of his passions.

Continue reading "Workshop on Managing Self: Strengths, Passions, and Purposes" »

Posted by Janay at 4:41 AM | Permalink

This past Sunday, we all attended a workshop designed to give us tools for managing daily stress, working effectively with challenging emotions, and understanding some of the other scientifically proven benefits that we can cultivate simply by developing our attention and awareness. The workshop was facilitated by Yosef Gurevitch, L.C.S.W.

Yosef is a licensed social worker and cognitive behavior therapist who received advanced teacher training in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction at the University of Massachusetts Medical School Center for Mindfulness.

During this workshop, we were given an overview of the benefits of mindfulness--a word that simply means paying careful attention to our thoughts and perceptions so we can better understand our own mental patterns and learn to see how we can sometimes get caught up in distracting, unhelpful, or negative thoughts.

After learning some of the theory about how mindfulness is helpful to many people, Yosef showed us a simple relaxation technique to start. We were asked to plant our feet firmly on the ground, rest our hands either on our laps or by the sides of our chairs, and finally, close our eyes so that we could take in our thoughts.

ILP Students practice mindfulness through a self-awareness technique.

Continue reading "Workshop on Managing Stress & Difficult Emotions through Mindful Awareness" »

Posted by Janay at 4:52 PM | Permalink

Yosef Gurevitch, L.C.S.W. facilitated our last student workshop on managing stress and working with difficult emotions, giving ILP students and staff a comprehensive overview of how to practice mindfulness at any time of the day, in any place. The only tools one needs to practice being mindful and raising self-awareness are: a willingness to relax, ability to pay attention to one's thoughts, and utilizing the mind to do so. If practicing mindfulness is a tool you would like to replicate at home or anywhere, for that matter, please refer to one of the resources that Yosef has kindly shared with us below:

1. The first resource is an IPhone App, called 'Simply Being-Guided Meditation for Relaxation and Presence', which IPhone or ITunes users can download to practice meditation and mindfulness anywhere. Click here to access the app on ITunes.

2. The second resource is a series of Mindfulness Meditation Audios from the Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC) at UCLA: Click here to access the audio series from UCLA's MARC.

3. The third resource is Christoper Germer's Mindful Self-Compassion website, which can be found here.

4. If you are interested in using a workbook to track your mindfulness and meditation practice sessions, check out 'A Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Workbook' by Bob Stahl. The workbook also comes with CDs. Yosef donated a copy of the workbook to the ILP, so let Janay know if you'd like to borrow it. Click here to access 'A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook' website.

If you are interested in learning more about Yosef Gurevitch and his practice, please visit the NY/NJ Center for Mindfulness where Yosef is a facilitator. View the following link to find out more about Yosef Gurevitch and how to enroll in one his classes at the NY/NJ Center for Mindfulness.

Posted by Janay at 3:00 AM | Permalink

As always, we began our workshop on designing leadership projects with a few minutes of guided relaxation focusing on our breathing, which helps us to release any stress from our day and become more focused and present.

Bob then began a discussion about one of the ILP's core components--the Leadership Project--reviewing with us what the Leadership Project involves, how we select a project that will improve our school community, and how we achieve our personal goals of leadership development through implementing the project.

Before we can start our leadership project, it is up to us to identify a problem or challenge that we see as existing within our school communities. The next step is applying the ILP definition of leadership to this issue: figuring out an effective way to solve or improve the situation in the community. Of course, we have to do this as a team, which may not be easy, since we have to agree on which project we would like to work on as a group.

Bob introduces the ILP Students to the Leadership Project.

The first step in designing our Leadership Project is to create a mission statement. A great mission statement consists of just three sentences, explaining the end goal of the project. The next step is to come up with a 'theory of change' that starts with our end mission goal, and backtracks from there with activities that will help to achieve the desired goals. Once we have a 'theory of change' clearly mapped out, we can start working on our project plan and work-plan.

Continue reading "Workshop on Designing Leadership Projects " »

Posted by Janay at 5:38 PM | Permalink

On Friday, March 30th, we participated on a special tour of the Rubin Museum of Art (RMA), which is considered the premier museum of Himalayan art in the western world.

Our customized tour was thoughtfully facilitated by the museum's education department team, who warmly welcomed the students, many of whom were first time visitors to the elegant and somewhat mysterious space. Our experience started off by taking some soothing breaths to settle and clear our minds in order to be focused and grounded for our encounter with Himalayan art and culture.

The first exhibit we saw was a seated Buddha statue. We observed and discussed his posture, his clothes, his very long ear lobes, and his different hand gestures, also known as mudras.

We learned that many of the physical aspects of the Buddha have a deeper symbolic meaning and help illustrate the story of how he gained enlightenment or "great awakening." We were "enlightened" about his biography as an actual historical person from Megan (our tour guide).

Megan explained that when the Buddha was very young a prophecy was made saying he would either grow up to become a powerful warrior prince or else a great spiritual leader. And we pretty much can figure out which one he chose, in spite of his parents' best efforts to steer him toward the role of warrior prince.

Students begin the museum tour with a deeper look into the story of the Buddha.

The historical Buddha was born into a wealthy family and was spoiled beyond his wildest dreams. Raised in a sheltered compound from which he wasn't allowed to leave throughout his childhood, he finally escaped and realized what the outside world was really like.

For the first time he saw all kinds of suffering, including poverty, famine, sickness, old age, and death--all of which had been completely hidden from him. He decided to live in a forest, refusing food to try to experience great suffering like everyone else.

After losing a lot of weight and strength he realized that this method wasn't solving much and so he sat down under a tree and meditated for 7 weeks until he experienced his awakening to the true nature of reality (which made his brain grow and his head expand upward to make room for the special new gray matter). He eventually became a revered spiritual leader, dedicating his life to helping others discover ways to free themselves from suffering.

Continue reading "ILP Visits the Amazing Rubin Museum of Art" »

Posted by Janay at 7:15 PM | Permalink

This past Friday, the students participated in a workshop on negotiation and persuasion skills with a special guest speaker, Prince Rashid Bin El Hassan of Jordan.

The Prince addresses ILP students on the topics of negotiation and persuading others.

Prince Rashid spoke to the students about his perspective on negotiation and persuasion based on his past experiences and various leadership positions, such as being in the Jordanian army, organizing counter-terrorism initiatives in Jordan, and aiding and assisting in Middle-Eastern peace initiatives directly related to Jordan.

Prince Rashid talks to ILP students about his daily schedule and responsibilities.

He had great advice for the students, ranging from their future careers to their curiosity about traveling and being a world citizen. One key aspect of negotiation and persuasion that the Prince addressed with the students is how to work with others to achieve a common goal and resolve conflicts.

Continue reading "Prince Rashid bin El Hassan of Jordan Visits ILP" »

Posted by Janay at 6:31 PM | Permalink

This past Friday, we traveled to Jackson Heights, Queens, to participate in a neighborhood scavenger hunt and to eat delicious Himalayan cuisine at the Himalayan Yak Restaurant.

The scavenger hunt was a first for most of us and also an interesting experience. We were split into groups of four students and sent off to scavenge for information about the Jackson Heights community. In order to receive the information needed, we were to interact with the people of Jackson Heights. We gathered information from how to say 'hello' and 'goodbye' in Hindi to the popular types of spices people use to cook.

Students talk with a community resident about his South Asian culture and background.

Students visit a neighborhood jewelry store to check items off of their scavenger hunt list.

Randy and Silvia look through a selection of 'bindis' (South Asian forehead decoration).

Continue reading "ILP Visits Jackson Heights and the Himalayan Yak Restaurant" »

Posted by Janay at 9:35 PM | Permalink

On Friday, May 18th, ILP students gathered again to continue working on our Leadership Projects. The Leadership Projects are intended to provide solutions to problems or challenges that each school team has identified within their school community. Examples of school issues that we are planning to resolve include: a lack of community service opportunities, too few after school enrichment activities, and poor school spirit due to social cliques.

First, we continued to revise and edit our project mission statements. The mission statement is a brief description of our ultimate leadership project objective. It explains what we plan on achieving by solving the problem we have identified at our school.

After working on our mission statements, we began working on our 'Theory of Change', which can be described as a backward mapping or reverse timeline, where we plot our project out into four main goals (the final one being the Mission Statement). For each goal, we have activities that must be completed in order achieve the overall objective.

Finally, we worked on our project workplan, which is a detailed schedule outlining how we will complete our activities and our goals over the course of the next few months leading into the coming school year.

Continue reading "Workshop on Implementing the Leadership Project " »

Posted by Janay at 7:14 AM | Permalink

On Friday, June 6th, the ILP participants traveled by jeep, car, subway, bus, and foot to meet at the Hindu Temple Society of North America's stunning Ganesh Temple, located in Flushing, Queens. Here we received a firsthand introduction to the major beliefs and practices of Hinduism, the predominant religion in India and the third largest religion in the world, after Christianity and Islam.

ILP students with our welcoming host, Mr. Padmanabhan

We were welcomed to the temple for the second year in a row by Mr. Padmanabhan, who kindly shared his deep knowledge of Hinduism with our group while leading a tour of the Temple's shrines and grounds.

Posted by Global LAB at 3:59 AM | Permalink

Global LAB provides international medical insurance, including emergency medical evacuation, for all of our program participants. For detailed information, please review the CORE Insurance Program FAQ.

If you have any questions or would like additional information, including options to upgrade your coverage levels, please email CORE's administrator directly at administrator@coretravelinsurance.com.

Posted by Deborah at 7:50 PM | Permalink

Global LAB recommends that ILP students and parents/guardians refer to the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the most current vaccination suggestions and general health information for travelers to India. The CDC website is also available in Spanish.

In addition, we strongly recommend that you consult with your regular doctor/pediatrician, as he/she can offer specific health recommendations based on your individual medical history.

Please be sure to note the CDC's recommendation for getting the Typhoid vaccination. This applies to ILP participants, as we will be staying with families in a small village:

"Typhoid - Recommended for all unvaccinated people traveling to or working in South Asia, especially if staying with friends or relatives or visiting smaller cities, villages, or rural areas where exposure might occur through food or water."

When you meet with your doctor, the issue of malaria prevention should be discussed. The decision whether or not to take an anti-malaria medication is for you and your physician to determine. Should you decide to take anti-malaria medication, we recommend choosing among the various alternatives to Larium (generic name mefloquine), as Larium is known to cause negative side effects in a significant number of people who take it.

If your doctor is not well versed in international travel medicine, you may wish to consult with Passport Health, a travel clinic with offices in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. They charge an initial consultation fee of $65, which includes a review of your specific travel itinerary, as well as vaccination recommendations. There is an additional fee based on whatever immunizations/vaccinations are provided.

Posted by Deborah at 8:01 PM | Permalink

Our last of many gatherings in NYC before we finally fly to India!

This is our first group post. Each student contributed a sentence or phrase:

Today is doomsday [from someone who has never flown before and has some very understandable jitters about the fact that her very first flight is all the way from New York to Delhi!], the day of departure.
Most of us our nervous and excited.
Today we tried to arrange ourselves in a line according to our age without talking as a teambuilding activity.

Randy signs the "The Crew"'s self-generated contract, outlining goals for treating each other and those we encounter in India with respect and positive attitudes, keeping open minds, and embodying different aspects of leadership throughout the coming adventure

We also did our first journaling about the upcoming experience.
Writing in our journals helped us face our fears and emotions about our trip.
We are leaving soon.
We learned three things about each other doing the fellowship of the rope activity.
I'm nervous, but at the same time I'm so excited that I just want to be on the plane!

Luis, Malik, and Randy, ready to roll

Why haven't we left yet? I'm hungry.
The grounding exercise created anxiety for some people.
Me and Sylvia played pool and I won.
Last day in NYC, getting ready for India.

Smiling Malik carries his towering backpack through Times Square, to the subway to the AirTrain to the plane to India

Check back soon for our first update from INDIA!!!

Posted by Global LAB at 5:41 PM | Permalink

We left our meeting place near Times Square, bags in hand, and walked to the 42nd Street-Port Authority subway. This was D-day (departure day) and we were taking the train to Sutphin Blvd to take the airtrain to JFK airport. After checking-in and going through security, we ate dinner in the terminal and played card games until it was time to board our flight.

The group at the airport, ready to check in

Malik and Dalia are ready to head to Delhi!

We all boarded the plane--it was a huge double decker!--and we were all excited to fly through London, since it would be our first time any of us had ever been to Europe.

Everyone had a good flight, even those who were on a plane for the first time (shout out to Christine!). The total flight time was 6.5 hours to London. We mostly slept since we were all tired from the day of traveling, and because our flight was in the night.The airplane food was just as you would expect it to be, I guess.

In London, we got off of the plane and hurried to our next connection, taking notice of the London 2012 Olympics advertisements everywhere! No security problems came up and we boarded our flight to Delhi. We had 7.5 more hours until we arrived in New Delhi, India...

WE'RE HERE! WHOO! All of us are safe and healthy. AND . . . no one has gotten sick or lost anything! Our flight arrived at 12 a.m. and we got to the guest house at 2 a.m. in the morning. I suppose everyone slept well. Some of us are still tired (jet lag), but we'll get through it. 20 More Days To Go, we'll be home soon (not that we're in a rush! We just got here!).

- Randy and Christine

BLOG POST EN ESPANOL:

Fuimos del lugar donde nos encontramos cerca de Times Square y con las maletas a mano, caminamos a la parada en el subte de 42nd St Port Authority. Era el día de salida y íbamos en tren hacia Sutphin Blvd para ir en el airtain al aeropuerto de JFK.

Continue reading "New York to Delhi" »

Posted by Janay at 6:15 PM | Permalink

With Sheanell on her right, and Jess on her left, Christine is all smiles aboard her very first flight

Posted by Global LAB at 9:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The group's British Airways flight landed at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport, a few minutes ahead of schedule. The tired travelers were welcomed by Global LAB staff members Deb, Emilya, and Peter Sonam and were draped with ceremonial white silk scarves to mark an auspicious beginning of their time in India.

ILP students, with Peter-la, still smiling after many, many hours of air travel

Posted by Global LAB at 7:42 PM | Permalink

Today the group woke up at approximately 9:30 am (some much earlier than others) and met up to do a guided yoga and meditation session with Emilya.

We got our first daytime glimpse of India through a walk led by Peter-la around the block of the guest home. During our walk, we stopped for coconuts(!) and many of us drank fresh coconut water and ate coconut jelly for the first time. After the walk, we had a group discussion about how it felt to have our first real interaction with India--and after this, we had lunch and began a full afternoon of activities.

First, we went to visit the Gandhi Museum, a memorial filled with amazing facts about Gandhi's life and philosophies. On the second level of the museum, there were a lot of cool interactive pieces of art, which was fun considering that in other museums we're not allowed to touch any of the artifacts.

After that, we visited the Sikh temple. We were required to cover our heads (out of respect for the religion) and wash our feet before entering the temple. The inside of the temple, while crowded (~5,000 visitors!), was beautiful. On the inside, the walls were covered in gold designs and on the outside there was a sacred bathing place, where people came to purify themselves.

All of us in front of the Sikh Temple in New Delhi

We also had a great cross-cultural encounter today. We met three college students from India who were in school to study Spanish. The Spanish speakers in our group struck up a conversation with them, and here we were having a conversation in Spanish between a group of American and Indian students in Delhi. That was a special interaction none of us will forget. So overall, we had a very eventful and exhausting day! I wonder what tomorrow has to bring?

- Christine

Hoy el grupo se levantó a las 9:30 de la mañana (algunos más temprano que los otros) y nos encontramos para hacer una sesión de yoga y meditación con Emilya.

Continue reading "First Day in Delhi (Day 2)" »

Posted by Janay at 7:09 PM | Permalink

So starting our second full day of India, we had an amazing breakfast with eggs, tea, and bread. After that we had a meeting about our group contract and finalized it. I thought our group should have been named the "The Smooth Crew" instead of "The Crew" because it sounded plain. Then after that we went to a mosque called Jama Masjid and it wasn't as crowded as the Sikh temple but like the temple visit we had to wear nothing on our feet. We also went up a very high tower at the edge of the temple, and the the view was awesome because I could see all of Delhi and there was lots of wind blowing.

At the top of the Jama Masjid tower

'The Crew' in front of Delhi's Jama Masjid

Another photo of 'The Crew', this time with poses

After that, we took a very sightful trip on the rickshaws (bikes with carriages) and I saw a lot of things. Some of the many things were: a lot of poverty, oxen, horses, and cool stores.

Myself and Shania on a rickshaw riding through the streets of Delhi.

Then we had lunch at a very fancy restaurant (for India) and we ate a lot of food, but my favorite was the strawberry ice cream and the naan (a type of bread). Then we went to the Indian Gate, which is the official monument of Delhi. I did not like being there, because people were staring too much at us which is quite annoying because we really don't look that different and forcing me to buy stuff when I am not interested.

'The Crew' and Trip Leaders in front of Delhi's India Gate

Then, we went to Fab India, which is a clothing store, and I bought two things which were about 690 rupees (about 12 dollars).

Then we went back to the guest house, and we had dinner which I didn't really eat too much of because, you know, I wasn't really hungry. So, after that, we had a debrief and talked about some weird things, such as POOP. We talked about how much we are having bowel movements, when, and the scale of hardness. Also, we learned we are first class (FINALLY!) on the train we are taking to Dehradun, however, we know it is going to be very croweded. Lastly, we discussed our most memorable moment of the day and mine was at India Gate, where a security man was standing completely still doing nothing under it, and personally I couldn't stand extremely still doing nothing for hours.

P.S. I love the word "Tashi Delek", which means hello in Tibetan.

- Malik

Empezamos el segundo día en la India con un desayuno increíble con huevos, te, y pan. Después de eso, teníamos una reunión sobre el contrato del grupo y lo finalizamos. Pensé que nos debían llamarnos "El Grupo Suave" en ves de "El Grupo" porque suena simple.

Continue reading "Jama Masjid, India Gate and Rickshaws! (Day 3)" »

Posted by Janay at 7:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

After an early morning departure from Delhi, the group's 6-hour train ride north to Dehradun has arrived and everyone is now checked in to their hotel.

Located in the Doon Valley, nestled in the foothills of the Lesser Himalaya Range, Dehradun is the capital of the Indian state of Uttarakhand and its higher elevation should offer the travelers some relief from the heat of recent days in Delhi--high temperatures will be in the mid to high 80's, instead of mid to high 90's.

John

Posted by Global LAB at 10:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Early morning today! Everyone woke up at 4 a.m. to catch a train to Dehradun from the New Delhi train station. Even this early in the morning, the weather was tropical--not exactly unwelcome, but different from the weather we are all used to in the States. We got some great exercise putting our bags into the car in this weather--and we were all wide awake for our next adventure. I'm positive we're all going to miss Delhi, but we're coming back at the tail end of the trip for two more days.

The train station was a great glimpse into India: it was crowded, there were cars entering the station from every direction dropping passengers off, and then there we were--adding more people to the crowd, toting our big bags into the station, which was already buzzing at 5 a.m.

And not only was the station buzzing with people, but there were also some monkeys passing through, who were also hungry for our snacks! So you can say we had our first group hilarious encounter with the monkeys--I say encounter because the monkey ran up to one of our bags and stole a pack of cookies from a student and then went to eat them only a FEW FEET away from us. He didn't even like them! Needless to say, all the bananas we were eating for breakfast were put away immediately. This is India!

A monkey steals Dalia's cookies and didn't even eat them!

The train arrived, and we boarded--all taking our seats close to another. We ate breakfast and drank Chai, Indian milky tea. The train ride was 6 hours, so the group had plenty of time to sleep, bond and watch the Indian countryside out of the window--everyone did a bit of everything, sometimes joining in an exhilarating game of Uno or reflecting about their time in India while staring out of the window.

Members of 'The Crew' on the train to Derhadun

Upon arrival in Derhadun, we were escorted to our hotel. After settling down, and taking a short break, we took tuk tuks, small, open motor-vehicles to a town that was host to Tibetan refugees. Along the way to the Tibetan refugees I noticed the mountains around us. I felt as if the mountains were surrounding us from every side.

Our first stop was lunch, where the students ate steamed Momos--Tibetan style dumplings, mutton soup, fried rice and lo mein. It was a delicious meal that all the students had anticipated. I remember Luis asking me just the day before if we were going to have Momos anytime soon.

After lunch, we visited a Tibetan doctor, who practices herbal medicine. He evaluated three leaders: Adam, Deb and myself. The doctor evaluated us by telling us our body types and giving us a synopsis of what was currently going on with our bodies. Finally, we were given the option to buy herbal medicine to help take care of our diagnoses. The students observed and were able to begin to understand the different Eastern perspective on medicine, especially as it is understood in Tibetan culture.

The view from the Tibetan community in Derhadun

Tibetan women wear colorful woven and embroidered aprons to signal the fact that they are married; we visited a loom factory where we witnessed several women weaving these aprons and making incense.

We then walked to a monastery and saw the inside of a temple, and said hello to some nuns before walking around the village and taking the tuks tuks back to the hotel, where we met the puppeteer Ramlal, who introduced us to his crafts of puppetry and art.

Silvia in front of the temple in the monastery

Christine in front of the temple in the monastery

Nuns at the monastery in Derhadun

Randy and Ramlal with the artist's puppets

We had dinner afterwards and all of us went to bed immediately. Everyone had a great, exciting, exhausting day.

--Janay and Silvia

Tren Temprano de Delhi Hacia Derhadun

Teníamos una mañana temprana hoy. Todos se levantaron a las 4 de la mañana para subir el tren hacia Dehradun desde la estación del tren en New Delhi. Aunque era tan temprana, la clima era todavía tropical - no tan mala pero diferente de lo que estamos acostumbrados a en los Estados Unidos.

Continue reading "Early Train from Delhi to Dehradun (Day 4)" »

Posted by Janay at 11:00 AM | Permalink

Ingredients:
1) The Crew (ILP 2012)
2) 4 Tourist Cars w. Drivers
3) Peter-la
4) Mohan-ji
5) Open Minds
6) Positive Attitudes
7) Our Journals

Prep Time:
1 hour for eating breakfast
5 minutes for preparing groups
5 minutes for gathering into vehicles

Cooking Time:
A Full Day

Steps:

1: Hey there. Shania here! Hope you're enjoying my 'recipe'. Today we had a full day in Derhadun. We left a little after 10 a.m. and made our way to Cyril-ji's home, a special guest speaker. My type of morning if you ask me, a morning filled with useful and meaningful talks and LOTS of chai (I swear it's slowly becoming my favorite) and with cookies, too. Cyril-ji spoke about how we shouldn't look at India in a bad way. We should have positive outlooks on this incredible country, hence the phrase "Incredible India" on our immigration cards.

He also spoke about his life and times in which he's had to do daring acts. Which is why he told us to "Just do it, like Nike and go with the flow because it usually works" and to "follow your own rules because it's not about what someone else thinks". Great mottos! He also told us to always be idealistic and ready to try new things!

Shania in Derhadun!

2: We then went out for lunch and then to the local market to shop. Shopping in Derhadun is not like shopping in New York. Our shopping experience was full of bargaining to what we felt were better prices than the original pricetags. We ended our market shopping spree after purchasing dupattas (scarves) for the ladies of 'The Crew' to wear in the village and after we headed to the next speaker's home.

3: After our car ride (yes, a car today not a Tuk Tuk this time!) we ended up at another speaker's office. This time it was a woman by the name of Adity P. Kaur (Adity-ji is what we had to call her--out of respect). Adity-ji is the founder of the Mountain Children's Foundation (MCF). This foundation helps children of the mountains express what they feel isn't being heard through a magazine that is sent out monthly throughout India. The foundation also has a help line which children can call if distressed.

The MCF works to help create genuine change in the mountains through empowerment and activism of local communities. Adity-ji also left us with some useful and meaningful words and phrases. When asked by me: "What tips do you use to keep your foundation successful"? she responded by saying "Having fun and letting the children think for themselves and not interfering [with this process]". She also said that "thinking about the positives, what I have now, and not the negatives and what I don't have, and always sticking together" are other tips for success. These tips seem to be working well because the MCF has been running successfully since the early 2000's!

Learning Hindi words with team members of the Mountain Children's Foundation

Our new friends! The group takes a photo with the Mountain Children Foundation's team

We've had a wonderful day in Derhadun! Hope you've enjoyed!

- Shania C.

Receta para un día exitoso en Derhadun

Ingredientes:

1. El grupo de ILP 2012
2. 4 coches de turistas con choferes
3. Peter-la (nuestro gia)
4. Mohan-ji
5. Cebreros abiertos
6. Actitudes positivos
7. Nuestros diarios

Tiempo para Prepararlo:

Una hora para comer desayuno
5 minutos para preparar los grupos
5 minutos para organizar los coches

Tiempo de Cocinarlo:

Un dia completo

Continue reading "Recipe for a Successful Day in Derhadun (Day 5)" »

Posted by Janay at 6:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We left the hotel in Dehradun and we were planning to go to Rishikesh, and have lunch there. While we were driving the whole way to Rishikesh, so we decided to not have lunch there because the town was having their festival to honor the god Shiva with a pilgrimmage. There were people from all over India there. It was interesting because we were in front of the Ganges river.

Locals and visitors cross the bridge to bathe in the Ganges river

Janay and Shania pose inside a German Bakery at the entrance to the bridge

The Ganges is supposed to be the holy river, it has the power to clean. It cleans the spirit. We saw a few monkeys when we were walking to the cars, when we were continuing on the way to the Ashram. We stopped to have lunch and we had a few roti (Indian flat bread), and we had mixed vegetables and rice. It was calm, with rocks making up the floor. The restaurant made me feel calm as soon as I walked in. Someone in the restaurant mistook me for Indian again. I'm not offended--I see it as normal because it makes sense given my skin color.

When we were driving up through the mountains, there were curves, and sometimes the road was narrow, and when you would look down it was a beautiful view, you could see everything. Being in the mountains reinforced the fact that I like to be outside, and that being here has made me want to include this more in my life back in the States. I just feel like here is more peaceful than in the U.S. There is too much noise, and wherever you go people are always active and doing something. The way I see it, there are too many distractions, that you can't focus.

We arrived at the village, we were at a high altitude so we were able to see the rain, it started getting cooler immediately. It's the same thing like when I go hiking. You're hiking, you're hot, and when we get to the higher point, it gets cooler. We finally got to the school, and we were exploring how the village looked from up here. My first impression was like wow--this is the most beautiful view ever. Everything in me, my stress melted away.

A view from the mountains in Karas Village, Tehri Garwhal

After having a chai break, we took a silent walk down the hill and listened to the sounds of birds, felt the breeze, heard the wind, then they told us to focus and pay attention to our breathng, and when I was paying attention to our breathing, I felt more calm and relaxed and I was controlling my breathing. When you pay attention to one part of your body, that part of your body feels more at ease. I paid the most attention to the sounds surrounding me. I noticed a few people talking, and I saw different types of trees.

When we came back we stopped for a moment and learned a few Hindi words, such as nahi, which means 'no'--and it's useful because when you don't want something, you can say 'nahi'. I also learned ha ji, which means 'yes'. I also learned 'bus' which means 'enough'--when someone at my homestay gives me water or food, you can say 'bus, bus' to say enough. This would be a way of communcating with the homestay family and making sure that we can understand each other. If I speak English they won't understand me, but if I speak in Hindi they will.

At dinner, I saw a vegetable in a dish that is very popular in my country, the Dominican Republic. It was okra. I felt like I was at home when I saw it, even though I was in India. The taste was different and I was surprised they had it so I filled my plate--even though it was in a different form. It made me realize that we have a lot more in common than what I think.

-Jimmy

Fuimos del hotel en Dehradun y pensábamos que íbamos a Rishikesh para almorzar. Cuando manejábamos hacia Rishikesh decidimos que no íbamos a almorzar allí porque hubo una festival para el dios Shiva que incluyó una peregrinaje del pueblo. Habia la gente de toda la país allí. Era interesante porque estábamos enfrente del rio Ganges.


La gente local y los visitantes cruzando el puente para bañarse en el rio Ganges.

Continue reading "Road to the Ganges: A Day in Rishikesh (Day 6)" »

Posted by Janay at 7:10 PM | Permalink

The group completed their winding drive from Rishikesh, the "gateway to the Himalaya", to the village where our host and partner organization, the APV School, is based.

Students are now settled into the first night of their homestays with local Indian families, whose children attend the nearby school.

They did not have enough free time to post a blog today, but Deb relayed via text message that all is well.

She said the students were nervous but also excited to be experiencing life as it is lived in a small village in North India.

One highlight: Randy was introduced to a Bollywood dance party by what seemed like the entire village. We are definitely looking forward to photos(!) and more student reflections soon.

John (posted from NYC)

Hoy el grupo terminó su maneje desde Rishikesh, "la puerta de la Himalaya," hacia el pueblito donde está nuestra organización compañera, la escuela de Ashram de Paryavaran Vidhyalaya, que se llama APV. Aquí esta el "link" a su sitio del web: http://www.apvschool.org/

Los estudiantes están en casa con sus familias anfitriones, quienes tienen niños que asisten la escuela APV.

No tenían tiempo para escribir un blog hoy, pero me aviso su líder, Deb, que todo esta bien.

Me dijo ella que los estudiantes se sentían nerviosos pero también emocionantes para experimentar la vida rural en la India del norte.

Algo interesante que paso hoy fue que Randy se introducía al baile del cine de la India que se llama Bollywood por todo el pueblito! Queremos ver las fotos y mas reflexiones de los estudiantes pronto!

Posted by Global LAB at 7:41 PM | Permalink

Christine's homestay mother

Dalia's homestay mother

Janissa's homestay sister

Jimmy's homestay mother and younger sister

Luis's homestay mother

Malik's homestay younger brother

Randy's homestay mother and father

Rosie's homestay father

Shania's homestay mother

Sheanell's homestay younger brother

Silvia's homestay mother

Thank you to all of the homestay families in Karas village who hosted is for this wonderful week!

--ILP 2012

Posted by Janay at 8:10 AM | Permalink

Today we got to visit the students at the Ashram Paryavaran Vidyalaya (APV) school, located in the Garwhal region of the Indian Himalayas. The grades range from kindergarten to 8th grade. Their motto is "Knowledge is that which liberates". First we started the day with observing nature and our surroundings for about 15 minutes. This exercise is a similar exercise to what we do in NY, such as when we took time to silently walk around the New York Times building. Here in India, I heard the birds chirping and it was foggy. I felt peaceful and relaxed--this is something I will try to do at home because there's a freedom from stress that I get by being still. I will try to show my family and friends this technique of observation, and see if they have the same results as I did.

Students at the APV School in the Indian Himalayas

'Somewhere' is an English song that the students sing every morning during meditation

While walking around in observation, we also took time to get to know the children and learn their names as well as what grades they were in. I felt nervous because I didn't know how to communicate with them, because not all of them speak English. But I eventually found a way to communicate with them, by using gestures. I felt accomplished being able to do this. The students were friendly and adorable. They were very interested in learning about us and our country.

Silvia and Rosie get to know the students at APV

After this, we lined up in silence to start a meditation exercise. The principal of the school lead the exercise by asking us to practice our breathing by relaxing our bodies and minds. We do this at the beginning of every meeting back in NY, and we call it 'grounding'. We did this for about five minutes, before meeting in the assembly hall and continued the grounding exercises with singing. Both the ILP group and the APV students took turns singing songs. We sang 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' and the 'Itsy Bitsy Spider'. I was surprised to find out that they knew both songs, and because of this I felt like I wanted to teach them something new. It made me realize that our culture was already diffused into their culture. After breakfast, we then played games with them, and watched a documentary about the daily life as an APV student. During my observation, I came to realize that these children may live in the mountains, far from the city, but they are extremely united.

Playing volleyball with the students

We then watched a video about the APV school. During the video they explained that meditation and music played a large aspect in the school. One girl in the video explained that she had many responsibilities in the morning before she went to school. She had to clean and milk the cows and take care of household responsibilities. This made me realize how appreciative I am of my mother and when I get back home, I will be showing my gratitude towards her. I will try to help out more as well.

--Amanda

"Aprendizaje es lo que se Libera"

Hoy visitamos los estudiantes de la escuela de Ashram Paryavaran Vidyalaya (APV), ubicado en la región de Garwhal de las cordilleras Himalaya. Allí se tiene estudiantes entre las edades de cinco a trece años. Su frase escolar es, "aprendizaje es lo que se libera." Primero, empezamos el dia por observar la naturaleza y nuestros alrededores para 15 minutos. Este ejercicio es semejante a algo que hicimos en Nueva York cuando caminamos por el edificio de New York Times sin hablando. Aquí en la India, escuche los ruidos de pájaros y sentí la niebla en mi piel. Me sentí relajada y en paz.

Continue reading "Knowledge Is That Which Liberates" »

Posted by Janay at 8:50 AM | Permalink

It was something about the morning that made it feel like it was going to be a good day. My homestay family father work me up at 5 a.m. to drink chai. After breakfast I walked to the school with the children of the village. They had so many questions for me that I know they couldn't remember all the information I was telling them. It made me feel so comforting, like I belong in the village with them. When I reached APV, some of the kids had to part ways to go to a school further up the mountain, Modern Day Public School, and so the day began.

The morning meditation felt so relaxing. It is something about the morning mist and the smell of wet grass that calms the body so clearly. After the morning meditation and singing, the students performed a play for us in English. This really inspired me because with English being a second language to them, they spoke so confidently. I was always nervous when speaking French, however, now I feel like I can do it with confidence.

Luis at the APV School

APV students perform a welcome play for ILP!

After the play, we each were assigned a group of students. I was assigned two students whose names are Preshant and Punam. It was like a meet and greet. They came prepared with questions. Some of them made me think deeply about myself because I didn't have definitive answers.

Luis introduce Preshant and Punam to the rest of the group

After we got to know each other, it was break-time for the children. It was amazing how a single game of soccer (football) could bring everyone together and brighten people's day.

After the break was over, we assembled back in the classroom. Mohan (APV coordinator and school teacher) then explained the school's system of mathematics. They used beads, a very basic but fundamental system. Each color bead represented a unit. Blues were ones, reds were tens and greens were hundreds. Then we split into groups again to practice our new profound knowledge. It's incredible how something so simple can be so complex.

Luis explains how to solve a math problem on the board to APV students

Luis and a student play with beads to solve math problems

Amanda and Dalia use beads to teach students a math problem

After this, the school day was over. Now its time to return to our homestay and rest for a new day of enlightenment.

--Luis

"Un Día Lindo en Las Montañas (Día 8)"

Era algo de la mañana que me puso feliz. Pensé que iba a ser un día bueno. Mi papa de mi familia temporaria me despertó a las 5 de la mañana para tomar un te chai. Después de desayuno, caminaba a escuela con los chicos del pueblito. Me preguntaban tantas preguntas que yo se no podía recordar todo la información que les dije! Me sentía muy cómodo, como era un parte del pueblito, de la comunidad. Cuando llegamos a la escuela APV, algunos chicos separaron para ir a escuela más arriba de la montaña en su escuela que se llama La Escuela Publica y Moderna.

Continue reading "A Beautiful Day in the Mountains (Day 8)" »

Posted by Janay at 9:44 AM | Permalink

Dalia introduces her two students to the class

Our walk this morning was enjoyable. I am used to it by now. I'm not surprised that I'm used to it and I don't think it's a long walk. The locals here do it everyday and at home, I have to walk a lot and I have to carry this bookbag on my back to go to school. The routine is not that different, but the environment is different. At home, I take the bus or train, but here I am walking. You walk up and down, and you see all of these lights and you say, it's worth walking this distance.

At the Ashram today, there was no school, and we washed our clothes, and I was like, 'I appreciate machines' because I had to wash a week of clothes! You sit with this bucket, and you have to wash and your back is hurting and then you have to go back and make sure that the clothes have no more soap, and make sure all the soap is gone. My back was hurting, my feet, my hands, even my brain hurt today. At home, either my mom washes for me or I take it to the laundromat. It made me realize that people do not realize what they have--like at home we are used to having things easy, but when you have to do it, you realize that you do appreciate what you have. I appreciate my mom so much for what she does for me at home. I never want to move out now! We are many years ahead in terms of technology and back in the Dominican Republic, they have washing machine where you have to wash a little, but not their way, you have to do it today. Here today, washing, it took so much time, and it took so much more work, plus you have to wait until it dries. We couldn't hang it up outside because it was raining right after we washed. Actually, after today, I will consider doing the laundry myself at home.

Everybody had one thing in common today when we were washing: we were all accustomed to let our parents do our work for us. It made me feel closer realizing that we had this in common.

We also went to the market and did a scavenger hunt, were we had to look for different items in the marketplace, and how many garment stands are in the whole village. I had to ask for a couple of words and take pictures of ourselves in front of an STD, what they call phone booths in India. Randy and Silvia were in my group, and we worked well together. All of us had different qualities that made us work together well. My definition of market is different from this village's idea of a market. For me a market is a department store; for them, a market is a whole street of stores where different items are available. I thought a market would have been a mall. Shops do not necessarily compete with others in malls like they do in markets. In this country, the people in the village do not have much, and they spend so little and they do well with what they have. The distribution of wealth is larger here, whereas in the U.S. it is lower--the gap between rich and poor is not as big. But I also see that poor looks different in different places.

We had to plan lessons with the students as if we were teachers. I realized that teachers have a tough job because they have to plan. Teaching is hard work, and you have to plan your lesson without maybe knowing your students, especially on your first day. I have a new appreciation for teachers, and I know that teachers have to have heart for what they do everyday. I know that if I am going to last an hour with the kids, I will have to really think about what I teach before hand.

Today was a very stressful day but we had fun! Laundry, scavanger hunt, mini lessons, we all got something to carry on and think about when we head back home. For me, I appreciate what I already have and I will not make judgements on simple things that may look like a bad thing because everything is not what it seems. We the 'Crew' are a great team and sharing time with each other really develops our leadership skills and I know that this trip is really going to take the best of us and put it to use in our lives as leaders.

--Dalia

"Una Nivel de Agradecimiento Nueva"

Nuestro camino esta mañana era divertido. Estoy acostumbrado al camino ahora. No me sorprendí que estoy acostumbrado y no es un camino largo. La gente local lo hace cada día y cuando estaba en los estados unidos caminaba mucho y llevaba mi mochila también. La rutina no es tan diferente pero el ambiente es diferente. Los los estados unidos tomo el bus or el tren pero aquí estoy caminando. Caminas arriba y abajo, mirando todas las luces, y la distancia vale la pena.

Continue reading "A New Level of Appreciation (Day 9)" »

Posted by Janay at 4:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Jimmy uses beads to solve a math problem for APV students

The students did a musical for us. The theme of the musical was to identify different types of vegetables. The students are doing plays about vegetables because it directly relates to their vegetarian lifestyle. I enjoyed this way of teaching their beliefs. Every morning during assembly, we sing two songs to the school to share our culture to them. Today, Ms. Finkelstein helped us decide to sing the Fresh Prince of Bel- Air Theme song. Everyone in the room started clapping. I felt even more connected with the APV students after realizing they liked rap music, because I listen to that music at home.

Today we celebrated Emilya's birthday. The APV students sang a happy birthday song, and we created one for her as well. The students gave her gifts and she was really happy.

After morning assembly, we walked to the local high school called Inter College. Christine did a great job introducing us to the high school, explaining who we are, what we do and our purpose.

Christine introduces ILP to the Inter College

We started talking to the students and both ILP and Inter College students were asking questions about one another. Then we split up and went into different classes and my group taught Spanish. Teaching Spanish was cool, the students were catching on really quickly. I never thought I would be teaching Spanish in India.

Jess with girls from the Inter College

Christine shows off her Bhangra skills to students at the Inter College

I always thought knowing more than one language could open more doors and create more opportunities and today reaffirmed this. They are so interested in learning new things which is surprising to me, because it seems as if most people are not.

Jimmy and Luis meeting some of the local boys

We then went to the children's home in the Ashram. This is a place where children can stay when their parents pass away or their parents can't take care of them any longer. We met all the children that are staying there. We learned how they make jam and mango pickles to sell to support the children in the Ashram.

Volunteers making mango pickle to sell to support the Ashram

They were telling us their stories of how they got to the Ashram and what they want to do when they grow up. It was really inspiring to hear them talk about what they want to be, because some said they want to show people that they can be 'something'. I felt empowered because they showed how much they want to succeed in life which will help push me towards my goals.

Adam with some of the boys from the Ashram

Janay, Christine and Jess dance for the Ashram students

Sheanell and Randy perform an old-school dance

Then we started to play volleyball. My team won. It was fun because we were interacting with the other Ashram kids, and everyone was enjoying. Overall, today was a great day. We had fun, everyone learned new things and I was able to teach Spanish!

--Jimmy

Los estudiantes realizaron una musical para nosotros. El tema de la musical era para identificar vegetales diferentes. Los estudiantes hicieron escenas sobre vegetales porque reflejaron su moda de vida vegetariana. Cada mañana durante la asamblea, cantamos dos canciones a los estudiantes para compartir nuestra cultura con ellos. Hoy, Senora Finkelstein nos ayudó a cantar el tema del programa "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." Cada persona en el cuarto estaba aplaudiendo. Me sentía una conexión mas fuerte con los estudiantes de APV después de darme cuenta que les gusta la música rap, porque en los estados unidos escucha esa música mucho.

Hoy celebramos el cumple de Emilya. Los estudiantes de APV cantaron una canción para su cumple años y escribimos una canción para ella también. Los estudiantes le dieron regalos y ella se sentía feliz.

Continue reading "Today Was A Great Day! (Day 10)" »

Posted by Janay at 4:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Janissa introduces her two students to the class

El día de hoy, al igual que todos los días, fue fabuloso y divertido. Tuvimos que levantarnos mas temprano de lo común para poder estar a tiempo en la escuela APV, debido a que hoy íbamos a impartir algunas materias a los niños de esta escuela. Como es usual comenzamos el dia en la escuela APV haciendo unos ejercicios de meditacion y luego en el aula los estudiantes se lucieron con su flamante música y para complacerlos nosotros también tuvimos que cantar algunas canciones americanas.

Luego cada uno de nosotros escojo un aula para impartir una material diferente, las materias impartidas fueron las siguientes: Luis y Rosi fueron los encargados de enseñarles trabajo en equipo a algunos estudiantes, Amanda y Silvia como recordar la tabla de multiplicación de una manera fácil, Sheanell y Shania estuvieron enseñando algunos elementos de literatura, Dalia y Christine escogieron enseñar matemática a algunos estudiantes, Randy y Malik impartieron clases de Rap (tipo de canto) y por ultimo pero no menos importante Jimmy y yo (Janissa) estuvimos impartiendo clases de español como tercer idioma para aquellos estudiantes cuyo segundo lenguaje en ingles.

Christine and Rosie teach APV students some dance moves

En mi caso fue muy interesante y fácil al mismo tiempo trabajar con Jimmy en el día de ayer, ya que teníamos que encontrar una manera en la cual ambos nos sentiríamos cómodos para enseñar clases de español, nos fue fácil porque en la mayoría de los casos estábamos de acuerdo en todo. Fue interesante porque descubrí la mayoría de cosas que tenemos en común Jimmy y yo. Antes de impartir nuestra clase de español estaba un poco asustada puesto a que era mi primera vez ensañando en un escuela oficial, pero después todo resulto muy fácil como si enseñar fuese algo significante en mi diario vivir.

Me sentí muy sorprendida al ver el interés que los niños tenían por aprender otro idioma en este caso español y también la manera tan rápida y sorprendente que ellos tienen de captar cada palabra que Jimmy y yo les enseñamos. Nuestra clase comenzo con una presentación de como tienes que actuar y que debes decir cuando necesitas comprar algo en un mercado, luego hicimos una presentación personal y por último les enseñamos los números del 1 al 10.

Después de el almuerzo, tuvimos una reunión donde cada uno de nosotros teníamos que decir lo que sentíamos y por qué nos sentíamos de esa manera en pocas palabras decir lo que dice tú corazón no lo que dice tú mente y eso fue exactamente lo que paso, cada uno de nosotros expresamos lo que decía nuestro corazón, nuestras inquietudes, comodidades, sentimientos, miedos etc. Después de todo eso, todos nos sentimos muy aliviados de no tener que cargar con todos esos pensamientos y estábamos listos para comenzar a pintar la escuela APV.

Peter-La mixes paints so we can start painting!

Amanda painting with the group and paying much attention to the camera

Christine painting APV

Janissa painting APV

The Crew painting together to get the job done

Mientras estábamos pintando nos divertimos mucho, trabajamos todos como un equipo, reíamos, cantábamos e hicimos un excelente trabajo. Pero lo principal fue que fue la primera vez que hicimos algo todos juntos sin excepción de nadie. En lo particular hoy fue uno de mis mejores días en India, uno de esos días que a pesar del tiempo nunca olvidare. Para finalizar, India es un país maravilloso, lleno de cualidades imaginables pero aun así extraño a mi familia les mando un beso y abrazo, y para los otros padres muchos saludos!

- Janissa

"An Amazing Day (Day 11)"

Today, like every day, was fabulous and fun. We had to wake up earlier than usual to be on time for the APV School since we were bringing some materials to give to the students there. As usual, we began the day at school by doing meditation exercises. Then in a classroom the students ignited their enflaming music to satisfy us and we also had to sing them some American songs.

Continue reading "¡Un Día Maravilloso! (Day 11)" »

Posted by Janay at 8:52 PM | Permalink

Amanda introduces her two students to the class

Today was a very tiring but inspirational day. It all started with our normal routine at the APV School. We first meditated with the students for thirty minutes, and this was a moment for all of us to relax our minds and release our stress from the day before. Then we sang songs including a birthday song dedicated to Jessica. And then Shania also sang a song by SWV called "Weak". It sounded very unique and beautiful.

From there, we split into groups to work on different types of arts and crafts. We had four different groups including: lanyard, dancing, puzzles and coloring. This was a chance for ILP students to share their talents and abilities with the APV students. I was part of the lanyard team and I was able to teach the students how to make bracelets. I felt like I was helping them be creative and through this, I realized that these students do not get the chance to play a lot of arts and crafts at their school. I also had the chance to see that these students are really smart because all of them caught on really fast to the craft, but at the same time I see how it can be hard to be a teacher.

Taking a photo with students from the region

After that, we had free time and played volleyball. We also finished painting the school, which was a very hard and difficult experience because even though I was trying to paint the wall in a neat and organized way, I was trying to not get paint on my pants. A bird pooped on my hat twice during painting and I washed it off. Some people say that a bird doing this is good luck. Painting was my way of helping the students in the ashram, because I am sure they don't have the time or the money to paint their school without outside resources.

Randy, Sheanell and Amanda covered in yellow after painting

Today, I also presented my topic on Outsourcing in India. I learned that it's a path to globalization; however, outsourcing is not always positive. Connecting it to back home, I also realized that outsourcing is done a lot in the U.S. The U.S. makes large profits without spending a lot and it negatively affects those in the U.S. who can't find jobs.

We took a thirty minute drive to the mountain, and then had a twenty minute intense walk to visit a Temple. The walk was hard, and I was stressed and annoyed and I was hoped the whole way up that the temple was worth walking to. It was. The view was from high, and I was a bit scared but I was in a place that a lot of people do not have the chance to be. Because of this, I felt so appreciative that I was able to visit. Once inside the Temple, the priest said a prayer for us, tied a bracelet to our wrists and put a red spot with rice on our forehead. After this, we learned the history of the Temple, which was made in the 5th century. It is cool to think that a building could survive that long.

After this, we had a surprise celebration for Jessica for her birthday, drinking chai and eating sweets. On the way down, we all stopped at a store to buy chains and jewelry. I bought myself a necklace and bought one for Jess for her birthday.

One thing I learned today is that the Hindu religion must be very important to be able to justify walking up the hill to a temple to pay respects. The students at the Ashram do not have a lot of opportunities to have fun. A small gift could do a lot. The gifts I gave today, teaching the students at APV and giving Jess a necklace, this meant a lot to me.

--Amanda

"Un Regalito Puede Hacer Mucho (El Día 12)"

Hoy era un día cansando pero muy inspirando. Todo empezó con la rutina normal en la escuela. Practicamos meditación con los estudiantes para trente minutos y fue un momento para todos relajarnos nuestras mentes y para relievar la tensión del día pasado. Después cantamos canciones, incluyendo una canción del cumple para Jessica. También Shania cantó una canción por SWV que se llama "Débil. "Sonó muy única y linda. Próximo dividimos en grupos para trabajar en diferentes tipos de artes.

Continue reading "A Small Gift Can Do A Lot (Day 12) " »

Posted by Janay at 4:30 PM | Permalink

We had our homestay family farewell party this afternoon. It was a blast. Everyone had a great time performing and thanking APV for their gracious welcome into their school.

More details to come tomorrow!

Posted by Global LAB at 10:20 PM | Permalink

Students at the APV School during the party

During this past week, our regular routine has been to wake up, eat with our families and walk to APV-- but today wasn't just a regular routine, it was the farewell party. The students, teachers, homestay families and people from the village were invited to this party. We all were so upset this morning, leaving this wonderful place wasn't going to be easy. We all knew that our journey with the students from Karas village was going to be over soon. Just thinking about not being with them and leaving them here was hard, but they are happy. They can have so much more, and they can get this too.

Dalia, Shania and Janissa dance bachata for the APV durign the farewell

Our being there, us showing them our world, helped them learn more about our culture, our lifestyle, and hopefully inspired them to want to go out and dream bigger than their mountain home. Then we all realized that today is our last chance to really show our new families our appreciation, not only to them but our appreciation for their culture and lifestyle.

Luis and Randy dance with students during the farewell party

When it came to the party we were all full of spirit and enthusiasm. We performed two songs: 'I'm Yours' by Jason Mraz, and 'Someone Like You' by Adele. I also helped choreograph a dance with the 7th and 8th graders. I felt proud to be in that position. Look at where I am at! I am in the Himalayas--I'm with these students who are talented and, possibly, may not know it. I felt honored meeting these beautiful students. You could see it in their eyes--they were innocent and they wore their hearts on their sleeves.

Watching the people and children's faces while we all performed was a feeling I will never forget. Who knew that we could create such a strong connection with the families we only knew for one week. Through this experience, I truly learned to take advantage of situations that are life changing. Back home, we all take many things for granted: unlimited supply of water, food and even public transportation. This truly taught me to cherish everything in life because the necessities in life are a gift and not a given right. At any moment we could lose it everything we have.

I had no idea that I was going to enjoy this program so much, but I did. I've enjoyed the learning that has happened here. It's not like school, where you are going to class, you sit and write down information. Here, I actually got to experience my learning. I've lived with a homestay in the Himalayan mountains, and taught them while they also taught me. I appreciate everything, honestly. Just being here, I've learned so much. While they were singing, while they were playing with us, while they were in their classes--I learned. I'm grateful to APV, for all their hard work with us this week. I am forever grateful to them.

P. S. Te Amo Mom! Ahora puedes dormir bien sabiendo que estoy bien haha!

--Rosie

"Adios a Nuestros Amigos"


Estudiantes de la escuela APV durante la fiesta.

Durante la semana pasada, nuestra rutina regular ha sido a levantarnos, comer con las familias y caminar a APV, pero hoy no era la rutina normal, fue la fiesta de despedida. Los estudiantes, los maestros, las familias y la gente del pueblito eran invitados a la fiesta. Nos sentíamos triste porque para irnos de este lugar increíble no seria fácil. Sabíamos que nuestro viaje con los estudiantes del pueblito Kara iba a terminar pronto. Solamente pensar en dejar los estudiantes, los chicos y este lugar era difícil, pero ellos están felices de haber tenido la experiencia con nosotros. Pueden tener mucho mas, y lo tienen esto también.

Continue reading "Farewell Our Friends (Day 13) " »

Posted by Janay at 5:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Sheanell dances with the students during the farewell party

Today was the last morning at the Ashram. We said our last goodbyes to our homestay families and it was a very emotional moment for all of us. I especially felt emotional because my homestay mother and brother came to see me off and I have become super close with them. When I said my final farewell to the two of them I began to shed a lot of tears. I was really sad that I was leaving them because I built a great bond with my homestay brothers, sisters, and my mother. Having such a strong bond was good because I was nervous. I was crying the first day I arrived at the village because nobody in my family spoke one ounce of English and I knew it would be hard to communicate with them.

After a helpful pep talk from 'The Crew' also known as the ILP students, I felt a lot better. I knew when I signed up for this program that this trip was going to be challenging, so I asked myself, why quit now? I'm very happy that I stayed positive for these seven short, but sweet, days because it has brought me closer to my homestay family.

On the third day, I decided to drop the homestay and just call them family because that's exactly what it felt like, a real family. I felt comfortable with them. When I looked into my mother's eyes on the way to APV, I knew this wasn't our last goodbye, but more like 'see you later' because that's exactly what I am planning to do, visit in the future.

APV students plays the drums on the last day

At APV, we said our goodbyes to the children. For this, I didn't think that I would get that emotional because I already cried once today so I wasn't excepting another cry. But when the children sang the first lyrics to the song 'Somewhere Deep Inside' I began to cry again. Once they opened their mouth and I heard their little beautiful words: "Somewhere deep inside, an ocean is singing bye", I just couldn't control myself, and that made it worse. I will never forget all of these amazing people that I met in Karas village. I am thankful for the time that I have spent with each and every one of them.

Adam with students during the last morning assembly

Amit and another boy at APV during our last assembly together

I felt inspired by the people I met because, in my perspective, they have a more difficult life than me and they are happy with what they have. This makes me want to appreciate every little thing that I have and have received in life and be as strong as them.

--Sheanell

"Viaje Seguro Desde APV"

Sheanell baile con los estudiantes durante la fiesta.

Hoy era la última mañana en el Ashram. Decimos las últimas despedidas a nuestras familias temporarias y fue un momento llena de emoción por todos. Yo sentí especialmente emocionada porque mi mama temporaria y mi hermano vinieron para despedirme y nos hemos sido muy cercanos. Cuando dije mi despedida final a los dos, empezó a llorar.

Continue reading "Safe Journey from APV (Day 14)" »

Posted by Janay at 5:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Malik, with APV students

The beginning of the morning was challenging. First, we all had to wake up extremely early (4:30 a.m.) in the morning to leave Derhadun and I wasn't able to wake up on time since my alarm didn't ring.

Amanda, Rosie, and Christine enjoying the train ride

Then we made our way to the train station to catch the 6:00 a.m. train to Agra. The train platform was not ideal--it was very smelly, dirty, and crowded. I've noticed that India and New York are different when it comes to laws that affect cleanliness in public spaces. Of course, cleanliness effects the amount of flies in the train station, which were a lot. After swatting away a couple flies, we took our seats in a sleeper car. A sleeper car is the normal type of train car in India for long distance journies. All of the seats can be turned into beds so that you can choose to sleep or sit during your ride.

I was so tired, I just took out my bunk bed and went to sleep. Then a couple of hours later I was awakened and told to get off my bed because the people who were sitting in the seats beneath mine wanted to sit instead of sleep in their space. I was told that because it wasn't night time, I wasn't allowed to sleep in my seat. After that, things continued to be unexpected. The train was crowded--filled with too many people, very hot, and the food was unappetizing for me for the entire 11-hour journey.

Enjoying some relief from the heat in our hotel's pool

Well, I think it was worth it because the hotel we are now staying in is G-R-E-A-T. We were greeted with a flower necklace and Pepsi. Then, we went into an awesome pool and played Marco-Polo, and I was swimming like a dolphin. Also, I really wanted to be able to do a handstand by myself in the water and go into the deep end.

Then, we had dinner, which was like the first time in India I could really chow down. The food was really good. Now, I really feel good after that trip because this hotel is awesome, and I will never go in a sleeper train in India again.

--Malik G.

"El Tren Hacia Agra (Día 15)"

Malik con los estudiantes de APV

El principio de la mañana era difícil. Primero, tuvimos que levantarnos muy temprano a las 4:30 de la mañana para salir de Derhadun, y no me levanté porque mi alarma no sonó

Continue reading "Train Ride to Agra (Day 15)" »

Posted by Janay at 7:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Today was the first day waking up in a bed that wasn't in my homestay. The sleep was amazing but the thought that came to mind was the children at APV singing. I am truly going to miss their enthusiasm and joyfulness.

The day started off with a visit to the Taj Mahal--who would of have guessed that I would be visiting one of the seven wonders of the world? I know I wouldn't have guessed that. I learned that the Taj Mahal is actually a tomb for the wife of Shah Jahan, who died giving birth to their 14th child. He must have loved her dearly to build the Taj Mahal--which took 22 years to finish.

After the Taj Mahal visit, we ate lunch. At the restaurant, Silvia and I noticed a family speaking French at their table. We asked where they were from. They were from Belgium and I learned that Belgium's primary languages are French and Dutch. I practiced some French with them and they were really impressed. Ms. Maple would be so proud of me! I really felt accomplished because everyone always says it's good to learn a second language, but it wasn't a primary goal until I encountered my first French conversation with complete strangers. It's amazing how language can connect people from all over the world.

Jimmy and Rosie exploring the Agra Fort

After lunch, we visited the Agra Fort. Emperor Shah Jahan spent his final seven years there when his son dethroned him. I could only imagine how miserable he must have been watching his creation being built without him. When he died, his son buried his body inside the Taj Mahal.

The last thing we did was visited the Marble Factory. They tried to sell us their products by explaining to us the story of how their marble was the best quality in the world. They were trying to reason the price by the idea that everything in their store was unique because it was hand-crafted and not because of the quality of their work. Some of their work was actually sandstone and not marble. This made me not want to buy anything, since I wasn't sure which was which, unless I did a scratch test. It was extremely hot by the time we finished looking around, so after the marble factory, we were all excited to go back to the hotel and end our day with a nice swim.

--Luis

"Uno de los Siete Maravillas del Mundo (Día 16)"

Hoy fue el primer día de levantarnos en una cama que no estaba de mi familia temporaria. Dormía muy bien, pero mi primer pensamiento era de los estudiantes de APV cantando. Voy a extrañar su entusiasmo y alegría.

Continue reading "One of the Seven Wonders of the World (Day 16)" »

Posted by Janay at 6:39 PM | Permalink

Hey there, Shania here again! We're slowly approaching the end of our trip; but, before we let the tears fall, let me fill you all in on what we did today.

First, we woke up for a lovely breakfast at our hotel. We stuffed up--well I stuffed up--on potato wedges, egg white omelets, toast, and of course, my favorite, Chai. We then headed out to begin our day.

After about an hour drive, we arrived at Fatehpur Sikri. Our tour guide, Peter (yes, we had another Peter in the group) gave us a grand tour of this marvelous red-stoned monument. Fatehpur Sikri was built 100 years before the Taj Mahal. Built by Akbar the Great, Fatehpur Sikri took 12 years to build. With the help of 200 Arabian horses, camels, and elephants, Fatehpur Sikri was built and added to the the Mogul Empire's list of accomplishments.

On the King's Bed in Fatehpur Sikri

Equipped with 117 pilars (no, I didn't actually count them), the king's master bedroom (I climbed to the top of the bed), separate palaces for each of the king's wives and a mosque, Fatehpur Sikri will make a person think "How can human hands really create such a work of art"?

Ribbons tied onto the lattice window representing individual wishes

My favorite part of Fatehpur Sikri was the mosque. At this mosque, you are given ribbon which you use to make a wish. After you make your wish, you tie the ribbon onto a window, but not just any window. This window was beautifully designed in a lattice style with curved holes for the ribbon to tie onto. Once your wish comes true you can either come back to the mosque and remove your ribbon or if you can't return, you must do good deeds.

We then traveled back to Delhi after stopping off for lunch at a buffet-style restaurant called the Maurya Resort. This restaurant had the best french fries, or maybe they just tasted so great because we haven't had them in a while. After lunch, we hit the road--we were going back to Delhi! We made a stop at Enroute Cafe to use the restroom and we all felt like we had been teleported to an American food court. This cafe had stations of many different dishes. I had a vanilla milkshake with chocolate syrup and a personal-sized cheese pizza and it was great!

After we took naps in our cars, we woke up and were back at the World Buddhist Centre and we love this place! Even though the homestays felt like home, being back in Delhi feels like we're back at the start--even though we're slowly approaching the finish line. We're sad we'll be leaving Incredible India in a couple of days. India has changed us in many ways. From allowing us to expand our comfort zone to showing us a whole new world, India will be transporting us back to New York anew. Hope you've enjoyed this blog, sorry it wasn't a recipe this time!

Shania C.

Posted by Janay at 6:26 PM | Permalink

It felt good waking up in the World Buddhist Centre today; we were back at our second home in India.

In the morning we had some eggs, toast and of course chai. After breakfast, we got ready and jumped into tuk-tuks to get to the train. This was my first time riding the train in India. Sheanell and Luis were the leaders for the train ride. They got our tickets, which turned out to be circular coins, and then told us where we were going and which stop we had to get off to make a transfer. In the train, the guys and girls were separated into different cars.

Randy and Silvia take a ride through the streets of Delhi, next up: the metro

After we got off the train, we walked to meet up the with guides that were going to be our guide around the streets Delhi--they were showing us a tour of how street children survive on the streets.

Our guides explained about the organization Salaam Baalak Trust. The organization basically helps street children and other children on the margins of poverty with healthcare, education, shelter and food. This organization gives these children a second chance which makes a big difference in their lives.

Sheanell and Tabreez, the Tour Guide for Salaam Baalak Trust

The guide took us around a small pathway showing us where lonely children could be found in the streets, trying to survive. When we arrived at the Saalam Baalak community centre the first thing I noticed were the photos on a wall with the different people that visited the children. I played with the children in a game of Simon-says. It was fun seeing the kids laugh and enjoying the game. I've found that you only have fun when you actually play and interact with the children.

The Crew teach games to the children at Saalam Baalak Trust

Time went flying by at the centre and I had fun with the kids. Visiting this place really opened my eyes to see that these kids have a second chance to turn their life upside down. They took the initiative to lead themselves into a positive path. I learned that nothing should hold you back from succeeding in life or from becoming someone totally different than who you were before.

We got back on the tuks-tuks and headed back to the World Buddhist Centre for some lunch. Rice and potatoes is what we had and then we went into our usual room for a group meeting. We had time to think about our mission statements after experiencing the home-stays and visiting with the children at APV. We went around saying how we felt we had changed over the past few weeks and how that change will be when we get back to New York. The conversations we had were deep, funny and inspiring. We all had learned something new about ourselves this day.

Okay, after the meeting we were told to meet outside because our tuks-tuks were waiting for us. I had no idea where we were going. Jess told Amanda and me we where going to a park to listen to a spiritual person. Our faces went from excited to ....... We were really convinced and when we pulled over to a bowling place our faces were priceless. I had really thought we were going to a park. However, we got to play bowling and had some good ice-cream.

Malik and Christine in their Bumper Cars

After playing in the arcade for a while we were bumping cars into each other. The group had so much fun!

We arrived just in time for dinner where we had rice, veggies, and lentils. Dinner was fast and after everybody came up to hang out. It's getting pretty late here and I'm typing in the dark because my roommates are sleeping. Tomorrow will be a new day and a shopping day!

--Silvia

Continue reading "Taking the Metro, Delhi Street Tour and (Surprise) Bowling! (Day 18)" »

Posted by Janay at 7:08 PM | Permalink

It's our final day in India, and man has time flown! Today we went shopping. Some people bought things for themselves, others bought gifts, and the rest of us went for a little of both. We have all gone through change and growth on this program and I am so glad that I had the chance to spend these three wonderful weeks in India and see a whole new world! I haven't figured out why, but it still hasn't hit me that we're here or even the fact that we're leaving in a couple of hours. India is great! There's nothing wrong with it. It was one of the most eye-opening, mouth-dropping, mind-blowing experiences that I've ever had.

Randy with Ankit using beads to solve math problems at APV School

Randy introducing his three students to the group after the meet and greet

If I receive the opportunity to come back, I would jump on it! Thank you ILP and Global-LAB for letting me experience India in my own way.

- Randy

"Ultima Día en la India"

Es el último día en la India y no podemos creer como el tiempo ha pasado tan rápido. Fuimos de compras y todos compraron cosas para si mismos, regalos para otros, o los dos. Todos han cambiado y crecido por este programa y yo estoy muy feliz de tener la oportunidad de pasar tres semanas increíbles en la India y ver un mundo nuevo. No se porque, pero todavía no me di cuenta que estoy realmente aquí ni que vamos a regresar a los estados unidos en un par de horas. La India es maravillosa. No hay ningún problema. Es la experiencia que abre mis ojos mas que cualquier otra experiencia que ha tenido. Si alugien me ofrece la oportunidad de regresar lo tomaría inmediatamente! Gracias a ILP y Global LAB para permitirme visitar la India de mi manera propia.

-Randy

Posted by Deborah at 9:39 AM | Permalink

The Crew has just cleared through security at the Delhi airport and will soon be airborne, heading back home to New York City!

If you are planning to meet their British Airways flight (#117) at JFK, it is scheduled to arrive at 11:00 am on Thursday, July 26, but be sure to call the airlines in the morning to confirm arrival time.

Posted by Global LAB at 9:27 PM | Permalink

Back in New York City! After 19 hours of flight time, we look excited to be home!

After 19 hours on two separate flights from Delhi, India, we are back home in New York City. We are all feeling mixed emotions about being back where it all started. There were feelings of excitement, nervousness, anxiety, happiness, and some of us definitely caught the travel bug. At least two of us said that we wanted to hop back on the plane and go back to India. But we know that we will have another opportunity to go back in the future. We will work at creating these opportunities for ourselves.

What is next for 'The Crew'? you may ask? Well, we still have two more months of ILP Leadership workshops to complete and our leadership projects to implement starting in September. However, for the rest of our summer, we will all be doing different activities. Some of us will be attending enriching academic programs in different cities; some of us will continue to travel to with our families; some of us will take up summer internships or jobs for the month of August, and some of us will relax at home and spend time with our families until school starts again September.

Through all of our different experiences, perspectives and personalities in India, we can all agree on one thing: India was a blast! What an amazing opportunity we were given to be able to integrate ourselves into the very wonderful and dynamic culture of Incredible India. I'm already looking forward to my return.

--Janay

"Regresamos a Casa!"

En Nueva York después de 19 horas en vuelo, estamos muy felices estar en casa.

Después de 19 horas en dos vuelos diferentes hemos regresado a Nueva York. Nos sentimos diferentes emociones de regresar de donde todo comenzó. Algunos se sentían emocionantes, nerviosos, felices, y para muchos, somos seguros que queremos viajar más en la futura. Al menos dos querían abordar el vuelo de nuevo y regresar a la India. Sin embargo, sabemos que vamos a tener la oportunidad de regresar en la futura. Vamos a trabajar duro para crear esas oportunidades.

Que sigue para el grupo? Todavía tenemos dos meses mas de las clases de ILP para hacer nuestros proyectos de lideres que van a empezar en septiembre. Sin embargo, para el resto del verano, vamos a hacer actividades diferentes. Algunos de nosotros van a asistir programas académicos en ciudades diferentes, algunos van a continuar viajando con nuestras familias, algunos van a trabajar con organizaciones diferentes en agosto, y algunos van a relajarse en casa hasta que empiece escuela en septiembre.

Por todas nuestras experiencias diferentes y nuestras perspectivas únicas en la India, estamos de acuerdo en una cosa: el viaje fue increíble! Que oportunidad increíble que nos dieron para integrarnos en una cultura dinámica y maravillosa de la India increíble. Estoy emocionada para regresar.

--Janay

Posted by Janay at 8:56 PM | Permalink

Tonight's workshop was the first time we had all been back together since our flight home from India. It was great to see everyone and hear what we'd been up to and how we've been adjusting to being back in the city after life in India. Some of us felt life was a little surreal. Some felt like we appreciated what we have more now that we understand how little some people in India have.

We all had a chance to read the letters that we wrote to ourselves when we were in India. Then we took some time to journal about how we were feeling after reading the letters.

Next we sat in Council and passed a talking object counterclockwise around the circle, giving everyone a chance to speak from the heart without being interrupted by anyone else. It was powerful to hear about some people's struggles with difficult situations at home, while others spoke of happiness and new sense of life purpose and ambitious goals based on realizations that happened in India.

We all felt that even though it had been a couple of weeks since we'd seen each other, we still had a closeness and trust with each other that was a rare bond. We built a special community going through all the adventures and challenges we did in India and throughout the whole year of the ILP and that will never change.

We wrapped up the workshop with a review of our leadership projects that we are doing at our schools, the upcoming ILP college prep workshops, and the ILP graduation celebration scheduled for October 26!

Posted by Global LAB at 9:32 PM | Permalink

Tonight's workshop was focused on the many different parts of successfully choosing the right college or university, putting together the different pieces of a strong college application, and finding necessary financial resources.

But first, we had a very special guest speaker, Dr. Katherine Fry, professor of media studies at Brooklyn College and Co-Founder and Education Director at the LAMP (Learning About Multimedia Project). Katherine came to tell us about a unique opportunity for ILP students to participate in a project funded by the MacArthur Foundation called the Intergenerational Media Literacy Program.

Professor Fry explains how the Intergenerational Media Literacy Program will teach students with no video editing background how to "break" and remix commercials and other media images that depict senior citizens in derogatory ways.

The rest of our time we dove into the nuts and bolts of how best to prep for the SAT, when and how to sign up for the tests, website resources for determining college application requirements and deadlines (www.commonapp.org); how to organize a great college application essay and where to go for some excellent, free writing tips (http://www.collegeessaysolutions.com/video-tips/); and online sites that offer the inside scoop on colleges written for prospective students by actual students attending the different colleges (https://collegeprowler.com).

Janay delivers essential information and a range of useful resources for SAT prep, college essays and strong applications, and advice on how to find scholarships and financial aid.

In addition we reviewed our Leadership Project Presentations that we will be giving at the next workshop and also brainstormed about ways we can make the final push to successfully complete our student fundraising requirements before graduation. Malik shared a recommendation for people to check out the Foundation Center, located at 79 Fifth Avenue (at 16th Street), which is a free library specifically designed to help you find grants and scholarships for all kinds of projects.

This was a very valuable workshop packed with important information.

And we capped it off with cupcakes from Billy's Bakery and a big happy birthday celebration for Christine--Happy Birthday!!!!

Posted by Global LAB at 9:48 PM | Permalink

Tonight's workshop gave us a chance to give presentations on our Leadership Projects, practicing our public speaking skills and also sharing where we are in the process of implementing these projects at our schools.

The presentations were outstanding and the projects they described are definitely going to make positive contributions to each of the schools represented in this year's ILP program.

But before we got to the serious business, we had to select who was going to give the first presentation, so it was time for a round of Musical Chairs:

Malik demonstrates the cunning and cat-like quickness that makes him such a formidable opponent at musical chairs.

On to the Leadership Presentations:

Malik and Christine described the process they have gone through to get a girls' volleyball club approved at Brooklyn Latin, where there is a shortage of team sport opportunities for girls. They have a coach, equipment, and soon will have PR in place to recruit a core group of students to launch the team. With hard work and a bit of luck, they will follow in Amber's (ILP Alumna from Brooklyn Latin) footsteps--she created a girls soccer team that went from a club sport to an official team competing against other schools and receiving sponsorship from Adidas!

Randy and Jimmy spoke about the awesome mentoring project they have researched and designed and had approved at BCC Prep. The C.R.E.W.S. (Creating Remarkable Experiences with Students) mentoring program will focus on matching juniors and seniors with freshmen to provide academic mentoring, friendship, guidance, and general support in navigating high school through twice-a-week meetings for an entire year. Randy and Jimmy even created detailed 6- and 12-month evaluation forms to make sure the mentors are fulfilling their obligations and maximizing the benefits for their freshman matches.

Dahlia and Janissa presented their plans to hold a school dance, ideally the first in a series, that will be structured to promote intercultural communication and interaction, with a goal of breaking down some of the invisible social barriers that tend to keep different student groups isolated from each other. The project will attempt to increase an appreciation of cultural diversity and create opportunities for more new friendships to form across cultures and ethnicities that are not currently interacting on campus at World Cultures High School.

Luis' presentation was on a project he has designed to conduct a needs assessment among students and faculty at the APV School (where ILP students visited in India last summer) and then launch a school-wide collection drive at Mott Hall Bronx to gather supplies and other items that can benefit the Indian students. Congrats to Luis for creating a local initiative to help address a global problem!

Sheanell and Sylvia gave a preliminary report on their project to design peer support and encouragement for more students to apply for the International Baccalaureate curriculum and to stay in the program, even though it is academically rigorous and more challenging than the standard curriculum.

Amanda and Shania weren't able to attend tonight's workshop, but they emailed that they are making excellent progress on their project to design a system for making it easier and more efficient for students at The Young Women's Leadership School of Queens to fulfill their required community service hours.

Deb then gave an overview of the wide range of possibilities and many potential benefits of taking a "gap year" between high school and college in order to gain real world experience, maturity, and perspective so that students can arrive at college ready to get the most possible out of their undergraduate experience.

Next up: The 2012 International Leadership Program Graduation Celebration on October 26th!!!

Posted by Global LAB at 10:19 PM | Permalink

Students, family members, teachers, friends, and ILP alumni from years past gathered for a graduation celebration last night.

The evening included moving reflections from the students, the awarding of graduation certificates, singing, plenty of momos, and a surprise video appearance by ILP program co-leader Adam Branson.

Thanks to all for participating and making this year's program such a wonderful journey of discovery and growth.

And a special thanks to all the participating schools, foundations, and individual donors who made the experience possible.

Posted by Global LAB at 10:16 PM | Permalink

International Leadership Program 2012 from Global LAB on Vimeo.

Special thanks to Gabriel Strauss, Global LAB's intern director/producer/cameraman/editor/mensch

Posted by Global LAB at 10:07 PM | Permalink