The group is at the Delhi airport now, getting ready to board their flight for the long journey home to the US.
They are scheduled to arrive in Newark at 4:25am (April 7) aboard Continental flight #83. They will change planes in Newark to CO flight #91, which is scheduled to arrive at LAX at 9:34am.
Hi, everyone! It's Sophie and Gabby here to tell you all about our last day in India. This morning we enjoyed our last breakfast at the Buddhist Center. As always, it an absolutely delectable breakfast of toast, an omelete, fresh fruit and a steaming cup of Chai. Afterwards, we all sat down and debriefed our entire trip and what we were to expect when coming home. All of us agreed that our experience here was incredible and desire to take action on the issues we encountered.
After our discussion, we headed to the amazing Janpath Disctrict. Why is it amazing you ask? Well, because shopping is all we did. Some of us emptied our wallets in the first hour we were there. While others shopped till they dropped. But we (the Sophomores) happened to have fallen in the first category and had another two hours to spare. So, what did we do? We spent our time in an air-conditioned McDonalds and shared a nice chocolate dipped ice cream cone. Unfortunately, after a little over an hour, we were kicked out for playing cards and probably loitering.
After our unfortunate event, we had lunch at Saravana Bhavan, which happens to have a branch in Sunnyvale, California! Our lunch was filled with delicious Southern Indian delicacies. We then proceeded to return to the World Buddhist Center.
Now, we struggle to fit all of our new purchases in our suitcases and are sad to depart. Our experience has allowed us to open our eyes and mind to an entire new culture. We all long for a nice hot shower and this time we won't take it for granted. We're all so excited to return home to our families and share our wonderful and adventurous stories!!
IT'S ALEKXA AND RACHEL! Howdy, y'all! We're in the car driving back to Delhi; we've come full circle! Last night, we stayed at the Amar Hotel in Agra and it was super comfy - it even had a swimming pool! After we got back from the Taj, we just had some down time and took showers! Peterla arranged for all of us to get henna, and all our arms look amazing! Then, we got comfort food. Hint: Leaning Tower of Pizza! We all really needed it since we were so tired. This morning, we had a really good breakfast at the hotel and then jumped into our air-conditioned cars! We stopped at the marble factory to see how the Taj Mahal was built with Indian Marble, which is apparently better than Italian marble because it doesn't stain. Then we started our trip to Delhi. The car ride isn't too bad but these mosquito bites itch so much! All of us have gotten bitten at least once, and some have even gotten bitten on the face :( Then we visited the Fathehpur Sikri an old fort, where a Mughal emperor used to play Parcheesi with concubines. We also saw a room full of bats!Then we stopped for P&T before we headed off again. All in all, we're having a great day and can't wait to get back to the Buddhist Center to eat...once again!! Oh, before we forget, everyone has been saying that Alekxa looks like some Bollywood actress named Katrina Kaif. We'll get a poster to show everyone once we get home!
Greetings from Agra, India! Today after a rather strenuous night on the sleeper train, we arrived at our hotel and were all thrilled to discover it was truly luxurious and clean. We were rushed off to a late breakfast/brunch and soon after, we began our journey to the long awaited visit to the Taj. From afar, some of us initially thought the Taj was only as much as our postcards and pictures. However, as we began walking towards it we realized how momentous and beautiful it is in person. The entire building is made of stunning white marble and is embellished with semi-precious stones. In person, these beauties are beyond explanation. Apparently, some king decided to build it in memory of his beloved wife. It made me think, "hmm I want someone to build me a palace out of marble and gems to prove their love to me!". After a guided tour we were given free time to get all our cheesy pictures taken. It was quite the sight and we can't wait to take your breath away with all the pictures we took!
- Julie
HI IT'S MARI AND BRENNA!!! After the Golden Temple, we got on the train heading towards Agra. NO WORDS. This was an experience to say the least. We were all assigned to a "bed", and by "bed" we mean a two inch piece of rock that was probably 5 feet long and infested with mosquitoes. No one came to check tickets or seat numbers, so we were sitting next to some people that did not have tickets. For example, we ran into a few eunuchs. Eunuchs are a special class of people that are usually transgender or effeminate homosexuals. Outcast, they make money by walking up and down the train in their cross-dressing attire, asking for money or else they will clap their hands and curse you. The eunuchs also really enjoyed Mr. Harrison's company. Anyway, we boarded the train at 4:30 in the afternoon and slept over night with Indians from all over the country. It was beyond freezing in the train and every two seconds there would be a person walking up and down yelling "CHAI! CHAI! CHAI!". Needless to say, we didn't get the best sleeps, but it was definitely worth the experience. Good bonding time. And then we arrived in Agra at 9:00 am the next morning, exhausted but ready to go!
p.s. Laura and Diana, we miss you!!!!
Packed into five white vans that scream tourism, we drive to the India-Pakistan Border. Across the barbed wire lies Pakistan. Every morning there is a flag raising ceremony and every night there is a flag lowering ceremony between the two nations. We enter a stadium like setting and take a seat on concrete steps. The crowd sparkles of saris and is spotted with turbans. Through giant brass gates we see the equally colorful Pakistan crowd.
The soldiers marched towards the brass gates while what seemed to be an Indian MC( dressed in a white jumpsuit)` chanted into a mike. The crowds on both the Pakistan and Indian side of the gates chant as the gates are temporarily opened. Not only is the ceremony a display of the extreme nationalism of both the Pakistan and Indian people; it is also celebration of the peaceful relations between the two bordering nations.
After gorging ourselves with delicious pancake-like potato bread, we meet our tour guide of the day. He is a tall lanky man dressed in light blue, topped with a navy turban, and completed with a long beard. His eyes are lazy, his voice soft, and his English is truly eloquent. He leads us into some random hotel and after hiking to the roof we enjoy a roof-top view of the Golden Temple. The Golden Temple is literally what its name describes. It is pure gold temple surrounded by a square pool of bright blue water. We learn that the water represents the movement and inconsistency of the outer-self while the gold temple represents the peace of one's inner-self. We walk to the temple and after removing our shoes and covering our heads in headscarves we enter the temple. We walk around the pool of water where men bathe and we end our visit by wading into the water ourselves.
- Charlotte
After spending a great day exploring the stunning Golden Temple complex in Amritsar, the group is now aboard an overnight train bound for Agra. They are scheduled to arrive at 8:30am and plan to visit the famed Agra Fort before enjoying sunset at the incomparable Taj Mahal.
The Harmandir Sahi (The Golden Temple) in Amritsar is one of the most important worship sites in the Sikh religion. (Image from SacredSites.com)
This morning we said thank you and good-bye to our homestay families. It was sad and touching. We got in the cars and made our way to Amritsar. We stopped for lunch - it was paradise on the side of the road in India! Then we drove and arrived at Waga Border between Pakistan and India where we watched the daily flag-lowering ceremony. People were chanting "Hindustan Zindabad"! Now we are eating dinner and watching the cricket World Cup. We hope India wins!
More soon on thoughts from the Golden Temple.
--Collective group post
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The students and their families at the Homestay Welcome Tea.
Hello families this is Julie and Mirannda and we are here to tell you a little bit about our experiences in our homestay! We have an Amala (Mother), a Pala (Father), and an Ajala (Sister). They are very kind and loving to their host students. Our family has been hosting students for many years and our Amala speaks impeccable English. She is patient when we try to learn new things and she has even taught us some Tibetan words. Now we try to speak Tibetan around the house, words like simbodo (delicious), tojeche (thank you), and nyaljay (blanket). We say simbodo the most because our Amala is an amazing cook. We eat breakfast and dinner with our family every day. Last night she prepared Vegetable Momos for dinner which are like dumplings. Amala taught Julie how to stuff and fold the Momos. Julie made one or two but our Amala and Pala made at least 30 and they each had a different style of folding them. After they were cooked we sat around the table and ate them with some egg soup. The food was simbodo! Before bed we can take showers using a bucket system that consists of a large bucket filled with water and a smaller bucket to pour the water on your body. These homes are nothing like the ours at home but we feel very comfortable in them. Our family is loving and we will miss them very much. (Don't worry they will never replace you!)
Love,
Julie and Mirannda
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We are honored that Ama Adhe shared her story with us!
Today was such a busy and fascinating day! Everyone started out eating breakfast with their homestay families and then met up at the hotel together. The teachers were very relieved to hear that everyone has had an amazing time with their amalas and palas as girls were arguing who had the cuter brother or sister.
After everyone arrived, we piled into cars (a common activity here) and we headed to Tibetan Parliament. Peter-la described how the Tibetan government works and how they have departments very similar to ones at home- housing, health and safety, etc.- that help with the Tibetans in D-sala. We were allowed to go inside and saw where Parliament meets.
We got back into the cars and continued to drive down the mountain to Norblungka which is like an artisan workshop where they make absolutely beautiful works of art. My pala works there, which I did not know at the time, so I was very surprised to see him drive up on his motorcycle. We went inside and it is absolutely beautiful with prayer flags everywhere. We took tours of the different work areas where they create clothing and beautifully detailed woodwork, metalwork, paintings, and puppets. We then went into the temple there and went to the place His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, stays a couple of days a year. We were allowed to go inside and we also took some photos in front of the foothills of the Himalayas which some of us believe are not aptly name as they put the mountains at home to shame.
We then headed to the Dalai Lama's Temple and went to a museum which recounts the heartbreaking struggle of the Tibetan people and the pain and suffering they have experienced. The museum was very informative and filled in any of the informational gaps some of us had about Tibet. There was a film playing at the museum of Tibetan prisoners as well as original footage from Tibet of the brutalities committed against them. One of the most upsetting items there was a shirt worn by a Tibetan prisoner which was covered in blood and some of us couldn't ignore the fact that this shirt is most likely in better condition than most. There was also a katak on display that someone had kept safe throughout their stay in prison, an amazing feat.
After the museum, we went into the Temple which has amazing views of the foothills and absolutely stunning. The statues of the Buddhas were huge and so intricate, and Peter-la explained the purpose of every Buddha to us. There were huge bags of medicine next to the altar, as they are preparing for a mass blessing before they send it to the hospital. After that, we spun the prayer wheels and looked at the butter candles.
After the Temple and museum, we broke off into groups and got lunch and went shopping!! I'm sure many girls have honed their bargaining skills (I was especially impressed by Mari) and we now have tons to bring home and show you! Jewelry was the hot commodity in this group but there was a quest for prayer wheels (which are to be turned clockwise only) and prayer flags which you should be prepared to see hanging in your homes soon. After shopping, we returned to the hotel and played a lovely game called "What did you buy today." One of the most interesting purchases was an elephant tea-cozy bought by Charlotte and everyone went crazy over prayer wheel jewelry.
After shopping, we headed over to listen to a Tibetan woman who had been a prisoner for 24 years in China and Tibet. She told us that she was imprisoned after she had led a group to block one of the roads in Tibet in order to keep the Chinese out. Not only was she imprisoned, but her sisters and husbands were also and they were killed in front of her before she was taken to prison. While in prison with 300 women, she would pray to Tara that one day she would be released and able to tell her story to His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. At the end of her time in prison, there were only four women left including her. She had lost tons of weight and described herself as looking like a "skeleton" and when she returned home she could not recognize anything as well as her daughter, whom she left when her daughter was one and was then a grown woman. She decided to go to D'sala to tell her story to the Dalai Lama who told her she needed to tell it to the world. Her heartbreaking story had many of us in tears. The most amazing part of her story was when someone asked her about how she lives with her anger and her Buddhist beliefs. She said that in the beginning she was very angry but over time she let go of that anger as the Dalai Lama told her that we are all people, all flesh and bone, and the ones that imprisoned her were not the problem.
After the talk, people started trekking home and some of us had to get a candy fix and some prayer flags before rejoining the homestays for dinner.
Charis