Upon returning to Delhi for our final time, the realization that we were indeed heading home in a few days started to settle in. Frantic shopping and creative packing techniques proved to me that I was actually about to leave this country that has slowly become my home. I was leaving the country that I....
Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala
This last week, our FINAL week, we traveled out of Guatemala city and into the old, colonial capital of Antigua for Semana Santa festivities. During the week we stayed in the beautiful Lutheran Retreat Center run by an indigenous women’s cooperative. As we wrapped up this semester with final presentations we also ventured out into....
Salvador Urbina, Chiapas, Mexico
A break from the city, time to relax in a tranquil little town, and all the coffee we ever wanted to drink.聽 What a wonderful ten days our group spent in the coffee growing community of Salvador Urbina, Chiapas, Mexico.聽 While we spent a lot of time embracing local culture: sitting around, talking, and watching....
India – Poetry and thoughts on music
Make up your mind with the sand in your shoes I don鈥檛 know where I鈥檓 going. A sapling knows nothing but dirt on the ground, I suppose. The dirt and sand under my feet these days keeps changing, sifting in my shoes. In the village, a circle of girls look up at me with their....
From the Himilayas in Ladakh, India
Before boarding the airplane that was taking us from Delhi to Leh, we received specific instructions to not speak a word on the plane. We were going to be landing at 12,000 ft above sea level, and we had to conserve energy to prevent altitude sickness. I don鈥檛 think anyone could have spoken much anyway,....
Nazareth Village and the Jesus Trail
After our week at the kibbutz and at Oranim College, we made our way to the small city of Nazareth for the next stage of our adventure. We are staying in the middle of the old city in a nice hostel with nice people, but then again, when aren’t the people nice here? We spent....
Free Travel Reports from Guatemala
After 8 weeks of Spanish classes and living with host families here in Guatemala City, we had a week of free travel where we could go anywhere we wanted (within reason, of course). Our group of 20 students split up into smaller groups and most people headed to the beach, but my group of five....
Experiencing Israeli culture
Last week was packed with opportunities to learn more about Israeli culture with the Oranim program.聽 We stayed in Kibbutz Ramat HaShofem, one of the first kibbutzim set up in Israel.聽 The original kibbutz system was set up with a mix of socialist and zionist ideals, focused on communal living.聽 This kibbutz has lost many....
Three reflections from India
India is a land of vast diversity. So far during our time in India we have experienced a plethora of different religions, customs, rituals, ways of life, cultures, etc. A prime example of this has been the clear contrast of our recent village study in the Himalayan Mountains to the rest of our stays in....
Stories from Matella and Amritsar – India
Seeing the cities of India it is easy to believe that India is the second most populous country in the world with well over 1 billion residents. Ironically estimates place the rural population of India well in the majority with around 70% of the population living in towns, and villages of less than 1,000 people.....