Our time here in Vietnam is going great, but it is FLYING!  We have just finished our first Vietnamese home stay.  It was wonderful, but things are a little different here when it comes to strange people staying in their homes.  Not quite as much interaction with our host families, as we had in India and Thailand. And, we were very busy doing our volunteer work.  The mornings were filled with painting at the local under privileged kindergarten, afternoons were spent teaching them, and then everything in between was packed with cooking for the team!  In true YI fashion we split up into three different groups, designating one to cook while we were there.  This included an “international day” Thanksgiving dinner complete with duck, mashed potatoes, carrots, gravy, corn on the cob, and the usual baguette.  I have realized it is scary for the host families to feed us because I was terrified to feed the host families our make shift Thanksgiving dinner, but they LOVED it!  Phew… The Thanksgiving dinner was not the only daunting task we faced though….. We were also informed that we had to paint a giant mural on one of the walls of the kindergarten.  This mural is going to be VERY permanent so the pressure was on.  I think we shocked ourselves with the result, it was surprisingly good!  YAY YI Team Asia!  We have now left our mark half way across the world!….. Anyways, skip forward a bit to HANOI.  I think I can speak for everyone when I say that Hanoi is the bomb!  It is the calm after India´s storm.  Our two free days there were much needed wind down time.  —  We are now in Sapa, in the mountains, right by the border of China.  We are starting the trek tomorrow.  I am sure it is going to be beautiful and I can´t wait!

Sarah Brown

Needed to post a recap on my personal blog covering the past few weeks so here is what we have been up to:

In Delhi right now for a little less than 36 hours before we fly out to Vietnam.
I’m sorry that it has been so long since my last post, I have been trying to spend as little time as possible in the internet cafes and enjoy McLeod Ganj as much as possible.
To recap: After Jhadol we drove back to Udaipur and spent 2 more days in the Venice of the East. From there we took a train to Agra and spent 2 days in front of the Taj Mahal. The Taj itself was spectacular, it was extremely surreal walking on to the grounds and watching the sunrise in front of the massive marble domes. Sadly, the pollution in the city was so heavy that the sun didn’t actually break through the haze until about 10:30am and by 5pm we couldn’t see the Taj from our hotel 2 blocks away…
From Agra we took a 16 hour train to Amritsar, during the high point of Diwali (the biggest Indian holiday) so our train was filled with a few hundred pilgrims going to see the Golden Temple. The Golden Temple was gorgeous as they lit the entire complex with x-mas lights only for that one night. The second night the lights were down but you could finally see the gold of the temple shimmering off of the massive black-water pond surrounding it, so that was spectacular. A group of about 6 of us spent the night outside with all of the pilgrims next to the temple. However, we had to leave at about 3am because they clean the place by throwing huge buckets of water all over the marble ground. Despite the lack of sleep, it was a very unique atmosphere inside the temple and I had a lot of very cool conversations with about 10 Sikhs explaining their religion to me and the history of the temple.
From Amristar we took a 7.5 hour government bus ride up to McLeod Ganj.  It was pretty breathtaking seeing the Himalayas for the first time, towering over what I used to think were large mountains back in Colorado. McLeod Ganj is a refuge for Tibetans who have fled, from the oppressive Chinese government, and is perched up in the foothills of the Himalayas like a Colorado ski town from the 50’s. The town itself was a utopia of sorts amidst all of the surrounding Indian “hecticness”. Our guide Lakh-pa-la fled from Tibet when he was 9 years old and is unable to return because of his politically charged past. (He set himself on fire during a rally!)  He organized a series of events for us everyday ranging from a mass garbage pick-up to various lectures from Tibetan Refugees regarding their current struggle. I found it amazing how little I knew about the situation in Tibet and have never experienced a conflict as up close as I did in McLeod. The most inspiring thing about the time I spent in McLeod was the happiness that all of the Tibetan people showed despite being forced to flee their country. Our homestay parents (who are actually brother and sister: Tenzin-la and Chukie-la) have managed to reestablish their lives in Northern India and although they talk about Tibet with a sort of Nostalgic air, they are living such a happy life currently. On the subject of the homestay, our parents ran a bakery out of their kitchen so we got to eat freshly baked goodies 2 meals-a-day (Brad makes life too tough sometimes).
Cody

Hello to everyone who has been regularly checking up on us “Youth Internationalists” via our blog. I realize that it has been quite some time since I have written something serious about my personal experiences on this trip. After a  trek into the Himalayas, which ended up being a period of reflection for me, I think I may finally be able to put into words, watered down however, a taste of what India has meant to this small town goon from his own personal perspective.

Arriving in India late at night after a nerve racking flight from Bangkok, I was wide eyed and open minded about the infinite possibilities that awaited me in the massive country of India.

In two days time I found myself in Jaipur (a city no bigger than anything I have experienced in Montana) chaotically clustered together with about 4 million straight faced and fast paced individuals. My excitement had transformed into anxiety, and my wide eyes closed slightly to block out the shine of the sheer terror I was feeling………….Although these feelings of Jaipur changed eventually to become positive, this was my first impression. I was facing culture shock on a level I never thought possible and it was overwhelming!

After 3 or so days of nonstop brain melting Jaipur action, combined with a vegetarian diet (stressful conditions for a beef-a-holic), and yoga overload, tiptoeing closer to the edge of breakdown, I found myself in the slums of Jaipur.

I was not alone, I had the rest of my team, but I felt more alone than ever even though I was being crowded by little people and led through thin corridors of 2 room shanty after 2 room shanty. At this moment I realized these little people where in fact children of all ages, 3-17 crowding around us “westerners” with looks of fascination that would put my best childhood Christmas grin to shame. Their right arms were all being held out by the hundreds to be introduced to the North American visitors walking through their alleys.

I no longer felt alone, a warm feeling started developing in my stomach and I tried to shake as many hands as possible… it was addicting… I couldn’t stop. “what’s your name” I would hear from the girl to my right. “Merra Nam Dan” I would scream so the 17 children next to her would hear. More and more hands would appear out of seemingly nowhere and more and more I would try to shake until eventually I was laughing… smiling… even grinning? “HELL YEA” I thought to myself, I was finally happy and my brain was recognizing the endorphins, it had been a while.

We then were broken into groups. My group was instantly led through a narrow corridor and onto an enclosed porch and instructed to sit. Quickly, a house door opened and out came two men, one with a grey turban and flute, the other with a drum. Snake charmers? No, musicians. They plopped down beside us and prepared their instruments. Moments later two beautiful girls in bright elegantly fashioned dresses emerged from the house. Our leader Rishi-ji explained, “….these are belly dancers….” with his low voice and thick Indian accent, “….they will teach you how to dance….”   As quickly as he had explained the plight he took off, leaving me awkwardly wondering what to do. The music started playing, the girls started dancing and our group of 3 gentlemen started staring, awestruck at the cultural dance that was being presented to us. After only a moment one of the girls motioned us to join her.  We looked at each other, at first with hesitation, than at the same time, as if a light bulb turned on in unison, we all shrugged and joined in. Following the lead of one of the dancers we started hand motioning, dipping and ducking. Round and round in circles we danced and smiled. Like a fair skinned brood of left footed dancing monkeys we laughed our way into my first of many highlights in India.

It was at this moment that I realized the strength of this culture. A strength so deeply rooted in history that it snuck up and booted me in the keister harder than Bruce Lee could ever have mustered. This humble sense of cultural exchange and smiles that I get from every human I encounter has been more life changing than I could have imagined. This was my first experience with true Rajasthan roots, and it stood out to me. Luckily more was to come from Udaipur and Jhadol but I am dehydrated and tired and will save this for another day soon. I have learned so much more from this vastly different country than any teacher has ever dreamed of force feeding me.  A realization that even in the worst of circumstances, or the dirtiest of places, there is beauty to be found. The people of India endure long days of heat, sweat, and hard work to come home to simple adobe houses and meals of rice and lentils, but they keep dancing. They keep singing. They keep helping each other without question. Most importantly they keep their culture! It’s a culture that I have fallen in love with, a culture that will dance in my mind forever, and keep me dancing through it all. Mucho Amore friends and family!

-Dan Kandt

Not really.

But it feels like it should be!

We made it to Mcleod Ganj! The little Tibetan refugee town up the mountain from Dharamsala, and home of his holiness… the Dalai Lama! The weather is gorgeous! Freezing, yet powerfully sunny! Tibetan monks are walking around the narrow streets, all of which are decked with Tibetan handicraft stores and groovy little restaurants!

Today, we had the afternoon off to explore the town, so I ventured off on my own to explore this little jewel. I went to a terrace overlooking the soaring mountains and had my first veggie momo. Delicious. A friendly Tibetan guy asked if he could join me and we ended up talking about Tibetan philosophy, politics and Buddhism for an hour. Fascinating insights…

Early wake up tomorrow to go up the mountain for a 48h meditation retreat. Will be taking a vow of silence for the entire duration of it. We’ll be doing a guided meditation, which will make this first attempt an easier one. I can’t wait to be up in the forest looking down to Mcleod Ganj. Our Tibetan contact pointed out the Dalai Lama’s place of residence up above us in the mountains. It was too far to see anything, but knowing that he’s there is a thrill in itself. Our contact/program guide here is young and dynamic, and laughs very easily, much like the Tibetans I’ve met so far (and based on the interviews I’ve seen, much like the Dalai Lama himself). Such a fun-loving people, yet so easy-going. Nothing like the over-eager Indians in the cities who constantly demand your attention. That being said, the Indians here do seem less agitated… I think some of that Tibetan spirit has rubbed off on them!

We’ll be here for the next two weeks. There’s no doubt in my mind that I am falling in love with this place and this culture. After an amazing, yet exhausting first 3 weeks in India, it’s nice to settle down, and I’m feeling very much at peace…and what better place than Mcleod Ganj to feel at peace in!

Tujeche…

-Claire

Amritsar was one of the most amazing destinations that this journey has taken us. Although we were all tired and several people in the group were sick (our stomachs are not very happy about our meal decisions) Amritsar proved to be one of the most spiritual places on Earth. No wonder it is the capital of Sikhism. The first night a bunch of us decided to visit the Golden Temple, and it was the biggest night of the Diwali festivities so the temple was like it was taken from a fairy tale. It was covered in lights (the kind of lights we use during Christmas) and there were millions of fireworks going on in the sky. I commented with my friends that it felt like in Disneyland, and they all agreed, adding that it was even better because no commercial purpose could be felt. It was for sure a night I will keep in my memories forever.

The next day some of us decided to go to the movie theater and watch a Bollywood movie. We had a blast. The movie was pretty much Back to the future but with all the dances and colors that India brings to their movies. That night half of the group decided to spend the night in the temple (I stayed in the hotel) and they all agreed that it was a very unique experience, until 3 am when they all decided to come back to the quietness of our hotel. In short, Amristar was amazing and I am really glad we got to experience such an amazing city.

- Hector

Looking back at our week long home stay in the small village of Jhadol, I realize what an amazing place it was.  Our schedule was jam packed.  Our days were filled with activities like helping construct a ramp at one of the buildings at the school, teaching at a girls school, and helping our homestay families.  They were all really cool experiences but the thing I will miss the most about the village were all the people we met there.  From the young women helping us out with construction, to the young girls we taught in class, to the families we lived with, they were all amazing people who I will never forget.  The women we worked with always had a great attitude and made the work lighthearted and fun.  Because of their attitudes the work never got old and tiring.  The girls that we taught in the class were amazing.  I wasn’t really looking forward to the teaching part of the week, but because the girls were so amazing it was the highlight of my time there.  From reading rhymes in the class to playing sharks and minnows outside, they were always doing their best and trying to please us.  The girls were so much fun and made it easy for us.  I hope they learned something from us because I definitely learned something from them.  Last, but definitely not least, was our families.  They welcomed us in to their homes like family and treated us very well.  The kids were really fun and and we had a lot of fun taking pictures with them.  I will really miss them.  I will miss the whole town. It was small but had such a sense of community.  The whole experience was amazing, and I wont forget.  I took a lot from our week in Jhadol and I hope to return some day.

-Pat Carty