August 5th we had a debriefing about the Fulbright-Hays program at the USIEF office. Afterwards, the group was interviewed about our experience from a reporter at the Hindustan Times.
Then Debbie and I were off to visit Vidya, the non-profit organization I had the privilege of volunteering with 2 years ago. We headed to the metro, and were pleasantly transported ew York style to Dwarka, Sector 13. The next part of the adventure was the Cycle Rickshawalla ride to Pappankalan. At last it was wonderful to see Indu again after two long years. The best surpise was to find the beautiful space Vidya is now renting. Growing out of the 3 rooms scattered in the town, a beautiful white building, 3 stories tall stands in the town. I was amazed to see familiar faces of the wonderful teachers in the rooms. There are great rooms set up for the women's sewing group, which produces pieces of work for sale in the market, along with fantastic rooms for students to learn. Art is adorned on the walls, and it was nice to see a photo of myself on the wall, along with the Flat Stanleys (known as Flat Bharats / India) on the wall. We chatted over a cup of chai (the most delicious cup of tea ever), but had to leave rather quickly to attend to our other tasks.
In the evening, I headed to a former colleague's apartment near Humayan's Tomb. Michael's new place is as beautiful as ever. It was fantastic to see him after 2 years, and was great to catch up over a delicious vegetarian meal. Michael is a wonderful soul, and a model educator who cherishes culture and travel.
After a great night, it was back for a final night at the Taj Mahal Hotel. Tomorrow, I'm traveling solo and have an early morning train to Haridwar, then taxi up to Rishikesh, the yoga capital of the world. I'm staying at the Sant Seva Ashram, which overlooks the Ganges. Should be an adventure.
No comments:
Post a Comment