The trip was one of the best things that has happened to me..in around forever..before the trip..wasnt sure if i should go..or if i even wanted to go..didnt want to have to make a wrong decision..one that i would regret later incase things got ugly on the trip..or atleast ugly enough for me to beat myself up over it later..wanted to hold off the decision making part till i would be forced into making one so that i could then put the entire thing squarely on destiny..watever happened..good or bad(though knowing myself..i was thinkin BAD)
well..went on the trip..met really wonderful people..not just the people who came with me from colleg but also the kids and people there..made some of the most amazing friends..had an awesonely wonderful time..in fact didnt wanna leave and come back home..
teaching the kids was one of the most enriching and wonderous experiences in my entire life..the joy of sharing the knowledge you have with someone and seeing them benefit from watever little you have given them is immmense..difficult to put it into words..simply amazing..the people out there in the villages are truly some of the most wonderful people you would ever meet..they are really loving, hospitable,kind and generous..nothin close to the steroetypical notions that we usually have of people in the villages..we were witness to some of their rituals and ceremonies..the pen which is a ceremony tht they hv when they dont hv enough money to hv a proper wedding but the boy n girl live together after tht and conduct their life together in the same fashion as people would normally do after a wedding..sometime they even get married on the same day as their kids..so its a kind of legalised live in relationship..we also visited the nearby vilages and stayed with a family for a night..went village hopping..met the others hu wer in nearby villages..had a lot of fun..
went to other villages and witnessed first hand the kind of life they lead..the people and their occupations,the govt measures taken to help them,the kind of work done by NGOs,how tht benefits the people etc. (watershed devpt proj,self help groups etc.)
also..climbed trees..went for hikes..moonlit walks..had a bonfire..sang songs..played spin the bottle,word association,in my pink pyjamas,truth n dare etc..ate karvandas,cashew fruits,papayas,raw mangoes,fresh honey(mmmm..yumm!!) etc..took a walk down to the riverbed(though dried up)..experienced first hand the joys of strawberries and cream(aaaahh..sheer bliss! *dreamy expression..)..cooked for the jesuit community and the sisters..learned teh tribal dances..got named fastest learner and best dancer by FRUN(Fr.Arun) cos i was teh only one who danced frm the start to the end..cleaned 30kgs of potatoes..cooked on firewood for 120ppl..hmmm..wat else???..cant seem to remember..but all in all did a lot of things tht i hadnt done before..so an awesome,amazing,enriching experience..wouldnt dream of trading it for the world!!!!...*grins from ear to ear..
