GRAND and IMPRESSIVE By: Jens Jenkins

So, I had a fun mental exercise today, while riding the bus to the trailhead for our hike (more on the hike later). In particular, I was trying to figure out how it would be possible to perform road repairs on the mountain roads, as there is clearly not enough room to route cars around potential road work, since the paved portions of the roads are only about 10-12 feet wide. There are embankments, but only a couple of feet for most of the road, with a few portions that are a little wider, where cars coordinate passage, and even a few portions of the road with less than a foot of embankment (where the road has started collapsing down the mountain. I found out, after talking to the locals, that they actually do shut down the road for many hours, to even a whole day or more to do the repairs, if necessary. CRAZY, especially since there are so many people that live so far up in the mountains.

One of my absolute highlights on this trip was the hike we took today, to the temple of Shiva (a local god that is worshipped by many here). Each province and even neighborhood may have its own deity that they worship. But, here, Shiva rules. In the temple at the top of the mountain we drive everyday is a rock, which I would guess is about 300-400 pounds and about 2.5 feet in diameter. The rock is situated in a separated room of the temple, which is only about 20x20ft. The rock is colored/painted a cream color (slightly yellowish white) to correspond with the religious belief that lightning strikes the rock each year and breaks it apart into many pieces, which the resident priest glues together with butter and which makes the rock appear as though it never suffered any damage. We passed many locals on the hike, about 1.5 miles each way, to pray and be blessed by the priest. Our group sat in the small incense filled temple, which is fashioned out of red and yellow painted timbers and brightly painted story carvings, for a few minutes and received a blessing from the local priests.

The scenery on the hike was incredible (I absolutely love hiking and the majesty of the mountains). We were not disappointed.  But, I think it is safe to say that were all surprised to find green fields and very friendly cows at the top of the mountain. (A first time in my lifetime of hiking experiences). As we sat there, it was so grand and impressive to look over the many valleys that surrounded us.

Yesterday was also grand and impressive, especially because of your teens. We were able to attend a local private school (of about 600 students) and we shared talents with them, in a cultural exchange, after an initial tour of the school and a brief socializing event.

Clara really shined at this event. About 2 hours before we left for the event, we learned that we needed a couple of additional performances to match what they would be doing for us. We surveyed the teens and Clara was an immediate candidate because of her dancing abilities. She agreed and practiced a dance that she had choreographed a while ago. Despite the passage of time since she last performed the number, Clara quickly recalled the choreography and practiced it to an amazing performance ready quality. During the event, she did it better than ever. I am so proud and amazed by her.

Samantha also shined at the event, agreeing to coordinate an acapella performance of “Fools Rush In.” It was amazing to listen to the girls practice this song and to hear them at the school. The rendition they sang was one of the best I have ever heard, mostly because of Samantha’s singing abilities. She harmonized with the other girls during the song and that made it more grand and impressive than ever! Samantha is also so fun and carefree. Today, when the driver had to stop on a dime (because of an oncoming truck with no room to pass), some of the teens fell from their seats, including Samantha, who simply responded by laughing for about 5 minutes. Love it!

Liberty has such a steady and calming presence. The children love to be around her and she is one of the absolute favorites of the children, including Shelli (the 5 yr old daughter of Raj, our expedition liaise in India). When we went to dinner last night at a local restaurant, Shelli only wanted Liberty (of all the teens) to hold her. There is a picture of them in this blog. What an amazing skill.

Felicity was a favorite of many of the boys at the private school we visited. She is so kind and easy to talk to that several boys felt comfortable approaching her to converse and to take an occasional photo. It doesn’t hurt, of course, that she is also very pretty. A picture in the blog shows her being surrounded by boys eagerly listening to everything she had to say. We have all come to be amazed by Felicity’s intelligence. She is very well read and has an amazing vocabulary that has initiated a lot of fun dialog and conversations among the teens and leaders.

Wyatt is so fun to watch at the school. Even though he has been a bit sick (which he is now feeling better from), he still finds a way to engage with the children in a fun way. For instance, during one afternoon of playing games, right before we left, the children wanted to play ‘Duck Duck Goose.’ Wyatt wasn’t feeling up to playing in the big group and sat on the stairs of the schoolyard. Then, a few boys cam over and sat by him. They proceeded to play their own game of Duck Duck Goose, by taping each other on the legs with the cadence of the big group and tagging each other when they were the Goose. It was very fun to watch. I also love watching Wyatt marshal order among the children when they want to color and Wyatt insists that they sit and speak the English word for the color they want. Sometimes, the children only know the Hindi name and Wyatt lets them point to the color and then he teaches the correct term and insists on them reciting it in English. I think the only time he gives in and gives a color with an incorrect answer is when they want Brown (he lets them get away with the term ‘chocolaty’).

Haden continues to shine. He was also a favorite among the local teens during the cultural exchange, he is very handsome, fit and confident. The girls at the school loved talking to him. He is also so approachable and friendly that it takes the edge off of the nerves of those talking with him. In fact, he is so concerned about making the most of this expedition that he initiated many of the conversations that others were too uncomfortable to initiate. He did it in such a humble, kind and pleasant way. He also shined by volunteering when the group of teens was asked who would be willing to say a few kind words to the whole audience at the cultural exchange. He did an amazing job and his parents would have been so proud to see it in person. I am not sure it was captured on camera (sorry).

This is my last post of the trip. Because of that, I will let you all know that this trip has been transformative for me and for your teens. Thank you for sharing them with India, and me, this last couple of weeks, especially during the Holiday season. I know that they have sacrificed a lot to get here. But, you have sacrificed at least as much to help them get here and to have them leave you at this time of the year. Hopefully, you can at least be comforted knowing that the sacrifices are all worth it, because this experience has helped your teens gain so much perspective and grow in so many ways. I have seen it with my own eyes. ALL of your teens are so GRAND AND IMPRESSIVE in so many ways!!! They aren’t my kids, but I love them so much!