By Alec Mabie This week was spent in one of the holiest cities in India, Varanasi! When we first arrived in Varanasi our leaders gave us a tour of the city and we got to meet the teachers for the internships. We had so many options to choose from. I picked jewelry making, Ayurveda, and music. Other popular classes were fire dancing and stone carving. After meeting with our teachers… Read More

Photos courtesy of Rishi.… Read More

Photos courtesy of Rishi… Read More

By Emma Clements Our past two weeks have been filled with incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experiences; it is too hard to just pick one thing to write about. So, instead of writing about WHAT we did, I will tell you the feelings and thoughts of what went into it. It is the sad, mad, and beautiful of India. We have all seen the madness, especially in Dehli, with all the cars and… Read More

By Mayana Gibbs After a few days exploring Delhi, it was finally time to move onto our next adventure in Jaipur! We got on the five-hour train at 6:00 am and arrived in the late afternoon at our homestays. We got to see and explore the Amber palace and got to see elephants, monkeys, and camels! We then had the opportunity to learn some Hindi, which was very useful and… Read More

By Ella, May, and Keshav Hello from an internet cafe in Connaught in New Delhi! Today is our fourth full day in Delhi and we’re doing a scavenger hunt by ourselves throughout the city. So far we’ve taken two rickshaws, been helped by a couple of friendly locals, and tried our first lassis! We’ve experienced many cool things so far in this city. On our first full day we went… Read More

By Jake, Harrison, and Isabel Since arriving in Delhi, our group of 10 has already piled into rickshaws plenty of times to get from one place to the next. We’re a fun, loud, and silly group, but we never seem to talk much when riding in rickshaws. Maybe it’s because we have no idea if the driver will take us to the right place, or if we will get there… Read More

By Alec, Garrett, Isadora, and Emma We have been in India for six days and have seen several beautiful things and have met so many interesting locals. What makes India different than any other country is their bountiful kindness. As we walk the hectic city of Delhi, people come up to us and offer us assistance and tell us their stories. There are billions of people in this country and … Read More

The Shanti girls with the bride of a Muslim wedding they were invited to.… Read More

The Shanti crew explores the entrance of the Red Fort—a majestic World Heritage Site—in Delhi, India.… Read More

Namaste from the Shanti Fall 2017 leader duo, Bria and Pete. We are beyond excited to meet our team of stellar students in just five days! The next three months will be full of learning, adventure, and community. We will be spending the first half of our journey exploring several historic cities and sites– from Delhi to Jaipur to Varanasi to Kolkata. We will also have an opportunity to be… Read More

Namaste Shanti travelers! With our departure for India only a few short days away, we are thrilled to share our first blog post of the Spring. As the semester progresses, this blog will take the form of a (mostly) weekly update of our journey through India, written by students. Friends and family can look forward to reading stories about city life, overnight trains, yoga, ancient temples, outdoor adventures, home-stays, and… Read More

It’s the afternoon of December 6th, and the community of Shanti Fall 2016 huddles one last time, arms wrapped around each other’s shoulders, the tops of our heads touching as we look down at the circle of feet below us. It’s a tradition that started early on in our trip; it became the way we often ended group meetings and gatherings, and has taken on more feeling every time. In… Read More

Dearest Friendies, I’ve been walking around the streets of Dharmsala, still expecting to see your faces pop out of a cafe or wandering back to visit your homestay family. Instead, I see people that we all know and we spend a moment talking about how great you are and wondering how you are readjusting to home. At times it all feels like a dream, then I recall all of the… Read More

We have received word that the mighty Shanti group has successfully checked in for their return flight to America from New Delhi. We wish them traveling mercies on the long flight home and joyful reunions with their loved ones.… Read More

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Namaste. We have been trekking in the Himalayas, far away from Internet cafes. Here is our hand written blog post from midway through our time in the mountains. We are heading to Darjeeling today, so stay tuned.… Read More

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