Dear Shanti Friends and Family:
We wanted to update you and let you know that the Shanti group has safely arrived at the SFO airport. The group will go through security, and then dive into a few introduction and orientation activities led by their Overseas Educators, Rebecca and Adam. The group will then embark upon their long flight over the Pacific Ocean, en route to Delhi, India!
We will provide… Read More
Hello from the Carpe Diem Education Shanti team! It’s been a week well spent in snowy Portland, full of games, laughs, tea and coffee.
As we’re all gearing up for an exciting and transformative trip to mother India, our co-leader team is hard at work planning a great semester for our students, as well as getting to know each other.
We found that we are both lovers of tea, long… Read More
Three months ago 7 strangers met in the San Francisco airport to embark on the journey of a lifetime. Today, our journey has come to an end, and we depart no longer as strangers but as family. We have so enjoyed spending the last three months with all of you.
We appreciate all of the unique qualities that each of you brought to this journey. We are sad to see… Read More
We came. We saw. We experienced. Not many people can say they traveled across India for three months with total strangers but we did it. We explored the culture, we met people from all over the world, and we opened up our heart
s and minds to everything and everyone around us. Some of us are more ready to take on what we have planned for our future; some of… Read More
A day for Emily:
Snuggled up under my wool blanket, I am awoken by my host family chatting away in Hindi. I open my eyes and absorb the soft glow of the pre-sunrise light and take in my surroundings: the small mud patio I am sleeping on and my host brothers Lalito and Rukase coming toward me to say good morning. I get out of bed and am greeted wit… Read More
Katie and Charlotte on what it like to teach in a small village in India.
Katie- This last week we got to spend our time working at an all girls school outside a small village. The school provides free schooling for over 500 village girls who would otherwise not get a chance to go to school. Everyday we taught different classes in English and got to play and run around… Read More
After the trek we quickly came back to civilization. We had a long travel day to Amritsar where we stayed for two days. We explored around the Golden Temple and visited it. We had some bougie Kulfi (indian ice cream) in chocolate, almond, rose and pistachio and mango flavors and a delicious dinner. The next morning we tried to bring our bags to spend the night at the Golden Temple,… Read More
By Kelly Tobin TOP THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TREKKING IN INDIA:
1. You never know where you are going or how long it will take.
2. Bring more chocolate then you think you need.
3. You will gain new animal friends (baby goats, dogs, and sheep.)
4. It will be very cold in November while hiking the Himalayas, bring warm layers.
5. The food is delicious, except desserts.
6. Mountain… Read More
By Emily Radek To paint the picturing of a sustainable living permaculture farm:
• Wake up at 6am to join the group for some Chi Kung-to move the energy in the universe and in and around you.
• Eat some delicious vegan food grown right on the campus
• Then it’s getting to work. We worked with the local villagers carrying bags of sand up a mountain, pugged (aka danced)… Read More
By Emily Radek Our travel day(s) to McLeod Ganj was a long and odd one. We left at 4 am, took a 5 hour train ride, spent 7 hours in Delhi till our 12 hour overnight bus ride to Dharamsala. We got to our cute hostel in the beautiful towering mountains of McLeod Ganj, and we all passed out in the lounge on the roof– cute group cuddle puddle, as… Read More
By Kelly Tobin Our day on October 17 started bright and early with a visit to a travel agent in Rishikesh to work on our Student Directed Travel plans. We then proceeded to take a 20-minute Jeep ride on a mountainous road to Phool Chatti Yoga Ashram.
At Phool Chatti, we had the opportunity to participate in a seven-day yoga, chanting, and meditation program along the Ganga river. Our mornings… Read More
By Charlotte Clarke and Paige Buchanan Everyone’s been sick and visited the hospital except for Rebecca in the past 10 days; talk about a wild ride!
Everything started off in Varanasi: cow poop in the streets and poop problems in the sheets. And then, the first case of Dengue. Kelly was out for the count, the mosquitos had got to her. Yet, we traveled on. What was supposed to be… Read More
By Katie Delaney We spent this past week exploring Varanasi, known as one of the oldest living cities in the world. Each of us has had a chance to explore some of our passions by taking classes including jewelry design, painting, music, and even fire dancing.
We also had the chance to wake up at 5:30 one morning and take a boat out on the Ganges river and watch the… Read More
By Paige Marcano-Buchanan As hazy fog drifts over far-off trees, the rising sun dyes the sky a soft purple. We cradle hot mugs of chai in our hand listening to the birds flying overhead. With the strike of a gong, we march to morning meditation. This is a completely different experience from the boom and bustle of Kolkata’s honking horns; now we sit quietly and watch cows graze. Instead of… Read More
By Charlotte Clark Day 7 of our adventures here in Kolkata, yet it feels like we’ve been here for so much longer. We started out with orientation in this crazy city, going out a little more each day to ease ourselves into it. It seems as though there are no rules for driving, people honk more than they speak and if you can cross the street here you can do… Read More
By Katie India so far has been the craziest place I’ve ever been, but it’s also the coolest. The food is amazing and the people have been super nice but it’s also very hot.… Read More
By Emily Kolkata is very crazy. There are tons of people, you drive on the other side of the road and horns are always honking. The constant smell is a mix of incense, food, and sewage. Driving here is a free for all, there are no lanes. Its like 80-90 degrees everyday here with 100% humidity—I have never been so hot.
The food here is really good and the people… Read More
By Kelly Kolkata is amazing. It is so vibrant and full of life. I am currently sitting in a computer cafe down on Sudder Street. I am doing well but realized a lot of my clothing is too heavy for here. It is about 90 degrees but 100 percent humidity. We are currently doing a scavenger hunt for different items without our leaders. It isn’t as scary as I thought… Read More
By Overseas Educator Suzannah Day 1 in Kolkata complete.
After many flights, a quick tour of Singapore, and a car ride at midnight, we fell, exhausted, into our beds in Kolkata last night. Most of the day today was spent reviewing the trip itinerary and chatting about health and safety. We briefly explored outside our guesthouse, successfully crossing the busy streets with confidence. Katie ate some celebratory pomegranates (her request)… Read More
We’ve just heard that the Shanti group has arrived safe and sound at their hostel in Kolkata! Be sure to follow along their journey right here on the blog in the coming weeks.… Read More
