Follow the Journey

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

We’ve received word that the whole Shanti Fall ’17 crew has gathered in San Francisco! Though they have 20+ hours of transit before arriving in Delhi, spirits are high and the entire crew is looking forward to what’s ahead. Thanks to each of you for supporting the students in getting to this step. We’re wishing the mighty Shanti Crew the best of luck in this upcoming semester and can’t wait… 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

We’ve just received word that the Mighty Shanti is off! Two students are staying on to explore India; one is heading back to Australia; and the rest are currently boarding their flight back to San Francisco. Much gratitude to all for the support over these last months, and please enjoy this final reflection from our extraordinary Overseas Educators Twelve weeks ago, we were sitting in a circle in Raj Ghat… Read More

Blog from Liam K I think the main thing that I learned from my time in India is what being happy really means. Before going on this trip I felt lost and not sure what I wanted to do with my life. Although I didn’t find a dream career or a job I know I want to do for the rest of my life while traveling in India, I now… Read More

Blog from Nelyn Phillip “Only the development of compassion and understanding for others can bring us the tranquility and happiness we all seek” -Dalai Lama XIV Namaskar Family and friends! It has been an exciting week spent on the organic farm of Dharmalaya. We are up on the Himalayan mountains where we are learning about earth building, agriculture and rain water harvesting, covering the basics of how important it is… Read More

A few more photos of the group’s time in Amritsar last week courtesy of the Overseas Educators!… Read More

Blog from Katie L. Photos from Peter and Diane Namaste friends and family, The trek was absolutely amazing. The night before the trek we stayed at the Colonel’s Resort and we all enjoyed the western luxuries there, like hot showers and free toilet paper. Then the next morning we had breakfast at the resort and then they drove us up to our starting point for the trek. The first day… Read More

Blog from Emma Parker We arrived in Lakshman Jhula, Rishikesh, exhausted, after a 5 hour train ride and almost 2 hour rickshaw ride from Haridwar station. Despite most of us being in desperate need of a nap, air-conditioning, and lunch, we were immediately struck by the beauty of this unique town. Temples and stupas stuck out among buildings, nestled in between the beautiful Ganges river and huge green hills. After… Read More

The mighty Shanti crew just returned from a week at the yoga ashram. While we’re waiting for a blog about their experience, the leaders sent us these beautiful photos of a recent sunrise yoga adventure!… Read More

Namaskar dear friends and family! It’s Kai-ji writing to you today from the beautiful, hot, historic city of Calcutta. This past week has been packed full of exploring both the wonderful city as well as the privileges we have all been blessed with. For the past six days, the group has been volunteering at the Mother Theresa Home for the Destitute. Our typical day starts with breakfast at 7am and… Read More

Blog from Deanna. Photos from Diane and Peter After leaving Varanasi, the group arrived in Bodhgaya. We’ve spent the last six days studying Buddhism and meditation while staying at the Root Institute for Wisdom Culture. Here the group would start the days with meditation and dharma talks. During our meditation we would meditate on love and compassion. Some would consist of us meditating on our love for our mothers and… Read More

A few snapshots of the group’s time at the farm outside of Varanassi last week and in Saranath. Thanks Dianne and Peter for the great photos!… Read More

Namaste from the Holy City of Varansi! G’day 🙂 it’s Zoe here as this week’s appointed blogger. I’m sorry it’s taken a little while for me to put this up. What an experience we’ve been having! It’s crazy to think we’ve been in India less than a month. We’ve already seen and experienced so much. Varanasi is such a beautiful and intriguing city and there has been absolutely no shortage… Read More

The Shanti group is currently in Varanassi. While we wait for their next blog update, here are some great photos. The first is from Diane and Peter (taken at a building you might just recognize). The remainder are from our wonderful contact Rishi-Ji in Jaipur. Enjoy!… Read More

Blog from Willow S. Photos from Peter & Diane Greetings from India! After almost two weeks here, I think it’s really starting to sink in that we are here. Although our days are jam packed and feel long, these first two weeks have flown by. Our seven days in Jaipur seemed especially quick. We were all a little apprehensive about staying with host families, but everyone was warmly welcomed and… Read More

Sitting in a small internet cafe on our third day in Delhi, we are feeling energized, overstimulated, and excited for this adventure. So far, India has been crazy. The amount of people swarming around every where is intense but beautiful. The cars, rickshaws, and motorcycles follow no laws on the road. There is constant honking from every auto mobile trying to establish their own individual dominance. Cows, camels, and stray… Read More

First Impressions: Emma- These first few days in Delhi have been insane, but wonderful. From seeing elephants in the street, to people diving down the wrong side of the road, to crowds of people trying to take photos with us, India is everything I thought it would be and more. Namaste to everyone back at home! Willow- Everywhere you look there is something new and amazing to see. So far… Read More

Hello from India! Katie, Amber, and Zoe are all posting from an internet cafe in Paharganj! This is one thing on our list of Scavenger Hunt Items! So far in Delhi we have ridden Rickshaws, seen the Lotus Temple, wandered through Bazaars, eaten amazing foods, and been welcomed with open arms by many locals. We will write again soon! Wish us luck of our hunt.… Read More

We’re happy to report that the entire Shanti crew is together in Delhi after a smooth and safe flight! They are nestled in their hostel getting some much deserved rest before launching in to their orientation tomorrow. We hear that they are sleepy but happy. The crew enjoyed their layover in Hong Kong and sent some photos to prove it. Keep checking the blog over the coming days and months… Read More