Bridges to India 2009

Kaytee, Annie, Larissa, Amber, Natalie, Dana, Shannon & Ellie
Hunter, Quinn, & Sam

Safe and Sound

Waiting

Arriving

The kids arrived home last night safe and sound after 48 hours on the road... or in the air.

They have arrived with 13,348 photos between the fourteen travelers (prize goes to Annie! - 2,371 pictures). Because they could not upload images in Kerala, we will now be repopulating the blog with the actual pictures of their travels. So check back over the next few days as the images and links change.

Galyn

Out of Touch - But On Our Minds

Backwater Tour of Vembanad Lake

The students are without access to the internet, and so cannot post for the time being. They are on a houseboat taking a two night backwater tour, after which they will fly to Mumbai where they will spend the night before flying home on Saturday. Please join us for their presentation next Wednesday night, 7:00PM in the Maverick Room at Riverdale High School.

Galyn

From the "Elders"

Dear Family and Friends,
Transition time!  We are finished with our stay at Hope House. We will be dedicating the completed addition to the Women's Empowerment Center this morning and immediately leave for the Backwaters for a day and night of "chilling out" prior to the hustle of travel, in India.

We wanted to let all of you know what a wonderful group of teenagers are traveling with us. As you may know, travel is a good indicator of character and all of them are GREAT travelers! Patient, helpful and ready to hurry up and wait.  Their ability to derive awe and wonderment from India is a joy to watch and experience.  They are respectful and fun loving.  Daisy has commented often that this group is very cohesive and well mannered.  She has been able to spend time separately conversing with each one of them.  She enjoys them together and individually.  We applaud your kids!
Perhaps you'll receive a blog at one of the airports during one of our layovers.  We look forward to sharing our experiences with all of you and will be presenting a community meeting on Wednesday, 12/16 at 7:00pm RHS. 
 Please feel free to attend!

Namaste, Susie and Dan

Last day with Daisy

Salutations dear blog readers. Amber and Shannon will be conducting your reading experience of the day.

Today is our last day at Daisy's house in Kerala, so it has been relatively mellow so that we can collect ourselves and prepare for the journey back home. This being India, however, we have still managed to fit quite a few interesting activities into our schedule. We woke up this morning and some of us enjoyed early yoga with Ms. Laly, and others took this time as an opportunity to call home and talk to beloved family members. We miss you all so much and can't wait to see all of you again! At the same time, we are all having a blast here in India, so saying goodbye is going to be difficult. Daisy has taken such good care of us here, and made sure that our days are full of lots of activity and learning. Lal always is there to brighten our days, and to make sure we eat meals... lots of meals. We're going to miss him so much, as he is always there to keep our happiness at maximum capacity.

The first order of business today was visiting the clinic. We had briefly looked at it before, but it was always through windows or a quick peek in the doorway, because it is always full of people waiting for Dr. Sashi's care. We saw the clinic's waiting room, examination room, and the room where needles full of various medication are distributed. The clinic is tiny compared to the large American hospitals we're all used to, but it is immaculately kept and it manages to feel open and airy. We saw Dr. Sashi perform a check-up on an eighty year old diabetic. He has been getting his medication from the clinic for four years, free of charge, because he cannot afford all the medications by himself. It was so great to see the direct impact that the clinic is having on so many people, and that all the money we raised can truly be used for the greater good, such as the welfare of people like the diabetic we saw.

The rest of the day was pretty relaxed, most of us hunkered down and did homework, with math being the subject of choice. Ms. Laly was also putting henna onto our hands, and her handiwork is amazing. Some of us had also bought henna yesterday, and were inspired to decorate other parts of our bodies as well. There was also much fawning over Rosie, as she is as cute as a button, but much smarter. Today, Shannon taught her how to sit, lay down, and come. Which wasn't a difficult task because she is very bright and willing...but only if you have treats.

Some of us went to join in the cricket game, and others are still relaxing. Since this our last day at Daisy's, we might not be able to post again before we get back home. So don't worry, we're all still alive and well. :)

Thank you to everyone who has read our posts and followed our progress on this trip, and especially thanks to everyone who has commented. Every day Ms. Keeton reads the comments to us, and it makes us so glad that you're all thinking of us. Thank you to everyone to has contributed to making this trip so incredible and unique, and special thanks to all of our parents and family members, we love you and miss you.

We'll see you all soon!

- Amber and Shannon

P.S. Please remember to bring warm jackets and blankets for all of us new-found cold blooded creatures, the icy air will be a definite shock to the system!

Hurry Up and Wait

Bishop's House in Changanacherry

There's no such thing as a bad Monday in India! Some of us woke up early to a refreshing yoga session with Mrs. Laly. After breakfast, all of us loaded up in the bus and drove to another Hindu temple. Fortunately we avoided any downpours (as is what happened during our last temple experience) and were able to enter into the very heart of the compound. We saw elephants decked out in all of their gorgeous costuming and beautiful intricate paintings. There is a sense of ancient history about the place unlike anything us Americans can fathom; behind the temple we saw a stone pillar with pre-Sanskrit writing that is not even fully translatable. The kind of timeline that Indians have runs so far back into the reaches of time, and the Hindu temple was one example of that.

With this lengthy history comes diversity. As well as visiting a Hindu temple, we saw a Roman Catholic church very near Daisy's home in Changanacherry. At the same time as our visit a local school for mentally disabled children was there. One young girl came up to each of us just to touch our skin. Daisy told us that these children are extremely well cared for in school, just another example of Kerala's progressive educational system that we are helping to supplement with our work at Hope Charities.

For lunch we traveled to Mrs. Laly's former employer, the Athreya Ayurvedic Resort. We were greeted by a two-story tall statue of Hanuman, god of devotion, service, and dedication (appropriate considering the nature of our trip). We toured the gorgeous, tranquil facility and learned about some of the medicinal plants that grow there. Again, us Americans have a lot to learn from India's long history; they have had so much more experience with natural medicine than a lot of Westerners. Upon our arrival we were given warm pink water that has cleansing properties. We were served a nice lunch at the resort and then we headed back to Changanacherry.

Once back in Changanacherry, the group finished up our shopping. We got home in the very late afternoon. The whole process took about seven hours, teaching us a virtue of India: hurry up and wait. But once we got home, everyone was eager to interact with the kids. Some of us went and played cricket while others did some tutoring in the library (although they tutor us, too, in dancing and Mallayalam words and phrases). By being present in their community we interact with people of all ages. Not only are we helping them practice their English, but we show respect and interest in their company and customs. Spending time with them is both fun and valuable to them. Daisy told us that before the first trip, a lot of the kids were very sad; they never smiled. We haven't seen one frowning face on this trip!


Dana, Hunter & Natalie

A New Home and a New Puppy

Today, we slept in a little! Hooray! We woke up around 7:30 (that's our "sleeping in" for you). After a delicious and plentiful breakfast of toast (Kaytee ate a whole loaf) and fruit and a wheat dish that you dip bananas in (we found that to be interesting...), we piled into the motor rickshaws and headed over to the "colony"; not a ride for the weak-stomached. After the huge thunder storm last night, the boulder-strewn roads were a slick mud river that challenged the most capable drivers of these rickshaws. Once we reached the "colony", we got to see the house that part of our group's fund-raising helped to build. Completed just yesterday, it now houses a family of 6. Before we went in the house, the local pastor of the region (Catholic) chanted a prayer in song along with the women of the family. It was a really emotional and heartwarming experience because both the mother and the daughter started crying out of appreciation. They had formerly lived in a hovel that had cardboard for a roof and an torn sheets for curtains. Now, they could start over in a house with electricity, an indoor toilet and shower. Daisy explained to us that it was a huge breakthrough for the women of the household-particularly the teenage girl-to have the privacy of an indoor toilet. Part of the ceremony included lighting the first wood fire on the stove in their kitchen, and placing a pot of sweetened milk on top to be boiled over onto the fire. To much applause, when the milk boiled over, they served us all the hot milk, and the elders (Susie and "Professor Dan") were asked to be seated. We found the house to be quite small, consisting of a bathroom, one bedroom, a kitchen and a living room. Basically, the whole house was the size of one of our bedrooms. Daisy assured us that it was very luxurious and plenty of room for this family, considering what they had been living in before.

After we said goodbye to the family, we got back into the rickshaws for another booty-bumping ride back to the house. We thought we would get another chance to work on the Vocational Center today, but seeing as it was a Sunday, the workers did not arrive. So, after a while of contemplating what to do that day, Susie riled us all up and we walked with Lal to the market where he purchases his groceries. Lal told us that it would only be about a 2 kilometer walk (aka 1 mile) but as India has shown us before, everything is at least twice as long as expected. We ended up walking 4 kilometers one way (aka 2 miles) and back in the heat of the day, sweating and huffing. Susie sang out to us that it was "character building" and Mr. Palma agreed as he adjusted his sweatband and shook out his t-shirt that was a shade or two darker with sweat than before. Back home we were relieved of our heat with cold showers and fresh limeade that Lal makes for us. After some lounge time to recover from our cross-country trek, ROSIE the new puppy arrived! Lal held her with loving arms and introduced her to Jimmy, the now-jealous, spawn-of-satan Dalmatian guard dog. Jimmy didn't seem too upset when Daisy showed her love for him but it will still take him some getting used to. This gangly, big footed, bony puppy will prove to be a little bit of a challenge for Lal to train.

Today really gave us the chance to see what our hard work and fund-raising efforts have brought to a community. Daisy told us about how when she came here in 2001 all of the children had sad faces, and would not look you in the face - their eyes were cast down. Now, they have a reason to be confident in their abilities. They know that they have options and a future ahead of them - no wonder we see so many smiles and waves every day. They all show pride in their homes, themselves and their community. We feel like we are really making a difference here, even though some of the stuff we are doing we may take for granted at home. All of us in Portland know that we have options in our future, and it's nice to know that we've given that freedom to choose to kids in India.

Well, that's about it faithful blog trekkers! We're off to go have another round (hopefully better) of Indian hamburgers -made by Daisy herself this time.

Ta Ta (goodbye in Malyalam) for now! Enjoy the ice fest while we sweat it out in Kerala!

Love always,
Kaytee and Ellie

Sweat and Sarees

Today, like every other day, we woke up to an early morning yoga session. It was wonderfuly strenuous, and a great way to start off the day. Then we had a great Indian breakfast and headed off to work on the Women's Empowerment Center. Little children came bright and early to ask where Annie and Dana were (their new best friends).

While some students plastered the last two interior walls, others went to the neighborhood cricket field, which the children had invited them to. Students sifted, pulled weeds, plastered, and played cricket for three hours in the early morning. Currently, the inside of the Women's Empowerment Center is all finished, and all that is left to do is the exterior walls, and the floor. Sifting dirt for the cement may sound easy, but each person was sweating buckets after just ten minutes. However, we were all able to catch a break since the neighborhood kids were eager to help and take our jobs.

During the cricket game Kaytee and Quinn made some great hits, and Annie found her new calling. She is very good at catching the ball as it comes flying towards her face.

We went inside for our cold showers of the day, and had a light lunch. Quinn stayed outside longer and introduced the kids to agame of Vietnamese hacky sack (kah). Inside, the girls were having fun getting dressed in their sarees. First, they put on a fitted belly shirt that is the bottom of the saree. Then, they put on a cotton drawstring skirt that goes under the silk saree skirt part. The six meters of beautiful fabric is strategically draped around your waist and shoulder for a perfect finish that takes about 30 minutes. For the finishing touch, the women placed strings of jasmine in our hair. This was done by Mrs. Lolly and another woman who sewed many of the sarees.

The boys dressing affair was much simpler than the process of putting on sarees. First, they tied their lungees (man skirt) which took about 30 seconds. Then they put on thier simple man tunics. To top off the simple chic look, they put on thier necklaces, which were Hindi prayer beads.

Then we all walked down to the center, where the children of Hope Charities had prepared a show for us. There was singing, dancing, story telling, and even a version of Indian "Backstreet Boys." Sam, Hunter, and Quinn were eager to join the boys in dancing wildly and teaching them great American dance moves. Annie, Ellie and Sam rapped the theme song of "Fresh Prince of Bel Air," which left them all in awe. Also there were singing performances by Dana, Natalie, Shannon, Ellie, Amber, Kaytee and Sam. Mr. Palma showed off his harmonica and saxophone skills.

At the very end the performers of Hope Clinic were awarded surprise presents for their wonderful entertainment. All 13 of the travelers were awarded necklaces of jasmine from the children. All 11 students quickly ran back to the house to prepare Mr. Palma's surprise birthday cake. We all sang and celebrated. That is all for this eventful day. Wish us luck in finishing the finishing touches of the Women's Empowerment Center.

Thank you for all of your comments, keep them coming, we look forward to them every night.

Xoxo, Annie and Larissa.

Elephants, Dogs & Ice Cream

Hey, it's Sam and Natalie, here to provide yet another installment of our adventures in India. We woke up extra early this morning to take a bus ride to see, feed and ride an elephant named Durga. Apparently, Durga is named after a god of destruction, but he seemed more hungry than destructive. We fed him bananas, slices of bread, and hardened balls of molasses, all of which were gobbled up eagerly. Everyone had a chance to to ride Durga, including some of our more uncoordinated members. Fortunately, Durga was patient enough to pose for numerous photos with each of us, all of which screamed Facebook.

As we drove off, we were asked if we would like to meet a dog breeder. Although our group was slightly ambivalent to the idea, everyone warmed up quickly to the cute puppies that we met at the very well kept facility. One in particular struck a chord with us--a yellow Lab-like creature with eyes occupying most of her face and a tail in constant motion. Daisy liked her too, and they are picking her up to bring her home the day after tomorrow! We are particularly excited for her arrival A) because she is adorable and B) because it will make the day of our house manager, Lal. Lal is a Nepalese fellow who is short and adorned with a sweet moustache. He spoils us by doing our laundry, playing Karim (Indian pool) with us, making us incredible tea and just playing our parent in general (and also on occassion joking older brother). We all adore him and are so happy to give him this puppy; he will have a blast training her. We named her Rosie for the City of Roses, because we bought her when a Bridges trip was at Daisy's house.

Puppy purchased, we moved on to our own little ice cream odyssey. We first drove to the ice cream parlor, which was actually not the right parlor. So we drove further, our exhausted bodies craving some kind of food. We ended up at a store/restaurant/ice cream place, where we experienced the best ice cream I've ever had in India.

Afterwards, we finished up some shopping and headed home for a late lunch. We spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening helping out with the construction of the Women's Vocational Center. As the sun started to set and rain began to pour, some of us went out to play cricket with the kids in the neighborhood. Interacting with them is half the fun in this experience, and it's hard to avoid being swarmed by them the second we step out the door. As I write this, Quinn is in the opposite room reading stories to some of the children who come to Hope Charities for after-school tutoring. When we first got up to the library, they were all crowding around us trying to teach us Mallayalam words and phrases and their dances, none of which we can do very well but we try our best. It's enough to do that and see the looks on their faces when our awkward American tongues manage to say "Ende para Natalie" or "Ende para Sam" (My name is...).

No matter where we are or what we're doing, adventures seem to find us. In the smallest moments or largest events, we find things to learn and enjoy in the people here and each other. There's disappointments, like starting to sweat as soon as we get out of the shower, but there's the successes too, such as finishing plastering a wall in the Vocational Center. Today has been no different.

PS Notes from Natalie
Mom, Dad, Allie, and any other family reading this..... I love you guys so much and miss you a TON!!! Please can we go to Thai Basil when I get home? :) So excited to see you when I get back, although I'm having an amazing time and am so thankful. Mom in particular, you helped me pack well. I haven't been sick at ALL literally AT ALL and I've been very comfortable. (Sam wants to tell you I'm resilient, surprisingly).

Schulz's Back to Portland

Riverdale India 09 Team

Thank you for the update on the work you are completing. Sounds like the project and educational process are going great. Jennifer and I miss all of you and the work getting done. We wish we could have stayed longer to help and experience what you are.

The trip home is going to be as interesting as India. It could be a lot easier but it is India. Jennifer and I will fill you in on the details later this week based on taking notes each step of the way. The most important thing is that the trip home will require lots of teamwork and patience's. It is long, long, trip.

During our trip, when something is LIT or just India, Jennifer and I would look at each other and say, "ReLAX....ReLAX.... RElax." You know what I mean and I am sure this can help for your trip back to the States.

Continue to do great work and email me if you have any questions at kss@inicigroup.com.

Karl Schulz

First Day of Work!

Hello from everyone in the Bridges to India crew! This is Dana and Shannon and we are having a blast so far on our trip. This morning we rose early for some relaxing...relax....relax....relax... (it's a joke) yoga. Some of us decided that we needed to catch up on our sleep, but many people participated in yoga. For breakfast we had something interesting, but we really can't remember because most of us had the "pancakes" with Natalie's peanut butter. Shannon was upset that she lost her extra-crunchy peanut butter, but we are sure it will show up soon. We then got all primped and prepped in our safety goggles, work gloves, and close-toed shoes for a hard day at work down at the clinic. We have been planning to help out with the construction for an add-on to the Women's Vocational Center, where they have the resources to earn money by sewing. They were working on our very own saris, which was "uber" exciting to see the process of something so personal. They also demonstrated the embroidery work that they have been practicing.

We began working by collecting leaves, sticks, and rocks to put them into other piles of leaves, sticks, and rocks. Then, we moved gravel for the foundation of the center. Quinn, Shannon, Hunter, and Dana were the first to begin sifting granite sand, old school style, by using pans to dump it onto a screen where someone would then smooth it over with a wooden tool in order to filter the smaller sand out. Quinn thought that this was rather inefficient. Daisy agreed. So, we began the process of lifting up the screen and shaking it back and forth. Consequently, the work was finished faster, but our shoes became great sights of geological excavation. Later, we formed a human sand brigade to move our freshly filtered sand into the preexisting frame of the center. One local boy even skipped school to help us because he was so excited. But we later found out that he didn't have the money for the bus to get to school. Daisy is working to help this family. The people who had started the building process of the center, were demonstrating to us how they mush the sand with water to create a cement. Everything here is granite. Granite floors, granite counters, and now even granite cement! Mom, you should think about granite counters (from Shannon). Then, the junior girls began plastering over the lava-stone bricks with the cement. During this process, our same little helper and his two younger siblings had quite the photo shoot experience. Annie and Ellie made supermodels out of the boy's younger brother and sister, while he ran around with Kaytee's camera, artistically taking pictures of everything... everything.

Lal brought us all lime juice, which was so refreshing after working so hard and being so sticky and sweaty. Then, we went up to the house for some lunch. During our time in Daisy's house so far, we have had some pretty interesting food. Daisy had told us many times that she has been unhappy with the cooking, although we haven't lodged any complaints. Dana remembers looking over and seeing Daisy, Lal, Ms. Laly, and Vajeema speaking very fast in Malayalam. Apparently, what had been occurring was the firing of our cook. I guess Daisy really wasn't happy with the cook and decided to do something about it. What spunk?

Shannon and Amber completely missed this whole episode because they had fallen victim to a change in bananas. Originally, we were fed small finger-sized bananas that were yummy and sweet. Today, we were treated with scrumptious house-sized bananas. After Amber and Shannon ate them, they fell into a comatose nap and proceeded to have the most bizarre dreams. Shannon is thinking about smuggling some for the hellacious plane ride (only joking).

After working some more, and becoming thoroughly tired, hot, sticky, and sweaty, we gave in due to thunder in the distance. However, for some reason some of us decided it would be a brilliant idea to go for a walk towards the school to see if they were out yet so that we could walk them home. Unfortunately, the rain decided to accompany us as well. So we turned around, much to our chagrin, the students overtook us in a rumbling bus. Twice. But lucky for us, we got a shower out of the ordeal. A natural shower.

After some downtime, Dana, Shannon, and Amber, began to rehearse for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in the front room. Lal then entered with two eleven-year-old neighborhood girls. They were quite giggly and glad to meet us. The girls left, and Dana walked them down the street. Then Lal brought us outside to pet the guard dog, Jimmy the Dalmatian. Shortly after, Lal began to push leftover "hamburgers" on us. But... no one was hungry.

Then we had dinner which consisted of goat mutton, veggie goop, and flaky, delicious, naan-like pastries. Dinner was much better than before. Haha. Susie then read us a bedtime story of all you avid bloggers' comments. Thank you so much for following our progress!

We miss you all,
Dana and Shannon

New Friends

From Dana

Don Bosco Secondary School, Kerala

Hello it's Ellie and Larissa,

Today was a quieter one of our days here in Kerala. Those who wanted to partake in the yoga session with Mrs. Laly woke up at 6:45, the rest woke up at their usual time. We had our breakfast and headed out the door around 9:00 to the Don Bosco School of 2000+ students (Mr. Palma apparently really enjoys the name "Don Bosco").

We were greeted like celebrities (it's becoming a usual--as it has occured with the other schools as well). We were paired up in groups of 2 and 3 to sit in on one class at the school (we decided that our first experience with a full day at school was too overwhelming). They drilled us with many questions as usual, and then we assembled in a large room-our Bridges to India group on a platform overlooking the audience of junior and senior students for a Q and A discussion. We decided to have two sessions with each class. At first it was hard to get questions out of them. We knew that they were dying to ask us many questions, but they were too shy. Finally some spoke up.

The questions that came out were very interesting: They asked about Nursing homes--for them, putting a parent in a nursing home is disrespectful and looks like we don't care about them. They also asked about boy/girl relationships, a lot about the differences in our education systems, family relationships (like with our parents and siblings) as well as the war in Afghanistan. Dana, Kaytee and Ellie figured that they would probably be singing in every gathering we had. "The Star Spangled Banner" and "Let It Be" are becoming favorites among the Indians here.

After the Don Bosco School, we piled into our rickshaws and ate sandwiches on the way. We headed off to shop around town. Some boys bought more lungis (male skirts) and shirts, and we also found a small store that sold spices and local candies (we went crazy over the chocolate!). When we came back outside, we were greated with terrential downpouring, so we decided to go home early. Trying to do anything in this rain is basically impossible. On the way home we had some rickshaw troubles--we got a little split up. Susie and Mr. Palma's rickshaws got left behind Daisy's. But they were able to find their way back home--many noted it was just another adventure in India.

The rest of the day was down time, and we came home to fried onions and cauliflower (almost like tempura). For dinner tonight, Daisy surprised us with Hamburgers. Hunter joked saying they were water buffalo burgers. The hamburgers were....less than conventional. Very Indian style. it was like a deep fried hamburger with an Indian twist. Annie, Larissa, Dana and Susie checked out the sewing center and saw the handbags that they are hand embroidering to sell and make a profit to supplement their home income. Annie made two friends while exploring the backroads around the house--visiting homes along the way. As they walked, a caravan of children seemed to grow larger and larger as time went on. The boys informed Annie that her name means "ladder" in Malyalam, giggling. And, for a while, we were wondering why people laughed at Kaytee's name...apparently it means "naughty one". No Wonder. Well, that's all for now, wish us luck on our first day of building the Women's Vocational Center!

P.S: Thank you for your continued commentary on our blog! Susie reads them to us every night before we go to bed, it's one of the most exciting parts of our day! Keep Posting!
Dad and Lucie, I love you! And Zoe and Ellie, we appreciate you checking up on our blog. Miss you so much! Love, Ellie and Larissa.

A Skeleton on Fire - Normal Here?

Well hey, it's Quinn and Hunter. Sorry for the delay, but we're finally going to fill you in on the first day of December. We woke up to the sounds of yoga, and began our early morning exercise. We cleared our bodies of stress and gasses, and headed down to breakfast. We had ada, which is a rice flower crape; in the center is coconut, sugar, cardamon. All of these ingredients are grown locally. It is absolutely outstanding, as one might imagine.

We then hopped on our fancy legs, and walked to the nearby, St. Peter's School. We were involved in an assembly, along with the presentation of World AIDS Awareness Day. The presentation was a bit... unorthodox. After a few words by the principal, Mr. Palma and Shannon, we were sitting at the front, when suddenly, India techno began to blare out of the speakers. The students began to to cheer; we were a little confused. Then, a gangly Indian man, in a skeleton costume, burst forth and began to dance in front of the cheering crowd. A lit torch was passed to him, and he continued his dance moves with fire. He even made Mr. Palma grab onto the torch, rather exhilarating. He disappeared as suddenly as he had come. After the performance, Mr. Palma was given the opportunity to play his saxophone for the school. With about 700 cheering students, he loved every second. After his jeering performance, the skeleton man returned, this time dressed as an old alcoholic. The same techno still blared in the background. We later learned that man was an actor in a roaming awareness troop. The first act was to show the emotions of someone with AIDS, the second was about the problem of alcoholism in Kerala.

After the assembly, we were taken to a Q&A session with the students. It was very interesting, and we were able to break the stereotypes, on both sides, about our cultures.

Then we went home, to have a siesta, as people were exhausted and needed a nice rested. The days at school are very tiring.

In the late afternoon, we boarded the bus to visit a town with an ancient Hindu temple for their yearly celebration. We saw very beautiful elephants being dressed in gold plated trunk covers and bells. Yet, we were not able to view the procession as an awesome downpour and lightning began. The undercover areas flooded with people and water. The bus finally rescued us after about an hour and a half of watching the storm lash around us. We drove off to dinner, lightning still crackling in the sky. We ate at a resort by the river, and partook in a meal consisting of fish, curry, nan, some pastry-stuff, and ice cream. The fish was actually a type of piranha and had many bones, so getting any meat out of it was a chore.

We all returned home, for a much needed rest.

Back to School :)

Placid Vidya Vihar Secondary School

Hey, it's Amber and Sam, here with another update of our wonderful journey in India. We began our day bright and early because we needed to catch our motor-rickshaws to Placid Vidya Vihar Secondary School. After the best ride to school ever, we attended a beginning of the day assembly, kind of like community meeting to the power of ten. We were treated like celebrities, gave out several awards, and held out our hands during several prayers/national anthems, unsure of precisely how to act. Then, Hunter gave a speech that brought to mind Martin Luther King Jr. Needless to say, it was exhausting, and that was before we even met the students we would shadow for the rest of the day.

We were each paired with a different student in "plus one" or eleventh grade. All the "plus two" or twelfth graders were sitting exams, so we didn't get to shadow them. All the students that we shadowed were really nice and welcoming. The school that we went to visit has students in eleventh and twelfth grade who choose a "track" or kind of like a college major. Their tracks were commerce and sciences, so once students complete tenth grade, they are glued to one major source of study. Most of us shadowed students in the sciences track, but Annie and Sam shadowed commerce students. Throughout the day we attended seven classes, each about 45 minutes long. Each class stays in one room, with teachers changing rooms instead of the students.

We were struck by the similarities between Riverdale and their school. They enjoy going to movies, surfing the internet, and hanging out with their friends, just like us. However, there was a large percentage of students boarded at the school, which limited their freedom to use technology. We visited the school during their revision time, because their exams are coming up in December. Most of the teachers read from a textbook, and the students copied down what they said.

Along with sitting in on their classes, we were also invited to the front of the class to tell everyone about ourselves, and most of the kids were really intent on hearing us sing. Sam performed a beautiful rendition of "Boom Boom Pow" by the Black Eyed Peas. Larissa and I (Amber) sang the Riverdale Fight Song, which I'm not sure was totally grasped by the students. We talked to them about our school, where we came from, and the differences between Kerala and Oregon. The kids in younger grades were quite infatuated with us, and made it their mission to get all eleven Riverdale students to autograph their notebooks.

We also got lunch at Placid Vidya Vihar, and had quite the interesting sandwich experience. The sandwich consisted of: a layer of white bread, crustless; a layer of butter, followed by a layer of jelly, bookmarked by a triangle of bread. Seems typical, right? This is where things get interesting. Beneath the innocuous layers of jelly sandwich lurked a chicken curry sandwich. Sam's reaction: surprised, but he ate the whole thing. You may be wondering how this sandwich came to be, so we will tell you the tale. Daisy had asked that Lal make half of the sandwiches peanut butter and jelly, and half of the sandwiches chicken, because she didn't know what we preferred. This was lost in translation though, and Lal created the masterpiece that we dubbed the "Indian Thanksgiving Sandwich."

After lunch, we continued with studies until 3:20, when we went back to the principal's office where we got apple juice and talked about the differences and similarities between Riverdale and Placid Vidya Vihar.

We went home after a long day of school and ate Lal's famous french fries. It was a great ending to the school day.

We're having a great time and we girls are getting fitted for our sari's tomorrow, so that should be exciting.
Love to our families and friends.
- Amber and Sam :)

Beach Bummin' in Kerala!

Hey there blog fans! It's Annie and Kaytee here fillin' you in on our Indian adventures.

Today was our second full day in Kerala. It began with a 7:00 AM yoga lesson in the clinic's library. It was a little cramped and Karl had some trouble due to his 6'6" frame. After yoga we had a delicious breakfast of noodles and, for those of us missing the tastes of home, oatmeal. Kaytee and Ellie had brown sugar oatmeal and Annie munched on some Dinosaur oatmeal (there are magic hatching dino eggs!).

After B-Fast, we loaded into the rickshaws and visited the colony where the previous group built the well. It was great to see how much improvement the well had brought to the community. They were all very happy to see us, and they were still thanking us for the hard work put into the well. The kids were adorable, and loved posing or playing with our cameras.

Next we headed back to the house for some R&R and had a tasty lunch. Unfortunately, we also had to say goodbye to Karl and Jennifer Shulz. None of us were too happy about their departure but they had "lives to get back to" apparently.

Some of us did homework or just chatted before we left for the beach at 3:00. It was about a 45 minute drive to the beautiful Indian Ocean. They're starting to build more attractions so that more tourists will come to the beach, and if we come back in two years it could look completely different. But for now, we were pretty much the only non-Indian people there. The water was very warm and the temperature was perfect, but we couldn't go swimming because of riptides. The Indian men could go swimming in their speedos, but the women had to wade in their saris. After a long walk on the beach and receiving a lot of attention (due to our glowing white skin), we settled down in the sand to eat some banana fritters. We even stayed on the beach to watch the sunset before packing back in the bus and heading off to the house.

We had another break and then had a tasty dinner of naan and curry. Even though naan is a mostly Northern Indian dish, Lal (one of the cooks) was nice enough to find us some in town. After dinner, we were sitting in various rooms when we began hearing the melodious strains of a beautiful instrument. We followed the sound, and discovered some Indian kids singing-- to the sound of Mr. Palma's saxophone! He would play a tune for them and then they'd repeat it (looking and sounding absolutely adorable). At one point Mr.Palma even got Dana to sing along with them. Speaking of singing, when we were at the beach, Kaytee, Dana, and Ellie sang the national anthem in a trio while the sun set in the background. Absolutely magical.

The final highlight of our day occured just a few moments ago: we asked Lal (who doesn't speak very much English) to open the library for us. He nodded, and returned with a can opener. The best way to describe this- as Daisy would say- is "lost in translation." It was hilarious. Lal, like everyone, is adorable. I (Annie) would adopt them all if only I could.

Well that's all for now, blog fans!
Thanks to Shauna Flanigan, Mrs. Reid, and Zoe Huston for responding- keep up the good work!
XOXO Gossip Annie and Kaytee

Kerala Day 1

Performance of local culture provided at the Daisy Hope home.

This morning everyone woke up from a nice, humid, sweaty sleep. We untangled bug nets and sleep cocoons and attempted to set them up on our beds. Annie and Dana were involved in an epic battle over bug nets. Annie was situated in a somewhat smaller bed that required a smaller bug net. However, Annie decided to bring the "Metropolis" sized bug net. After a long, heated debate over beds and bug nets, Annie convinced Dana to switch nets with her. But of course, Annie managed to get Dana's bug net pole caught in the ceiling fan and caused it to explode around the room. It was all in good fun, and ended up being just fine.

The top floor is occupied by 10 people. These 10 people all share one bathroom. Lines for this bathroom may take up to one hour, but everyone was able to take a shower eventually.

Downstairs, Dana was greeted by a lovely, three inch wide spider. Kaytee explained to Dana that she had showered perfectly fine with this wonderful creature, but that definitely was not going to work for Dana. She decided to kill the spider, going against her own wishes (and the Hindu beliefs). Upstairs, Larissa found a praying mantis and was frightened, but kept from killing it.

We scampered downstairs to be greeted with hot cups of steaming tea with sugar, milk, and spices, prepared by Lal who had just milked the cow that morning. We also enjoyed handmade rice noodles with sugar and coconut. There was a warm vegetable stew, and a tasteful omelet. Every morning we also have fresh bananas and pineapple.

After breakfast we walked to the library located down the hill from the house. We were welcomed by around 32 excited, beautiful children (grades K-10). They cheered for us when they noticed the 750 pounds of new books on their shelves. We went around the room giving introductions. After that the children performed songs for us and we sang Old McDonald, The Itsy Bitsy Spider, I'm a Little Tea Pot, and a trio of the Star Spangled Banner. Mr. and Mrs. Schulz were given garlands of jasmine and locally handmade, engraved boxes of spices and bindi dust. We took pictures of the kids and they loved seeing themselves on the camera. It got a little bit crazy when the kids got hold of our cameras and filled up our memory cards.

Next, we embarked on a journey to the center of the town to buy formal wear (saris and lungis). We piled three people into tuk tuks (small motorized rickshaws). One of the drivers was related to three of the children at the library. We all arrived at the "Nordstrom" of Kerala, and overwhelmed them with 11 students trying to explain what designs and colors they wanted their saris to be made from. After all the women picked out their saris they went upstairs to continue to shop. We bought numerous clothes. First, they had to pull our hundreds of colors and designs, creating three feet piles of clothes. However, no one had a bigger pile than Mrs. Keeton. Mrs. Keeton cleaned out this store and bought many unique local shirts. We piled into the tuk tuks with our purchases and went home for another wonderful meal.

We had some down time and wrote in our journals. Around three o'clock, we watched make-up artists paint masks on the faces of the men for the traditional Kathakali (story dance). It is an ancient Kerala art form that is slowly fading away through the generations. The men manipulate their eyes, mouths, cheeks, arms, legs, and hands for precise movements that tell a story. We had dinner with Dr. Sashi and his daughters, Meeda (junior) and Needa (8th grade). We engaged in conversations about the differences between Kerala school life and Riverdale school life. For instance, they study 6-8 hours a day and wake up early to continue their studies. They don't date or sit near boys, and do not have any after school activities. We had another tasty meal and went to bed for a better night sleep.

Namaste, Dana and Larissa.

Arrival In Kerala!!!

Packing the donated library books in the

front lobby of Riverdale High School.

Hello from Kerala it's Ellie and Annie!

Today we traveled from Jaipur to Kerala, India. After waking up around 6:30 am and battling Chinese tourists for the elevator, we hopped on our bus to the Jaipur airport. Upon arrival we were all surprised to see that the airport was brand new. Also, a friend of a friend of a Riverdale parent knew a Jet Air pilot, so we got quite the special treatment--they escorted us throughout our connecting flights (Jaipur to Mumbai to Cochi), and we each got two seats to ourselves, pens and matching hats. The Jet Air airline was very pleasant. Natalie got very excited over the petite waterbottles and the bright blue airsick bags. Upon arrival from cooler Jaipur to steamy Mumbai, we were hit with the heat waves and humidity while getting off of the plane. It was cool and kind of disturbing when we flew into Mumbai because we saw HUGE slums covering large amounts of land. It was kind of like a scene from Slumdog Millionare for those who have seen the movie. Finally we arrived at the Cochi airport. All of our bags had to be loaded and tied down to the top of a van (30 bags is a hassle to travel with, apparently) and loaded into a separate car. We were told by the driver it would be a two hour drive to Hope Charities, where we are staying, and Karl told us to expect three hours. However, our ride ended up being an unexpected 3+ hours. The bumpy and start and stop motions of the car, as well as the heat, took its toll on some of our stomachs. When we finally reached the house we were greeted by Daisy and Mrs. Laly, who performed a common Hindu greeting ritual to the group (we all got red bindis!). The house is incredible. Once we arrived we got fresh lemon juice and pineapple-absolutely delicious. Later, we also got home-made french fries. The ketchup here is surprisingly good as well. After assembling into our rooms and setting up our bug nets, we lugged our 15, 50 pound bags of books to the library at the clinic and organized all of the books by reading level. It was a very sweaty journey but it's rewarding to see all these books in the library.

P.S: Kerala is very jungle-y with lots of palm, rubber and coconut trees. We also saw the backwaters while driving to Hope Charities. People drive on the left side of the road here and they pass each other by beeping their horns and swerving around. It is also significantly cleaner than the larger cities like Delhi. Well, that's all for now! We all arrived safe and in one piece. Annie says hi to her "family and friends" and Ellie says hello to Dad and Lucie--Hope you are having a blast in Hawaii! (p.s. Ellis, we miss you if you are reading this!)

Thanksgiving India

Riding elephants to the Amber Fort.

Happy Thanksgiving from India! This is Shannon. Last night was quite the adventure. After a quick stroll around Jaipur, we had dinner at an Indiana Indian restaurant. They even had an American and Indiana state flag. Needless to say, I was amused. On a very Indian note, complementary music and dancing was provided. There were three dancing ladies who were very traditional, and we all joined in and were...less traditional.

And then they put pots of fire on their heads, which is when we made our dancing exit.

We also received proof of just how small the world really is; at this particular small restaurant in Jaipur, India a woman approached us. It was former Riverdale parent, Mrs. Piper, mother of Severin Piper. She has been traveling India with her sister and coincidentally had just arrived in Jaipur the previous night. Small, small world.

Last night we stayed at the Fern Eco Hotel, the first night it was ever open. I feel spoiled.

This morning, after meeting up with our very cool guide, Raz, we treked over to see Old Jaipur and the Palace of the Winds, a cool facade overlooking the street. Then it was on to the Amber Fort for elephant rides! (Do not fear, faithful followers, Amber did take copious amounts of pictures.) The elephant rides were sooo cool. It was like they physically were transporting us into an ancient fairy tale. The sounds of peddlers, music, and elephants completed the dream. We explored the labyrinth-like fort, found some bats, and avoided the hawkers.

Then we saw the Floating Palace; it is literally a palace built on top of a lake.

Next stop was the actual Royal Palace. It wasn't as impressive as some of the other things because we only got to see a small portion due to the fact that the royal family actually lives there. But just outside of it was the observatory that blew my mind! Dang were those ancient Indians smart. It is home to the largest sundial that is correct within two seconds! Mind boggling, truly.

One of the highlights is the rickshaw ride we took. We wove treacherously, but expertly, through the streets. All of the people waved, I even got a high five, which is only topped by Ellie, who got flowers. We are total rockstars here.

We are now gathered for Thanksgiving dinner at India's very own Pizzahut. I am thankful, warm, and well fed.

Good luck topping this next year, mom and dad.

Shannon

Taj Mahal Edition

Bridges to India in front of Taj Mahal

Hey everyone, it's Sam, keeping you informed with the latest update of our travels!

Yesterday, we left New Delhi and took a six hour bus ride to Agra, where we visited the Taj Mahal. It was amazing to see the number of people that could fit into the Tuk Tuks that we narrowly missed crashing into on the highways. People were literally hanging off these doorless three wheeled vehicles. We saw at least twenty crammed into a few of them.

The Taj Mahal was everything we expected and more. It was a surreal experience standing mere feet away from one of the seven wonders of the world. We took enough pictures to keep a Ritz Camera outlet busy printing for hours. What was really suprising, though, is how having pale skin makes you an instant celebrity. The girls were extremely popular and dozens of young Indian men would gather around to take a photo with them.

The way back from the Taj was a gauntlet of the world's greatest souvenier hawkers, tracking down anything that could carry a rupee. Hunter and I looked like secret service agents, wearing matching white shirts and sunglasses. Ok, maybe secret service agents on vacation, but I think it was our intimidation factor that kept pickpockets at bay.

Also, just to reiterate, the Taj Mahal is a ridiculous structure. The feeling of sliding around bare foot on the marble floor of this tomb is incredible.

Natalie had another stair episode, but she seems to be improving with each passing day.

Haha, very funny, Sam. As you might have guessed, this is Natalie writing. But never fear, avid blog readers, my stair climbing exploits have been carefully documented for your entertainment.

In other news, we spent Wednesday morning exploring another magnificent piece of architecture, the Agra Fort. It is strange to be standing in a building so ancient and so masterfully constructed and at the same time surrounded by an ugly layer of contemporary smog. The fort's intricate craftmanship pairs oddly with Agra's pollution. We could see the Taj from a terrace--but barely. It speaks of a time when there were no bickering car horns or overpowering hordes of colorful people sweeping through the streets.

That, without a doubt, is my favorite part of being in India--the people, I mean. Watching them fly by on the bus to Jaipur is amazing. Their waves, their smiles, the contrasts from their lives to ours all inspire us to pull through jet lag and gross bathrooms. We are all in good spirits and taking it all in full force.

Love to my family and Cameron!

Day 1

Shannon and Hunter on their way to the hotel after arriving in Delhi.

So far we are having a blast. Today we woke up at 9 am after only 5 hours of sleep and had an amazing breakfast. The hotel had a wide variety of foods and even Larissa was pleased. After exploring the massive hotel for a bit we got on to the bus to start our tour.

First we went to the Jama Masjid Mosque. It is the largest mosque in India. All of the students paid 100 rupees (1USD-45Rupees) to go into the tallest tower at the mosque. We all had to make our way up the spiraling sets of stairs but once we got to the top it was worth it. From the top you can see huge hotels next to a mass of run down buildings and homes. It took us much longer to get down due to Natalie's fear of steep stairs.

Next we went to the spot where Ghandi was cremated. We saw the eternal flame and marble flat that represent the immortality of soul. They believe the soul never dies; it only changes form in reincarnation. While walking back to the bus being followed by an entourage of teenage men, an older fellow attempted to pick pocket Hunter's camera. Luckily, Hunter noticed. While we were on the bus weaving through tuk tuk's and bikes we saw the India Gate which resembles the Arc d'Triomphe in Pairs.

Then we went to Humayun's Tomb. It was built for Shah Jahan by his wife. The Taj Mahal was built to resemble it.

Then we went to the Bahai. It is a massive free standing building that resembles a lotus flower that is made of imported marble and has no beams holding it up.

We went to a famous carpet making company where they gave us free lunch and tea and tried to guilt trip us in to buying things.

Then we went to the Qutab Minar, which is the tallest free standing tower in India. There we also saw the ruins of 27 temples and the iron pillar that hasn't oxidized in 1600 years.

We went back to the hotel to find out the pool is 40 degrees. Sam and I jumped in anyway. Then we walked through the streets and went to the India Gate on our way to dinner. It was surrounded by tons of beggars and salesmen. Once we got to the restaurant everyone was starting to fall asleep. We got a wide variety of foods and ate family style. At the end of dinner Hunter bit in to a pepper by accident and started crying. It was quite the fiasco. Then we walked back to the hotel and everyone passed out.

Quinn, Sam, Larissa

Arrived in Delhi

Waiting in Airports

We arrived at the hotel in Delhi at around four thirty in the morning, and even though it was late we could see how gorgeous the hotel was. It is so beautifully decorated and the rooms are luxurious, with the softest bed and pillows in the world! We were all exhausted at that point, so we went to sleep around 5, and woke up for breakfast at 9. The breakfast was also great, with the best juices. Today we're on our way to the largest mosque in India, and a city tour around old and new Delhi.

Amber

The Departure - 5:30 AM, PDX

The team is in the air! Delhi tomorrow.

BRIDGES TO INDIA ITINERARY

SAT 11/21/09 PDX Departure for Trip Group of 15
SUN 11/22/09 FLYING
MON 11/23/09 Delhi Arrive at 2:00 AM
Tour of Delhi: Jama Masjid, Raj Ghat, Drive by Government Building and Gate
TUES 11/24/09 Delhi Depart to Agra
Tour: Little Taj, Agra Fort
WED 11/25/09 Agra
Tour: Taj Mahal
Depart for Jaipur - Evening
THUR 11/26/09 Jaipur
Tour: Elephant Ride at Amber City Fort, City Palace, Jantar Mantar, Bassar
FRI 11/27/09 Jaipur to Cochin
SAT 11/28/09 - 12/09/09 Hope Charities
ESL Classes, School visits, Women’s Empowerment Center Construction, Library Book Donations
WED 12/9/09 – 12/11/09 Hope Charities Departure
Backwater Tour of Vembanad Lake; Mumbai flight on the 11th
SAT 12/12/09 – Mumbai to PDX

This is it!!!

A few reminders:

1. Passport!

2. Analogue to share with children (photos of where you're from, you in sports, at home, pets, family, holidays...)

3. email your short biography and photo to Daisy at daisychet@hotmail.com, NOW!

4. mail your thank you's including our blog web address

5. get a good night sleep on Friday

6. meet at the United ticket counter, 5:30am, SHARP! We need to book our seats together, and everyone needs to be there for us to proceed.

PACKING!

Packing books donated by friends and families of the Riverdale Community for the Hope Charities' ESL Library. Luggage check in the Maverick Room - making our lists and checking them twice! 7 days to go...

Packing Meeting Reminder

FINAL MEETING this

Saturday, Nov. 14th

4:00-6:00pm @ RHS Maverick room

Bring, completely packed:

1. Suitcase, packed

2. empty duffle for ESL books

3. carry on, packed

Remember, everything needs to be completely packed.

We will utilize the packing list for checking.

The more organized you are, the quicker the meeting.

Also, please send a photo and short biography, a few sentences or more, about yourself to Daisy daisychet@hotmail.com this week! She will be leaving for Kerala the same time as we leave for India, so you need to send it by Sunday, Nov. 15th at the latest.

Note to parents: All travelers have been registered with the US Embassy in New Delhi. For information in the case of an emergency, contact the embassy at newdelhi.usembass.gov.

The group is called "Bridges to India".

Book Drive & T-Shirt Sales Going on Now

Good news--the long sought-after Bridges to India t-shirts have arrived! Members of Bridges will be offering the t-shirts for sale in the high school front lobby for $15 each in the morning from 8:30-9. At the same booth, Bridges will also be accepting donations for a book drive that serves the library at Hope Charities's Clinic in Kerala, India; this is where the service learning component of the trip will be taking place. The donated books are intended for young kids that are learning to read, and are not necessarily proficient in English. Appropriate material for this age and ability level is very much appreciated!

For RHS student donors, for every two books brought in that student's name will get placed in a hat. At the end of the drive (the 11th) two names will be drawn to receive lunch (pizza, drinks, and dessert) the following Friday (the 13th). Please visit the booth to purchase t-shirts and contribute to the books going to India with us!

November Meeting(s)

Only 2 meetings left! These are mandatory!

Sunday, November 1st

2:00 - 5:00pm @ RHS

students be prepared for presentations on southern India, Kerala,

bring any checks to be deposited,

This is the last "business" meeting prior to the trip, parents should plan to attend.

PACKING MEETING

Saturday, November 14th

4:00-6:00pm

@ RHS Maverick Room

Bring luggage completely packed for the trip, an extra duffel for books which will be dispersed. We will be checking off all items from the packing list.

Sunday Meeting

Thank you for attending today's meeting. I will be confirming the Northern India tour costs this week. I need to confirm the last hotel.

Thank you,

Karl Schulz

Homecoming

These are the kids getting ready for Homecoming.

October Meeting Reminder

This Sunday, October 11th

2:00-5:00pm at RHS Library

Be prepared for student presentations assigned at last meeting.

Bring:

- $21 payable to Susie for both travel t-shirts

(additional t-shirts available for $15 each)

- any checks/money to be deposited

- a favorite snack, water will be provided

Congrats on a successful Homecoming Dance and fundraiser!

Bridges to India Plans RHS Homecoming to Benefit Hope Charities

The Briges to India students supporting Hope Charities decorated the Maverick Room for a Bollywood Themed Homecoming Dance on Saturday, October 3rd. With over 150 students attending, all proceeds from the dance went to the fundraising for Hope Charities. Left to right, Dana, Shannon, Natalie, and Amber make flowers from crepe paper to hang from the ceiling of the dance floor. Elephants, tigers, the Taj Mahal, bright floral twinkle lights and the necessary disco ball transformed the room for the evening.

The last 3 Meetings!

The count down is on! Only 8 weeks to go...

Put on your calendars the next 3 meetings. All are mandatory!

1. Sunday, October 11th 2:00-4:00 @ RHS

2. Sunday, November 1st 2:00-4:00 @ RHS

3. Sunday, November 15th 2:00-4:00 final packing meeting.

Please remember to get your inoculations, some take a series spanning over 3 weeks (Japanese Encephalitis for one) and the CDC wants you to be immunized at least 4 weeks before you leave the country. You do the math...

Car Wash Fundraiser

Beautiful weather helped make a super successful event. Check our photo album and a big thank you to everyone who showed up!

How Can You Help?

1. Come to the CAR WASH SEPTEMBER 26th 11-3 - Riverdale High School, 9727 SW Terwilliger Blvd., Portland, OR 97219

2. We are collecting cans. You can drop them off at Riverdale High School.

3. We are taking donations of books. You can drop them at Riverdale High School or Grade School.

4. Make a donation! See link above.

Thank you for your support!

The Bridges to India Team

Press Release

Making a Difference

In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” A group of students from Riverdale High School are living those words by raising funds to make a difference. Their organization, Bridges to India, is a student-led global services group which for the last four years has developed community service projects, raised the funds to implement them, and traveled to Kerala on the southwest coast of India to enhance the quality of life improvements chartered by Hope Charities, Inc.

Service Learning is a large part of the Riverdale curriculum. The group of eleven students have developed their own project outside of school and are working hard to make it happen. In an effort to decrease world poverty and temper extremism, today’s leaders are turning to women to make a difference. Empowering them economically enables them to become a solution where only problems existed before. To this end, the group of juniors and seniors are raising funds to expand the Vatsala Shenoy Women’s Vocational Center in Kerala, India. For three weeks in late November and early December, they will travel to India to expand the Vocational Center, bring donated books to the library, and teach English as a Second Language classes in Kerala. Additional funds they raise will help support the Hope Medical Clinic which provides free medical care to small villages in southern India.

This Saturday, September 26th, the students will be holding a fundraising car wash from 11-3 at Riverdale High School (9727 SW Terwilliger Blvd., Portland, OR 97219). Students are also raising funds by collecting cans, and are asking for donations of books to build the library that is part of the clinic. For more information, or to make a donation, you can visit their web site at www.bridgestoindia.org.

August Meeting Reminder:

Wednesday,

August 26th

7:00pm

at Sam Boyer and Alice Wiewal's

11650 SW Military Road, Portland OR

view email posted August 20th to see agenda and what to bring

August Meeting

When: Wednesday night, August 26th

Time: 7:00pm

Where: Can someone host? Let Susie know.

Who: All travelers and at least one parent

Bring: Photocopy of Passport and other id, such as driver's license or permit

Bring: Fundraising Letter checks and spreadsheet for Susie to deposit

RSVP to: susiekeeton@comcast.net

July Meeting Reminder:

Tuesday, July 21st, 7:00pm at the Flanigan's pool

2007 & 2009 travelers "round table" Q & A session and swimming

Bring Fundraiser Letter checks along with a spreadsheet of received names & addresses highlighted.

Parents need not attend

Sign-up for dessert or drink:

Amber - dessert; Ellie - brownies; Larissa - dessert;

Natalie - drinks; need 2 more

RSVP to susiekeeton@comcast.net

Bridges to India - Reinkensmeyer's

 

July Meeting

Who: All 2007 & 2009 student travelers and chaperones

(parents need not attend)

When: Tuesday, July 21st

7:00pm

What: Q & A session for past and future India travelers

Dessert and swimming

Where: The Flanigan's pool

11836 SW Breyman Avenue

Bring: swimsuit and towel

RSVP: Susie Keeton and let me know if you'd like to provide a dessert or drink.

Communication

This is a test blog post to ensure everyone is receiving updates.

Please reply ASAP to susiekeeton@comcast.net

Thank you!

Movie Night!

The Namesake

When:  Monday, June 15th at 6:30pm

Location:  Reinkensmeyer's home - 10263 SW Daphne Place, Pdx 97219

Heavy hors d'oeuvres will be served; students should bring their favorite movie snack to share.

Parents are welcome but not required, we will have a short meeting prior to the movie to plan for the July meeting date.

RSVP to Lillian at lreinkensmeyer@comcast.net

Vindalho Fundraiser Dinner

When:   Wednesday, May 27, 2009; 5-9pm

2007 & 2009 Traveler's Reunion will be at 6:30pm. 

RSVP:   Kaytee Caroll on Face Book to reserve your space. Traveler's parents are encouraged to attend but make your own reservations as the students will all be sitting together.

Where:  Vindalho Restaurant

2038 SE Clinton St (corner of Clinton & 21st)

Reservations:  Make it by calling 503-467-4550 or www.vindalho.com

Who: Any and everyone! Tell your family and friends!

Meeting Announcement

May 16, 2009 at 2:00pm

Riverdale High School

Need to do/or bring:

1. Passport Expiration should be later than June 2010. Apply ASAP.

2. Hold off on reading "The World is Flat", India sections - details TBA at May meeting.

3. Bio-clip, we will coach you on creating a short information film that will be culturally sensitive to those that we are targeting. Home, sports, school, driving, shopping...

3. Bring laptop, if you have one. Galyn will be schooling us on how to enter and record on Google Calendar and view Blog.

4. Bring summer vacations/camps schedule to place on calendar at May meeting.

Travel Updates:

Students and Parents,

Please find the first draft of the Northern India Tour.  This may help in knowing the basic trip.  This is only a first draft so that we can collect other suggestions for the tour.  Please review and provide me your comments.

Thank you,

Karl Schulz

DAY-01: Arrive Delhi      

Arrive Indira Gandhi International airport. Meeting & assistance on arrival by our representative & transfer to hotel.
 
Overnight at hotel.
 
DAY-02: IN DELHI

Morning visit of combined city tour of Delhi. First start with the city tour of New Delhi - visit the 12th century Qutab Minar, gracefully hand-carved for its entire height of 234ft. and the iron pillar, which has withstood the ravages of time and not rusted even after 1500 years, the mausoleum of emperor Humayun, the imposing modern Lakshmi Narayan temple. Drive past India Gate (memorial to viceroy’s residence) and the Parliament House, Old Delhi, drive past Red Fort – a marvel in red sandstone, the Raj Ghat – memorial to Mahatma Gandhi, the Jama Masjid – the larges mosque in India. Spend some time in Chadini Chowk to savour the ambience of an oriental, crowded bazaar.
 
Overnight at hotel.
 
DAY-03: DRIVE DELHI– AGRA                  (200 kms/4-5 hrs)

Morning transfer to Agra.
 
Upon arrival at Agra, meeting, assistance & transfer to hotel.

Agra: became the capital of Sikandar Lodi in 1501, but  was soon passed on to the Mughals, both Babur and Humayun made some  early Mughal constructions here . It was under Akbar  that Agra first aspired to its heights of magnificence from 1570-85 he ruled from nearby Fathepur Sikri , when he abandoned that city he moved to Lahore ( now in Pakistan ) but returned to Agra in 1599 , all later Mughal rulers ruled from Agra till 1761 it fell to the Jats who did much damage to the city .

Afternoon visit Taj Mahal with Tonga ride. Visit the world famous Taj Mahal built by Shah Jahan in 1560 in memory of his queen Mumtaz Mahal to enshrine her mortal remains. This architectural marvel is a perfectly proportioned masterpiece fashioned from white marble that stands testimony  to the skill of 20,000 craftsmen brought together from Persia, Turkey, France and Italy and who took 17 years to  complete this 'Love  Poem in Marble' (Friday Closed).
 
Later visit Agra Fort.
 
Overnight at the hotel.
 
DAy-04: DRIVE AGRA – JAIPUR               (221 kms/ 05-06 hrs)                                                                                              

Morning drive to Jaipur en-route visiting Fatehpur Sikri.
 
Visit to Fatehpur Sikri - the deserted red sandstone city that was built by Emperor Akbar as his capital.  It was a veritable fairy tale city and its ‘ruins are still in a pristine condition.  It is not hard to imagine what the court life must have been like in the days of its grandeur.
                             
On arrival Jaipur, Check-In at the hotel.
 
Jaipur: The capital city of the state of Rajasthan is popularly known as the “Pink City “because of the pink paint applies to the buildings in the old walled city. (In Rajput culture, pink was traditionally a colour associated with hospitality.) The city owes its name, its foundation and its careful planning to the great warrior, astronomer Maharaja Jai Singh II (1699-1744). In 1727, with Mughal power on the wane, Jai Singh decided the time was ripe to move down from his somewhat cramped hillside fortress at nearby Amber to the new site. He laid out the city, with its surrounding walls and six rectangular blocks, according to principals of town planning set down in the Shilpa-Shastra, an ancient Hindu treatise on architecture.
 
Evening witness aarti ceremony at Birla Temple (Without guide)
 
Overnight hotel.
 
DAy-05: IN JAIPUR             
 
Morning visit Amber Fort. Amber is a classic, romantic Rajasthani Fort Palace. The rugged, time-ravaged walls of the Fort may not look beautiful from the outside, but the interior is a virtual paradise. Miniatures painted on the walls depict hunting and war scenes, apart from festivals. Precious stones and mirrors are embedded into the plaster. Inside the Fort visit the Jag Mandir or the Hall of Victory. Inside the Jag Mandir is the famed Sheesh Mahal - a room with all the four walls and ceiling completely embedded with glittering mirror pieces, which were specially imported from Belgium during that period. En-route to Amber Fort, you will have a brief photography stop at Hawa Mahal - the Palace of Winds.
 


Afternoon city tour with a visit to the Maharaja's City Palace, the former Royal residence, part of it converted into a museum. A small portion is still used by the Royal family of Jaipur. Built in the style of a fortified campus, the palace covers almost one-seventh in area of the city. One of the major attractions in the museum is the portion known as Armoury Museum housing an impressive array of weaponry-pistols, blunderbusses, flintlocks, swords, rifles and daggers. The royal families of Jaipur once used most of these weapons. Later visit the Jantar Mantar, which is the largest stone and marble crafted observatory in the world. Situated near the gate of the city palace, the observatory has 17 large instruments, many of them still in working condition. Later visit the Jantar Mantar, which is the largest stone and marble crafted observatory in the world.
 
Overnight hotel.
 
DAy-06 : LEAVE JAIPUR
Morning transfer to airport in time to connect flight for onward destination.