India Service Trip April 2009

A group of Middle and Upper School Students spent the first week of their April break on a life changing trip to India: From the Taj Mahal, the Ghandi Memorial and a day rafting on the Ganges to five full days of community service at the Jyoti School for Handicapped Children in Rishikesh and a visit to the neighboring Luxman Jhula Medical Center for which the India Club and the entire Middle School fundraise to support.

Their time at Jyoti coincided with an annual sports event with more than 300 children from 18 special schools across India and as you will read below the time they spent at the Jyoti school was the highlight for every ASP student.

The unedited journal below was written in pairs by the students at the end of each day.

We started the day off a little tired, but pleased to have Alex back in the group. Breakfast was simple and light, a nice way to start off our busy day. The first sight was the Kutuv Minaret, a mix of Hindu and Muslim structures dating back 800 years. The minaret was originally Hindu, until Muslims came from Afghanistan and destroyed a lot of the Hindu structures and built ones of their own.

While India is a blend of many different religions, Hinduism is the most prominent one with 80% of the population. After a quick look-around, we got back on our comfortable bus and headed over to the Lotus Temple.

The Lotus Temple is one of several Houses of Worship for the Baha’i. The Lotus Temple is open to worshippers of all religions to come and ‘worship the creator of the universe and to express the love between god and man’. The Baha’i believe in the ‘principle of oneness and the wholeness of the entire human race’.

The lotus temple seems to have been inspired by the Sydney Opera House with its 27 petals of white marble. After our interesting visit to the Baha’i house of worship, we headed over to the Gandhi Memorial. He is seen as ‘the father of the nation’ due to his success in his struggle against British colonial rule.

The memorial is a large square of black marble, in the middle of carefully kept grass, with a never extinguished flame standing beside it. On the memorial are Gandhi’s last words in gold ‘Oh God’.

Our next stop was the ‘India Gate’ a large Arc-de-Triomphe-like memorial for all the Indian soldiers who perished in the World Wars. It was almost an exact replica of the arc in Paris. We then had a small stop outside the Presidents House and Parliament building. After our insightful tour guide left us, we finally made our way to a restaurant to have a late lunch. I think we speak for everyone when we say that we were excited to finally have some REAL Indian food. We sat down at a nice buffet style restaurant where they had everything we could think of. People ate butter chicken, rice, delicious naan, chicken masala and lots of other dishes which had Hindi names.

After everyone had eaten as much as they could, we got back on the bus for our long journey of the day. Besides the crazy things to be seen outside, the bus ride was fairly uneventful. With one stop at the halfway mark, we made it to Agra in approximately 5 hours on India’s ‘nicest highway’. It took us 5 hours to drive a distance which could probably be done in 2 hours back in France. With the prospect of seeing the Taj Mahal tomorrow, everyone was really excited to have finally arrived in our hotel. After a delicious dinner of Chicken tandoori, butter chicken, chicken tikka masala and many other dishes, everyone met up in Adam and Alex’s room for a meeting. Mr.Glasser used his musical expertise to lead us through the songs we have planned to perform at the evening at the Jyoti School. Breathless from the singing, everyone retreated back to their rooms to be ready for the 5:15 wake up to see the Taj Mahal.

Today we woke up at 5:15, although this seemed to be extremely early for us since we are used to sleeping in much later, it was worth it.  After a short bus ride, we arrived at Taj Mahal, one of the most extravagant monuments in the world, for the sunrise.  We walked around through the gardens as we awaited the sun.  The weather hadn’t been too excruciating at this point so we enjoyed it while we could. 

Once the sun came up everyone went inside Taj Mahal except for Mr. Lynn and Marc, they stayed behind.  While we went inside to explore they stayed outside to do a little bit of sketching. Once we were done we slowly but surely made it back to the bus.  Once we were on it was back to the hotel for some breakfast.  After everyone ate as much as they could we went to our rooms and finished packing to be on our way to New Delhi. 

Before starting our four hour journey, we stopped by a few market places to have a good look around at rugs, jewelry, marble table tops, and much more.  The first stop we made we learned all about making marble table tops, how each piece was carved individually and how to tell if marble is fake or real.  We also saw many pieces replicating the Taj Mahal.  Then we went off to have lunch at an oriental Indian restaurant called "Kwality".  After this, we got back onto our bus, and took off for New Dehli.  On the bus everyone pretty much crashed and slept for a good hour or two until we got to our rest stop.  Once everyone was replenished with water and bathroom breaks we loaded back onto the bus for the final stretch.

We finally arrived at our destination at around 8pm this was when everyone got their room buddies and room keys to check out the new hotel.  Then, we headed up to have some dinner followed by cake for Kaitlyn’s 14th birthday (Happy Birthday Kaitlyn!)  After a filling dinner and a multi-cultured cake consisting of a wonderful cake made by Mrs. Glasser (baked in France), American icing thanks to Mr. Lynn’s mom,  a Chinese candle(which sang), and of course jelly beans to top it off, everyone headed down to their rooms to rest.  Tomorrow we take a train to Rishikesh, despite another early wake-up call everyone is very excited to finally make it to the Jyoti School to meet all the kids!

Today we woke up at 5am to catch a 6.30 train from New Delhi to Rishikesh.  The train station in New Delhi was crowded and chaotic, but with the help of Raj, our guide from Rishikesh, we made our way to our seat.  Feelings about the train were mixed.  It seemed to some to be extremely cold, due to an over active air conditioning and last for five hours.  However, the views were incredible and we were even served breakfast.   The ride was also a lot less bumpy than the bus and much faster.   At 11.20am we arrived in the town of Haridwar, 20 kilometers south of Rishikesh.  A school bus from the Jyoti School was there to pick us up and take us to our hotel.   The half hour ride offered us a colorful view of crowed streets and our first glimpse of the Ganges River.

We then checked into the hotel, the Vasundhara Palace, we unloaded our luggage into our rooms and had lunch. Since Rishikesh is a vegetarian city, there was no meat on the menu.  We enjoyed plates like Shahs Paneer, Paneer Butter Masala, Channa Masala, boiled vegitables, fried dal, nan (cheese, garlic and butter) and grilled cheese.  Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, laughing, eating and telling stories.

After lunch, the Upper Schoolers went for a walk round town while the eighth graders stayed behind to relax at the hotel. While checking out the third floor, we discovered an outdoor swimming pool. One student, unfortunately and accidentally, “fell” into the water, soaking his clothes. After that, everyone relaxed in the lobby, waiting to go to the sports meet at sports field near the Jyoti School.

Once we arrived, we were warmly welcomed by everyone. We walked around shaking all of the students’ hands. Their faces immediately lit up with smiles and were delighted simply by our presence. While there, we cheered on the students participating in events like track and field, shot-put and the long jump.

They ran 100 meters, 200 meters, or 400 meters in extreme heat conditions. We were then asked to “award and inspire” the students medals and certificates. It was a really incredible experience being able to take part in an event like this.

After a tiring day, all of the students, parents and teachers gathered at the Jyoti School for a performance evening. Many of the different schools put on dances with entertaining music or skits. Kids frequently got up and danced or clapped along. We sang a group song called “Child of Nature” by John Lennon. “Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry was huge hit with solos from Matthew, Gaston, Adam, Elisa and Nicole, and Alex on the drums. However, we couldn’t have done it without Mr. Glasser playing the guitar and finding the songs. The students there seemed so excited to see us.

We took many pictures with them and had a great time all together.  Several students were even interviewed by a local television station and newspaper. The Jyoti School also prepared a delicious, traditional meal consisting of rice, nan bread, curry and much more. The fulfilling meal was then followed by strawberry and vanilla ice cream, which everyone seemed to love.

We said goodbye to the students and returned to the bus. We headed back to the hotel with the very happy thought of not getting up at 5 am (8 am instead). We’re all excited to return to the Jyoti School for a full day of sporting events tomorrow and an exploration of the town of Rishikesh in the evening.

Today was the first we were able to “sleep in” we woke up at 8am to have a light and delicious breakfast at 8.30, to be back at the sporting event by 9am where were all ready to see the kids again, help, and participate in the events. When we got there we were all excited to see the children. But we were all disappointed to lose Matthew as he was sick (he was feeling better by the afternoon). When we got there the students were already competing in their events. Later, as it was hot some of the other students had to step out and rest a bit.  The kids and teachers were excited to see such involvement from students like: Gaston, Sara, and Marc; it was very nice to see some of our peers running alongside the children to encourage them.

We had a lot of fun going around to the stands where the children from the different schools were to say hello and to congratulate/encourage them for their events. Bill made friends with a teacher and some children from a school near Delhi.  Whenever someone took out their camera the kids would rush over to the person to take a picture. It was amazing to see their smiles whenever they were taking a picture with the students from ASP. Everyone had fun watching the children run and applauded them when they crossed the finish line. Alex was very interested when the kids played a Indian sport called Bachi. Bachi is a game that involves two teams and each team competes to throw their balls closest to a small white ball.

After watching and participating in the games we headed back to the hotel to shower and to have a refreshing lunch. We were back at the games by 3.15pm where we sat in the shade and watched the many games including: tug of war, frog hopping, relay running and sprinting. Some more ASP students ran along the students for encouragement. We were then able to see the closing ceremony and were awarded a trophy of our own.

We then headed back to the hotel to rest up and to swim in the very cool pool. Everyone then began our hike to the town of Rishikesh where we bought some souvenirs and the sat down to have a great dinner at a popular restaurant called Chotiwala were we tried drinks called “lassi” (banana and fruit flavor) and ate kadhai paneer, navratan korma, paneer tikka, dal makhami, masala dosa and lots of nan and chapati. Everyone walked back to the hotel we met for a half hour to plan lessons for tomorrow.  We then spent over an hour gathering all of the supplies in Mr. Lynn’s room and organizing them into large piles of teaching materials and gifts for the Jyoti Students. We finished the day by heading back to our rooms to get a good night’s rest before our first day of classes tomorrow.

Today we all woke up at a reasonable time of 8 o’clock. At about 9am, we left for the Jyoti School on our bus, which has really bad suspension (and Rishikesh has really bad potholes). As this was the first day of our visit to the Jyoti School, we had a tour of the rooms. During this time, we were able to learn more about the Jyoti School, where our donations had gone to, and above all, about the students of the school. We learned that Kuldeep, a student of the workshop classroom, who intimidated Adam, won two medals in the 2007 Paralympics held in Beijing.

After our tour of the school, it was time for the students to take a break in the courtyard. At first, only two ASP students went outside to approach a group of about four Jyoti students to play with balls. Then, after other students caught a glimpse of the activity outside, the number of playground dwellers grew exponentially. We played Rugby, Volleyball, Basketball, Pass and many others. After the break was over, we went inside to make final plans on the activities.

We split into our groups of two and went our own ways to different classrooms. Because it was the first time for most of us, we were hesitant when it came to interacting with the students in activities; but once we got the hang of it, we were having a blast with the students in a borderline orderly fashion. Throughout the halls you could hear laughs of delight from children playing with balloons and bubbles. In the end of the day, the consensus was that the fourteen hours of travelling from Paris to Rishikesh was worth just one day of this.

Today’s activities included hat making, origami, airplane making, puzzle solving, balloon games and bracelet creation.  Several of the deaf students taught us how to communicate the alphabet using sign language. Upon return from the school, we learned that we were invited to the wedding of one of Mr. Sharma’s friends.

For lunch, we tried new dishes including Afganhi Aloo, Paneer Tikka, and Veg Steak Kabab.  We were joined by Mr. Fruitema, who is in Rishikesh for the next day and will be taking Anne back to Paris tomorrow for a field hockey tournament.

When we were done with lunch, some of us went into town while the others stayed (and some swam). After the town-goers returned, we all left for the Rishikesh market only to find that it was closed on Thursdays. Instead, we went to the tourist market, Rahm Juhla where we purchased our clothes to wear for the wedding.  Mr. Sharma’s sons were with us to help with bargaining.  All students were able purchase our clothes for a grand total of 2600 Ruppies (42€).

After getting back to the hotel, we went over ideas for the next day’s activities. We then rested for about an hour and got ready for the wedding.

The wedding was quite the spectacle.  We were greeted by women tossing rose peddles at our feet and Indian men playing bagpipes.  The wedding ceremony/reception space was about the size of a football field and was outdoors on the same space where we had the sport’s meet the previous day.  There were singers and dancers on a stage non-stop, stands with food from all over India and an armada of men holding sample trays with appetizers and drinks. When the time came to see the groom’s parade, we went outside the main area to see his arrival ceremony. He was surrounded by entertainers and people holding lanterns. A couple students in from our group joined the men dancing. Also announcement his arrival were fireworks.   There were over 1000 people at the wedding ceremony.  We watched the entertainment, ate food and watched the continuous fireworks until around 11.30pm.  We were all quite tired and did not stay for the entrance of the bride since we have to wake up at 7.45am tomorrow morning.  We found out later that the wedding we were observing was actually an arranged marriage.

It is now 12:07 so technically it is the duty of the next pair to write now

Today was our second day of activities at the Jyoti School.  We arrived at the school around 9.15am and got to work organizing and getting ready for about an hour and a half of activities.  We decided to make bracelets, masks, and dream catchers.  We also took pictures of students with Polaroid cameras, and they were able to make picture frames using popsicle sticks and decorate them.

For lunch, we ate at the hotel restaurant. We were all glad and thankful to take a break from the heat exceeding 35 degrees celcius.  As always the food was delicious and everyone has been trying new dishes. After all of this our group was sad to say farewell to Anne Fruitema as she headed back home for a field hockey game.

After all the commotion at lunch there was much more to come as we wrapped gifts for the wonderful children at the Jyoti School. Everyone was great and cooperative as we sorted gifts by gender and age and even picked out some extra gifts for the helpful teachers at the school. We did not have enough time to finish the gift wrapping right then because we had an appointment for a yoga session.

On the way to yoga we all got pretty good workout ahead of time while climbing the continuous flight of stairs. The teacher was wonderful and very cooperative with those who were having issues with flexibility.  Once our session was over our teacher offered to show us his Ashram; luckily it was just up the street and we all thought it looked a lot like a hotel. When we got back to our hotel we continued on the gift wrapping and managed to finish even with our low supply on materials.

We got onto a couple of rickshaws and headed over to the small town of Luxman Jhula, where we stopped off at a souvenir shop.  Gaston immediately saw a small hammock hanging in front of the store. It was love at first sight. After haggling a bit to get a better price, the shop keeper packed it up in a bag.

Then we walked by the Luxman Jhula Medical Center, which is a center for destitutes, orphans, and people with AIDS and tuberculosis. ASP students support the Medical Center each year with donations and fundraisers.

We walked around for a bit in the dark trying to find a suitable restaurant for dinner. The town was full of shops for tourists and rafters.  We came across a place that was recommended in Mrs. Glasser’s guidebook.  It was an outdoor restaurant with a “hippie” theme and a great view of the Ganges River.  Everyone got what they wanted-Indian food, Italian food, Israeli Food, lassi drinks and others.  On the way back, we ran into a cow (who sniffed just about everyone) on the narrow bridge.  Some people decided to take a car back to the hotel while others walked.

Its 12.12am now and we have to get up at 7:00.  Tomorrow will be another fun and exciting day.  It will be our last day doing activities at the Jyoti School, but we will certainly return on Monday for a closing ceremony and to hand out the presents that we prepared today.

We woke up at 7am to get to the school in time for their morning assembly. Morning assembly consists of singing songs, physical exercises and singing the national anthem. After all the students returned to their classrooms, we came together to figure out who would do what activities before we all went our separate ways. The classroom of deaf students made boats with popsicle sticks which were then tested out in the small pool the school has in the garden.

Unfortunately, 80% of the boats sank to the bottom. However, a couple of the boats sailed around the pool without any problems. Some of the other activities were parachutes, mask making, instrument making and picture frames.

After lunch break where we played with the kids outside, we headed back into the classrooms to do our last activities with the kids. We did origami, face painting, kite making, playing with clay and sun printing.

After watching all the kids get on the buses, we organized all the activities that we had left and donated them to the school. We then went to the workshop where everyone took a look at the products that the students of the Jyoti School had made.

Some people bought candles, carpets, foot mats and bed sheets. Mr. Lynn also bought the rest of the materials that the school had so that we can sell them at the May Fair for a profit. All the money will then be sent back to the Jyoti School at the end of the year.

We got back to the hotel and had lunch. Afterwards, we had two hours of resting at the hotel and some of us stayed in our rooms and took a nap and the others went to the pool. At 5pm we headed to the river and we were fortunate to be in the ceremony called aarti. After the amazing experience Mr. Yoshi took us to see the oldest temple called Hrishikesh and this temple was based on the name of the city Rishikesh. Then, we went to have a wonderful dinner at Mr. Sharma’s house. While having dinner some of us started talking to them and asking some questions about the Indian culture. Finally, around 9pm we left the house and went to the hotel. We all left to our rooms and made our bags because tomorrow we are going camping, rafting, and other interesting activities.

At 7am in the morning, the ASP India Trip Group had to wake up to leave for the VNA Camp, a resort-type eco-friendly camp where you can go rafting, rock climbing, and do many activities. This camp was originally supposed to be a surprise, but thanks to the wonderful qualities of curiosity and the ingenuity of the creator of the internet (We acknowledge Google’s contributions too), that idea failed, and by the second or third day everyone knew what this “surprise” was.

After a bumpy bus ride, we arrived at VNA.  The campground consisted of tents and bamboo cottages.  Our cottages look out onto the Ganges River.  We have electricity and running water.  There is also a large bamboo building where food is served. After checking in, we had a late (second) breakfast and then got ready for rafting.

After putting on life jackets and helmets, we were split into two rafting groups with two professional guides.  In all, we covered sixteen separate rapids over a span of seventeen kilometers.  Each time a new rapid approached it was time for ‘self check’ which was when we had to check both our helmets and life jackets to make sure they were both safely secured.  After self check it was time for the rapid to come, we were able to hear the rapid before we saw them but I speak for everyone when I say actually seeing the fast moving and wave filled rapids it was a whole new feeling.  We came closer and closer until finally ‘woosh’ we had arrived in the rapid quickly rowing forward as our guides gave us orders.  Once one rapid was over everyone anticipated the next one with smiles.  I can still remember the feeling of having water splashing in my face and down my throat.   It definitely woke me up.

Towards the end, we went cliff jumping. The jump was 15-20 feet high. This was definitely my favorite experience of the day.

On the return bus ride, we all slept due to exhaustion. We played around with volleyballs and several of us tried, unsuccessfully to play cricket with kids from the local village.  Others read books and we all generally just relaxed for a few hours.  In the evening, we had a campfire along with an Indian themed barbeque while reviewing our experiences from the past eight days.  We finished everything off with a late dinner.

Tomorrow, we will go to the Jyoti School to say good-bye and pass out gifts.  We then have a seven hour drive to the airport.

On our final full day in India, we woke up to the sound of the Ganges River flowing outside our bamboo cabins.  It was strange to imagine that we would be back in Paris in less than 30 hours.   After a bit of packing and breakfast, we made the hour-long journey back to the Jyoti School to say our farewells.

For one week, ASP students had cultivated a strong bond with the Jyoti students.  We were greeted back at the school like family.  An elaborate farewell ceremony included songs from the Jyoti students, involving several who wore letter costumes that spelled out "T H A N K U".  There were speeches made by several school and community leaders.  ASP students were also invited to share their thoughts from the microphone.  Our students used this opportunity to thank the Jyoti teachers for their continuous hard work and the students for their inspiration and courage.

After posing for a large group photo outside, our ASP students joined Jyoti students in their classrooms for the opening of gifts. Thanks to the generosity of members the ASP community, who donated toys and school supplies, there were enough supplies to provide a special gift package to every Jyoti student and teacher.  It was a special moment to see the excitement in their eyes as the sound of torn wrapping paper filled their air.  The photos explain the rest...

After a long series of hugs and good-byes, we set off on a nine hour journey to Indira Gandhi International Airport.  Along the way, we made our traditional stop at "Cheetal Grand" for our final sampling of "lassi" drinks and lunch.  The airport check-in process involved crossing no less than nine security check-points. 

Once in the airport, Adam and Matt, met and posed for photos with several United Nations Peacekeepers who were headed for Sudan.  Our flight home was restful for most and we successfully landed at Charles De Gaulle Airport at 8.28am, after a brief stopover in Amsterdam where we stocked up on Syrupwaffles.

It was truly an honor and a privilege to work with such an outstanding group of students who went above and beyond in representing the very best of the ASP community. Their preparations throughout the past few months, along with their constant enthusiasm and creativity, brought so much happiness and joy to their new friends at the Jyoti School.  Congratulations to the entire group on a job well done!  A special tribute goes to our student leader, Marc Fruitema, a twelfth grader who also participated in previous India Service Trips as an eighth and tenth grader.  As Marc heads off to university in Miami, his legacy will live on in the ASP India Club he founded and in the classrooms of the Jyoti School, which he has graced with his service.

On behalf of the students and myself, I would like to extend our deepest appreciation to fellow volunteer chaperones Jason and Sophie Glasser.  While I'm sure they are happy to be reunited with their two young children, it was great to having them as part of our family for the past 10 days.  Special thanks also goes out to Claude Lord, who established ASP's relationship with the Jyoti School over a decade ago, and to Elli Gildnes and Craig Vezina who have both played an instrumental role in the ongoing evolution of the ASP's India Service Project.

On Wednesday, May 20, ASP middle school students will participate in their annual walk-a-thon, raising funds for the Jyoti School and Luxman Jhula Medical Center.  This will add to other fundraisers that have been led by both Middle and Upper School students throughout the past year.   We are pleased to announce that a large portion of funds collected this year will go towards building a Day Care Facility at the Jyoti School.  This building will include a full kitchen, dining hall, two restrooms and dormitory for a small number of students who travel a substantial distance to attend the school.  More information will be distributed in the coming weeks...

Thank you to all members of the ASP community for their ongoing supported of our projects in Rishikesh!

ASP parent, Marnix Fruitema, father of Anne and Marc and Senior Vice President of Air France KLM and a former President of the ASP Board of Trustees, visited the group mid-week and he reported this to the student's parents...

“I was so lucky to visit your children for one day and see them live "in action".

First of all, I have the highest respect for Mr Lynn and Mr & Mrs Glasser. They are doing an incredible job, getting the most out of these days and out of the kids.
Lots of improvisation is needed, creativity and helping our children to take their own decisions. It’s very impressive to see how natural the three of them coach, help, steer and communicate with our children. These are the teachers they still will remember in thirty years.

Second I have the highest respect for our children.
The way they all, no one excluded, interact with severely handicapped children is absolutely amazing , emotional and something to be very proud of.
They do the "class room activities" as if they have been doing this for the past 16 years, and have been trained for many years at the best colleges... They just feel what to do, with who and when. They are absolutely in a very natural way doing the various activities.
During the break when all children play outside, you don’t see the difference between the children, be it from ASP, or be it Jyoti kids. It’s one fluent cohesive unit.
 
I was also impressed by the difference ASP can make from a financial point of view. The school is for Indian standards in an A-one state. I also visited the public school next door, and yes that’s different...
Because of ASP they can afford "extras", or do we call them "basics"..? Schoolbuses, a generator, more classrooms, a loom machine etc.

They now also want to built a day care for 8 students to stay over, with a small kitchen. Making a difference for many students and their families.
For sure Mr Lynn and his "crew" will come back on this. Believe me, it’s worth investing!
 I just came back this morning, but wanted to share my impressions with you.
Be a proud parent, you really should be!!"