Hello Lincoln School parents,
The flight from Dubai to Boston was slightly delayed, and the group is now scheduled to arrive at 3:33pm. Don't hesitate to reach out to the WLS office at 303-679-3412 with any questions or concerns. Thank you for your trust and support. - The WLS Team
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Hello friends and family of the Lincoln School program in India,
The group is checking in at the airport in Mumbai and awaiting their flights. All flights are on time so far and they should be arriving at BOS at 2:40PM tomorrow. We will update this blog if there are any schedule changes or delays. Don't hesitate to reach out to the WLS office at 303-679-3412 with any questions or concerns. As always, thank you for your trust and support! - The WLS Team We arose at 5:45 A.M. this morning to begin an early sunrise hike; at least that was what we were supposed to do. Unfortunately, due to heavy sleepers and dead walkie-talkies, we were unable to start our adventure until 6:30 A.M. Before we were even close to the top of the mountain, we witnessed the sun peeking through the clouds and brush. After some strenuous effort and trying experiences, we reached our destination at approximately 7:00 A.M. There, we were able to see a magnificent sunrise and spend an hour reflecting on our lives through brainstorming for our leadership stories. As a group, we bonded immensely over our common objective of reaching the top, and all of the minor difficulties that we experienced along the way.
After spending time with our host families, we rehearsed for our dance performance at 5:00 P.M. We each practiced the dance in three groups with the help of our choreographer, Prajyoti. We then returned to our host families to prepare for our performance, which was shown in front of the entire town. We were dressed in saris, tailored to each individual student, as well as jewelry borrowed from the host families. In preparation, our host families did our hair and makeup to ensure that we were dressed our best. We performed this at the school yard stage, and we were able to watch some of the local children dance as well. Our performance helped us understand the importance of a strong community, which was also further showed by the town’s unified atmosphere. After the dance, we walked back to Prajyoti’s house with all the sisters from the host families. This lead to a powerful conversation between them and the Lincoln community. With the help of Divya, we were able to communicate with our host sisters through translating to and from English and Marathi. We discussed the role of females in America and India, as well as numerous other social constructs. Divya was also able to help open up a conversation about the Lincoln India Program and give us insight into our host families’ various perspectives on living with guests. This dialogue helped us create new relationships with our host sisters and solidify long-lasting bonds between Lincoln students and the village of Chinchoti. However, becoming a part of this close-knit community also forced us to realize how difficult it will be to leave behind our new families and friends. Though it will not be enjoyable to depart from Chinchoti, we are all extremely excited for our upcoming journeys! Love, Clarisse, Emily, and Emma Over and Out We started off the day with a leadership learning session to learn our best leadership qualities– first, we wrote what we think our best qualities are on one side of an index card and taped it to our backs. Everyone else in the group wrote on our cards what they think our best qualities are and we realized that sometimes it’s difficult to recognize our own strengths.
After lunch with our homestays, we practiced our dance together and then got into rikshaws and travelled to Alibag. The rikshaws are our favorite and we had lots of fun! When we got to Alibag, each homestay group was given 100 rupees to spend on something unique. This was the first time we’ve been able to travel and do something alone. Some people got earrings and incense, others candy or KumKum; we bought bangles for all the girls in our homestay. We took the rikshaws to the beach where we saw lots of horses, camels, and ATVs. We played our very first game of cricket which was a little interesting… some local kids joined in and helped us know what we were doing wrong. After cricket, we went to dinner at a local restaurant and ate non-spicy food (yay!). It was air conditioned there and was the first time in a while we’ve actually felt cold. After dinner, we took the rikshaws back home and saw a bunch of puppies on the way. When we got home, some of us got our henna done and we went to bed for a short night before an early wake tomorrow. Love to all of our families and stay safe in the storm– Sydney, Kate, and Elisabeth Greetings from Chinchotti. Today was our first full day with our homestays. We each met them on Saturday. Although it was awkward at first, by lunch the next day we did not want to leave. We were laughing so hard, we cried.
We started off our day getting Hallad KumKum in celebration of the Hindu New Year. We got to watch a homestay mother doing Artie, a light ceremony to the Kalish. While discussing how our nights went, we got fitted for our Saris, in preparation for our dance in front of the village. Later, we walked to the lake and spent some time there reflecting and working on leadership skills. We got to see some animals grazing, and children making music with their own hands. However, the most substantial part of the day was getting to participate in the New Year’s Festival. We all walked around 15 minutes to a new village called Divi. From 5 minutes away we could hear the music, laughter, and burst of fireworks. When we arrived we were immediately welcomed to dance with the little boys and girls, and then eventually became a part of the parade. One of the oldest woman of the Divi village even came out to dance with all of us. It was that moment where we felt at home. As the dancing and singing calmed down, we entered the temple and were blessed by the Goddess Durgha, in the form of Presad, a sweet dessert. We ended the day with a daily group meeting at the base camp and then went home to our families for dinner. Namu, our sister, did all of our henna and took pictures with all of us. She introduced us to all her friends, and made sure we felt welcomes. Overall, for us this day brought us closer to our families and the village in general. We were very lucky to celebrate the New Year with the villagers and get to experience everything at first hand. We can’t wait for what will come next! Love, Mary, Celeste, and Kat We started our journey by packing up and checking out of the hotel. We met students from Berkeley Carrol and played a number game – which made us realize our unpreparedness in Marathi. From there, we took a long, sweaty walk towards the Gateway of India and the port for our ferry. The ferry ride was about 45 minutes filled with Justin Timberlake music and oil rigs. Once we got off the ferry, we had our first real encounter with Indian toilets. The holes were low, but our spirits were high. On our way to the rickshaws that were going to take us to Chinchoti, we may or may not have been distracted by three adorable little puppies sleeping under a motorbike.
For the first hour on the rickshaws, we enjoyed a smooth ride where we took in the sights, talked, and relaxed. After stopping at a field of brick makers, we got back on the rickshaws and were greeted by lots of bumps and dust. Soon after, we stopped at a rice processing factory where we learned about how three different types of rice are processed. Ten minutes later we finally arrived at Chinchoti with anxiety and excitement. We ate a delicious homemade lunch which was followed by a culture and language lesson with Krishna. Then we were sent off to meet our homestay families. Our homestay family welcomed us with open arms and sparked conversation almost immediately. We exchanged pictures and gifts and drank ginger tea with cookies. Later, we all gathered on the rooftop for a dance lesson that put us out of our comfort zone. It got us to open up and be more comfortable around each other and the people of Chinchoti. Everyone was very welcoming and five little kids went around gathering up our water bottles and filling them for us. This was followed by our evening check-in/ A.N.C.H.O.R. We finished the night with a delicious dinner with our homestay families. We’re all ready for a goodnight’s sleep to prepare for tomorrow’s adventures. Signing Off, Altie, Eunice, Grace & Sophie Greetings from the Garden Hotel in Mumbai! Jenn Bowdoin and Emma Alexander here with the first official blog post. Since we missed our first day due to the snow storm, our past two days have been jam packed.
Yesterday, March 16th, we started off our day with a breakfast buffet on a roof top terrace in the hotel next to ours. There was even an omelette bar : ) Then we met our two guides, Nano and Nil, to head off to Dharavi, one of the most populated slums of the world. We were able to get a feel for our surroundings by taking a local bus to the train. The train was an AWESOME experience. The girl's faces were glued to the windows observing Mumbai go by. Once in Dharavi, we split up into two groups and made our way through the different parts of the community. In the commercial section, we got to witness the intricacies of Dharavi's recycling businesses, including plastics, soap, paint cans, textiles and metal working. Then we got to walk through the residential area where diverse populations of Indians live together including Muslims and Hindus. We then ended our tour at the Reality Gives community center where the girls spent two hours getting to know local men and women who are students there. We played ice breaker games and had a WONDERFUL lunch where we were grateful for eating tips with our hands. I think we can all agree that the most valuable time of our trip so far has been getting to know these individuals and despite the language barrier, realizing how much one can communicate and learn about each other. We then wrapped up our travel adventure by taking taxis back to the hotel. It was a wild ride! At the hotel we went up to the 4th floor terrace, where Michelle (our world leadership school leader) led a session on leadership (image below). We then walked to a restaurant for dinner and all had lime sodas. Back at the hotel we finished the day with a daily ANCHOR-- Appreciations, News, Concerns, Hopes, Obscurities and Reading. Needless to say, everyone was ready for bed. Today we are off to Chinchoti! We will update as soon. Much Mumbai Love, Jenn & Emma Hello family and friends of the Lincoln School program in India!
We are happy to report the group made it to Mumbai safe and sound. They are settling into their hotel and will update the blog tomorrow once they get internet access. Everyone is in great spirits and excited for what's to come! Please don't hesitate to reach out to the WLS office at 303-679-3412 with questions or concerns. Thank you for your continued trust and support! - The WLS Team 13 NEW Lincoln students and 2 advisors (Jenn Bowdoin and Emma Alexander) will depart for India on March 13. The students have been participating in the India Program since Winter Break. The program has consisted of extensive readings, writing, and engagement with Lincoln community members.
Upon arrival in Mumbai we will explore this bustling metropolis, applying the discussions we have had on politics, religion, gender, poverty, bias, and exchange amongst others. After our time in Mumbai we will then be traveling north by Ferry to the town of Chinchoti. We are excited to share this experience with all of you! See you soon, Grace, Altie, Clarisse, Kate, Sydney, Celeste, Emma, Kat, Mary, Elisabeth, Emily, Eunice, Sophie, Jenn, and Emma |