International Leadership: India

Hi, my name is Princess, I am 16 years old and I reside in the Bronx. I attend school at Frederick Douglass Academy III. Ever since I heard about the opportunity to attend the India program I knew it would be a once in a life time thing.

Some things I am hoping to get out of this experience is to leave America with little understanding of the Indian culture and to come back with fuller understanding. I am excited first and for most that I have the opportunity to travel to India. I am also excited that instead of hearing lectures on India I am going to be able to experience it for myself. I am excited to learn about their religion culture and the place they consider home. I am also excited to get a feel of how things differ from things in America. Things like their food, job, entertainment and more.

Posted by Global LAB at 2:49 PM | Permalink

Hello, my name is Ashley. I was born in Harlem, New York but was raised in the Bronx. I used to live with a family of 5, my mother, my father, my two older brothers and I. But being that my family has been through some changes I now live with my mother and one of my older brothers. Living in a divided household is tough, especially since I'm experiencing this at sixteen. Although my family is not how it use to be, we know how important it is to communicate with one another and still support each other through our struggles. I'm very reliable, responsible and also very compassionate. On my leisure time I like to knit, write and hang out with my friends and family. I'm looking forword to this trip, this would be an awesome experience, just to escape New York City and see how other families function As far as fundraising goes, so far I have fundraised $200. I'm preparing a dinner party at the end of February and organizing a school talent show/bake sale in the beginning of April, hopefully I will have $1000 by the end of April. I can't wait!

Posted by Global LAB at 2:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Hey, my name is Shah, and I attend the Brooklyn Latin School. I consider myself very friendly and so I look forward to making new friends along the way. Another reason why I look forward to this program is because I love visiting new places and experiencing new cultures. I hope to come out of this program enriched with a different perspective of the outside world because I find it hard to experience new things when isolated in a city. I am excited about meeting the people in India and living in their lifestyle because I think that will be a challenge and I love challenges. This is it for now! I will love to tell you more about me in person.

Posted by Global LAB at 4:29 AM | Permalink

Hi everyone! My name is Kristina and I am a sophomore at the Brooklyn Latin School. I am beyond excited to be part of this program because I never been to India. I love to travel and experience new cultures. I was born in New York City, but I lived in China for five years and moved here to live with my parents and two older sisters. In addition to living to China, I been to Costa Rica and the Bahamas.

I can't wait til we leave for India. This will be an eye opening experience to meet people who are exiles by the Chinese government. This will help create awareness and spread the word about what's going on in Tibet.

Posted by Global LAB at 2:56 PM | Permalink

My name is Amanda. I am a junior at The Brooklyn Latin School. I am really excited to go to India because I have always been fascinated with the Indian culture: Bollywood films, Indian food and the Hindu teachings. I’m really excited to learn a new language and be able to live with our host families. This past February was my first experience living with a host family, in Antigua, Guatemala. At first I was scared to live with strangers, but after that experience I feel more comfortable trusting new people and getting adjusted to their lifestyles. I am REALLY excited to be apart of this program and learn new life experiences.

Posted by Global LAB at 2:43 AM | Permalink

Hello, my name is Anna. I'm 14 years old and I have three siblings who are all boys, which made me a tomboy because I like to play catch and I don't like to dress up for anything. I am a freshman at Bronx Career and College Preparatory High School (BCC Prep). When I graduate I'd like to go to school overseas, possibly in England because I have relatives there. I decided to apply to the International Leadership Program because it will give me a chance to experience other places in the world, and I consider this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Plus it sounds really fun!

When I went to the Himalayan Yak Restaurant I was a little nervous because I never tried Indian or Tibetan food before but as soon as I tried it I was hooked. I tasted vegetarian and chicken Momos, which is kind of like dumpling, and I also tasted Tibetan bread. I really enjoyed all the food but the one thing I enjoyed the most was the Roti bread and the white rice. I can't wait to go to Dharamsala and experience life there. I'm still counting down the days.

Posted by Deborah at 4:23 AM | Permalink

Hello my name is Kevin and I am 14 years old. I was born in New York and live in Bushwick, Brooklyn. I am an athlete. I started playing baseball when I was two years old. Now I love skateboarding.. I'm addicted to it. I've been skateboarding for a year and a half. I have a bit of a temper so skateboarding helps me get that out.. and it's really fun. I like to play handball. I'm also a pro at video games. I go to the Henry Street School for International Studies. I learned about this trip through my school and I'm very excited to go to India. This will be my first time going there. I want to learn about their culture because I think it's interesting.

Posted by Deborah at 2:52 AM | Permalink

Hi, my name's Felicia. I am excited to go to India. I really think it's a great opportunity to learn something new. I like to meet new people, so this will give me a chance to meet people outside of the United States. I love to travel. Traveling was always a passion of mine ever since I was a little girl. Meeting new people in India will help me learn the different ways to communicate in the United States.

Outside of school, I like to continue studying because I like school and it is better for my future. My favorite subject is math. I look forward to understanding their language and exploring new things in India. India will be the first time that I have explored another part of the world.

Posted by Deborah at 3:04 AM | Permalink

My name is Taccara; I am an 11 grade at Frederick Douglass Academy III. I am hoping to get a chance to see what most children do not get to see in a life time. From this experience I hope to get another language and a new culture to understand. I also hope to make a difference with the community service projects that we will be doing. I am most excited about going to another country and experiencing a place that I have been interested in for a long time.

Posted by Global LAB at 1:49 PM | Permalink

Hello my name is Joelvy, I'm an 11th grade student at Henry Street School for International Studies. Being a part of this amazing experience is really exciting. I am really happy that i was chosen for this opportunity. I hope that I can learn many things from the Indian culture, in which i can be able to share what a wonderful experience it was to be a part of this once in a life time opportunity.

Posted by Global LAB at 6:45 PM | Permalink

Hello my name is Amanda. I am 16 years old. I am a student at Henry Street School for International Studies. I am a very yellow person. Meaning I am a very happy person and my favorite color is yellow! I would like to travel as many countries as I can and experience different cultures. Getting to know other people is what I do best. I am very open and a good listener and a sharing person as well. I'm excited to see what our journey to India will be like!

Posted by Global LAB at 9:36 PM | Permalink

My name is Peter I am 17 years old and I go to FDAIII. I enjoy listnening to music as well as performing. I also enjoy writing stories. Im born and raised in the Bronx which is my home and the environment that shaped the person that I am today. I have always had India in mind as one of the places that I would like to visit.. I put it on my "bucket list". I hope to get an understanding of the way that the people in India do certain things and their environment as well. Im excited to meet new people and interact with people from another race and see how they do things. This will definatly change my life, and all I needed was an opportunity...

Posted by Global LAB at 10:10 PM | Permalink

Hey, my name is Donai and I attend Mott Hall Bronx High School. I can say that going to India is one of the rare experiences a teen can have. I am very great full and delighted to come across such an opportunity as going to India. My parents and family members are very proud of me. I love making people laugh and I always keep a smile on my face. When around my peers I’m somewhat a comedian, which my personality is outstanding. I've been to St. Thomas, Aruba, Barbados, San Juan Puerto Rico, and many other places as well. As I mentioned before, I am very excited and anxious to stay with the people in India.

Posted by Deborah at 10:55 PM | Permalink

Hi Everyone! This first post covers our first impressions and our thoughts about our first India-trip meeting!

The first orientation was a great meeting, being that we got to meet with the other students that were chosen to go to India with us. We also go to play a "get to know each other" activity, where all of us got stickers of personality types and stuck them on to each other. Then we introduced ourselves to each other. This orientation meeting was helpful because we got to meet and also got to know the other people who are going to India with us. We watched a documentary of college students who experienced the journey for a few months before us. We witnessed how emotionally attached they were to their host families and what they learned from the culture. We learned about the population and a little about Bollywood. We learned that there are very diverse religions in India and that some people eat with their hands. We asked questions about how to fundraise and activities that we will be doing in India. One of the things we wondered about was what new activities we will do next in order to get more into the Indian culture. As we continue to meet up with the group we will do many different things such as activities and watching films about India. The thing that we like about the group that is going on this great experience is that everyone felt comfortable and welcomed. Also everyone seemed very interested in this amazing trip.

Joelvy, Amanda, Kevin, and Felicia

Posted by Ilora at 7:21 PM | Permalink

Students enjoying a feast of Indian and Tibetan food at the Himalayan Yak Restaurant on Wednesday.

Check back soon because the the BCC Prep students will be posting an update with more details about this week's Pre-Travel Orientation Session #2, which took place in Jackson Heights, Queens, home of a large South Asian community.

Posted by Global LAB at 4:18 PM | Permalink