A Mother and Daughter Perspective on Going to India
Taccara and Annette
Hello, my name is Taccara, when I first spoke of the idea of going to India to my mom she was on edge about it. However, when the Family Meeting came up I saw a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! I was excited because then she would be able to get all her questions answered and her experience in the meeting would give me hope that my going to India would somehow become a reality. When my mom agreed to attend the meeting, it showed me that she was contemplating supporting this “out of this world” idea of her only child wanting to adventure and travel halfway around the world. By the end of the meeting she knew how safe I would be on the program and how this is truly an experience of a lifetime!
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Hi, I am Annette, Taccara’s mother and I’d like to say this is a fascinating opportunity for our children. I attended the Family Meeting that was held in February 2010. It was an informational session and a get to know you type of event. We had the pleasure of meeting Bob Lesser from Replications, Ilora Majumder-Afzal from the Henry Street School for International Studies, John Eastman from Global LAB, and Deborah Friedman from Global LAB. They will be chaperones for our children during their global learning experience!
Our children will be leaving New York on July 9th and arriving in Delhi, India approximately 14-hours later. They will then stay at a hotel in Delhi as they adjust to their new surroundings, the time zone and the climate (heat). In approximately 2 days they will be heading off to Dharamsala, India, which is located in the lower region of the Himalayan Mountains. The Tibetan settlement of Dharamsala began in 1959, when His Holiness the Dalai Lama had to flee Tibet and the Prime Minister of India allowed him and his followers to settle in McLeod Ganj (Upper Dharamsala), a former colonial British summer picnic spot. There they established the "government-in-exile" in 1960.
Our children will be residing in pairs with host families. Each host family has previously had the pleasure of having American children reside in their homes; therefore they are well versed at accommodating their needs and communicating with them. Our children will have a learning experience of a lifetime and in return they will be giving back to the Tibetan community by teaching basic English to Tibetans living in exile. Perhaps your child has special skills they may be interested in sharing with the children of Dharamsala or with their host family. In addition, we discussed some of the things that they, our global travelers, could bring and what might be in their best interest not to bring.
These informational sessions have enlightened me on the safety of the trip and lessened my worries to the point where I believe that I am more excited than my daughter is about the whole opportunity! :)
Stay tuned for the next Family Meeting where we will learn more about what our teens will need to do to finalize their preparation for this exciting journey. It will be held in the June and your child will be receiving information with the exact time, date, and location shortly. This session is called “What to Know Before You Go” and we will discuss the packing list, cultural “do's and don’ts", health and safety, etc.
I look forward to meeting you then!
Comments
taccara its me, miss ida, i hope u are having a wonderful time and gaining new experiences, i miss seeing your face & hearing your voice, its pretty boring here without u. hope to see u soon, take lots of pictures, learn new songs & dances not to mention some funny stories ready for me when u get back, luv long time lol ida
Posted by: ida vincent | July 15, 2010 11:58 PM