India, the south

Dear Friends,
I apologize for the delay in updates. It seems time really does slip away with more and more swiftness than I can sometimes process. I can’t believe how long it’s been since last we spoke, but I will try to do my best to catch you up over the next few posts.

I ended the India program with another week of vacation after finishing up our exploration of the South of India. After moving through Bangalore, Mysore, the BR Hills, and a few more places, you could imagine that we were pretty tired. While we all were exhausted, we were truly grateful for the things we had learned. Nothing can ever compare to digging through a field in order to learn about the Employment laws through the eyes of the government workers in rural India. And sitting with college students to discuss environmental degradation theory and ways that we can come together to care for our planet is a mental sensation that cannot be put onto paper. Walking through the jungle of the BR hills and learning about the land and its people by living with local tribes for a few days was truly heartwarming. Learning about their unwavering need to “develop sustainably” by availing themselves of modern health care while still holding true to their tradition is a lesson that we could all learn. For example, they have had agriculturalists come through and study their ways of cultivating the land and compare them to the “modern” way and have found that the tribal way is really the best for their health and for the longevity of the land mainly because they don’t take more than they need and replace it after they are done. Who would have though, the fair, but highly criticized rule of reciprocity (give back as much as you take) can actually work in our modern world. I will also never forget the bon fire the tribes threw us at the end of our stay there. They regaled us with traditional tribal dance and song just before suppressing the midnight flames in order to spread the coals. Just then, children half my age and size waltzed across the hot coals as if it were their form of relaxation or yoga. Well, me being me, I raised my eyebrow, scrunched up the legs o my pants, and did what any Tacoma boy would do; I walked across the hot coals. You will all be glad to know that no scars were acquired and it was truly an amazing experience. It really is something that I shall never forget. The only thing I could say at the end was “Oh the Places you’ll go”