The First "Real" Day July 10

I considered today my first real day in India when I woke up in Dharmshala, an incredibly beautiful town tucked away in the Himalayas; home to the Dalai Llama's temple, Tibetan government offices, a huge exile population, and the Indian King of Kangra's summer home AKA our home base. The little village we are staying in is a great glimpse at the real India with local flavors, colors, architecture, families, etc. It's really hard to put down on paper.. or the internet the really positive vibe the town sends out. It's a very happy and close village that has welcomed in twelve American teens with open arms.

This morning we got to chose where we would like to do our community services or our "placements". I ended up choosing to work at a summer camp with girls and boys ranging from 5 to 11 over daycare or sports camp. After the decision the old group walked us through our individual placements, what they want us to accomplish, and introduced us to the kids. The minute we got there at least ten kids ran up chirping "namaste" "good morning" or "hello" and proceeded to grab our hands or jump into our laps. It really amazed me how the kids were so open, trusting, and willing to welcome us into their lives and accept our help. I've never seen a group of kids more excited to play duck duck goose, sing the alphabet, or throw around a flat soccer ball. With the little the have, these kids make the most out of it and it's truly inspiring and life-changing to see. Today I knew these children were going to effect me more than I could ever effect them.

Today I fell even more in love with this country and the people who live here. I remember Raja, our program director, telling us "there's a difference between charity work and community service". We aren't doing charity work here because these children although in harsh conditions, aren't miserable, they're really happy and GLA is here trying to build on that.

pictures from the summer camp and walk down there