Photos!

HERE are my photos from our incredible trip! It is a week ago today that we left Delhi, and yet it feels almost like a strange dream that never happened. We jumped right back into school/work and our Wasatch life, but throughout the day some little bit of India will bubble up and cause me to stop, think, and appreciate this amazing experience. More stories, photos and musings to come.
Zina

Last day!

Hey all! It's Zina! I finally found some free wi-fi in Delhi. We are about to head out for our last day of site seeing and shopping and then begin the trek back late tonight. All are well, tired and I think ready to come home. It's been an incredible journey and we have stories galore to share.
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Arrival in Delhi

I received word from Zina. The India crew has arrived safe and sound in Delhi. They will be taking in the sights and sounds of Delhi, along with some shopping before flying home tomorrow-

India Update

I spoke with Zina last evening. The groups were on their way for the exciting river rafting trip, before a full day in Delhi, and the trip home. Zina said a few students had been feeling ill due to food issues. They have recovered and seem to be enjoying their time with their new friends. I will continue to post what I receive from Zina and/or a representative from the school, as the group begins their preparations back home.

Update

A belated update; technical difficulties on my behalf-I apologize for this. From early Saturday morning: The interactive project in Jaidwar has started with the students divided into three mixed groups of 7, each with a teacher in charge. Our two schools have integrated themselves as they seem to have developed a camaraderie amongst themselves. They continue to enjoy Ajay's meals. Super abundance of mineral water at camp. The staff and students have visited several homes and befriended the matrons of the village as well, apart from the kids. Early this morning the group went for a short 5-6k trek to the ridge above the Jaidwar and enjoyed the  360 degree views from there. The weather is quiet pleasant there.

 All is well for now!! I will keep you posted on developments.  This post is from a representative at the school. He is receiving updates from the project site. I will update you when I receive the next one!

Day 5 (I think?)

Hello all,
It's another gorgeous sunny (and hot!) day here in India and we continue to have grand adventures. Last night we took a drive up a very windy road high in the foothills of the Himalayas to visit Woodstock school, which is a co-ed American style international boarding school. Some of our kids played with some Welham boys and the Woodstock boys in a basketball scrimmage and we toured the campus and ate dinner together. It was very beautiful and we had a nice time, though all agreed we like Welham School much more.
Today our students have been attending classes with the Welham boy and enjoying very much! We are also busy preparing a short skit about the WA basketball team for a big cultural celebration tonight. The Welham students have been preparing for months many dance, music and other presentations, it is really going to be spectacular. Afterward we are honored to be invited to dinner at the head of school's home.
Tomorrow we leave at 7am to head high into the Himalayas to Jaidwar to stay and work in a small village. We will have no internet there, but the Welham teachers will contact someone here on their campus each day who will contact our Wasatch point person who will update the blog.

At the Welham Boys School

Hello all!

I am sitting in a bright sunny art studio while the students are busily painting bright glazes on pots as part of a pottery workshop the art department here has put on for us.

The Welham School is an amazing place and they have been more than wonderful to us and are taking the very best care of us. The food is amazing, the people so kind, and the campus is in the bloom of spring with flowers everywhere and all sorts of birds around.

Yesterday we had a relaxed morning and played some sports, included a crash course in Cricket! We had an outing into the city of Dehradun where we explored, shopped and took in all the sights, sounds and smells.

India is a fascinating place and we are all continaully overwehlmed, excited, amazing, and in awe of. The kids are all doing very well, no illness so far, and we are all getting over jet lag pretty well. They are making new friends, and soaking in all the experiences like sponges!

Cheers!

Zina

Tigers IN India!!!

We made it! Our flight leaving from Amsterdam was two hours late, sitting on the Tarmac.


Good thing we were all so exhausted at that point we just slept.


We landed around 12:30am and by the time we got through customs, got all our bags, and found our driver it was 2.


We slept a few hours here at hotel waves,


had a delicious breakfast and are awaiting our drivers for the 7 drive to Dehradun.


This is the view from our hotel


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The land of tulips

We made it safe and sound to Amsterdam after a nice seven hour flight. After doctoring headaches and congestion everyone got some sleep and watched some movies. Next stop Delhi!


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T minus 14 hours till take off!!!!

I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off taking care of all the last minute details (that seem to keep multiplying). Here is a pic of all the backpacks and sleeping bags ready for the kids to fill.


Another of our "uniform" t-shirts we'll wear when in transit.


And last, a visual of my craziness! :)


Thanks to EVERYONE who helped make thus trip possible!

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Round TWO!!!!

Hello all!
Well, the tigers had a great time in India over winter break . . . so they decided to do it again for spring break! On March 10th, 11 intrepid tigers will be lead by myself (Zina Bennion) and Adam Gockley for a two week trip to this magical land! Last night we had our first meeting with the students, they were all there, and not only on time, but a little early! That bodes well!
Throughout the trip I and other people (kids too!) will post on the blog, so keep checking back!
Here is a copy of the itinerary:

Welham Boys - Wasatch Academy Joint Project, Jaidwar March 2011
Tentative Itinerary
Day	Date	Programme	Night
Day 1	Mar 11	Wasatch arrival KLM 871- 11:30pm IGI Airport, New Delhi from Amsterdam	Hotel Waves, Airport, New Delhi
Day 2	Mar 12	12 Noon Dep.for Dehra Dun by car	WB Campus
Day 3	Mar 13	Rest day. Cultural Evening followed by Principal’s Dinner.	WB Campus
Day 4	Mar 14	4:30pm – 5:30pm: Basketball Friendly Fixture – Wasatch Welham Boys Team Vs Woodstock, Dinner at Woodstock School	WB Campus
Day 5	Mar 15	6:30pm – 7:30pm Basketball Friendly Fixture – Wasatch Vs Welham Boys (Activity Centre)	WB Campus
Day 6	Mar 16	Early morning Departure for Jaidwar	Camp Jaidwar
Day 7	Mar 17	Project, Camp Jaidwar	Camp Jaidwar
Day 8	Mar 18	Project, Camp Jaidwar	Camp Jaidwar
Day 9	Mar 19	Project, Camp Jaidwar	Camp Jaidwar
Day 10	Mar 20	Holi Celebrations with villagers. After Lunch; Wasatch Dep. for Brentwood/ WBS return to campus	Camp Brentwood
Day 11	Mar 21	Camp Brentwood, After Lunch Dep for WBS	WB Campus
Day 12	Mar 22	Dep. for River Rafting, Rishikesh after breakfast	VNA, Shivpuri Camp
Day 13	Mar 23	River Rafting/ After lunch dep for Chila, Rajaji National Park	GMVN Rest House, Chila
Day 14	Mar 24	Chila, Rajaji National Park, Elephant Ride, Jeep Safari/after lunch dep. for Haridwar Station, Shatabdi Express to Delhi	Train
Day 15	Mar 25	Arrival Delhi, Check in to hotel/ Shopping/Sightseeing in Delhi /Evening dep for IGI Airport.	Hotel Waves, Airport, New Delhi
Day 16	Mar 26	Wasatch Departure IGI Airport, New Delhi 1:50 am

India Abridged Photos

And They're Off!!!

I just got back from the airport where the kids and Chris Hawk successfully checked in, got their boarding passes and heading for the starting gate! They all seemed very excited/nervous/and happy. I have to say I was more than a little jealous and sad I'm not going with them! I know this is going to be an amazing trip. After some work (good job Alissa!) it seems Cameron will meet up with them safely in Seattle, and Brittany Hopkins in Paris.

I will update this blog whenever I hear from them, and will send an email to you all as I receive daily updates.

Thank you everyone for all your patience, hard work, positive thoughts, resources and energy to make this trip happen! It is going to be a phenomenal and important experience for everyone involved. -Zina

We're making tracks...

Hi Everyone,

This is Brittany Hopkins writing. I've am thrilled to be a part of this trip as the female chaperone from Wasatch Academy. While I don't know everything about what we will be doing once we get to India, I thought I might share our itinerary given to us by Karna Puri- the coordinator from the Welham Boys School in India.

Day 0- Leave for India

Day 1- Arrive in New Delhi at 11:10 PM

Day 2- Take an overnight train to Dehradun (where we meet up with the students of the Welham Boys School)

Day 3- Take a train towards the village

Day 4- Travel by road to the Village of Sumgarh (I'm thinking "by road" means a bus)

Day 5- Begin work on the project (helping to build a school that was demolished by mudslides)

Day 6- Project

Day 7- Project

Day 8- Walkabout to Dhakur (view of Himalayan Peaks)

Day 9- Return to Sumgarh

Day 10- Project

Day 11- Project

Day 12- Project

Day 13- Bus to Naini Tal

Day 14- Bus to Corbett Tiger Reserve

Day 15- Elephant/Jeep Safai (followed by overnight train to Delhi)

Day 16- Delhi

Day 17- 1:45 AM fly back to the states

Day 17 round two- We land in Utah around 4 PM

Above are the maps of where we will be going. While I wasn't able to locate a dot with the words "Sumgarh Village" on a map, I was able to find out the coordinates.

Hopefully we will be able to upload images from India so check back soon!

T-Minus two weeks!

Hello all! In less than two weeks our intrepid little Tigers will be flying over the big pond on a grand adventure. This blog is going to be used by students, teachers, and me (Zina) to update what they are experiencing for all you parents and friends to look in on. At this point I can't make any promises about how detailed blog posts may be as we do not know yet if there is any internet access in the Sumgarh village. However, there will be daily contact between the trip leader and myself so there will at minimum be a daily update about the safety of the group. Also, this blog may be used after they are home for reporting of the trip, sharing of pictures and processing.
-Zina