My Adventure to India

In the beginning of this year an organization called Street School offered a trip for young adults to go to India. At first I was a bit unsure, but slowly the idea grew on me (with a little persuasion from my friend) and I decided to go. We set-off to India from O.R. Tambo International Airport on what felt like a pretty normal day (it still hadn’t hit me that I would be traveling without my mom for the first time and would go to a completely new and very different country). We would be traveling with a group of people who we would experience all the exciting new things with and share how we were feeling about some of the things we would experience. The aim of the trip was to teach Tibetan monks English and learn about Tibetan culture and history, but we also did quiet a bit of sightseeing.

The first twenty-four hours was filled with the majority of our sightseeing, we saw the golden temple, we went on a few tours, and then the next morning we went on our way to Dharamsala, which is where we would spend most of our time. Dharamsala (situated on the foothills of the Himalayas) is a city in India where the Dalai Lama lives and where the Tibetan people now live, as they no longer have their own land because it is now ruled by the Chinese government. What I found so amazing about this community of people is, despite all the hardships these people have faced or are still facing; they still manage to be so positive. It is also so incredible how a culture and religion can be so strong that it continues to thrive even without the land it originated from.

When we arrived in Dharamsala we did the lingor meditation walk along a path that was scattered with colorful Tibetan prayer flags. We did a few of these types walks and other types of meditation. I have tried to continue these meditations at home as they really do help me when I am feeling down, over emotional or when I just want to clear my head.

On the rest of the days we would go to museums, learn about Tibetan culture or listen to people’s stories about what they have gone through. I learnt many new things, but something that surprised me the most, is that many of the people who were living in Dharamsala had walked for months from Tibet to get there. We even met the Karmapa (who is almost as important as the Dalai Lama) and he answered our simple but very broad questions on life. He answered all of our questions with such humility, which just made the whole experience even more incredible. We had our conversation classes in the afternoons for an hour, where we would have conversations with the students about anything, as long as it was in English. This was my favorite part of the journey as the people were just so lovely and so involved with the conversations. I felt I had built friendships with many of the students and I am so happy I could help make their learning more interesting.

In the evenings we were allowed to go wandering around the roadside stalls, which sold beautiful jewelry and other unique trinkets. This was the part of the day I always looked forward to, as this was when the sun began to set and a soft breeze blew through the streets. The hustle and bustle became a bit less (not that much less though, it is still India) and the air would be filled with spices, as families begin to prepare their dinners. When my friends and I were finished our shopping, we would go to the hotel’s restaurant and order a slice of cake (this was particularly difficult as there was a huge selection). We would then play some cards whilst looking at the most exquisite view.

To end off our trip we visited the Taj Mahal, which in my opinion was the cherry on top of an amazing adventure. There is a quote that I came across recently that went something along the lines of, “travel - the only thing that you buy that makes you richer” and I couldn’t agree more. This trip has changed they why I look at situations and opened my eyes to so many things. I am so glad that in the beginning of this year I ended up deciding to go on this trip. I would like to leave you with this piece of advice: Go on adventures. Do things that in the beginning may frighten you, because in the end it is definitely worth it.

Victoria xo