Though at first difficult to find, the slum school, Baal Baharr, held many children who brightened our day their smiling faces and joyful personalities. Our group brought a variety of gifts for the children such as finger puppets, candy, and school supplies. The kids were also thrilled to see their very own faces in the backs of our camera screens as many of them had previously not had this opportunity. After the school visit, our group ventured to the house of B.M. Singh who runs the Baal Baharr school. He was very insightful, wise, and generous. Later, we traveled to the Rock Garden of Chandigarh which is famous for its towering walls and sculptures that are constructed out of unwanted materials. Afterwards, everyone enjoyed a camel ride while passing natives asked to "snap a picture" with the Americans. Again, we were a novelty at the Lake in Chandigarh where many people pedaled around in self-engined boats. For dinner, we joined the rotary members for a meeting at the rotary house. There, we presented money for the Baal Baharr school. In addition, each visiting American from our team received a banner from the Rotary Club in Chandigarh. We finished the day by visiting the famous rose gardens of Chandigarh. Unfortunately, it was pitch-black, so we couldn't see anything. All we could hear was a screeching monkey in a tree above our heads. Our host sister, Sophia, warned us to run away quickly because she didn't want to take any risks with her guests. Concluding our night, we visited the Peace Monument of Chandigarh which is a large statue of the Buddha. We were asked to keep silent to respect the Buddha whose soul was at peace. He believed that speech polluted the air, so we respected his ideals while visiting his memorial. Each day seems to be busier than the next, but it is just one more experience for us to be infused with the Indian culture.
No comments:
Post a Comment