Namaste!
13 days! In less than two weeks we will all be standing on Indian soil. It might seem like a world away, and in many ways it is, but it’s moving closer all the time.
Welcome to the blog. While we are overseas this blog will be our link to family and friends at home. It’s a place for them to follow our journey…just a small window into the unbelievable experiences we are having. Please pass this link along to those you love who aren’t able to join our jagged journey across the mountains and the plains, the villages and cities of northern India.
https://carpediemeducation.org/blog/category/shanti/
Here are a few reminders as you prepare for the trip:
- Make copies of your passport and visa. Also scan a copy of each and email it to yourself.
- Bring 2 passport photos. We will need them for our permits to enter Sikkim.
- Consider bringing homestay gifts. Think small but special – unique to the place where you live. Ideas include ball caps from your favorite sports teams, decks of cards that have the name of your state, special foods from your home-state (i.e. Minnesota wild rice or Vermont maple sweets), things you’ve made like bracelets, knit items, or something else that demonstrates a craft that is unique to your home or community.
- Also, consider putting together a few photos of your home, family, friends, etc. or other things that would be fun to share with your homestay families and others we meet along the way.
We can’t wait to put the planning behind us and hop on the plane with all of you. We’re excited to drink chai, get lost on side streets of bustling Indian cities, careen down allies in rickshaws, put one foot in front of the other with you in the world’s tallest mountains, and eat curried foods served on green leaves and clay bowls. But even more so, we’re looking forward to getting to know you and sharing the next three months of all of our lives together. Welcome to the Carpe Diem family!
We can’t wait to meet all of you.
Dan and Greta
Photo Caption: While we may not dock sheep in India, this is a photo of just one of the incredible experiences we had with Carpe Diem last fall in New Zealand. We know India will bring it’s own incredible (and absurdly hilarious) photo opportunities.