Hello again friends and family! With only a week standing between us reciting monologues about our epic voyages to all you, I give you one of our last updates. It seems like a lifetime ago we were sadly leaving Calcutta. Heading to Phool Ashram we all had our reservations about this week long semi silent retreat with 5:30 am wake up calls for morning chanting and meditation, neti potting and… Read More
Just a quick post to keep everyone updated! We haven’t had time the last week to take care of group things such as the blog because we’ve been staying at the beautiful Phool Chatti ashram in upper Rishikesh. The ashram overlooks the Ganges river from a bluff and has the perfect atmosphere for some serious reflection and spiritual exploration. Our days we’re jam-packed (5:30 am to 9 pm!) with yoga,… Read More
Greetings from Calcutta! I have been given the lofty task of describing my experience here. Honestly, I know that I will probably fail at fully expressing all of the emotions I have pertaining to this amazing place, but I will try my best.
I want to start off by saying that Calcutta was the reason that I chose this program. Yes, I was excited for many other aspects of the… Read More
Hello family and Friends!
It has been an amazing week so far, filled with adventure. After sadly saying goodbye to one of our favorite cities, Varanasi, we headed to serene Bodhgaya. For those of you who don’t know, Bodhgaya is the place where the Buddha attained enlightenment. Even I, the not spiritual one, felt the presence of Buddha under the Bodi tree. The Bodi tree is the tree under which… Read More
Varanasi (or Banaras), is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, and also the holiest of all cities in the Hindu faith. It is believed to be the favorite city of Lord Shiva (you should be excited about that, Mom). It is also known as Kashi, the City of Light, although when we arrived on the first night of Diwali, this took on a literal context. As Indian… Read More
Hello family and friends! Before I begin- this will be a very short, and very brief post. I’ll hit y’all with a bunch of awesome pictures soon, but I lack the technological capabilities to do so at present. We’re finally in Varanasi! After bumping around from place to place for a week, we’ve arrived and begun to settle down for internships, ghat viewings, and other exciting adventures in this holy… Read More
Hello all! Has it been a memorable week! Leaving Deer Park and its peaceful atmosphere was quite a shock as we stumbled onto an eight hour public bus to Amritsar at four in the morning. Needless to say this was a journey in itself. But once we all arrived at the Golden Temple, where we would be staying for two days, it was clear to see that although hectic, it… Read More
TAKE THREE! I would like to premise this by letting you all know I am typing this all on a phone because I tried to use the Internet cafe twice already and both times the power cut out at the end of writing the blog. Three cheers for India!!!
Namaste Carpe Diem friends and family! Our adventure continued this week in the beautiful lower Dharamsala at the now deeply beloved… Read More
Hello Carpe friends and family!
The blog for this week may seem a bit rushed because I’m (Leine) filling in for our dear sick friend Makenna who is resting away an illness.
This week we have returned from our sweaty but rewarding trek, to McLeod Ganj, the home of the Dalai Lama (who we will be seeing tomorrow morning!) We took an extra night to clean off and rest before… Read More
Hello from the Himalayas! We just finished our trek and are staying in McLeod Ganj for the week.
On the plane ride from San Francisco to Hong Kong, I had an OE for Southeast Asia tell me “while India is easily the biggest pain-in-the-butt country to be a traveler, it is without a doubt the most beautiful and rewarding place to experience.” How these words have reigned true. Just from… Read More
Just now, I Googled the definition of “frazzled” and this is what I got.
1. completely exhausted.
2. cause to shrivel up with burning.
These both perfectly apply to my experience of India so far.
But besides the exhaustion at the end of each day, the oppressive heat, the wonderful food (which for once is finally too spicy for me sometimes), I have found some sort of indescribable beauty to… Read More
We are all having so much fun together here at orientation.
We are learning about India, each other, and becoming a solid community.
Jeremy and I are so excited for the next 3 months!
Enjoy the photos 🙂… Read More
Hello everyone!
It’s Gabriela here, and we have made it safe and sound to Delhi! We are staying in the Tibetan Colony right outside of central Delhi, and it is such a great place to be. For me, it is even more special because I was just in Tibet last month. While being in the Tibetan Colony, I have seen a Tibetan flag for the first time and seen many… Read More
Greetings from the Shiva (pronounced like she-va, not like “sitting shiva” as I first thought) Group of India! We are absolutely loving it here in Delhi at the Tibetan colony, Majnu-Ka-Tilla, where we are staying. We have had so much fun playing with the local children, finding a litter of puppies (that will potentially be sent to my home in Kansas — sorry Mom), and exploring the great city of… Read More
We’ve gotten word that the Shiva and Shanti groups have safely landed in Delhi. They are now getting some well-earned rest after flying halfway across the earth. Stay tuned for more updates from the students themselves.… Read More
The Shiva group has safely arrived in San Francisco and is excited to begin their journey together to India!
Be sure to stay tuned to the blog as we will post again when the group arrives safely in country!
We wish you all the best team Shiva!… Read More
After four glorious days of camping with Carpe family (and two good cleanings), Jeremy and Audrey hit the streets of Portland for exploration, scavenger hunt madness, and conspirings of a beautiful India adventure to be. The adventure began with coffee at Anna Bananas coffee shop. Once (de)caffeinated Jeremy and Audrey enjoyed delicious Thai food and tasty ice cream, they biked all around sharing stories and enjoying the sights and sounds… Read More
It’s official – the mighty Shiva crew has parted ways and everyone is on to the next chapter of their adventures!
As Paff prepars to board a plane to Indonesia and Avy packs for a 38 hour train ride to Southern India,we wanted to take a minute to send each of our Shiva crew a little love, and also thank all of the parents, friends, and family who have supported… Read More
We’ve received word that the mighty Shiva group has checked into the airport in Delhi and begun the journey homeward. Here’s a final picture of the handsome crew. We’re wishing them traveling mercies as they return to their loved ones. Keep an eye out for a final blog posting from Shiva leaders Matt and Avy.
… Read More
It seemed like just yesterday we were brainstorming places to go for free travel–the portion of the trip where the leaders step back and the students take charge; we determined where we wanted to go, planned the activities, navigated transportation, sorted out accommodations, and kept track of the budget. In a sense, it is the grand culmination of our adventure. The first stop was Bundi, a small desert town in… Read More
