traveling snow 

Manav Sadhna. Learnings. February 28, 2017 I am a lover of passion. Passion is something that had been missing from my life situation during the middle of 2016. I thrive off of passion. I thrive off of seeing other people’s passion. To me, passion is the purpose of life. Manav Sadhna and traveling to Ahmedabad, India was a concept that formulated completely organically. It started back in Texas at work when I was telling my friend and co-worker, Amir, about our two year, roun

Manav Sadhna - Day 10 February 9, 2017 Let's play a game. I have a thousand other experiences I could write about tonight but I choose not to. I was lotioning (nope that's not a word but I'm going to use it).. uh um.. I was lotioning my hands tonight and was so grateful for the lotion. Also SO irritated with my disgusting and dry hands. Funny how gratitude came hand in hand with my irritations. No pun intended. Okay. So let's start this game. Let's list the the everyday first

Manav Sadhna - Day 17 February 16, 2017 A Slums Field Trip Today we took approximately sixty or seventy young children on a field trip to Kankaria Lake for a field trip. This man made lake has a little train that loops around it, it's set up alongside a zoo, and has an array of food vendors and tiny carnival rides nearby. It's like a very mini theme park for kids. This is absolutely one of my highlights of volunteering. Every child showed up to school in their finest attire.

Manav Sadhna - Day 9 February 8, 2017 Last night Zach and I went on our second run here in Ahmedabad along the Sabarmati Riverfront. I'm so excited to have a routine. I am an organized, structured, routine kind of girl. A routine kind of girl who likes to do what I want, when I want, how I want, and won't think twice before changing plans and making something new happen. So I guess you could say... I like the routine with a whole lot of excitement and not a lot of commitment.

Manav Sadhna - Day 8 February 7, 2017 The Gujarat state has 62 million people. Sixty two million. In one state. A state that's can fit into Texas three and one half times. And the entire state is dry. That's an incredible thing. It's one of four or five states in India where alcohol is illegal. And the people are doing just fine here without it. Honestly, I can't imagine what it would be like if alcohol was sold here. Alcohol is a distraction. It deters you from focusing on m

February 6, 2017 Friday we were assigned our projects. I will be teaching 6th, 8th, 8th, and 10th standard English. The 10th graders have a board exam they must pass in March. Zach will be teaching as well. He is to head the science fair for the Tekra community taking place on February 28th. In addition, we are to work on the community center beautification project and the library theme. Both should be done by February 25th. We both have full schedules now. Our first class is

Manav Sadhna, Day 6 February 5, 2017 Today is Sunday. Today we explore Ahmedabad and rest. We woke up at 7 am, ran 4.5 miles, and went to the mall to catch a break from the madness. Yep. That's what we do. We go to malls to feel like we are in western society again. And we ate Domino's for dinner. Without meat. Because you know. We aren't eating meat. -AS @travelingsnow #volunteering

Manav Sadhna - Day Five February 4, 2016 There is happiness is all over the world. If you look for it. Today I went back to the slum community that is newly developing a Manav Sadhna center. This community is so unfamiliar with volunteers and western looking people that you are treated like a celebrity when you walk by. Everyone wants to say hello. Everyone wants to shake your hands. I went and sat in on the first young women's meeting in this slum. The girls are anywhere fro

Manav Sadhna - Day Four February 3, 2017 Today, all the volunteers met up at Manav Sadhna and gathered in two jeeps to head about forty minutes out to the Blind School and Hostel. Here, we are told stories about how this blind school started. Two blind brothers felt they needed to do something for the blind community, so they started in a small room. I can't possibly articulate the images I'm seeing in India. A video can't possibly do it justice. We sat in a room and watched

Manav Sadhna - Day 3 February 2, 2017 I felt very stimulated all night. On an inner source level. I felt my dreams were very directed and guided. I was eager to wake up in the morning and start a day with meaningful intent. I think what I am going to attempt to incorporate into my life over the next thirty days, and hopefully indefinitely, is a ten minute directed meditation every morning. I've already implemented the practice of setting intentions for my day, especially in b