AGS India Immersion Programme 2017/18

Michael [Read reflections #1 and #2 first] Yet, in saying all I've said in the past two blogs, I'm not going to come back from India and start a charity, I'm probably not even going to start giving more to charities, and I'm definitely not going to give up my life of luxury and convert to an ascetic life of monasticism up in the Himalayas. India has had a profound effect on me, but in a different way. Seeing all the smiles brought onto the faces of kids as a result of being surrounded by friends and tight-knit families, spending a month creating some of the most fulfilling and rewarding memories of my life with a great group of boys, I'm now resolved to make more time in my life for connection with friends and time spent with family. Leaving for India I thought I would come back and want to lock myself in my room for a month after the emotional exhaustion of the past 31 days. Instead I find myself emailing my parents asking them to head to the batch with my gran...

Michael [Read Reflection #1 first] I saw the effervescent smiles of the kids we played with and wondered if they were  always as happy as they appeared in our company or just happy because of the novelty of playing with us light-skinned tourists. When I walk down the road and see beggars sleeping on the side of the street, I struggle to believe the millions of ceaseless smiles shining at us as we walk past. I struggle to believe the smile of the cycle tuk tuk driver in Delhi as he turns and looks at us with a hearty grin and yet keeps all his worldly possessions in a pouch above our seat and uses his cycle tuk tuk as a home.  I struggle also with the contradictions, the ones mentioned in my previous blog 'Photographs' as well as countless others. In the picturesque, enchanting hills of Darjeeling I remember watching on awkwardly as a man with no legs crawled along the street, pushing his pot of jangling coins out in front of him, wearing knee pads to prevent his lifeles...

Michael You smirk because it sounds cheesy, the classic India immersion pseudo-philosophising, but when I ask myself this question now, it is not altogether as ridiculous and easy to dismiss as it had been less than one month ago.  I suppose 'ridiculous' isn't the right word, I remember that in the build up to the trip I would love to go round grinning while telling my friends how I was about to have "the eye-opening, life-changing, experience of a lifetime". But back then, deep down, I don't know if I really believed myself. Warnings in advance for the obscenely long series of blogs, but this is a bit of an outpouring of all that I've been feeling for the past month. But before I can say how I feel and how the trip has affected me, I think I need to first process what I've seen. I've seen so many stories, and even though we have seen small spots of hope at NGO's like Freeset, Future Hope and Asha, a pervading sense of hopeless ...

Michael I open my camera and look at a photo I took a week or two ago. I flick to another. And another. And another. Every photo I see a canvas, a hectic, messed-up, disorganised canvas splattered by paint from a troubled, sporadic artistic. Without order or reason, a million blotches of paint dropped from bucket, creating a dazzling, inscrutable, absorbing smorgasbord of purposes, goals, and contradictions. One photo, taken by a typical train track illustrates the visual waterfall of colour that is the usual cross-section of Indian life. Every second looking at the photo reveals another story. A metre away from the tracks a stall is set up selling the standard array of Indian street snacks. Atop the shack, a blue corner of tarpaulin peeks over the edge, a hint at the shop owner's bed for the night, and many nights more. In another corner, a mother sits cradling her baby. Her seat is the dirt floor of a home held up by bamboo sticks with a cloth draped over the top. Elsewhe...

Raymond   Yeah. So through this trip, I am proud to say I haven't lost many things this trip. Haven't lost any personal belongings. Haven't lost my way through the immense labyrinth of a few India metropolises. Haven't even managed to lose weight. I have lost a few games of 500. And I've also managed to lose my glasses. Whoops. Mum and Dad, please feel welcome to be totally disappointed and angry in your son. I completely understand, as I am rather disappointed at my own idiocy. To cut to the chase, I decided it would be a fantastic idea to go for a dip in the sea with my glasses, on, not expecting myself to have much of a swim. Anyhow, I got caught off guard through my little stroll and a wave crashed over me, sweeping me off my feet and my glasses off my face/head.  Consequently, I have been visually impaired for a period of about 2 hours while I wait for fish and chips on Colva beach. Yes I have been on a bit of a crusade to find my precious eyewear. I miss my tw...

Today has been another limited day in terms of group activities as the boys were given the whole day to do as they pleased. With that said, some incredible experiences were had as groups went exploring the areas neighbouring our hotel, in what was our last day in Mumbai before setting off for Goa. We will flick out only formal blogs from this point, and will detail the reasons for this, as well as the purposes of our stay in Goa, when we arrive. At this point, we are all ready for some serious R&R, and with no one currently sick it couldn't be better timing to enjoy it. Thursday 28 December 8:30am – breakfast was not compulsory, but many still chose to feast on the YWCA buffet for one last time. 10:00am – the rest of the group, admittedly including myself, appeared in drips and drabs. With the only deadline being a 12pm checkout, many headed back to Café Mondegar or Leopold Café for a brunch of sorts (if you can call a burger and chips a brunch meal). 12p...

Ryan Donovan While walking through the streets of Mumbai I came across a particular shop where their security appeared much greater than others. I thought I would share this as it really does reflect the level of security in many parts of India. At the front of the shops were a few steps that led to the front door. Beside these stood a 'security guard' who was facing completely the wrong direction and on the phone. A walk through style metal detector was located covering half the steps. It was completely wooden with two wires that came out of the wood which ran 2 meters towards the shop and then stopped, not being plugged into anything, leaving the wooden structure completely disconnected. There were many shoppers who wisely decided to walk up the other side of the stairs where there was no metal detector. What a secure shop. A secure shop that got me thinking. This small, rather amusing experience made me realise this shop is very much like a lot of India. On the surface...

  Leo Smith It's safe to say that this trip has gone at rapid pace. It seems like yesterday that I arrived at Hotel Emirates in Kolkata, and now I sit here in Mumbai, about to embark on the final leg of the trip. India has taught me some valuable lessons, and I seem to have picked things up in every city even though I may not have realised it. As I think back on experiences that I have witnessed, and things I have done, I feel the need to share some of the most valuable lessons that India has taught me to date. Firstly, happiness doesn't rely on anything. When I think back to all the slums that I have been to in the last 3 weeks, one thing comes to mind- happiness. These kids, who don't even have the basic needs of life, can sometimes seem happier than they should be. Their attitudes to life are far different to ours in New Zealand. This really motivated me throughout the trip, to always attempt to see the silver lining, and its helped maintain positivity in me ...

Richard The Reality Check   Something happened to me on that day in Kolkata, December the 9 th to be exact. I'm not talking about some big, drastic event that happened while I was there that no one would ever expect, in fact, I'm not even sure if it has had an effect at all on the way I go about things now. Nonetheless, something did happen. It was the day we visited a slum called Brooklyn, which I'm sure the majority of you have probably heard about by now. The day didn't start off well for me after hearing some tough news from back in New Zealand, to be honest, I was actually considering not going out at all that day but after some motivation from the staff I ended up coming along. Truth to be told, what I saw at Brooklyn has haunted me since, as I touched on in one of my previous blogs I have been too scared to accept what I saw in fear of how I might react. What I felt throughout my time in Brooklyn and ever since is grief, I would describe it a...

Sam Lindberg Our last day in Mumbai before a train at 10pm to Goa saw us with several hours of free time in our hands. Tom went through discussing the various things we should do; try new foods, go play cricket at the Maidan or just walk and see where the wind takes you. A few of us decided to go down to the Maidan and indulge in some frisbee and attempted to join in on a game of cricket with some locals. Seeing hundreds of people enjoying a sunny day doing what they love in a greatly appreciated part of the city highlighted something to me. Playing sport, have it be touch rugby, cricket or soccer is something special and can unite people together in such a large community where belonging seems so important.  After a nice lunch at the famous Leopolds, an ice-cream was definitely needed on what is a scorching hot day for us, Yet a standard winters day for India. While Ryan and I were waiting for a couple boys to get some money out, a boy who was a beggar came up to us. My first ...

Cam Over the past week or so I've been stumped in terms of what things I've seen and felt that are worth a blog. However after some more reflection time in the lavatory staring at the same stained bathroom tiles, (my only accompaniment being my stomach's demonstration of a whale-call) I've come to a realisation that in this beautiful labyrinth of ups, downs, colours and stories it's hard to find something undeserving of its own dialogue . Coming into this trip, I was planning on writing a blog or two per city, trying to sum them up and the lessons they taught me. As I've expressed before, I find it impossible to "summarise" a society/city, and I've found how malleable the lessons learnt from them can be (through debrief). Despite these distinct chapters in our journey, I've observed some consistency among the chaos. I'm shocked to say that I have gotten used to seeing children beggars born into situations they can't help, and that...