AGS India Immersion Programme 2017/18

Roni Chapman. When we started the meetings for this trip I slowly started to notice how frequently it was said that this trip would be like a "rollercoaster of emotions". Due to the frequent use of this phrase it became a bit of a game to see how many times it would be repeated during the course of the trip. While I have lost count, It has only now really sunk in how perfectly this describes my time in India. The rollercoaster has quick changing twists and turns but you are too caught up in the moment to see what way the it turns next. Each place and each feeling seems to come with a place and feeling in the opposite direction: the bustling streets of Kolkata opposed to the calmness of Darjeeling, feeling energetic in Jaipur to feeling exhausted 3 days later here in Mumbai. Then there was the rollercoaster of Mumbai. Probably the sharpest turn for me. One afternoon we saw a part of Dharavi slum home to the usual smiling faces of India, but I was very surprised to see co...

Rowan Burns Buddhism isn't really a religion. It's more of an organised system of ethics. A way of life. Without a god, it guides people to ultimate truths, greater understanding, and enlightenment; it guides people to Nirvana. There are four noble truths, by following which, one will supposedly achieve a more ethical life. The general vibe is that if it is ethical, it is bringing you closer to enlightenment; thus when it is unethical, it is leading you to suffering. These truths preach that escaping material possessions is key to avoiding disappointment, envy, or other sinful/immoral qualities. It makes sense that without any earthly tethers, it would be much easier to detach emotionally and invest spiritually. By removing my social connections, I'm sure I would endure less physical and emotional suffering. But perhaps I would also be suffering in the opportunities missed. In that vein, the lack of a phone, has, without doubt, allowed me to invest more in this tr...

George I had just finished the perfect day, set out from the YWCA at just past noon, Ben and Michael in tow, with nothing but our noses to follow into the concrete wilderness that is Mumbai. After a serene uncounted amount of hours sitting on the seawall guarding Bombay from the Arabian Sea, waxing poetic and delving into the depths of the human condition as we philosophers do, we decided to launch ourselves into a stroll into the city. Forty minutes later we stumbled into a slum community. Ten minutes later we found ourselves launched headfirst into a heated hour of street football. There's no real way to describe that experience, the boys, the onlookers, the streaking goats, the laughs and sweaty high fives. But the memory will forever be safe with me. After chalking up another victory in the name of Skinner, we bade our farewells to our adoring fans and vanquished foes, and made our way to the main street. Through the 100 meter walk out of the slum, a fami...

Matt India. 25 Days. 600 Hours. 36000 Minutes. 2160000 Seconds. It's a long time. It's a short time. Are you a glass half full or half empty person? A pessimist or an optimist? Has this trip taken an eternity or has it gone in the blink of an eye? Do you see hope in the slums or do you see despair? Is it fair for the rich to be rich and the poor to be poor?  You know I was going to write about what it's like to be 10000km from home but as I sit here on the beach in Goa I stare out to the horizon. Where the blue ocean meets the blue sky. Europe is that way I thought. A land of modern cities, little disease, clean water. It's a long way from my position. I can't see it. But I know that it's out there. But as anyone familiar with a world map would tell you that there is a massive obstacle in the way if one was to try to to swim there. Africa. A land of challenges. Civil wars, famines and poor hygiene among other problems plague the country. It wouldn't be an un...

Raymond The camera is a tool I have slowly become more confident in using. I have learnt multiple tricks, tips and rules that allow my photos to look better and for an easier operation of the camera itself.  So you can imagine my excitement, when I realised I had an opportunity to take photos in India. In some ways, I thought it would like being a bit of a Nat Geo photographer, going into the wild and unknown (yes this is very naïve of me); I can now conclusively say, this is far from the truth. Anyways, I geared up. Well not really. I left Auckland with only a single camera and a single lens. But a hell of a lot of memory cards. Little did I know, how useless all that storage would be. The camera became a huge inconvenience. It occupied a lot of my bag space. The camera itself was hard to get out of its pack. And the fact sometimes, it did take a while to "get the perfect shot". Oh yeah it was also pretty hard to charge my batteries. However it was less b...

Ben Lerner It's an image that has stuck in my mind. Just a goat, walking through the soccer game in a slum in Mumbai. This goat was not the only distinctly Indian element of this soccer game, with the ball colliding with a welder, a barber (while working), several mopeds, several cars and vans, several passersby and flying onto the balcony of a shack next door. After a relaxed morning overlooking the Mumbai skyline, George, Michael and I decided to venture out and experience a slum in a small group rather than a large one, attempting to not attract as much attention. We walked around for around 10 minutes and stumbled upon a soccer game much to our excitement.  This soccer game was in a slum. We were playing with around a dozen boys, surrounded by crumbling buildings, tiny shacks and happy people. I am admittedly one of the worst soccer players known to man, but this didn't take away from how enjoyable the game was. Other than the game stopping every few minutes t...

Aaron It's confronting. It's violating. It's incredibly chaotic, but despite this chaos there is efficiency. It's beauty is immense, yet so is the pollution. It's stricken with poverty yet full of happiness. The people here have so little yet smile so much. It's humbling. It's inspiring. It can be heart wrenching at times, and yet incredibly joyful at others. It can seem so full of hope one moment, and yet so depressingly hopeless at the next. It is full of contrast. It's terribly unfair. But mainly it's confusing. To me it doesn't make sense. Perhaps it never will. For now I only know two things; one- I am incredibly lucky, and two- I am ready to come home.

We made it! This morning we arrived at our hotel in Goa  at 9:45am  local time (train only 2 hours late), and we are currently surrounded by sand, sun and surf. The boys have just finished a swim and fresh fish and chips at Anthony's shack - of the many shacks that line Colva Beach - life is good. From the outset it is worth noting why we are here in Goa, and what the next 4 days will entail. We have just completed a fairly extensive chat with the boys, with the following details being relevant to  you all as blog followers:  1- Goa is about physical recovery: there are no wake up calls. The boys are free to sleep in, or to get up and then take afternoon siestas; ultimately to do as they please for the majority of the day. The pool is a 20m walk from their bedrooms and the ocean is a 400m walk from the hotel's reception  area. For the more athletic the beach could also act as a relatively clean running track???  2- Goa is ab...